Car Talk

This week on Car Talk, one listener's tribute to Tommy's dearly departed Dodge Dart will have William Wordsworth rolling over in his grave. "For in the spot where Dart once sat, there's now but oil stains." Later, Tom and Ray try to rescue a spoon trapped in one car's vents, and a 20-dollar bill trapped in a driver's door; and, on a slighlty more urgent note, they try to keep Eric's engine from disintegrating. Elsewhere, Doug might become the Chuck Yeager of CV joints if he doesn't mind the risk of getting stuck on a railroad track; and can Environmental Studies major Carl do anything to ease his guilt over driving two ginormous gas guzzlers? All this and more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, all good things must come to an end. So too, must all pieces of junk, as Tommy's beloved Dodge Dart finally heads to the crusher. Find out what caused its way-beyond-timely demise. Elsewhere, Fred decided to do a good deed and close the door of a stranger's parked truck. Unfortunately, a half hour later said truck caught on fire. Is Fred an unwitting arsonist? Also, Dr. Kenny takes a break from surgery to find out why his car's brakes have a mind of their own; and Monica's husband may need electroshock therapy to stop his odd behavior at stop lights. All this, plus a round of Stump the Chumps, and lots more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, Tom and Ray help test a device that should strike fear in the hearts of all mechanics: a voice biometrics-based lie detector. Elsewhere, Corinne can't seem to get an oil change without a broken dipstick as a bonus; Christine's keys are stuck in her ignition--which may not be too worrisome, since her car won't start; and can struggling musician Dan fix his van's exhaust with guitar strings and an orange juice can? Also, a story that offers even more proof why you should never drive like Tommy! All this and more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, pothole season is in full swing. After her Toyota was almost swallowed by one crater, Sara's wondering what happens to the departed asphalt. Elsewhere, Steve drove over a bowling ball outside a topless bar, which sounds like a great joke set-up, but the punchline could be very expensive. Also, Shanthi is ready to buy a car, but has no place to park it. Does she need to move, or should she forget about the car and keep mooching rides from her friends? And, how can Johanna make sure her summer of teepee living doesn't start with her car getting washed away by spring flooding?  All this and more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, did Howard get the special Three Stooges option on his Lincoln, or is there another reason why it sounds like Curly whenever he gets out of the car. Elsewhere, Tom got conflicting advice on his Taurus' flashing oil light, and he's wondering who's the genius, and who's the quack. So, who better to ask than two genius quacks? Also, John's Land Cruiser may need a new steering box, or his mechanic may just be looking for another John-funded trip to Vegas; and on Stump the Chumps, we find out if Betsy's truck was really spewing gas because of mud chiggers. All this, plus how one listener's attempt to solve the Puzzler resulted in a police house call, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, beloved dog meets beloved car, and the results aren't good, as Will's dog Moses gets car sick in his truck; specifically, into the defroster vents. Can Will remove the chunks and the smell, or does he need to sell the truck to someone with a really bad sense of smell? Elsewhere, Kris' husband is a dedicated recycler. Unfortunately, he insists on crushing cans by driving over them, and the noise has Kris wondering if she needs to recycle her spouse. Also, what could make an already brutal Maine winter even worse? Eric's truck horn, which starts honking in zero degree weather, in the middle of the night. And, can Tom and Ray cure novice mechanic Jeremy of his bolt-breaking habit? All this and more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, Dan's new used Corolla may have come with a bonus gift. The previous owner says she threw her engagement ring at her fiance and it fell behind the dashboard. Is the ring still there, or on the new fiancee of the mechanic who previously looked for it? Also this week, Jennifer says her Subaru stinks--literally. She describes its smell as a combination of "old gas" and "dirty mechanic". Will Tom and Ray be too offended to give a diagnosis? And, Turi's best solution for her smoking Acura may be to just throw her keys down the sewer; and Brother Roger got some advice on tires from a mechanic whose heart was in the right place--unfortunately, his mouth wasn't. All this, plus a Valentine's Day recap from Ray's house, and lots more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, from the wreckage of an old MG comes a new superhero, "Captain Destructo," ready to dope-slap stinko drivers--if he can ever get his car to run. Meanwhile, with Valentine's Day approaching, is it time for Beth to dump her boyfriend, after he unjustly accused her of damaging his Mustang? Elsewhere, Albee wants to sell his car to his mother-in-law, but may need to travel from Boston to Florida every month to change its bad spark plug. And, Roger's Toyota is emitting "Biblical" proportions of smoke after some oil changes. Is its "End Times" near? Also, should Donna leave her car running an extra 15 minutes on very cold nights to recharge the battery? What if 15 minutes turned into overnight, after her husband forgot to shut the car off? All this and more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, we celebrate Road Hog Day! Will Tommy's car cast a shadow, or can we look forward to an early Spring? Then we're off to Maine, where Shlomit's husband likes to drive with two feet. Does the fact that he's a good dancer make it okay? Also, Alok learned an expensive lesson about the dangers of playing "Hey guys, watch this," with his Mustang's clutch; Stephen's minivan doors are frozen shut, in part because his wife's chickens are occupying his garage; and on Stump the Chumps we find out if Tracy "helped" the abandoned car on her street lose its license plates, so it would get towed. All this and more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, Barry's holiday road trip through South Carolina got more exciting when his wife noticed the road behind them was on fire. Was it coincidence, or was Barry's truck an unwitting arsonist? Farther South, things are a little less exciting for Rick in Florida. His PT Cruiser's explosions are only taking place under the hood. Also, have you ever heard of a Himalayan Exhaust Transfusion? Neither have we, but it might be a great way to start a dead car on a cold day. Or, it could just be a wacko theory. And, our on-call Physics Professor Wolfgang checks in on the great drafting debate. All this and lots more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, if one car drafts behind another to improve its gas mileage, does the car in front suffer? Tom and Ray's answer, or lack thereof, may bring the late Physics Professor Tisza back from the grave, just to administer a dopeslap. Meanwhile, dopeslaps might also be in order for Jessica's mechanics, who will only discuss her car problems with her boyfriend, while ignoring her. Also, the solution to Nancy's Miata's hood problem may lie in her local tanning salon; Melanie is about to learn a very expensive lesson about what her oil pressure light means; and, one listener offers the real definition of "primitive" 4-wheel drive. All this and more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, should Mary let her 17-year-old son accept his girlfriend's mother's offer to give him her vintage Dodge Dart? Is Mom offering the car as a dowry substitute? Elsewhere, Cathy may have to resort to riding around wearing a football helmet to get her husband to get rid of his old Corolla; Carl earns Bad Idea of the Week honors for wanting to mount a snow plow to the front of his mini-van; and Chana's Dad's advice about warming up her car may be a subtle way of telling her he thinks she's a stinko driver. Also, how on earth did a parking valet start Kenneth's Subaru with the key from Kenneth's Caravan? All this and more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, Brent tried to start his girlfriend's Mazda, and wound up with the car, and his relationship both burnt to a crisp.  Can Tom and Ray tell him where he went wrong, with the car or the girlfriend? Elsewhere, Ellen's very generous neighbor keeps giving her cases of undrinkable home-made wine. Can she put it to use as windshield wiper fluid? Also, Shelly's bad day at a casino got even worse when her car died on the drive home; and loyal delivery man Steve is suffering a severe case of "New Parcel Truck Envy." Will Tom and Ray help sabotage his old, reliable truck?  All this and lots more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, Summer has come to Antarctica, and the ride in John's Delta has gotten so bumpy that he and his colleagues are banging their heads on the ceiling. Closer to home, Leland's Toyota can't pull a hill. Tom and Ray should have no trouble diagnosing Leland's problem, if they can figure out what "pull a hill" means. Also, Steve's ex-wife has a trio of car problems, which Steve may be a little too intetrested in trying to solve; Charlie desperately wants to blame a transmission shop for his fan breaking off and damaging another car; and Erin's best solution to a math lesson gone awry may be to stand her Impreza on its side. All this plus the true meaning of Santa Fe, and more, this week on Car Talk.

This week on Car Talk, why does Michelle have to rock her car violently to get it to start? Tom and Ray have a highly advanced technical explanation, involving Eddie and Edie Electron. Elsewhere, the Magliozzis try to bring holiday peace to two married couples. First, Veronica's husband wants to re-live his childhood by buying a vintage Land Rover that's likely to spend more time sitting in the front yard than moving along the road. Later, Reed's wife wants to use his beloved Ford Bronco to tow her horse trailer. Also, retired mechanic Steve wants to try to change his own timing belt, but is worried about incurring the Wrath of Mom; and Jim's nephew used a bottle to scrape ice off the windshield of Jim's Tercel. Is the solution a buffing, or a bricking? All this and