Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor -March 28, 2026 - Hour 2 - Why Simple Car Repairs Don’t Feel Simple Anymore
Ron Ananian The Car Doctor
Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor -March 28, 2026 - Hour 2 - Why Simple Car Repairs Don’t Feel Simple Anymore
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Brand
eBay
eBay is a website where people sell cars and car parts. It can be great for finding used parts, but you should make sure the part fits your car and isn’t damaged.
Term
car wash
The car wash seems to be what caused the problem. When something starts happening right after washing, it can mean water is getting into the car.
Term
antenna
The antenna helps the radio pick up stations. If water gets into the antenna area or its wiring, the radio can start cutting out or sounding like static.
Term
signs of water on the floor of the vehicle
They’re asking whether the floor gets wet after the car wash. If it does, that suggests water is entering the cabin somewhere.
Term
fender
The fender is the outer metal panel above the wheel. It’s part of the car’s body where some accessories—like antenna mounts—can be located.
Term
roof of the car
Some antennas are placed on the roof because it helps the radio receive signals better. But the roof area can also get hit by car wash equipment.
Concept
sticker shock
“Sticker shock” refers to the feeling that prices are unexpectedly high—especially when customers see the cost of parts, labor, or shop supplies. In the context of car repair, it often comes from rising costs across the supply chain and increased overhead.
Company
Permatex
Permatex is a company that makes car repair chemicals like sealants. They sell products that help stop leaks where parts meet, like around gaskets.
Term
gasket sealant
A gasket sealant is a sticky chemical that helps close tiny gaps between two parts. It’s used to prevent leaks where a gasket goes.
Concept
dealership vs independent garage
They’re comparing getting work done at a dealership versus a local shop. Dealerships can be more specialized, while other garages might be more flexible or less expensive—so it’s about who you trust to diagnose the problem.
Term
hairline crack
A hairline crack is a tiny break you might not notice right away. But it can still let water get inside and cause problems later.
Concept
buy a new car
Instead of fixing an older car, someone suggests just getting a brand-new one. People say this when repairs start feeling like a hassle or cost too much.
Concept
car stock
“Stock” means the car is basically how it came from the factory, not modified. That can make maintenance simpler because parts and specs are straightforward.
Concept
left it stock
He’s saying he didn’t change the car—he kept it factory-original. That usually means fewer custom parts and a more “period correct” car.
Term
dip stick the oil
He means checking the engine oil level with the dipstick. If the oil is too low, the engine can wear out faster or even get damaged.
Term
hub cap
A hub cap (wheel cover) is a trim piece that snaps or mounts over the wheel’s center area. Changing hub caps can significantly alter a classic car’s look, and it often pairs with other wheel/tire styling changes.
Concept
tire refresh improving ride
They’re saying the car feels better after new tires. Old tires can get stiff or worn out, so fresh tires often make the ride smoother and the steering feel more confident.
Concept
salvage yard
A salvage yard is like a place that sells used car parts from wrecked cars. It can be cheaper, but you should check the parts are in good shape.
Term
master cylinder in each wheel kit
On drum brakes, there’s a small cylinder at each wheel that squeezes the brake shoes. That’s what helps turn brake fluid pressure into actual stopping power.
Term
oil catch cans
An oil catch can is a small container you add to help stop oily vapor from getting sucked into the engine’s intake. Less oil vapor means fewer sticky deposits building up over time.
Term
carburetors
Carburetors are fuel-metering devices that mix air and fuel before it enters the engine. Their performance depends heavily on correct tuning (air-fuel ratio, idle, and throttle response), and multiple carburetors don’t guarantee better results if they’re not set up properly.
Term
modify brackets, hoses
Installing an oil catch can often requires routing lines and securing the unit with brackets, plus connecting it into the engine’s ventilation plumbing. The speaker is highlighting that fitment may require fabrication or rerouting hoses, which can add cost and complexity.
Term
Willy bars
This sounds like “wheelie bars,” which are like training wheels for a car. They help prevent the car from lifting the front end when you accelerate hard.
Term
shopping cart wheels
They’re describing an improvised setup using wheels from a shopping cart. It’s not a real automotive upgrade—more like a DIY workaround to move or support something.
Term
eight inch front windshield
They’re describing a custom windshield that’s much shorter than normal. Changing windshield size can make the car look cool, but it can also affect how well you can see and how the car seals against the elements.
Term
throttle cable
A throttle cable is the physical cable that tells the engine how much power you want when you press the gas pedal. If the engine is coming out, the cable has to be disconnected or moved out of the way.
Concept
gas mileage
Gas mileage is how far a car can go on one gallon of gas. Higher gas mileage means you spend less money filling up.
Car
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle is a classic little car that became really popular for being efficient and easy to live with. People often remember it from the 1960s and 1970s because it was everywhere.
Term
E
On a gas gauge, “E” means the tank is basically empty. If the needle is near E, you should plan to get gas right away.
Term
AGM battery
AGM stands for Absorbent Glass Mat, a battery type that’s commonly used in vehicles with stop-start because it handles frequent cycling better than many conventional lead-acid batteries. It’s also typically more expensive, which is why the speaker calls out the $300 cost.
Term
OBD2 port
OBD2 is the car’s built-in way of reporting problems. The OBD2 port is the plug under the dashboard where a scanner can connect to read what the car is doing.
Term
start-stop
Start-stop turns the engine off when you’re stopped and turns it back on when you’re ready to go. It’s meant to save fuel, but it makes the car restart more often.
Brand
Dodge
Dodge is a car brand. The host is talking about a Dodge car and suggesting a quick way to test its electronics.
Company
iHeart
iHeart refers to iHeartMedia’s podcast and radio ecosystem, where many shows are distributed and promoted. Mentioning iHeart indicates the episode is available through major podcast platforms and media channels.
LIVE
This is an iHeart podcast.
Guaranteed human.
The worst part about loving cars might just be buying them
and all the parts.
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And now that nearly scrapped Cayman
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From Toyota's to Aston Martin's,
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eBay, things, people, love.
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Own the dream.
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 CarDoctor YouTube channel
for exclusive videos, real repair footage and more.
Now, start your engines.
The CarDoctor is in the garage
and ready to take your call.
Hey, let's rock it right out of the park.
Let's go right out of the gate.
Let's go to the phones, 855-560-9900.
And deal with the backlog.
Sandy, Wisconsin, 18 Chevy Spark.
What's going on?
Oh, thank you for taking my call.
You're welcome.
I went through the car wash.
And after I went through the car wash,
I turned on the radio and there was nothing but static.
And from time to time, it would work.
And then other times it was just static.
And I took it to the dealer.
He said there's no damage to the antenna.
And he also said if you have any trouble bring it back.
Well, the radio worked when I went to his place.
Coming back in the opposite direction,
it was nothing but static.
And I'm wondering if it was damaged somehow
if the water got into the radio or the antenna
or if there's what possibly.
If the water got into the radio,
we got a bigger problem
because that means there's water in the car.
And the question would become,
do you see any signs of water on the floor of the vehicle
after the car wash?
No.
Okay.
So could the antenna mast be loose?
This is the antenna that sits on the fender.
Is this driver's side or passenger's side?
I'm trying to remember what a spark looks like.
The antenna is right in the middle,
up on top in the back part of the roof of the car.
Got it.
So is this a mast antenna
or is this one of the aerodynamic antennas?
I wish I knew what those terms meant.
Well, is it a single,
is it a thin piece of wire sticking straight up
or is it more, look like a molded type of antenna?
It's more solid.
It's probably about,
maybe an inch in diameter or something round.
Right, okay.
So it would be kind of odd to say that a car wash,
and I get it, it's a never since, right?
But if it's in the roof of the car,
it'd be kind of weird that the car wash damaged it.
I listen, I drive every vehicle I own through every car wash.
I've never had that as an issue.
The only time I've had that as an issue
is if the mast comes loose,
but in your case it can't
because it's a fixed molded object
that's bolted to the roof, right?
That's the way yours is from what you're describing
and from what I remember of the sparks.
So my question would be,
they've got to drive it.
How long or how hard did they look at this?
Was this something they did in the parking lot
or did they actually take it in
and charge you something to go through the car?
I went into his garage and he looked at it.
He also had to pump up my tires and he looked at it
and he said it looked like it didn't have any damage.
However, he said that the diagnostic checkup
would be $170 and I thought really for an entity.
Well, see, first of all,
you're presupposing that it is an antenna, right?
And second of all, that diagnosis
should yield some information.
One of the things I would consider doing
if it were at the shop and I found nothing wrong
with the way the antenna was mounted,
no signs of water intrusion,
no damage to the headliner, no water leaks.
I would consider pulling the radio out
and plugging in an old school
and I keep a bunch around just for this.
An old school regular mast antenna drive the car around.
Do I have the problem as the problem gone?
Then at least I know that the problem is the antenna itself.
Now, the other problem you could have there
is inside those antennas there's a little amplifier, all right?
And sometimes they can loosen up and water gets in there
and there might be moisture inside that antenna
that maybe it got into the connection
and it's causing the issue as well.
So perhaps that $170 would be money well spent
because at least they can go and look
at some of these things.
Okay, that's what I was gonna ask you
because some years ago there were gonna charge me
a different garage was gonna charge me $80 for dying,
no thing, my whole car.
And I thought, this is just an antenna.
I didn't realize that it would cost so much for something
as well it seems to be over radio, but it is nice.
Listen, you need it.
Listen, there's sticker shock
in everything we do today, Sandy.
We use a product called Permatex High-Tax Spray.
It's a red gasket sealant type of spray.
It comes in, I think it's an eight ounce can
or a six ounce can.
When I first, oh gosh, I've been using it a long time now
but I remember when it used to be three, four, five dollars
a can, I just bought two cans of it the other day.
Two cans, $44 in change.
And yeah, I actually shot a little reel,
we're gonna put a reel up on our Instagram
and Facebook account showing me talking about it
at the counter, but it's just,
there's just sticker shock in everything.
And the problem is that the price of transportation
has just gotten to be so, I don't know,
maybe the horse would be cheaper, you know?
But then I have to have a hat and a six gun and spurs
and boots in the whole nine yards.
So that's a whole other conversation.
You have to feed it and take care of it
even if you're not using it.
Although it does produce its own fertilizer
so we would cut down on the industry
that produces fertilizer, we wouldn't need them as much
because the horse could do it for us,
but that's a different conversation.
So I would spend the money.
Listen, are these, is this Chevy dealer
or is this garage you're going to?
Are these your guys?
Is this your garage where you normally go?
So you have-
They must be affiliated with where I bought the car
because they knew everything about it
and I can take it there for anything I need to have done
that I would take to the dealership which is out of town.
Right, so as long as you have some kind of relationship
or connection because something like this could be tricky
and you want to be able to sit down and say,
listen, I just want an honest answer.
I just want my car fixed.
I don't want to rebuild the bridge.
I just want to, you know, I just want something noise
that I can listen to for a reasonable amount of money
and see what they say, all right?
But is it possible then that it could have gotten
some kind of damage from the car washer?
Do you think maybe the radio is just wearing out?
It could be, you'll know when they look at it.
Listen, for all we know, that antenna,
that plastic cover has a small hairline crack in it from age.
It's an 18, right?
So it's eight years old, was it?
It's seven years old.
You know, it's cold Wisconsin winters, warm summers,
you know, heat change, thermal expansion,
anything's possible, the water could have gotten in
and damaged that amplifier and then the game's over.
So yeah, it would be, but you know,
where do you find out how much that little antenna is?
You know, $500 later.
So, but, you know, do you want a radio or not?
That's the goal, you know?
Don't take your eyes off the mission.
That's what I was trying to figure out.
Right, so.
And you can ask him that, you can say,
listen, if it is the antenna,
can you give me a ballpark price for the price
of the antenna and the cost to replace it?
That $500 is the number I'm throwing out
off the top of my head, but it seems like everything
starts at $500 today.
So, but you might want to find that out before him
because if you're not going to fix it,
if they said it's $500 and you don't want to do that,
then why diagnose it?
And, you know, that's a conversation
you have to have inside yourself.
All right?
Thank you so much.
You're very welcome, Cindy.
You be well and have a great time.
I hope your radio gets to working again.
855-560-9900, I'll tell you what, before I do that,
I've been trying to get to this email.
Let me do this real quick.
This comes to me from my buddy Dodge.
Hey, Ron, and I was talking last hour,
a previous show about Taiwan.
Ron, Taiwan has a strong global reputation
for manufacturing and high quality precision
engineered products, and this reputation
is well-earned and quite accurate.
Particularly those involving advanced technology,
tight tolerances, and reliability.
It is not universal across every product category,
no country's manufacturing is,
but it holds true for industries
where precision, consistency, and engineering
excellence matters most.
Who knew Dodge down there in Lewis, Delaware?
You know, he's right, but it just, there's something about,
I don't know, I want my small block Chevrolet oil pan
to say Maiden Usa.
I don't know why, I just, you know, I'm just, it's,
I don't know, but I get the point, Dodge, I really do.
But you're right, there's a lot of things
that we get out of Taiwan now that are made well.
I read an article just recently as an aside.
I can't think of the CBS reporter.
She made a commentary a couple of years back of things.
They went into a house and they removed everything
in the house that was made in China.
And the story went that the house just about
had the kitchen sink in it and that was it.
And, you know, there's a concern there
about US manufacturing.
And if US manufacturing was stronger,
we would see a stronger economy
and more American jobs and so forth.
And I think about that Taiwanese oil pan
that started the revolution of hot rotting
with a small block Chevy.
And I go, wow, has it come to that?
But I get it, 100%.
855, now it's time.
855, 5600, 9900.
I made Tom Ray smile.
I get to see that.
I'll be back right after this.
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This is Bethany Frankel from Just Be With Bethany Frankel.
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You know, I've got a quick shout out, by the way,
before I forget to Michael and the whole crew
got an NJ Gourmet and Fair One New Jersey real quick story.
I use them as a food service.
I order pre-prepared meals for the week.
You know, they really help me out.
They keep me fueled up, which I really appreciate.
Late nights at the shop, I come home.
We eat something up.
Boom, it's done.
Great food.
I love the Steakhouse Supreme.
And I went there last week to pick it up.
And I met Michael for the first time.
And he's Roninian.
Are you the car doctor?
Yes, sir.
And he said, you and that guy that you're with, I go, Tom.
He goes, yeah, Tom.
He goes, you guys are funny.
I said, well, I like to think we're more than that.
But he goes, no, you are.
He goes, it's a great show.
He goes, we listen to it on podcast here in the office
because we need things to listen to.
And you guys are very entertaining.
And Tom, I'm here to tell you, they're coming up with a meal.
They're going to name it after you.
Ham and cheese.
It's going to be the Tom Ray special.
Excellent.
It has blue cheese dressing, right?
It's all cheesy all the time.
So I said, that is definitely a Tom.
That is definitely a Tom meal.
But I just, yeah, certainly.
So but true story, right?
So for Michael and the whole crew down there at NJ Gourmet,
I appreciate your food.
I really do.
It's great stuff.
And it was just a pleasure to meet Michael.
Let's go over to Bill in Iowa and see what's going on here.
Always a pleasure to talk to Bill in his 38 Chevy.
Still driving this old car, Bill.
What's wrong with you?
Just buy a new car already.
Come on.
I am from the old school.
I think so.
In less than 20 days, I'll be 82 years young.
Atta boy.
And I've had lots of experience and I've had a lot of attitude change.
You might call me a slow learner.
Yep.
Well, as long as my car stock, when I bought it in 1962, I've had it since then.
I left it stock and I drove it to California.
I had it in Biloxi, Mississippi.
I had it at an off at Air Force Base in Nebraska when I was in the military in the 60s.
Okay.
Out of boredom, I got a job at a Texaco station on Farnham Street in Omaha
to do something after my eight to four job at the base.
I was in the base ops on the runway in charge of all the facility to land them planes on the
two mile concrete highway at off at Air Force Base.
And I've learned more about my car when I was working at the gas station.
I listened a little bit ago to the guy that was talking about the gas station in Arizona.
Okay.
You know, we did it all manual.
We wash the windows.
We dip stick the oil.
You follow me?
Oh, yeah.
Well, those those those days are gone.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But it's a memory recall when I listened to the guy talk about doing the windows.
I had my rag in my back pocket and I started at five o'clock in the evening and closed at
10 o'clock at night and then drove back to the base.
And I did that for about five or six months.
And I learned more there than I was actually learning at the Air Force Base.
You can imagine that.
You know what you learn in a gas station?
You learn life.
Yeah.
You really do.
Yeah.
At least at least back then you had better interaction with the customers.
You know, good morning, Mrs. Smith.
Good evening, Mr. Smith.
Yep.
Yep.
You know, you got to know the kids in the car.
It was it was it was, you know, it really was a kinder, gentler time.
I pumped gas as a kid from 1972.
Yeah.
71 or 72 till about.
Well, I graduated in 1980.
I pumped gas for almost 10 years and I learned a lot.
You know, I learned a lot and I've got to say it made me what I am or helped me become what I am
because it's there's that interaction.
You know, I remember clearly there used to be a Nike missile base near the house
when I was growing up in New Jersey and the army recruiters were always coming through the,
you know, the officers and they'd stop at the gas station and we'd have these conversations and,
you know, of course, they always wanted to recruit me.
You know, hey, come on, join the army.
See the world.
Yada, yada, yada, yada, and I said, no, I said, I'm going to stay here and pump gas.
And they said, yeah, you're probably getting just as good at education as we could give you anyway.
Because they always said interact with the public or join the service if you want to
learn about life.
And I remember that clearly.
You got that right.
So what's new with your car, Bill?
Because I know you're playing with it all the time.
Brand new radio tires on it.
And I left them black walls because I got the new dome or hub cap, the teardrop hub cap.
And we put the chrome inside the rim and it drives better today than it has ever driven
in all them years.
This is the first time I put radio tires on that old car.
And it's amazing.
And I had people tell me, you dummy, you know, you got to change with times.
Well, I finally did.
And I got that problem solved that the tires ride better.
What size wheels do you have on that?
What size wheels are on that 38, Bill?
15 inch.
15 inch.
They came out with 16 little skinny tires.
Right.
And back in the 60s when I was going to college, I went to a salvage yard in Nebraska City.
And the guy said, go buy pick up, Chevrolet pick up eight six bolt rims that are 15 inch
and you don't have to change your backing, your brakes or nothing.
So I'm still running stock brakes, stock bearings.
And I put the 15 inch rim and put 15 inch, 235s or whatever you'd be for 15 inch tire on.
Brake drums?
You have brake drums all the way around on that car, Bill?
Oh, yeah.
Yeah.
I've never changed nothing.
It's stock, man.
I mean, it's stock.
It's got the little master cylinder in each wheel kit.
Oh, my gosh.
You got oil coming down on the side, the drum on the, you know, it's got the old drums on.
I've never turned the drums or nothing because I've always kept the brakes up to where
if they were more, we put new ones on.
What did you pay for that car in the 60s, Bill?
Uh, I think I give, uh, $425 cash dollars for it.
Right.
Which was a lot for two years.
Which was a lot of money back then.
Oh, yeah.
I drove up for two years, 115 miles one way to college with the stock motor in it.
And I paid the college for a full year, cost me $950.
All right.
And you see that?
You talk about living your dream.
Well, and you talk about, you talk about an education, right?
The education you got trying to maintain a 38 Chevy for what?
60 plus years.
Probably just as much if not better than that college education.
Bill, always a pleasure, sir.
We look forward to seeing you on your 83rd birthday.
So stick around.
I'm Ron and Annie in the car doctor.
I'll be back right after this.
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Download the free weather bug app from the app store today
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This is Bethany Frankel from Just Be with Bethany Frankel.
Most dog food is marketing, not nutrition.
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I get this question a lot, right? This comes to us from Kirk.
Hey Ron, lots of pros and cons on oil catch cans.
What say you? Thanks, Kirk.
You know what, Kirk? As I've said before,
oil catch cans are a device that you would attach to your vehicle
to the PCV system that keeps oil mist from coating the intake valves,
the throttle body, the intake manifold.
It reduces carbon buildup and so forth.
When we start modifying cars for performance,
I think we have to have a clear cut definition in our head.
What are we trying to accomplish?
It nauseates me to go through car shows and see big fancy ignition systems
and overdone intake systems.
And I'm not impressed by how many carburetors you have.
A, if they're not tuned properly.
B, if they do nothing for the car.
All right, yeah, looks great.
I've got three carburetors.
I've got four carburetors.
I've got an oil catch can.
Is it doing anything?
So my first question and comment, Kirk, for you and everybody else
that's got this question on their mind, is this for show?
Or is it, are we trying to make the car run better, last longer,
you know, more of a performance benefit?
What's the benefit?
Oil catch cans will, in theory, prevent oil from coating,
like I said before, intake system valves, pistons and so forth.
Are you going to still continue to do fuel system cleaning?
Are you going to still continue to put a tank additive in?
Are you going to still continue to do fuel system maintenance?
Is there space under the hood for that oil catch can?
Are we going to have to modify brackets, hoses?
How much are we going to have to modify?
If it's a newer vehicle, is it going to avoid warranty?
Is it going to give the manufacturer an out?
Should there be a problem with the engine?
Unless I'm running the car track only,
I don't see its place on the street.
I just don't.
I'm sorry.
But you know, I'm still a, you know, I was taught mild goes wild.
And unless you have a clear cut definition,
you're spending money that you could be using for something else or
cheeseburgers.
So that's my thought, Kirk.
I appreciate the email.
And you know, just proceed on your own thought.
Just define why you're doing it and is there room
and all the other things we talked about.
And if you want to have a one-on-one call me.
Josh, Iowa.
Josh, what can I do for you today, my friend?
Yeah, thanks for taking my call.
Well, I know just listening to you guys last weekend,
that gave me or made me think about a couple of old cars I used to have.
The most recent one was a 72 Volkswagen Super Beetle.
Stop.
Oh, come on.
Oh my God.
I've got some.
Well, go ahead.
You tell me your 72 Super Beetle stories.
And I'll tell you mine.
You go first.
Yeah.
First of all, I went through and got one of those, what they call a long block of VW engine in it.
Right.
Paired up with bus trends.
And then I had Jerry rigged up a pair of a Willy bars on the back of it with a shopping cart.
Shopping cart wheels.
Right.
And whenever I went out to get like parts for or whatever.
And if there was a new person at the parks counter,
always a pat to give that a question out there for like,
what like what way to hit or flew what I needed and all that and much.
And after about five minutes, everybody just broke up laughing.
So that was pretty fun there.
They were they were just great, great cars, simple, easy to fix.
You know, you could you could fix a Volkswagen on the side of the road with a knife,
a fork and a spoon.
You really could.
You have to mention the Weber band.
Right.
Oh yeah.
It was just I remember and it's funny you're calling the universe must be listening.
My buddy Russell was at the house last night.
He was up from North Carolina.
We had pizza and we were talking about the old days.
And this is a kid when we were kids, we grew up together, you know, working on cars.
I was the Chevy guy.
He was the Volkswagen guy.
He was just he was just a Volkswagen bug.
No, no pun intended.
You know, his father went out, you know, he worked with his dad and his dad helped him.
They bought a 72 Volkswagen Beetle used.
It was a couple of years old at the time, a Super Beetle.
And it was for Russell to go to trade school to learn mechanics.
He was going to Lincoln Tech here in New Jersey.
And his father told him, I was standing right there, Mr.
And Russell's father said, no modifications.
It stays stock.
Leave it alone.
Sure, dad.
The next day, right, we're walking out of we're having cheeseburger somewhere.
And not to modify them.
Well, you know, Russell walked around the corner and he hit the tail of the exhaust pipe tip and
it came loose.
And he went back and he just kind of stepped on it and said, what are you doing?
He goes, I'm getting a new exhaust system.
So, you know, now now his father could hear us coming home.
What happened to the car?
I don't know, dad, the exhaust pipe fell off and, you know, now it's loud.
Okay. Well, what's that going to say?
Well, you know, so I came back the next day and there's an exhaust,
there's an exhaust stinger tip header on the car.
Right. And from there, it went from there.
It went downhill within two years.
He had the car.
He and the reason I said 72 Super Beetle stop is because I remember that was the first year
Super Beetle and it had a flat windshield.
Right. Yeah, that sounds about right.
Yeah, you could you could chop that car.
You could chop the roof.
He chopped the, he chopped the roof.
So we went from it's got to stay stock within two years, maybe three.
It had fender flares on it, had wide tires.
He chopped the roof front and back.
It had, it had like a, it had an eight inch front windshield, a 10 inch back window.
It eventually the car went on to be in the New York auto show at the Coliseum in the city.
And a lot of great adventures in that little Volkswagen and they were,
it was just a different time, you know, you know, Joe, Josh, it was just a different time.
Yeah, it was.
Yeah. It, it, you know, the only car you could take the engine out in 20 minutes.
Yeah. You know, back in within half an hour.
You're all right. Yeah.
Like in and out for four bolts, the throttle cable, slide everything forward, take the 10 off.
You're done.
Cars on cars out on a, you could take it out on a floor jack and get it back in and then go out
cruising for the rest of the night. It was great.
I know, and I have also had one other bug that was a lot older and there was a 1930s,
I have to say 36 or 37, it was a right hand drive.
And by going as far as putting the dummy steering wheel on the left hand side,
and that's where my son used to drive when he was right at when he was still in his car seat.
So everybody thought that he was driving.
And I got pulled over quite a bit because of that and got well known, but
tomorrow this came to a good conversation piece with the law enforcement.
Yeah.
Never once got in trouble with it, but yeah, it was just funny all around.
And yeah, the memory of those old cars and
Volkswagen's, Volkswagen's were just fun cars.
They got great gas mileage. I was pumping gas in 1972.
Gas was still, maybe it was 71, but I remember gas was like 26 cents a gallon.
Yeah, I remember that.
That was a bit before my time, but.
And you could, you could fill up a Volkswagen Beetle.
If it came wheezing in with its tongue hanging out on E, you could fill it up.
You could just about squeeze $3.12 into the tank and that filled it.
I believe it.
And then it ran for another 10 days and you saw the guy the following weekend.
You know, it was just, you know, and the car floated, right?
You can't rule out.
You can't, you can't talk about Volkswagen's and not remember.
There was actually a commercial where they talked about a Volkswagen.
It does this, this, this in this.
And then there was a shot of it floating in the lake and it floats too.
So, we tried that a couple of times, but that's a story for a different day in a different audience.
8555609900, Josh, I appreciate the call.
I'll be back right after this.
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This is Bethany Frankel from Just Be With Bethany Frankel.
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We're lost.
It feels like we're going round in circles.
I'm going to ask that man for directions.
Hi there.
We're trying to get to the state fairgrounds.
Well, you're going to take a left at the old oak tree at this here road.
Nah, I'm just kidding.
Let me get my phone out.
How is there signal out here?
T-Mobile and US Cellular are coming together.
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It's been around for so long now.
It's been around long enough that the industry,
you know, we, they record data and they look at components that fail.
Believe it or not, the component that suffers the most from start,
stop are vehicles with variable valve timing, the cam sprockets.
Because it's this off on slap, move, move, slap, off on, right?
You're always, you're always banging the cam sprocket because
think of the bicycle sprocket.
If the bicycle sprocket is up, up top and then all of a sudden,
you know, you shut the car off and it relaxes and it kind of rolls a few forward.
And then all of a sudden, bang, you start it up again and it's, it's that shock.
So it's causing variable valve timing sprocket problems.
You could try popping the truck into neutral.
Got to keep your foot on the brake, obviously.
You know, you're sitting in the traffic light.
I didn't, I didn't, well, I'm sorry.
I didn't finish telling the other guys.
Oh, go ahead.
I'm sorry.
The, it does, yeah, it's all right.
It does have an off switch, but you have to remember to do it every time you
start the truck.
Which is annoying.
So, and I also read on the internet, and I wanted to see if you could confirm this,
that they have, the dealership can install a module somewhere and it'll permanently disable it.
Do you know anything about that?
I have read and heard about this and I like the fact that the dealer's doing it.
It's not going to avoid any warranty or create an issue because the dealer's doing it.
The dealer has a legal obligation to maintain that vehicle as per the manufacturer, right?
So I like that.
All right.
You know, I've also read online some of the, you know, in the internet,
you know, sometimes the internet is like,
you got to, you know, it's like that a three year old writes some of it.
You know, one of the comments I saw was disconnect the battery sensor at the,
at the, you know, under hood at the battery terminal.
And while that may do it, I've never tried that.
While that may do it, my first thought was, what if any fault codes will it set?
How will it affect the charging system's response to the battery?
Well, I wear out the battery sooner.
So in the effort to avoid stop-start, I'm going to break my $300 AGM battery
and possibly affect electrical operation of the vehicle.
So that doesn't make any sense.
Yeah.
You know, I like the safe and secure method.
I like the method that's tried and true.
I tend to be conservative by nature.
You guys know that about me at this point.
We've been together so long that I just think that that's really the way to go.
Either a module, you know, as a secondary thought,
I see all these chotchkes, as mom would have called them,
that plug into the OBD2 port under the dash while I accept that.
And I have a rule that I don't plug much into my OBD2 port while I'm driving
because there's a lot of network computer conversation going on down there at that plug.
But in the interest of start-stop, yeah, I might try it for a while and see what issues.
Because stop-start to me is very cost prohibitive in the long run.
You're dead on right, right?
What's it doing to the starter, the battery, the strain, the flywheel,
right, for the transmission, although wearing that out is, but still.
I'll tell you, the one thing I really don't like is as the stop-start vehicles get older,
and maybe the battery's a little marginal, maybe the battery's five, six, seven years old,
and we haven't changed it yet, and we're traveling, and we're start-stopping,
and we're start-stopping, you got to hope you get an early warning before that battery dies,
and it won't start the car.
You got to hope that what used to be a $300 starter, now a $1,600 starter, doesn't die.
And you're stuck in East Jebib or lower Slobovia, and you're alone, and it's dark,
and it's late at night, and you know, there's nothing worse than being on the side of the road
in the dark, in the rain.
Ask me how I know.
We went through that with Danny's van two weeks ago.
You're stuck in the rain, and it's a very unsettling feeling.
There's something very warm and inviting about a vehicle that continues to run and gets your home safe.
Bob, I appreciate the call.
If you need more, you know where to find me.
I'm Ron Anani in the car doctor.
I'll be back right after this.
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This is Bethany Frankel from Just Be With Bethany Frankel.
Let me be blunt.
Most dog food is junk.
It just is.
And I'm not feeding junk to biggie and smalls.
That is why they eat just food for dogs.
It's real 100% human-grade food with ingredients I actually recognize,
not mystery pellets pretending to be healthy.
And once I switched, the difference was obvious.
Better digestion, better skin, more energy.
Dogs who actually feel good instead of just surviving dinner.
Here's the thing.
You care about quality.
You make an intentional choice to be healthy.
So why are you gambling with your dog's health?
So let's think about our furry babies.
Go to justfoodfordogs.com right now and get 50% off your first box.
No code.
Just try it.
Because once you see the difference, you're not going back.
We're lost.
It feels like we're going round in circles.
I'm going to ask that man for directions.
Hi there.
We're trying to get to the state fairgrounds.
Well, you're going to take a left at the old oak tree at this here road.
Nah, I'm just kidding.
Let me get my phone out.
How is there signal out here?
T-Mobile and US Cellular are coming together,
so the network out here is huge.
We get the same great signal as the city,
saving a boatload with benefits.
And there's a five-year price guarantee too.
Okay, here's the turn.
Actually, can you pull up the way to a T-Mobile store?
America's best network just got bigger.
Switch to T-Mobile today and get built-in benefits the other guys leave out.
Plus our five-year price guarantee.
And now T-Mobile is available in a US cellular store near you.
Best Mobile Network based on analysis by
Oklo of Speedtest Intelligence Data Second Half of 2025.
Bigger network.
The combination of T-Mobiles and US Cellular's network footprints
will enhance the T-Mobile network's coverage.
Price guarantee on talk text and data.
Exclusions like taxes and fees apply.
See T-Mobile.com for details.
And we winded down this week this hour.
So from our buddy in Delaware Dodge.
Dodge in Delaware?
Delaware Dodge?
Delaware Dodge.
From Delaware Dodge.
Ron, the lady that drives the spark,
could try to Bluetooth if that car has Bluetooth and it should.
It's worth a shot.
Excellent point, Dodge, didn't think of it.
But I don't want to get it from diagnostics.
But yeah, if you've got Bluetooth in the car,
Sandy in Wisconsin, by all means try to Bluetooth.
And if it works fine, then you know the radio's good.
Your problem is in the antenna line somewhere,
somewhere along that line, no pun intended.
A little bit of updates on a couple of things.
Interviews.
Everybody really liked the Frank Slope interview.
And we enjoyed doing it.
We really did.
And we want to do more interviews like that
with people like that that just, you know,
really kind of help us all.
So if you've got an interview suggestion,
you send us their name and address.
And if you can find it, their contact info.
Just send me a note, Ron, at cardoctorshow.com.
And we'll do our best to get them on the air.
If you can approach that person yourself and say,
hey, I'd like you to do the car doctor, by all means,
give them our contact information and get us together.
But we want more interviews like that.
We want to present you guys with the best
like we always have for these past on team 30-something years
and keep it moving forward.
Podcast numbers.
Our podcast numbers are through the roof.
You guys killed it this week.
We're in the 40 percentile.
Absolutely blew the roof off the place on Wednesday.
Things just took off and accelerated.
I imagine a lot of that's due to the Frank Slope interview.
Again, if you're looking for the Frank Slope interview,
you'll find it out at iHeart and all the usual podcast platforms.
It's there.
I know it's there, but you guys killed it.
The podcast numbers are huge.
And because the podcast numbers are huge,
I believe in rewarding all the efforts
you guys are putting into this next week.
Next week, both hours, free t-shirts for everybody that calls in.
A couple of rules.
If you've called in once before,
please let somebody else win this time.
All right, but we're giving away car doctor t-shirts.
Both hours next week.
Call in with a question.
Give Tom your information.
I'll see you then.
Till then, I'm Ronan Ani and the car doctor.
Good mechanics aren't expensive.
They're priceless.
See ya.
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This is Bethany Frankel from Just Be With Bethany Frankel.
Let me be blunt.
Most dog food is junk.
It just is.
And I'm not feeding junk to biggie and smalls.
That is why they eat just food for dogs.
It's real 100% human-grade food
with ingredients I actually recognize,
not mystery pellets pretending to be healthy.
And once I switched, the difference was obvious.
Better digestion, better skin, more energy,
dogs who actually feel good instead of just surviving dinner.
Here's the thing.
You care about quality.
You make an intentional choice to be healthy.
So why are you gambling with your dog's health?
So let's think about our furry babies.
Go to JustFoodForDogs.com right now
and get 50% off your first box.
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About this episode
Ron Ananian tackles “simple” car problems getting complicated—starting with a 2018 Chevy Spark radio that turns to static after a car wash. He walks through likely causes (antenna connections, possible water intrusion, amplifier issues) and argues for smart diagnostics, including a quick radio swap test. The show also covers oil catch cans (when they make sense vs when they’re just show), stop-start systems and their wear costs, and classic-car stories from callers—especially old VW Beetle memories and a long-lived 38 Chevy. Listener Q&A wraps with tips and next-week t-shirt giveaways.
Original notes
Ron opens the phones and takes on a wide mix of car questions, including a Chevy Spark with radio static after a car wash, the real cost of diagnosis, and the growing frustration of modern vehicle ownership. He also talks about oil catch cans, auto stop-start systems, and why some newer features may create more annoyance than value. Along the way, listeners share memories of old-school gas stations, a 1938 Chevy, and classic Volkswagens, making this episode a mix of practical advice, perspective, and great car talk.
Good mechanics aren’t expensive — they’re priceless.
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