Ron Ananian dives into a variety of automotive topics, answering listener questions about performance tuning, fuel types, and maintenance tips. A standout discussion revolves around a listener's 72 Dodge Dart and the nuances of octane ratings, where Ron emphasizes the importance of quality fuel over additives. The episode also touches on the challenges of maintaining older vehicles, including a 2008 Kia Rondo with recurring AC issues, prompting a debate on whether to invest in repairs or consider a new car. Ron's engaging storytelling and practical advice make for an informative hour.
’72 Dodge Dart (Kevin): Skip octane boosters/race gas; a true ~10:1 flat-top can run on quality 93. Focus on plug heat range, timing, and jetting. “Mild goes wild.”
’75 Chevy Van (Greg): Hot-soak flooding. If no boil-over or needle/seat drip, likely needs a pro Quadrajet rebuild/flow test after decades of service.
’08 Kia Rondo (Beth): After repeated A/C failures, weigh repair costs vs. replacement. Consider a well-kept Toyota Solara; one trusted shop > bouncing around.
’03 Buick LeSabre (Sam): With exhaust off at 250k, replace both O₂ sensors with OEM-grade parts. Changing courtesy-light delay likely requires GM Tech-2 (if BCM supports).
Listener Email (Miles): Trickle-charging a 2025 Camry Hybrid is generally fine; “deprogramming” refers to adaptives, not OS. Confirm specifics with a savvy Toyota dealer.
Ron’s button: We’re “the last Jedi” of hot rodding—keep the torch lit.
"Kevin's waiting there patiently 72 Dodge Dart. And a question about what Kevin? Kevin, welcome back. What's going on with this car?"
The Dodge Dart is a small car made by Dodge, popular in the 1970s. The 1972 version is known for being reliable and easy to maintain.
The Dodge Dart is a compact car that was produced by Dodge from 1960 to 1976. The 1972 model is part of the third generation and is known for its simple design and reliability.
Octane is a rating that tells you how well a fuel can handle pressure without causing problems in the engine. Higher numbers mean better performance for powerful engines.
Octane is a measure of a fuel's ability to resist knocking during combustion. Higher octane fuels are typically used in high-performance or high-compression engines to prevent engine damage.
"Well, it's supposedly 10 to 1 about the car, and they say 10 to 1, but when I do a compression test on it, I'm about 225 pounds per cylinder."
The compression ratio tells you how much the air and fuel mixture is compressed in the engine. A higher number means more power, but it might need special fuel.
The compression ratio is the ratio of the maximum to minimum volume in the combustion chamber of an engine. A higher compression ratio can lead to more power but may require higher octane fuel to prevent knocking.
"Well, yeah, but you see compression, a compression test, compression, pressure, and compression ratio are two different things."
A compression test checks how well the engine's cylinders are working by measuring the pressure inside them. If the pressure is low, it might mean there are problems.
A compression test measures the pressure in each cylinder of an engine to determine its health. Low compression can indicate issues such as worn piston rings or valves.
"And then the other question is if it's a 10 to 1 compression, is it a flat top piston? Does it have a dome to it?"
A flat top piston is a type of engine part that has a flat surface on top. This shape helps the engine run better and can affect how powerful it is.
A flat top piston has a flat surface on top, which can help achieve a specific compression ratio. This design can influence the engine's performance and efficiency.
"...I said I wanted 500 horsepower on the street, and I don't want to have to work on it..."
Horsepower tells you how powerful an engine is. The more horsepower, the faster and stronger the car can go.
Horsepower is a unit of measurement that quantifies the power an engine produces. In automotive terms, it indicates how much work an engine can perform over time, which directly affects a vehicle's performance.
"...it makes 400, and I think it's 490 foot pounds of torque at 5200 RPM..."
Torque is how strong an engine is when it starts moving. Higher torque means the car can accelerate faster and pull heavier loads.
Torque is a measure of rotational force, which in cars translates to how much pulling power an engine has. It is crucial for acceleration and towing capacity.
"...run 93 and go to the track and measure it in the quarter mile..."
The quarter mile is a distance used in racing to see how fast a car can go. It's a popular way to test how powerful a car is.
The quarter mile is a standard drag racing distance used to measure a car's acceleration and performance. It's a common benchmark for performance cars.
"...at least it's the consistency of the automatic, right, which is a whole lot better..."
An automatic transmission is a system in cars that changes gears for you, so you don't have to do it manually. It makes driving easier, especially in traffic.
An automatic transmission is a type of vehicle transmission that automatically changes the gear ratios as the vehicle moves, allowing the driver to focus on driving without manually shifting gears.
"What stall converter did you put in this car? I remember this car. Now you're talking to me about 2800."
A stall converter helps your car accelerate faster by letting the engine spin faster before it actually moves the car. It's like a way to get more power when you start driving.
A stall converter is a type of torque converter used in automatic transmissions that allows the engine to rev higher before engaging the transmission. This can improve acceleration by allowing the engine to reach its power band more effectively before the vehicle starts moving.
"The original hot rod black run, black one ran a 40 200 stall speed converter. It was the nuttiest thing I ever put on a street car."
Stall speed is how fast your engine can spin before the car actually starts moving. A higher number means you can get more power when you start driving, which is good for racing.
Stall speed refers to the engine RPM at which the torque converter allows the engine to spin without moving the vehicle. A higher stall speed can enhance performance in drag racing by allowing the engine to reach higher RPMs before the car starts moving.
"I'm just worried about the kind of running good, you know, detonation and stuff like that."
Detonation is when the fuel in your engine explodes too early, which can make a knocking sound and hurt the engine. It's something you want to avoid for a smooth ride.
Detonation, often referred to as 'knocking,' occurs when fuel in the engine ignites prematurely, causing a knocking sound and potentially damaging the engine. It's important to manage detonation to maintain engine performance and longevity.
"...they're like, where's all the drag racing? I'm like, yeah, there is no drag racing in this movie..."
Drag racing is a race between two cars that go straight down a track to see which one is faster. It's all about speed and quick starts.
Drag racing is a type of motor racing where two vehicles compete to see which can cover a straight distance, typically a quarter-mile, in the shortest time. It emphasizes acceleration and speed over handling or endurance.
"...it's the idea of hot rotting. And sometimes I think we're like the last Jedi. Right. You know, it's like Star Wars..."
Hot rodding is when people take older cars and make them faster and more powerful by changing parts and adding modifications. It's a fun way to express creativity and love for cars.
Hot rodding is a car culture and lifestyle that involves modifying vehicles for increased performance and speed, often focusing on older cars. It originated in the United States in the late 1940s and 1950s, emphasizing individuality and creativity in automotive design.
"...we had the high beam switch on the floor. Right. Yeah. We had the high beam switch on the floor..."
The high beam switch is what you use to turn on the bright lights of your car when you need to see better at night. In older cars, it was a pedal on the floor instead of a lever on the steering wheel.
A high beam switch is a control mechanism in vehicles that allows the driver to toggle between low and high beam headlights. In older cars, this switch was often located on the floor, requiring the driver to press a pedal to activate the high beams.
"...about Kevin in his hot rod what he's doing what he's going through dialing in in the carburetor and jetting. When we did that as a society..."
A carburetor helps engines get the right mix of air and fuel to run properly. It's an older technology that has mostly been replaced by newer systems in modern cars.
A carburetor is a device in internal combustion engines that mixes air with a fine spray of liquid fuel. It was commonly used in older vehicles before fuel injection systems became prevalent.
"I think it was the early 80s when the purge valve problem happened when they put the purge valve up on top."
The purge valve helps control fuel vapors in the car. If it doesn't work right, it can cause problems with how fuel gets to the engine.
A purge valve is a component in a vehicle's evaporative emissions control system that allows fuel vapors from the charcoal canister to be drawn into the engine for combustion. If it fails, it can lead to fuel delivery issues.
"this is why I want you to be able to get to the top of the choke flap to look at it..."
The choke flap is a part that helps the engine start when it's cold by making the fuel mixture richer. It helps the engine run better until it warms up.
The choke flap is a component in a carburetor that helps control the air-fuel mixture during engine startup, especially in cold conditions. It restricts airflow to enrich the mixture for easier starting.
"that's how they drilled the ports for the main jets and then at the factory they just dripped some solder in there..."
Main jets are parts inside the carburetor that help control how much fuel goes to the engine when you're driving fast. They help the engine run smoothly.
Main jets are components in a carburetor that control the amount of fuel delivered to the engine at higher speeds. They play a critical role in engine performance and fuel efficiency.
"Well 50 years later those solder plugs have rattled loose and they're draining the float bowl and that's where your fuel is coming from and you'll never see it."
The float bowl holds fuel in the carburetor and helps keep the right amount of fuel available for the engine. It works like a small tank that fills up and stops when it's full.
The float bowl is a component of a carburetor that maintains a reservoir of fuel. It uses a float mechanism to regulate the fuel level, ensuring a consistent supply to the engine.
"If you determine that it's not flooding over the top and it's not dripping past the needle and seats such as the fuel is boiling because fuel fuel today is very different than it was in 1975."
Needle and seats help control how much fuel goes into the carburetor. They make sure the fuel doesn't overflow and keeps the engine running well.
Needle and seats are components in a carburetor that control the flow of fuel into the float bowl. They work together to maintain the correct fuel level and prevent flooding.
"As long as we know the carburetor is for lack of a better way to say it mechanically sound and not boiling over through the throat."
Fuel boiling happens when the fuel gets too hot and turns into vapor. This can cause problems for the engine because it needs liquid fuel to run properly.
Fuel boiling occurs when the temperature of the fuel exceeds its boiling point, causing it to vaporize. This can lead to performance issues in an engine, such as vapor lock.
"The only other place that fuel can be coming from is out of the solder plugs in the bottom of the carburetor and you're going to take the carb out you're going to just leave it on the work bench."
Solder plugs are used to close holes in the carburetor. If they get old or damaged, they can leak fuel, which can cause problems with how the engine runs.
Solder plugs are small fittings used to seal openings in a carburetor or other components. Over time, they can wear out or leak, leading to fuel issues.
"Well it's a 2008 Kia Rondo and it is only a hundred five thousand miles on it and it's not a lot of miles considering it's a 2008 but the air conditioner has broken down three times."
The Kia Rondo is a type of car that's good for families because it has a lot of space inside. It's not as common as other cars, but it was made to be practical and useful.
The Kia Rondo is a compact MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) that was produced by Kia. Known for its practicality and spacious interior, it was designed to cater to families and those needing extra cargo space.
"the first time was in 2018 it was the compressor and the second time was twenty twenty three and it was the evaporator and now it's the compressor again"
The compressor is like a pump for the car's air conditioning. It helps make the air inside the car cool when you turn on the AC.
The compressor is a critical component of the air conditioning system in a vehicle. It pressurizes the refrigerant and circulates it through the system to provide cool air inside the car.
"the first time was in 2018 it was the compressor and the second time was twenty twenty three and it was the evaporator and now it's the compressor again"
The evaporator is a part of the car's air conditioning that helps cool the air inside. It takes heat out of the air so that the AC can make it nice and cool.
The evaporator is another important part of the air conditioning system. It absorbs heat from the cabin air, allowing the refrigerant to cool the air that is blown into the car.
"...s for the low and the high ones the pacifists the valiants for the optimists and the pessimists the ones who..."
The Plymouth Valiant is a small car that was made a long time ago, from 1960 to 1976. It was popular because it was affordable and practical for everyday use, and it helped start the trend of smaller cars in America.
The Plymouth Valiant was a compact car produced by Chrysler from 1960 to 1976. It is significant for being one of the early models to popularize the compact car segment in the United States, offering a balance of affordability and practicality. The Valiant is often discussed for its role in automotive history and its influence on later models.
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Boy, Kudos to Ethel Merman, she was right. Let's only Tom Reign knows what I mean by that today. Let's go right to the phones 855-560-9900. Kevin's waiting there patiently 72 Dodge Dart. And a question about what Kevin? Kevin, welcome back. What's going on with this car?
Hey, Ron, how you doing? Hey, right now I'm running on pump gas. It's a high compression motor. And I'm running on pump gas. And I don't know if I should go to a fuel additive or a race gas mix. Do you have any recommendations there? Octane?
I love these conversations. I really do, Kevin. What compression ratio you run it in this motor?
Well, it's supposedly 10 to 1 about the car, and they say 10 to 1, but when I do a compression test on it, I'm about 225 pounds per cylinder.
Well, yeah, but you see compression, a compression test, compression, pressure, and compression ratio are two different things.
And there are no reflection of what it is. And then the other question is if it's a 10 to 1 compression, is it a flat top piston? Does it have a dome to it?
And all of these, yeah, I believe it was supposed to be a five top 10 to 1 compression piston.
All right, if it's a flat top 10 to 1 compression piston, I don't think you need octane booster.
Okay, let me put it to you this way. I base everything in my hot rod universal off the hot rod.
All right, and you know, I've forgotten more than I remember about playing with this car.
Or an engine, I handed the engine builder a blank check. I said I wanted 500 horsepower on the street, and I don't want to have to work on it.
I just, just what I did, right?
I got a motor that dine out at 537. It makes 400, and I think it's 490 foot pounds of torque at 5200 RPM.
It's a thumper, right? Runs on pump gas. I only use Sonoco 93, just my way of feeling better about it. It's a single four barrel. It's nothing crazy.
It'll scare the living daylights out of you, which to me is the whole point of this.
I always think of what Billy said. Billy was my first boss, and he was into performance, and he was really a genius.
I think he was ahead of his time. He was into the KZ drag bikes in the late 70s when they were first coming out.
And Billy always said, mild goes wild, and it's the absolute truth.
I don't think you need anything more than 93 octane, but you could surely, you want to find out, run a straight mix of performance fuel, and then run 93 and go to the track and measure it in the quarter mile, and how much stronger does it pull, and how much better does it pull, and how much faster is the car, and to what level of consistency, and you got to measure it against something, right?
Sticker automatic car.
Is it a sticker automatic, sorry, automatic, automatic.
So at least the, yeah, it's, but you know, at least it's the consistency of the automatic, right, which is a whole lot better.
So you could, you could do it. I don't think you need it. I don't think it's going to matter.
And one of the reasons, and one of the things I never liked about octane boosters was you had to be precise in how much fuel, how much fuels in the tank.
I don't know, says half a tank. Is it a half a tank? Is it a 20 gallon tank? Is it to low side half a tank, or is it to the high side of half a tank? Is it 12 gallons of fuel, or is it nine gallons of fuel?
How much octane booster did you put in? You know, it, it becomes a whole mishagas as mom would say.
I, I think you're, I think you're better off playing with spark plug heat range, timing, jetting, dialing it in that way.
And yeah, that's what I'm doing right now. I'm going down on the heat range one level and right timing and, you know, stuff like that.
So, you know, it's for getting there. It's a day at the track, right? Yeah. Yeah. You know, and, you know, for your street car. I don't think so. I think it's quality of fuel.
I either run, and like I said, I either run Sonoco 93, and if I can't find a sonoco, I'll use Shell, whatever their high octane stuff is, the highest they have.
And, you know, and that's what it is. And if I really want to torture myself, yeah, they used to be a guy that had camp two available by the, you couldn't pump it.
You had to put it into the five gallon cannon and then you'd pour the five gallon cannon to the side of your hot rod and you felt good about it.
You know, you know, you never, you never win anywhere anyway. So what difference did it make? You know, you spilled half the, you spilled half the camp two down the side of your beautiful paint job.
And you got all upset and you said, well, I guess I'll never do this again. And, you know, because they can't think about nine dollars worth. Yeah, right. There was three drops. You just, you went broke, just watching it.
So, but I get it 100%. What stall converter did you put in this car? I remember this car. Now you're talking to me about 2800.
Right. And I think that's, I think that's more than enough. The original hot rod black run, black one ran a 40 200 stall speed converter. It was the nuttiest thing I ever put on a street car.
You know, you pull up to a traffic light at four grand and you just release it would be just, you'd come off on the rev limiter just about it just crazy stuff.
You'd get right up there. So now you don't need an octane booster Kevin do something else to get performance and consistency.
You know what? Horse power and going fast isn't about how much can you make? It's about how consistently can you make it?
Right. I'm just worried about the kind of running good, you know, detonation and stuff like that.
Right. Well, if it's a true 10 to one, if it's a true, you know, if it's a true flat top piston on today's gas 93, you won't have it if it's jaded right in time. Right.
So, all right. Good run. I appreciate your conversation every every time, Kevin. You know what? I appreciate what you're trying to do.
You live, you live your life, enjoy your hot rod sooner or later, you're going to come to the conclusion that you don't have to go that fast anymore, but that's okay. God bless.
I don't go fast. Quick short distance. Yeah, just short distances, you know, listen, you know what?
There's still it's give or feel like as hot rotters. I'll tell you a quick story Tuesday night last week.
Shelby Jimmy invited me to his house out on the deck with his car group. Now I'm the youngest guy in the car group and we're watching two lane black top. Right.
And I had to explain it to everybody because nobody understood it. As far as, you know, what the car culture was into 60s. And I'm trying to figure this out how the youngest guy in the group is explaining it to the older guys in the group that actually went through the car culture of the late 60s early 70s.
And nobody understands it. And they're like, where's all the drag racing? I'm like, yeah, there is no drag racing in this movie. It's so limited. It's just talking about the counter culture and the way things were.
It was just a different time in a different period. It's got it's got the plot of, you know, watching paint right would be a more exciting plot than watching two lane black top. But you watch it because of the couple of cars that you see.
And the way it was. And you know, and what's my point. My point is cars have changed a lot. Right. It's the idea of hot rotting. And sometimes I think we're like the last Jedi. Right. You know, it's like Star Wars.
We are the worst Jedi. We are carrying the torch of a generation that is long gone. And the light is all but out. And nobody understands it anymore.
It's kind of depressing. I go. I go around in the hot rod. Say again, we had the high beam switch on the floor. Right. Yeah. We had the high beam switch on the floor. We had keys that you turn. You know, I go out in the hot rod. And nobody even, you know, they look at me.
Here comes that old man in that noisy car again. You know, it's just, it's just the cops don't pull you over. You don't get to meet the police like you did when you were a kid. It was just just a completely different time. So.
All right. I got to go, Kevin. You be well. Oh, good day. Thank you, you two, sir. 8555609900. I'm Ron and Amy in the car doctor. A little craze today, but good form anyway. I'll be back right after this.
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And I just just a comment one last thing about Kevin in his hot rod what he's doing what he's going through dialing in in the carburetor and jetting.
When we did that as a society when we jetted carburetors and played with hot rods to that level we understood how things worked mechanically to a finite point.
And it was just just a very different time I can't explain it other than you know it gave us an understanding of how something worked versus today today we're trying to follow electrons and follow the electron of the bouncing ball.
It's not that easy so but the kudos to Kevin and everybody out there that's still a Jedi trying to make a hot rod work.
Greg and Florida 75 Chevy van what could be wrong with this or are you today Greg.
I'm doing okay out of you all right what's going on with this.
Okay it's 350 automatic with the quadrujit carburetor.
And it's flooding when the engine's hot after six 10 or 20 minutes after it's been shut off it gets flooded.
Okay.
So flooded how how do you know it's flooded and I realize it's a generic question but it's going to help me how do you know it's flooded.
You have to hold your foot to the floor to clear it out.
That's right to get it restarted I have to hold it wide open till it.
Okay.
And then a big cup of black smoke and yeah that's it.
Right okay seems like I've seen this man so you know you've got the dog house off you've got the air cleaner off you're watching the carburetor.
Does the carb boil over does it flood over the top or you never see any fuel you just ended up with a flooded engine 20 minutes later and you can't figure out where it's coming from.
Well it's kind of hard to see the carburetor even with the dog house off it's kind of restricted area to get to it and look at it.
Right I've had the thing eleven years and I've been messing with it that long trying to solve the problem and then I have them.
Okay so in 75 I'm trying to remember what 75 looks like as long as there's no charcoal canister tie in that you know somewhere I'm trying to remember what year I think it was the early 80s when the purge valve problem happened when they put the purge valve up on top.
And it would go bad and it would draw fuel right from the tank so I don't think that's your issue so as long as we don't have any heavy canister purge lines going up to the carburetor causing the issue.
I'm going to tell you if you don't see the carb flooding out over the top.
All right and this is why I want you to be able to get to the top of the choke flap to look at it you know do you see fuel or is there fuel going down inside the throat that it's it's it's it's peeing up past the needle and see.
All right if it's nothing like that then I'm going to start to think that if you pull the carburetor off there are two solder plugs in the bottom of the carburetor and nobody ever thinks of these all right those two solder plugs where when they manufacture the carburetor that's how they drilled the ports for the main jets and then at the factory they just dripped some solder in there and they they sealed them up.
Well 50 years later those solder plugs have rattled loose and they're draining the float bowl and that's where your fuel is coming from and you'll never see it.
So the way you're going to find this is if you determine and this is why I want you to get to the top of the carburetor.
If you determine that it's not flooding over the top and it's not dripping past the needle and seats such as the fuel is boiling because fuel fuel today is very different than it was in 1975.
Okay as long as we know the carburetor is for lack of a better way to say it mechanically sound and not boiling over through the throat.
The only other place that fuel can be coming from is out of the solder plugs in the bottom of the carburetor and you're going to take the carb out you're going to just leave it on the work bench.
What I actually do is I'll take a three eighths bolt or a five sixteenths bolt and put it through the mounting holes where the carb mounts to the manifold and I'll make like a little stand.
If you get what I'm saying I'll use a I'll use a shoulder bolt so if there's a gap of a one inch shoulder I'll put a nut lay the carburetor on that in all four corners I'll put a nut on the top so that it stays in place now I've elevated it so I can actually see the bottom of the carbon action.
I'll put a little bit of fuel in the vent hole up top I won't over flood it because I don't want to make a mess and I'll let it sit overnight and if I come back in the morning and in your case it sounds like you're going to see it real obvious if I see if I see those solder plugs are wet.
You know you just touch it with your finger and there's fuel there there's not supposed to be fuel there the solder plug is leaking making sense.
Yeah well I've already tried that I've inspected the solder plugs it looks like they've got JB weld on them and I don't think I put that on there but somebody did but I've done what you like you said put fuel in the bowl and let it sit on the bench and nothing comes out the bottom and it's dry.
Yeah right I'm pretty sure it's not leaking out the bottom okay if it's not leaking out the bottom then it's got to be coming from the top carburetors you know place that fuel is coming from.
You know is the is the needle shut off do we have a saturated float have you ever weighed the float.
I'll put a new float in it okay have you tried a different carburetor no I haven't tried a different one.
All right you know have you sent that one out to be rebuilt because when a rebuild or rebuilds it he'll go through all these tests as well as flow it he'll actually measure fuel flow through it he'll look it shut off he'll look it boil over.
He'll actually go through that carburetor and it might be something you just can't fix in the field at this point because there's no other place it's coming from.
Like I said if there's no canister purge leading up to it such as the canister is saturated to the point that somehow it's pushing fuel which in 75 I don't think it's possible carburetor is the only source of fuel that's going to make it float out like that.
Do this at a curiosity if you shut it off and open the throttle see you need to be able to look down inside if you took a mirror and look down in the throat.
Do you see fuel dripping or before you go to start at 20 minutes later do you see fuel collected on the intake manifold floor.
Yeah I've never seen any fuel on the outside of the carburetor and I've tried to look in it while it's sitting there hot and you can't.
Yeah I think I think the next up for you Greg is it's it's either send it out to get rebuilt and float or try a different car because you've tried everything else from what you're telling me so do those things call me back I'll be around next week you're very welcome sir 855 560 9900 we'll return right after this.
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Did you know Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 10 upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Graham laptop.
Voted PC mags readers choice top laptop brand for 2025 thin and ultra lightweight the LG Graham keeps you productive anywhere and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades visit LG USA dot com slash I heart for great seasonal savings on LG Graham laptops with windows 11 PC mag readers choice used with permission all rights reserved.
We're back a 55560 9900 let's go to Beth and Florida oh eight Kia Beth what's going on here.
Well it's a 2008 Kia Rondo and it is only a hundred five thousand miles on it and it's not a lot of miles considering it's a 2008 but the air conditioner has broken down three times.
The first time was in 2018 it was the compressor and the second time was twenty twenty three and it was the evaporator and now it's the compressor again and I'm getting some really steep ideas or rather.
People are telling me it's between sixteen hundred and two thousand dollars for the new compressor which seems to me like a lot of money and I guess what I'm weighing right now is should I get it to it and continue driving it or should I invest in maybe another.
Use car because I can't afford these terrible prices for new cars right right you know it's it's a great question first of all let's let's get this clear between us this is this is roughly a 15 year old car right.
Right so yeah it's you know it's it's 15 16 years old of the hundred thousand miles on it so let's say it's two thousand dollars to fix the air conditioning.
What if six months from now the transmission fails which affects it.
Yes that's true right that's another question the second is you know repetitive compressor failure are you buying new compressors or remand compressors rebuilt compressors.
Well there was supposed to be new the first one was seven hundred the evaporator was eighteen hundred and I'm still paying for that and this compressor is supposed to be new and one guy says sixteen hundred and the other one is saying around two thousand.
Is this the key dealer or private is this the key dealer or private garage.
Private garage says sixteen hundred towers plus says two thousand right.
You know the other thing when a compressor fails and depending upon how it fails.
Sometimes it's a good idea to also replace the condenser because the condenser gets the debris of the compressor if the compressor implodes or has mechanical failure.
It will push some of its particles up line and the condensers the first one to take the hit.
So you know Mike Mike my one question I'm thinking to myself is since twenty eighteen how many miles have you gone because you don't drive a lot I can tell.
So you know is it is it ten thousand miles twenty thousand miles probably not I bet you went twelve fifteen thousand miles and seven years as a guest.
Yes. Right. So you know are we dealing with quality of part are we dealing with something else is wrong with the system.
Who normally services the car Beth.
A gentleman in a private garage.
Right. And is he is he one of the guys quoting you on the compressor.
He is and the evaporator was done by a private corporation not corporation by the mom and pop and then the second is the sixteen hundred.
First one was the evaporator and they did that and then the mom and pop and then the second one here is the compressor for sixteen hundred dollars by the private private garage.
So here's the here's here's where that relationship with the mechanic comes real handy because it becomes you know what what would he do and talk to him who knows the condition of the car better than anybody.
And I would also bring up to him you know how did the compressor fail is it an electrical failure is it the clutch itself or is it a mechanical failure of the compressor.
And if so do we need to change the condenser.
Okay. Right. And that would be an additional expense but it would prevent problems. I'm trying I'm looking for a repeat problem scenario what's causing your repetitive issue.
Right. It sounds like the evaporator was a leak as it usually is.
You know the compressors the compressor and you know it's it's and like I said the other part of this conversation has to be before you put two thousand twenty five hundred three thousand dollars into this.
If the transmission failed that in six months what would you do.
I would be walking not getting worse to buy any.
You know maybe maybe now's the time to for go the AC repair and start looking at a secondary car drive this one until you can afford something better.
Right. Okay. I want to ask you about this car friend had one of these and I fell in love with it.
It's a Toyota salera are those good cars.
As a rule yeah Toyota is a pretty good car the salera is a pretty good car that's the convertible version of the camera correct.
Yeah yeah yeah they're fun cars if you can find one they're hard to find.
Especially in good condition but we've got a couple of customers with them and they enjoy them I enjoy driving them.
You know with the top down it's just a fun car especially I could imagine it in Florida right with all the sunshine.
But you know mileage dictates you know demand mileage dictates do I want it.
You know if it's a 200 thousand miles salera no if it's a 50 thousand miles salera yeah it's worth looking at.
But I think as a lateral move it would be worth investigating but the one thing I want to leave you with is.
I get concerned when we're bouncing from garage to garage.
I'm a one cook in the kitchen kind of guy and it makes it easier on you and you know sometimes another guy is going to be cheaper maybe.
But that money you save is going to come back to bite you somewhere else I feel like I know to repair and to have that relationship with the one guy and say hey you've been my mechanical along.
You know what do you think's going on it's a trust thing see to me trust in honesty is a big deal in order repair.
Right right so it's the biggest so I would encourage you to look at that too.
The one that I'm looking at now 1600 you know that's cash out and the others I put on the initial back back in 2018 that was cash.
But the one two years ago was on a credit card it was $1800 now at 35% interest and it hasn't been passed off yet.
And I think I owe $1,000 on it and so you know best out of the one that I like doesn't take credit so it's got to be $1,600 cash out again meanwhile I pay for the other air conditioner repair.
I'm sorry yeah no I get it I get it it's it's it gets to the point where like I said you know how much further do you want to go on an older car.
What if I were to get a salera what good gear is there for a used salera they're all good but again condition mileage how well was it cared for maintenance.
I would tell you to buy the newest one you can afford is really how I would approach it.
All right and they didn't make them I don't think they made them beyond certain years like I know all most of my customers are driving their O6s O7s and I think 1s and 08.
So I don't think you're going to find like a 2015 salera to me honest with you I haven't paid that much attention to it.
We haven't seen a lot of newer ones but the convertible cameras were kind of a rarity so you know I think it's it's again as I said not to be repetitive but conditional dictate.
What you want to buy but I think you're better off looking for a second vehicle or another vehicle and replacing the Kia before you spend much more money on it.
Because for example I've got to believe a salera is going to hold up better long term than a Kia especially at this age and mileage.
Good luck to you Beth let me know what you end up doing I'm here for you if you need me 8555609900 we're back right after this.
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10 athletes will face the toughest job interview and fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points.
You are the fittest of the fit only one of you will leave here with an I fit contract for $250,000.
This is when mindset comes in someone will be eliminated pressure is coming down.
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Hey 855560 9900 running in the car doctor. Let's go over to Sam and Arizona 03 Buickless saber Sam. What's going on? How can I help?
So I thanks to take my call got a question regarding advice oxygen sensors.
So I have my rear exhaust header or manifold off that replace the baskets.
Should I replace the oxygen sensors since I have it out because it's 250,000 miles but they look good and they seem a lot better than the after markets are what's available now.
Well you know can you still get and I think I think you probably still could get Delcos for it I would you know they're off they're they're accessible all right.
They're cheap right how much is an O2 sensor 35 40 50 bucks they're not a lot of money anymore single wire O2s right.
I think they're two okay even so you know you have access you have access to them now all right O2 sensors O2 sensors do wear out and degrade over time.
Alright 250,000 miles as long as you change both as long as you can get you know decent quality and I don't mean something on Amazon that you know is it really a delco or is it you know because the Amazon auto parts are a whole nother story.
I was I'm always concerned about counterfeit stuff but if I can get real GMs for it yeah I think now's the time it's you know looking looking at them doesn't necessarily tell you.
You know it's funny we we we still talk about O2 sensors in their simplest form and in training classes and the instructor still brow beat us with it would take a lab scope and you know X number of hours of setup to really look at cross counts and cycle and high limit low limit.
We can't really test them correctly that's why we leave it up to the computer so you know and O3 is it testing yeah are they okay sure there's no there's no fault for it there's no check engine light.
Right you know when when when does that happen and the fact that it's often it's it's in your hand and you know will it come out at 250,000 miles well you're going to find out.
Yeah okay now's the moment so second question quick question yeah so is it possible to code the.
Miss the car computer to change the delay on when the lights go off after you turn the car off it's like 20 seconds but I like to bump that to a minute is that possible to code scanner.
Not with it not with a code scanner if it's available with anything would have to be a factory level scan tool which in O3 was likely a tech to.
Right okay it would it would have to have been an option inside the BCM if I recall correctly and I I don't know that it's there.
How do you run that down only GM knows.
Well it would be plug in a scan tool literally plug in a tech to.
And look for it and see if it's listed as an option.
Now that that being said in this day and age do I think there's somebody out there that's a programmer that's probably written a program to do it yeah probably.
How do you find the Google machine right right okay you know see what it see what it comes up with but yeah it's.
You know it's it's a valid point sometimes you want to change some of those options and you know somewhere I think 0708 GM got smarter and they did make it as an option to us in the base but the early ones not so much.
Yeah so much and that's why I always say you got you got to look in the scan tool and see if it's there or not so.
So you think only manufacturer scan tool not a aftermarket.
Yeah I think only manufacturer scan tool absolutely I mean you could look you could try but I don't think you're going to see it.
I don't think you can see it you're very welcome so you'd be well you're welcome bye bye 855 560 9900 we're back right after this.
Did you know Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 10 upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Graham laptop.
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10 athletes will face the toughest job interview and fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points.
You are the fittest of the fit only one of you will leave here with an iFit contract for $250,000.
This is when mindset comes in someone will be eliminated pressure is coming down.
Trainer games on prime video January 8th watch the trailer on trainer games dot com.
Season 2 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 is Paige Becker's nephysic collier Kelsey Plum Brianna Stewart 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 2 sponsored by Samsung Galaxy tips off January 5th on TNT true TV and HBO Max.
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Come to this right the final minutes and yet here we are let's do a piece of email hey Ron home based in Maine I'm going to paraphrase this we love the car doctor on Sunday mornings on radio station WVOM and Augusta this comes to us from miles my wife and I have a 2025 camera hybrid we bought last winter we use it in Florida.
We're down there about six months my brother-in-law lives down there and tries to keep an eye on the place where we're up north for the summer he starts the camera once every couple of months to be sure the starting battery is charged the last time he tried to start the car the starting battery was dead we knew soon after we.
We got from the car in from the owners manual the charging the battery might be a problem I wanted to put a trickle charger on it however the manual states that the negative cable which also has other vehicle system negative cables attached to it needs to be removed from the battery before charging then another place in the manual states that if the starting battery is disconnected the cars electrical system may.
Deep program something in the vehicles computer system.
So I think you see the limit here the possibility of deep programming of the computer seems to be inevitable.
Whether I move the battery cable from the car in Florida in the spring or when I get back on the floor in fall of course the bad owners manually be exaggerating the programming thing I want to know why they're telling you can't do that miles.
You know I know a lot of people that are trickle charging batteries over time on vehicles such as this in this situation and I think I would probably count on what the dealer themselves have to say I know what I would do I would put the trickle charger on it and.
Leave it as a slow charge until somebody comes up with a reason otherwise I would also actually research it and I wouldn't just take the owner's manual is my be all an end all answer so I think it has to be a problem that you presented the Toyota dealer and see if you can find somebody they're knowledgeable that's not going to just read the script and come up with a solid answer I think doing a trickle charge unless they've got a particular module they're trying to protect.
Or a specific reason for saying that that doesn't work I think you're okay I think it's okay to trickle charger I think that you know there's deep programming they're worried about the adaptive transmission shift point and fuel trim compensation and some of the other things that the vehicles do today that you know are learned the learned values that's what they're talking about for deep programming it's not that it's going to deep program the operating system and not run.
It might take 15 or 20 miles of operation for it to learn how miles drives the car so that it can operate to its peak performance.
So that's not my concern my concern to be can I hook up a trickle charger and leave it in place for a long period of time I say yes I want somebody to tell me why no I hope that does it I'm running any in the car doctor till the next time good mechanics aren't expensive they're priceless.
For the big ones for the guys for the low and the high ones the pacifists the valiants for the optimists and the pessimists the ones who value the inside for those who are far away the ones who don't come from far away and the ones who don't come near for introvert and extrovert for those who think and what they do for those who showed us the way.
Did you know Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 10 upgrade to windows 11 with an LG Graham laptop voted PC mags readers choice top laptop brand for 2025 thin and ultra lightweight the LG Graham keeps you productive anywhere and windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades.
Visit LG USA dot com slash I heart for great seasonal savings on LG Graham laptops with windows 11 PC mag readers choice use with permission all rights reserved 10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points.
You are the fittest of the fit only one of you will leave here with an I fit contract for $250,000.
This is when mindset comes in someone will be eliminated pressure is coming down.
Trainer games on prime video January 8th watch the trailer on trainer games dot com season 2 of Unrival 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.
The energy is higher and every athlete shines.
Unrival basketball season 2 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 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 1% 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 FINRA 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 dot com slash disclosures.
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