Replacing rotors is standard maintenance these days

The past six GMC vehicles I've owned were low-mileage, used vehicles. The first major problem is always brake rotors and pads. I fight tooth and nail with the dealership to have something done.

I noticed that your reply to the lady buying a used, low-mileage vehicle included: "The vehicle may need routine tire and brake replacement." Tire replacement is a given and a no-brainer. What is your meaning as to routine brake replacement and especially the rotors? Brake pads I understand, and I treat them as I would tires.

I would like someone to tell me what to do to make this situation less costly. Just like clockwork, I can expect in the next year or so to have to pay out $800 to $900 to have all four rotors replaced on my vehicle, which has less than 38,000 miles. How can I avoid this?

I've always considered brake rotors — like brake pads — as "consumable" components. Granted, back in the day rotors seemed to last longer, but today's motor vehicles no longer use asbestos and feature more aggressive metallic and ceramic friction materials that operate at higher temperatures and generate measurable wear on brake rotors. The benefit is better stopping power and fade resistance. The price is more wear on the rotors.

I'm also not a big fan of turning brake rotors. Today's rotors are already close to their minimum thickness when new. By thinning the rotors, their ability to dissipate heat is reduced. causing more rapid wear and distortion. It is possible to "true" a slightly warped rotor, but once significantly worn, warped or out-of-round, it's time for replacement. You certainly can shop brake work among dealers and independents, and aftermarket brake rotors are often significantly less expensive.

I think it's time for you to accept the fact that replacing brake rotors once or twice during the life of a modern motor vehicle is relatively normal and routine.

I have a 2005 Mercury Mariner with 135,000 miles on it. I've been told by a dealer that it needs brakes. The steering wheel does shake at high speeds when applying the brakes, but my vehicle info center says the brakes are OK. I've also been told major parts in the front end also need replacing for $700 to $800.

The shake when applying the brakes is typically caused by a problem with the front brake rotors. They are either worn, warped or out of round. When you apply the brake pedal, the uneven surface of the rotor kicks the brake pads back, causing the master cylinder to pulse the brake pedal. The dealer or shop should be able to show you the wear, run-out or out-of-round with a dial indicator. Specifications for warping or run-out is 0.0005 inches and thickness variation is 0.0002 inches.

The vehicle information center will tell you only when the brake pads are worn, not when the rotors are warped. So, your vehicle does need brakes. At this mileage, I would replace both front rotors and brake pads as well as check the rear brakes.

I have a 1991 Mercury Colony Park station wagon with slightly more than 100,000 miles. It's a beautiful car with an unusual quirk. The car starts and runs perfectly, but when it is warmed up and I shift into park, the car immediately dies. It will start right back up with a turn of the key, idle and run just fine. Any thoughts would be most appreciated.

Contamination in the idle air bypass valve might be causing this stalling. I'd start by cleaning the throttle body and idle air bypass valve with an aerosol carburetor spray as outlined by Ford in technical service bulletin 91257 from December 1991. Also, make sure ignition base timing is correct and that the oxygen sensor is responding quickly enough to ensure correct fuel-air mixtures.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Leave a daytime phone number.

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Cbay will sell your stuff online

About to ditch something that's worth more than $100 because you don't have the time or know-how to sell it? Hold on, because a budding Cohasset entrepreneur will sell it for you — and give a portion of the proceeds to a good cause.

Mike Filbey is the 21-year-old founder and CEO of Cbay, which lists clients' goods on Craigslist and Cbayonline. Sixty percent of the proceeds go to the client, 20 percent to Cbay and 20 percent to Wellspring, a Hull charity.

"The big value we offer is we save people time," said Filbey, a University of Wisconsin-Madison junior who started his sales career at the tender age of 10 by listing his discarded Beanie Babies and Pokemon cards on Amazon.com. "We do all the work for them."

Filbey's Bay State volunteer, Tim Smith, photographs each item, and then Cbay researches its market value, lists it online and coordinates a time for the client and buyer to meet. If there is no sale, there is no charge.

It's a formula that appears to be working, with more than $32,000 in sales logged since 2011, when Filbey founded Cbay. The "C" stands for cash, charity and college.

And although the name is only a letter away from online auction giant eBay, he says legally it's not a concern because its domain name, Cbayonline, is clearly different.

About 18 months ago, Katie Daly of Hingham turned to the company because she had a gazebo she wanted to sell but had qualms about selling it online.

"You don't know who to trust in this world," said Daly, 42, "but Michael came over to our house, and my husband and I were blown away. He's just a lovely kid."

After the gazebo fetched about $900, she turned to Cbay to sell other items and began referring friends to the company.

Brendan Brady of Plymouth was combing Craigslist for a swingset for his daughter a few weeks ago when he found one posted by Cbay for $600.

"Anybody can sell on Craigslist," said Brady, 32, "but I think (Cbay) gives exposure to a higher-quality item because some of the money is going to a good cause."

So far, Wellspring has received more than $7,200 from Cbay sales, money it has used for its food pantry and GED and fuel assistance programs, said Lisa Cronin, its part-time operations manager.

"We have limited resources as far as fundraising goes," Cronin said. "So to have a donation like that come in is fantastic."

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Cyber experts: no one’s safe

Security experts warn that the recent cyberattacks on Apple and the New York Times are only the highest-profile examples of an escalating problem that threatens American businesses and undermines national security.

"A new frontier for people who are not our friends is attacking our infrastructure and disrupting our day-to-day lives and our economy," said Jay Kesan, a University of Illinois professor of law and computer engineering. "It's not traditional warfare, but it should be a matter of very high priority."

Last week, the Obama administration announced a new effort to fight the growing theft of American trade secrets after Apple's and Facebook's revelations that they had been hacked, and new evidence linking years of cyberattacks against more than 140 U.S. companies to the Chinese military. The administration's plan includes a new diplomatic push and better coordination at home to help companies protect themselves. The next meeting of NATO defense ministers will include a major focus on cybersecurity.

While the theft of online banking information and payroll credentials is among the most common types of attacks, some of the greatest threats, Kesan said, are to industrial control systems such as those of airlines, railways and utilities.

"Once you get ahold of them, you can cause a lot of havoc," he said. "The threat is real. The only way to address this is to have the public and private sectors work together."

The most costly cybercrimes are those caused by denial of service, malicious insiders and Web-based attacks, according to the Ponemon Institute, a Michigan cybersecurity think tank.

A 2012 study of 56 companies by the institute found that the average annualized cost of cybercrime was $8.9 million, a 6 percent increase from the previous year, and the companies experienced a total of 102 successful attacks per week, up 42 percent from 2011.

Some attacks involve the way companies have implemented their systems. Ian Abreu, a consultant at Core Security in Boston, gave the example of an online retailer that puts its sales database on the same server as its business analytics database.

"This created a big problem when we found a certain type of attack aimed at the e-commerce platform allowed us to access company financial records and information as well," Abreu said.

Other attacks involve "spear phishing," carefully targeted strikes on specific employees to gain access to sensitive internal communications and trade secrets, said Richard Wang, manager of SophosLabs U.S. in Burlington.

To guard against such attacks, many companies now require employees to log into their computers using not only a password, which must be changed periodically, but also some other form of identification, such as a fingerprint, said Srini Devadas, a professor of electrical engineering and computer 
science at MIT.

"It's all about armor and ammunition," he said. "You have to double-lock everything."

Devadas also recommends that companies update their operating systems and software frequently, and train employees in basic self-defense, such as knowing not to click on links without knowing where they lead.

Still, there is no fool-proof way for businesses and their employees to protect themselves, said Sven Dietrich, assistant professor of computer science at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J.

"There are lots of things you can do, but in the end, software is written by humans and will always have vulnerabilities," Dietrich said. "You just have to be careful. It's dangerous out there. It's not a cozy neighborhood."

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Stylish Hill duplex’s spiral draws you in

This charming Beacon Hill penthouse duplex has been carved out of the top two floors of an unassuming beige brick building.

The owner-architect has created a bright, airy, open contemporary space with an open living/dining area, a double-height master bedroom and a spiral staircase to a loft studio surrounded by a wraparound two-level roof deck. This 1,488-square-foot, two-bedroom corner condo — completely redone including an elevator in 1993 — is available for $1,324,000.

The five-unit building was constructed as apartments in 2002 and has an arched stone entryway and dentil molding along the roof cornice. A brown-and-white marble lobby leads up three flights of carpeted stairs to the unit, which is up an additional flight.

Unit 5 opens into a foyer with wide plank oak floors and a stylish spiral staircase. Straight ahead is a nearly 40-foot long open living/dining area with oak floors, recessed lighting and nine windows that have bull's eye molding and curved oak sills.

The living room has a wood-burning fireplace at one end with a green marble hearth and skylight above, and a side wall of built-in bookcases

The dining area has windows with views of the Charles River, and features a custom designed freestanding curved cabinet with display and storage space and built-in bookshelves.

Off the dining room is a galley kitchen with red tile floors and great views out of the city. There are 18 white cabinets above and below white Formica counters and a built-in with bookshelves above. There are white appliances, a Jenn Air electric stove, a Kitchen Aid dishwasher and an Amana refrigerator.

Off the kitchen is a full bathroom with white ceramic tile floors and wall around a tub/shower and a pedestal sink.

On the other side of the foyer sits a double-height carpeted master bedroom with 17-foot ceilings, recessed lighting and a wall of windows with city views. There are two closets with built-in storage and two large closets on a wall right outside the room.

The en-suite master bathroom has white glass tile floors and walls for a tub shower. But the custom-made curved white fixtures here are excluded.

The spiral staircase leads up to a bright studio space with hardwood floors, six skylights, six windows and two large built-in work tables and bookcases. There are glass doors out to a wraparound deck that has a second level on top of the studio.

Through one corner of the studio is a wood stepladder down to the second carpeted bedroom, which sits on a mezzanine above the master suite.

The unit has a two-zone electric heat and central air-conditioning system.

There is no parking on site, but on-street parking with a residential permit or there is nearby rental parking available.

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Foodie’s feeds need for upscale Southie grocery

Festivities today will formally mark the arrival of the long-awaited Foodie's Urban Market in South Boston.

After quietly opening last month, the 8,000-square-foot store at West Broadway and C streets has been fine-tuning its product mix to the wants and needs of a community that was in need of another grocery.

"So far, so good," general manager David Healy said yesterday. "There's been a few requests and complaints that we tried to take care of. The biggest complaint has been parking, but if you walk up and down the street, we're the only ones who have parking."

Foodie's has nine parking spaces, five checkout lanes and five aisles of food, with produce, butcher, deli, dairy, dessert and prepared food departments.

"(The dessert) and the cheese departments are my two biggest surprises as far as volume," Healy said.

There's also a four-foot section of Irish food. "We are in Southie, after all," Healy said.

"We love it," South Boston's Marie Krohn said after shopping there yesterday. "It has great produce. They have a great selection of cheese. They have the same selection as Whole Foods, only smaller. It definitely beats Stop & Shop."

Southie residents previously had to make do with the Stop & Shop nearly a mile away on East Broadway or travel outside the neighborhood to stock the fridge and pantry.

Foodie's prices match those of its South End store, as they share advertising circulars and weekly sales. The chain has a third location in Duxbury.

"The prices are high — it's Whole Foods prices," Krohn said. "But Stop & Shop has very high prices as well. We make them fit into our budget."

Healy has heard no complaints about pricing, but he's been surprised at the customer mix from the evolving neighborhood, where luxury condos are sprouting up to join new restaurants and, soon, Southie's first Starbucks. "It seems more like the young, yuppie crowd — 30-somethings, upscale," he said.

Boston police officer Jen Grogan stopped in yesterday to pick up lunch from the salad bar. "It's nice because they serve a lot of healthy stuff," she said. "It's nice for the community. The meats and the produce look a lot fresher than they do at Stop & Shop."

Today's grand opening at noon features a ribbon cutting with owners Victor Leon and Mayor Thomas M. Menino, free hot dogs, food samples, free Foodie's reusable bags for the first 100 customers and a chance to win an iPad Mini tablet.

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Santa Fe design turns heads

The well-crafted and overhauled 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is a comfortable crossover utility vehicle with a solid ride that is spoiled by the bugaboo for this manufacturer — indifferent steering response. Despite switching to Sport, one of the three optional driving modes, it did little to improve the slushy electronic feel with a dead spot on top and a tendency to wander on the highway.

I've found many of the Hyundai/Kia models suffer from this poor steering, and it's too bad because these are very good cars now. The quick modernization is due to engineers working with a former BMW designer, blending European and Asian influences to quickly reposition the line in many classes. Just look at the steep uptick to sportier and more sophisticated cars from the rather humdrum everyday offerings of just a few of years ago.

The Santa Fe's eye-pleasing total redesign, with striking angular lines and a bigger footprint, is much classier than earlier versions. A sweeping windshield blends nicely into the panoramic sunroof and finishes with a tailored tailgate.

But this all comes with a price. It appears that Hyundai is setting itself up as the premium buy versus the more affordable sister company Kia. The MSRP on the Santa Fe is $29,450, but with the Leather Premium and Technology Packages like our test model, the 2013 will cost you $35,925.

The five-passenger base model is well fitted with a solid package of standard features and the new long-based Sport has seating for seven. Hyundai offers two bundles in which the upgrades, including leather, climate control, rearview camera, panoramic roof, navigation with touchscreen and Infinity surround sound can be found.

The restyled cabin is quiet and accented with contrasting patterns in the nicely fitted panels. Some soft touches have made their way onboard, and just a hint of wood trim smartens up the interior. The leather seats were mostly comfortable, supportive and are highlighted with contrasting stitching. Dropping the rear seats provides for a large-capacity cargo area. And here's something you don't often find: heated rear seats.

The infotainment center was easy to use except for the navigation, which was not very intuitive and, frankly, annoying. The dash is clean with two large gauges for the speedometer and tach­ometer separated by a digital display with a variety of car information. The steering wheel controls are well engineered, and the phone mated quickly with some nice prompts.

The driver sits up nice and tall with good forward sight lines. The slight driver forward positioning had a tendency to throw my turning radius off a bit. I found myself cutting corners tighter than the wheelbase allowed leaving me a bit askew when parking — and look out for the blind spot in the rear corners.

Under the hood, the 2.0-liter turbo is a solid performer making 264 horsepower but sucked a lot of gas even in ECO mode — just 21 mpg on average, which had my wallet open a couple of times in just a week of driving. The six-speed transmission was smooth under city driving but under heavy acceleration had trouble finding the right shift point.

This is a big, competitive class of cars; so how does the Santa Fe carve a niche stacking up against the Ford Escape, Nissan Murano, Toyota Rav 4 and Honda CRV? Well, one way is to continue to offer the best warranty in the business — 10 years or 100,000 miles.

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