Ron Ananian The Car Doctor

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.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Hour 2 - September 19, 2026

You bought the car. You made the payments. But when it needs repair, who really gets to decide who can fix it?

This week on The Car Doctor, Ron Ananian digs into the growing Right to Repair battle and explains why it goes far beyond getting a wiring diagram. Modern vehicles depend on software, secure gateways, scan tools, programming and telematics—and access to that technology may ultimately determine where your vehicle can be repaired.

Ron explains why Right to Repair is really about something much simpler: consumer choice.

Plus, a BMW M8 Competition that mysteriously needed spark plugs at only 5,000 miles, a longtime listener trying to push his Honda toward 400,000 miles, and Ron finishes the complicated cooling-system repair on a 2021 Ford Escape Hybrid—with a little help from the OPUS IVS platform.

And sometimes the hardest automotive problems have the simplest answers: a Chevy Silverado with an annoying squeak proves once again why good diagnosis still matters.

Real cars. Real problems. 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 1 - September 19, 2026

There’s a storm brewing in the automotive world—and this time it isn’t just about the price of gasoline.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor™, takes a firsthand look at the growing engine-oil shortage as repair shops and retailers begin facing purchasing restrictions, prices climb and certain viscosities and specifications become harder to find. Why is this happening, how long could it last, and what should you be doing now to protect your vehicle?

Ron explains why modern engines require very specific oils, why simply grabbing the right viscosity off the shelf may not be enough, and why using the wrong specification to get through a shortage could become an expensive mistake.

Then it’s back to the phones: a 2000 Chevy Silverado with mysterious transmission and transfer-case problems raises an important diagnostic question—could something as simple as a bad ground be causing all the trouble?

Plus, with the cost of replacing a vehicle continuing to climb, Ron goes back to basics with practical maintenance advice: air and cabin filters, throttle-body cleaning, fuel-system service and the little things that can help your car run better and last longer.

Because today, it seems you have two choices: car payments or repair bills. Taking care of what you already own has never mattered more.

Real cars. Real problems. Real answers.

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Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Hour 2 - September 12, 2026

Auto repair doesn’t always go according to plan—and sometimes just getting to the problem is half the battle.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, takes you inside the service bay with a 2021 Ford Escape Hybrid suffering from a communication fault with its active grille shutter system. Multiple scan tools, OE-level diagnostics, circuit testing and a lot of disassembly eventually reveal the real culprit: a corroded power wire buried deep in the harness. It’s a perfect example of why good diagnostics have to be slow, methodical and proven—not guessed.

Then the phones light up. A listener with a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee has a “Service Shift Selector” warning and suddenly no reverse. Ron explains why the transmission itself may not be the problem and uses an old-fashioned landline telephone system to make today’s vehicle computer networks easy to understand.

Next, what do you do with a 2002 Honda with an incredible 323,000 miles and a slight transmission engagement delay? Repair it, replace the transmission—or leave well enough alone? Ron weighs the economics of keeping an older vehicle alive.

Plus: Ford 3.5L internal water-pump failures, Nissan ABS/VDC problems, wheel-speed diagnostics, and preparing a diesel for winter.

Real cars. Real problems. Real-world diagnosis.

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 - September 12, 2026

Where do great mechanics come from? Are they born with “the touch,” or can it be taught?

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, looks at the technician shortage from a different angle: maybe the automotive industry hasn’t done enough to nurture the next generation.

Ron remembers a young trade-school graduate named Gus who knew the procedures—but one flat tire at the far end of the shop parking lot revealed something his education hadn’t taught him: how to improvise when the procedure no longer fits the situation. It leads Ron back to one of his father’s lessons: follow steps one through ten—but also know when the repair demands that you think outside the box.

Then there’s Danny. Years ago, Danny walked into Ron’s shop carrying an F-150 steering knuckle and needing help pressing ball joints. Ron handed him the tools and instructions and watched. Within half an hour, Danny had figured it out himself. Ron knew immediately: “Kid, you’ve got it.”

Nature or nurture? Maybe great mechanics require some of both.

Ron also gets back to the nuts and bolts with a 1996 Ford 7.3L Power Stroke water-pump repair—a job that reminds him how much fun working on an older truck can be after spending days diagnosing and disassembling a technology-packed Ford Escape Hybrid.

Plus: hunting down an obsolete Fiat 500 trunk latch, diagnosing P0420/P0430 catalytic-converter faults, aftermarket versus OE catalytic converters, and why a trouble code should begin a diagnosis—not automatically dictate the repair.

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor — Car Advice, Done Right.

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 - September 5, 2026

A 2020 GMC Denali arrives at R\A Automotive on a tow truck with an intermittent no-crank—and a history that would make any mechanic stop and think. Nearly three years, five different shops, multiple starters, and the same problem keeps coming back.

Ron starts where every diagnosis should start: at the beginning. Working with GM expert Ernesto through the OPUS IVS diagnostic platform, Ron separates clues from conclusions, uses factory service information and pattern-failure knowledge, and begins proving what the problem ISN’T. The trail eventually leads to a loaded voltage-drop test, a questionable negative battery cable, and a starter-solenoid connection that has seen its share of previous repairs.

It’s a real-world lesson in why replacing parts isn’t the same as diagnosing a car—and why sometimes the most valuable question a technician can ask is: What have I proved right, and what have I proved wrong?

Also this hour: when should you get a wheel alignment, why a car can be out of alignment without pulling, an A/C system that cools until the Florida heat arrives, and why guessing at refrigerant charge can create more problems than it solves.

Real calls. Real cars. Real diagnostics. Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor.

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 - September 5, 2026 - Hour 1

A 2015 Dodge Durango arrives on a flatbed over the weekend with a crank-no-start. The tow-truck diagnosis? Fuel pump.

Maybe?!

By Monday morning, the Durango starts perfectly—and that’s where the real diagnosis begins. Rather than throw a fuel pump at it, Ron goes back to basics: codes, fuel pressure, fuel volume, current draw and finally a thermal imager. That’s when one electrical connector starts telling the story, climbing past 160 degrees.

The fuel pump wasn’t the problem. A failing connection in the fuel-pump circuit was.

Then comes problem number two: Chrysler’s apparent solution involves a wiring harness costing roughly $3,200. Ron keeps digging through service information, part numbers and cross-references until he finds the connector needed to make the repair for under $200.

Same vehicle. Same failure. Completely different repair.

Also this hour: a listener with a 2020 Honda Odyssey that intermittently loses electrical power, why a battery can test “good” and still deserve a closer look, the importance of loaded voltage-drop testing, and a 2004 Cadillac SRX presenting a different challenge—what do you do when the parts you need simply aren't available?

The lesson? A symptom is a clue, not a conclusion. Test the basics, prove what's good, find what's bad—and sometimes, think outside the box.

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.