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The Car Show with Dane Donovan - 4/11/2026

The Car Show with Dane Donovan - 4/11/2026

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About this episode

Dane Donovan runs a lively call-in show focused on spring/summer prep and troubleshooting. He urges drivers to schedule maintenance now—tires, brakes, fluids, and oil—so vacation doesn’t turn into a last-minute repair scramble. Calls cover a dead horn on a Mazda (likely clock spring/airbag-related), an Odyssey no-start fixed by re-seating the shifter (pointing to the park/selector assembly), and a gas smell on a carbureted El Camino (possible fuel/line leak). Other segments tackle Porsche service capability limits, a surprising AM-radio staticky issue tied to plug wires, and an AWD Rogue tire-tread mismatch claim dispute.

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Term

brakes

"...you know you're you're automotive repair shops, says, Hey, you're gonna need breaks real soon. You're probably gonna need them in about a month or two..."

They’re saying to get brake work scheduled early. That way you’re not stuck with a car that needs repairs right before your trip.

Term

clock spring

"...your horn runs through what's called the clock spring. Okay, it's and that's behind the the air bag..."

The clock spring is a part behind the steering wheel that lets wires stay connected even when you turn the wheel. If it breaks, the horn can stop working, and it’s near the airbag wiring.

Car

Honda Odyssey

"...have a rare no start situation in MIO seven Honda Odyssey okay, And the way I resolve it is I just have to ..."

The Honda Odyssey is a minivan, meaning it’s built to fit more people and handle family driving. The episode mentions a problem where the van wouldn’t start, and the speaker explains how they got it working again. A no-start issue is important because it can stop you from driving at all.

Term

neutral safety switch

"Correct? Will it start in neutral? Oh? I never tried that. Okay, So if it. Will start, you know, typically if your car will not start, but it will start a neutral that's typically a neutral safety switch, which would cause the car to allow you to start it right."

This is a safety switch that stops the car from starting unless the shifter is in the right spot. If it’s bad, the car may refuse to start even when you think it’s in Park.

Concept

replace the entire assembly

"A lot of times most people go, well, Dane, can I just replace that switch? Most of the time, Han is not gonna sell just that switch. You're gonna have to replace the entire assembly..."

A lot of the time you can’t just replace one small sensor. It’s built into a bigger shifter unit, so the repair is usually replacing the whole assembly.

Company

Frank's Heavy Truck Collision Repair

"Do you have a truck, camper, r V or trailer that needs body repair? If so, call my buddy Dave Breakmanute. [575.5s] Frank's Heavy Truck Collision Repair located just All five seventy five or Route sixty three."

“Frank's Heavy Truck Collision Repair” is a collision repair business specifically for heavy trucks. The ad emphasizes body repair and getting vehicles back on the road, which is relevant to listeners who may need truck body work after an accident.

Concept

RV

"Do you have a truck, camper, r V or trailer that needs body repair?"

RV means recreational vehicle—like a motorhome or camper you travel in. The host is saying the shop can help repair body damage on RVs too.

Concept

body repair

"Do you have a truck, camper, r V or trailer that needs body repair? If so, call my buddy Dave Breakmanute."

Body repair is fixing the outside of a vehicle after it’s been damaged—like dents, broken panels, or crash damage. It’s what you do to make the vehicle look right and, in many cases, fit and align correctly again.

Term

AM radio

"and that Corolla, no matter what, it ran great, it just AM was terrible. He's real staticky, right, And I could never really listen to Am. It was horrible."

AM radio is one of the two main types of radio stations (AM and FM). If AM sounds super noisy or staticky, it’s usually because of reception or interference, not because the car is broken.

Term

AutoZone

"Later, I was an auto zone or something and they had plug wires on sale, and they were real good ones, but they were discounted price."

AutoZone is a store that sells car parts and supplies. The speaker went there to get the plug wires they needed.

Term

plug wires

"Later, I was an auto zone or something and they had plug wires on sale... I put those new plug wires on there... just by chance... I went to check to see if I could hear the red score... my hand was perfect... Saturday needs plug wires."

Plug wires are the cables that send electricity to the spark plugs so the engine can ignite fuel. If the wires are old or damaged, the spark can be weak and the engine may run poorly.

Concept

smoked

"I mean you couldn't kill those things. I mean they smoked, they towards the end of their life."

When someone says a car “smoked,” they’re usually referring to visible exhaust smoke, which can indicate oil burning, fuel issues, or other engine problems. In the context here, it’s tied to the earlier mention of burning oil toward the end of the car’s life.

Concept

burn some oil

"They would smoke and burn some oil, but I mean they were still a good car."

If a car “burns oil,” it means the engine is using oil instead of keeping it where it belongs. You may see blue smoke, and you have to check and top up oil more often.

Concept

no rust

"Those cars, like you look at them now, there's no rust on those cars. There's nothing to us."

“No rust” refers to the body and underbody staying free of corrosion, which is a major factor in long-term durability and resale value. The speaker is using the lack of rust on older Saturns as evidence they were built to last.

Term

computer module

"[1124.6s] Know, you know, if it gets into electronics where it needs some type of computer module, I'm not going to have the software to do that. But as far as maintenance, tires, brakes, [1136.8s] water pumps, timing belts, things like that, we can handle that."

A computer module is the car’s electronic “brain” for certain systems. If it needs software or special programming, it can be harder for a shop without the right tools.

Term

ABS

"I just because I had a little Poorsch boxter for a couple of years and I couldn't communicate with the ABS mob just to the ABS light trash control light ron"

ABS is the system that helps prevent wheel lockup during hard braking. If it has a problem, the car can turn on an ABS warning light, and you usually need a scan tool to find out why.

Term

clutch

"And I had so the way I acquired mine was that needed a clutch, So when they were putting the clutch in it, I had them that I am I am RC or whatever."

A clutch is what you press to shift gears on a manual transmission. If a car “needs a clutch,” it usually means the wear parts are due for replacement, which can be expensive but also predictable.

Part

fuel injector

"And turns out that a fuel injector was leaking and was able to find the part... had it there within twenty four hours, had it fixed, and back out on the road"

A fuel injector is the component that sprays fuel into the engine in a controlled way. If a fuel injector is leaking, it can cause fuel smell, poor running, and in some cases a fire risk, so fixing it quickly is important.

Company

Amazon

"...was able to find the part on Believe it or not, Amazon found the part on Amazon, had it there within twenty four hours"

They found the needed part quickly through Amazon. That kind of fast parts availability can really help when you’re trying to get an older car repaired fast.

Company

Donovan's

"...because I don't you know, we don't always have access to all of the software, all the tools but at Donovan's will always take a look at it, always give you an honest opinion... we'll give you advice as to who you could take it to."

Donovan’s is the shop being promoted in the episode. They’re saying they’ll look at your car, tell you what they think is going on, and help you find the right place if they can’t do the work.

Concept

water leak

"So there's some companies, like I said earlier when I started the show, if you've got a water leak in your vehicle, because we've had. All this rain, I got a guy. I got a guy that can fix that water leak."

When someone says there’s a “water leak” in a car, they usually mean fluid is leaking somewhere. It could be coolant (the engine’s cooling fluid) or another liquid, and it’s important to find the exact spot so it doesn’t cause bigger problems.

Brand

Mercedes

"You're listening to the car show on fifty five KRS the talk station. Audy, Mini, BMW, Bolkswagen, Actors and Mercedes."

Mercedes is one of the brands they’re talking about. The idea is that luxury foreign cars can need specialized tools and expertise to keep them running smoothly.

Brand

BMW

"You're listening to the car show on fifty five KRS the talk station. Audy, Mini, BMW, Bolkswagen, Actors and Mercedes."

BMW is one of the car brands they’re talking about. They’re saying foreign brands like BMW may need special knowledge to maintain properly.

Concept

options

"It has a twenty six options, so it's just like a supersport. But the guy ordered it with all the options, and I guess he wanted to save some money and not put the super Sport label on it. But it came with, like I said, twenty six options."

“Options” are the extra features you choose when the car is ordered new. A car with more options often feels more complete and can be worth more later.

Term

carburetor

"...could be the carburetor itself, or you've got some type of I mean I would I would inspect."

A carburetor is an older way of feeding fuel to the engine. It blends fuel and air before it goes into the cylinders. Newer cars usually use fuel injection instead.

Term

rubber hose

"...it sounds like it's pretty much spent most of its life in a garage, so I doubt it's it's gonna it's gonna be a metal or a rusted outline. It's gonna be some type of rubber hose that's failed and is leaking somewhere."

A rubber hose is a flexible tube that carries fuel. If it ages or cracks, it can start leaking, usually around the connections or along the hose.

Concept

Carporators were a thing of the past

"That was the thing when I got into this twenty five years ago. Carporators were a thing of the past,"

They’re saying carburetors used to be common, but newer cars moved away from them. Fuel injection controls fuel more accurately, which helps the car run better and cleaner.

Term

carbureted

"...because I had had motorcycles in the past that were carbureted, and what a nightmare it just I mean..."

A carburetor is an older system that mixes air and gas before it goes into the engine. It can need more tuning and can act differently depending on weather and conditions.

Term

fuel injected

"I remember when I was twenty one, I bought my first motorcycle and it was fuel injected, and that was like because I had had motorcycles in the past that were carbureted, and what a nightmare it just I mean..."

Fuel injection is how an engine gets gas. Instead of a carburetor mixing air and fuel mechanically, it uses sensors and valves to spray the right amount of fuel at the right time.

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