Car Talk show

Car Talk

Summary: America's funniest auto mechanics take calls from weary car owners all over the country, and crack wise while they diagnose Dodges and dismiss Diahatsus. You don't have to know anything about cars to love this one hour weekly laugh fest.

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Podcasts:

 #1552: Blow it Out | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3251

This week on The Best of Car Talk, Jill's pal keeps telling her she needs to do more highway driving to "blow the stuff" out of her car. Jill's not opposed to this, but what exactly is she trying to blow out? Elsewhere, Eleanor is leaving on a six-month, around-the-world bicycle tour and she wants to know what to do with her truck while she's gone. Tom and Ray want to know how Eleanor plans to pedal across a few oceans. Also, after Lauren's boyfriend drove down Mount Washington with the emergency brake on, Lauren is wondering if she needs new brakes, and/or a new boyfriend. And, Rich's broken gas gauge gives Tom and Ray a chance to fail Calculus, again! All that and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

 #1532: The Alex Manifesto | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3229

This week on The Best of Car Talk, Tommy's 16-year old son Alex explains why it's in the entire family's best interests for him to own his own car. We may need your help deciding whether Alex is full of wisdom, or something we can't say on a family show. Elsewhere, Nancy and her boyfriend are about to buy their first car together. He wants a vintage MG, but she's the one who'll have to keep it running, unless they find one with a sidecar for a mechanic. Also, Marc learns two valuable lessons. First, never buy an old Peugeot. Second, never pay your mechanic before he finishes the job; and is Heather's plan to play a practical joke on her brother's car too realistic? All this and more this week on The Best of Car Talk.

 #1531: Existential Stupidity | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3199

This week on The Best of Car Talk, are Tom and Ray's seemingly moronic questions actually a form of deep philosophical inquiry, worthy of Kierkegaard or Camus? Probably not, but one listener's theory is at least worth a few laughs! Elsewhere, Debra is taking push-starting to a new level—she has to do it just to get her key to turn. Also, should Anne accept a free Range Rover or Mazda for her 16-year old son to drive? Fortunately, we have a 16 year-old Magliozzi on hand to counter Tom and Ray's advice to just let the kid walk. And, on Stump the Chumps, did Heidi manage to keep her husband from changing the timing belt on her Volvo himself? All this and more this week on The Best of Car Talk.

 #1506: The Suburban and the Moose | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3207

This week The Best of Car Talk kicks off with a tale that could only happen in Alaska. It starts with Mom spotting a moose near the driveway, and ends with the family’s Suburban driving through their basement— and taking the oil furnace with it. Then, in preparation for Valentine’s Day, we have two auto-marital disputes. Kit’s husband is trying to convince her that her car’s noise isn’t the brakes, just its mudflaps; and Angelina’s husband wants to put bigger tires on their Civic to improve its gas mileage. Also, why does Marcia’s Maxima smell like flatulence, even when her husband isn’t in the car? All this, plus a Puzzler from the Ceiling Light series, and lots more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

 #1505: My Brother, The Idiot | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3215

This week on The Best of Car Talk, Ray decides to play Stormchaser, during one of the worst blizzards in Our Fair State’s history. Fortunately, we have an eyewitness account of his bold, daring, and completely idiotic adventure—even his dog was scared! Elsewhere in the post-blizzard landscape, Susan is wondering if she can just leave her car buried in snow until the July 4th thaw; and Kristopher may need Lord Kelvin himself to convince his girlfriend to use her Golf’s heater. Also, can Beth do anything do protect her white Camry from the local berry-eating mockingbird that’s using it as a commode? All this and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

 #1504: The PII Range Rover | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3225

This week on The Best of Car Talk, Danni bought a used Range Rover in the midst of what she calls pregnancy-induced insanity. Reality quickly set in, as her skyscraper-esque husband couldn’t fit in the car, and it racked up a few thousand dollars in repair bills in no time. Should she cut her losses and dump this impulse buy? Elsewhere, Charlie had to replace his fuel pump three times in the last year, and is tired of having them fall on his chest; Kristy may need a stethoscope and a potato to figure out why her car is making noise; and physicist Robert is too busy trying to solve thermonuclear fusion to get his timing belt changed. All this, plus the tale of Sonja Henie’s Zamboni, and lots more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

 #1503: Return of the Schnauzer | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 3207

This week on The Best of Car Talk, we answer the question that has been keeping America awake for weeks—did Max the mechanic find a home for his namesake schnauzer? Elsewhere, Bob swears that smashing his Volvo into a rock improved its performance; Rick’s girlfriend’s VW spent the weekend in the shop and came back with an additional 20,000 miles on the odometer; and Lisa’s Estonian Moskvitch dies, and will only re-start if she jams a piece of wood into the ignition. Also, Tom and Ray try to referee a family dispute over a boardgame and maange to turn Brain Quest into Dummy Quest. All this and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

 #1449: Dee's Hot Seat | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 54:24

This week on Car Talk, Dee is freezing her butt off now that winter is here. Can Click and Clack help her toast her tush in her Dodge Durango? Sybil has a vexing noise, and becomes a garage apprentice as she heads out to the driveway to make the diagnosis. Meanwhile, Craig wants to know, what’s the deal with gas tanks and why can’t they all be on the same side? Jessica is hoping her Audi can be fixed so she doesn’t have to make it through winter on her boyfriend’s scooter. And David. Poor David. His Honda Accord is sending him to financial ruin. If he coughed up another eight cents a day, could he really be in a new car? All that, plus some earth shattering research on parking spaces, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

 #1448: The Chunk in the Trunk | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 54:56

This week on The Best of Car Talk, did Tom and Ray help Dana and her friend remove a chunk of the Berlin Wall from his Dad’s BMW? Dana’s back for a round of Stump the Chumps. Spoiler alert: the word “Dummkopfs” is used. Elsewhere, David thinks his Volvo is giving him Legionnaire’s Disease; Glenn has mice living in his Miata, and fears he’ll have to bring them along on his road trip from New Orleans to Oregon. And, Leanne is hearing a horrible grinding noise when she uses her new key in her husband’s Pathfinder. Is it coming from the car or her husband’s teeth? All this and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

 #1447: The 3-Speed Potter's Wheel | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 54:33

This week on Car Talk, can Jim use an old car transmission as a potter’s wheel? Reverse could come in handy next time he mis-throws a pot. Elsewhere, Cindy’s friends say her Mercedes is scaring off prospective dates with guys whose cars aren’t as nice as hers; grad student Christine’s parents offered her a free Buick station wagon, but Christine can’t decide if the embarrassment of driving it is too costly; and we meet Tom and Ray’s new BFF—Sal, the quintessential New Yorker. Sal is a retired mailman, but he may still have to get up at the crack of dawn this winter if he wants his car to move. All this and more, this week on The Best of Car Talk.

 #1446: Stop and Smell the Antifreeze | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 54:31

This week on The Best of Car Talk, Alan thinks his Mercedes came with a 100,000-mile, self-destruct program. It’s suffered a series of problems since the odometer rolled over and, with the Check Engine light now linked to his MasterCard account, Alan thinks it may be time to move on. Elsewhere, Fred lied to his wife about loving his friend’s new car, and was punished by receiving the same car as a birthday present. Should he ‘fess up and risk the consequences, or suffer for the next 150,000 miles? Also, do Tom and Ray have enough liability insurance to help Keri soup up her Hornet scooter so she can win a rematch against a Vespa? All this and more, this week on Car Talk.

 #1443: Men Who Pick | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 53:51

This week on Car Talk, Jill has noticed a raft of men picking their noses in their cars. Is this topic too juvenile and tasteless even for Tom and Ray? Are you kidding? Tune in as they dive deep to try to explain why a man’s car is his nostril's sanctuary. In matters a bit more serious, Paul’s car is smoking like a chimney,and he’s hoping to find the right additive cocktail that will get it through to spring; Bernie and Rollie’s test drive at a dealer ended with an encounter with a light pole, and now the dealer is trying to get them to pay for the damage; and is Jenny or her budding bryologist fiance right about her Civic’s starting problem? All this and lots more, this week on Car Talk.

 #1442: Door Tied Shut | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 53:58

This week on Car Talk, Melissa’s driver’s door wouldn’t stay shut. So she ran to the nearest body shop, right? Um, no—she tied the door to the seat, and has been climbing in through the passenger seat for the last several weeks. Is it time for a Car Talk Cheapskate Intervention? Elsewhere, Colleen’s Dad told her she couldn’t drive his car because he had to break in its new brakes. Was this really a mechanic’s order, or could it be Dad’s way of telling Colleen he thinks she’s a lousy driver? Also, will a flush remove the debris that might be the only thing keeping Reed’s transmission from falling apart? And, if Katie thinks she has gas that’s too old for her cheap camp stove, why on earth is she considering dumping it into her $20,000 car? All this, and lots more, this week on Car Talk.

 #1424: See Food Diet | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 52:39

This week on Car Talk, Click and Clack fork over a diet not to be missed. Spoiler alert.... you're not actually allowed to eat! Then it's off to help Doctor Gary with an ethical conundrum. If he gives his mechanic car advice, can the mechanic start giving Gary medical tips? Carole wants to know what kind of car she should take to Africa, and has an automotive-fashion question: should she stock up on jog bras for the rough roads ahead? And in Phoenix, Caesar gets some help with his love life. All that, plus a spine tingling puzzler, this week on Car Talk.

 #1423: Dead Bugs and a Burnt T-Bird | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 53:43

This week on Car Talk, Gary's mother-in-law is blaming him for her car catching fire after he worked on the carburetor. Can Tom and Ray get Gary off the hook, and, more importantly, get his mother-in-law out of his house? Elsewhere, Barry's noticing a plethora of dead bugs on his windshield, and thinks driving faster should reduce the casulaty rate. Also, Denise may have bitten off more than she can chew by giving into her mid-life-crisis impulse buy of a vintage Volvo; Alan is considering a sitz bath to get his truck to start shifting; and Darlene can't decide which bubble-headed friend's advice to follow on filling her gas tank, so she's turning to two more bubble-heads. All this, plus one listener's rebuttal to Melissa Peterson, and lots more, this week on Car Talk.

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