Ron Ananian The Car Doctor

Sunroof Drains, Honest Oil Changes & a Flash-Fixed Buick Quick hits this week: why sunroof drains are “house gutters” for your car, the oil-change must-dos most shops skip (clean work, proper torque, new crush washers), and a Chevy 2500 6.6L gas with rising oil consumption—what to ask the dealer and why it can cook cats/O2 sensors. Plus, a 2013 Buick’s harsh “slam into Drive” solved by the...

The $49 Bagel Test — Why a Real Oil Change Costs What It Costs Bagels don’t get price complaints—but oil changes do. Ron compares a $49 North Jersey bagel run to the true value of a proper oil change: factory drain-plug gaskets, under-car inspection, torque specs, shields off/on, and a road test that keeps you safe at highway speeds. Plus: a Buick saved by an “it-won’t-work” ECU re-flash,...

🎃 Open: Halloween banter sets the mood before diving into calls. 🚙 ’99 Land Cruiser: Caller plans full restoration; Ron weighs the costs, effort, and emotional value vs. simply buying one already done. 🧰 30K Service: What real maintenance includes—oil and filters, tire rotation, brake fluid flush, and a full inspection. 💧 Brake Fluid Flush: Why moisture matters and how to do it right—by...

🧠 Opening Thought: Most drivers undervalue maintenance because the car often feels the same afterward—until years later when reliability proves the payoff. ⛽ 100k vs. 200k (and 500k): Many cars can reach ~100k on oil changes alone; to reach 200k–500k, you need scheduled fluids, filters, and inspections. 🔋 Reliability Odds: Batteries past their rated life = rolling the dice. Aviation-style,...

In this hour, Ron tackles real-world fixes: a 2017 Jeep Wrangler with sticky steering (steering shaft u-joints + PB Blaster), a P0128 thermostat rate-of-rise code and murky coolant, a 2012 Honda CR-V catalytic converter myth (why cats do wear out), and a 2013 Chevy Silverado low-compression mystery (leak-down tests, borescopes, and a $20 vacuum gauge). Practical diagnostics, parts advice...

This episode demystifies Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs) and why they’re not recalls. Ron breaks down GM’s 23-NA-072 low-speed TCC shudder—what “ATF degradation” really means and why a full transmission fluid exchange matters. Then: the Toyota RAV4 P0755 shift-solenoid fault and why many were cured with an updated OE ECM, not a transmission. Plus a quick diagnostic for a 1994 Chevy Blazer...

Ron walks a caller through the right way to measure parasitic draw (use a real meter with min/max and leave it connected), then tackles GL-4 vs GL-5 confusion on a ’99 Sentra—plus where to find stubborn drain plugs when OEMs say “obsolete.” We hit hybrid maintenance realities with a ’22 Prius CVT service, a cold-start 7.3 Power Stroke that likely needs cleaning for stiction and better cranking...

Code P0203, winter-readiness, and two electrical gremlins. Ron opens with a 2015 Jeep Wrangler 3.6L that set P0303 (misfire) and P0203 (injector circuit). He walks through smart diagnostics: verify injector resistance against known-good cylinders, check the circuit from PCM to injector, then confirm with a scope or a swap test—because a component can ohm “good” cold and fail hot. From there, he...

Ron Ananian The Car Doctor - Hour Recap ’72 Dodge Dart (Kevin): Skip octane boosters/race gas; a true ~10:1 flat-top can run on quality 93. Focus on plug heat range, timing, and jetting. “Mild goes wild.” ’75 Chevy Van (Greg): Hot-soak flooding. If no boil-over or needle/seat drip, likely needs a pro Quadrajet rebuild/flow test after decades of service. ’08 Kia Rondo (Beth): After repeated A/C...

Remote from “somewhere in Pennsylvania,” Ron turns a repair-shop counter chat into a bigger question: don’t shop for the cheapest or the flashiest—shop for the capable. Then the phones fly: a 2021 Nissan Kicks with a stubborn P0101 (use calculated load & fuel trims, don’t parts-swap), a 2024 Highlander maintenance roadmap (fluids early and often), a 1970 Impala idle-stop solenoid lesson, a...