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...

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 tra...

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 ta...

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 hig...

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 m...

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 o...

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 te...

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 b...

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...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Hour 1 - September 12, 2026 Where do great mechanics come from? Are they born with “the touch,” or can it be taught? Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, looks at the technician shortage from a different angle: maybe the automotive industry hasn’t done enough to nurture the next generation. Ron remembers a young trade-school graduate named Gus who knew the p...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - Hour 1 - September 5, 2026 A 2020 GMC Denali arrives at R\A Automotive on a tow truck with an intermittent no-crank—and a history that would make any mechanic stop and think. Nearly three years, five different shops, multiple starters, and the same problem keeps coming back. Ron starts where every diagnosis should start: at the beginning. Working with GM expert...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - September 5, 2026 - Hour 1 A 2015 Dodge Durango arrives on a flatbed over the weekend with a crank-no-start. The tow-truck diagnosis? Fuel pump. Maybe?! By Monday morning, the Durango starts perfectly—and that’s where the real diagnosis begins. Rather than throw a fuel pump at it, Ron goes back to basics: codes, fuel pressure, fuel volume, current draw and...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - August 29, 2026 How many scan tools does it take to fix one car? Sometimes more than you think. Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, takes you into the service bay with a 2022 Honda HR-V that came in for routine maintenance and turned into a lesson about just how complicated modern auto repair has become. After service and resets, the TPMS and traction-control warnings wouldn...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor -  August 29, 2026 Sometimes fixing cars starts with knowing which cars—and which customers—not to take on. Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, opens this hour with the story of a first-time customer looking for the cheapest possible brake job on her Lincoln. She already had another shop’s diagnosis, didn’t want to pay for an initial vehicle inspec...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - August 22, 2026 Tune into this hour of Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor as he welcomes Matt Moore of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, iihs.org  .  The conversation is all about the cost of repairing vehicles today. Does the safety equipment on the vehicle raise the price? Or is it something else? The answers will surprise you! Visit our website www.car...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - August 22, 2026 Ron opens the show today warning us of the problems he is experiencing with the availability and rising price of engine oil and all oil based products. He brings his perspective honed in the shop to air so we can all understand why our next oil change will cost more AND why we should be concerned if it doesn't.  Later in the hour he sits down with...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - August 15, 2026  A new battery. A new starter. And the Jeep still doesn't start correctly. Ron begins this hour with a reminder that replacing parts isn't diagnosing a problem. Modern vehicles can be incredibly sensitive to voltage, and sometimes the difference between starting and not starting comes down to a few tenths of a volt. Tell me what's good, and I'll t...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - August 15, 2026 When did owning a car become so complicated—and so expensive? Ron looks at the real cost of modern vehicle ownership, from a 2017 Ford Explorer facing thousands of dollars in water pump and timing-chain repairs to today's technology-packed vehicles where cameras, radar, modules, software, and networks all have to keep working long after the new-c...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - August 8, 2026 - Hour 2 When does a big repair bill make sense on an older, high-mileage vehicle? Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor, talks with a listener facing that exact decision on a 2017 Ford Explorer with 225,000 miles and a failed internal water pump. Instead of simply asking, “Is the car worth the repair?” Ron looks at the bigger question: What would it...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor - August 8, 2026 - Hour 1 What separates a good mechanic from a great one? Sometimes it’s not what you know—it’s being willing to learn a better way and then pass it along. Ron opens this episode with a story from another repair shop, where a frustrated technician was fighting a set of parking brake shoes on a Dodge Ram. A few minutes, a different appr...

August 1, 2026  Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor Ever wonder why your mechanic asks that you bring your vehicle in with fuel in the tank? Ron explains why arriving with only a few miles to empty can delay repairs, prevent proper road testing, increase diagnostic time, and even create unnecessary liability for both the customer and the repair shop. Then Ron answers listener questions about choosing...

August 1, 2026  Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor With new vehicle prices climbing toward record highs and replacement costs continuing to rise, Ron explains why the smartest financial decision may be taking better care of the vehicle already sitting in your driveway. He discusses the true cost of replacing a car versus repairing one, why deferred maintenance often turns into expensive repairs, and...

July 25, 2026  This week on Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor , Ron explains why the best repairs begin with the basics—not assumptions. A 2010 Ford Explorer with transmission trouble leads to a deeper discussion about water-damaged electronics, obsolete parts, and why replacing the obvious problem first often saves time and money. Then it's a conversation about Subaru's automatic stop/start...

Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor -July 25, 2026 - Hour 1  Sometimes the hardest repair is the one you refuse to make. This week on Ron Ananian, The Car Doctor , Ron shares the story of a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee with inoperative air conditioning that raises a much bigger question than a failed relay. When the factory repair requires replacing a $1,000 power distribution center, why not simply wire...

From the Car Doctor archives (October 2015). Long before software updates and vehicle programming became everyday repair procedures, Ron Ananian was explaining why the future of automotive service would depend as much on computers as wrenches. In this classic episode, Ron sits down with Hugh Atkins of Drew Technologies to discuss J2534 programming, factory software flashing, and why independent re...