The Best of Car Talk - #24103: That's the Brakes, Jake

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

Harvey from New Mexico was puzzled by a freeway sign he drove past that said something about a 'jake brake'. Who is this 'Jake' and why does he get a break? Find out on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalkLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Support for NPR comes from Amazon Music. Prime members have access to a catalog of news podcasts. Ad-free breaking news without the breaks. Available by downloading the Amazon Music app or visiting amazon.com slash ad-free. Hey, it's Ray. You know, it's almost the end of the year and it's time for one final reminder that you are what makes NPR's engine run. Well, you and that thing they call a coffee machine in the NPR cafeteria, but it's mostly you. If you currently are an NPR Plus supporter, thanks. But if you've never given to public media before, or not in a while, please consider it right now. Here at the Best of Car Talk,

we bring you your favorite car questions, puzzlers, and everything else. But to do that, we need your support. And the easiest way to support us and NPR network stations across the country is to sign up for NPR+. It's a recurring donation that gets you special perks for more than 25 podcasts.

Perks like sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, access to the best of Car Talk archives, and even exclusive and discounted items from the NPR shop and the NPR wine club. It only takes a few minutes to sign up and you can do it right now at plus dot NPR dot o-r-g that's plus dot NPR dot o-r-g and thanks! Hello and welcome to Car Talk from National Public Radio with us, Click and Clack the Tapper Brothers and we're broadcasting this week from the Consumer Complaint Division here at Car Talk Plaza.

Oh, are they on our case again? No, no, not yet, not quite. I hold in my hand the National Association of Attorneys General. Attorneys General. Yeah. List of top 10 consumer complaint categories. Okay, these are in ascending order. Yeah.

So this is the 10th most complained about thing, the thing I'll read first. Yeah, got it. Telemarketing. Nine, electronic devices. Yeah, got it. Telemarketing. 9. Electronic devices. Yeah, I'm so far... 8. Miscellaneous.

Includes car talk, of course. Oh, okay, we're up there with number 8. Subscriptions. Yeah. Next. Furniture appliances and home furnishings are number 6. What's the complaint about that? Well, I don't know.

The thing didn't work the way it was supposed to. The couch wasn't as comfortable as it was in the store. I don't know. You got ripped off. Five. Credit. Yeah, I can complain about that. Four. Mail order includes car talk. Retail sales includes car talk.

Two. Home repair and construction. You're about to become intimately familiar with that category of complaint. I am. And... Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr You're about to become intimately familiar with that category of complaint. I am. And, the number one category for consumer complaints in the United States is, you guessed it, automobiles. Automobiles. I mean, this was an article that was in Automotive News, I believe, and actually the article was about leases.

Get this, here's what some dealers do. For example, give us an example why don't you. Why don't I give you an example. Some dealers are not subtracting trade in value from the price of a lease. So you say you go in you want to lease a car and the price is 20,000 bucks. And let's say I wanted to trade in my Dodge Dakota. You want to subtract the 200? So when a customer trades in a $3,000 car against a vehicle priced at 20,000 bucks. And let's say I wanted to trade in my Dodge Dakota. They want to subtract the 200? When a customer trades in a $3,000 car against a vehicle priced at $20,000, instead of deducting the $3,000, the dealer raises the price of the leased car to $23,000 and then deducts the 3.

Yeah, but that's what they do when you go to buy the thing. Why should they do it any differently when you lease it? That's right. I mean, leasing is... What's the first question they ask you when you go to buy a car? Is your IQ over 10. Do you have a trade-in? Yeah. And what is it?

And they immediately inflate the price by the trade... Yeah. I mean, I can't believe... I can't believe that automotive... Have a flasher in our midst. We're being flashed by Scott Simon. Nice seeing you, Chippendale. What are you guys doing?

We're doing a show here, buddy! You're doing a show here? We were trying to do a show here, buddy! I don't drive. We noticed. You do a weekly radio show about cars? Yes, we do. That's ridiculous.

What, people hear one or two and they never tune back? Surely everything about cars is in one or two shows, aren't they? No one has ever listened to us. There are no Americans that listen anymore. We're big in Albania now. Boy, isn't that true, isn't it? Bad cars are an industry in Albania. Have you driven any more since then?

I haven't driven since you gave me the driving lessons. No, I told the authorities in the District of Columbia who gave me driving lessons and they say it's more important than ever to keep me off the streets. Well, sorry. That's alright. No, no, no, really. Nice seeing you, David. Okay, and stay out! Okay, rolling right along.

Rolling right along. Scott Simon was actually doing a show here in these very studios. studios. Yes, he was and now we got rid of him I flashed him earlier Yeah, but it is unbelievable that that automobile dealers would do the things the blatant things that they do They have a lot of courage Automobile dealers other people would try to sleaze you but they would do doing a little bit more. Was that their only dirty trick? Well it's the only one that's listed here. It was just giving an example. They could never, it would take a book to give you what all of the things that they do. Well maybe they can have this thing where

you can get them at the supermarket. You know you buy $20 worth of groceries, you get a book for a dollar. Sleazy practices, A through mmm. If you want to call us with your complaint about your car or your car dealer or whatever, our phone number is 1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk. My name is Jeff and I'm from Bloomington, Indiana. Jeff. Jeff.

With a J? That's with a J, not a G. Yeah, that's the only way to spell it. Yeah, that's a good way. You gotta be pretentious to go with the Joffrey thing, you know? Right, like mutt and. Yeah, that's the only way to spell it. Yeah, that's a good way. You gotta be pretentious to go with the Joffrey thing, you know? Like, mutt and. Yeah, come on. Yeah.

Yeah, you're a down to earth guy. So what's up, Jeff? I got a 1989 Chevy Celebrity. It has a 2.8 in V6. Now the problem with what I have is on the brakes. It seems like when it rains outside or whenever it's wet, the rear brakes, they just want to lock up. I was on my way down to Ben Franklin down here in Bloomington, was pouring down rain and I wanted to come to a stop and the back brakes,

they just want to lock up and I just put my foot just even gently on the brake pedal and it just froze up. And then after a while it clears itself up, is that correct? Yeah. I mean this is not uncommon because drum brakes, which this car has in the rear, do want to lock up when they get slightly moist. And as we all know, drum brakes, if they they get really wet like if you drive through a big puddle Then you lose the brakes because you got so much water on the shoes that there's no longer any contact with the drums Right now a days drivers don't know about this idea of riding the brakes to dry them off

We used to do that all the time Remember that Jeff what are you still? Yeah? Well Tommy still does because his car doesn't have disc brakes So when he goes through a puddle, he has to ride the brakes throw out the anchor drag his feet Well see when they made my car the circle had not yet been invented So none of the peep none of the pieces are round. Most of them are sort of triangular or some such thing But you have to do that and and the trouble is that you're having this problem because the the the shoes are Somewhat wet even though it's pouring out all that rain is not getting into the brakes So this is not an unusual thing to happen

Hmm, because I know it's a I know it's kind of not kind of dangerous You know because I remember coming to the stop the stop sign one time and I was doing about 10 miles an hour. Oh yeah, you just touched that pedal and bang, they locked up. Are these the original brakes that are on this car? Yes they are. I would suggest that you replace the shoes and machine the drums and that's going to alleviate the problem because you'll then reproduce the original conditions. Right.

Okay. Because the car didn't do it for the first six years that you owned it. It's only now that the brakes are all worn out that it's happening. Okay. I know that we check the brakes and you know they they seem fine you know by... Visual inspection. Yeah. Yeah. Don't rely on that. Okay. We never rely on visuals. We always go for metaphysical. No you have to change them. Okay. I don't know why exactly and also use new shoes as opposed to rebuilt shoes. Okay, new shoes. Okay.

Brand new shoes and have the drums machined and this thing will be perfect. For six more years. All right. And by that time you'll have gotten rid of it. You guys really have a wonderful show and I really appreciate getting on your show. I never thought I'd get on your show. Well, we never thought you would either jeff it won't happen again with the other people to keep you on track

uh... thanks for calling thank you but i don't know one eight hundred three three two nine two eight seven lawyer in car talk high-fellows that my name is betty powder lay and i'm in beautiful downtown dover delaware i betty dover delaware no last names please betty. Oh, just Dover Dover Okay, Betty Dover Betty Dover. That's it. Yeah, so what's up, Betty? Well, I listen to you guys every week and I I thought boy you've got to have a cure for my car I have a 1986 Chevy Nova

Board cylinder I get out of my development out onto the main road and my car just, you go to hit the gas and it doesn't go. It just chug, chug, chug, chug, chug and I can't get anywhere with it. No, is there any problem with this car? Aside from that, no. So far it sounds just like my car. Oh, well then maybe you can tell me how I can cure it then. I didn't know it was a problem.

Once it heats up, does it work okay? Not all the time because a lot of times that'll happen. You go along fine, I'll go up maybe a couple hours driving and then when I go maybe around to make a turn, it'll do the same thing. It just seems like it stops, it hesitates and you're ready to have somebody climb up your rear because you're not going fast enough or doesn't just happen when the engines cold now and i know i'm sorry and then it'll jump right up for me and take off you know like it goes into that

whatever you call a passing gear i guess hyper speed yeah alaka yes or hans solo did not have a lot of our okay if you take in this any place Yeah, yeah. Oh, okay. Yeah, so Han Solo did Have you taken this any place oh, yeah, I've had a two-knucked on I've had new points rotors spark plug wires You know I really take good care of this little bugger. How many miles are on it? 93 thousand It's possible the carburetor which just has this is carburetor the carburetor accelerator pump is weak And you would most notice it when you slow down and then try to reaccelerate that the thing didn't want to go yeah and if you're really floored it it would probably take off that's exactly what I would ask them to look at

the accelerator pump in the carburetor I would ask them to check the timing and to make sure that the valve timing is correct that is the timing belt is okay well they claim I had all new belts put on it to the tune of Several hundred dollars. Oh, so they replaced the timing belt. Yes. Well, I hate to say it But I suspect you're gonna have to have the carburetor rebuilt Or replaced that which is even worse many hundreds. Can I live with it that way? I mean, I'm not gonna do you can you live with it? Well, I mean, I'm not gonna damage the car by no. Oh the car can live with it the car can run lousy forever My brother's car knows that I am I can I can show testament for that. Oh, okay

Yeah, I wouldn't worry. It's going to get worse and worse and it eventually is going to get dangerous such that you'll feel that you Couldn't extricate yourself from a potentially dangerous situation, you You know like you're crossing a railroad track and the train is coming. Oh, yeah. Thank you. It gets to that point You've got to make a decision Well, I mean I would get someone As at least some passing knowledge to put a new accelerator pump in the carburetor Okay, see what that does if that works fine You're gonna do that for 50 bucks if it doesn't work you go spring the 500 bucks for the new car probably a thousand thousand bucks What if I'm under the thousand what's the difference pretty soon you're talking about real money?

But the accelerator pump might be enough to do it okay, so try that I'll try that first good luck Betty Hey more calls are coming up right after this. the real-time mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Download the WISE app today or visit wise.com, tease and seize apply. In 1987, a young black man named Ben Spencer was convicted of a brutal murder in Texas, but there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime, and he had an alibi, but that didn't matter. It's hard to overcome a dead white guy who's killed by two black men. Follow Ben's 30-year fight for justice. Listen now to the Sunday story on the Up First Podcast. The Indicator is a podcast where daily economic news is about what matters to you.

Workers have been feeling the sting of inflation. So as a new administration promises action on the cost of living, taxes, and home prices. The S&P 500 biggest post-election day spike ever, follow all the big changes and what they mean for you. Make America affordable again. Listen to The Indicator, the daily economics podcast from NPR. In college, Mustafa Suleyman started a helpline for young British Muslims. People were just looking to find support in a language that made sense to them.

Today, he's CEO of Microsoft AI, where he's building digital helpers. Think of me as your superpower in your pocket. Building the future of AI. That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. This message comes from Wondery. Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast is back. Listen as the Grinch's celebrity guests try to persuade him that there's more to love about the holiday season. Follow Tis the Grinch Holiday Podcast on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, this is normally the time when I answer last week's puzzler, but since the puzzler has apparently skipped town for the summer, I've got what? Squat! True!

But while the puzzler is on hiatus... Is that hiatus? Hiatus! Oh hiatus, that's an island. You can always check out this week's archive puzzler... That's the Dominican Republic, isn't it? Hiatus? At cartalk.msn.com. Just click on the radio section. In the meantime, our number is 1-800-332-9287.

Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, this is Helene from Beulah, Colorado. Click on the radio section in the meantime. Our number is 1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, this is Helene from Beulah, Colorado. Helene? Listen, I got a big problem. Yeah. I got this great daughter, Sierra. She's been driving about a year.

What's your name? Sierra. Sierra? Yeah. Like the club? Like the mountain. Yeah. Mountain, yeah.

Well, Sierra Club, you know. Yeah, oh, like the club, right. Okay. Yeah. The mountain, yeah. Well, Sierra Club, you know. Yeah, oh, like the club, right. Yeah. Okay, well. And the pickup truck. She's been driving for about a year. Yeah. She's a good driver.

She drives on the highway with, you know, deer and all kinds of weather and, you know, mountain roads. You know, we live in Colorado. But she doesn't hold the steering wheel except with a light touch of her hand. Yeah. Like she hooks like the index finger tip over the slightly over the bottom of the wheel. Yeah. And now she's going to be leaving us to go to college and I'm freaked out because I'm

thinking she's got to hold the steering wheel on the car. Yeah. Does she at least have both? No. No, she does not hold the steering wheel. Just a couple of fingers from one hand resting on One finger one lightly hooked finger. What's the other hand doing? She brushing her hair with the other hand? But maybe she's like surfing the waves on the radio

Or relax. I'll just relax You've got to understand that the degree to which one holds onto the steering wheel is directly proportional to the amount of traffic on the road. So out in Beulah, Colorado, where there are no cars to be seen for maybe miles at a time, it's not a big deal to hold onto the wheel. Well, on the other hand, if she were driving, she needs two things. Where is she going to school? Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs. She still doesn't have to hold onto the wheel wheel. Oh come on. No I disagree. I disagree vehemently

with my wacko brother. No I agree. Vehemently. And I might add, seriously. You have to hold on to the wheel obviously. Yeah the trouble is people get away with what they can get away with. Yeah. And there are lots and lots of things that have to do with driving that 90% of the time that you do them, they have no repercussions whatsoever. For example, the sign says speed limit 20 miles an hour. Oh, you got him started. You drive 30 miles an hour and 90% of the time if not 99% of the time. So obviously what Sierra needs is classic conditioning.

I mean a little animal runs out in front. Is she an animal lover? Is she a tree hugger? That's right. She is a tree hugger. A tree hugger. She's a big tree hugger. Well here's what you do.

Every time you see her you've got to find out where she's headed and you have to get yourself a little collection of roadkill. Oh God. Hey, you're a mother! Mothers have to do these disgusting things. You called us for help, didn't you? Mothers have to do these disgusting things.

I will do whatever you guys say. I know you will. But I'm a good man. You've got to hide in the bushes. Oh God. And as she comes driving down, you throw out one of this roadkill specimen. And shoot out one of her tires. She slams on the brake to try to miss this cute little whatever it is that's running

across the road. Oh, that's when you shoot out the tires. But of course, she doesn't miss it because there it is. She comes to a screeching halt and she sees this cute little whatever. And she learns a lesson. Smashed up flatter than a pancake a pancake, and she says, my god, if I had been holding on to the wheel, I could have swerved out of the way.

But no, I had to relax. OK. It's got to be fresh kill, though. It can't be old stuff. She'll know that. Oh, don't worry. Helene will do that. She'll get the fresh kill stuff.

Now she has to kill it herself. Thank you, guys. I wish you the very, very best. Thanks so much. Bye. Bye. OK. Hey, do you know what it yourself. Thank you guys. I wish you the very very best Okay, hey, you know what it's time for yes, it's time to play stump the chumps Stump the chumps is where we invite a pass caller, or a pass caller's next of kin under certain unfortunate circumstances, back onto the show to let us know if our advice was right. Yeah, Stump the Chumps is sort of like car talk quality control.

Which is why we only do it like once a month, or as infrequently as we possibly can. So who's this week's Chump Stumper? Well according to the notes here it's Eric from Connecticut. A few months back we got a call from Eric who was hearing a whistling noise from the front end of his Saab. Do you remember that? No. Me neither. But let me finish reading what it says here. Maybe this will jog our memories. Eric has an 87 Saab 9000 turbo that he admits to driving very fast, despite the fact that Connecticut is just one large speed trap.

Yes, it is. They still stopping you at the Connecticut border and forcing you to go around? Anyway, Eric's car started whistling. I think it was King of the Road or something. No, whenever he decelerated, he heard this strange whistling sound and he wanted us to help him identify it. Oh yeah, I remember now.

You do? No, but when I say I remember, the harp starts playing, and we can get on with this. Always want to observe the law. And then I get off of the gas pedal, there's a, there's a, not a humming sound, it's the sound, it's a spinning sound, like a spooling sound, and it goes, ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo We initiate this the discussion about what your dick's car is gonna be now But here's what you do when the engines ice-cold Pop the hood bend over and

Kiss the turbo. Goodbye Because it's going into la la land is that what the sound is yeah what the sound is? Yeah. Oh, that's so sad. Ha ha ha! I'm glad you're taking it so well. No, any idea what one of them... What a shame.

Well, I guess we told them that the turbo was Kuputsky. Eric, are you there? Yes, I am. Hey, how you doing? Now, before you tell us what happened, we have to give you the standard interrogation. Is it true, Eric, that we have not spoken to you since you first appeared on our show? This is is very true why didn't you return my calls

everyone you wouldn't have had it also true that you have not been offered any cash on morning edition t-shirts in exchange for making my brother and me look good today that is absolutely true although i will accept them all right so break it to us gently. What happened? Well, I'll tell you, I went and I changed my oil, changed the filter, and I've kind of been driving a little more cautiously, but the other day I accelerated and when I came off of the accelerator, no noise.

So I'm looking at my boost gauge and it still shows that I am getting turbo boost So I guess I'm just kind of waiting for the inevitable But I've been driving much more slowly because I'm afraid that my turbo charger is gonna, you know implode on me on the road Oh, so you've been kind of afraid to use the turbo charger. I've been pampering my baby Yeah, because I can't afford to replace her see but that that leaves it open and open here that we don't know whether we were right or wrong Well, the truth of the matter is that we were wrong Well, I don't think so I think no because he changed his oil and The noise has abated but one of the reasons it's abated is number one

He has now is four quarts of oil in it which he may not have had before and he's probably gotten rid of some of the junk that was in the turbo right by changing the oil some of the the coking that has taken place in the turbo well i've got an idea why don't i drive faster and tell the troopers that i've got your blessings to uh make sure that you were right. Oh yeah. All those Connecticut state troopers, I put them on the list too. They love you. Yeah. Connecticut state troopers.

They have my picture in every car. No, that's every post office. Post office. No, sure. You know, I remember when we spoke to you that you were kind of giddy when we suggested that the turbo was gone and it was likely to cost you a couple of grand. Right.

You laughed it off. Am I right? Well, those were tears of a clown. I think they may have been. Yeah, I remember remarking to my brother afterwards and I thought you took it quite well. You did. You took it like a man. And I did go downstairs and kiss my turbo charged that's when we had a wake but the turbo is still working i have to admit that although i can't come up with any other suggestion i still

think it is the turbo but i don't think we should get any prize for this because the turbo didn't blow up yet well i think well the noise went away well what we should do is check in again in about a month. Let's do that. And I'll drive it hard with your blessings. Yeah.

And I'll deliver a full report at the beginning of August. Just send us a photocopy of the bill from the Saab dealership. Yeah, when they replace the engine. That'll be enough. Why don't we just send you the bill? Send us the bill, sure. You can send us the bill. Better yet, give it to the state cop that pulled you over.

Hey, Eric, thanks a lot for being part of Stump the Chumps. All right, thank you very much, and you guys have a great show. Thank you, sir. See you later. All righty, bye-bye. Bye-bye. Did he mean that in the past, the president of the United States? No, have a great show.

Like, try to have a good show. Try to have a great show. Have a great show. Yeah, it was good a good show. Try to have a great show. Have a great show! Yeah, it was good luck. It was a good wish to try to come here. We'll be right back with more calls after these messages. Hi, we're back. You're listening to Car Talk on National Public Radio with us, Click and Clack the Tappet

Brothers, and we're here to discuss cars, car repair, and the psychopathological self-esteem vehicle hypothesis. Here it is. Here it is. My name is Jonathan Shadman. I'm 13 years old and I live in our fair city. A large problem in our society today is that some people think they are better than others. We don't have that problem. We know it. We're not better than anybody.

I was in our family car, a 1994 Tracell, at a stoplight, when this guy in a Lexus pulls up to us and stops, expecting him to roll down the window and ask for mustard. Ha ha ha! Dijon! I was completely shocked at what happened next. He did indeed look at us and just frowned in disgust as if anyone driving such a monstrosity should be shot. As he sped away I thought he wouldn't look so cocky if he drove a Dodge Dart.

No, he wouldn't. This kid is perspicacious. In fact, he'd feel totally crummy. Hey, watch it, you little brat! So I formulated my psychopathological self-esteem vehicle hypothesis. If everyone drove Dodge darts, nobody would feel inferior or superior to anyone else. To accomplish this, we could launch a new government agency, the NDDA, the National Dart Distribution Agency, to work hand in hand with Dodge to provide every American with a factory fresh bright green Dodge Dart. Wow! And we

could do this with no extra cost to the taxpayers since we just use all the money from such governmental frivolities such as school lunches and welfare. Within two years of total dartness on America's roads everyone would be too depressed or busy repairing their darts and we can call it the dart ages everyone would be too busy repairing their darts to be mean to anyone else his dark think of it it would also cause a dramatic increase in the demand from mechanics that's you guys

love your show and your website john john what a guy well i i have to agree with john entirely she's i mean there are all kinds of other problems that arise from having cars that are too nice me for example you crash into some guy driving in ninety Lexus, he has a conniption. Oh!

Right? Of course. The last time your car got crashed into, did you even bother to get out to look? Of course not. No, you, what did you do? You waved at the guy that crashed into you. I waved, I said, I hope everything's okay.

He said, I'm fine. I said, so am I, and we just drove away. Cars shouldn't come through painted, by the way. There should be a law No, I'm good pre rusted pre When you buy a car it should look like a brown paper bag on the outside It should be all scrunched up and ugly so that yeah that that element is removed So I think John has really got something because things happen

Well, we have that we have to meet with Jonathan to have, we have to... Says he lives in our fair city. We now have his email address. We'll have to email him and meet him at the Tasty someday to discuss this further with him because he can be our... Spokesperson. Our spokesperson, but in a spiritual sense. He needs to wear the robes.

He can be the 13-year-old guru. Oh! Right? The Dalai doctor. I think so. That's him. You have to drop out of school, but hey, it's a small price to pay. Well, he wants to get rid of welfare and school lunches anyway.

Right. Stupid kid. Alright, this is normally the time for the new puzzler, but since the puzzler is on vacation, getting some much needed R&R, there is no new puzzle this week. Yeah, but here's the good news. There is no puzz puzzle this week. Yeah, but here's the good news. There is no puzzle this week. But if you can't live without one of our scintillating puzzles, you can always surf on down to cartalk.msn.com

for one of our weekly puzzlers from the Car Talk Archives. And if you happen to have any fact-filled, non-lousy puzzle suggestions that I can steal and use as my very own in the fall, please email them to us from cartalk.msn.com or send them the old-fashioned way to Car Talk Plaza, Attention, Good Puzzler Division, Box 3500, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MAH 02238. In the meantime, if you have a car question or anything else to discuss, you can reach us at 1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk.

This is Harvey from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Santa Fe. Holy Faith. Holy Faith. We knew that. Yes, we thought it was holy something. Never mind. Well, New Mexico is one of my favorite states.

Uh-huh. Well, I mean, not one of my favorites. One of my favorite states doesn't have an ocean near it. That's right. It doesn't even have any water. It barely has any water, but it's nice. There are some nice parts of New Mexico. You got it. You got it. And Santa Fe is one of those. Santa Fe is a charming, I shouldn't say this, but it's a charming place to visit. If you're really knowledgeable, you'll cruise. There's now a scenic byway

here that encompasses about 10 areas of Route 66. What are you working with? A travel bureau? Do you have a question? He's giving us a Travelers Update. Well I'm a real Route 66 fan. I live, you know, a block off of Route 66, which is Old Pecos Trail. Oh, I've driven Route 66 and I didn't, I didn't, there was no magic. I mean I did it and I said, oh, Route 66, I expected to see Martin Milner hitchhiking or something, but it didn't happen for was no magic. I mean, I did it and I said, oh, Route 66, I expected to see Martin Milner hitchhiking or something, but it didn't happen for me. It was all right though. Anyway, you have a question?

Yes, I do. Out here on this stretch of Route 66, just past the giant neon pepper sign, there's a sign that says, Jake brake use prohibited. Jake brake use prohibited. Now I suppose you'd like to know what a Jake brake use prohibited. Jake brake use prohibited. Now I suppose you'd like to know what a Jake brake is. Yeah, I have a rough idea.

Go ahead, give us, we'll fill in the gaps. I think it's on a semi truck, on a diesel truck, you press a button and a little hand comes out on one of those little scissors contraptions, and the hand goes down over the air cleaner and choke the truck to pull it down and it makes noise but backfiring by the signs on down here there are no hills in new mexico although i know the great hill percent of the only although it's all hill so i don't know how many on the downhill part of the of the hill yet but you come into town off the interstate yeah let me explain to you ain't using the brakes going up the hill I mean they're

there but there's something seldom used going up the hill unless you're in danger of rolling back down the hill I didn't know there were hills in New Mexico yeah no sure we all we have Mesa's there like Mexico's happy with so on the downhill side of the hill it says Jake break use prohibit Well, she I don't know. I mean Harvey you're not gonna believe this but in a rare appearance our technical spiritual and menu advisor John Bugsy free It makes that according to bugs. It makes the trailer dragged out with like Auxiliary switch on the dashboard, which turns the diesel engine into an air

compressor to assist engine braking. It's very loud. Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. Oh, man. And manufactured by Jacobs Manufacturing. That's why it's called a Jake Brake. pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop is that you're shutting off the fuel and because you're shutting off the fuel you now make the engine just a compressor. That's what's happening. You make the engine just a compressor by not having fuel it's like turning the key off. If you had a standard shift automobile and you turn the key off and you shut off the ignition the car would slow down much faster than it would if it were idling at a thousand rpm because now it's idling at essentially zero.

That's right. You're making the vehicle do all the work of pushing the pistons up and down because there's no more ignition. I like it. So what's happening is when the exhaust valve opens, the exhaust is going, the exhaust which is just compressed air is being fed into the exhaust system. That shouldn't cause any smoke. I would imagine there'd be an initial puff of smoke,

and after that it would disappear, because the engine is off, basically. There's no more fuel going in. So why should it be any noisier? It may be that the thing exhausts not through the exhaust system, but straight out to the air, and that's why it's noisy. So in other words, when the exhaust valve opens,

there must be some way to take this air and just send it back out to the atmosphere. And as you know, anything, even an air compressor run without a muffler is noisy as hell. And especially one that's got many hundreds of horse powers. It's a great idea. It is a great idea. I love it. It's a great idea.

Well, I hope that answers your question about the Jake Brake. We're probably wrong about it, but we've done our level best. We've done more than we've ever done. For any question. Thanks for calling, huh? Okay. Enjoy Santa Fe. Bye-bye. Well, you've squandered another perfectly good hour. to Fashion Berman. Our Associate Producer and Dean of the College of Automusicology is Ken Babyface Rogers. Our Assistant Producer is Catherine Cathode-Ray. Our Engineer is

Karen I've Already Given. And our Technical, Spiritual and Menu Advisor is John Bugsy, Free Lunch Lawler. Is he here? Did he make it today? Yeah, he's here. Our Public Opinion Pulser is Paul Murky of Murky Research, assisted by Statistician Margin O'Vara. Our Director of New product repair is Warranty Myfoot. Our staff butler from the Car Talk Mumbai Division is Mahatma Kot.

Our document security expert from the island of Jamaica is Euripides Uppman. Our director of upward mobility in Eastern Europe is Zibignuk Chrysler. Our director of Turkish indigestion is Mustafa Malox. Our base of driving instructor is Vera Bruple. Our marriage counselor is Marion Haste.

Our head of used car purchasing is Yul B. Huffinit. Our behavior consultant is Wyatt B. Hoofzier. The chairman of the Federal Lubrication Board is Alan Griespan. The manager of our weekly shrimp buffet is Sheldon Devane, the curator of Tom's Car Collection. Of course, is Rex Gore. And our chief counselor from the lore from with Dewey Cheetahman Howe is you, Louis Dewey, known in the public fountains of Harvard Square

as you, Louis Dewey. Thanks so much for listening. We're Click and Clack the Tablet Brothers and don't drive like my brother. And don't drive like my brother. We'll be back next week. Bye bye. And now with an important announcement, here is Car Talk Plaza's chief mechanic, Vinnie

Gombat. Hey, if you see one tape to this show, which is number 30, here's what you do. You click on the shameless commerce division of CarTalk.msn.com. Can't you just call in your order? Hey, don't interrupt me, all right? You can call in your order at 303-823-8000. That's three. Three-oh-three.

That's exactly what I said. 303-823-8000. You can get the best of Card Talk and all the other Card Talk junk the same way through cardtalk.msn.com, all by calling 303-823-8000. You got anything else to add, Mr. Funny Man? No, I don't.

Car Talk is a production of Dewey, Cheetahman Howe and WBUR in Boston. And even though journalists around the world stop typing and scrunch up their faces when they hear us say it, this is NPR National Public Radio. Support for NPR National Public Radio.