Ron Ananian The Car Doctor

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Hour 2 - October 24, 2026

Have we fallen out of love with our cars, or has owning one just become too expensive?

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, opens Hour 2 with a question worth thinking about. A customer spends nearly $6,000 repairing a nine-year-old Chevy with just 70,000 miles. Why? Because spending $6,000 to keep a dependable car on the road beats spending $30,000 or $50,000 to replace it.

But that gets Ron thinking. Have we lost the emotional connection we once had with our automobiles?

From Sunday drives with Dad in an old Lincoln to colorful muscle cars, car washes, and weekend Cars & Coffee gatherings, Ron wonders whether today's drivers still love their cars or simply view them as expensive transportation.

Plus, in this hour:

• 2009 Ford Escape washer pump mystery: A Delaware caller discovers why a failed front windshield washer might actually be connected to the rear wiper motor.

• Old-school gasket repairs: Tips for sealing a cork valve cover gasket on a 1986 Dodge 600.

• Coolant isn't just for winter: Michael Marcangelo, Senior Product Manager at PEAK, joins Ron to explain why antifreeze protects your engine year-round.

• Coolant colors, chemistry, and compatibility: Why choosing the correct coolant matters more than simply matching colors.

• Concentrate or premixed? Which makes more sense for your vehicle and your maintenance routine?

• Cooling system safety: How to recognize leaks, avoid dangerous burns, protect pets, and know when it's time to service your antifreeze.

Cars have changed. Prices have changed. And maybe our relationship with the automobile has changed, too.

But one thing hasn't: Good mechanics aren't expensive. They're priceless.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor™ — America's Favorite Working Radio Mechanic.

Car Advice, Done Right 

🌐Visit: CarDoctorShow.com

📸 Follow Ron on Instagram: @ronananian

🎥 Watch repair tips and shop videos on YouTube

📻 Join the conversation LIVE Saturdays 2–4 PM 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Hour 1 - October 24, 2026

Sometimes the best thing a mechanic can do for a customer is send them somewhere else.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, opens this hour with a real story from his repair shop. A customer brings in a 2010 Honda for what seems like a simple tire repair. But four aging tires, worn steering components, and an unexpected $1,800 repair estimate turn a small problem into a much bigger decision.

Why would Ron recommend a national tire and repair chain instead of keeping the work in his own shop? The answer says a lot about customer trust, the changing automotive repair business, and what it really means to put the customer first.

Plus, your calls and questions:

• Used or new Cadillac? A New Jersey caller whose Lincoln was totaled in a nor'easter needs help choosing her next vehicle, with comfort, warranties, and possible flood damage all part of the equation.

• Fuel additives and engine protection: Micah from Maine asks about Hot Shot's Secret, Stiction Eliminator, and maintaining his high-mileage-minded Subaru.

• Whatever happened to wiper blade refills? Ron explains how vehicle aerodynamics have changed wiper blade and air filter designs.

• A Jeep that nearly burned: A Nevada listener shares a frightening story about leaves and debris igniting inside the heater box of his 1997 Jeep Wrangler.

It's an hour of real-world automotive advice, unexpected lessons, and a reminder that good mechanics aren't always the ones who sell you the repair. Sometimes they're the ones who help you find the best way to get it done.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor™ — Real Experience. Real Questions. Real Answers.

Good mechanics aren't expensive. They're priceless.

Car Advice, Done Right 

🌐Visit: CarDoctorShow.com

📸 Follow Ron on Instagram: @ronananian

🎥 Watch repair tips and shop videos on YouTube

📻 Join the conversation LIVE Saturdays 2–4 PM 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Hour 2 - October 17, 2026

Winter is coming. Are you and your car ready?

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor™, tackles one of the most overlooked safety items on your vehicle: windshield wiper blades. Joining Ron is James Croston, Senior Product Manager at PEAK, for a conversation about why good wiper blades matter, how often they should be replaced, and what makes one blade better than another.

From streaking and chattering to snow, ice, and freezing temperatures, Ron and James explain why being able to see clearly isn't a luxury. It's a necessity.

Plus, real calls and real repairs:

• 2021 Chrysler Pacifica: A mysterious dashboard rattle at highway speeds. Is it inside the dashboard, or is the wind revealing something else?

• 2003 Toyota Corolla: A previously discussed no-start problem is finally resolved, but a mystery sensor leaves Ron asking an important question: Did we really find the cause?

• Winter car care: Why Ron starts questioning batteries at four years old, recommends fresh wiper blades, and suggests replacing headlight bulbs in pairs when appropriate.

It's another hour of automotive troubleshooting, practical maintenance advice, and lessons from a mechanic who believes that fixing a car is only half the job. Understanding why it failed is what really matters.

Good mechanics aren't expensive. They're priceless.

Car Advice, Done Right 

🌐Visit: CarDoctorShow.com

📸 Follow Ron on Instagram: @ronananian

🎥 Watch repair tips and shop videos on YouTube

📻 Join the conversation LIVE Saturdays 2–4 PM 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - October 17, 2026 - Hour 1

What happens when a simple brake job turns into a repair shop nightmare?

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor™, takes listeners behind the scenes of a week that went sideways. With his only technician unexpectedly hospitalized, Ron finds himself working alone, juggling repairs, and battling a 2011 Ford E250 van whose grinding brakes reveal rusted components, seized parking brake hardware, and a growing list of hard-to-find parts.

It's a story about experience, persistence, and the quicksand that even seasoned mechanics can find themselves sinking into.

Plus, real calls from across America:

• 2024 Ram 2500 Cummins: Is Hot Shot's Secret Stiction Eliminator worth using in an expensive diesel engine?

• 2012 Lexus CT200h: A mysterious cold-start rattle raises questions about engine timing, hybrid drivetrain components, and proper diagnosis.

• 2004 Lexus RX330: Catalytic converter codes return after oxygen sensor replacement. Why replacing parts isn't the same as diagnosing the problem.

From unexpected shop challenges to expensive repair decisions, Ron delivers real-world automotive advice from someone still turning wrenches every day.

Good mechanics aren't expensive. They're priceless.

Car Advice, Done Right 

🌐Visit: CarDoctorShow.com

📸 Follow Ron on Instagram: @ronananian

🎥 Watch repair tips and shop videos on YouTube

📻 Join the conversation LIVE Saturdays 2–4 PM 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - October 10, 2026 - Hour 2

Have modern cars become too complicated—and too expensive for the average driver to own and repair?

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor™, tackles that question after a listener from Iowa raises concerns about the growing cost of automotive technology. Ron shares real-world examples from the repair bay, including a 2019 Ford Edge requiring $1,000 in liftgate parts and a two-year-old Genesis facing an astonishing $18,000 headlight-related repair estimate.

And what happens when the technology becomes so expensive that a relatively minor accident could total a vehicle?

Also in this episode:

• A listener asks whether six months is too long between oil changes, even when driving just 3,000 miles.

• A 2003 Toyota Corolla develops a mysterious no-start condition, with the cooling fan running and the temperature gauge behaving strangely.

• Why the shortage of skilled automotive technicians and the cost of diagnostic equipment matter to every vehicle owner.

• Preventive maintenance advice for a low-mileage Dodge Durango.

• How to recognize a possible flood-damaged used car before making an expensive mistake.

Plus, Ron reflects on a visit to his old high school, where an eight-bay automotive shop has been reduced to just one bay—and what that says about the future of the repair industry.

Cars may have changed, but the fundamentals haven't. Good diagnostics, proper maintenance, and knowing what you're buying can save you thousands.

Real Experience. Real Questions. Real Answers.

Car Advice, Done Right 

🌐Visit: CarDoctorShow.com

📸 Follow Ron on Instagram: @ronananian

🎥 Watch repair tips and shop videos on YouTube

📻 Join the conversation LIVE Saturdays 2–4 PM 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - October 10, 2026 - Hour 1

Sometimes the simplest tests lead to the biggest answers. Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor™, takes listeners inside the shop with a remarkably clean 2001 Chevy Suburban showing just 31,000 miles—but suffering from a mysterious multiple-cylinder misfire. Using scan data, an old-fashioned mechanic's stethoscope, and a multimeter, Ron tracks the problem to a failed spark plug and ignition coil.

Then the phones go international! A listener from Saudi Arabia calls about a 2013 Ford Expedition with an air-conditioning problem that became worse after an evaporator cleaning. Ron walks through blower motor diagnostics, resistor testing, and why replacing parts isn't the same as diagnosing a problem.

Plus, a New York caller asks whether Ford should help replace the severely rusted engine cradle on his 2011 Fiesta—and what to do when a potential safety recall doesn't appear under his VIN.
Three vehicles. Three different problems. One lesson: Start with the basics, test before replacing parts, and never assume new means good.

Real experience. Real questions. Real answers.

Car Advice, Done Right 

🌐Visit: CarDoctorShow.com

📸 Follow Ron on Instagram: @ronananian

🎥 Watch repair tips and shop videos on YouTube

📻 Join the conversation LIVE Saturdays 2–4 PM 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Hour 2 - October 3, 2026

This hour, Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor™, looks at an automotive world caught between technology, fuel economy, affordability and reliability. Hybrids are gaining ground as drivers look for better mileage without completely changing the way they drive—but even conventional gasoline cars have become increasingly complex.

Ron also tackles a strange 2020 Subaru Forester with a rear hatch that seemingly opens by itself and leaves the battery dead, including the possibility of key-fob interference, electronics problems and even unexpected triggers around the vehicle.

Then a caller with a 1995 Toyota pickup faces the question every owner of an aging vehicle eventually asks: When is an old car worth saving? With frame rust, dwindling parts availability and restoration costs mounting, Ron explains why sometimes the smartest solution may be finding the right donor vehicle—or knowing when corrosion has simply gone too far.

Plus: fuel economy, rising gas prices, flood-damaged cars entering the marketplace, keyless-entry theft concerns, the growing popularity of hybrids, and why Ron still believes cost per mile matters more than the technology badge on the trunk.

And one lucky caller walks away with the Advance Auto Parts DieHard 73-Piece Roadside Emergency Tool Kit.

Because whether your vehicle is 31 years old or brand new, the goal hasn't changed: keep it reliable, keep it affordable, and keep it on the road.

Car Advice, Done Right 

🌐Visit: CarDoctorShow.com

📸 Follow Ron on Instagram: @ronananian

🎥 Watch repair tips and shop videos on YouTube

📻 Join the conversation LIVE Saturdays 2–4 PM 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Hour 1 - October 3, 2026

Sometimes a trouble code is like waking up with a pain in your neck. Your body knows something isn't right — and so does your car.

This week on Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor™, Ron follows the clues on a 2021 Ford Escape Hybrid that keeps revealing problems one at a time. First it was a failed grille shutter actuator. Then an EGR high-flow code. Then an airbag sensor fault.

And then Ron pulled up the interior trim.

There was a nest. Chewed wiring. And suddenly, an accident that supposedly never happened became part of the story.

Ron explains why good diagnostics are often sequential — fix what you can prove is broken, clear the way, and see what the vehicle tells you next.

Then Steve from Virginia calls about his 2013 Honda Civic with nearly 194,000 miles and a frustrating drop from roughly 23–24 MPG around town to just 18. Ron walks through a practical fuel-economy diagnostic strategy, including mass airflow readings, coolant temperature, thermostat operation, intake deposits, fuel quality, tire pressure, idle time, and why you should verify the dashboard MPG calculation the old-fashioned way.

Also in this hour:

• Why fault codes don't lie — but don't always tell the whole story

• How moisture can destroy a Ford DPFE/EGR pressure sensor

• Why evidence of rodents changes the entire diagnostic game

• What a 1.8-liter engine's mass airflow reading can tell you

• Why changing oil viscosity because of hot weather isn't necessarily a good idea

• The CRC 05320 fuel-system cleaning kit

• Why learning a skilled trade can provide more than just a paycheck

And Ron comes back to one of the most important rules in diagnosis:

“Tell me what's good, and I'll tell you what's bad.”

Because good mechanics don't start by guessing what's broken.
They prove what works.

Car Advice, Done Right 

🌐Visit: CarDoctorShow.com

📸 Follow Ron on Instagram: @ronananian

🎥 Watch repair tips and shop videos on YouTube

📻 Join the conversation LIVE Saturdays 2–4 PM 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BEST OF THE CAR DOCTOR  - Hour 2 - September 26, 2026 

What’s the most expensive number in car ownership?

It’s not the sticker price.
It’s not the monthly payment.
It’s not even the repair bill.

It’s cost per mile—the number almost nobody calculates until it’s too late.

This hour, Ron explains why modern vehicles demand a different approach to ownership and how looking ahead can save you from making an expensive decision later.

A real shop conversation asks the tough question: If your vehicle has $5,000 worth of repairs coming, is it still worth fixing? Ron also digs into why car ownership can’t be purely emotional, the debate over start-stop technology and long-term engine wear, and a Subaru recall involving potential fuel leakage and fire risk.

Being a good mechanic today sometimes means being a fortune teller—helping drivers see what’s coming before it gets expensive.

Because the smartest car owners don’t just react to repairs.

They plan for them.

Car Advice, Done Right 

🌐Visit: CarDoctorShow.com

📸 Follow Ron on Instagram: @ronananian

🎥 Watch repair tips and shop videos on YouTube

📻 Join the conversation LIVE Saturdays 2–4 PM 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BEST OF THE CAR DOCTOR  - Hour 1 - September 26, 2026 

This Hour of Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor™ is for the Weekend Wrenchers—the driveway DIYers, toolbox in hand, trying to save money and keep their vehicles going as cars get more complicated by the minute.

Ron looks at how modern technology is changing the DIY repair game. Oil changes, filters, fluids and some brake work may still be within reach, but more repairs now require scan tools, service-mode procedures and information that can stop even an experienced DIYer in his tracks. A late-model GM brake job shows exactly where determination can turn into frustration.

Calls include advice on bringing a low-mileage 2018 Toyota RAV4 back to life after sitting for months; a Chrysler van with a fuel smell and intermittent stutter; and a 2010 Ford with a rough idle and questions about what the scan data is really saying.

It’s a practical hour about what you can still fix in the driveway, where modern cars push back—and why knowing your limits may be the smartest repair of all.

Car Advice, Done Right 

🌐Visit: CarDoctorShow.com

📸 Follow Ron on Instagram: @ronananian

🎥 Watch repair tips and shop videos on YouTube

📻 Join the conversation LIVE Saturdays 2–4 PM 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.