Your car has a catalytic converter that cleans up exhaust. Thieves steal it for the valuable metals inside, and then the car can’t pass emissions and may need a costly replacement.
The Toyota Prius is a hybrid that’s been targeted in catalytic converter thefts. If you own one, it’s worth taking extra anti-theft steps because replacing a stolen converter can be expensive.
A turbocharger is a device that helps your engine make more power by pushing extra air into it. Because it’s under higher stress, it can require more careful maintenance than a non-turbo engine.
A supercharger is a device that squeezes more air into the engine so it can make more power. It’s usually connected to the engine, so it can boost quickly when you accelerate.
The Lincoln Navigator is a large SUV. The host is bringing it up in the context of newer cars that often use turbo engines, which are designed to make good power without using as much fuel.
The Toyota C-HR is a small SUV/crossover. The host is talking about what kind of engines new cars are coming with, and turbo engines are becoming more common.
The Honda Passport is a mid-size SUV. The caller is saying that at highway speeds the turn-signal click is unusually quiet, which points to how well the cabin is insulated from outside noise.
All-wheel drive (AWD) powers more than just the two wheels in the back or front. It helps the car grip better on slippery roads, but it can be a bit more complex than simpler drivetrains.
Car
2000 Lexus LS430
The Lexus LS430 is a big, luxury sedan designed to feel smooth and quiet. The caller is saying they’ve owned one for a long time and loved how it drove, so they’re comparing that experience to newer LS models.
The Lexus LS is Lexus’s top luxury sedan. In this discussion, they’re talking about the 2026 LS possibly being the last year, and whether it still feels as quiet and comfortable as older LS models.
“Final year for the model” means the car is likely being discontinued. That can change what deals are available and what the future support looks like.
A test drive is a hands-on evaluation where you drive the car yourself to judge things like ride quality, noise level, and how the controls feel. The host is encouraging the caller to verify whether the car matches their expectations rather than relying solely on reviews.
The Lexus LS 500 is a newer version of the LS luxury sedan with more features. The host is saying they drove/reviewed it and thought it was very quiet and impressive.
The Genesis G90 is another big luxury sedan. The host suggests it as an alternative to the Lexus LS because it’s similar in size and comes with a long warranty.
A warranty is protection for repairs. “10 years / 100,000 miles” means the company will cover certain problems for a long time, which can make the car less stressful to own.
Car Shield is a company that sells plans to help pay for certain car repairs. The hosts are talking about whether they were paying repair claims, and that matters if you’re considering buying one of these plans.
The FTC is a U.S. agency that polices consumer protection. In this segment, it’s brought up because it fined a company over how they handled customers’ claims.
The Toyota Grand Highlander is the more upscale version of the Highlander. The host says it’s for people who want a nicer interior while still staying with a hybrid.
The Genesis GV80 is a luxury SUV with three rows, but the host says it doesn’t work as well for tall people. They mention that the third row feels cramped because the roof slopes down.
An auction is where cars are sold to the person who bids the most. In this story, nonprofits use auctions because they can usually get more money than selling like a regular car lot.
The Toyota Sienna Hybrid is a hybrid minivan—so it’s built to be efficient while still carrying people and cargo. The caller is looking at it specifically, likely because they want the hybrid benefits.
GoFundMe is a website where people ask for donations to help pay for something. The host is suggesting sharing the request online so more people see it.
The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is a compact SUV that runs on gas and electric together. The caller is considering a 2022 model and wants to know what people like and dislike about it.
A regular hybrid charges its battery while you drive, not by plugging it in. It uses gas and electric together, and the battery gets topped up during braking and driving.
Kia is mentioned because it also makes hybrid cars. The host is basically saying Kia and Hyundai hybrids have been good, but they’re newer than Toyota’s, so there’s less long-term data.
Carfax is a website/service that checks a used car’s history. The host is saying they prefer AutoCheck because they believe Carfax doesn’t catch as much or isn’t as accurate.
Hybrid batteries are the rechargeable batteries that help the car run on electricity part of the time. If they wear out, repairs can be costly, so warranty coverage is important.
A warranty is the coverage that pays for certain repairs if something breaks. The host is saying the hybrid battery is covered for a long time, which reduces the risk of expensive battery replacement.
A remanufactured hybrid battery is a rebuilt battery instead of a brand-new one. It’s usually cheaper, and it often comes with a warranty so you’re not taking all the risk.
The Jeep Wrangler 4xe is the Wrangler that can be charged like a plug-in hybrid. The host is saying it may not be the best choice for your niece—likely because of how it fits her needs and expectations.
LIVE
Welcome to the CarPro show.
Jerry Reynolds the CarPro was in the auto industry for over 35 years and in addition to getting
his sixth win from the Texas Auto Riders Association for Best Radio Show in Texas, he's a member
of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, along with fellow members Dan Rather and George Carlin.
His co-host Todd Chambliss just became a member of Applebee's Hall of Fame for finishing off
84 check-in nuggets without using a dipping sauce.
Now let's get this straight talk and honest answers about everything automotive on the
CarPro show.
Thank you for being with us today, we sure appreciate it, we've got this entire hour
to talk cars and we've got the big memorial weekend coming up and that is always depending
on incentives it's either the first or second best time of year to get yourself a new set
of wheels.
So if I can help you with that, it's 800-926-7777 and lots of information at CarPro.com, the
main information there is what dealer to go to to get yourself a great deal and have fun
buying a car because you can do that, you can have fun, you can get a good deal and
you can be dealt with honestly and openly and all the dealers at CarPro.com that you'll
find they do business that way, they do business like I did when I owned dealerships and I'm
proud to say that, I'm proud of every single one of them.
So if you would like to get our free weekly newsletter go to CarPro.com at the bottom
of the page and sign up, you'll get yesterday's inbox including my new song which is titled
The Black Tape on the Badge and it's dedicated to police officers all across America and I've
worked very hard on it, I wrote it, I produced it, I'll let AI sing it but that's you know what
else you're gonna do if you're about yourself so I don't have a orchestra or a band but AI does
such a good job, I don't know that I could do better if I did.
Next week in the free weekly newsletter I've got our Memorial Day tribute and it's important I think
that we all remember what Memorial Day is all about. It's not Veterans Day, Memorial Day is about
those who passed, who died in service for our country and that is a huge differentiation
and a lot of people get those too confused. I talk about the weekend sales in next week's
newsletter, catalytic converter thefts are on the rise again unfortunately and if you've got a
Toyota Prius you're gonna want to really pay attention to that and an article that I wrote
for my vice column and I'm very proud of this because it's something that a lot of you worry
about, it's titled turbocharged and terrified don't be so I talk about turbochargers and super
chargers and why you're gonna you're gonna buy a new car today pretty good chance that there's
gonna be a turbocharger on it and a lot of people are scared of it some of that is from old style
turbochargers that and they were problematic for a long time but that's not the case anymore
there is some maintenance that you have to do though and I talk about the importance of that
for reviews next week the 2026 Lincoln Navigator the 2026 Toyota CHR and the 2026 Toyota RAV4
limited hybrid coming up in next week's newsletter which we're trying to get out on
Thursday instead of Friday and if we can get it done because I know a lot of people going out of
town for Memorial Day 45 million of you are going to travel but we're going to try to get out on
Thursday so subscribe today and you'll get yesterday's immediately you can get my new song
then next Thursday you'll get the Memorial Weekend Edition so there you go let's talk to William
in Sugarland Texas William what can I do for you sir you know I got a little situation here
it's on a 2025 on the passport yeah and you know a lot of the little car it has the total capacity
I need all wheel drive yes the black edition yeah and talk to the line there but at any rate the
thing I discovered after purchasing it was at highway speeds you can you can barely hear the
turn signal clicks well you shouldn't be
in other words I'm driving down the road look like an old geezer and you know
now tell me the truth how loud you got the radio up
no no I don't have a radio up
this is strictly like uh I must admit I do have my hearing aids on but my hearing isn't that bad
William I've reviewed cars that I had the same I've reviewed cars that had the same issue
that I could and I and I noted it in the review that man these these these blinkers are too soft
I can't hear them and I don't have hearing aids but it may be on the you know it could be on the
horizon but I've had them the other way too I've I've written in reviews that the blinkers were
too loud because they're just annoying you know I mean some of them are just horrible
so I don't I don't know of a fix for this my friend I some cars will tell you when your
blinkers on for more than I think 30 seconds or something but but it's typically I used to have
an 89 Cadillac that did that yeah I was gonna say it's usually a luxury car or you know some
expensive cars but I think you're just gonna have to get used to looking and seeing if your
blinkers on and I just other than turning your hearing aids up and turning your what turning
your radio down yeah I'll talk to you know I did carry it in into the service department
something like that and they let it slip you know they were looking in the controls and all that
screen of you know sounds and whatever else you know thinking that they could find the
adjustment like it is allowed on a Honda pilot but it is not allowed on the passport I'll be
done well brother I wish I had them I wish I had a magic answer for you I don't know what to tell
you on that one you just you know it's like certain things with cars you get used to paying
attention to them and this may be one of those things where you know you you gotta you gotta
start looking at the blinkers on the dash every time you look down to see how fast you're going
or something along those lines I I I've heard this before but I've never heard of a fix for it
before I don't I don't know that any manufacturer makes a louder chime or or buzz or whatever they
do with the Honda I did like very much I did like the passport when I reviewed it I thought it
was much better than the old one so I think you made a good decision there let's just figure out
how to keep your blinkers off pal have a good one you don't have to go it along when you buy
your next vehicle the car pro will help you for free free call the chase dot com car pro listener
line now at 1-800-926-7777
I've got one line open if you want to grab it at 800-926-7777-800-926-7777 that's the number
that Michelle in Santa Clarita California called Michelle welcome to the car pro show
well thank you Jerry good morning it's a beautiful day I wanted to say one I listened to your show
on Saturday mornings in the car whenever I can and it's always a pleasure thank you thank you for
doing what you do I appreciate that number two is I got to listen to your song in the last hour
and I'll tell you it brought me to tears I volunteer as a civilian with our local sheriff's
department and tonight we're working the memorial torturile which it goes from all the LA sheriff's
department stations in memory and honor of those that we have lost and I wanted to let you know
I am going to be sure to download the song and share it with many of the deputies that I'm working
with tonight oh thank you well I sent I sent it to the LAPD
PIO the just and just said hey look I wrote this song for National Police Memorial Week
I don't want anything out of it I got no agenda you I can't I don't want to make any I never
want to make a penny on it anyway I mean you can put it on YouTube and monetize it and I don't
care about any of that stuff I just want police officers to know that some of us out there appreciate
what they do and and I appreciate you well thank you the LA County Sheriff's Department it's like all
urban sheriff's departments and police departments are you know in desperately in search of having
more and more people because of the attrition and because of that sentiment of folks not always
supporting them or or you know disrespecting the badge and for you to put out a song like that is
just so wonderful and I am certain any of the deputies that get that song from me today are
just going to be very touched by it so did you did you find the link okay I haven't done it yet
because I've been on hold waiting to talk to you but I promise I will do that today and I
want to make sure to get that to my sheriff's friends if you have trouble it's also on the
website carpro.com under the news section up at the top you'll see car buying it yeah it's there
and and I appreciate you sharing it and and please the opportunity arises tell them thank them for
what they do and thank you volunteers are a huge part of policing especially on type budgets today
and and I think that's they are great what you do how many how many LA Sheriff's officers have
they lost in their history oh gosh I couldn't tell you but I will say that um in our Santa Clarita
we have three um in the last several years and we have a memorial park a memorial uh wall and
different places like that and so this memorial torch relay goes from station to
throughout LA county in and people run and walk and or rollerblade bike from each leg almost like
a marathon and um it's wonderful to see the residents who do care show up curbside and
cheer on the people that are doing um each leg and it just reminds the deputies that in fact
there are many of us out there that support their effort but your song was so poignant and it really
um it really nailed it when it comes to thank you so much and it's I think when you when you
read the lyrics while the song is playing it really does hit home you know I tried I
wouldn't I wasn't there is worried about rhyming words this time that then to say what I what was
on my heart because sure you know when I when I was with Dallas PD I lost a partner and he was
gunned down it was a vicious thing and you know then we had the seven police officers shot on July
7th 2016 in downtown Dallas literally a few blocks from where I sat right this minute doing this show
and and and that changed me you know it it that's that's where the verse comes in it says
police officers run to the danger when everybody runs away those seven that were shot in Dallas
five of them killed were running to the danger while everybody else was ducking and isn't that
the definition of a police officer absolutely and and you know a lot of people you know with all of
these tv shows rock them suck them shoot them up shows they think that that's what law enforcement
is about and that's not the best day of a law enforcement officer you know we're out of time
thank you so much for the call I appreciate you don't put too much stock in what you read online
about cars or trucks those people don't know what the car pro knows call him on the chase.com car
pro listener line at 1-800-926-7777
Gary in west Los Angeles welcome to the car pro show what can I do for you
hi hi jerry actually but my first time call i've i've been driving a car for
23 years i bought a 2000 Lexus LS430 my wife and i've driven it we've loved it for 23 years
oh wow that was one of the first ones yeah well we we've looked at the rest free nature of the
Lexus and all that stuff so we want to buy a new one and i'm looking at the LS of the 2026
Lexus LS but i see two problems with it i see it's the final year for the model apparently
and secondly i see a disappointing review on consumer reports that says that the LS has
strayed far from the whisper quiet press-free motoring that this luxury used to be known for
complicated controls less than plus and bulkiness so i want i'm being psyched out
to go give it a test drive or should i look for something no you should you should go do a test
drive i've reviewed it i pretty much disagree with consumer reports on anything that has to do with
cars i we are we are totally opposite on just about every review that we do and i don't know
why i don't know why that is but i will tell you i've reviewed the LS 500 it's at carpro.com
you can read it i thought it was spectacular and yeah there's more bells and whistles on that car
than yours 23 year old one it has got well but i mean isn't that a good thing instead of a bad thing
because you don't have to use them if you don't want them but they're there and i thought it was
super quiet i i i loved it i if i had a complaint on the LS it's that they've gotten expensive
i mean you're in six digits now and oftentimes when people want to look at a LS 500 i tell
them to look at a genesis g90 and it's it's about the same size car it's got even more features
and it's got a 10 year 100 000 mile warranty so i'd look at both but i'm going to tell you
my opinion for the long haul the Lexus LS is going to be a great car and the fact
that it's going away doesn't doesn't change my mind whether you're buying the lowest price car
are the most expensive luxury vehicle call the car pro first for free advice call the chase.com
car pro listener line now at 1-800-926-7777 well thank you for everybody that has called or
emailed or whatever to tell me how much they enjoyed the song the tape on the badge black tape
on the badge and if you would like to see it or hear it or be able to share it all you gotta do
is be a newsletter subscriber which is absolutely free and the way you do that is go to carprobe.com
and and at the bottom of the page you'll see carprobe newsletter put your email address in there
you'll get the song right back in your inbox in yesterday's uh free weekly newsletter we'll
have a new one coming out this thursday so don't don't miss out if you want to hear the song it's
the lyrics are there also and i think the lyrics meant as much to me as the song when i was when
i was writing the lyrics i uh i really went back in my memory banks of my days of wearing the badge
in dallas texas all the friends that i had made and some that were lost killed in the line of duty
you know we dodged a bullet in dallas yesterday we had there was a three dallas police officers
on a private plane small plane that went down east of dallas and in a little town called forney
uh two of them are doing okay and not hurt seriously but one is in critical condition
they were off duty and that's a little different than an on duty death but still tragic so let's
go back to the phones and we'll talk to marise in pasadena california marise welcome yeah thank you
thank you and i appreciate the song i have a nephew that's a law enforcement for three years
and a good friend that just retired as a captain well send it to him but uh send it to him it's
that if you're not a subscriber it's at the website under uh under the news section it's there
so feel free to share it i i would love for every police officer to know how much they're appreciated
yes people people don't realize i mean there's good and bad in every profession there's more
good i've been them been bad oh by far people should yeah but uh my question was uh i had a
i bought a 2018 traverse uh about a year and a half ago yeah doing really good
there's a traverse lt and i was just thinking about what's a what's a good hybrid upgrade to
consider or would evb be better and uh what uh what's a good warranty service uh that that's
i could consider you know i think you'd have a car shield commercials and oh yeah what what's one
would you what which what would you recommend on that too well there's a loaded question no it's
not but i had an article in yesterday's newsletter that i wrote about extended warranties and i covered
car shield in that article um car shield appears
and i hope they stay with it but it appears they're doing a better job as far as paying their claims
but for a long time boy they were not paying claims at all and the f tc federal
trade commission filed a 10 million dollar fine against car shield and that's the biggest one
i've ever seen i mean there was a car dealership group just got one for 75 million but as far as
non car dealer car shields 10 million was the biggest i'd seen up to that point so i i have
never recommended them i've actually encouraged people not to get car shield but but it it appears
that they're they're doing better and i guess after a 10 million dollar fine you probably do
but let's talk about the car first i like the shivvy traverse you know if if if you've got a
lifestyle that will allow you to enjoy an electric vehicle then they're great
the the the kia k9 is an exceptional electric vehicle uh lots of lots of room inside three rows
of seating but for most people they don't want to make that transition just yet so they're going
with hybrids and if you're going to go with a hybrid about the same size as your traverse
then i would look at the toyota highlander or the toyota grand highlander depending on your budget
if you're looking for an upscale more luxury type almost alexis hybrid three row suv then the grand
highlander is the way to go if you don't really care about fancy materials inside lots of wood
grain and all that stuff the regular highlander is great it's been around forever one of the most
reliable vehicles you can possibly buy and it's going to be about five or 6000 dollars less
so i'd look at both of those if you if you decide to go hybrid i'd look at both of those and see
which one you like the most okay thanks a lot appreciate it now just does jenesis have anything
jenesis have anything comparable or no you know jenesis is not really they're just not as roomy
they're not as roomy as what you've got um the gv80 we're all tall people okay then you know we're
all over six feet no that jenesis ain't gonna do it for you as much as i like it the gv80 is great
but it's just it's tight in the third row seat and it's tight in headroom the further back you go
it's got a sloping roof line and when you get a sloping roof line they look great but it cuts down
the headroom and that's what you got with that so i'd get i'd stick with the toyota if you wanted
to go to alexis the tx one of my favorites and and it's got the same hybrid system as the toyota
of course and it's a really enjoyable one but you're going to spend $70,000 or you can spend
60 on a grand highlander or 50 on a highlander so there's there's it doesn't everything come down
to budget at some point you know right there you go so look at those i got good dealers for all of
them at carpro.com and thank you for the call i appreciate it so much and let's talk to robert
in san antonio robert welcome to the carpro show what can i help you with sir well i'm curious
about these cars that are donated to veterans organizations how does a wounded warrior get
one of those you know you've got they sell them all at the auction and they do that for one simple
reason to raise the most money that they can because typically cars bring more at the auction
than they do you know on a car lot somewhere and frankly these these nonprofits they don't want to
get in the car business they just you know they don't want to open a dealership or use car lot
so they send them to auction you'd have to go to one of the auctions that they you know that they
wherever they send their cars and they can tell you that and yeah because i'm looking i'm looking
for a toyota sienna hybrid uh because i'm facing an imminent foreclosure and i have no clue how to
set up a go and fund me oh it's easy it's easy setting up a go fund me i've done it
for other people how to make it viral well it have no idea yeah you know if you're are you active on
facebook um i haven't account but i haven't used it in years that's the first that's the best way
to do it is set up your go fund me and then share that on facebook and ask all your friends to share
that as well and you'd be surprised how fast those things grow and if your story is compelling you
you'll get some money if you wonder whether an electric car is right for you talk to the car
pro about it call the chase dot com car pro listener line now at 1-800-926-7777
next up on the car pro show is carlos see me valley california hello carlos what can i help you with
uh jerry i have a question um i have a co-worker that's trying to sell me his um
Hyundai Tucson hybrid 2022 yeah um i you know i went and i got some information on it but you
know on you on youtube and you know there's a lot of goods and bad so i kind of want to give you
feedback is that a good choice uh kind of thinking about it you know he's giving it to me for 15
15 000 uh so i mean that's good and bad reviews so i really don't know carlos how many miles how many
miles are on it uh 42 40 000 and never been in a wreck
as far as i know no he's he's at no okay um is that one question is it the plug-in hybrid or
regular hybrid the regular hybrid okay they uh Hyundai and Kia both been they've made good hybrids
there's never been any problems with them and i okay i don't always recommend them because i don't
have the history on their hybrid because they're relatively new i mean the last five years or so
whereas with Toyota their hybrid system's been around 25 years so when somebody asked me
it's specifically about a hybrid i'm typically going to go with the Toyota or Lexus because they've
got the the reliability record to back it up but i will tell you that so far
over five years period maybe a little more the Hyundai hybrid system has been great and if that
thing hasn't been in a wreck then at 15 grand you can't go wrong there that's that's actually a bargain
oh yeah that's kind of that's why i'm kind of tempting you know i'm like wait a minute
not too good that and that's that's kind of what scared me when i ask you about the wreck
because it is it does sound cheap it sounds too cheap so is this a person that you know very well
yeah it's my co-worker and they bought it new
that's yeah correct okay yeah i mean if you want to just make sure i'd i'd spend 20 dollars and
get an auto check dot com and see see what it shows you don't have to tell them you did it but put
your mind to these uh and if if the auto check is clean then i'd be getting a check right in their
hands before they change their mind because that's a bargain okay so that's better than carfax
oh yeah i mean i i i have always recommended auto check over carfax carfax carfax just isn't
nearly as accurate my opinion uh okay one more question before that you go jerry how about the
battery because i was thinking about the battery you know eventually i'm gonna have to repay that
the hyper batteries if they do move forward how specific are those batteries yeah you know they're
warranted for i think 12 months 12 years with the hunday warranty that comes with the car which
you'll you'll also get but it doesn't seem to be a problem i mean one thing you got going for you
there where you live is mild weather and you know it's it's the places where it gets super cold or
super hot that really wears down the batteries pretty hard but where you are milder milder climates
simi valley you shouldn't have any problems and just remember that the the hybrid batteries are
coming down in price all the time and now you can get a remanufactured hybrid battery that's a
fraction of the cost of a new one so for around a thousand to 1500 dollars if the battery
goes out you can get a remanufactured one with a warranty for 1500 dollars or less and
frankly that's way less money than an overhaul on an engine so i i think you're on the right track
just make sure that car's okay i am worried about that price it's too cheap it's not all about cars
and trucks it's about what suits how you drive call now for free advice from jerry reynolds the car
pro call the chase dot com car pro listener line at 1-800-926-7777
drato in frisco texas welcome drato what can i do for you
is reynolds how are you sir i'm good brother well i watched the whole i was just thinking that uh
there is no body in the whole united states that knows more about cars than you do
all that you show every saturday and your show is my favorite show in the whole
radio station thank you i appreciate you well i have a couple of questions um the first one is
my niece is looking to purchase uh jeep uh sahara uh a new one and she's in costamance california
okay is she looking at a new one or anyone yes okay yes um and i was just talking to her
because uh they uh called me to uh to ask me uh i tell you know what uh the best person to ask for
it is navi jerry reynolds on the car pro show so um yeah they're very good vehicles no issues whatsoever
tell her not to get the uh four by e which is a plug-in hybrid i would not recommend that one
but if she gets a regular a regular engine that thing is fine uh just the only thing about
wranglers is they're different make sure she takes a good long test drive because they ride
rough and you know that they have a specific purpose and some people love them some people
think they're gonna love them but then when they drive them they find out that they don't really
love them so we've got about 30 seconds left here what was the second thing
correct real real quick uh is that a trim that you recommend on that particular um car
is there a trim did you say like a trim like uh yeah oh i think the sahara i think
that's a good package i you know the the ribbacon is the real off-roader that's the one that if she
wants to go out in the dunes in california the the ribbacon is the way to go but any of
just whatever she likes harago thanks it's better to be good than look good when it comes to your
next vehicle call the car pro jerry reynolds for advice call the chase dot com car pro listener
line 1 800 926 77 77
About this episode
Memorial Weekend gets framed as a strong time to shop for a new car, with the hosts pointing listeners to dealer incentives and CarPro.com for finding the right place to buy. The show then pivots to practical safety and ownership concerns: catalytic converter thefts, modern turbo powertrains, and even turn-signal chimes that are too quiet or too loud. Later, callers weigh luxury and hybrid choices—comparing Lexus LS options, Toyota Highlander hybrids, and used hybrid battery coverage—plus advice on donated cars at auction and avoiding the Wrangler 4xe.
