Ron Ananian The Car Doctor

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.