Skip to content
PodcastsAutomotiveRon Ananian The Car Doctor

Ron Ananian The Car Doctor

iHeartPodcasts and Ron Ananian The Car Doctor
Ron Ananian The Car Doctor
Latest episode

1310 episodes

  • Ron Ananian The Car Doctor

    When Modern Cars Fight Back: The Weekend Wrencher

    09/26/2026 | 35 mins.
    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

    The Most Expensive Number in Car Ownership

    09/26/2026 | 35 mins.
    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.
  • Ron Ananian The Car Doctor

    Right To Repair Updates, Who Really Control The Car?

    09/19/2026 | 34 mins.
    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

    The Engine Oil Shortage Is Here: What Drivers Need to Know

    09/19/2026 | 34 mins.
    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.
    Visit us at https://www.cardoctorshow.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
  • Ron Ananian The Car Doctor

    When Auto Repair Isn’t Picture Perfect

    09/12/2026 | 35 mins.
    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.
More Automotive podcasts
About Ron Ananian The Car Doctor
With over 40 years of repairing cars and 27 on the radio helping you repair them, Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, is an expert at everything automotive. Call us at 855-560-9900.
Podcast website

Listen to Ron Ananian The Car Doctor, Spike's Car Radio and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

  • Stations and podcasts to bookmark
  • Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
  • Supports Carplay & Android Auto
  • Many other app features