QUESTION: I have a sticky problem and I am wondering how you would handle this?

I bought a car from an associate at work and have recently found out that it had thousands of dollars of repairs after an accident.

I have owned the car for six months. I was told the previous owner had the car for two years and it has never been in an accident.

How do I find out the truth, and if the owner has lied to me, is there some way I can get her to take the car back and return my money.

ANSWER: She told you that the car has not been in an accident since she owned it, which was two years and that may be correct.

There is the possibility that the car was in the accident before she bought it so I would not accuse her of any wrongdoing until you get your facts straight. You need to know if the repairs have been done properly and if the car is safe. If the answer to both these questions is yes than you can just tell the person you bought the car from that you were shocked to find out that the car had extensive body repairs and see what transpires from there.

If the repairs pose a safety risk, you may have to ask the provincial Ministry of Transportation to find out more about the collision damage. If you find that your associate is not telling the truth than I suggest you consult a lawyer.

Whatever you do, do not get into an argument with her since that can lead to all sorts of legal problems.

Also, before you take this any further, you need to determine if you paid the proper price for a car that has been in an accident and did you pay all the proper taxes?

QUESTION: I have been changing the oil in all my cars for the past 40 years and never have I had a problem with the oil pan nut.

The problem is that the oil pan nut will not tighten and it is leaking oil. I have tried new washers but the nut appears to be slipping in the threads. My mechanic has told me that I will need a new oil pan, something that I have not bargained for.

The car is a 1999 Ford product and I was wondering if this is something that should be under warranty even though it is far out of the warranty period.

I would appreciate your help with this one.

ANSWER: You are definitely out of the warranty period and even if you were within the warranty time, you would have a hard time trying to convince the manufacturer that you did not over-tighten the oil pan nut on the many times that you changed the oil.

I suspect you do not have a torque wrench. I have seen many types of oil plug repairs such as you described. Some mechanics will remove the oil pan and replace the welded nut inside of the oil pan.

I do not recommend this but I have seen some expert welders attach a nut on the outside of the oil pan and this has worked in a few cases that I have seen.

You can also try and find a self-threading oil pan nut that will work for a time but eventually it too will start to leak after being removed three or four times. The best and most reliable solution would be to find a good used oil pan and have it replaced.

Dennis O'Sullivan is an automotive consultant offering advice to Hamilton Spectator readers. Write Dennis at The Hamilton Spectator, 44 Frid St., Hamilton, Ont. L8N 3G3.