Cars don’t have feelings or intentions—they just react to what’s happening mechanically and electrically. So if something is wrong, it might not show up immediately, even if the car seems okay for a while.
The Chevy Suburban is a big family SUV. Here, the host is talking about a 2021 one that seemed fine for a while after an accident, but later developed a problem—showing that issues don’t always appear right away.
Sometimes a car can look fine right after an accident or repair, but the real issue shows up later. That can happen when the damage doesn’t cause an obvious problem immediately.
Fault codes are like the car’s “error messages” stored in its computers. They tell you something went wrong, but you still have to figure out what part or system actually caused it.
Transmission-related codes are error messages connected to the car’s transmission computer. They can show up during a no-start problem, but the transmission code might be a symptom rather than the real cause.
Communication codes mean the car’s computers aren’t getting the messages they expect from other computers. If the computers can’t “coordinate,” the car may refuse to start.
Security system codes are errors connected to the car’s anti-theft system. If the car thinks it’s not authorized to start, it can prevent the engine from running.
The point here is that today’s cars have many computers that constantly talk to each other. If one computer can’t communicate properly, the car can refuse to start even if the engine itself isn’t physically damaged.
The gateway module is like the car’s message router. It helps different computers in the car share information, so if it’s confused, multiple systems can act up.
Diagnosis is how a mechanic figures out what’s actually broken. Instead of only seeing a warning code, they check the car step-by-step to find the real cause and what to fix next.
“Reading codes” means plugging in a scanner to see the car’s error messages. Those messages point to a problem area, but they don’t always tell you the exact fix—so the mechanic still has to figure out what’s really causing it.
A circuit is the car’s electrical “wiring path” that lets parts talk to each other. If a circuit is damaged, the car can behave strangely or stop working until the connection is restored.
Modern cars have a communication network so computers can talk to each other. If that communication is inconsistent, the car may not be able to coordinate systems and can shut down or act erratically.
The transmission control module is the car’s computer that controls how the transmission shifts. If it can’t reliably “talk” to the rest of the car, the transmission may not work and the car may stop running.
The wiring harness is the car’s main bundle of wires that connects all the electrical parts. If a crash or impact shifts or stresses that wiring, the car can get intermittent electrical problems.
A connector is the plug that joins wires together. If it gets bumped or not fully connected after an impact, the connection can be unreliable and cause the car to act up sometimes.
A circuit board is the electronic “plumbing” inside a car computer. If it gets cracked, the computer may work sometimes and fail other times, especially after bumps or impacts.
“No start” means the car won’t start the engine. Even if it seems like a simple problem, modern cars have lots of computers that can cause a no-start when they’re not working right.
Programming means the new computer has to be set up to work with your specific car. Without that step, the car may not communicate with the module correctly.
Diagnostics is the process of figuring out why a car is having a problem. Instead of replacing parts randomly, the mechanic uses clues from the car to find the real cause.
“Advanced capability” here means the shop can do more than guess. They can use the car’s information and history to figure out what’s really causing the problem.
The Toyota Highlander is a popular family SUV. Here, it’s the car the caller has, and the host is about to help diagnose what’s going on.
Term
tung oil
They’re talking about using “tung oil” in the transmission, but that’s not something you normally do. Transmissions need the correct fluid, and using the wrong one can make the problem worse.
An odometer measures how far a vehicle has been driven, usually in miles. In used-car diagnosis, odometer reading helps estimate wear, but it’s only meaningful when paired with maintenance history.
Regular maintenance means doing the scheduled service like fluid changes and filter replacements. Skipping those can cause parts inside the car—like the transmission—to wear out faster.
Service records are the paperwork that shows what work has been done on the car. If you don’t have that history, it’s harder to judge whether the transmission problem is just something simple or the result of long-term neglect.
“Tongue oil” is presented here as an internet folk remedy for transmission problems—specifically the idea of adding it to transmission fluid. The host argues there’s no rational mechanical reason it would cure a failed transmission, and that the real issue is likely internal damage or neglected maintenance.
Here the host is talking about whether it’s smarter to pay for a repair or to buy a different car. He points out that replacement cars can be expensive and hard to find, depending on age and mileage.
“Burning oil” means the engine is consuming engine oil instead of keeping it in the crankcase. In modern engines, heavy oil consumption can be a sign of internal wear or a failure that may lead to engine replacement if it’s covered under warranty or related bulletins.
The knock sensor is a small sensor that helps the engine avoid harmful combustion. If it throws a fault, the car may reduce power to keep the engine from getting damaged.
A software update here means the dealership updates the car’s computer settings. That can change how it responds to sensor problems and may fix how the engine is managed.
Concept
precludes it down to
This sounds like the car goes into a safety mode that limits power. The goal is to prevent further damage when the computer thinks something is wrong.
The catalytic converter is a part of the exhaust that helps clean the car’s fumes. If the engine is burning oil and that oil goes into the exhaust, it can clog or damage the catalytic converter.
A service campaign is when the car maker issues an official fix for a known problem. Dealers use it to check and repair affected cars, sometimes with specific steps or parts.
Hyundai is the car brand being talked about here. The point is that their process for approving engine warranty work seems to go smoothly when the dealer follows the steps.
The transmission is what helps the car shift power to the wheels. The host is saying it can fail after a lot of miles and the repair can be extremely expensive.
Term
fault Code thirteen twenty six
A fault code is like an error message your car stores when something goes wrong. The number helps the dealer or mechanic figure out what system is having the problem and what coverage might apply.
A warranty extension means the car’s coverage lasts longer than the usual warranty. The customer is asking what extra coverage they get for an engine issue.
RTV is a type of silicone sealant. If you see new RTV around a differential cover, it can mean the cover was recently taken off and put back on—usually because someone worked on it.
The differential cover is the part that closes up the differential so the gears stay protected and the fluid stays inside. If someone removes it and reseals it, it often means they serviced the differential.
Monitors are the car’s self-check tests for emissions systems. For inspections, the key question is whether those tests have run and finished successfully.
These are codes your car has noticed but hasn’t fully confirmed as a permanent problem yet. They can happen when something is intermittent, so it may still be worth checking.
A safety inspection is a state-required check to make sure your car is safe to drive. They look at key things like brakes and tires so the car won’t be a danger on the road.
A dip strip test is a quick way to check if coolant has gone bad. If it’s too acidic, it can mean the cooling system is no longer protected and may cause corrosion.
A cabin filter cleans the air that comes into the car’s interior. If it’s clogged, the airflow from the heater/AC can feel weak and the cabin can get dusty.
The crank sensor helps the car’s computer know how the engine is turning. If it’s wrong, the engine can stall because the computer can’t time things correctly.
“No codes” means the car’s computer didn’t store any error messages. That can happen if the problem is intermittent and doesn’t trigger the computer every time.
PCM is the car’s main computer that controls things like the engine and transmission. If it shuts off unexpectedly, it usually means there’s an electrical problem.
A ground wire is the car’s electrical “return path.” If it’s broken, the car’s electronics can act up randomly—like the engine stumbling—because the computer and sensors aren’t getting a solid electrical connection.
Term
eight pillar
The pillar is the metal post next to the door that helps hold the car’s body together. Wires run near these areas, and if the wire is damaged, moving the door can make the problem show up.
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start your engines. The Car Doctor is in the garage
and ready to take your call.
You know, one of the things I've learned after more than four decades of repairing cars is vehicles are unemotional, really are there? You know, we talked to them like
they're oh baby, oh do this for O? T me.
See they're steel and glass and there's a spirit in an automobile. I give you that, but you know, what.
They're just very unemotional. They don't care about your timeline.
They don't care about you know, where you're trying to go, or how much of a rush you're in. They just
they work by the laws of physics. And that's really
what you have to keep in mind when you're operating a vehicle. This one suburban that rolled into our shop,
a twenty twenty one Chevy Suburban, came in recently, and it didn't care that it was in an accident four months prior. It didn't care that the body shop finished
the repair. It didn't care the insurance company closed the claim,
and it really didn't care that it ran great for months afterwards, because sometimes in life the real problem doesn't show up until much later. And that's not unusual, right,
And it ended up wear this twenty one suburban, beautiful truck, real low mileage. Customer called up and said, it won't start. Man,
I hear that every day. It won't start, It won't
do this, it won't do that, it doesn't do something.
But you know, in the back of my mind, because I try to remember everything, which is getting harder to do, I remember that vehicle had been in an accident because the customer because of our relationship. Right, I try to
have relationships with all my customers where we you're not just a number. You're not the deli counter at the
supermarket now serving number nine. I know when Tom Ray
comes in, Tom needs tires and brakes, and Tom needs an oil change, and I know what Tom needs based on the last time that he was there. And it
just pops into my head. Yeah, I use a computer
and shop management, but I just it's about the relationship.
So I knew this customer's twenty one suburban had been in an accident lately and it just sort of, I don't know, it won't start. Something just clicked my brain.
You know, it wasn't a catastrophic accident. It wasn't so horrific.
I mean, it was out of action for about two weeks.
It was you know, taking into a reputable body shop.
It was repaired, returned to the owner, and life went on until Tuesday this past week, when it wouldn't start and the owner tried again and nothing, and you know, a tow truck ride later, it landed in my parking lot.
Now here's where diagnostics gets interesting, right, And here's where diagnostics just makes the case, of course, you plug in a scan tool, you push the button, nothing happens. So
you plug in a scan tool and you find a bunch of fault codes. Great fault codes will tell you
what's wrong with the car. Maybe not necessarily. Coaches don't
tell you what's broken. Codes just tell you the computer
got confused. Codes tell you that the computer didn't see
something at light. Now you have to figure out what
that's something is. And there's a big difference because we
had communication codes, we had transmission related codes, we had engine fault codes, we had security system codes. We had
you name it. The string was as long as a
phone number. Now you might be thinking, you know why
and where, Well, the majority of what I saw pointed me towards the trans that the trans control system was keeping this vehicle from starting. And you're thinking, how how
does the transmission keep an engine from starting, Which is a great question. It's a fair question now. Years ago,
it wouldn't or it couldn't today, man, absolutely, modern vehicles are networks. The engine computer talks to the transmission computer,
the body computer talks to the security system, the security system talks to the gateway module. Everybody's talking all the time.
It's kind of like before your relatives didn't get along at the holidays, and if as everybody's having this conversation, it's sort of like that zoom call you're on at work when somebody drops out because they lose their Internet.
It's like, what happened to him? So now the challenge
becomes You've got to figure out is the tr transmission module the victim or the cause? Is it creating the
problem or is it the result of the problem. Is
it losing power, is it losing ground? Is it losing
the ability to communicate? Is that is the wire broken, fray, damaged,
cut or is it just dead? And this is where
diagnosis comes in. This is where the training comes in.
This is where you know experience matters because anybody can read codes. They may not be able to tell you
what they mean, but anybody can read codes. The skill
is knowing what to do next. So I started tracing
circuits and I was looking at network activity, and as I started to go through my routine, the pattern began to emerge. The trans control module wasn't consistently communicating. Sometimes
it showed up, sometimes it disappeared, and it was an intermittent behavior. It was just enough to stop an entire
vehicle in its tracks. And now the question becomes why,
And that's when I remembered the accident four months earlier.
You know, I don't know if everybody would have remembered this.
I don't know if anybody would have acted on it.
A strange shop wouldn't because they wouldn't have known. I
knew I remembered it. I've learned over the years that
cars have long memories. They're worse than some people because
impacts can do some strange things to cars. And this
suburban you know, you start thinking, is it stress on the wiring harness? Did a connector get disturbed? Was it
put back the way it was supposed to be? Is
the mounting bracket bent?
You know?
How was it hit? Did it? Was it just enough
to put a crack in a circuit board? Think of
it like dropping your cell phone. You ever drop your
cell phone and your cell phone stops working and you go, uh, oh, well, actually you say something else, but this is family radio.
But you get the point. Sometimes that cell phone shatters immediately.
Sometimes it works for six months and then it's starts acting strange. Hey, I don't remember it, but you know,
you start to think back, You remember, yeah, I did kind of drop my cell phone. I gotta tell you,
I dropped my cell phone two months ago, and the bottom corner the glass is shattered. And then about three
weeks ago, my phone no longer. You know, you're looking
at the picture horizontally and you turn it the other way.
All of a sudden, now it doesn't rotate, And I'm thinking I went nuts for about a minute, going why doesn't my phone? Why doesn't the picture rotating? Then I
remember it. You drop the phone, dopey, right, you just
you forget and I got to go get a new phone.
But you forget, you forget, you drop the phone, You forget.
The vehicle was in an accident. Electronics can fail slowly, right,
So I dug a little deeper. The trans control module
itself was failing internally. Communication links were there, power was there,
ground was there? Did the collisions shorten the life of
the trans module? Did it bounce it around? Did it
smack it hard enough? I don't know. I just know
that it was enough. You know that it didn't stop
working all together, but it was just beginning to fail.
It definitely helped it along. In my mind. So you
know needed a trans control module.
Now.
The great part about this is that you take a simple, well what appears as a simple no start, and it becomes so much more complicated, so much more that you have to deal with in that. You know, now you've
got to put a transcontrol module in. Now it's got
to be programmed. Now you have to find a module.
You've got to go through parts, procurement, you've got to go through programming. It's no secret. I've got an Opus IVS,
an Opus IVS scan tool flat out loved the tool, flat out. Those more for me because here's the situation
where I needed programming, didn't have to deal with going through a bunch of website protocols, and called up Opus, made an appointment, plug the scan tool in, They flashed the module. Car done. Why do I tell you this
story because you know it highlights something I think we do both as a consumer vehicle owner and as a shop.
We separate events. We don't think that something happened four
months ago it can't be related to today's problem, because it is.
It was.
You know, cars don't care, they don't they don't care about your timeline, They don't care about anything other than the laws of physics applied. Is the vehicle connect? Is
the vehicle able to do what it's supposed to do and talk to each other? Good diagnostics means understanding the
vehicle's history, looking at was it ever in an accident?
I've got a customer intake form question number two, vehicle ever in an accident? I want to know, if I'm
taking you in as a client, was this vehicle ever in an accident? Has this problem been recurring? Has this
problem been something that everybody else has tried to work on?
So I'm you know, I'm gonna find like the parts can't exploded underneath the what modifications were made? What happened
before the problem started? Because sometimes the answer isn't under
the hood. Sometimes it's buried in the vehicle story. And
that's really what diagnostics is, and that's really why you need advanced capability, because it's not fixing cars, it's solving mysteries.
We are Colombo to a point, right, and we need our We need our magnifying glass. I've got to tell you,
I couldn't have done this repair without knowing the accident.
I could have done it, but it wouldn't have been quote unquote as easy as it was without knowing the accident, without the help of technical information, without Opus IVS as my scan tool. You know what, you need a little
bit of everything to make it work today. I'm Ron
an Ay in the car doctor. When we return, we're
gonna take your call it eight five five five six nine nine zero zero car advice, done right. We'll be
back right after this. Hey, let's go over to Wayne
in Virginia for Toyota Highlander. Wayne, what's going on? How
can I help you? Running the inde in the car
doctor at your service.
Sir, Okay, it's a two thousand and four until you had a Highlander. The training's gone out. You took it
to the transmission shop and they said, yep, the transmission's gone out.
It'll be over five thousand dollars to you tear it all right. So I've found on the internet t un
g oil tongue oil, and they say you use one outs for every quart that the vehicle.
Will hold in the transmission.
What do you think about the tongue oil.
For what to what to install into the new transmission?
Now?
Yeah, trying that because you know the car's not worth five thousand dollars.
Well, is there a lot of rust on the car?
No, let's see that's how.
Many how many Let's start, Let's let's start at the beginning. Wayne, Wayne,
let's start at the beginning. How many miles are on
the car?
I don't know, that's not the sense mission.
Well, but the car has got an odometer, doesn't it.
It's probably over two hundred thousand. It's my granddaughter's car.
Okay, So so the car's got two hundred thousand miles on it. It's twenty three years old, yep. Right, you know,
has it had any kind of regular maintenance? Has it
had any you know, care comfort, oil changes, filters, fluids, or has it just been driven into the.
Ground oil changes in that? Not a lot of care
and comfort?
Right, So you're really convincing me that the cars beyond hope because it's just been neglected. Not picking on you,
I'm just saying it like it is, right, right, So it doesn't What do.
You think about the tangoisle for the chiny?
What have you got to lose? The car's a lost
cause at this point, right, I'm not trying to be flip.
I'm just saying it's you know, you're telling me you've got a car that's not worth fixing. You're telling me
your car that's been abused. If it was a horse,
let me describe it this way. If it was a horse,
was it road hard, put away wet?
Well, I don't think the car is worth very much.
Well, but but well, first of all, well, i'm agreeing with you. If you're telling me you've got two hundred
thousand miles plus on a vehicle that's twenty three years old and can't provide me service records, and it needs a transmission, it doesn't matter what you pour into the trans if the trans stopped working. I don't think there's
any magic elixir, miracle drug. You know, six voodoo doctors
around a pot of water, you know, jumping up and down, yelling, hey, let's make the car work. I don't think anything's going
to help you, brother, But you know it's not gonna hurt.
I've never heard any I know what tongue oil is.
I've never heard tongue oil to a court of transfluid to help make it work. I've never heard that as
a as a fix. You know, you've got to watch
the internet. If it worked for one guy, somewhere, somehow
in the deepest part of America that oh, you know, we put tungue oil in the transmission and the trans started working. But in reality he did something else that
he's not telling you about or not aware that he did.
All of a sudden that becomes the fix. I've got
no mechanical laws of physics, rational reason why tongue oil would solve a transmission problem on a transmission that's broken, provided the trans shop is giving you an honest answer, all right, But if it were me, what I'd be thinking about is if I put a five thousand dollars transmission in it, how much other maintenance has been really done to it? And this is my point, because if
this doesn't fix the granddaughter's car, and you're going to help her buy a replacement so she can continue to go to her job or school or whatever she's doing, what's that going to cost A a cheap A cheap replacement car is fifteen to twenty grand today, unless you happen to come across that. You know, the church Ladies
car that she drove to church on Sunday, that's got twenty thousand miles on it, it's twenty years old and the family wants five grand for it, And those cars are getting harder and harder and harder to find. And
I'm not saying put a trans in this car. I'm
just saying, you've got to look at the potential and the problems of finding a replacement. So, yes, you want
to put tongue oil in it, I've never heard of it.
I'd like to know the rationale behind it. Toungue oil
is an oil preservative. We usually put it on the
ends of swords and knives to help keep rust away.
So how that's going to revitalize a clutch pack or a band or a transmission that's failed, or hard metal parts.
It's all voodoo to me, brother, You know it's I'm being honest. I'm just listening waying. You know, if you're
a regular listener, you know I'm not gonna I'm not going to sugarcoat it. I don't see where there's any
value in that makes sense. Okay. I know it's not
the answer you're looking for. I know you're looking for
a miracle and a can I get that one hundred percent, but I just you know, part of what I'm supposed to do is just try to open everybody's eyes to the potential of maybe let's try it the other way.
And I'm not saying this car is worth fixing, but you know, the older Toyotas tended to run a good long time. It went two hundred thousand plus miles and
it probably never had fluid service. But what's the rest
of the car look like? And you know, if we
were standing at the counter in the shop, my first comment question would be along the lines of what I'm telling you here. How much rust does it have? What
does the radiator look like? What does the cooling system
look like? If it's a timing belt motor, was the
timing belt ever replaced? Because it's not a five thousand
dollars transmission, it's a five thousand dollars transmission plus everything else it needs to bring that car up to speed.
So yes, to your point, the car is probably not worth fixing. So tongue oil, sure, tongue oil or you know,
some miracle additive from an autoparts house couldn't hurt either.
But I don't think it's going to do anything for you.
So I hope I helped plane. I'm not sure if
I did, but I did You it's what you need to know, maybe not what you want to hear. And
thanks for calling in a five five five six oho nine nine zero zero. I'm running any in the car, doctor,
call me if you dare, I'll be here.
Hell, Ron keep you.
Let's go over to Coral and Florida. Carl. Welcome to
the card doctor, sir, how can I help?
Hey, rony'esir? Long time listening?
Thank you.
I have a twenty eighteen Handai Tucson, and I heard you a few months ago with a collar who had a similar vehicle. I think it was his daughters. I'm
not sure, but anyhow, he had some issues but with the engine, I'm having the same issues.
Uh.
It is burning oil about a quarter week. It has
one hundred and twenty thousand miles on it. We bought
it like less than a year ago, and it's under it's under warranty, but it's it recently U started losing power and could not I couldn't get it over thirty miles an hour for a while. Now it won't go
over fifteen miles an hour.
Okay, the uh?
I mean it's it's at the Hondai Jewership right now.
They they got a code of off it uh T one three two six right.
Thirteen twenty six, which is which is the knock sensor fault that that they and you know it it it pray it precludes it down to they start to do the software update. But if it's got that, it's internal
engine failure. So if you're under warranty and you've got
that fault, you should be a candidate for an engine.
Wow, that's what that's what I'm looking for.
Right, that's that's what That's what the campaign and the recall and all the bulletins talk about. Now in your case,
and here's what you need to know, depending upon how bad the engine has failed, the fact that it's consuming a quart of oil in a week, I'm assuming you weren't going very far.
Right, Ash, we were using it quite a bit.
We're putting we're putting five hundred miles on it in a week.
Uh, I would stay closed.
Really, but but you're doing fifteen miles an hour. Did
I misunderstand how this failure occurred?
Well? Now this is before started.
Doing Okay, So because the point what I was getting at is if you're using a quart of oil in five hundred miles, you're you're pushing all that oil through the catalytic converter, so you've probably clogged the cat and now you need a catalytic converter too. Yeah, so so
I was gonna yeah, so now right now, this is you know which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Right?
Are they gonna? Are they gonna cover the catalytic converter
because the catalytic converter was damaged by the by the engine failure.
Yes, that makes sense. I would, That's the answer I
was looking for. They I'm assuming they gotta do both, correct,
I would.
Yeah, But you know, what you and I agree to from a form of logic and common sense, somehow doesn't always apply to the dealer or the manufacturer. Right, this
is a this is a Tucson wheel drive with a two lead right.
Yes, sir?
Yeah. Are you talking to Hyundai Corporate yet?
No? I have not. I'm still doing dealing with just
the uh people there.
And uh but the back to the person that talked that I heard you talk to several months ago, you gave him a number, some type of number to get to give corporate.
Uh.
Yeah, the well the bulletin number.
Yes, that's that's what it is.
Yeah, bulletin twenty twenty two Day Show, one Day Show, twenty three H's and Harry.
Oh gosh, Well I don't have a pen.
Well, I'll tell you what. Well, I'll tell you what
if if you wait about two hours after five pm Eastern time, they take the live radio show and they will upload it as a podcast, And if you go to the second hour where you were the call out of the bottom of the second hour, you can just hear the whole thing all over again, which will be kind of weird, right, you get to hear yourself, you know, but you can, you can, you can, you know, pick it up there. It was bulletin. I'll do it again.
It's a service campaign. It started November this This bulletin
number was dated November of twenty two, but it was bulletin twenty two Dash oh one, dash Oh twenty three H's and Harry Dash two. And it talks all about
thirteen twenty six. It talks about engine bearing inspection, it
talks about engine replacement. But I've got to tell you,
as I told him. I'm sure I told him this
because I'm pretty consistent. I'll be amazed if Hundai gives
you a hard time. You know, there's there's there's a
specific procedure they want you to follow, Carl, but if you follow their procedure, they seem to write a blank check.
It's it's They've been pretty good about it, so much so that I'm kind of amazed Hundai is still around.
I can't figure out how the company stays in business.
They've wuarrantined so many engines.
You know, I think you said that to him. Yeah,
it's I.
It's it's it's crazy. And then the other bulletin that
I probably mentioned to him, and I'll mention to you since you're gonna go back and listen to this during the podcast is twenty two dash EM dash double oh six h dash two and that just talks about the engine warranty extension. And that's that's the supervised bulletin against
twenty two e m O double oh six H dash one.
I mean, have I done this enough? I mean, I
see so many Hyundais with engine failures. It's like I said,
I can't figure out how the company stays in business.
But you know, my son has my son has a twenty twenty and he's experiencing the same same issues.
You know, I built a relationship with the former service manager of the local dealership, and I'll never forget his words to me. And I tell that, I tell this
every time I get into one of these here on air or at the compt or at the shop. It's
just he told me, he said, it's a it's a car designed by some kids sitting on a dirt floor in a third world country. What do you expect? And
I think about that. He said, they're great five year cars.
They're electronics are phenomenal. But he said, after five six years,
it's it's not anything you're going to hang on to.
And I've got to tell you, you know, on a sort of a same note, but a different aside. You know,
we've seen people, you know, they'll have the replacement engine and then the transmission fails at one hundred and thirty one hundred and forty thousand miles and some of these days, some of they well some of these hun days, the transmissions are eight nine grand. They they far exceed the
value of the car. Maybe not in today's lack of
used car market, but you know, and then it's difficult getting parts. So let's let's let's rewind, right, If you
had come to me previously and said, Ron, I want to buy a new Hyunday or a used Hyundai. What
do you think My answer wouldn't change. It's if it's new,
it's a great five year car. There. I like them
so much. I'm tempted to buy one just to have,
just to play with it. If it's a used vehicle,
depends on the mileage, depends what you're paying. You know,
if you're buying a Hyundai, may be the answer for it.
To the marketplace to find a three thousand dollars used train station beater and you get six months out of it and you walk away and you go, okay, you get longer than that. You did good. But I you know,
just just just just tough cars man. You know it's
kind of a joke, but it's no joke. You know
what Hyundai stands for.
I did not.
Hope you understand nothing. Yeah, hope you understand nothing's drivable
and inexpensive car. I gotta go. I'm up against the clock,
all right.
Okay, all right?
Do I have to give them the code or that that number?
No, just them. Hey, listen, I'm having a I'm having
an engine problem. It's at the dealer I've got I've
got fault Code thirteen twenty six. I want to know
what my rights are under the warranty extension because I know you guys have engine issues. I know you guys
are doing the engines, you know, under some kind of a controlled recall service campaign. Tell me what I need
to know. I need a loaner. Tell them you want
a loaner.
Right, yep, I've already talked to him.
I gotta, I gotta. I got a rental right now.
I'm going to get it longer next week, yep.
And you want to you want to get reimbursed for the rental too. Good luck to you, Carl. If you
need more, you know where I am. I'm running dy
in the car doctor. I'll be back right after this. Hey,
and for Carl, if Carl's still listening down there, Florida way. Yeah,
this the two hours obviously, this hour and the hour that was before this, in case you didn't hear, it becomes a podcast. The radio broadcast becomes a podcast. So
this will go up. It starts over at iHeart and
then iHeart distributes it out the Apple and Hulu and Spotify and all the rest of them, and you know, it goes out through all normal podcast platforms, so you'll be able to hear this hour as well as all the other hours everything we've ever done the last I don't know however many years we've been doing this, so you can get all the podcasts that way. But yes, Carl,
you can go back and get your bullet to numbers that way. I'll do. An email comes to us from
Mike and Albany. Hey, Ron, I recently bought a used
GMCSUV with about seventy five thousand miles on it. The
dealer tells me that it's been fully serviced before I bought it, but he can't produce maintenance records, and I'm not sure what's been done. The vehicle runs fine, but
I keep wondering if I should just drive it and not worry about it, or spend money now replacing fluids and doing maintenance that it may already have been done.
What's the first thing you would do if you bought a used vehicle had no idea of service history? Thanks
Mike Albany to New York. Really, Mike, that's like a
great question, dude. It's when every car buyer should be asking,
because you should you know, I'm the biggest cynic in the world. You know, if I buy a vehicle with
no service records, heck, if I buy a vehicle with service records, I want to know was it done right?
And how much of it was actually done? I assume
nothing until I can prove otherwise. It's just my nature.
So my starting point, I'm buying a used vehicle, you know what, I want to change everything. If it's wet,
change it all the fluids, front to back, drive line trends now, you know, maybe i'll see it in gear oil.
If I see fresh RTV around a differential cover, all right, maybe I'll take a sample of the fluid and go right, that's been changed. But if that dip cover hasn't been removed,
then was the fluid sucked out?
Was it?
You know, was it ever really replaced? What's been done?
I kind of want to know. So I'm pulling the covers.
The price of replacement parts is too high. What shortcuts
did somebody else take? I want to know what was
done my way, And I think that's probably the way you are too, because you're asking the question. You have concern, So, yeah,
you know what change the oil in the filter unless it's you know, clean, and you can see a date and that makes sense. How old is the battery? Right,
this is a twenty, so it's six years old if it's got the original battery in it, and it probably does, is my guess. I wouldn't even test that. I would
just replace the battery. Make sure you get correct battery
for the vehicle. If it's AGM, you want AGM. If
it's something else you want to make sure, get out to auto batteries dot com. You can read all about
the batteries and decision making and whatever else you might have to do there. But that'll just be your bible
as far as the batteries are concerned, you know you want, you know, I would look at breaks, tires, belts, hoses.
How old are the tires? Look at the date code
on the tires. There's going to be a Julian date.
It'll say, oh, nine twenty one, which is the ninth week of twenty one. That tire is now approaching six
years old. It's kind of getting to the fuzzy edge
of where we consider it safe and reliable. I think
year seven and eight is the end of tires or where you want to replace them. So it's it's it's
time obviously, take a look at breaks, break fluid, transfluid, I said diff fluids, transfer case right, just for the heck of it. Scan all the computers for fault codes,
current pending history are the monitors. Complete monitors are the
measurement by which we go for state inspection. I mean
you'll find out soon enough when you go for inspection in New York. But being as how this is a
New York vehicle, you're also going to find out because your repair shop when you go for inspection, is going to look at breaks, It's going to look at tires, is going to look at shocks and suspension. New York
actually does a safety inspection, unlike New Jersey, the unsafest state in the Union, because we don't do safety in New Jersey. All we care about is a light and
a place to put the sticker. Look at transfluid, look
at service history. How old is the coolant so it's original.
I'm sure sure it's six years old. Get out to
your local advanced autoparts. Tell them you want to do
a litmus test or a dip strip test of the coolant to see if the coolant is acidic right, and they'll it'll be a little, you know, plastic jar with a vial, and you know it's it's kind of like what we did in tenth grade science right where we learned about acidity and litmus and pH and all that stuff.
Then we'll have a little scale on the bottle. I'll
tell you if the system is turning acidic. But advanced
autoparts has coolant, test strips, air filters, cabin filters, easy stuff, wiper blades or the wiper blades folded over. And you know,
you look at the wiper blades on a lot of cars.
That will tell you if the wiper blades are folded over, then how good of a service did they actually do if they missed something as simple as that. Look for
any overdue factory maintenance items and then think real world and then call me if you need more. I'm running
ady in the car doctor. We're back right after this,
So I want to close with this.
Story real quick.
A customer came into the shop this week. It was
late in the day, one afternoon. He's got a late
model SUV. He's been to two repair shops and he
spent like a thousand bucks trying to fix this stalling problem.
You know, the story kind of goes like this. It
would stall a traffic light. Sometimes it would start right
back up, sometimes it didn't. One shop put in a
fuel pump, another shop put in a crank sensor. Neither
one fixed it. Now, when I hear the parts canon
has been released, and I don't hear, well, we diagnosed this or we tested that, I kind of slowed down.
It's just my nature. Because the vehicle's already telling a story,
you just gotta be willing to listen. So Danny and
I brought it in and we started with basics, and Danny loves watching me do this right, no assumptions, no guess and no throwing parts. Of course, the vehicle ran
perfectly in the bay, no codes, no warning lights, nothing obvious.
And then I noticed something right. Every time I opened
and close the driver's door. At first I thought it
was my imagination. The engine sort of stumbled a little bit. Huh,
and I opened the door. Nothing, Okay, it was my imagination.
I closed the door, the engine stumbled, Wait a minute, opened it fine, closed it stumble. At this point, Danny
was laughing because he knew where I was going, and as I'm opening and closing the door. I'm watching the
The repair a small broken ground wire inside the eight pillar at the base of the column that the door was flexing every time it opened and closed. Twelve bucks
in wiring. The car's fixed. I'm running any in the car, doctor.
The mechanics aren't expensive. They're placeless to see you, doctor.
Car advice, don't ride
About this episode
Ron Ananian walks through why real-world car problems often show up late and why codes aren’t the whole story. Using examples like a no-start tied to accident-related, intermittent module communication, he explains how modern vehicles are networks and how diagnosis can require tracing circuits and even programming modules. The discussion also shifts to used-car risk when service records are missing, plus Hyundai oil-consumption and knock-sensor cases that can lead to warranty engine coverage. He closes with practical inspection and troubleshooting tips, including coolant testing and intermittent electrical faults.
