The Car Show with Dane Donovan - 10/18/2025

You know what they say.

Early Bird gets the ultimate vacation home.

Book early and save over $530 on a week-long stay with Virbo.

Because early gets you closer to the action,

whether it's waves lapping at the shore

or snoozing in a hammock that overlooks, well,

whatever you want it to.

So you can all enjoy the payoff come summer

with Virbo's early booking deals.

Rides and Shine.

Average savings $550, select homes only,

minimum seven-day stay required.

If you're a maintenance supervisor for a commercial

property, you've had to deal with everything

from leaky faucets to flickering light bulbs.

But nothing's worse than that ancient boiler

that's lived in the building since the day it was built.

50 years ago, it's enough to make anyone lose their cool.

That's where Granger comes in.

With industrial-grade products

and dependable fast delivery,

Granger can help with any challenge

from worn-out components to everyday necessities.

Call clickgranger.com or just stop by.

Granger for the ones who get it done.

Hi, I'm Julianne Moore.

I learn a lot from every role.

But some things stay with me more than others,

like the impact of Alzheimer's disease.

It's important to think about brain health now

because there's so much we want to do.

Acting early to protect brain health

may help reduce the risk of dementia

from conditions like Alzheimer's disease.

Ask your doctor about your risk factors

and for a cognitive assessment,

learn more at brainhealthmatters.com.

This is a paid partnership with Lilly.

We know mornings can be hectic,

which is why every little win matters.

And breakfast, it's got wins of its own,

like grabbing the new Oikos protein shake

for 30 grams of protein.

That's a big little win.

Or pouring silk almond milk for five essential nutrients

and giving your cereal a little extra goodness.

That's a sweet win.

Add international delight to booster coffee

and let Activia Yogurt handle gut business.

Win and win.

And right now, another win.

Get $5 when you spend $10 or more

on participating favorites.

Details at morningsupgraded.com.

Mornings Upgraded.

Now goes the wind, see the white bird

slapping out of tempo

keeping perfect rhythm with the song on the radio.

Gotta keep it rolling.

Hard wash.

Working like a hard washer.

Baby, you're a song,

you make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise.

Good afternoon and welcome to the car show on 55KRC.

I'm Dane Donovan from Donovan's Auto & Tire Center,

taking your car questions.

The number to call, 513-749-5500.

It is a gorgeous Saturday afternoon

and I barely made it as usual.

I lived my life one minute at a time.

I am here and my son had a football game

so they were in the playoffs.

And so it was fun.

I unfortunately got roped into being on the chain gang

so I had to run the chains

and towards the end I'm like, hey, I gotta go.

Somebody's gonna have to take over.

I'm like, I'm not gonna make it on time

and then Tony Bender's gonna be mad at me

and nobody wants that.

But my wife just updated me.

They won their game 14-0.

And it's my middle son, Nolan.

So he had a great sack, great tackle,

did a great job.

The whole team did a phenomenal job.

So good job to the All Saints football team.

They move on in the playoffs.

Also our Bengals.

I didn't see that coming.

I'll be honest with you.

I have not lost faith, but on a Thursday night,

I turned into a pumpkin after nine o'clock

so I wasn't gonna subject myself to watching it

in hopes that they do win

and they pulled it off, did a phenomenal job.

So kudos to them as well.

And then after this, I am heading to a car show.

It is unfortunately, it's invitation only,

but it's for a great cause

for Hampton County Police Association.

So I'm gonna head there.

So I'm gonna bolt out of here as soon as I can,

head home, change, and head down in there.

So it's a gorgeous day.

And again, in studio, taking your phone calls,

again, the number to call, 513-749-5500.

And number one more time, 513-749-5500.

Let's go to the phones.

We have Jimmy.

Hey, Jimmy, welcome to the car show.

How can I help?

Good afternoon.

How are you?

I have a solution for you.

Always talk about oil consumption.

My wife is, I bought her a 2011 Toyota RAV4,

wonderful vehicle.

It has 100 and almost 190,000 miles on it.

So the oil rings are wore out.

Originally it was to have 5W20 oil.

And it kept using oil.

So I drained it out and changed the filter.

And I put 10W40, mobile one,

a synthetic oil in it.

And I put 10W40, mobile one,

a synthetic oil in it.

And one can of STP.

And it don't use a drop of oil now.

That works.

Okay.

So can you, do you have your radio on?

Yeah.

Can you turn it off?

Yes, please.

Yeah.

Sorry.

I'm getting.

Yeah.

You got everybody.

Yeah.

There's a lot of feedback.

All right.

So you changed the filter.

All right.

So you changed the oil just to STP?

I mean, still the same.

Is it still 5W20?

No.

I put 10W40, mobile one.

10W40.

Okay.

You have a can of STP.

It doesn't use one drop of oil.

It needs oil rings.

I could pull that and bring it.

But I feel it's something else showing what it is.

So 10W40, mobile one.

Yeah.

And one can of STP.

You know what that is?

Is it some type of oil out it is?

It's a thickened petroleum.

I drag raced all my life.

You get 700, 500, 600,000 miles out of an engine.

Every time I change the oil, I put two cans of STP in it.

One way or another.

You don't remember the commercial days to hell?

I know.

I'm sorry.

Yes, I do.

I'm sorry.

I'm getting so much feedback.

It's just hard to hear you.

I apologize.

So I was just getting so much feedback.

I don't know if it was this phone or radio.

So I do apologize.

But yes, I am familiar with the STP.

And yes, oil consumption is something that we deal with on a daily basis.

Again, again, we've talked about this.

It is a wildly, wildly not talked about issue,

which I always talk about it on the show because we need to talk about it.

Everybody needs to be aware of it is that these newer cars,

and I don't care if it's, you know,

I've seen cars with 40,000 miles that start using oil.

It happens to most of these cars.

It's the way that they're designed.

And we all need to be aware of it because again,

back in 2008, it was, you know,

we all talked about changing oil every 3000 on conventional oil,

every 5000 on synthetic.

And then all of a sudden,

at the drop of a hat overnight,

when we were in that financial crisis,

and the automakers were needing to sell cars

and doing anything they could,

a lot of them were giving away free lifetime oil changes

or, you know, free five or six or 10 oil changes.

And I mean, my father-in-law included, you know,

when he bought his new vehicle,

they gave him several oil changes.

And when he took it in at 5000 miles,

like, oh, you're not due, we're not going to change it.

And these cars burn oil

and you should continue to stay on the path

of changing that oil every 5000 miles.

These cars are burning oil.

I just had a Hyundai and I talked about this.

I just had a Hyundai in two weeks ago.

A gentleman came in,

check engine light was on, the vehicle was running rough.

He just had the engine replaced from Hyundai.

I'm talking brand new, not used,

not remanufactured, brand new engine from Hyundai.

This was the car's first oil change.

And he brings it to me because the car's running

rough check engine lights on.

Brings it to me, there's no oil in it, none.

And that Hyundai just replaced the engine.

And, you know, we're told and taught that,

hey, look, focus on the light,

focus on when the car tells you you need oil.

And so many people come to me and I say,

hey, you know, you need an oil change.

And they're like, oh, no, no, my car says I still have 30% life left.

I'm not going to change it right now.

Well, again, let me reiterate that that is not the level of the oil.

That is the life of the oil.

Your car literally can come to me with a quart of oil in it.

And everybody assumes, and rightfully so,

you assume that that oil light's going to come on.

And I'm here to tell you that they don't.

I cannot tell you in the past 10 years,

the last time I saw a car come into my shop or any of my shops

with a low oil light on.

They don't come on. They're there.

But I literally have cars come in with,

I'll pull a half a quart of oil out of them.

They hold four or five quarts, no oil light.

Cars run in rough because there's no oil in it.

And, you know, I'm not a conspiracy theorist

and thinking that, you know, it's designed that way.

But we need to talk about it.

It's something that we need to discuss

because it's something that is here.

I don't think it's going away anytime soon.

And I understand that oil is an oil change today.

I mean, you know, years ago, it used to be, you know,

I remember when I got into business,

it was, you know, 20, 30 bucks for an oil change.

Well, some of these cars are $100, $150.

I get it. It's expensive.

The oils are, you know, more sophisticated.

They're better.

Do I think that they're good enough that you can go

10, 15,000 miles changing once a year?

No, because the vehicles are consuming it.

Okay.

And a lot of people assume that,

oh, well, I'm not seeing any white smoke out of the tailpipe

or I'm not seeing anything.

It happens. You don't see it.

If you ever pay attention, get on the high,

when you're getting on the highway,

look at the car in front of you.

Now, obviously, stay safe, focus on the road.

But at the same time, look at the tailpipe.

I see a big old puff of black smoke coming out of that tailpipe.

That is oil that is soot that is burning through.

And again, you'll see it.

I promise you, you'll see it if you just focus on it.

And the problem is, we focus on, oh, I've got 30% life.

Well, yeah, you've got 30% life,

but you only have a quart of oil in your car.

And it does substantial damage to your vehicle.

And I understand that we don't want to be at a repair shop.

It's like going to the doctor or the dentist, right?

You don't want to be there, but we need our cars to get our kids to school.

In my case, football this morning, work.

And they're expensive. I get it.

But you want to make sure that you keep up on it.

And I harp on this all the time.

And the gentleman just talked about it,

opening up the show with, hey, I've got an oil consumption issue.

And there's a lot of things out there that will tell you, try this, try that.

And you can try them.

I have not, in my opinion, found a product that I have,

can wholeheartedly back and promise you that it's going to take care of your problem.

But what I can do with this platform is tell you,

you need to be aware of maybe making sure that you check your oil regularly

and making sure you're changing it regularly.

Now, that's not focusing on,

you want to focus on that little sticker up in your window.

That's it.

Don't focus on what the car salesman told you to do,

not your neighbor down the street, Bob,

who's been a mechanic for 30 years and what he says.

You want to focus on what that little sticker says.

And again, we all have to, most of us,

all have to stop at the gas station and get gas in our car.

So take that time instead of getting on your, excuse me,

getting on your phone and checking social media or what,

get out of your car, pop your hood and check your oil level.

It's important.

You know, and you can come by any Donovan's,

you can come by any of our locations,

you can go to DonovanTire.com, find your nearest location.

We'll check it for you for free.

We'll just swing on by and just say,

hey, Dan, can you check my oil?

We'll do it for free.

Not a problem.

I'd rather do that and you get the longevity out of your vehicle

than you blow it up, right?

Because there's no oil in it

or you're causing all kinds of other issues, right?

So it's important.

It's imperative.

We talk about it and I can't harp about it enough.

So it's important.

So, all right.

Again, taking your phone call.

It's a number to call 513-749-5500.

That number again, 513-749-5500.

Phone lines are wide open.

Coming up, we have Paul.

You're listening to the car show on 55KRC, the talk station.

This is 55KRC, an iHeart radio station.

Do you have a truck, camper, RV or a trailer

that needs body repair?

If so, call Frank's Heavy Truck Collision Repair.

Located just off I-75 around 63.

It's convenient to both Cincinnati and Dayton.

With over 30 years of experience,

including insurance work and fleet work,

Frank's knows the most important things are quality work

and customer satisfaction.

Frank's Heavy Truck Collision Repair prides themselves

in doing the job right

and getting your vehicle back on the road.

Call 513-829-9030.

829-9030.

It's Glenn Beck.

Weekday mornings at 9-06 on 55KRC, the talk station.

If you want the best deal on a new or used vehicle,

come see us at Dick's Auto Group.

With four dealerships, you get more selection

and more ways to save.

Dick's Hillsboro Honda, Dick's Hillsboro Hyundai,

Dick's Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of Wilsonville,

and Dick's Can-Be Ford.

And we'll meet or beat any advertised price

on new vehicles family owned for over 40 years.

We make car buying easy.

Dick's Auto Group.com.

You just gotta know where to go.

Dreaming of buying your first car or new home?

Knowing your FICO score is the first step to making it real.

With MyFICO, you can check your score for free

and it won't hurt your credit.

You'll get your FICO score, full credit reports,

and real-time alerts all in one simple app.

Your credit score is more than just numbers.

It's the key to building the future

you've been working toward.

Visit MyFICO.com slash free

or download the MyFICO app

and take the mystery out of your FICO score.

Are you tired of the constant rate increases

from the power company?

Then DPI Solar is for you.

I'm sick of these price hikes.

And if you're like me and you're sick of them too,

that's why you gotta check out DPISolar.com.

Buying from DPI Solar will actually add value to your home

unlike these other companies that just want to lease you the equipment

and it's all gonna pay off because you own your own power plant.

So no more surprise rate increases for no reason at all.

No more worrying about what you're gonna do if the power goes out.

Just reach out to DPISolar.com.

It's time to take your power back.

DPISolar.com.

Tell them Tanner sends you.

That's DPISolar.com.

For a hundred years,

Salem's Elsinore Theater has been the stage for unforgettable nights.

Music that moves you.

Comedy that makes you laugh until it hurts.

Performances that spark conversation.

The Elsinore has attracted vast audiences

bringing outstanding live entertainment to the community

and created lifelong memories.

Yours is next.

Step inside and make your own memory

in a theater as beautiful as the experience itself.

See what's coming next at elsinoretheatre.com.

That's elsinoretheatre.com.

Music

Taking your car questions the number to call 513-749-5500.

I'm Dane Donovan from Donovan's Auto and Tire Center.

And for those of you out there enjoying the wonderful weather we're having,

it's great.

But everybody still has car problems.

And in fact, I even had one myself this week.

So I have some older vehicles and I get picked on all the time by my cousin.

I don't like to let things go.

In fact, my wife even makes fun of me as well

because I have a car that I bought when I was 18

and she's like, can you just sell that car?

And I have a hard time parting with my stuff.

Now, by no means am I a hoarder.

Maybe a car hoarder, but not like a hoarder hoarder, right?

So I'm not like keeping old clippings and newspapers and trash or whatnot.

But I do like the cars that I've purchased.

I like to keep because I don't owe anything on them.

And you know, so again, I'm 41 years old.

The car that I have as a Civic had it since I was 18.

Bought it when I was a senior in high school.

Still running great.

Runs like a top.

The battery might be currently dead at the moment.

But but I had.

After that, I couldn't no longer get my wife and three children in a two door Honda Civic coupe.

So I bought my father's old F 150.

It's an 07.

It's impeccable shape to an extent.

Now, and this goes to and we talk about this all the time when you're buying a used vehicle.

Okay.

When you use this as an example, you might look at the outside of it and go, oh, man.

This thing's impeccable shape.

Looks great.

I mean, if you look at my truck, it my dad's old truck.

It looks impeccable.

It's great.

Yes, there is some rust on it.

It's not perfect.

Inside's perfect.

But my parts guy, my driver was driving it earlier this week.

And he says, Hey, Dane, some your back glass is rattling.

And so that's weird because it shouldn't be.

So I lo and behold, I go back and sure enough, the frame right there where the bed and the

cab meat has completely rusted through.

I mean, it's hanging by a thread.

So the bed was beaten up against the cab.

So took the bed off of it and lo and behold, it is unfortunately, it's shot.

I mean, there's, I don't think that there's much that I can do.

Can't get a frame for it.

It's obsolete.

Can't buy used one.

It's just way too much work.

So you look at my truck.

It looks in great.

It's looks like it's in great condition, but the rear end of it's about ready to fall

out.

So if you're buying a used vehicle, it's important and impeccable.

It's it's important.

Even if it's impeccable shape, it's important that you get it inspected.

Now, whether you you're in the tri-state area or you're buying out of town,

buying a reputable shop and do what's what we what we call a used vehicle

inspection, get it inspected by somebody who's reputable and can have it inspected.

Make sure you check the car fax report.

And you again, I don't even if the car fax report.

I see that so often that people go, Oh, well, I checked the car fax report.

It's good.

Well, that's not necessarily the case because guess what?

If I wrecked my vehicle and I towed her the whole friend of an elf,

which did happen last year, I had a buddy of mine that has body shop.

I had him fix it.

And guess what?

Doesn't show up on the car fax report because I had my buddy do it and I paid him to do it.

And it's not on the car fax report.

So if it's not on the car fax report, it doesn't always necessarily mean it hasn't been wrecked.

Years ago, I had a Lexus that was a pre-owned certified 100,000 mile and customer still brought it to me.

And lo and behold, I found that at the dealership, it was completely towed on the front end that did like,

I think they did like $30,000 damage to the front end of this vehicle.

And I found it.

And unfortunately, the lady took it back and they're like, Oh, well, we weren't aware of it.

And we're not going to make it certified anymore.

So it's important that you do that and get them inspected because if I sell you if anybody wants to buy it,

lightly use Def 150, let me know.

But always get them inspected if you're buying a used vehicle.

Always. It's important.

And like I said, we all have car problems.

I had one this week.

And unfortunately, I think my truck's going to probably end up in maybe a heap of metal.

All right.

Again, the number to call 513-749-5500.

Let's go to the phones.

We have Paul.

Hey, Paul, welcome to the car show.

How can I help?

Don't sell the Civic.

I still miss my 90 Accord that I sold at $394,000.

Wow.

Anyway.

Yeah.

Mine's a 2000 and she only has like 143,000.

She's still, but it's just, it's just so difficult with hauling three boys back and forth to sports

and schools and everything like that.

So no, I'm going to keep it anyway.

We talked a few weeks ago about my 2008 element.

The engine started making a racket.

And you had a low oil pressure issue?

Yeah, oil pressure.

I wound up, you know, I pulled the chain cover and valve cover and didn't see any issues.

And to get the pan off to check it, you got to almost take the engine out.

So I wound up pulling the engine and putting in one I had rebuilt and I had hit some misfire

problems with it.

I had to call last couple of weeks.

I think he took those off.

Yeah.

I apologize.

Yeah.

A little bit of a football going on.

Yeah.

So I wound up pulling the injectors from the engine I pulled out and put those in the engine I installed

instead of the ones that had been sitting around for a while.

And that's cured my...

Your misfire?

Cured my misfire.

So I'm back in business with this.

So oil...

I still haven't pulled the, still haven't pulled the pan off the old engine to diagnose it.

But your oil pressure is back up and everything's running smooth.

Oil pressure is like 25 at idle and it's like 70 or 80 by the time you get to 2000 RPM.

And how many miles were on that engine that you pulled?

Well, 260 so maybe.

Wow.

Okay.

And you rebuilt this engine that you just put in?

Yeah.

Like new sleeves, new...

No, not new sleeves.

Okay.

I wound up bored over 20,000 so I put new pistons, rings and rod bearings and crank bearings.

Wow.

You know, seals and all that good stuff.

So is there somebody that you take to have that machined or do you machine it yourself?

No, I don't machine it myself.

I had...

Smythe Automotive has done a lot of machine work for me.

Okay.

And I've had good success with it.

Well, good for you.

Well, I appreciate the follow-up.

And yes, I was gone.

I apologize.

But I'll be here for a while now.

So...

All right.

All right, Paul.

Well, thank you very much.

You have a great weekend.

I'll still call you back when I diagnose the old engine just for fun.

All right.

Thank you, sir.

So that's the thing.

If you want to invest the...

Again, I...

If you want to invest your time and your money...

Now, you know, we all get to that point where we decide whether or not it's worth it.

Right?

And, you know, again, the guys at work were like,

ah, just junk it.

Just junk it.

I get it.

Most people would.

But I don't owe anything on it.

It doesn't have any sentimental value.

But, hey, you know, it's a good truck.

I know what I have in it.

It's, you know, again, it was my dad's.

He bought it brand new.

And I know what I have in it.

I've put a tremendous amount of work into it.

Now, unfortunately, the frame is something that can be fixed.

Now, it's whether or not I want to put the time and money into it.

Now, you might sit there and go,

well, Dane, if you, you know, have the frame fixed or whatnot,

exceed the value of the car, it might.

And most people would nine out of 10 times people sit there and go,

it's not worth it.

I get it.

But for me, I think it's worth.

I think it's worth it because I know what I have.

Now, if I turn around and go buy a $10,000 truck tomorrow,

I don't know what I have.

I don't know who had it.

I don't know if anybody changed oil in it regularly.

I don't know what I don't know what I'm getting into.

So in my opinion, it's worth investing a little bit more money

in knowing what I have opposed to going out and buying something

that I don't know what I've got, right?

So, you know, and that's something that even,

and I'm here to tell you too,

even if you have a car that you bought brand new,

you've had its whole life,

and you're in the predicament that I'm in,

you have to tell yourself,

I don't care what Joe Schmo says down the street.

I don't care what your neighbor says or anybody else.

You have to just confide in yourself and decide whether or not

it's worth it to you.

And in my opinion, it's worth it to me.

Whether it exceeds the value of the car or not,

it's worth it to me, okay?

Now, yeah, granted, I have the ability to have it fixed,

and that does save some time and money.

But I've had customers that have spent,

I mean, I had a gentleman,

one a great customer of mine,

he had a Buick Riviera,

and I'm telling you what,

it was like a 93 Buick Riviera,

and I want to say in our old system, we kept track,

but I want to say he,

total what he spent with me was like $30,000

over the course of this vehicle fixing it.

Now, again, it was a 93.

Now, he made this thing all the way up to,

I want to say like 2020.

So, I mean, he got a tremendous amount of life out of it,

and it was still in impeccable shape,

but it just got harder and harder to find parts for it, you know?

So, it's one of those things

where you just have to not take anybody else's opinion

and focus on whether or not it's worth it to you

and if you want to invest the time and money, period.

So, for me, I think it's worth it.

Somebody else, it might be not.

So, all right, again,

taking your phone calls on number to call 513-749-5500.

Coming up, we have...

Wow, we've got the phone lines.

We have Warren, Mike, Terry, and Paul.

You're listening to The Car Show on 55KRC, the talk station.

October is here, and at Donovan's Auto & Tire,

we're proud to give the girls a break again this year.

Hi, I'm Dane Donovan.

All month long, you can get free brake pads or shoes

with your complete brake job,

and we'll donate 10% of the proceeds

to the Karen Wellington Foundation,

helping women living with breast cancer

take a break from treatment

and enjoy time to relax, laugh, and live.

Donovan's Auto & Tire Center,

Cincinnati's Honest Choice for Auto Repair since 1958.

Book your appointment at DonovanTire.com.

Visit sofai.com slash stunt to learn more.

Loans are originated by SoFi Bank and a member FDIC.

Terms and conditions apply.

NMLS 696891

New year, new vibe.

You want the warmth of a drink, that smooth little kick,

but you also want to wake up tomorrow feeling amazing.

That's where R.K. comes in.

R.K. is the world's first zero-proof spirits brand,

and they invented the warm molecule,

giving you the burn of whiskey or tequila

without a drop of alcohol.

Start the year strong with 28 bold zero-proof spirits,

zero calories, zero sugar, zero regrets,

so you can celebrate big

and still keep your resolutions on track.

Start the year right.

Join the zero-proof resolution at R.K.Feverages.com.

Why fight Portland traffic when unforgettable nights

are waiting in Salem?

The Elsinor Theater is your local spot

to enjoy standout music, comedy,

and performance art in a setting as stunning as the show.

For 100 years, the Elsinor has attracted audiences

from across the world

and has reclaimed its rightful place

as the cultural and artistic center of Salem,

bringing outstanding live entertainment to the community,

creating lifelong memories.

And yours is next.

Step inside.

Visit elsinortheatre.com today.

Don't miss Clay and Buck Monday at 1206 on 55KRC,

the talk station.

Taking your car questions to number to call

513-749-5500.

Let's go back to the phones.

We have Warren.

Hey, Warren, welcome to the car show.

How can I help?

I got a 2010 BMW X3.

It's got one of those three-liter sexes in it.

Great car.

Got a valve cover, apparently.

That's leaking.

And got a phenomenal number just to replace the valve cover,

like 1,400 bucks.

That sounds a little weird to me.

They say it's a plastic valve cover on top of the BMW.

And it cracked.

And it's got to be a way to fix that thing cheaper.

Also, it does not have a dipstick.

You press this button on the dash

and it tells you where the oil level's at.

Just wonder if you've had any experience with those.

Yes, very.

I have quite a bit of experience with them.

And so on the BMWs, yes.

So I'm not familiar with them cracking.

I don't know that I've ever seen one crack,

but the plastic valve cover.

10,000 miles.

The plastic valve cover,

what happens to them is they warp.

So what we've done in the past,

what you can do as an alternative,

but just be aware of it.

So what we have in the past,

the gaskets fail on the valve cover gasket

or on the valve cover.

However, the valve cover is plastic.

They warp from heat.

They don't always seal properly.

So in the past,

there have been times where what we've done

is we've replaced just the gasket.

And it's a 50-50 shot.

So sometimes that takes care of it.

Sometimes it does not.

You have to replace the gasket

and you have to replace the valve cover

because it's still continuous leak

because it's warped.

My suggestion is I'm sorry.

Does that save money?

Oh, absolutely.

Absolutely.

It would probably save you about

it probably save you about four or $500

by just putting a gasket on it.

Again, I have not seen one crack.

Now, just because I haven't seen it,

doesn't mean it can't happen.

What I would tell your mechanic is say,

hey, listen, tell him,

I understand that this valve cover,

that it's plastic, could be warped.

But can we just try to

put a gasket on it first?

I understand that it may not repair it.

It may not fix it.

But let's try that first.

Now, again, if it doesn't fix it,

you're back in the same boat

and then they're taking it back apart

and you're doing the whole job.

At all of my shops,

I have a BMW with a valve cover gasket leaking.

We do recommend replacing

the gasket and the valve cover

and it is about $1400.

But again, as an alternative,

you can have them just replace the gasket.

It's a 50-50 shot.

Sometimes we're successful with it.

Sometimes we are not.

But I think if you know going into it,

I mean, it's not going to leak immediately.

So they're going to put a gasket on it

and it might be

a year or two before it starts leaking again

and then...

That's worth a while.

So just tell them, hey, listen,

I'd like to just replace...

Let's try the gasket.

I understand that it might not 100%

fix the vehicle,

but I'm willing to take that sacrifice

and that chance of just replacing the gasket

and see where we're at and go from there.

So it is labor-intensive,

but again, it probably would save you

about $400 or $500

if you just did the gasket.

Second question.

Is there any way to put a...

Not instead of a gauge,

showing whether it's

off a gallon

of oil,

a quart of oil.

Is there any way to put the dipstick in it?

No, sir.

Okay.

Second related point, got an 88-core vet,

runs terrific

and

still goes like it originally did.

A good bit simpler

and less expensive to work on

than the BMW.

88

and

will still spin the tires

rolling at 20 mile an hour.

Goes like crazy.

Well, thank you.

I might try that.

Just try the gasket.

When you go in there

just say, hey, listen, I understand the implications

that this might not 100% fix it,

but I'm willing to take the chance

of just replacing the gasket for now

and go from there.

And again,

you're going to have success to...

You're going to have success to a point.

It will stop that oil from leaking.

It's just a matter of how long

do you prolong.

And again, it could be six months.

It could be two years.

But if you're like, hey, Dane, it's worth me

saving $400 or $500

and just trying to put a gasket on it

it might not work in telling your mechanic

that too. Say, listen, I understand that

this isn't

the 100% fix.

But I'm willing to take the opportunity

to just

replace the gasket. Let's start

there. And I understand that if it

doesn't fix it,

that's on you.

You just say, hey, put it on me.

But I want to try this first.

Let's try to treat it with a little bit of medicine

before we do surgery.

Sounds good.

Good advice. Thank you.

Well, thank you very much. You take care.

Bye.

That's the thing.

I've talked about this all the time.

I want to get to all these calls.

When it comes to cars

and I always kind of relate to the human body

because most of us can relate.

If you wake up one morning

and I'm 41 years old

I'm not old

per se. I feel like I am.

You know, you get up and you're like

that ankle hurts or that knee hurts.

You don't just ultimately call

your doctor and go, hey, we're going to do surgery.

You might need to

walk it off or maybe you need some Advil

or maybe there's another

underlying issue. But your doctor's

you're not going to go to your primary doctor

and he's just going to say, oh, yep.

Go ahead and replace it. No, let's treat

it with some medicine first. Let's see if there's something that we can do

on our end

to treat it with some medicine before we do any

type of surgery, right? And in his

case, again

we do at all of our

Donovan tire locations do recommend

replacing the gasket and

the valve cover.

And again, it's because the valve covers

are plastic. They warp

BMWs are notorious

for that. Now again,

have we had success by just replacing

the gasket? Absolutely.

And

if you know that going into

the matter that you're like, hey, listen, I'm taking

a gamble here. I'm taking a chance.

Now it will seal his

his oil leak up.

How long is where we're

at, right? Again, it could be six months

could be two years.

But if

and again at Donovans, we always try to

reiterate that, hey, listen, we can

we can do this or we

can do this, you know, it's it again, I'm

going to go back to

if you had to have open heart surgery

and you're like, hey, doc, why are you in if you see anything

else? Let's go ahead and knock it out. Let's get

it done, right? Because you don't want to go through that again.

Most people will look at it that way.

Other people go, you know what, let's just fix

what's wrong with my heart. And then if there's

something else that pops up down the road, I'll

worry about it later.

I mean, that that is a scenario

that most people can understand.

Everybody has a different thought process

is how they want to approach it

and what the cost involved is and

what the risk is.

So it's just something that when you take your car

to a mechanic, I had a

a young lady, a customer of mine

that

we did, we did some work on her car

and then later on down the road

it developed a coolant leak

and

and again, she was

very polite and respectful, but she goes

Dane, I don't know cars.

I didn't have this problem before

and can you help

me and can you walk me through

what I'm having this issue now after you've done

what you've done and I explained

it all and I'm like, hey, look, it's a

separate problem. It's a separate issue

and

I do believe that it's imperative

and it's so important that you explain

that to your customer. And if you

and if you are a customer and your car is

at the mechanic, ask those questions

and

you know, if they're a good

mechanic and they can walk you through

the process, it'll help

you understand what's going on with the vehicle

and I did that with her and she

understood and

and I and she was very

again, very respectful and polite, but

she was a bit frustrated because she says

I didn't have this problem before, but now I have

it after I've done some other work

to my car and she goes, I'm just

you know, I

confused this because

I don't know anything about cars and

a good mechanic and a good automotive

repair shop should

be able to

explain all of that

to you, lay it all out

and help you and guide you through that

process. I don't know anything about

you know, if my knee hurts or

I've got a pain in my chest or my head hurts

and whatnot, I

go to my doctor and he tells me what's wrong

with me, right?

And

I don't know anything about

the human body. He does. I take his

opinion and I roll with it.

So

and again, I understand

there's a million other repair shops out

there and some people

are some repair shops

are not reputable. We are

in a business for

68 years take pride in what we do. I love

what I do and

in fact so much that I'm here every Saturday

to answer car questions. So

you know, not necessarily to

gain your business, but it's

to have this platform

to talk to you and explain to you

what's going on with your vehicle and help you out

in the best way that I possibly can

and just give you the right

right information

so you can make the best decision for you

your family and your vehicle.

Okay, so.

All right, again, taking your phone calls and I'm going to call

513-749-5500

coming up we have Mike

Terry and Jared. You're

listening to the car show on 55KRC, the

talk station. Do you have a truck, camper

or a trailer that needs body repair?

If so, call Frank's Heavy Truck Collision Repair

located just all 575

at Route 63. It's convenient to both

Cincinnati and Dayton. With over 30 years

of experience including insurance

work and fleet work, Frank's knows the most

important things are quality work and customer

satisfaction. Frank's Heavy Truck Collision Repair

prides themselves in doing the job

right and getting your vehicle back on the road.

Call 513-829-9030

829-9030

Your financial goals

are unique. That's why Allworth

advisors are backed by a team of wealth planning

experts who know you and your priorities

creating personalized wealth strategies

tailored for today and

optimized for tomorrow. Elevate

your wealth planning at allworthfinancial.com

Get your roof siding and

gutters inspected before the quarter months.

The experts at Fasten Pro

Roofing is who I recommend. They offer

gutter cleaning so you're not jammed with leaves

all fall. They even clean the ice

dams out in the wintertime and they do more than just

roofing. They do gutters, skylights, siding,

solar, metal roofing

and repairs. Fasten Pro Roofing

A plus of the better business for your reputable

company providing quality work to make you

love your home. Call

513-774-9495

or visit FastenProRoofing.com

Looking for comfort built to a higher standard?

Big Joe Staysnag, the Buckeye Bulldozer

here. American standard

heating and air conditioning systems are

proudly assembled in the USA

built for reliability and superior comfort

and trusted by homeowners nationwide.

Homeowners

visit AmericanStandardAir.com

for more info and connect with your local

independent American Standard dealer.

Don't miss out. The energy

tax credit is ending soon, so act now.

American Standard Heating

and Air Conditioning, built to a higher standard.

Winning

Matters. Postman Law has

recovered over $3 billion for clients.

Injured? Call

844-Postman. It's free

to see if you have a case. Others

promise. Postman delivers.

Join John Ruhlman

with CoverSensee.com

and Brian Thomas, Sunday mornings at 8 a.m.

They'll help you navigate the

complex health insurance industry and all

of the health plan options available for people

in small businesses. That's Sunday

mornings at 8 a.m. on 55

KRC. This is 55

KRC. An I Heart Radio Station

Ready to buy

a car, a home, or just want to take control

of your money? Your FICO score matters

and 90% of top lenders

use it to make decisions. Check

your FICO score for free today

without hurting your credit score.

Visit MyFICO.com

slash free or download the MyFICO

app today. MyFICO gives

you the score lenders use most, plus

credit reports and real-time alerts

to help keep you on top of your credit.

Visit MyFICO.com

slash free and take the mystery out

of your FICO score.

Oh, such a clutch off-season pickup, Dave.

I was worried we'd bring back the same

team. I met those blackout motorized

shades. Lines.com made it crazy

affordable to replace our old blinds. Hard to

install? No, it's easy. I

installed these and then got some from my mom. She talked

to a design consultant for free and

scheduled a professional measure and install.

Hall of Fame's son? They're the number one online retailer

of custom window coverings in the world.

Blinds.com is the goat. Visit

blinds.com now for up to 50% off

with minimum purchase plus a free professional

measure. Rules and restrictions apply.

Why fight Portland traffic when

unforgettable nights are waiting in Salem?

The Elsinore Theatre is your local spot

to enjoy standout music, comedy

and performance art in a setting

as stunning as the show. For

100 years, the Elsinore has attracted

audiences from across the world

and has reclaimed its rightful place as

the cultural and artistic center of Salem,

bringing outstanding live entertainment

to the community, creating lifelong memories.

And yours is next.

Step inside. Visit

ElsinoreTheatre.com today.

For 100 years, Salem's Elsinore Theatre

has been the stage for unforgettable

nights. Music that moves

you. Comedy that makes you laugh

until it hurts. Performances

that spark conversation. The Elsinore

has attracted vast audiences bringing

outstanding live entertainment to the

community and created lifelong memories.

Yours is next.

Step inside and make your own memory

in a theater as beautiful as the

experience itself. See what's coming next

at ElsinoreTheatre.com.

That's ElsinoreTheatre.com.

Music

You're listening to The Car Show on

55KRC. I'm

Dane Donovan from Donovan's Auto

Entire Center here every Saturday from 1

to 2, MOTES Saturdays

as my producer, Daniel,

pointed out that

I was not here a couple weeks

and

I'm just a busy schedule.

For those of you

I'm going to get back to the phones. For those of you

who are out there, my wife

reminded me today

which I forgot, but today is sweetest day.

So if you have a sweetheart

make sure that you go out and get her some

candy or a card.

However, I did not.

I did though get up early.

I went out and got her coffee that she wanted

and her coffee cake and she goes,

what's the occasion? And I said, well just

you know, just trying to take care

of my wife and she's like, oh, I thought it was for sweetest

day. I'm like, yep, that's what it was for.

Absolutely.

So don't forget.

So I was like, well, you know, I was

honest with her. I was like, no, I did not know

that.

It's just something that we just, you know, I don't forget

Valentine's Day, but sweetest day.

But I said, hey, how about

later this afternoon we go to dinner.

So don't forget that this

afternoon sweetest day. If you haven't,

if you're listening and you forgot

to go out there and get some flowers

and cards or candy, whatever your wife

prefers or your significant other,

make sure you get them taken care of.

So all right, let's go to the phones. We have Mike.

Hey, Mike, welcome to the car show. How can I help?

Dang, I have

2018 F 150.

It's

302 coyote motor.

I

have the simplest repair

that I cannot do.

I've had this truck to two different

mechanics

and the dealer

and no one

can find

my ambient air

sensor.

So

I did some digging

myself

and there was

I guess if this truck was

built before

March of 2018

they

put it in the passenger

mirror.

It is not in the passenger mirror.

The wires are there but it's not there.

And then

if it was built after

March

of 2018

or whatever

it is in the center

grill support

of the radiator.

The hole is there

and the ambient air sensor is not.

My check engine

light is on

and the code that it throws

is the ambient air sensor

and no one can find it

on this truck.

Not even the dealer?

Not even the dealer.

They actually

even sent me

the

print out

of the location

and their location

I gave them the VIN number

and their location

showed the center

stud of the radiator

and it is not there

man I

one day I drove past a

off-road place

and I kind of know this guy

somewhat and he's a Ford guy

through and through

and for free

he came out and searched

about 40 minutes

and he goes

Mike I ran the code

it's coming up ambient air sensor

and I cannot find it

he said I don't know

what to tell you

and the only reason is

with the hot weather and stuff

it's affecting my air conditioning

mm-hmm

and

I'm at a loss

they even showed me the book

only $123 repair

at the dealer

to do this

and no one can find it

well would you let me

look for free

I sure would

I'll do it

where are you located

so I am

I'm just

I just looked up Melbourne because I wanted to see how far you were

so

I'm 15

12 to 15 minutes

from downtown Cincinnati so it looks like

maybe with where you're at

you're about 15 minutes from downtown Cincinnati

right

so I'm about 30 minutes from you

um like I said

if you just go up more 71

you get off at the Ridge Road exit

got it

just again it's my Ridge Road location

I've been there lately I have all

multiple I have other locations but

the Ridge Road location

is about 15 minutes from downtown so

again 30 minutes from you

I'll look at let me look at it

I always love

a good

you know

this is where I

I'll put four or five guys on it

I want to try to find it

like I said I won't charge it

let's try to

I want to be that guy that finds it

man I want you to be that guy

I'm at a loss because I'm pretty good

I love this truck

it just

I got a camper I haul

around known a couple small

dogs my wife and

you know that

ambient air sensor is definitely

affecting

my air conditioning and

um I just

can't believe I have been over this thing

a hundred times

I've traced wires I've

unless it's

maybe a sensor that I'm not

recognizing but

every ambient air sensor

even this one when I looked it up to

purchase it had like

the little nipple on it

pretty easy to recognize

correct and I

I can't find it

the dealer

couldn't find it and I've had

three different

auto mechanics and like I said the one

off road guy which I thought

he would be able to find it no problem

none of us can

find it

and I didn't want to get in

to taking the electric

mirrors off and all that

the passenger

mirror has

the little service door

under it that you just pop off

and it just has the

factory wires

in there

but no ambient air sensor

I lost

bring it by

I'll take care of you

I will thank you so much

let's go back to the phones

we've got Terry

welcome to the car show how can I help

I'll keep it quick so you can take more callers

because everybody's backed up

and you're rambling on

and nobody can get through

I'm playing an electric

or a hybrid vehicle

what can I expect

of a battery

on a fully electric

or a hybrid

how many years

so typically on electric

they haven't really been out long enough

that I've seen one come in that has 100

150 200,000 miles

so for the electric

I don't I to be honest with you

I don't know what you can expect

on a hybrid

I just bought I mean I've seen

Priuses go 200 300,000 miles

and still on the original battery

if you're gonna buy

between the two

if you're gonna buy a hybrid or electric

my opinion hybrid

if you're gonna buy a hybrid

buy a Toyota

okay the other question

I have real quick is

is there any mechanics

or any shops like

other than the dealers

that work on these

I mean as far as electric

I mean like electric I can do tires

and brakes or what not but

when it comes to electric no unfortunately

it's gonna pretty much go to the dealer

now if it's a hybrid yes I can work on

hybrids to an extent

I do have a buddy of mine that has

that owns Cincinnati hybrid down

in down on Madison road

in Madisonville

but there if it's a hybrid

yes there's people out there that fix

them as far as electric most of them

have to go back to the dealer

okay all right thanks all right thank you very much

Jared I do apologize

please call me back next week

I gotta get

thank you so much for waiting I really do appreciate it

I've got a skedaddle

I'll be back next Saturday to answer

all of your car questions you're listening

I'm Dane Donovan from Donovan's Auto

Entire Center

see you back here next Saturday you're listening

to the car show 55k RC

the talk station

music

you know what they say

early bird gets the ultimate

vacation home

book early and save over $530

on a week-long stay

with Virbo because early gets you

closer to the action whether it's

waves lapping at the shore

or snoozing in a hammock that overlooks

well whatever you want it to

so you can all enjoy the payoff

come summer with Virbo's early

booking deals rides and shine

average savings $550

select homes only minimum seven days

you're required

Ready to buy a car, a home, or just want to take control of your money?

Your FICO score matters, and 90% of top lenders use it to make decisions.

Check your FICO score for free today, without hurting your credit score.

Visit myfico.com slash free, or download the My FICO app today.

My FICO gives you the score lenders use most, plus credit reports and real-time alerts

to help keep you on top of your credit.

MyFICO.com slash free, and take the mystery out of your FICO score.

Why fight Portland traffic when unforgettable nights are waiting in Salem?

The Elsinor Theatre is your local spot to enjoy standout music, comedy, and performance art

in a setting as stunning as the show.

For 100 years, the Elsinor has attracted audiences from across the world

and has reclaimed its rightful place as the cultural and artistic center of Salem,

bringing outstanding live entertainment to the community,

creating lifelong memories.

And yours is next.

Step inside.

Visit elsinortheatre.com today.

The Car Show with Dane Donovan - 10/18/2025

About this episode

Toyota RAV4

5W20 oil

10W40 oil

synthetic oil

Mobil 1

STP

engine longevity

conventional oil

oil changes

burning oil

check engine light

engine replacement

oil life

oil light

black smoke

Dodge Ram

Honda Civic

Ford F-150

rust

frame

obsolete

pre-purchase inspection

Carfax report

Honda Accord

Honda Element

low oil pressure

engine rebuild

misfire

fuel injectors

Audi 100

Bmw X3

Request an Explanation

Want to learn more?

Help improve this episode

More from The Car Show with Dale and Dane Donovan