Ron Ananian The Car Doctor

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 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.