This week on the Best of Car Talk, thanks to modern research we can decipher what your mechanic is trying to tell you through his grunts. Meanwhile, Liz can only communicate her Volvo's steering problem through song. Elsewhere, Marni wants to pay tribute to her departed dad by pouring some of his ashes into his beloved Corvette's gas tank; Su (yes, that's how she spells it) wants to use a hair dryer to straighten her dented fender; and is the whirring noise Eric is hearing the death-bed cry of his Saab's turbo? Also, advice for Noah who's "going away" for a year, and wants his van to start when he gets back. All this and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

This week on the Best of Car Talk, Laurie's Pathfinder earned the unfortunate nickname "Wobble Butt" because its rear end rocks from side to side. Can Tom and Ray calm Wobble Butt down and save it from further embarrassment? Elsewhere, Bob wants to know just how wacko his brother in law is for proposing adding duct work to improve the heat in Bob's mom's car. Also, Ellen's dad scolded her for having too many keys on her key ring; Chris got a little aggressive with his Dremel tool on his Camry; and Ray shares the joys (and terrors) of teaching middle school, while trying to help Susannah strengthen her anemic windshield wiper squirt. All this and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

This week on The Best of Car Talk, Chris has flowers growing in his Belvedere, after birdseed got into his fresh air vent. To make matters worse, a kid stuffed chunks of blue cheese in the vents, so the car is stinky, too. Elsewhere, good intentions go really bad when Todd buys his girlfriend a 1973 Ford LTD, on the premise it would be safe and easy to work on. The car's loud backfire has led to one dead cat, several deceased goldfish, and one very strained relationship. Also, Andy wants to know if electronic gizmos can improve his Suburban's gas mileage to, say, 5 miles per gallon; and Dari wants to know if her truck is safe to drive, or sell, after falling off a lift. If she decides to sell, does she need to mention it?

This week on The Best of Car Talk, Merriam-Webster helps answer the second most-asked question in Car Talk history: which brother is "Click" and which is "Clack." Unfortunately, they can't the answer the most-asked question: How did these jerks get on the radio in the first place? Elsewhere, Lee's mechanic told him he has a cracked "whoop tube," which may or may not refer to Lee's Town Car; a wayward binky has Marietta's driver's seat stuck in a bad spot; and traveling musician Valerie can't decide whether to dump the Dodge van that tows her trailer in favor of a Cadillac—sounds like a no-brainer to us! Also, on Stump the Chumps, we find out if Wendy used the snorkel test to figure out why her husband is fogging up her car. All this and more, this week on the Best of Car Talk.

This week on The Best of Car Talk, if Art passes his AMC Concord onto his 16-year-old son, is he setting the kid on a life path of collecting junk cars? In other words, Art wants to know what Tommy's first car was. And worse, would the Concord doom his son to no social life? Elsewhere, James is about to relocate to Haiti, but needs a car with high ground clearance. His Honda Civic may not fit that description. Also, Wendy's husband is fogging up her car; Troy's VW sounds "satanic" at 1500 RPM, and Mary Rawson's friend offered to fix her brakes, but wants to be more than just friends. If she stops his advances, can she expect her car to stop? All this, plus the bright side of an expensive diagnosis, and lots more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

This week on The Best of Car Talk, Darlene loves her husband but his ignorance about cars has left her at the mercy of a mechanic she doesn't know if she can trust. Meanwhile, Susan may need to to dump her boyfriend before his "lazy shifting" croaks her Miata. Also, Richard is planning a road trip in a '64 Dodge Dart and wants to know what spare parts he should bring along--although he might do better with a spare car; Dick's van needs a new alternator every time the seasons change; and, will Tom and Ray actually give helpful advice to a used car salesman? Find out, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

This week on The Best of Car Talk, Jim thought he had a disaster on his hands after he left his gas cap off during a rain storm, but his pal came to the rescue by pouring mothballs into the gas tank. Can Tom and Ray give any explanation for why the mothballs got Jim's truck running? Meanwhile, Ray's got a theory about Heather's Jeep's popping noise that may win points for creativity and bogosity. Also, Patrick hopes the guys can help him design the perfect soapbox derby car; Ann needs assurance that putting a new engine in her beloved Fuego isn't the most ridiculous idea ever; and has one of our listeners identified the true scent of a man? All this and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

This week on the Best of Car Talk, Stella bought matching Monteros for her kids but dumped one because it spent more time in the shop than on the road. Should she be worried about the second Montero? Who better to weigh the chances there's one good brother and one evil brother than Tom and Ray? Elsewhere, Heather has taken to calling her Jeep "Clunking Matilda"; Abe has an idea to navigate traffic in Our Fair City that may get him to work faster (but with a fat lip); and can Anne risk one more road trip in her overheating Subaru before it blows up? All this, plus a round of Stump the Chumps and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

We kick off with a proposal that could revolutionize snow measurement, if it wasn't completely bogus. Later, the bogosity continues as Tom and Ray try to explain why Anne's dashboard gauges all stopped working after she filled up her gas tank at a Shell station—twice! Also, Kay's 38 year old daughter left mom's Explorer running all night, and Kay's wondering if she needs to blow out the car's engine or the cobwebs in her daughter's brain; 14-year old Matthew's struggles to wash his parents' car could be a valuable life lesson in how to get out of doing chores forever; and will Rush ever be able to get the smell of rancid butter out of his Land Rover? All this and more, this week on the Best of Car Talk.

Remember Rebecca from a few weeks ago, whose anal retentive dad insisted she keep detailed records of her gas mileage in his book? This week, Dad has his say. Topher explains the book's origins in a Datsun 510, and what it will take for Rebecca to free herself from book duty. Elsewhere, Scott may have to decide whether he wants to be right or be happy, as he and his wife disagree on how to use their truck's 4-wheel drive; Art's wife drove home from an oil change missing one small ingredient—the oil; and Judy's getting good at holding up her car's hatchback with her head, but would like to get it to stay up on its own. And, what happens when a computer traffic model tries to understand Boston drivers? All this and lots more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.