Dear Pat: My asphalt driveway needs serious repairs. There are several potholes and dents in it. I know professional heated repairs are best, but what is the best way to repair it myself? — Toni F.

Dear Toni: Asphalt driveways do require maintenance and people are often surprised at how and why they sometimes deteriorate so quickly. You are correct that hot repairs are the best and longest lasting. Asphalt gets soft and tacky with heat and this makes the patch adhere better.

Homeowners generally have no means to heat a large quantity of asphalt-patch material or the location in need of repair. The only other option is a cold patch using repair materials you can find at most hardware and home center stores. Professionals will tell you these cold patches will last only a couple of years at best.

However, the newer, do-it-yourself cold-patch materials hold up much better, almost as well as some hot patches. The new materials can take several weeks to get to their maximum strength and durability, but you can drive over some of them in a few days. You just want to be careful for several weeks about parking a car with the tire directly on the patch.

It sounds as though you have found many of the spots that need repair, but there are probably others just beginning to fail.

Wet your driveway with a hose. This makes surface imperfections easier to detect. Try to poke the tip of a screwdriver into these spots to see if the asphalt is weak. If they are nothing more than a surface issue, sealing the driveway later will take care of these spots.

The key to a long-lasting asphalt patch is cleaning out the damaged asphalt and using the proper patch material. Using a scraper, chisel or strong screwdriver, dig out all the deteriorated and crumbling asphalt in the potholes. Don't be afraid to dig too deep to get it all out.

Generally, the manufacturer's instructions recommend you finish the sides of the holes so they are flat and as vertical as possible. This gives the repair material an excellent surface to adhere to and reduces the possibility of frost popping it out during winter.

Wearing safety glasses, use a blower or a wet/dry vacuum to clean out the holes.

For most patch materials, the recommended depth is about 2 inches. If a hole is deeper than this, fill it with gravel to attain a 2-inch depth. Use crushed gravel that locks together. Do not use pea, or round, gravel because it will roll and move. Landscaping companies usually offer all types of gravel. Tamp it down with the end of four-by-four wood post to compact the gravel.

Carefully fill the hole with the cold-patch material so there are no voids at the bottom. Water will collect even in small voids, which will cause the patch to deteriorate prematurely. Fill the hole slightly above full and then tamp it down with the end of the post so it is level with the driveway surface. Do not apply sealer to the patched areas for at least a month during the curing process.

If you have trouble finding cold-patch driveway repair materials, contact the following companies for the names of local outlets:

— EZ Street Co., 800-734-1476.

— Unique Paving Materials, 800-441-4880.

— PTI Pavement Repair, 281-778-3223.

— QPR, 800—388-4338.

Send your questions to Here's How, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com. To find out more about Pat Logan and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.