The Best of Car Talk - #2518: You Guys are GOOD!

Episode Date: March 4, 2025

Click and Clack are so practiced at repairing marital relations damaged by spousal stupidity that they sometimes know things before they know 'em, if you know what we mean. If you don't, then check out 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

Bella DiPaolo is glad if you're happily married, but she is perfectly happy being single. I would love to have someone who took care of my car or someone who cleaned up the dishes after dinner, but then I'd want them to leave. From yourself to your dog to your spouse are significant others. That's on the TED Radio Hour from NPR. Hello and welcome to Car Talk from National Public Radio with us clicking clack the tappet brothers and we're broadcasting this week from the Center for revised predictions here at Car Talk Plaza. Well, I mean People some people may remember that many years ago maybe five

I predicted that General Motors would be the car company of the 90s remember that well I can remember further back than that. I remember that you predicted that AMC, AM, I don't even remember what it stands for now, would be the car company of the 80s. You're still sticking with that one? Uh, yeah, I'm sticking with the AMC one, but I'm revising the GM one. Really? Yeah.

Because I'm gonna, I'm gonna now have to push off the GM thing. I don't think they're gonna be the to push off the GM thing. I don't think they're gonna be the car company of the 90s. I think they're gonna be the car company of the 20s. The 2020s. They were the car company of the 20s. Yeah, and they're gonna come back. 100 years later, they will be the car company of the 20s.

And the problem is that everyone who currently is alive hates General Motors. I mean it's basically that. And the only hope they have, even Generation X, that was their hope, because all the people who love General Motors are either dead or wish they were dead, as Don Chalk would say. And then you got these 20 year olds, but all they ever have seen is Japanese cars. Because that's what their parents bought. Because that's what their parents bought and that's what they buy.

And what's going to happen is that in 2020, those people are going to be like 40, 50. Right. And they will have forgotten that they hate General Motors because they don't really hate General Motors. They just don't care about General Motors. Well, their kids, more importantly, will be poised. That's right, and General Motors will have a chance in the next 25 years or so to change whatever it is they do, and I think what they're going to have to do is change all the names. Absolutely.

Because, I mean, wouldn't you really rather have a Buick? No, not anymore. No, I wouldn't. Or an Olds. I mean, Olds, really rather have a Buick? No, not anymore. No, I wouldn't. Or an Olds. I mean, Olds, first of all, sounds like it's for what? Old people. Old people. It should be a News.

Would you rather buy a News? When they were running those ads, it's not your father's Oldsmobile, and they showed that beautiful 56 Oldsmobile 98. Everyone said, wow, that's the one I want. I don't want that piece of crap you're trying to sell me now. 56 Oldsmobile 98 right everyone said wow That's the one I want. I don't want that piece of crap. You're trying to sell me now So the names all have to go and they're gonna have a whole resurgence and I predict that in the year 2020 I want to write this down you predict I predict 20 in the year 2020 General Motors will have Recaption 50% of the US auto market.

2020. 20. That's 20 years from now. You'll probably be dead by then. You'll be dead by then. I'll be 106. Well, we'll have to wait and see. Well, I'm more ready to wait.

We know that. What else have we got to do? If you have a question about your car, you can call us at 1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hello, I'm on Car Talk. Hello, I'm on Car Talk. Hello, I'm on Car Talk. Hello, I'm on Car Talk.

Hello, I'm on Car Talk. Hello, I'm on Car Talk. Hello, I'm on Car Talk. Hello, I'm on Car Talk. Hello, I'm on Car Talk. Hello, I'm ready to wait. We know that. What else have we got to do? If you have a question about your car, you can call us at 1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hello, this is Betty from Northern Virginia. How are you? Hi, Betty. Northern Virginia. Yeah, wonderful to hear your voices.

I love your show. My husband and I love your show. And you're from Massachusetts. And I'm from Maine. Maine, ah. So what's on your mind, Betty? I was calling about my Mazda. It's an 87 Mazda and the little... Mazda what? 626. Yeah. 87 and it's going great guns. I love it. It has 201,000 and some miles on it. The question I have for you, which is a curious problem,

occasionally it won't start. start. I've never worried about this because I have an infallible technique of just jumping out the door, putting one foot on the ground and one foot and one hand on the wheel and pushing it in park. And then I will hear a little, sort of a loud click in the front, like suspension section. Cool. And then it will start invariably. So I don't worry about it. You have a standard transmission? No, automatic.

Automatic. Yes, yes. And when it doesn't start, you turn the key and it pretty much does nothing except make a click maybe. That's right. Okay, got it. What is it? Wow.

Well, I think what's going on is the starter motor is partially engaging. Uh-huh. The gear is being thrust outward and engaging the the flywheel gear, but the motor part of it isn't turning. See the starter does two things. Yeah. It has to send this gear out and then it has to begin turning that gear and it's only doing half the job and and then when it gets stuck in that position, which it will do, then it's done for. Then it's done for until you get out and rock the car and by doing that you get that, you

set a little bit of motion into that crankshaft and you release the gear so the next attempt works. Oh yeah. Well, you may have a bad spot on the flywheel as well. That would cause that problem. Eventually you'll have to, you'll try it, it won't do it, you'll get out and you'll rock it. You'll try it, it won't work again, you'll get out and you'll rock it.

And eventually, you'll realize that the most efficient way to get where you're going is to dispense with the trying to start it. Just open the door and push the car with your foot. All the way. Well, Betty, get ready to put in a flywheel if you ever... Okay. I think that's what you're gonna need, but you might try the starter first. Try a new starter. Yeah, let me do the trick. Okay. Good luck. Thank you so much. See ya. Bye. So long, Betty.

1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, this is Gary from New Hampshire. How are you guys doing? How far up New Hampshire are you? I'm only in Bedford which is outside of Manchester. Not too far from Boston. Manchester's a couple of hours from here, isn't it? It's like 57 miles to Copley Place. Yeah, a couple of hours. Or 20 minutes. That's how you drive. Yeah. So what's up, Gary? there well i got kind of an economic car car economy question i was doing the brakes on my old clunker my eighty nine chevy astro van with a big gillian miles out and doing the rear brake and i'm looking at this thing and it's got a big gillian pieces and all of the complicated stuff and i look

over at my new car with the rear disc brakes, this is a drum brake, and I look at the rear disc and I think to myself, there's so many pieces and so much stuff, how come cheap cars have rear drum brakes and expensive cars have rear disc brakes? It seems like the drums, so many more parts that ought to be more expensive.

Well, you would think so, the casual observer might think so. They're all cheap parts. They're in the only up to 15 cents. They really don't because they've been making them for a million years. Yeah. So they've got the machines all paid. What are they making? They're making pins and springs. That's all it boils down to, right? In a wheel cylinder which is certainly cheaper than a caliper. Here's the problem and here's why many cars still have drum brakes and the ones that don't have calipers that are very expensive

or rear brakes that are expensive, the emergency brake requirement. Calipers make a notoriously lousy emergency brake because we may have explained this maybe 20 years ago but drum brakes have one feature that makes them great as an emergency brake, and that is they self-lock. Oh, okay. When you pull that handle and you push the shoes out against the drum,

when the car tries to roll down the hill, the shoes get jammed in there. And they can't move, so the wheel can't turn, and you've got a brake. And it is one of the things that is an advantage for an emergency brake but a disadvantage in fact for normal braking. The normal braking conditions you don't want the thing to lock up and that's why disc brakes became so popular and eventually usurped drum brakes.

Well how come then on expensive cars where you can get the rear disc how do they handle that? They have a drum brake also. Oh, inside the rotor. Right, inside the disc is made so it looks like a hat. And that part of it, that is the part that would go on your head, it's got a little drum, has brake shoes and all those five cent springs and all the stuff that your drum brakes would have, but it also has a disc brake as well.

And some cars do it by having the disc brake incorporate the handbrake in it which makes those calipers big money. Oh okay because I was looking at all these zillions of parts and thinking of the time it would take somebody to assemble all that. Yeah no it's a good question it's a good question and now you know the rest of the story. Dad Sandman, you're not having any trouble with the little lady or anything? No, I got, actually I have no social questions besides this. Well, your question about breaks is very telling about New Hampshire maybe. Why?

Well, because people in New Hampshire have a simple lifestyle. This guy's worried about his breaks. He has no problem with his wife, or his children, or his mother-in-law. That's true. Actually, my mother-in-law is very nice. I can't even make mother-in-law jokes. I actually like her. Yeah, of course, when they live in Wyoming, they're all nice. Actually, Spain is where she lives. Spain? Even better. There you go.

Now, there's a sweetheart for you. Thanks for calling, Gary. Take it easy. Thanks, bye bye. See you later. It's always the case, isn't it? Yeah, when everyone says his mother-in-law is great, she certainly lives more than one state away. Right. Hey, we've got more calls on the Puzzler answer coming up right after this. This message comes from eBay. Picture this.

This message comes from eBay. Picture this. You're halfway through a DIY car fix, tools scattered everywhere and boom! You realize you're missing a part. It's okay because you know whatever it is, it's on eBay. They've got everything. Brakes, headlights, cold air intakes, whatever you need and it's guaranteed to fit, which means no more crossing your fingers and hoping you ordered the right thing.

All the parts you need at prices you'll love, guaranteed to fit every time. eBay. Things people love. Okay, it's time to find out if America was up to last week's challenge. What? You put Folger's crystals in everybody's cup again? No, no, I'm talking about last week's puzzler. It was an automotive puzzler and based on a true story. It has to do with my truck. I can't remember it. I didn't think so. I can barely remember it. Your truck. Yeah, go ahead.

My older son, Louie, comes to me the other day. He drives my truck all the time. Well, he drives it when his car runs low on gas. He says, Louie, comes to me the other day. I got it. He drives my truck all the time. Well, he drives it when his car runs low on gas. And he says, Dad, there's something wrong with your truck. And I say, oh, out of gas again. Now it's my truck. Right.

No, didn't need gas. He says, when I start the thing up in the morning, the radio stops working and the tape player is dead. The whole thing is kaput. Yeah. And I drive it for a little bit and comes on by itself. And it goes off and on and off and on. So he doesn't know he gives up. I decide I'm going to fix it.

I take it to the shop one day and I noticed that as I'm driving to work, the tape player does seem to work intermittently, but I noticed something interesting. When I step in the gas stops working. When I take my foot off the gas and go to step on the brake comes back. That was it, man. That was the big clue for me. I take my foot off the gas and go to step on the brake, it comes back. That was it, man. That was the big clue for me. I take my foot off the brake, I step on the gas and accelerate, goes out. Ha, ha, ha, I say.

It's got to be a loose wire under the dash. Did you say that out loud? Yes. The guy stopped next to me at the traffic lights and says, uh-oh. He sped away when the light turned green. Somehow the throttle cable is moving this wire and it'll be a piece of cake to fix. After two hours into the dash, I've got a splitting headache.

And your back is killing you. And no solution. In fact, I determined there is no loose wire. This current getting to the radio, and in fact, the whole time I'm in the shop, I've got the key on and I'm moving everything around and the thing works perfectly. I could not make it not work. Hmm

I gave up on it that day and as I was driving home just to taunt me it started to do it again Hmm, and I noticed that if I pushed the cigarette lighter in the radio worked I pulled the cigarette lighter out the radio so many clues here I pushed the cigarette lighter in and held it in the radio continued to work the cigarette lighter caught fire And your thumb Home and I realized I can't see a thing and I can't see because I have no headlights both of my headlights Aren't working. Mm-hmm, and it was at that moment Coincidence one might ask hardly hardly it was at that moment. I knew what was wrong, right?

What was it the light bulb went on so the light bulb went off and another one went on? Yeah What was happening is that the charging system had gone nutso and in doing so it had burned out my headlights And also overcharging it was overcharging putting out 20 volts Ohging. Putting out 20 volts. Who knows how many? Oh, when I put the meter on it, it pinned the thing. It was putting out too much voltage, and the radio manufacturers in their wisdom had designed it so that there's a, what do you call it, a surge protection device. So if there's too much juice getting to the radio, it cuts it off. Otherwise, you fry all those delicate little electrons that are running around there making music

Yes, and so that when I took my foot off the gas pedal and stepped on the brake Mmm, okay The engine slowed the charging system returned to a normal output or closer to normal the radio would kick in when I took my foot Off the brake and stepped in the gas accelerated at the alternate was making too much current The radio would go out when I pushed the cigarette lighter in, I drew some of that electricity, some of all the electrons, until I melted. The heat electrons and not the music electrons. That's right, they're different, they're heavy electrons.

Heavy, like hungry wolf. So what I needed was a new voltage regulator and that solved the problem. And do we have a winner this week? Of course we do. You bet we do. We always have a winner this week of you bet we always have a winner The winner is Leon whoo Leon g-walt Sounds good Ge w-o-l-b how would you pronounce that glob glob from Port Washington, New York and for having his correct answer chosen from along the

Thousands of correct answers that we got this week our buddy Leon will win our very latest table leveling device, a CD featuring our favorite calls about couples in cars called Men Are From GM, Women Are From Ford, and it's a must this season for anyone who has a relationship or would like to have one or would like to get out of a relationship. That's just about everybody isn't it? Cool. And by the way we got an email here from Robert Stump from Indianapolis he says I'm surprised you've not heard from Bob Lutz about Tom and Ray's egregious omission in the title of their new CD. You've left out one of the big three and it's clear that the title should have been men are from

GM, women are from Ford and lawyers are from Chrysler. We'll have a brand new puzzle coming up in the second half of today's show so don't touch that dial whatever you do In the meantime, we'll take your calls at 1-800-332-9287 Lawyers up from chrisland Hello, you're on car talk Hello fellas this is bob somewhere in the hills outside of san marcos texas Hey bob San marcos texas

Which is what where in te Texas East West North Central between Austin and San Antonio on the 35. Got it. So what's up, Bob? Well, I've got a 1986 300 ZX Nissan, which I absolutely love and has about 130,000 miles on it. Everything about this car is just wonderful except that when I use the air conditioner it inevitably Reaches a higher temperature than I'm comfortable with all the engine does that's right does it go all the way up to danger It it goes outside it goes to the limit of the of the normal temperature Yeah, and if I'm not careful it will then begin to creep up even above that outside it goes to the limit of the operating temperature

and if i'm not careful it will then begin to creep up even above that and i've watched it carefully uh... we have uh... done just about everything nice new coolant and a power flush and a cooler thermostat but uh... it still seems to keep on going up there and this really bothers me This is a car. I absolutely adore it's ticking me off to It's got me ticked off Now when this happens does it happen at

Low speeds high speeds all speeds it is slightly related to RPMs when you get up a pretty good speed why it gets really up there climbs more rapidly. Yeah. But if I don't use the air conditioner it runs just cool as a cucumber the whole time. Yeah, I mean don't forget when you turn on the air conditioner you're adding a load to the engine. The engine is working harder. Well, more importantly, you're adding heat to the air conditioner condenser, which is in front of the radiator. So you're taking the air that is coming through the, it's supposed to be coming through the

radiator. It's already 100 degrees, because it's always 100 degrees in Texas. Oh, yeah. You're adding to that the heat from the AC condenser. And then you're asking that extra heated air Which is in front of the radiator to cool off the the coolant Does this mean I'm doomed to just have to deal with it? No, I mean I think that even though despite your best efforts to power flush

The cooling system you have a radiator that's plugged up. I agree with that I'll bet it didn't do this when the car was newer than it is now. Is it true? I've only had the car for about a year. Oh, aha. This is right. And you bought it in the spring, huh? No, in the winter.

Yeah, so when you tried the air conditioner, it didn't malfunction. No, you have your radiator. Your radiator has. You may need a new one, but you may need to take it out. It's filled with CRUD, which stands for corrosion, rust, and unidentified debris. It looks so clean. It does look clean, but the stuff that's on there is really on there.

It's attached. I mean, if you have a look at the radiator, those little tubes that the coolant has to flow through are very, very small. And they have to be small, otherwise the stuff in the middle would never cool off. Right. But the trouble is when they're real small, you've got the hardening of the arteries here. You've got all kinds of build-up. And you've got to get in there and you can... some radiators of old, you could take a part and clean them out. But this thing, you just take the radiator out and you throw it out and you put a new one in.

I would buy a new one. But before you do that, have the shop take the radiator out and have it flow tested. And then you'll find out that the flow rate is diminished and then you'll buy a new radiator. That's what I would do. I mean why fool around? You love the car. Oh indeed. And why should you have to keep looking at that stupid dial? Get it off your mind. I mean, if you're not going to buy a new one, then put black tape over the temperature gauge. Oh, I hadn't thought about that.

See you, Bob. Thanks, guys. Good luck. Thanks for calling. Bye-bye. Be sure to stick around for more calls and the new puzzler coming right up. Hello, we're back. You're listening to Car Talk from National Public Radio with us. I do that so those of you that have dozed off will be...

You just jumped right in there, boom! Just snapped right out of it. Because a lot of people do doze off during the show. Including us. Anyway, we're here to discuss cars, course and car repair and the Martha Stewart calendar of notes for the holidays. Is that what that... Yeah, I mean, this comes out on the internet every year.

Of course, it ends with December 25th, bear a sun, swaddle, lay in color coordinated manger, scented with homemade potpourri. But some of the other days, I thought were pretty good. I mean, Martha Stewart, I mean, she asks for this, doesn't she? She does, and she gets it. Well, because she's perfect. She's perfect.

December 2, have Mormon Tabernacle Choir record outgoing Christmas message for the answering machine. Ha ha ha. December 6, fax family Christmas newsletter to the Pulitzer Committee for consideration. Ha ha ha. December 7, debug Windows 95. Facts family Christmas newsletter to the Politsa Committee for consideration December 7th debug Windows 95

December 10th lay a Faberge egg And my favorite December 11th align carpets to adjust for curvature of the earth. You know, my wife does all, your wife does this stuff, right? My wife does all these same things. I mean, she's as perfect as more perfect even. If it were possible. If it were possible, she would be more perfect than Martha Stewart. She's probably right now laying a fabricating.

She's probably right now laying a fabricating. Listen, I mean, I saw her adjusting the carpets for the curvature of the earth just the other day. And what do we do? We don't do much. We don't do much. Yeah. I'm in a quandary today because I came armed with what I thought was a mediocre puzzle and I wasn't willing to accept its mediocrity. Until you read it again.

No, I didn't read it. I happened to share it with our producer, assistant producer, associate producer. Yeah, and they didn't like it? They dumped all... I mean, Jesus. Nah, use it anyway. Come on. Who are they?

What do they got to say about it? Go ahead, go ahead. I'm gonna be with you on this. Well, very few people know that we have a barbershop quartet at the garage, even though we have six guys. Yeah. And the reason it's a quartet is- One of the guys been out sick?

A couple of them can't sing. Yeah. So one of the guys decides he's going to go to the library and he is going to get a book on how to sing. But he realizes that he's so bad that he has to learn, he has to go to square one. She figures if you learn how to hum first, then in fact, he's got a shot at it. So you're going to hum first and then he's going to learn to sing. He's going to turn into a puzzler.

Go ahead. No, I'm, I'm all ears here. So he goes to the library. He hasn't ever been to the library and he doesn't know anything about the Dewey Decimal System or anything, a card catalog. He walks around until he finds a book that says, How to Hum. He says, great. Takes the book.

He sits down at a table and begins to read. There is nothing in it about singing, music, or how to hum. Really? Really. What was this book that he pulled off the shelf? You know the answer, I know you do. Of course I do. This is the worst fuzz language you have ever used. Then I'll use. Well, Mayor's scratching. As long as Mayor doesn't get it, that's it. Alright, if you think you know the answer, mail your answer to Puzzler Tower, Car Talk Plaza, Box 3500, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MAH 02238 or of course you can email us your answer from our website, cartalk.msn.com. Just click on the Talk to Car Talk section. And by the way, if we choose your correct answer at random from among all the correct

answers that we receive, you'll get your own copy of our brand new tape and CD called Men Are from GM, Women Are from Ford, and Lawyers Are from Chrysler. Or one of our Unencumbered by the thought process mugs inscribed in Latin. How did we finally decide on? Oh, non impedimenti cogitatione rationes. We got that right from the Vatican. We did. Yeah.

We had to go to the big guy. I mean, who else knows Latin like the big guy? Like the big guy. I mean, who else knows Latin like the big guy? Like the big guy. Guido. If you'd like to call us, our number is 1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, this is Joyce and I'm calling from Dundalk, Maryland, which is a little suburb of Baltimore. Hi, Joyce.

Dundalk. Yeah, Dundalk. D-U-N-D-O-C-K? No, D-U-N-D-A-L-K, settled by Thomas McShane named after his Irish town of Dundalk, Ireland. She has a Dundalk island. That's half of the one idea. Of course now there is another story that they got their name from the Italian immigrants that when the ship came in and they saw it, they're yelling, don't dock, don't dock,

don't dock. I like that one better. There's always a story. And it always involves Italians. Have you noticed that? Yes, I've noticed that. I don't know why that is. Okay, Joyce, what's up? always involves Italian. Have you noticed that? Yes, I've noticed that. I don't know why that is.

Okay Joyce, what's up? I've got this little 92 Corolla. Yeah. In the past month it has started making this noise in the morning when it's cold. And the noise is ttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt Now, when you first started up, yes, and it goes away after what? Five minutes? After about seven minutes after it's warmed up.

Now my son says it sounds like valve tap and I said, well, no, because when your father's fan had that, it had more of a click, click, click sound. This, I don't know how to describe it, it sounds like it has air behind it. Well, I think it is valve tap. And the reason that your car makes a very different noise from the van that you had is you have a valve that's about one-fourth the mass of those valves of yesteryear in those big American cars.

And when those valves made noise, it was stop step step step and yours because it's a little tiny little valve because it's a little tiny little engine goes yeah how many miles on this Corolla 79 5 hmm I don't know why it should be doing this have you been religious about changing the oil that means do you do it every Sunday morning no I don't do it every Sunday be doing this. Have you been religious about changing the oil? That means do you do it every Sunday morning? No, I don't do it every Sunday morning, but I have religiously changed the oil every 3,000 miles. Well, wow. Way too often.

That's the problem. No, it isn't the oil at all that's causing the problem. I suspect it's deposits from your gasoline. Yeah, I think so too. And you need to use, I hate to say this, a gasoline additive. Yeah. Even though they tell you, and we even tell people, you don't need this junk. Yes. We found that certain cars do need it. Now, I've always used the lowest octane in this. That's okay. That's okay? It's not a matter of octane. Okay. It's a matter of deposits somehow getting on the valves and preventing them from closing.

Mm-hmm. And when that happens, then you hear the tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, and after a while it warms up and it works. I mean, it's interesting that all the manufacturers claim that they have additives in their gas that get clean. That prevent this. But at the same time, when you go to buy gas,

they have a big display rack between the pumps where they sell all these additives that you don't need. That's correct, yeah. And one of the better ones that we found is this stuff made by Chevron called Tecron. And it will probably work for your car. So I should try that first before I take it to the dreaded dealer. Yeah. Okay.

You pour this right in the gas tank and you take a couple of shots of it yourself And a couple of tanks and it might be gone, okay And if it doesn't work don't call back because we can't we can't take it Just can't Okay, well, thanks guys see you later Bye bye Okay, well thanks guys. See you later. Good luck. Bye. Bye.

1-800-332-9287. Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi, this is Bob Berger from Durham. No last names please. Hi Bob. Durham, New Hampshire or Durham, North Carolina? Durham, North Carolina. Dang, okay.

What's shaking? Well, I'm having a little trouble with my wife's car and because of that I'm having trouble with my wife. Yeah and because of that I'm having trouble with my wife. Yeah, that happens. Yeah. She thinks I've been working on it unauthorized. Oh. Yeah.

The problem is the air conditioning compressor is turning on whenever we turn the heater on. Now normally that would be OK, and I think it's been doing it for a while, but I think the bearings been doing it for a while, but I think the bearings are frozen on it. Well, are you sure it's coming on when you turn the heater on and not the defroster? Because it's supposed to come on when you turn the defroster on.

Oh really? In most cars, yeah. Oh. Because they realized... What kind of a Honda is this? Oh, it's a... Did I say Honda? No.

Oh, sorry. It's a Taurus. Oh, it does come off. I made it up. I do own a Honda. Oh, you do? And he was wondering how we knew that. You guys are good. We are good, you know? Now, when you turn the defroster on in your Taurus, it automatically turns the air conditioner

on. And what they figured out is the reason that your window is all fogged up inside is that there's too much moisture in the car. Oh. And the air conditioner, even though it cools the air, also removes, primarily, removes the moisture. So you send in warm air, but warm dry air to defrost the window. And as you do that, as you evaporate that moisture from the windshield, you eliminate it from the car. It drips out the bottom. Okay, now that we've told you that it's

supposed to do that, tell us what you did to screw everything up. Well, my wife wanted to know why I hooked up the air conditioning compressor to the heater. Oh, she thought you did that? Yeah. I haven't done anything, honey. But what were you doing under there? Oh, nothing.

It just happened. Oh, it just happened? Well, the real question is what other moronic things have you done around the house that made her just assume that this was just one other one of them? I figured you'd ask me that. Well, there was a time I took out electricity to half the house. And she still let you work in the car? Well, she let me change the oil because I didn't tell her that one time I drained the

transmission fluid out of the car. Last week, my wife allowed me. I mean, this is a new vote of confidence. I mean, my wife would never let me touch anything in the house because I have managed to break everything that I touch. But she actually asked me if I would help her to hang a mirror. And I actually got little thingy, hooky things

and nailed them into the wall and every hour Felt down and I would report her hey hunt still up And it's been up now for about a week. Did you get goosebumps while you were doing it? Oh, it was trilling that rush that that testosterone rush. It was there man. It was there rush that that test also was it was it was there man it was there and that loved it next week yeah I predict did you be allowed to clean out the garage if you're good good Bob tell your wife not to worry didn't screw anything up this time no good everything's as it should be all's right with the world

see you Bob thanks a lot guys alright well it's happened again what I don't know you've wasted another perfectly good hour listening to car talk Our esteemed producer is Doug the subway fugitive not a slave to fashion Berman our associate producer and Dean of the College of Auto Musicology is Ken babyface Rogers Our assistant producer is Katherine crystal-ray and our engineer is Jonathan Marston our technical and spirituals. He leave no, he's still asleep technical and spiritual... Does he leave? No, he's still asleep. Oh, that's why his head's on the desk. That's why he keeps him. Our technical and spiritual advisor is Mr. John S. Lawler.

Grandpa Lawler. Our public opinion pollster is Paul Murky of Murky Research, assisted by statistician Marginal Vera. Our director of new product repair is Warren T. Myfoot. Our staff butler from the Kartok Mumbai division is Mahatma Kote. From the New Delhi office, our blues coordinator is Mohammedan Tolmi. Our document security expert from the island of Jamaica is Euripides Uppmann. And our East Asian used car expert is Alexander Soljianison. Our evasive driving instructor is Vera Bruppley.

Our Boston traffic director is Laura Biden. Our director of moral support is You Demand. Our bathroom tile installer is Laura Bullnose, our chief justice is Harry Menthil, known on the bench as Judge Menthil, our real Tolstoy biographer is Warren Peace, author of real Tolstoy by Warren Peace, our chief counsel from the law firm of Dewey Cheatman Howes, Hugh Louis Dewey, known on the benches of Harvard Square as Huey Louie Dewey, thanks so much for listening we're clicking clack for Tappet Brothers and don't drive like my brother.

Don't drive like my brother, but it's okay to drive like my sister. Not really. We'll be back next week. Bye-bye. And now, here with a very special guest, Card Talk Plaza's chief mechanic, Mr. Vinnie Gumbachs. I thought I asked you not to spit on the microphone. Now, if you want a copy of this week's Card Talk Show, which is number 50, here's what

you do. Now, you're going to give everybody the full number to call now? No I'm gonna get Barry Manilow to sing the number you moron. The number to call is 303-823-8000. And if people wanted the new CD called men are from GM women are from Ford and lawyers are from Chrysler all the calls are about couples and cars and what would... You can't have one! But if anyone else wants Card Talk CDs or other gifts you call the same number 303-823-8000 or you can peruse our shameless commerce division at cartalk.msn.com well thanks Vinnie I've enjoyed the little time we've had together

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