Gasoline is the fuel your engine burns. The host is saying that if the fuel quality is poor, it can cause problems over time and shorten the life of the engine.
A recall is when the car maker finds a problem and tells owners to get it fixed. The goal is to prevent accidents or failures—like a car stalling while driving.
The Hyundai Sonata is a common family sedan. In this segment, the host says Hyundai had to recall a huge number of Sonatas and replace engines because a defect could make the car stall.
NHTSA is a U.S. government agency focused on vehicle safety. It can investigate problems and publish official information about recalls. Here, the host is citing an NHTSA document about why the defect is dangerous.
The crankshaft is a key moving part inside the engine that helps turn the engine’s motion into power for the car. If metal particles get near it, they can cause damage and the engine may not get proper lubrication. That can lead to serious problems.
Oil flow is how oil moves through the engine to keep parts lubricated and cool. If something blocks that flow, the engine can overheat or wear out faster. That can eventually cause the engine to fail.
Concept
recall liability window
The “liability is gone” idea refers to how legal responsibility and exposure can diminish as time passes after a defect is discovered or a vehicle is sold. The host argues that older recalls can be easier for manufacturers because fewer legal consequences may remain. This is a discussion of incentives around recalls, not a technical engine issue.
The Mercury Grand Marquis is a big, comfortable American car. Here, the car’s anti-theft system is involved, and it can cause the car to shake, turn on warning lights, and then refuse to start.
PATS is the car’s anti-theft system. It checks whether the key is allowed to start the car, and if it doesn’t recognize the key, the car can refuse to start.
The anti-theft light is a warning light that tells you what the car’s theft-prevention system is doing. Blinking usually means it’s just on and watching; other patterns can mean the key isn’t being recognized.
PATS is the car’s built-in anti-theft system. It can stop the car from starting if it doesn’t recognize the key. The blinking or solid light tells you whether the system is just working normally or thinks something is wrong.
Fuel pressure is how strongly fuel is delivered to the engine by the fuel pump and regulated by the fuel system. If fuel pressure is too low (or unstable), the engine may not start or may run poorly, even if the battery and starter are fine.
This is a 2003 Cadillac CTS, a mid-size luxury car. In the conversation, it’s the specific car they’re talking about while troubleshooting why it died and what the anti-theft light means.
Fault codes are like the car’s “error messages” stored in its computers. A scan tool can read them so a mechanic knows what system is having trouble, even if the dashboard doesn’t show much.
A scan tool is a device a mechanic plugs into the car to read what its computers are reporting. It helps find the problem quickly instead of guessing based only on warning lights.
The check engine light is a warning that something related to the engine or emissions may be wrong. But not every car problem turns this light on, so you can’t assume “no light” means “no problem.”
ABS is the system that helps prevent the wheels from locking up when you brake hard. It’s one of the systems that can have its own warning light on the dashboard.
The body module is one of the car’s computers that controls “body” features like windows and lights. If it has a problem, the dashboard might not show a clear warning, so a scan is needed to find it.
A system scan means checking the car’s different computers, not just the engine. It helps a mechanic find hidden problems even when the dashboard doesn’t clearly point to them.
“U codes” are error messages your car stores when different computers in the car can’t communicate properly. They often mean the car’s systems aren’t talking to each other the way they should.
A wiring harness is the car’s main bundle of wires that connects the different computers and parts. If the wiring is damaged or loose, the car may log errors even if nothing looks obviously broken.
An oil change interval is how often the car is supposed to get its oil changed. It’s usually based on miles or time, and the sticker said when the next one should be.
Low oil level means there isn’t enough oil in the engine to protect it. If the oil warning light comes on, it’s a big deal and you should stop and check it right away.
Alignment is adjusting how the wheels point so the car drives straight and the tires wear evenly. It’s often done after certain repairs or if the car pulls.
An inspection failure means the car didn’t pass the required safety checks. Here, the rust damage was bad enough that the mechanic said it shouldn’t be allowed on the road.
“Rings” are small parts on the piston that help keep oil from getting into the engine’s burning area. If they’re worn out, the car can start using oil quickly and needs new parts.
The PCV valve is a small valve that helps the engine “breathe” and keeps pressure in the crankcase under control. If it doesn’t work right, oil can get where it shouldn’t and the car may use more oil.
The breather system helps vent gases out of the engine’s crankcase. If it’s not working properly, pressure can build up and push oil into places that cause the engine to use oil.
An “oil consumption issue” means the engine is using more engine oil than expected between oil changes. When it’s severe enough to require internal parts (like piston rings), it can also lead to long repair delays if parts are in short supply.
Term
oil change sticker
The oil change sticker is a label that shows when the car was last serviced and when the next service is due. If the dates don’t line up, it can suggest the maintenance record isn’t complete.
K&N is a company that makes aftermarket parts—especially air filters. Here, they’re talking about K&N’s products and also about the company growing by buying other businesses.
An air filter is what keeps dirt and debris out of the engine’s air supply. The hosts are mentioning a K&N air filter as a common upgrade on a classic like the MG Midget.
An oil filter cleans the engine oil as it moves through the engine. Here it’s mentioned as one of the other types of parts the company can make and sell.
An air intake system is the path that brings air into the engine. This segment is talking about aftermarket intakes—kits from different brands that fit the same car but can look and be built differently.
A warranty program is the deal that tells you what a company will cover if a part fails. They’re comparing how long each brand’s warranty lasts and how problems get handled.
The Ford Explorer is a larger SUV made for carrying people and gear, like a family car for longer trips. It’s the kind of vehicle people talk about when discussing warranties and repairs, because many owners have similar questions about what’s covered.
OEMs are the companies that make the parts that go into a car when it’s built. The speaker is asking whether those car makers use certain filter brands.
Brand
Spector
This segment mentions Spector as a filter brand being compared to other companies. The host’s point is that Spector supposedly doesn’t have the same official supply agreements with car makers as the others.
OE contracts are official agreements where a company supplies parts that are approved or used through the car maker’s normal supply chain. Here it’s used to explain why some filter brands are more accepted by automakers than others.
This is a Lexus LS 430 from 2001. The car has electronic safety systems that can turn on a warning light if a sensor isn’t reading correctly, and the fix involved resetting that sensor.
That warning light means the car’s traction/stability safety system isn’t happy. It can come on if a sensor is wrong or the system can’t verify its readings.
A yaw sensor tells the car how much it’s turning sideways (spinning left or right). If it’s not calibrated right, the stability system can throw a warning light until it’s reset.
OBD-II is the diagnostic plug most cars have under the dash. Mechanics use it to talk to the car’s computer, and in this story it was used to help reset a sensor.
Launch is a company that makes diagnostic tools mechanics use to read your car’s computer. The host is saying their tools work well and are cheaper than some other brands.
The Dodge Dakota is a pickup truck. This 2002 one is being discussed because it has weird electrical behavior with things like the lights and wipers, which usually needs computer-based troubleshooting.
That’s the wire that connects the battery’s negative terminal to the car’s metal. If it’s corroded or not making good contact, the car’s electronics can act strangely.
This sensor tells the computer where the engine is in its cycle. If it starts failing, the computer can’t time things correctly and the engine may shut off.
Injectors are the parts that spray fuel into the engine. If they’re not spraying at the right times, the engine can run poorly or shut off.
LIVE
Marathon regular.
Ron Anian, We're definitely seeing a drop in gasoline prices and a lot of people are asking me, Hey, can I go to this cheaper no name brand of gasoline.
And gasoline.
The Car Doctor.
Gasoline next to oil are is one of the two most important things you can put into the vehicle, and the quality of the fuel is very, very important if you want longevity.
Welcome to the radio home of ron Aanian, The Car Doctor.
Since nineteen ninety one, this is where car owners the world overturned to for their definitive opinion on automotive repair.
If your mechanics 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 eight five, five five hundred now.
Running.
Someone asked me the question the other day, why are so many cars being recalled? And I said, the tip
of the iceberg. The best is yet to come, and
you're going to see it increase each and every day going forward. Hello and welcome ronn Any and the Car Doctor.
Here at five five five six zero nine nine zero zero.
More information about this show. If you're podcasting, you're not
listening live. You want to turn your friends onto this
radio show via the net. If you are listening live,
you can get them out to car doctorshow dot com.
On the left side of the page. They'll find information
from places such as tune in dot com. An affiliate
list will be there. You can get out to iHeartRadio
iHeart dot com, or if you're an ituner, you can get out to iTunes dot com and take this radio show with you wherever it is that you may want to go. Recalls are huge. My gosh, it's everything is
being recalled. And just as we were about to go
to air today, Hyundai recalls four hundred and seventy thousand US sonatas the fixed engine debris defect. And I was
reading this and I was talking to my engineer, Tom Ray about it, and I said, Tom, read the recall and it says Hundai's recalling and replacing the engines in nearly half a million Sonata sedans in the US because of a manufacturing defect that could cause them to stall.
The recall covers four hundred and seventy thousand vehicles may between December eleventh, two thousand and nine, and April twelfth, twenty twelve. At the company's Alabama assembly plant equipped with
the two or two point four liter engine. A document
published by the new US National High of Traffic Safety Administration states that metallic debris may remain in the crank shaft area, restricting oil flow. Engine failure would result in
a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash in HTSA said, and my comment to Tom was, if we've got restrictive oil in there, and the car was made two thousand and nine through twenty twelve, that's four years ago at the earliest, how does it take this long to work way through that? It's not there by now?
The engine would have seen I could see if this was, you know, the first three months of twenty fifteen. But
we're going back seven years. Tom, you wanted to say something.
I mean, how many cars, how many engines could have seized by this time.
I mean, if this is this is an ongoing problem that it forced a recall, they must have known about this.
A while back. Well, And you know, the interesting thing
about recalls that I always consider is it's always interesting to note how they recall things that are eight years old, ten years old, fifteen years old, because the liability is gone.
But then they don't have to fix it, and they don't have to fix it. And here's the best part.
You know. I think the favorite of an auto manufacturer
for a recall is to recall something that is seven years old. That's the sweet spot. Seven years old. The
wife takes the car in the husband's you know, at work. Hey, honey,
I'm here getting the car recalled. Gee, you know, my
car is kind of beat up and old. This one's
shiny and new. Maybe we'll buy a new car, you know.
Or maybe it's the other way around. I want to
be politically incorrect here. Maybe it's the husband and the
wife's work and whatever. But you get the point.
You know.
Sometimes I think they drum up recalls because they're they're trying to drum up car sales. But be aware, listeners,
that recalls are big business. Right now. The car companies
are taking a beating, and you're going to see changes in the way cars are sold and brought the market in this country in the coming years, depending on who gets to be president. And I'd just to throw that
in there and make this a political show Trump, but well we'll see where that goes. Let's kick the garage
doors open. This hour. Let's go start with Rob and
farrellell in, New Jersey, ninety nine Mercury, grandmar Quis, Robert.
Welcome to the car, doctor, sir, how can I help?
Welcome to you, Ron, the I had a like I put a battery in a while ago. Then I'm driving along,
maybe a day or two later, and the car starts shaking.
All the dashboard lights go on, the car dies. I
can't I won't even one turnover anymore. You had it
towed in. He did something. He says, well, you got
the you must have an alarm in this system and this car. Somehow I got no key farther on them
bought the car. Second hand, What is this little red
flashing light that's near the inspection sticker on the dashboard?
That scared of me. I don't know what the heck
it is. And that's part of the problem, I believe. Well,
what what are you I'm not going to have a palm going forward.
Well, you have a red light blinking?
Rob?
Is that what you're saying?
Yeah?
Is it?
Does it look like the engine overheat light?
No, it's on a dashboy in right right?
Oh?
That oh that's the okay you're talking about the PATS system.
That's the anti theft light. That's supposed to be blindful.
That's normal. That's part of the anti theft that's that's passive,
passive anti theft system PATS. That's what that is. That
supposed to blink and do what it's supposed to do.
That's normal. That's part of the No, nothing you should
be aware of. There's actually a way to decipher that.
I believe if it stays on solid, it's in a theft mode. If it blinks, it's normal. But that's just
telling you that the system is active and probably has nothing to do with whatever's going on here. The first
place to start with this would be, you know, vital signs, scan it for codes, check system fuel pressure, watch volume, look at fuel cleanliness, make sure the charging system's doing what it's supposed to do. Was the battery replaced his maintenance,
rob or was there something else specific that it went in for.
No, we're just maintenance three four years old, right, okay?
And what is he what does he say is the cause?
Do you believe there's something to do with the You said you must have some kind of alarm system on you.
So right away I looked at this blinking light. No, No,
so maybe that's the problem. I'm to have the same
thing going forward if my battery needs it, if it goes there again. No, you're saying that to worry about
that passive.
Right pats that that blinking light is factory part of the car. That's the factory alarm system. Do you have
an owner's manual in the car, Rob.
Yeah, but I don't remember seeing anything.
Okay, if you if you go in and look at it'll either be under pat pats or security features or anti theft and you can read up on it or google it and it'll explain what that light means, how that light specifically works for your vehicle. But you know,
going back to the original problem, you know, the battery, the car died, it was towed in. I would be
mindful is there something else going on here? I don't
think it's battery related, but you know, without going through vital signs and checking out some of the specifics I talked about, it's hard to say I would be cautious where I would drive that car until you get your sea legs back and you get comfortable with it again.
All right, sir, good luck to you and I'm here if you need me, Bob in Michigan. How can I
help you in your two thousand and three Cadillact CTS?
No thanks taking a call?
Run welcome.
Yeah, I've got this O three CTS Cadillact about one hundred and forty two thousand miles on it all of a sudden, I mean, it is literally possessed, like driving down the road. How it first started out was like
passenger warning, passenger warning, you know, light came on in a little beat beat beat right and tried to you know, reset it, you know, wouldn't reset. And the next thing
I know, that's going from the passenger window to the back windows, and now the lights are going on and off.
And I just don't have any idea what it is.
What what sort of fault codes are in the system? Bob?
Anybody scanning?
I don't, I don't know.
Okay, here's why. Here's why you want to scan a car.
There's a perfect example of a car that needs to be scanned before you go anywhere else. You see any
warning lights on on the dashboard other than the passenger door and the other things.
The everything on the I guess the main dash is, you know, nothing's coming up at all.
And do you know why. I can tell you why,
but I want I want you, I want to make you think for a second, just just say, okay, I get.
Problem. Well, well, and here's a module or something I
don't know.
Here's my point. A check engine light only comes on
if the vehicle is exceed eating one and a half times the federal emissions level. All right, okay, So everybody
makes the mistake, they'll they'll they'll have a problem like this, and they won't think to scan it for codes because there's no warning light on. If there's a problem in
the body module or in any of one of the other two dozen computers that run this vehicle, there's no there's there's there's probably not a warning light to turn it on at the dashboard. Yeah, there's one for the ABS,
and there's one for anti theft, and there's one for few of the others. But if there's a fault in
the body module, which controls windows and lights or the headlights acting goofy okay, then you know what, the body module has no way to communicate to the driver, Hey I got a problem. So the first the first place,
the mechanic or the technician, whatever flavor you prefer to call.
Your guy that's working on the car today is going to start is doing what we call a system scan.
Hook up a scan tool, let it go through all the modules. Just like you walked into the emergency room
at the heart at the hospital. Heart blood, blood pressure,
heart rate, you know, h vital signs, taking your vitals.
That's what you need to take, and then you'll have a direction. I'd be willing to bet there's going to
be a few communication faults in this vehicle, a couple of U codes and maybe some specific ones giving you a direction. But until you do that, there's an awful
lot of places to throw the darts at this car.
Without being much more specific than.
That, really, where's the module?
Look?
I mean, well there are modules. There are how many
How many phones you have? How many phones do you
have in your house?
Bob?
Way too many?
Okay, guess what? So does the car? There's modules all
over that car. So it's it's not something and would
I would tell you not to even dream about going near one, to touch one, to wiggle one, to manipulate one, because it could be in the wiring harness around the tail lights and the modules up front around the dashboard.
You know, the first thing you want to do in a case like this is used the manufacturers diagnostics what they gave you. Plug in a scan tool and let
it go out and pull polll talk to all the miles and say, okay, who's here. It's kind of like
when you have everybody over for family dinner. You have
family dinners, right, everybody shows up and you take attendance.
You got to take attendance, who's awake, who's paying attention, who's complaining, who's got a fault code? And then you'll
have a direction to go because you won't get any other warning on the dashboard for this particular problem. All right, sir,
you do that, You pull me back if you need to email me fault codes during the week ron at cardoctorshow dot com and I'll be glad to send you some information or come on the air again. Let's talk
about it on here. I'm sure the listeners are curious
to hear how this turns out. I appreciate the call.
Bob ronnading the card doctor eight five five five six zero nine nine zero zero A kinder, gentler card doctor.
Coming back right after this.
With the wind and stuff, Pangers in the Hat, welcome back.
Why don't any in the card Doctor? Thanks mister Ray.
I enjoyed hearing that. I told Tom at the beginning
of the show, I wanted to hear a little bit of pop gun and I got it. How do you
like that?
Look at that.
Jumping up a dead shoving.
There you go. So, I guess being the guy on
the radio kind of you get some benefit from this.
Can I get a ham and Swiss on rye with a little bit of mustard for lunch?
Yeah?
Okay, just just check and see if you guys are gonna give me lunch today to figure. As long as
I'm on a roll, I'm getting what I want. Let's
get over. Yeah. Can I have that on a roll?
Can I have read with that?
Yeah?
I want everything, and I want to eat. I want
to eat three meals a day. I want to live indoors.
I'm just you know, I'm a really see guy. Let's
let's go over and talk to Barbara and bang re Main two thousand and six, Toyota, Barbara, welcome to the car Doctor. We're hungry, but we're working hard today. What
can I do for you?
Hi? This is kind of taking on to you to
your report last week when you mentioned about the oil problem with the RAF fours. Right, I purchased a RAP
four two thousand and six Limited seven, and it's kind of a sada. I'm trying to I want to be
sure to give you all the info.
Yeah, take a deep breath.
It's okay, okay, it has It had one hundred and fifty thousand, three, one hundred and eighty seven miles on it, and the Carfax report said that it was serviced at one hundred and forty five eight hundred and ninety miles, and I'm thinking later, I said, that's about nine thousand miles ago unless they did something at the dealership and recorded on Carfax. The sticker when I purchased it said
it pasted inspection and the next oil change was due one hundred and fifty thousand. Well, the next part of
the saga. A couple of weeks after I purchased it,
the flickering light went on and so I thought, well, maybe the mechanic forgot to set something or sew, because it's said one hundred and fifty thousand, So where I about five thousand. To make a long story short, I
took disregard to flickering light for a little bit, and then the third week I took it in and my mechanics let it yearsally go to. He said, you don't
have any oil.
You're done for.
Four and a half quarts. You have like about two
tablespoons of oil, so let.
Me add it.
What's your what's your recourse with the place that you bought it from.
Well, my thought is they are aware of the problem.
I was going to finish the rest of the saga, and I was thinking, I'm really thinking of taking the car back. The guy seems really the sales manager seems
very agreeable. I mean, not agreeable to exchange it point,
but he's been getting my letters and my feedback. The
next day, after they replaced the four and a half quarts of oil, I had a coupon from Triple A to take it in for an alignment. I thought, I'll
use that since I have the car. The car tires
had just been rotated, and the Triple A mechanics said, we got a problem here. He said, you've got a
hole in the right rear rocker panel, a large hole, and this car should never pass inspection. I thought, oh,
this is good, Now I've got oil rocker panel. So
a couple of days later I got down to the dealership and they repaired the rusted large hole, and they repaired the other side on the right on the left rear.
But the sales manager said, the mechanics said that it was put on the lift wrong, and I thought, well, a question about that rust is rust.
So so listen, I don't want to cut you short, bar, but the clock's going to take us. Your question to
me about the oil consumption is what?
Well, he ordered the rings, he said, but it's been a month. This Friday will be a month since I've
been waiting for any rings. He said that that Toyota
does have a problem.
Yep.
It gave me two quarts of oil. And my thought
is because it's it's always been low when I've taken in the last couple of weeks. My thought is, and
he knows how I feel, I'd like to exchange the car.
Okay, So here's the here, Well, here's the deal. Yeah,
Toyota has a problem. I mean, the only other thing
that cos oil consumption on Wrap four is is a PCV valve issue or a PCVA a breather system issue.
But if Toyota's identified it as rings, then I can safely assume maybe that they've checked the PCV crank case ventilation system to make sure it's working. That being said,
I probably hear this story half a dozen times a week about people waiting for Toyota's with can't get pistons, can't get rings, can't get parts because so many of them are on this recoil oil well, not recoill, but this oil consumption issue that they're having. So from my
seat here, if you can get out of this car, because I think this is your question, should you get out of this car? Is that a fair?
Fair?
If you can get out of this car and find something comparable that doesn't, you know, dent your budget. Now's
the moment. What bothers me the most about everything you
said to me is that the car had an oil chain sticker on it that it was serviced at about one five. The next sticker was one fifty that hadn't
been done. And the car has one fifty nine, I
think you said, or one fifty five.
Oh it had. It had one fifty when I bought it,
and it didn't. It's said that the next oil change
was due one fifty five right, But I didn't know if any change had been made in between that, because if.
It wasn't reported right, So it sounds to me like this might be a good car to get out of.
When they'reing going forward, make sure you get you know that they're going to do rings in any as far as the exchange. Make sure you get it in writing
so that you're not standing there waiting three months from now and then all of a sudden they say, what rings, We don't know anything about it. Start to put things
in writing between yourselves, and you'll be much better off in the long run. Good lucky you, Barbara, Hey rich
Dwyer Canaan is coming up next.
Don't go away, Hey hey, welcome back.
While I'm eating in the card doctor. You know, there's
an awful lot going on in the automotive world, and there's companies changing in terms of products, but there are companies that are changing product in the sense of acquiring other companies. And I call it expanding technologies. And they're
they're they're they're so big, and their product is so good and their processes are so good that they're going to extend this out to other brands and we're seeing it happen to one of the Car Doctor's favorites, Cann, and we thought we would talk with Rich Dwyer, our good friend over at cana Inn about what's going on over there. And we've got them with us here this afternoon.
Rich.
Welcome back to the Card Doctor.
Sir.
Hey, good afternoon, Ron. How are you doing.
I'm doing good man, It's you know, it's it's a it's a great afternoon to be sitting here doing radio talking to everybody.
Uh, it's great here in California.
Hot, you know.
Yeah, And I see we had a little rain, but we don't have that.
I see on Facebook with that little MG midgety yours that that thing little switches around naturally. I'm sure that
has a Cann filter on.
Oh yeah, you bet it does. Yes it does, Yes,
it does.
K and N has been busy lately. You guys are
acquiring a bunch of different companies the past couple of years, and I wanted to talk about that because I've gotten some questions about you know why, and you know, what's exactly Canaan's take on that. So you know, tell me,
tell the listeners what advantages does Canaan actually get by purchasing companies with similar products well.
And acquiring these companies. What we what we're what we
are able to do is we're able to you know, buy the company, bring it into K and N. With
the purchasing power, the advertising, everything that can N does and does very very well, we're able to grow that company.
And each one of these companies air Raid recently, Specter a few years ago, and aem about six years ago.
We will bring them in. They all had a very
loyal follow a very loyal customer base, and so we bring them in. And now we're able to invest in
the companies through our own outlets, so we have more outlets for the product. We build parts very well.
At K and N.
We have a very modern facility where I think right around a little over six hundred thousand square feet under roof right now.
Oh yeah, you have, and you're all ISO nine thousand.
We're heading that direction. We're not there yet, but that
is what we're doing and that's going to aid these companies also.
Yeah, and you can see that because I've taken the virtual tour at the website kneforts dot com and it's it's it's like a hospital you know, it's really it's it's really really impressive what you've got going on there.
Very proud of it. We're we're very proud of it.
And when Google decided to do that virtual tour that that was really cool, good way to get the visibility out there so people can see what cann really is.
Are you guys after specific technology rich? Are there specific
technology gains or manufacturing benefits by buying these other companies with like.
Products, Well, not necessarily as relates to manufacturing, because as you well know, K and N, we design our own machines, we design our own tooling. We you know, we we
very vertically integrated. But what we're able to do with
these companies, and we've retained a lot of their engineering personnel and people that were involved in designing the products under their previous ownership, we're able to bring them in.
And each one of them had their own way of approaching an application on a vehicle or something. And you
can see that the K and N intake kits that we make for let's say, as Chevy Silverado air raids, their approach was different. Ae MS is different, and Specters
is different. And by bringing in those people, I mean
it's different eyes looking at the same problem and coming up with different solutions, and that really that really adds a lot of strength to your design and engineering groups when you have that.
So do you think the brands are going to stay the brands? I mean Canaan is planning to keep those
brands as they are? Or are you going to integrate
them everything into the kN in line and make everything one?
Oh no, no, no, We're air Raid will always be air Raid. AEM will be ae M, Spector will be Specter,
and K and N will be K and N and they will all retain that logo the designed so the products will always look have that same unique attraction to the consumer that they always did. You know, we wouldn't
want to lose that, right because that's that's what people would expect us to do, because that's happened so often in the business. You buy your competitor, fold your competitor,
and then you you hope that they all come to you. Now,
we want to retain that loyalty and we want to grow that loyalty.
So you're sort of you're sort of competing with yourselves here, right, I mean you look at the quality fit, finished, respector air Raid in AEM and it's all so good. It's
you know, this is kind of like playing poker with yourself.
How do you how do you raise your hand and how do you outdraw the other guy. It's got to
make some interesting sales meetings.
But you know what, if you think about it, when you own those companies, does it really does it really matter if ron and Anian goes out and buys an air Raid product or or buys a K and N product, or buys a Spector product or buys an AEM product, It doesn't really matter because it just the money goes in a in a different pocket, in the same pair of pants, so I speak, right, And so that is by growing that loyalty to air Raid, it just brings in revenue to us, you know. And then what we
can do then is we make products like the oil filters and things like that, all the different products that we offer. By bringing them into the fold and as
they interact with us, we can inner do some the products from our other divisions at the same time.
Right.
Yeah, So it's you know, if you if you if we would have bought air Raid and folded it up and dumped it, you know, where would the consumer. You know,
where would the consumer go. He might come to you,
he might not, you know. So by by doing that,
we retained that that group, that pool of customers that are so very loyal.
And I guess and I guess the other perk is if if any one of those companies isn't already they are now kNN Quality level kNN practical application kNN, They're they're kNN. They're fathered by kNN, so to speak. So
it's going to become Canaan quality design, right, and so they.
Will You'll see a better uh, you'll see an increase in the consistency of the quality of the product. The
products will develop quicker because you know, knn's got a lot of power. It's a big company, So we can
develop product quicker. We can do better advertising, we can
introduce uh, the different brands in outlets that maybe they weren't in before. Knn's worldwide, I mean all over the world.
So now air raid or AEM which might have real strong local market, but it gets weaker as you go into other areas. They may not have been strong in Canada,
may not have been strong in South America. Well now
they will be because they're all part of K and N.
Now are they are they providing different coverage? Rich might
somebody find an air intake system at Specter or air raid that they may not find it CANN or vice versa.
What they will find is not necessarily I mean very few cases where they will have an application that we don't.
But they will see the product looking differently. Like if
you go on kanfilters dot com and you plug in your vehicle on you know, on that web page, what will come up is all the products that can in makes for that vehicle, be it air raid or or or other brands. It's going to get more and more
towards that, and so they'll be able to see the differences, you know, So they might they they might be looking for a K and N intake for their kitten, and then they'll go, wait a second, I really like that that air rig kits a little bit more. But I
really like the design of that heat shield.
Or the look or the finish or the it's different, right, gotcha exactly exactly? Last two questions warranty, because I know
kN n's got a great warranty. How do the other
brand warranties compare?
Well?
Yeah, like you say around boy, K and N has just got this like platinum card warranty system the other brands.
AEM has a lifetime warranty on its intakes and filters.
Air Raid the air filters by themselves, those are are guaranteed for life. The intakes and all the other products
that air Raid offers are for one year from dat to purchase, and specter is ninety days from day to purchase.
This is the warranty programs that they've always had and were retaining that my group, which is warranty. Any problems
that come up with the product come through us. And
as you know, I mean, we pamper customers. Oh yeah,
oh that doesn't matter who what brand it is. We
pampered the heck.
Out of them.
Listen, three months ago, somebody had a can N problem.
I'll tell you the story real quick, and then we're going to go. And I said, listen, I gave him
your number and extension, and he called you. He spoke
to you, and he called me back, and you resolved it in twenty four hours. You sent him out another
filter and he's sending you your his and yeah, you took care of him. It wasn't even a question. He
was really impressed that I had a Ford Explorer. So
just so you know, you are right, your warranty is second to none. I know there's more information at Cayannefilters
dot comrace before the clock grabs me, and there's links there, I guess to the other brands and Specter eerrate in AM right. Yeah, okay, okay, real quick. Do OEMs install Spector,
air Raid or AM products?
Well, that's a good question. You know, K and N.
Does you know we have OE contracts? Ae M and
air Raid those both also have OE contract so the only one that doesn't is Spector, right, Yeah, the K and N, ae M and air Raid. All three of
us we have OE contracts that we that we work with on a regular basis. K and N has quite
an extensive group of them.
Actually, there you go.
You know what, you guys were always innovating. You guys
were always changing the marketplace. Rich I'm happy to have
you as one of my primary sponsors and I want to thank you guys for all the work that you do.
You make my life easier.
We're proud to be a part of part of being a party you run.
It's it's great.
I mean, we're real proud of that. You guys do
a great job. It's a wonderful relationship.
I'll tell you what. You guys make it easy because
you make such great stuff, you know, and all this because thirty something years ago I put a kN in filter on my car. But that's a story for another. Rich,
I gotta go to the clock's gonna grab me. Yeah,
I can imagine. I can imagine the clocks gonna take me. Sir,
let me, let me pull over and take the pause.
Rich Dwyer, Canaan Filters, more information at canannefilters dot com.
We'll say goodbye to him'm running any in the Car Doctor.
I'll be back right after this.
H It's not convince that she was.
Up and took me by the hands.
She's all love me and my Chevy fan and that's all right with me. I want to talk to you
in our next segment here about what makes a good repair shop, because it's not something that just happened overnight.
What do I mean? Hello, and welcome by the way,
running any in the Car Doctor, thanks for coming back.
Two thousand and one, Lexus rolled into a repair shop on the other side of town from the shop this week and it was in for normal service that needed maintenance, timing, belt, oil change, couple of their odds and ends, and when they got done, the vehicle stability control light was on.
And it turns out, long story short, that the yaw sensor which way the car the nose is up or down, back is up or down yaw okay position, lateral horizontal position.
There's a US sensor on a two thousand and one Lexus LS four to thirty for stability control and it went out of calibration. It had to be reset. The
shop had purchased a snap on scan tool. Their top
of the line scan tool didn't do it doesn't have the ability to reset your sensor. And in researching it,
I found that you could jump her two pins into the OBD two connector. And you know, this type of
method when you're trying to repair something is akin to you know, jumper the wires, rub your belly, pat your head, stand on one foot, hope which way the wind's blown, and maybe the light goes out. There's nothing like having
a scan tool that actually works. Same shop also worked
on a twenty eleven AUDI of the week before and they had to do an oil light reset and they couldn't do it with their snap on either. And I
said to the owner, as we're talking, we're not competitors.
We're both just trying to make a living. You know,
you've got to get more than one scan tool. And
he's getting acclimated to this. He realizes this, and uh,
you know, when he brought it to me, I said, I don't know. I'm sure there's eighteen scan tools here.
I'm sure there's something that will work on this. And
I actually had factory tool dealer level tool for that Lexus Toyota that I knew would do it, but I was curious to see what aftermarket tools would do it.
Out of all the scan tools I had, the Launch tools.
You hear me talk about Launch, here's another reason to talk about Launch again. And this is what I think
I like about Launch so much is that their stuff just flat out works, and it was a third the price of the snap on and as a professional tool to Launch X four thirty one and the Pad two, they have another one out the pad to their Android based system. They work. And I guess the point of
this is short little segment, is that a repair shop is only as good as their scan tool. Today and
one of the questions I want you to ask your next mechanic when you're interviewing them, what kind of scan tool do you have? And also how many scan tools
do you have and what's its capability? Because if they
can't talk to your car and deal with it on an electronic level, they really can't service it. Somewhere along
the way, there's going to be a bump in the road.
Just thinking out loud A five five five six zero nine nine zero zero. By the way, more information at
launch tech USA dot com. I'm sorry A five five
five six zero nine nine zero zero. The car Doctor's
back right after.
This rack, coming back said.
Right up, look back, why don't the ayny of the car doctor. We're gonna try and do this real quick.
Let's go over and talk to Bernie in Maine two thousand and two, Dodge Dakota. That cuts out, Bernie, how
can I help you?
Hey?
Hi, Well, I get a question. Keep in a junket.
That's the character I think we talked about. If the
condition is on, uh, you churn on the head lights, the wife is going. If you shut off the lights, uh,
and the ears turned off, the wipers don't go on.
Uh.
I got all kinds of problems. That goes around the
right here and turn and then it dies.
Well, let's fix Let's let's fix that first, Bernie. Because
the headlight switch I've seen before. I've seen issues with
negative battery cables, both at the block and the battery when they're dirty. The headlight switch makes the electrical system
do some funny things, and it might be a problem with the headlight switch itself. But let's talk about the
dying on right hand turn problem first. When it when it?
Is it only on right hand turns? Or is it
when you turn the wheel to the right.
Uh, you know, that's a good question. It's not happening
all the time. That's the problem.
That's very intimated.
And spinning out, spitting out any food, spitting out any fault codes.
No codes whatsoever.
The pressure field pressure is normal, Okay?
When it when it? When it dies, does it restart
right away? Right away?
And then it dies again?
Ask your mechanic to take a look at and consider problems with the crank position sensor. If he taps on it,
does it die? Can he get it to cut out
that way? And possibly maybe we could wire in a
one ninety four bulb to the injectors and take a look at the injectors. Are they being pulsed properly? Conversation
for another day. I'm sorry, Bernie, the clock's gonna grab me.
I'm running any of the car Doctor. The mechanics aren't expensive.
Their prices
About this episode
Recalls are rising, and the show connects that trend to real-world defect patterns—like Hyundai recalling nearly half a million Sonatas because a manufacturing issue could cause stalling. The discussion then pivots to what owners and shops can do when warning lights don’t tell the whole story: interpret PATS anti-theft behavior, scan all modules for codes (including communication “U codes”), and consider wiring/harness or sensor calibration problems. Calls also cover low-oil discoveries, rust inspection failures, and how scan-tool capability shapes modern diagnostics.
This is a Classic Car Dr episode from the past. Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, opens the hour discussing a question he was hearing more and more often — why are so many vehicles being recalled? Ron explains how growing vehicle complexity, electronics, software integration, and manufacturing challenges all play a role in today’s expanding recall landscape.
Along the way, Ron helps diagnose a 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis with a flashing red warning light and intermittent shutdown problem, takes on the mystery of a “possessed” 2003 Cadillac CTS with strange electrical behavior, and discusses the well-known oil consumption concerns affecting the 2006 Toyota RAV4.
Also this hour, Ron talks with Rich Dwyer of K&N Engineering about performance and maintenance, shares his thoughts on what truly makes a good repair shop, and helps track down electrical problems on a 2002 Dodge Dakota.
