A: Jeep national spokes-man Dan Bodene says the Wrangler has no design flaw and there is no service bulletin regarding front-end shake. I’ve tested the 2006 Wrangler and didn’t experience any shaking. Your Jeep might have something as simple as a tire balance problem. You note that you work on it, doing such things as rotating and balancing tires. But special equipment found at service facilities or tire shops is needed to do a good tire balancing job.

A: Probably not. The 2008 Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy estimates on new car window labels give a better idea of a vehicle’s mpg because the EPA changed the way fuel figures are calculated to more closely reflect how vehicles are driven. Still, mpg readings will continue to vary depending on circumstances. For instance, jackrabbit starts, speeding, underinflated tires, hilly roads, poor maintenance and heavy loads lower economy. Why the new figures? Because we “now tend to drive at higher speeds, with faster accelerations and while using more air conditioning,’’ says the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. The EPA move is reminiscent of when automakers, preparing for unleaded gasoline, lowered compression ratios and used net horsepower figures with power-robbing engine accessories attached, to greatly lower advertised power figures of cars in the early 1970s. Thus, a 1970 360 horsepower rating of a Chevrolet Camaro Z-28 fell to 255 in 1972.

A: Thicker oil won’t solve the problem, which is nothing to ignore unless you want a hefty engine repair bill. You probably got that advice because oil becomes thinner when it gets hot, although that won’t cause such an erratic gauge reading. The gauge might be defective or, with that high mileage, engine components such as bearings might be overly worn. There also might be an oil system delivery problem. Elmwood Park’s Caira Automotive suggests having a repair facility use a mechanical gauge to get an accurate oil pressure reading — and to proceed from there.

A: Such an air bag inflates to protect the head and upper torso, usually in a side collision. Side curtain bags can be found in the seat or “B” roof post, which is the one immediately behind the front door.

A: The Pantera was a fast, low-slung two-seater built in Italy by eccentric Alejandro de Tomaso’s auto operation with Ford’s cooperation and a 310-horsepower mid-engine Ford V-8. A total of 5,629 Panteras were sold from 1971 through 1974 as an “image car” by Ford Motor’s Lincoln-Mercury dealers to accompany the imported, humbler Mercury Capri. With an initial price of about $10,000, the Pantera was considered a bargain for an Italian exotic. But L-M dealers knew nothing about Italian sports cars and hated the Pantera because it was sloppily built during much of that period and was a pain to fix, although the V-8 was reliable and the car had a Ford new-car warranty. The Pantera’s predecessor was the scarce, troublesome, Ford-powered Mangusta, which should have warned Ford not to get involved with de Tomaso. However, many Panteras have been mostly debugged by owners and a good 1971-72 model is valued at $35,000, while the better-built 1973-4 model is at $39,000. Watch for serious rust problems if you want to restore one — a venture I would discourage.

Car question? Send it to Dan Jedlicka, Chicago Sun-Times, 350 N. Orleans, Chicago 60654, or e-mail djedlicka@suntimes.com. Include name and hometown.