In this episode of Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, Ron opens with a visit to the local liquor store and a simple question—“How’s business?”—that quickly turns into a bigger conversation about the crazy state of the world, the economy, and yes, auto repair. From there, he dives into a head-scratcher in the shop: a 2020 GMC Denali with an intermittent no-crank that’s already on its fifth starter in five years. The owner’s “hammer tap” trick has always worked—until it doesn’t. Ron walks through modern battery testing, why today’s algorithm-based testers can miss an intermittent failure, how his old-school carbon pile load tester finally cracked the case, and why he ended up replacing both the battery and starter with parts he trusts.

The phones light up and Ron tackles a grab bag of real-world problems:

• A Toyota Tacoma with a long-standing rear “thump” that feels like someone hit you from behind – is it axle wrap, pinion angle, or something in the suspension geometry?

• A nasty rear brake job on a Ford Transit, and a shop tip on using CRC Pro Series Brake Clean to tame the rust and mess.

• An ’03 VW Jetta TDI with swapped engines and questions about injection timing, scan tool accuracy, and when you really need a dedicated VAG-COM tool.

• A Ford F-250 no-crank with a remote start system in the mix, where Ron explains why you have to think in terms of wiring paths, junction boxes, and key fuses like 27, 13, and 31 instead of just “bad starter.”

• And a quick, practical mini-clinic on tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS)—why you can’t judge a tire by kicking it, how temperature affects pressure, and what that little door-jamb placard really assumes.

If you want real-world diagnostic stories, straight talk about the insanity of modern car design, and practical advice you can actually use on your own vehicle, this episode’s for you.

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