Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Classic Car Doctor - August 22, 2015 - 11 Years Later—Still the Same Car Problems
Ron Ananian The Car Doctor
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Classic Car Doctor - August 22, 2015 - 11 Years Later—Still the Same Car Problems
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Term
run flats
Run-flat tires are tires that can still hold you up even if they go flat. They’re meant to let you drive a little farther so you’re not stranded immediately.
Term
tire starts to shred
“Shredding” refers to severe tire damage where the tread and sidewall break apart. With run-flats, this can happen if the tire is driven too long or at too high a speed after losing pressure, turning a manageable situation into a full tire replacement.
Term
jump start
A jump start is when you use another car (or a battery pack) to give your car enough power to start. If it still won’t start after a jump, the battery or charging system may be the real issue.
Term
micro start battery packs
That’s a small portable battery you can use to start a car when the main battery is dead. You don’t need a second vehicle—just the pack.
Term
owner's manual
The owner’s manual is the manufacturer’s guide for how to operate and maintain the vehicle. It typically shows where key controls are (like hazard lights) and explains warning lights and basic troubleshooting.
Concept
glove compartment
The glove compartment is the storage box on the passenger side of the dashboard. People often keep the owner’s manual or paperwork in there. So it makes sense to look there when you can’t find the manual.
Concept
hazard warning lights
Hazard warning lights are the ones that blink on both sides of the car. They help other drivers notice you quickly if something’s wrong. Most cars have a clearly marked button for them.
Term
four way flashers
Four-way flashers are the emergency blinkers that make your car’s lights flash to warn other drivers. If you’re stuck on the side of the road, using them helps people see you sooner.
Car
2004 suburban
The Chevrolet Suburban is a big SUV. Here it’s used as an example of a vehicle the owner keeps maintained—like checking fluids and replacing the battery when needed.
Term
fresh battery
The battery is what powers your car to start. Putting in a fresh battery helps prevent the car from dying when you least expect it.
Brand
AAA
AAA is a membership service that can help you if your car breaks down. If you save their number, you don’t have to scramble for it when you need help.
Concept
manufacturer warranty
A manufacturer warranty is provided by the car company itself. The host prefers this because it’s generally more reliable and easier to deal with if you need repairs.
Term
transmission
The transmission is what helps the car shift gears and send power to the wheels. In this segment, it’s part of the “powertrain” that the warranty is meant to protect.
Term
oil changes
Oil changes are periodic engine oil replacements that help maintain lubrication and reduce wear. The speaker cites timely oil changes as part of why the engine should last, and as evidence that maintenance reduces the risk of powertrain failures.
Term
backup camera
A backup camera is an integrated rear-view system that displays an image on the infotainment screen when reversing. It’s an example of the electronics the speaker says can fail and lead to expensive repairs, especially outside the factory warranty window.
Term
instrument cluster
The instrument cluster is the part behind the steering wheel that shows your speed, fuel, and warning lights. If the electronics controlling it fail, repairs can get pricey.
Term
electronics
They’re saying newer cars rely more on electronics. When something breaks, it can cost more to fix because the parts and diagnostics are more complex.
Concept
electronic repair costs
This is the underlying concept that modern vehicles shift repair cost toward electronic systems. It’s why a newer car (like the 2015 mentioned) can be “light years” different from a mid-1990s car in terms of what can go wrong and what it costs to fix.
Term
hydraulic leaks
A hydraulic leak means fluid is leaking out of a pressure-based system. When that happens, the system can’t work as strongly, and air can get in too.
Term
fitting
A fitting is the connection piece (like a hose-to-line adapter or threaded joint) that seals hydraulic components together. Leaks at fittings are common culprits because seals can harden, loosen, or be damaged during service.
Concept
rust
They’re checking whether the car has rust. Rust can be expensive to fix and can hurt the car’s long-term value, so “no rust yet” is a good sign.
Concept
failure rate
“Failure rate” is the likelihood that a component (here, Prius hybrid batteries) will fail over time or usage. When a speaker cites Toyota’s “good handle” on failure rate, they’re implying the company has data and experience that helps predict risk and guide decisions.
Concept
salt and sand from the roads
Road salt and sand are major contributors to corrosion on underbody and brake components. In cold climates, they can accelerate rust on calipers, slide pins, and other hardware, which is why some dealers suggest extra cleaning or inspection.
Term
brake pads
Brake pads are the parts that squeeze against the brake rotors to make the car slow down. Over time they wear out, and if something else in the brake system is sticking, they can wear faster.
Term
calcium chloride
Calcium chloride is a chemical spread on roads to melt ice. It can also make it easier for rust to form on car parts, especially underneath.
Term
wheel alignment
Wheel alignment means setting the wheels so they point and sit correctly. If it’s off, the car can pull and your tires wear out faster.
Term
tire pressure
Tire pressure is how much air is in your tires. If the pressures are off, the car sits differently and the alignment measurements won’t be as accurate.
Term
tire wear
“Tire wear” is how quickly and in what pattern tires degrade, which alignment strongly influences. The speaker argues that targeting the middle of the spec (or the “other side”) can sometimes improve wear compared with chasing a single exact number.
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The car doctor, I think run flats are an interesting concept, right?
You can run the air out of the tire and the tire won't go flat so you can continue to
drive the car.
The problem is though, when the vehicle owner continues to drive the car and the tire starts
to shred.
Welcome to the radio home of Ron and Anian, the car doctor.
Since 1991, this is where car owners the world overturned to for their definitive opinion
on automotive repair.
If your mechanic's giving you a busy signal, pick up the phone and call in.
The garage doors are open, but I am here to take your calls at 8555609900.
And now, here's Ronny.
How well do you know your vehicle?
Hello and welcome.
Ron and Anian, the car doctor here at 8555609900.
Here to take your calls and answer your questions, whatever they might be.
This radio show is all about you and your vehicle and I thought this would be a timely
topic to kick off this hour of the car doctor with, by the way, more information at cardoctorshow.com.
How well do you know your vehicle?
An emergency.
How well prepared are you?
I was away on vacation last week.
No surprise, we've been talking about that previous hour and I've put it out there on
Facebook.
By the way, let me just jump in real quick before I forget.
If you get out to Facebook this week for us, if you get out to Ron and Anian, the car doctor
page on Facebook, there is a picture of a Chevy Nova out there, a former race car from
the late 70s, early 80s that belonged to a friend of mine and it's, we're in the search
for it again.
We're trying to help someone find it as he's trying to, you know, go back and go home again
and bring that car back to the family.
So if anybody can get a look at that car and tell us where that might be, last bit of information
we think it was in the Westchester, New York, Newburgh, New York, Brewster, New York area.
It is a 66 Chevy Nova, I believe is what it said.
And just, just you can go to Facebook and see it, but we're looking for that car and
know we'd like to purchase it from my friend, we'd like to purchase it from the original
owner.
Anyway, how well do you know your car?
And in an emergency, how well will you be prepared?
Fast Harry told me a story as I called him during the course of the week to see how the
kingdom was doing.
And he told me the story of one day he left the shop and as he was approaching the highway,
there was a woman broken down in a Mercedes Benz, Harry, Tony, can Harry jump on the mic
real quick?
Maybe he'll, he'll fill everybody in here real quick.
Let's talk about this real quick, bro.
So you were driving along and you know, there's this Mercedes that's stuck and you've got
an issue and what are you, what are you going to do about it?
How are you going to, how are you going to, she needed a jump start and you couldn't,
you couldn't get her to get the car going, right?
Right.
Well, what happened was I was coming under the bridge ready to jump on Route 17 North.
Right.
And I see a lady pulled over right underneath the bridge and not elderly, but you know,
middle-aged like us, we're not old.
So I see her, I said, well, let me pull over and help her.
She's on the phone.
So I pull in front of her.
I put on my four-way flashers.
I get it.
And as I'm walking up to her, I see she's driving a late model Mercedes coupe, but she's
on a flip phone.
I said, already, this is not going to end well.
This is not going to end well.
Right.
Yeah.
And so I, she got off the phone.
I said, ma'am, can I help you?
You know, I showed him my aura, I had my RAT shirt on and she goes, oh, yes, my battery
is bad.
I said, okay, let's see what it does.
And maybe I can jump and I have one of the micro start battery packs in my car.
So I get in the car, I turn the key to motor spins over beautifully, but it's popping.
So I said, ma'am, the battery is good.
I said, you know, it's obviously another, it's like a no start issue or anything else
like that.
I said, why don't we put on our four, why don't you put on your four way fleshers?
And this is where the problem became, right?
Why don't you put on your four way flashes?
And she says, I don't know where they are.
And I said, okay, where's your manual?
I don't know where that is.
Okay.
So let's look through the glove compartment.
She goes, well, I've never read the manual.
How long is she on the car?
Since it's new.
It was like a 2006, 2007.
So she's driving a six, seven year old vehicle.
She's never read the owner's manual.
She doesn't know where, where the four way fleshers are.
Doesn't know where the four way fleshers are.
Thinks it's the battery when the car is turning over.
So I get out the manual, right?
I'm looking through it.
And that's another issue that's made my day.
Here's a car that's tattered for safety.
There's no safety flasher, you know, in American cars, right on top of the steering column.
I looked all over for emergency flasher icon.
I couldn't find it.
I look in the owner's manual on their emergency where it would be.
Nothing there.
I said, this is beautiful.
So I, I, I get out of the car.
I said, why don't we call triple A?
Do you have triple A?
Okay.
Can you call triple A?
Uh, I don't know how I said, Oh brother, I said, so by that time, uh, uh, a saddle river
police car showed up.
I explained everything to him.
He puts his hand on his head and he goes, all right, I'll deal with it.
He goes, ma'am, can I just see your driver's license?
Yeah.
I'll have to look for it.
Yeah.
I'm sure, I'm sure sticking around for that was probably a sad ending too.
So here's someone, you know, and okay, she doesn't understand battery, no battery, whatever,
but didn't know anything about the car.
Never read the owner's manual.
Didn't even know where the four way flashes are in case of an emergency or anything else
like that.
Right.
And soon to be coming to a side of the highway somewhere, you know, with Labor Day bearing
down upon us.
Thanks, Harry.
With Labor Day bearing down upon us.
And, uh, this is the point I want to bring up as well as what Harry is, is discussing
here in that, you know, we've got to be prepared.
You know, when the emergency happens, when that car gets stuck on the side of the road,
you may not have time to find the four way flashers, may have to flick them on right
away.
It may become a matter of life and death and it's a huge safety risk if you're not familiar
with the vehicle.
So one of the things you've really got to do is before you take the trip, before you
go out in the car for the next time, even around town, take five minutes, 10 minutes,
you're going to have a cup of coffee tonight at the kitchen table, grab the owner's manual
and get familiar with the car.
How well do you know where the safety equipment is?
You know, I took the suburban, the 2004 suburban, which now has 50,000 miles on it.
I've been talking about this for years to North Carolina last week, put my tools in
it, went over all the fluids, put a fresh battery in it.
The battery was three going on four years old, looked around on the, I mean, I'm underneath
this vehicle every three, four months anyway.
But the road is a very unforgiving place and just as Harry was describing, and as he pointed
out that he learned, if you're not familiar with the vehicle, you're stuck on the side
of the road.
The simplest things, where's the owner's manual, where are the four ways, not having
the phone number for the roadside service, AAA or whoever you're using, programmed into
the phone, that's just downright silly.
You're just expecting a problem and inviting it to happen.
Always got to be prepared, all right?
I'll, I'll open the show with this and pay a little tribute, where tribute is due, for
the service people, for the American service people that were on that train yesterday in
France.
They didn't stop, they didn't think, they reacted, they were prepared, they were ready
for the consequences and they dealt with it with the lunatic with the AK-47 and I'm not
saying your car is anywhere near that big a problem, but it can be, you've got to be
prepared and that's my point.
You don't have time to think, you've got to be able to react when you're stuck on the
side of the road with your automobile.
855-560-9900 is the phone number I'm Ron Anany and the car doctor, I'm here to talk to you
about your car problem, whatever that might be, I also want to just point out real quick
before we take the pause, before we open the garage doors.
Coming up in two weeks, Labor Day weekend, I believe that is Saturday the 5th, that we
are going to be live from the Sheridan Crossroads in Mawa, New Jersey, is it the 4th?
Maybe it's Saturday the, oh Saturday the 6th, Saturday the 6th, we'll look that up and figure
that out when we get back to them, but we're going to be there on that Saturday, Labor
Day Saturday at the Sheridan Crossroads in Mawa, New Jersey, 2 to 4 p.m., doing this
radio show on Live Remote and we're going to be there with the crew of our local New
York affiliate, WRCR, we're going to be talking to them, we're going to be talking to you,
looking at the thousands of hot rods and all the things that the Dead Man's Curve, Dead
Man's Curve USA.com car group has got going on for them and we're kind of looking forward
to that if you're in the area, we want you to stop by and say hello.
Let's pull over and take the pause, 855-560-9900, I'm Ron Anany and the car doctor, we'll be
back right after this.
This mood check is brought to you by State Farm, ¿Qué tal mi gente, honey German, checking
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today? If it's a little tired, a little off, you're not alone. Have you eaten algo rico,
taken a deep breath? Maybe even turned off your phone for 5 minutitos? I promise the
memes will still be there. Sometimes self care is in candles and meditation, it's just saying
no. It's drinking a little bit of agua, it's letting yourself rest sin pena. You don't
have to prove anything today, just be, breathe. Estás haciendo lo mejor que puedes and yes,
that's enough. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
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Welcome back Ron and Ian, the car doctor 855-560-9900 is the phone number. Let's go over and talk
to Fran on line 1, 2013 Ford F-150 about buying an extended warranty. Welcome to the car doctor.
How can I help? Well, I'm just curious. I've never bought an extended warranty and are they
worth it? Do you own the truck since new friend? Yes, I did. What sort of extended warranty
are you thinking about buying? Well, they have two, but I was just reading on his thing.
There's a powertrain warranty on his vehicle already for five years or 60,000 miles. Correct.
Here's the thing, all the cars that I had in the past, I've never bought one and when
I worked, I leased cars and we never had any problem with any of them. Is it money well
spent or is it wasted? I used to think it was money wasted, but in recent years I've changed
my attitude and let me explain why. Let me ask you a couple of questions. The car that
replaced the 2013 Ford truck, how old was it? How many miles were on it? It was only two
years old and then at 54,000 miles it was another Ford. Right. Do you think you're going
to keep this one beyond the five years with the powertrain coverage? Probably not. Then
it's probably money wasted. The only time I start to think now in terms of powertrain
coverage, I'm sorry, extended warranty is outside of powertrain coverage, I start to
think about the electronics. First of all, if you're going to buy an extended warranty,
I don't care for what car it is, in this mechanic's mind, it's got to be from the manufacturer.
I do not care for any extended warranties that I've had exposure to that I'll consider
aftermarket. Ford, I want a Ford, GM, I want a GM, Chrysler, I want a Chrysler and so on.
Too many times I see people buy that outside of the manufacturer warranty and two years
later when they go to use it, that company's gone out of business and they were incorporated
in Delaware and good luck trying to chase them down. That to me is just throwing money
away. Now, one of the things we did when my daughter purchased her escape, she bought
a new Ford Escape List year, was yes, she has powertrain coverage five years, 60,000
miles. In my mind, as long as we're doing the service and maintenance and you can bet
your bottom dollar we're doing that, that engine should go 100,000 with no problems
just as the transmission.
I follow all the things in the manual. I rotate the tires, I do the oil changes on time. All
I've had on this truck so far was a little leak, I don't know if it was transmission
fluid, took it into the garage and he fixed it.
The only thing we put on her escape was the extended warranty, she's good to five years
75,000 miles now on powertrain but more importantly, she has electronics coverage. That was one
thing that I thought, I think it was $1,000 or $1,200, I forget the exact number, but
I spread it out over five years and I said for $200 a year to have bumper to bumper electronics
coverage if she has an issue. If electronics are going to fail, it's typically in the first
five to six years. It's typically a little earlier in life unless they're going to go
their normal life cycle of whatever it is, 150,000 miles, eight, nine years old.
That's the thing with trucks nowadays. You got that backup camera.
There's a lot of electronics on there.
All this stuff, power seats all, you know, and so okay, so you're saying what I should
do is put the warranty on for five years?
What I'm saying is talk to the Ford dealer. A, is it Ford coverage? We want that. And
then you understand how the warranty will cover the engine and the trans. You're not
as worried about that failing because you're going to do the maintenance as you are. You
don't have to worry about electronics for the backup camera for all the computers on
the vehicle for the instrument cluster for everything electronic on that vehicle. That's
where you can spend a lot of money very quickly and you've just got to be prepared for that.
So that is something worth thinking about.
Okay.
All right, sir.
Okay. Well, thank you very much.
You're very welcome. Thanks for being a listener. You're very welcome. You take good care.
Electronics are fast becoming the most expensive thing to repair on any vehicle. And if you're
in that gentleman's case, in Fran's case, he owned, sounds like a 2007, 2008 Ford and
then traded in and got to 2013. But if you're someone coming out of a 95 Ford or a 95 Toyota,
for example, and going into a newer vehicle into a 2015, it's light years. It's just so
different in terms of what that vehicle has on it in terms of electronics. And it's something
you've really got to consider.
Let's go over and talk to Mike and lacrosse Wisconsin 96 Toyota RAV4 and some comments
about how he fixed his hydraulic clutch. I assume this is in response to the gentleman
in the previous hour with the 94 pickup and the clutch issue he had, right, Mike?
That's correct Ron.
Yes, sir.
I was really impressed with the list of things you enumerated. But my problem was different.
This thing would not shift. I depressive. Depending on what stage it was in, I couldn't
shift it out of neutral into a gear or I couldn't shift it in reverse direction.
Right.
And this went on for about three or four weeks. It took it to my very good mechanic, bless
his heart, about three times. The first time he replaced the slave cylinder and the second
time he replaced the master cylinder. And I'm sure he looked for leaks. He looked for
leaks everywhere, but we were losing pressure and that didn't fix it. Finally, he found
a crack, the Xerox fitting. And that's where it was leaking out.
Okay, sure.
Had him stymied for a while.
You mean the bleeder itself was leaking?
The Xerox fitting where you put in, where you check the, well, I don't know if you
check pressure or if you just add fluid there or what.
Oh, okay. Got you.
Okay.
Yeah.
Well, were you able to bleed it?
Right.
Yeah. Okay. Yeah, the bleeder.
Right.
I'm sure it was hard to see that at first. So then I relieved that. So you can add that
to your pile. You can list the things that could be wrong.
Thanks, Mike. And you know, all I really tried to do when I was trying to get him to see
that is that stop, you know, stop saying, because if you noticed he was talking about
how this person said that and that person said this and you know, it's never about that.
It's always about how does the system work? Take it apart in your mind. Take it apart
on a piece of paper. What could go wrong? And what's the most common? And what's the
most obvious? And you're right. We have to add hydraulic leaks to the system now from
the, from a fitting such as that. So good thing to know. Good thing to know.
No, I have another question.
Sure.
I have another question in response. You're, you're talking about the Priests. We have
an old five Priests, which we love, right? And we bought it with 60,000 miles on it
and about, I don't know, five years ago or so. We only drive about 12, 13,000 miles a
year. We do go on cross-country trips with it once in a while. Now it's got about 125,000
and it's running just fine. We only get about 42 in town in the summer and, and on the road,
well, actually it's similar. It doesn't change that much. You know, maybe up to the mid 40s,
some people are newer ones, they get 50 or higher. But anyway, we like it. And I'm wondering
if there's no rust on it yet. Looks great. Two scratches is all. I'm wondering what would
you do? Would you sell that, that that mileage, 120,000 because of that battery, the big battery?
Well, I wouldn't sell it because of that. I would put the question back to you. So let's
say tomorrow, Mike, that battery goes bad. Would you put the three grand into it? I'll
tell you what, I'll tell you what, think about, think about that. Don't go anywhere. Let me
pull over and take this pause. And when we come back, we'll talk about that a little bit.
That's really the question. Would you put three grand into it? How nice of a car is it?
And you know what? You can give us the answer. When we get back, I'm on any of the car doctors.
We'll be back right after this.
This mood check is brought to you by State Farm.
How's your heart feeling today? If it's a little tired, a little oof, you're not alone.
Have you eaten algo rico? Taking a deep breath? Maybe even turned off your phone for 5 minutitos?
I promise the memes will still be there. Sometimes self care is in candles and meditation. It's
just saying no. It's drinking a little bit of agua. It's letting yourself rest sin pena.
You don't have to prove anything today. Just be. Breathe. Estás haciendo lo mejor que
puedes. And yes, that's enough. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.
At T-Mobile, we could explain SuperMobile ourselves, but would you rather hear it from
Kevin Bacon? Today, business happens virtually everywhere. That's why you need SuperMobile
from T-Mobile. The best plan on the best network. A first of its kind plan that lets
you run your business from your phone, like never before. In moments of high demand, T-Mobile's
network intelligently adapts to help give your business the connection it needs. With
built-in security to keep your business your business. All backed by America's largest
mobile to satellite network. Get intelligent performance, enhanced security, and seamless
coverage with SuperMobile from T-Mobile. The best business plan on the best network.
Discover more at SuperMobile.com. Best business plan based on combination of advanced network
performance, coverage layers, and security features. Best network based on analysis
by Uclus, speed testing, intelligence data, 1-H, 20-25. Uclus trademarks use them to
license and root pretty with permission. T-satellite available with capable device in most outdoor
areas where you can see the sky. Hey all, I'm Jamie Lynn Sigler, a mom, actor, and
advocate. I know how overwhelming it can be trying to decide which treatment is right
for you. I've been there. But you should know you're not alone. You can do this. Start
with some research, talk to the community, and most importantly, don't be afraid to
ask your doctor questions. You might find results that speak for themselves. That's
how I landed on Kisimta. Ask your doctor if Kisimta, Ophatumamab, could be right for
you. You can check out the details at Kisimta.com.
Hey, welcome back. We're on Indian the Car Doctor, 855-560-9900. The phone number, that's
24-7, if this radio shows not on the air, you call 855-560-9900. Anytime, day or night,
in Fast Harry, we'll call you back. Leave a message. Fast Harry, we'll call you back,
and we'll put you in queue and talk to you about your car problem up here on National
Radio. Speaking of problems, let's go over and talk to Mike. Let's get back to La Crosse,
Wisconsin. Mike, when we left, we pulled over and took the pause for those just tuning in.
The conversation was, would I spend the money on the car? And I actually put it back to
you, Mike. Would you put $3,000 for a battery into that Prius at this age in mileage?
Well, that's, of course, the key question. I haven't done any research on it, and I don't
know how long those batteries last on the average. My question is, do they wear out
after a certain amount of time on the average, or is it miles?
I've seen it more based on time, and unfortunately, a 2005, and you say you've got 120,000 on
it. How many miles are on this now? Mike?
It's about 125, I think.
You know, you're in the range. I'm not saying it's going to happen tomorrow, and I'm not
saying I would run out and do it, but it is something I would be mindful of. You know,
perhaps I'd want to make sure, you know, to have the Toyota dealer test it. I know they
can check it, and there's things they can look at to determine, and you know what, Toyota
really does have a good handle on the Prius batteries in terms of their failure rate,
but it really comes back to, do you want to be proactive and change it early? Do you want
to change it on the road if you're taking a cross-country trip? Would you change it?
And that's really a decision, you know, it'd be no different than, as I've said before,
if you're driving a traditional gas-powered vehicle in your cross-country with a 10-year-old
120,000-mile vehicle, if the trans failed, would you replace the trans? And if it would,
then you know what, drive on. You know, it doesn't matter what the vehicle is. It doesn't
matter if it's a hybrid or a gas or diesel. It all comes down to maintenance per month,
maintenance per mile. And one of the things that I laugh at to this day is, I don't want to spend
any money on a car. I'm going to go buy a new one. And that's a real statement that I hear more
than a few times a week at the shop and I sit there scratching my head. I think we get rid of
vehicles if we have too much money and we're not enough brains as I sometimes say, but I also think
it's because people have a fear in that they're not sure if their mechanic can do the job properly,
which makes me wonder why they're dealing with that mechanic in the first place. And just as
importantly, they're not sure where to go. And you know, you can talk to people, it's interesting.
You know, Mike, I don't know if you do this. I can't do it because I'm in the business,
but I've listened to people without talking and telling them who I am and what I do. And
not a lot of people are happy with their mechanic. It's really very kind of interesting. And yet
they'll still continue to go to a repair shop because and there's no, there's no rhyme or reason
for that. So, you know, are you taking it to the Toyota dealer now for service?
No, only if I have to. For example, my mechanic, who I said before I love because he's inexpensive
and he's dedicated, honest. He charged me for that work on that RAV4, he charged me
right around $100. And he just kept that until he found it. Anyway, he does not have
up to date computer equipment. He probably wouldn't work on the electronics on a Prius,
but he can fix other normal things. Very efficient. Well, and that's
go ahead. The thing about the Prius, we paid $11,000 for that about five years ago.
I would guess maybe maybe it's worth about, I don't know, five now or a couple years ago.
I think it was eight, but I haven't checked recently. So when I put $3,000 into a $5,000
market value vehicle, maybe not. You got me thinking now about that.
That is something to consider. You know, if the vehicle is worth five and you put three in it,
now you've got eight in the vehicle. What does 11 grand buy you? If 11 grand buys you
something five years newer with half the mileage, maybe peace of mind is worth an extra three grand
or two grand. And that's, you know what, it all comes back to dollars and cents and convenience.
When we took the suburban down to North Carolina last week, it's 12 years old. I know it's only
got 50,000 miles on it. I prepped it as best I could. I know it's a 12 year old vehicle.
And I was ready for what came my way. I also had my uniform packed in case I had to go rent the
service bay and fix it right there with somebody in North Carolina, but that's a different
conversation. But you know, it's all about trust and the reliability of the vehicle and how well
it's maintained and how well you know that vehicle. And would you put money into it?
Lots of questions, lots of things people need to think about before they just make blind decisions.
Let's pull over and take a pause real quick. 855-560-9900. When we come back,
Laurie and Marion, we're going to be right back and talk to you about your 2014 Ford Flex. Don't
anybody go away. I'm Ronanini in the car doctor, back right after this.
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Hey all, I'm Jamie Lynn Sigler, a mom, actor, and advocate. I know how overwhelming it can be
trying to decide which treatment is right for you. I've been there, but you should know you're not
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Welcome back. Ron Naney and the Card Doctor, 855-560-9900. By the way, the website and more
information, CardDoctorShow.com. Get out to the Card Doctor's Facebook page. Ron and Naney and
the Card Doctor, we're talking about a missing 66 Chevy Nova. If someone's looking for it,
we're trying to help them find it. If you can read that story and relate and pass on information
or share that photo and spread it around the world, we're looking for that car and we would
appreciate anything anybody can do. Let's get over and talk to Lori in Marion, Iowa,
2014 Ford Flex. Lori, welcome to the Card Doctor. How can I help?
Oh, hi. Thank you. You're very welcome. I was calling because I took my car to the dealership
to get the oil changed a couple of weeks ago. Okay. How many miles away?
15,600. Okay. And while I was there, the representative recommended caliper cleaning,
and I didn't even know what a caliper was. So my question was, does the manufacturer recommend
that? And he said to me that because I live in the Midwest, you know, the salt and sand from
the roads and things like that, that the caliper cleaning was a good idea. It would prolong the
life of my brake pads. And so I okayed the work. And then later I thought, why did I do that?
You know, it just seemed like an upsell later. I probably, I feel like I got ripped off. So I
thought, I'm calling the car doctor. Yeah, I don't think I agree with them on this, Lori. I,
you know, my first question is that 2014 Ford Flex, if you open up your owner's manual,
what's the warranty? Is it bumper to bumper? I would suppose it is. I, I haven't looked at that,
but I guess so. I, you know what, if it says bumper to bumper warranty coverage,
and you've got to promise me you'll open up the owner's manual and look at this after we get off
the air, you know, bumper to bumper coverage, bumper to bumper is bumper to bumper, three years,
50,000 miles. And okay, I could see if the brakes wore out, but I would ask them to show me, show
me where it says if the brakes wear out as a result of not greasing the caliper slides.
And while it might be good maintenance, you know, if you live, listen, if, if you live in a region
of the country where the snowfall is so heavy that they're using so much calcium chloride to melt
the snow that it's creating rust and corrosion issues, yeah, I get it. All right. But in all the
years on radio, 25 next January, you're the first person to call up with this kind of a problem
at 15,000 miles. You know, typically that's something that doesn't occur until the car is
until the 40 or 50,000 mile range. If then, typically it's longer than that. And I would,
what did you pay for this service? Basically $100. I think, I think somebody bought lawn
furniture. You know, I think somebody got commissioned and bought lawn furniture. I would,
I would ask to see what their policy is. I would be very calm about it, but I would say,
you know, I don't understand, fellas, my owner's manual says I've got bumper to bumper warranty
coverage. Why am I doing this service? Is this something that's common in this part of the country?
Is this, I wouldn't give them too many answers. I would ask them to, I would, you know, just ask
the question and, and let them give you the answers, but they've got to come back and they say, well,
we've, you know, studies we've seen corrosion, etc. You know, this is a problem to which my question
would be if somebody buys a used car with that's, you know, or somebody buys a car that sits on the
lot for seven months, um, that doesn't get driven or the caliper is going to be that corroded that
after seven months and zero miles, the calipers are going to have to come off and have them greased.
I, yeah, it doesn't, doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth. You know, makes me, makes me kind of
wonder. Very helpful. All right. Yeah, I wondered too. Yeah, I don't, I appreciate it so much.
I don't get it, Lori. You go back, you talk to them. You tell them we talked and you call me back,
report back when you get a chance. All right. I'll do that. All right. You take good care.
You're very welcome. Bye-bye, dear. Let's get over and talk to Don in Omaha, Nebraska,
2008 Toyota Highlander and some questions about a wheel alignment. Don, welcome to the car,
doctor. How can I help sir? Hi, thanks for taking my call. You're welcome. The car now has about
40,000 miles on it and I had it lined back about 15,000 miles ago. Okay. And when I took it in,
it was one of the national chain shops, but the guy, I don't think did a whole lot to it and
he came out and gave me kind of a computer print out that said, well, everything looks like it's
in specs. And so when I got home, I kind of looked up what specs really were and just taking an
example. I think for that car, the camber said something like ideal was a negative 6,300 of
a degree, plus or minus 7,500 of a degree. So, you know, I'm not a math whiz exactly,
but that would look like, you know, from a negative 1.38 to a plus. Yeah, let's not split
hairs. Three quarters of a degree plus or minus and yeah. So anyway, it was within that spec,
say the negative 1.38, if it was a negative 1.25, you know, it met that spec. But when I drive out
then and hit a bump, doesn't it go over to something greater than that or the possibility is
greater than that? Well, sure. I mean, hitting bumps and suspension and how suspension changes
is always going to change wheel alignment, but wheel alignment is always based on here's what it
is with the wheels at rest straight ahead in line. And then as the vehicle progresses and goes down
the road, the changes that occur are there by design, not by intention. You can't align a vehicle
because you're going to hit a bump someday, and it's going to make the camber or caster do this
or that. So it's always done vehicle at rest as we've done it forever. So go on, your question is.
But they don't put it back to what would be the ideal set because, you know, now I'm two and a
half years later, and I think it probably needs it again, because we've had kind of a horrible
winner in the Midwest, you know, and so I was going to take it in again. But I thought, well,
you know, if now it's right at the ragged edge, and the guy again says, oh, well, you're still
meeting specs, I'm not going to do anything. But maybe it's just a tiny bit from being over.
And my point, shouldn't they take it back to that midpoint? I mean, what's a normal shop do?
Great question. Some shops will, and we have to have a conversation about cost in here, Don.
All right. And I always bring this up when I talk about wheel alignment. Wheel alignment and tire
work are two of the most underrated, underappreciated services that happen to a vehicle. And I'm not
saying in your case, but in some people's cases, the cost of tire equipment and wheel alignment
equipment is astronomical in comparison to, you know, other things. A wheel alignment rack,
for example, can be upwards of $50, $55,000. Start doing the math about how many cars have
to get aligned and bang through there, you know, to make that back. And when you're thinking about
that, let's say the average wheel alignment is somewhere between a half hour and 45 minutes,
you've got to weigh that out with that mechanic could be doing a break job selling parts without
a $55,000 investment into an alignment rack. And how much quicker do they get return on that? So
cost of equipment always comes into the conversation when we talk about wheel
alignments. And I'll tell you what, I don't want to do this too tight. Sit tight, Don. Let me pull
over and take this pause. When we come back, we'll close out the hour with this. I'm Ron
This stress check, aka friendly reminder that your hobbies matter is brought to you by State Farm,
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you can see the sky. Hey all, I'm Jamie Lynn Sigler, a mom, actor and advocate. I know how
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but you should know you're not alone. You can do this. Start with some research,
talk to the community and most importantly, don't be afraid to ask your doctor questions.
You might find results that speak for themselves. That's how I landed on Kisimta.
Ask your doctor if Kisimta, Ophatumamab could be right for you. You can check out the details
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Welcome back. Ron Nitty and the Car Doctor rolling along. Let's go back to Don in Omaha,
Nebraska. Don, are you still there, sir? Yes, I am. So the conversation's about wheel alignment on
your 2008 Toyota Highlander and what's the responsibility of the alignment shop or the
people doing the alignment. In my mind, there's two types of wheel alignments out there. There's
the fast food, quickie that I see people doing their advertising, $69.95, $79.95, things like
that. And then there's the guys that are doing it and they're doing it correctly. They're sitting
there and they're being honest. They're saying, you know what? It typically takes a half hour,
45 minutes to do setup, get the vehicle by the time we road test it, get it up in the air,
set the tire pressure and go through the vehicle and, you know, 15, 20 minutes to make your
adjustments. They're telling you it's an hour and a half average vehicle. It's going to get
worse in time because a lot of vehicles now have steering angle sensors that need tools to be reset
and that's going to become part of the service procedure as well. So, you know, the old expression
you get what you pay for? Right. And I agree with you where I'm going with this, Don, and that,
you know what? If it's to the ragged edge, you know, an alignment guy knows what works on what
vehicles. He can sit there and he can stand behind or protect himself behind the, hey, it's within
manufacturer's spec all day long, but if the tire is going to wear better at mid range or to the
other side of the spec, then what service is he really doing for you other than just taking your
money and lightning your wallet? Right. And, you know, that's really what this is all about.
You know, a smart alignment guy doesn't align every vehicle to every manufacturer's spec.
You know, the way I was taught was, and I remember the conversation like it was yesterday, Ron,
someday you're going to align two vehicles that are exactly the same. One's going to be
just a normal everyday bread and butter vehicle. The other guy's going to be an Anvil salesman
and he's going to carry his demos in the trunk. And, you know, that's going to affect the suspension
and how the front end rising. You're going to have to align and compensate for that.
And, you know, I used to say typewriters and that would make people nuts. They'd say,
you're really dating yourself, Ron. Yeah. And that's my point. So, you know, I really laugh
at things like lifetime wheel alignment. All lifetime wheel alignment does, and I'm not saying
that's in your case, but as long as we're talking dollars, you know, all lifetime wheel alignment
shops are doing is promising you a minimal amount of service, minimal amount of effort,
trying to do an upsell and, you know, see what's wrong with the car over the life of the vehicle.
Nothing on a car can be warrantied for life because sooner or later everything wears out.
So, I would go back to the shop and say, hey, you know, I know you charged me for this and,
you know, it is kind of to the ragged edge, but, you know, I really like things put in the center
of the spec. Now, the reason they may not be able to do that is on that particular vehicle or in
any vehicle. Is that measurement, is that adjustment normal? Is it simple to do or is it a much more
involved process? And then that can be additional money as well. You really should read the fine
print on the invoice. What does it say? You know, perform four wheel alignment, set adjustable or
factory adjustable angles to spec? Or is it check and adjust as needed? Adjustment is extra. And
sometimes you look at the fine print, you'll find the answers there too, Don. I hope I was a help,
sir. I enjoyed the question. I enjoyed being able to have the time. Till the next time,
I'm Ron Annening, the car doctor, reminding all of you, good mechanics aren't expensive,
they're priceless. See ya.
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About this episode
Ron Ananian, “The Car Doctor,” tackles recurring classic-car and modern-car problems through listener calls and a cautionary roadside story. A mechanic recounts helping a Mercedes driver who didn’t know where hazard lights were or even read the manual—highlighting why preparation matters. The show then shifts to practical buying/repair decisions: when extended warranties are worth it (favoring manufacturer coverage, especially for electronics), troubleshooting a hydraulic clutch leak, whether to replace a Prius hybrid battery, and questioning dealer upsells like caliper cleaning. Wheel alignment gets a reality check too—aim for the middle of spec, read invoices, and beware “lifetime” promises.
Original notes
Classic Car Doctor – August 22, 2015 (Hour 2)
Take a step back 11 years and see what drivers were dealing with in the repair shop—and how much (or how little) has changed.
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, opens the hour asking a critical question: how well do you know your vehicle in an emergency? From there, it’s real calls and real advice—extended warranty decisions on a 2013 Ford F-150, clutch repair on a 2004 Toyota RAV4, and a smart discussion on Toyota Prius battery life.
Plus, is brake caliper cleaning on a 2014 Ford Flex necessary—or just oversold? And what’s really behind alignment issues on a 2008 Toyota Highlander?
It’s a snapshot of the cars, concerns, and conversations from 11 years ago—and a reminder that good car advice never goes out of style.
Good mechanics aren’t expensive — they’re priceless.
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Follow the wrench – Instagram @ronananian for shop life & behind-the-scenes
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Watch & learn – Auto repair tips & videos on our YouTube Channel
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