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Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Classic Car Doctor - August 22, 2015 - Hour 1

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Classic Car Doctor - August 22, 2015 - Hour 1

Ron Ananian The Car Doctor Mar 24, 2026 35 min
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About this episode

Ron Ananian, “The Car Doctor,” kicks off with a road-trip report from the Outer Banks, where he visits small, old-school repair shops and sees how limited tools, lower tech adoption, and seasonal traffic shape diagnostics and pricing. He then tackles listener calls: a 1982 Chevelle overheating-like electrical shutdown when the A/C is turned on (likely charging/cable/ground load issues), a 2010 Prius buyer weighing high mileage vs. battery risk and repair access, and a 1994 Toyota pickup clutch/hydraulic disengagement problem (focus on slave/master travel and clutch release).

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Brand

eBay

"But on eBay, behind every car and part is a story waiting to be shared... eBay has thousands of cars and the largest online selection of vehicle parts and accessories."

eBay is a website where people buy and sell items, including car parts. Car owners use it to find parts that might be hard to get elsewhere.

Concept

hot rod show

"It's a thousand plus car hot rod show. Four funny cars. They're going to fire up at once."

A hot rod show is an event where people bring cars they’ve customized. It’s usually older American cars with cool looks and sometimes more power.

Concept

funny cars

"Four funny cars. They're going to fire up at once. And all sorts of great things."

Funny cars are drag-racing cars built to go extremely fast in a straight line for a short distance. They’re known for their big, flashy bodies and huge power.

Part

tire machine

"There were three berry pear shops that had one lift, a tire machine, a bubble balancer, and absolutely no computers in the car in the shop at all."

A tire machine helps take tires on and off the wheel. It’s used when you’re changing tires or swapping them.

Part

bubble balancer

"There were three berry pear shops that had one lift, a tire machine, a bubble balancer, and absolutely no computers in the car in the shop at all."

A bubble balancer is a simple tool that helps figure out where a wheel is “out of balance.” Mechanics use it to reduce vibration by adding the right wheel weights.

Term

scan tool

"...I went over and I got out my scant tool"

A scan tool is a device that plugs into the car to read error codes from the computer. It helps the mechanic pinpoint the problem faster than guessing.

Term

labor rate

"Their labor rate was $78 an hour. And they said, we're high. That's a lot of money for North Carolina."

The labor rate is what a shop charges per hour for the mechanic’s work. It’s usually added on top of the cost of parts and other fees.

Concept

alignments

"But it was mostly tires. It was tires and alignments, truck work, a lot of exhaust work."

A wheel alignment adjusts the angles of the tires so they roll straight and wear evenly. Shops often do alignments after suspension work, tire replacement, or if a vehicle pulls to one side.

Concept

exhaust systems

"I was surprised at the number of signs that I saw that we specialized in exhaust, that they're still doing exhaust systems down south."

Your car’s exhaust system is the path that takes burned gases out of the engine. Shops that specialize in exhaust often fix rusted or leaking parts and replace worn components like mufflers or pipes.

Concept

rust and corrosion

"And, you know, without the heavy snow that we see in the North with salt and rust and corrosion and things like that, they’re still doing a lot of exhaust because…"

Rust and corrosion happen when metal gets damaged by moisture and chemicals. In snowy areas, road salt makes it happen faster, especially underneath the car.

Concept

road salt

"And, you know, without the heavy snow that we see in the North with salt and rust and corrosion and things like that…"

Road salt is what they spread on roads to melt ice. It can also speed up rust on your car, especially parts underneath.

Concept

body shops

"because I know we want to get to the phones, [793.8s] is the body shops. [796.4s] Every body shop was at least 12 to 15 cars in size,"

A body shop is where cars get fixed after crashes. They repair the outside of the car—like dents and damaged panels—and often handle a lot of cars at once.

Concept

bays

"Every body shop was at least 12 to 15 cars in size, [801.6s] you know, the bays. [802.6s] There was 12 doors across the front of every body shop."

A bay is like a garage stall inside a repair shop where one car is worked on. More bays usually means the shop can handle more cars at the same time.

Concept

collision repair

"they said, [812.2s] you know, this is big business down here. [813.9s] They'll go out to the rest of the country. [816.0s] They'll bring in cars that are crashed or smashed or,"

Collision repair is what happens after a car is in an accident. The goal is to fix the damage so the car can be driven safely again.

Concept

used car lots

"there's an awful lot of used car lots, [829.0s] used car dealerships in the Carolinas and Delaware [835.3s] and, you know, driving down along that stretch of the country. [841.1s] It seemed that every five, six miles,"

Used car lots are retail lots where pre-owned vehicles are displayed for sale, often sourced from trade-ins, auctions, or repaired collision inventory. The speaker uses the density of used car lots as a clue about local economic activity and vehicle flow.

Concept

muscle cars

"There was more than a few specialty shops that were dealing with older muscle cars that they were putting out front."

Muscle cars are older performance cars that were built to feel fast and powerful. They usually have big engines and a lot of people modify and restore them today.

Car

Porsche Cayman GT4

"Like this guy I read about who bought a 2020 Porsche Cayman GT4 on eBay. It was well loved."

This is a Porsche Cayman GT4, which is the more track-ready Cayman model. It’s the kind of car people buy when they want something that can handle spirited driving and track days.

Car

1982 Chevelle

"Let's go talk to Dennis in Maine with a 1982 Chevelle and some overheating issues. [1115.8s] Dennis, you're on with the car doctor."

A 1982 Chevrolet Chevelle is an older classic car. If it’s having overheating problems, it usually means something in the cooling system isn’t working right—like the radiator, thermostat, or hoses.

Term

alternator

"It wouldn't be the first time that an alternator overheated and reacted to temperature and stopped charging or didn't charge as well."

Your alternator is like the car’s power generator. It charges the battery and runs the electronics while the engine is on. If it overheats or stops working, the battery has to power everything, and it won’t last long.

Term

voltage

"...I would monitor voltage, and I would monitor system current to see what the alternator is capable of putting out..."

Voltage is the strength of the electrical system. If the voltage drops when you turn on the A/C or other accessories, it’s a clue the charging system can’t keep up.

Term

heater control knob

"They had taken the key and glued a heater control knob to the back of it."

The heater control knob is what you use to control the car’s heat. In this story, someone used it as a temporary substitute because the car didn’t have a key, which points to a bigger electrical/ignition issue.

Term

charging system test

"But go through a charging system test. [1463.0s] Go through a charging system test."

A charging system test checks if the alternator is charging the battery properly. If it’s not, the battery can go dead even if the car seems to start sometimes.

Term

directionals

"when the vehicle is operating normally, [1473.0s] turn the directionals on. [1474.7s] How do, how fast do they blink?"

Directionals are your turn signals. If they blink too fast or too slow, it usually means something is wrong with the bulbs or the wiring.

Term

cigarette lighter

"if the car's got a cigarette lighter, you can go out and purchase for $10, $15 ... a cheap digital voltometer, hook up a tap, tap it into the cigarette lighter"

That “cigarette lighter” is usually a 12-volt power outlet. People use it to plug in small tools like a voltmeter so they can see what the car’s voltage is doing.

Brand

Volkswagen

"I'm Ron Anani and the car doctor real quick. Volkswagen has joined the list of automakers recalling vehicles over airbags, something important."

Volkswagen is a car company that makes lots of different models. Here, they’re being mentioned because they’re recalling cars—meaning they found a safety problem and want owners to get it fixed.

Term

airbags

"Fix a fault that could prevent airbags from deploying... with airbag problems. I want to get that out there."

Airbags are occupant-restraint safety devices designed to deploy during a crash. If a fault prevents deployment, it can significantly reduce protection in an accident, which is why this recall is treated as serious.

Term

trading value

"And the car facts says to add $2,000 to the trading value. So it's been taken very good care of."

Trading value is what the dealer offers you for your car as part of a deal. It can be different from what you’d get if you sold it yourself.

Concept

Carfax

"They've reported it to Carfax. Right. And apparently they've had all kinds of oil changes."

Carfax is a website/report that tries to show a car’s past—like accidents or service history—based on records they can find. Sellers and buyers use it to help decide what a car is worth.

Term

oil changes

"And apparently they've had all kinds of oil changes. They've had the tires rotated."

Oil changes are when you replace the engine’s oil so it can keep parts lubricated and protected. If a car has a record of frequent oil changes, it usually means it was cared for.

Term

trans failed

"And I would always ask this question, if the trans failed tomorrow, would you put a transmission in it and how would you feel?"

They’re imagining the transmission breaks. If that happens, it can be a very expensive repair, so it’s a good way to judge whether the car is really a good deal.

Concept

hybrid service support

"you've got somebody in town there that can work on a hybrid, I'm assuming? Yes, my regular mechanic won't work on them."

Hybrid cars can be harder to service because they have extra systems beyond a normal gas engine. If your usual mechanic won’t work on hybrids, you may need a specialist shop.

Concept

miles a gallon

"It's nice to get 50 miles a gallon in town... [2047.0s] If you find something similar to that that gets 30, 35 miles to the gallon, [2051.5s] and the Prius gets 52, all right?"

MPG tells you how far a car can go on one gallon of gas. Higher MPG usually means you spend less on fuel, especially in city driving.

Term

bleed

"So, you know, if the system is bled, I'm going to assume the system is bled properly, you know, there's not much here."

Bleeding is the process of removing air from the hydraulic clutch system. Air compresses, which can reduce or delay slave cylinder movement and lead to symptoms like difficulty shifting or not fully disengaging the clutch.

2 cars featured

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