Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - December 13, 2025 - Hour 1
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Car
Volkswagen Eurovan
The Volkswagen Eurovan is a type of van made by Volkswagen. It's known for being roomy and is often used by families or people who like to go camping.
Term
rust
Rust is when metal gets damaged and turns into a flaky, orange substance, making the car weak.
Term
parts
Parts are the pieces that make up a car, and sometimes it's hard to find them for older cars.
Term
OBD I
OBD I is a system that helps mechanics check how well a car is running and if it meets emissions standards. It's an older technology used in cars made before 1996.
Term
diagnostic tree
A diagnostic tree is like a guide that helps mechanics figure out what's wrong with a car. It asks a series of questions to help them find the problem step by step.
Car
GMC pickup
A GMC pickup is a type of truck made by the GMC brand. The 2003 model is known for being tough and useful for carrying heavy loads or towing.
Term
check engine light
The check engine light is a warning light on your car's dashboard that tells you something might be wrong with the engine. If it lights up, it's a good idea to get it checked out.
Term
fuel
Fuel is what your car needs to run, like gasoline or diesel. If there's not enough fuel, the car won't start or work right.
Term
ignition
Ignition is what starts your car's engine. If there's a problem with the ignition system, your car might not start or run well.
Term
grounds
Grounds are connections in your car's electrical system that help it work properly. If these connections are bad, parts of your car might not work right.
Part
mass airflow sensor
The mass airflow sensor helps the engine know how much air is coming in so it can mix the right amount of fuel with it. If it doesn't work right, the engine might not run well.
Term
V6
A V6 is a type of engine that has six cylinders arranged in a V shape. It's popular because it can provide good power while still being efficient on gas.
Term
V8
A V8 is another type of engine that has eight cylinders in a V shape. It's known for being powerful and is often used in trucks and sports cars.
Car
Dodge Ram
The Dodge Ram is a big truck that people often use for work or towing things. The diesel version is popular because it can pull heavy loads and usually gets better gas mileage.
Term
tuner
A tuner is a tool that helps improve how a vehicle runs by changing its engine settings. This can make the truck faster or more efficient.
Concept
emissions package
An emissions package is a group of parts in a car that helps reduce pollution from the engine. It's important for making sure cars are safe for the environment.
Term
miles per gallon
Miles per gallon tells you how far a car can go on a gallon of gas. The higher the number, the better the car is at saving fuel, which can help you spend less on gas.
Term
diesel
Diesel is a kind of fuel used in certain cars and trucks. Diesel engines are often more efficient than regular gasoline engines, which means they can go further on less fuel.
Term
emissions control system
An emissions control system helps keep the air cleaner by reducing the pollution that comes from cars. It includes parts that make sure the car doesn't release too many harmful gases into the environment.
Car
LS 5.3
The LS 5.3 is a powerful engine made by Chevrolet that many people use in trucks. It's known for being strong and dependable, which is why it's often swapped into other cars.
Part
exhaust manifold studs
Exhaust manifold studs are like screws that hold the part of the engine that lets out exhaust gases. If they break, it can cause problems with the engine's performance.
Part
purge line
The purge line helps clean up fuel vapors from the gas tank and sends them to the engine to be burned, which helps reduce pollution.
Term
five gas analyzer
A five gas analyzer is a device that checks the gases coming out of a car's exhaust. It helps mechanics see how clean or dirty the emissions are, which is important for keeping the air clean.
Term
hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons are chemicals that come from fuel and can be found in car exhaust. If there are too many hydrocarbons, it means the car isn't burning fuel completely, which can be bad for the environment.
Car
Lexus ES 350
The Lexus ES 350 is a comfortable luxury car that is easy to drive. It's known for being reliable and has a nice interior with good technology features.
Car
Chevrolet Trax
The Chevrolet Trax is a small SUV designed for city driving. It's known for being easy to park and having a good amount of space inside for passengers and cargo.
Term
wiper blades
Wiper blades are the rubber parts that clean your car's windshield. They help you see clearly when it's raining or snowing by wiping away water and dirt.
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You're listening to Ron Ananian, the car doctor, nationally recognized
auto expert trusted by mechanics, weekend renters and vehicle owners alike.
Ron brings over 40 years of hands-on experience and deep industry insight
to help you understand your vehicle.
Join the conversation live every Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.
Eastern by calling 855-560-9900.
That's 855-560-9900.
You're a direct line to honest answers and practical advice.
Looking for more?
Visit cardoctorshow.com for past episodes, repair tips and
Ron's latest insights.
And be sure to subscribe to the Car Doctor YouTube channel for
exclusive videos, real repair footage and more.
Now, start your engines.
The car doctor is in the garage and ready to take your call.
And a happy, joyous birthday to the lonely Dick Van Dyke who turns 100 today
as we want to acknowledge that always, always a great gentleman of entertainment.
So happy birthday, Dick, many more to come.
I want to talk to you a little bit about relationships and the phone calls
and the things I talked to people about during the course of the week at
the shop and some of them are humorous.
Some of them are telling.
Some of them are funny in a way.
Sharon called this week on Tuesday.
Sharon's a semi-regular customer.
I'm not sure what generated this situation, but I can make some guesses.
The phone call started out with, hi, Ron.
It's Sharon.
Yes, Sharon.
I took my car into Honda to the dealer and I'm expecting her to
say for warranty work for about $1,400 worth of repairs and it's still broken.
What do you think I should do?
And I sat looking at the phone for about, well, an eternity,
but it was probably only two seconds because I wasn't sure how to answer that question.
You know, I think a good repair shop works on relationships.
And I kind of count myself among those.
We work on relationships.
We work on getting to know the customer.
We work on trying to work within a budget.
We work on a lot of different things.
A lot of things beyond just repairing the vehicle because I think that's what
auto repair is about today.
You know, when I think you do too, I think a lot of you are there.
You know, I was reading a recent article, dealership service departments are
losing ground to independent repair shops and the numbers back it up.
According to Cox Automotive, dealerships are handling about 12% fewer
service visits than they did just a few years ago.
And it seems that you guys are looking for the relationships too.
You're looking at price, but you're looking for that relationship.
You're looking for that.
I think of it as the cheers.
Remember cheers, the TV show cheers, right?
Where everybody knows your name.
And I think you're looking for that when you walk in the door.
Everybody gets a norm.
You know, it's just part of it.
And I think that's just so important.
And I said to Sharon, I said, you know, here we are.
Before I tell you what I think you need to do,
can I ask why?
And she said, well, you know, you're, you're busy all the time and I'd have to
schedule and, you know, I said, but did you have to schedule?
Well, yeah, I had a schedule with them.
What's, what's the difference?
I said, was it price Sharon?
Was it fear of expense?
And she said a little and I said, so now how expensive was it that you have
to go back a second time and, and convince them that they didn't fix
the problem the first time.
She also expressed to me, she wonders if they actually did anything.
And, and yeah, you know what, you know why it's so important to fix
the car right the first time, because as a repair shop,
you don't want to end up in this situation.
You don't want to end up with the doubt of, did we actually fix it?
And it just casts a shadow on all the best efforts you can possibly
do as a shop owner, as a technician.
And it puts a black mark not on just you, but, you know, oh,
auto repair, they're all a bunch of crooks.
Because trust me, the greater majority of people in auto repair are honest.
They're just trying to deal with the technology.
They're trying to deal with what's being thrust upon them and changed daily,
if not hourly in some situations.
The situations grow and they manifest themselves.
I, I just spoke before the show today with a gentleman who is involved
in trying to repair something that I don't know if it's repairable.
And I've spoken to the owner of this vehicle.
It's a 95 Volkswagen Eurovan.
All right. And no Volkswagen jokes.
This is serious conversation.
And it's got 250,000 miles on it.
I've never seen the vehicle.
I spoke to the owner because he's he wants to try and get this fixed.
He purchased it, not running in order to get it running from what I understand.
They had to play with engine adjustments, set timing incorrectly
in order to get the vehicle to run and get it to wherever it was going
to go, home, whatever, purchased it upstate New York, I believe they said.
But I understand there, there are holes in the body of this car
big enough to drive your fist through from rust.
Like it's a it's a rotted out 95, 31 year old Volkswagen
with a quarter million miles on it that barely runs.
And I spoke to Mike and we came to the same conclusions.
You can't get parts for it because I look, there's not a lot of parts left.
The stuff that's left, you're going to pick through.
Whatever the aftermarket has left over that might be deemed passable.
The technology to work on this vehicle.
I have half the scan tool.
I don't have the complete interface for a 95 anymore
because it is an OBD one vehicle and the connector cable doesn't exist.
And I if I have it, I couldn't tell you where it is
because it's it's it's it's an antique.
It was a one year only vehicle because then 95 was OBD one.
And 96, a 96 Volkswagen would be OBD two would be a completely different cable.
And regardless of the problem, as you as you kind of pick your way through this,
if you're able to find parts, if you're able to solve the problem
and back down the diagnostic tree and figure out whatever somebody did wrong,
however long ago that was, you still got a vehicle as Mike,
the tech from the other repair shop described to me as it's
undriveable and unreliable.
And he made a great point as and I agree with him a hundred percent.
He said, you know, I've told the owner of the vehicle
that even if we get it to the point where it runs, you can't get parts for it.
So you're going to drive a rusted out quarter million mile
thirty one year old vehicle deep into the woods.
And hope that it starts to get you back out again.
Excellent point.
And I've said this many times to existing customers in the shop.
You know, where's the point of practicality?
And and that's what a repair shop beyond fixing cars is supposed to do.
That's that cheers moment.
That's that moment where you say, hey, I know your name in the back of your head
as a shop owner and you're saying, I know your name.
I know what you're trying to do, but I think it's impractical.
And I think that's the advice.
It can't just be about, yeah, let's take the money, take the money,
take the money, take the money.
It doesn't it doesn't work.
And I expressed that to Sharon going back to the Honda.
And and I think she understands that.
And unfortunately, she's going to have to really go back to the Honda dealer
and try and get some sort of recourse.
Was the work done, you know, was the work done that that?
What was it done so that it was supposed to solve the problem?
Was it maintenance? Just what exactly happened?
But she has to go back and have that bigger conversation.
And now she's going to suffer and she's lost as a vehicle owner.
And the repair shop is going to suffer because now in her mind,
that image is tarnished and she's going to talk about that to everybody.
She knows, especially the upcoming holiday parties, right?
So, you know, that that that cheers moment.
Everybody knows your name, everybody.
It's about the relationship.
It's about fixing the car.
That's really what most of you are looking for.
Some of you are looking for bottom line.
How cheap can I get it?
And OK, that's great.
You'll suffer somewhere along the way,
somewhere along the way, that's going to come back to bite you
because it never really lasts long term.
I know people that think and it is leasing is a great option.
You know, that leasing is a is a practical point now
because you drive a vehicle for three years and you get rid of it
before it has problems, theoretically.
And leasing does work, but it's expensive.
And that's your point of entry.
That is your that is your cost to get in that game.
That is your point of pain.
You don't need a relationship.
You don't need to worry about how cheap it is
because it's always under warranty.
I think auto repair is.
Trying to solve the problems of both the car and the vehicle owner.
You're you're trying to guide people
because a lot of you just rightfully so don't know.
And and that's OK
because there are competent shops out there that do know they can guide you.
And, you know, there will be moments
where as a shop, you're supposed to say, hey, this isn't worth fixing.
And and that's the relationship.
And unfortunately, Sharon missed it.
I think she's sorry she did.
No digs against her.
She's always welcome back.
And a lot of you, you know, it's I that I said it the first time.
Gosh, it's got to be 25 years ago.
When I postulated in my mind, I said, auto repair is like dating.
You got to go date somebody else to decide is the grass really greener
or sometimes sometimes it isn't.
You just get run over by the lawnmower and that and of itself.
Is a frightening event. 8555609900 is the phone number.
By the way, you know, ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas and all that.
Good holidays for us.
But we're giving away a car doctor.
We'll call it what it is.
A hot cocoa cup from Santa this week for every caller.
And we want to spread the cheer.
Santa said we're on the nice list this year
because of we gave him his hot cocoa cup.
And we're going to sending out one of those for everybody that calls in.
So get them all you can.
The gift closet is open and we'll be back to take your calls again at 8555609900.
Talk to you right from then.
I'm running in the car doctor. Don't go away.
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Hey, let's open up the phone lines and go to Olivia in mean 8556
09900 is the number. Olivia, you're on with the car doctor.
How can I help?
Yes. Hello. Good morning or good afternoon. Whatever the
case is. Yes, ma'am.
My husband has a 2003 GMC pickup.
And we were going down a bumpy road that was in the process of
being paved. But it wasn't paved yet. The road was all torn
up. And all of a sudden, we hit this bump. And the pickup
truck just shut off. Okay.
It's a 2003 GMC pickup. Right. Got it.
And we can't figure out what's wrong with it. Does it does it
run now? No, it won't stop. Okay. Where's the truck now? Is it
home? Is it the repair shop? Where is it? It's home. Okay,
if you turn the key to the opposition, does the dashboard
light up? Yeah, I think so. But it won't stop. I got
that part. But the dash lights come on. I believe so. Does
the check engine light come on? It should come on moment
arily and turn off after about five seconds, typically.
Yeah, I think everything lights up. Okay. Well, don't think.
You gotta know. All right. Here's the deal. All right. Obviously,
if it won't start, it cranks okay correctly, correct? Yeah.
Okay, if it cranks okay, something got knocked loose
or something broke, a ground. You know, that truck, you're
in Maine, right? Yeah. Yeah. How rusty is the truck? Is it
is it looking great? Is it rusty underneath? You've got to
think about age and weather and environment. The truck's
over 24. It's almost 25 years old. Would you rather talk to
my husband? Sure, whoever can help me answer questions. He
doesn't want to get up beyond the radio. Okay. So, listen,
here's the bottom line. Does it light up him? Olivia?
Yes. Does it have, do you have a regular mechanic? No, we
don't. Okay, why not? Because we can't afford it. Okay. So,
let's do it like this. Do we have, let me give you some
pointers. All right. Do you, does the check engine light
light up when the vehicle, when you turn the key to the
on position? Does it light up when you turn the key on?
Yeah, it lights up, but it won't turn on. Right. Okay. I got
that part. So, the check engine light comes on, but the
vehicle doesn't run. Right. Okay. So, it's, it's either
missing fuel or it's missing ignition. It's just, it's
just that simple. Somebody, somebody, whether it's your
husband or whether you have to, you know, put a couple
of dollars together and find a way to do it. Somebody's
got to, you know, verify. Do we have, do we have a loss
of fuel? Do we have a loss of ignition? Right. And there's a
lot of things that are common on that vehicle. There are
grounds at the back of the engine. Grounds 102, grounds
103 that get frayed and old. And if it loses them, yeah,
the truck will just shut off. Did it pop, lose a
connector going to the fuel pump? Did it, did it break
something? Do we have electrical power going to the
fuse box? There's a lot to test. Hey, listen, the positive
is it's broken, right? It doesn't start. Right. But you
know, that at least gives somebody a direction to go
in. But for me to sit here and say, you know, I'd have
to list 40 different things for somebody to go look at.
Right. Okay. You know, one of the things we could do
here, you know, I mean, you're not going to do this,
but if it was at a shop, a smart shop, right? One of the
first things, one of the first things I do on that
generation truck is at the mass airflow sensor. Is this
the V8? By the way, I should ask that question. Is this the
V8 or the V6? I believe it's the V6. Okay. There
should be a mass airflow sensor on this car. There's
going to be a yellow signal wire. We could measure
voltage there. If the voltage is five volts or less,
that's good. If the voltage is high over five volts,
we're going to start looking for broken grounds. And
that's just, you know, that's just something a qualified
shop can do. But my point becomes, you know, letting
it sit in the driveway doesn't do you any good. And I
know, I know you're looking for a silver bullet, but
there is no silver bullet. I can tell you what to
look for, but somebody would actually have to do it.
All right. It's just that simple. My husband wants
to hire a mechanic to come here to the house. Well, I
don't know that you're going to find one that can do
that. Yeah, right. That's what I keep trying to
tell him. Are you out in the woods, Olivia? Yeah. In
the country and we're surrounded by woods. Right.
How far is it to the nearest mechanic? About
25 to 30 miles. Right. So it's going to cost you
a couple hundred bucks to get it towed. Yeah. So the
other side of this is for your own safety. Right. How
reliable is a 24 year old truck out in the middle of
the main woods? Yeah. Right. So you know, at what
point, so maybe the real bigger question is, you
know, as and I know you're saying you can't
afford it, but you can't afford not to be able
to have a reliable vehicle, especially with
winter coming. I know. I keep trying to
tell him. Right. That he should at least have
it towed out of here to see what's wrong with
it. But he won't do it. Is that your only vehicle?
No, we have a 50 year old UPS truck, but that's
broken down right now too. Maybe it's time to
retire to Florida. Excuse me? Maybe it's time
to retire to Florida. At least then you're warm.
At least if you at least if you break down and you
have to walk, you're walking in warm and
sunshine rather than cold and snow. Exactly.
But anyway, listen, stay on the line. We're going to send
you something to warm you up. Tom Ray's going to get
your name and address. We're going to send you
out a car doctor hot coffee cup. Well, actually a
hot cocoa cup courtesy of the car doctor and
Santa Claus because we want you guys to enjoy the
upcoming holiday season. Thank you so much. You're very
welcome there. Don't go anywhere. Let Tom get
your information and I don't know. Maybe we
should maybe I should become father Ron turn my
get a collar. I could give like can't do marital
advice about cars. I just can't. It just doesn't
work. Eight five five five six nine nine zero zero.
I'm Ron and any in the car doctor. We are back
right after this.
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Unrivaled where the pace is faster. The energy is
higher and every athlete shines. Unrivaled
basketball season two sponsored by Samsung Galaxy
tips off January 5th on TNT, True TV and HBO Max.
Support for the show comes from public the
investing platform for those who take it
seriously on public. You can build a multi asset
portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto
and now generated assets which allow you to
turn any idea into an investable index with AI.
It all starts with your prompt from renewable
energy companies with high free cash flow to
semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20%
year over year. You can literally type any prompt
and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of
stocks, builds a one-of-a-kind index and
lets you back test it against the S&P 500.
Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated
assets are like EFTs with infinite
possibilities completely customizable and
based on your thesis, not someone else's.
Go to public.com slash podcast and earn an
uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your
portfolio. That's public.com slash podcast
paid for by public investing, brokerage
services by open to the public investing
Inc. Member FANRA SIPC, advisory services
by public advisors LLC, SEC registered
advisor. Generated assets is an interactive
analysis tool. Output is for informational
purposes only and is not investment
recommendation or advice. Complete
disclosures available at public.com
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it's about time you discovered the world's
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of French Polynesia. Or maybe just stay
aboard an indulgent asfade dining from
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directly from the exclusive marina
platform. There are so many possibilities
and so much time to relax every journey.
Unlike the rest, the Ritz-Carlton Yacht
Collection. Learn more at Ritz-CarltonYachtCollection.com.
A new year is on the horizon and your
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Yeah.
From the city streets to the open road
tonight. If your ride needs help run,
we'll keep you rolling right.
Hey, he's a car doctor. Car doctor.
Car advice done right.
Hey, thanks for stopping by and sticking
with us this hour. Let's go back to
the phones. Hey, Martin in Hawaii,
Ronanini and the car doctor at your
service. Sir, how can I help?
Car doctor, I have
uh the 2023 dodge diesel,
ram and uh stock. And I am
I
googling and like, you know, the
the to make a long story short, let's
I have a please a cousin that that he's
an ASC certified mechanic and he's
saying don't do it and then I have
another friend that's like a pirate that
he's like delete all of that all of
the and let's get a tuner and let's
get you going and everything will be
just fine for the truck.
So I'm like, so is it so Martin is this
a to put this into the king's English?
Is this a question about making putting
a tuner on this truck? Is that what
you're is that what you're curious about?
Exactly. Okay. Should I go with a
tuner? No, because it's it's no it
it's it's costly. Well, so back back
up a second. All right. When we
talk about adding a tuner and
modifying the vehicle are we talking
about a modifying it and working
within the confines of the emissions
package that's on there or b stripping
everything making it completely
illegal and unsellable when we go to
trade it in or sell it and violating
all the current emission laws on the
books and just tuning it to the way
you want because that really isn't
that and you don't have to be a
certified mechanic or you don't have
to be a vehicle it's just common sense
right it's just you know what are
we trying to do you're trying to
gain more power out of the vehicle
or not are you happy with the way the
vehicle i'm actually i'm actually trying
to get more economy out of the out of
the vehicle okay you get the tuner down
and you put it into economy i can get
it down to like 22 miles a gallon
right diesel and you know this is
hawaii brother everything's expensive
yes so i'm trying to what's a gallon
of diesel cost out there worth it
well what's what's what's a gallon
of diesel cost out there martin
almost it's right now right now it's
almost like about six bucks six bucks a
gallon for a gallon of diesel fuel
wow right and then how much is the
tuner kit
if if i buy the whole thing with
labor and everything yep i'm looking
at spending like 14 grand okay so we're
going to spend let's make it 15 let's
allow the guy to eat lunch right so we're
going to spend 50 we're going to spend
15 grand to get how much better fuel
economy two more miles per gallon three
more miles per gallon five more miles
per gallon what's the predicted outcome
well i figure if i if i if i keep the
it well it's a it's a work truck so when i
work it when i work it it you know it
it's gonna make money so it's a martin
what do you do for martin what do you do
for a living what kind of work truck is
it delivery marbling marbling granite
all right marbling granite you know so
so it's heavy right so so here let's do
the math what i'm trying to do is get
you to look at this math side because
there's a bunch of different angles here
right so you know we're going to spend
15 grand let's say it's 15 grand what is
the predicted mileage outcome now
there's enough people out there driving
ram diesel pickups somebody else must
have tried this somebody else must have
used whatever kit from whatever company
you're considering purchasing so they
can give you hey we got 20 percent
more fuel economy five percent more
fuel economy or the company can come
up with predictions hey if you're
getting 20 we're gonna you're gonna get
25 so go that extra five miles a gallon
times six times how many miles where's
the payback right that's so that's over
over time right that that would pay back
right what's what's what's the payback
over time that's number one number two
you know where is that number if the
payback comes and i'm gonna tell you
how it is in new jersey i can't speak for
hawaii all right in new jersey we see the
typical diesel diesel owners go to 150
thousand miles and then they get rid of
the vehicle which makes no sense to me i
see this all day long because at the
150 to 200 thousand mile mark that
diesel needs some sort of fuel system
overhaul injectors replaced five six
seven thousand dollars worth of work
and everybody goes yes i'm just gonna
i'm just gonna go buy another vehicle
and where's that point here's here's where
i'm coming from it because then you're
putting money into a right that's not
worth what well and here's the biggest
catch here's the biggest catch
okay putting a tuner kit on it the
tuner kit requires removing the federal
emissions package the regeneration
process for the cat removing the cat and
all the other things and it's in the
news right they're talking about this at
the federal level that a lot of the
diesel performance packages are being
looked at and of course the federal
government's about the or they're
considering rolling back the diesel
exemption to increase my but they
haven't done it yet is my point right
you take that emissions package off
that 23 diesel pickup all right how
much was that truck 60 70 80
martin i paid i get i i had to pay cash
for it and i paid like yeah i paid like
70 70 thousand dollars right it's an
80 thousand dollar vehicle and you're
going to take it and make it illegal
in the eyes of the federal government
from emissions you're going to make it
unsellable because you got to hope that
the the guy you sell it to is i'll
use your term a pirate okay and he's
willing to plunk down i don't know
what the number is going to be in five
years 40 50 grand 30 grand whatever for a
diesel truck with high mileage it's got
an illegal emissions control system on
it provided you don't get picked up on
some sort of roadside inspection like
they do here in new jersey why are we
doing this why are we doing this
brother and then wait and then now
that truck's going to get mileage on it
right and then sooner or later it's
going to break who's going to fix it
who's going to have the knowledge to fix
it how that how the tuner kit bypasses
whatever circuits to allow proper
diagnosis
the same pirate that did yeah right and
you got to hope that that's a good point
that you got to hope that that same
pirate you got to hope that that same
pirate is a still alive be still in the
business and c has the smarts to fix it
you know i'll i'll leave it here all
all right because it's a much longer
conversation wait it's a much longer
conversation all right you can buy you
can buy two kinds of vehicles vehicles
are like the roof on your house you can
buy a vehicle that's got a black tar roof
simple and easy to fix or you can buy
a vehicle that's got a copper plated
roof expensive got to find the qualified
guy to work on it what do you want
and what's the payback and what's the
reward if you're buying a copper
plated roofed house just for the
look it's not necessary there's no
return on investment my opinion my two
cents which is why i think you called me
i'd probably keep the vehicle where it
is i would go visit hot shot secrets
website you knew i was going to take you
here i would look at their fuel editors i
would call up and talk to them they're
a very smart company these guys are
born and bred for diesels they'll help
you get the maximum performance out of
that stock vehicle staying within
federal emissions requirements and it
will be the best you can get but at
least you're safe and the vehicle's still
reliable and the vehicle can still be
repaired anywhere and still be under and
maintain its warranty enough speeches
by the way stay on the line time's gonna
get your information we're gonna send
you out a car doctor hot cocoa or a
coffee cup and we're glad to do it so
always happy to talk to you martin you
be well i'm ronnie and the car
doctor we are back right after this
is
season two of unrivaled basketball is here
and the talent is unreal the best women's
players on the planet are running it
back with even bigger moments and bigger
stakes don't miss his page becker's
nefisa collier kelsey plumb brianna
steward and more take the court and
redefine the game this isn't your
regular season this is unrivaled
where the pace is faster the energy
is higher and every athlete shines
unrivaled basketball season two
sponsored by samsung galaxy tips off
january 5th on tnt true tv and
hpo max support for the show comes
from public the investing platform for
those who take it seriously on public
you can build a multi-asset portfolio of
stocks bonds options crypto and now
generated assets which allow you to turn
any idea into an investable index with
ai it all starts with your prompt
from renewable energy companies with
high free cash flow to semiconductor
suppliers growing revenue over 20
percent year over year you can
literally type any prompt and put the
ai to work it screens thousands of
stocks builds a one-of-a-kind index
and lets you back test it against
the s and p 500 then you can invest in a
few clicks generated assets are like
efts with infinite possibilities
completely customizable and based on
your thesis not someone else's go to
public dot com slash podcast and earn
an uncapped one percent bonus when you
transfer your portfolio that's public
dot com slash podcast paid for by
public investing brokerage services by
open to the public investing ink
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services by public advisors llc sec
registered advisor generated assets
is an interactive analysis tool output
is for informational purposes only and
is not investment recommendation or
advice complete disclosures available
at public dot com slash disclosures
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hey eight five five six oh nine nine zero
zero on any of the car doctor let's go
over to john in california 85 chevy
laser this is old truck week here in
the car doctor i think john how can i
help you today what's going on hi you
and ron thanks for having me long time
thank you sir so it's a i've had it
about six months it's always had a
really bad heavy exhaust gas smell in the
cabin and i'm talking so bad i mean drive
for half an hour your clothing smells
like gas and you get a headache that
that bad so first thing i tried was i
had the pipes were really short i had
them ported out like by the driver
area door area how those pulled back
to pass the rear tires but even that
didn't really do anything at all so
i'm trying to figure out the next
step okay so so if we sit in the
vehicle without it running do we smell
anything no okay so it's only with the
engine operating correct all right so
you know california i always think of
everything is you know sun surf
chrome polished no leaks no rust how
rusty is the truck it's actually most
of his life was in arizona and so
and i actually lived in uh... lost
Vegas nevada so there's there's no
rust at all okay so you know if i had
the ability
you know i could go at this a couple of
ways i would either i would either
look do i have a leak in the floor
board i guess my first question is is
the vehicle physically running
so rich or are so fat as i like to
think of it that you know there's a
reason that it's overloaded the
system there's a reason i'm getting
the smells in the in the vehicle or
is there physically any holes in the
floor pan but i'm sure you've looked at
all that correct
yeah i haven't you mean you get a good
point there because it is a new l
well not any way but the ls 5.3 so not
the original engine so maybe that's
something to do with it
well okay so if it's an ls they have a
habit of breaking exhaust manifold
studs even though it's new right how
new is new you purchased it like that
i did now so i'm not totally sure
right so you know new could be they
did it 10 years ago
so do this do something simple right
look at the is it is it worse when it's
cold or it's there all the time or
uh i mean i feel it gets really bad
when the engine gets warmed up and hot
like when i drive for like half an hour
or more than it gets really
overwhelming okay so a couple of things
we want to know did they bypass the
original emissions on that 85 vehicle
what do they what do they do with
the canister lines the purge line out
of the tank because 85 they still had
purge right they still would have had
a venting system what do they do with
all the fuel emissions purge and vent
and then you know take a look at the
exhaust manifold on each side
it's usually in the beginning of the
manifold or at the end of the manifold
as they as they heat up and cool
down heat up and cool down it would
pop the the nut off and you won't
even realize it's gone
you'll look at the you'll look at the
manifold and you'll see a stud in a nut
stud in a nut and then all of a sudden
there's no nut but there's a hole
and half of a stud sticking out okay
and i got to has it has it lost its
clamp so to speak okay yeah i got
actually concerned to the firewall
was actually breached but it sounds
like it might be more of a manifold
thing well and you know and that's
fair too how close is it to the
firewall and right now it's a modified
vehicle so as dumb as it sounds
depending upon how close the engine is
to the firewall
maybe i'm going to take a little pocket
magnet and you know touch the firewall
make sure it's all metal or is there
plastic bonda when they're somewhere
yeah you know i'm looking i'm looking
for the ridiculous
can you get this vehicle up in the
air uh yeah i have a pretty good
mechanic okay yeah he's got all that
can we can we take you know a $20
mechanic stethoscope available in any
advanced auto parts and sit there and
listen to the exhaust system just right
just just go down to each seam and joint
right it's got to be quiet yeah
you know now i'm i'm willing to accept
a small amount of exhaust leak
but but you know how much of an
exhaust leak right how much am i
tolerating
and then my my last question is
does your mechanic on the chance that
he has one
does he still have a five gas analyzer
you know remember the old emissions
probe up the tailpipe stuff
all right i got you don't see those
anymore you don't see those anymore
but if he if he sets it to hydrocarbons
with the vehicle off if he probes around
the gas tank do hydrocarbons go crazy
showing maybe the fuel tank has got a
small seeping leak
or perhaps a hose tucked up where you're
not going to see it where it's not
supposed to be
and that's what's causing the problem
so just just some things to be
aware of that you've got to go look
at do that call me back and stand the
line let time get your information
we're going to send you out a car doctor
coffee cup i mean a hot cocoa cup i don't
want to upset santa and we want to stay
on the nice list this year so
you can look forward to that we're
happy to have you as a listener i'm
ronnie and the car doctor we're back
we're right after this
you already got your holiday shopping
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para los que están lejos los que no
vende lejos y los que no vende cerca
para los introvertidos y los
extrovertidos para los que piensan y
los que hacen para los que nos
mostraron el camino coca cola para
todos compra una coca cola en una
tienda cerca de usted
season two of un rival basketball is
here and the talent is unreal the best
women's players on the planet are
running it back with even bigger
moments and bigger stakes don't miss
his page backers nefisa collier
kelsey plumb brianna steward and more
take the court and redefine the game
this isn't your regular season
this is unrival where the pace is
faster the energy is higher and
every athlete shines
unrivaled basketball season two
sponsored by samsung galaxy tips off
january 5th on tnt true tv and hpo
max support for the show comes from
public the investing platform for
those who take it seriously on public
you can build a multi-asset
portfolio of stocks bonds options
crypto and now generated assets
which allow you to turn any idea into
an investable index with a i it all
starts with your prompt from renewable
energy companies with high free
cash flow to semiconductor suppliers
growing revenue over 20% year over
year you can literally type any
prompt and put the ai to work it
screens thousands of stocks builds
a one-of-a-kind index and let you
back test it against the s&p 500
then you can invest in a few clicks
generated assets are like efts
with infinite possibilities
completely customizable and based on
your thesis not someone else's
go to public dot com slash podcast
and earn an uncapped one percent bonus
when you transfer your portfolio
that's public dot com slash podcast
paid for by public investing brokerage
services by open to the public
investing ink member fionn ra si pc
advisory services by public advisors
llc sec registered advisor
generated assets is an interactive
analysis tool output is for
informational purposes only and is
not investment recommendation or
advice complete disclosures available
at public dot com slash disclosures
a new year is on the horizon
and your 2026 savings start here
right now you can access the washington
post for just two dollars every four
weeks head into the new year with six
months of savings at the special
intro rate after that it'll cost
twelve dollars every four weeks
cancel anytime you'll get unlimited
access to trusted journalism that
helps you understand the year ahead
and the world around you
now's the perfect time to subscribe
because great habits and great
savings start together go to
washington post dot com slash i heart
that's washington post dot com slash i
heart and start your year informed with
the post
well that was a quick hour i want to
leave you with this thought about how
sometimes simple gets to be well
simple isn't simple anymore
of two things two cars
2011 lexus cs 350 we're still working on
the parking brake cable fiasco
i'm not sure lexus ever wanted the cables
changed when we left on friday and we
had only gotten to it a couple of days
last week because we were very busy in
the shop but we're picking away at it
the seats are out
the center console is out to get the
center console out it required the two
of us want to hold the carpet up the
other guy to
turn the wrench it was one of those
deals and uh we hope to get that
car out of there this week
and then the other one was the 2017
chevy tracks right you think
she knew her car simple
we had to go through four manufacturers
of wiper blades before we found one that
actually fit because of this crazy
kakamemi hook
they've got on the wiper arm so
sometimes simple isn't simple
and it gets very involved be aware of
that when you talk to your mechanic
give them a break they need it
i'm ronnie and the car doctor
reminding you till the next time
good mechanics aren't expensive
they're priceless
for everyone
season two of unrivaled basketball is here
and the talent is unreal
the best women's players on the planet
are running it back with even bigger
moments and bigger stakes
don't miss as pagebeckers nefiza kahlir
kelsey plumb brianna steward and
more take the court and redefine the
game
this isn't your regular season
this is unrivaled
where the pace is faster
the energy is higher and every athlete
shines
unrivaled basketball season two
sponsored by samsung galaxy
tips off january 5th on tnt true tv and
hbo max
support for the show comes from public
the investing platform for those who
take it seriously
on public you can build a multi-asset
portfolio of stocks bonds options
crypto
and now generated assets which allow
you to turn any idea into an
investable index with ai
it all starts with your prompt
from renewable energy companies with
high free cash flow to semiconductor
suppliers growing revenue over 20
percent year over year
you can literally type any prompt and
put the ai to work
it screens thousands of stocks builds
a one-of-a-kind index
and let you back test it against the
s and p 500
then you can invest in a few clicks
generated assets are like efts with
infinite possibilities
completely customizable and based on
your thesis not someone else's
go to public dot com slash podcast
and earn an uncapped one percent
bonus when you transfer your portfolio
that's public dot com slash podcast
paid for by public investing
brokerage services by open to the
public investing ink member fianna
s i p c advisory services by public
advisors l l c s c registered advisor
generated assets is an interactive
analysis tool output is for
informational purposes only and is not
investment recommendation or advice
complete disclosures available at
public dot com slash disclosures
a new year is on the horizon
and your 2026 savings start here
right now you can access the
washington post for just two dollars
every four weeks
head into the new year with six
months of savings at the special
intro rate after that it'll cost
twelve dollars every four weeks
cancel anytime you'll get unlimited
access to trusted journalism that
helps you understand the year ahead
and the world around you now's the
perfect time to subscribe
because great habits and great
savings start together
go to washington post dot com slash
i heart that's washington post dot
com slash i heart and start your
year informed with the post
there are two types of people around
the holidays the main characters
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podcast guaranteed human
About this episode
Ron Ananian dives into the importance of building relationships in auto repair, sharing anecdotes from his shop and discussing the challenges faced by both customers and mechanics. He highlights a case involving a customer who returned to the dealership for unresolved issues, emphasizing the need for trust and communication. The episode also covers the complexities of older vehicles, like a 1995 Volkswagen Eurovan, and the practicality of repairs versus costs. Listeners gain insights into the automotive repair industry and the significance of honest service.
Original notes
In this segment of Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, Ron explains how auto repair has evolved beyond simply fixing cars into a business built on trust, guidance, and long-term relationships. Using a real customer story, he shows how fear of cost or scheduling can lead drivers away from trusted shops, often resulting in repeat visits, unresolved problems, and lingering doubt about whether the repair was done right the first time. That doubt, Ron notes, damages not just one shop’s reputation but the perception of the entire industry.
He ties this experience to a broader trend of dealership service departments losing ground to independent shops as consumers look for more than a low price—they want transparency, familiarity, and the “Cheers factor,” where their name and their car are known. Ron emphasizes that a good repair shop doesn’t just repair vehicles; it helps owners make practical decisions, including when a repair no longer makes sense. Ultimately, the real value in auto repair comes from honesty, experience, and putting the customer’s long-term needs ahead of a quick sale.
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Watch & learn – Auto repair tips & videos on our YouTube Channel
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Ron Ananian The Car Doctor
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