Join us on this riveting episode as Drive Radio explores the complexities of car ownership. Discover why some of the most admired vehicles come with hidden costs and maintenance challenges. Our experts share insights into what makes certain cars high-maintenance and discuss practical advice for potential buyers. Whether you’re an automotive enthusiast or a prospective car buyer, this episode offers valuable perspectives on making informed decisions.
SPEAKER 06 :
Being an expert on general automotive knowledge, what would the correct ignition timing be on a 1955 Bel Air Chevrolet with a 327 cubic inch engine and a four-barrel carburetor?
SPEAKER 14 :
It is a trick question. Watch this. Because Chevy didn’t make a 327 in 55. The 327 didn’t come out until 62. And it wasn’t offered in the Bel Air with a four-barrel carb until 64. However, in 1964, the correct ignition timing would be four degrees before top dead center. Whoa!
SPEAKER 12 :
Get ready for another hour of Drive Radio, brought to you by Colorado Select Auto Care Centers. Got a question for the experts? Then give them a call, 303-477-5600. Now it’s time to pop the hood and get our hands dirty. Drive Radio on KLZ 560 The Source.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, we are back. Drive Radio, KLZ 560. Myself, Pat Schneid, Alltech Automotive up in Fort Collins. So if you’re up in the Fort Collins area and need anything at all, I send Pat folks that are up in that area on a routine basis. But if you’re up north, you know, Loveland, Fort Collins, Windsor, what am I missing? Severance, Wellington, all of that, that whole entire area. If you’re up in that area, go see Pat. Two locations in Fort Collins. They’ll take great care of you. And some of you even from Wyoming are driving down to see Pat, which, again, thank you. I appreciate that greatly. I know Pat does as well. So, yeah, some of you guys are even driving down to get work done. Thank you. You bet. Thank you. It’s always great to see you guys. Yep. And as I told Rich earlier, always great to put a face with a voice as well. So that’s always awesome. And again, lines are open. I should have said that a moment ago. Lines are open. If you have any questions for us at all, 303-477-5600, 303-477-5600. And again, question of the day today, which no one’s answered yet. Worst car made. And I said as we opened the show up today, I’m not talking about the worst-looking car. I’m talking about a car that just wasn’t a good car. In fact, as I stated as we opened up today, there are some cars that, frankly, were really good-looking cars. Yes. But were not worth owning because of the fact they’re just not very good cars. Have you got one in mind? I have several in mind, and one of them, for example, is, and I’m not trying to pick on anybody, but Land Rovers. Land Rovers are really, in my opinion, not a bad-looking car. In fact, some of them are very sleek and they’re very beautiful.
SPEAKER 05 :
And some are pretty rugged-looking, trail-use, all that.
SPEAKER 10 :
They’ve got some great designs. They’re just not very good cars. I’m sorry. And some of you Land Rover lovers probably know what I’m saying because you spend lots of money on them to keep them on the road. That’s right. Because when it comes down to the average cost of maintenance, it’s one of the higher-priced vehicles there is to maintain and keep on the road. And that’s one example where they’re just, unfortunately, they’re just not great. They’re not great, reliable cars. I’m sorry to say they just aren’t.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, and I completely agree with you. And I think I am the guy that says, hey, life is short. You should drive what excites you. So if Land Rover excites you, you should drive that and own that. But you need to know that it has a higher cost of ownership.
SPEAKER 10 :
And there’s lots. And by the way, so really quick. And you guys all know I cheat sometimes. Cheat, maybe this is the right word. I use AI a lot. It helps me in my day-to-day work. I’ve got a lot of my clients now, the business clients that I coach, I’ve got them using AI for all sorts of different things. And I don’t want to say it’s cheating. It’s using a tool that we now have our disposal. So as I was talking a moment ago, I typed in to chat GPT the most expensive cars to own. Guess which one is number one? Land Rover? The one I just said. And you did that after you said it. It is the highest 10-year maintenance cost among major brands. Other expensive brands over 10 years, of course, Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, BMW. Yeah, the German cars. You would expect, yeah. Cost of ownership is naturally higher. And some of that is because the repair and maintenance on certain things becomes very expensive, not only for the parts side, Pat, but just how the systems are made. There’s more labor to do that work.
SPEAKER 05 :
Could we just revisit the call that we had earlier? Because we talked about it off air, and I think this is something that people may not realize. So when you buy one of these cars, let’s just stick with German cars, so maybe Audi, Volkswagen, even BMW, Mercedes, these cars are more expensive to repair. So a lot of people buy them new, and don’t do the maintenance. Very true.
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, good point.
SPEAKER 05 :
If you are looking at or considering a used German car, it is imperative that you get it inspected before you buy it because we have had people come, for instance, say, I just got a great deal on a used BMW, and I’m like, no, you didn’t. No, you didn’t. There’s no such thing. Right, and I’m not sure if that’s what happened to our caller earlier this morning, but it could be. And you just need to go in eyes open and do the math and have it inspected and understand what condition that car is in and what you’re looking at to keep it safely on the road for its second owner, second life, right?
SPEAKER 10 :
No, Pat, you bring up a great point because folks say, man, I got a great deal on such and such. Well, yeah, maybe you did. But what lies underneath? Right. In other words, you may be getting a great deal on the front side, but there’s a reason why that person let that car go for that price, because they probably know they’ve got some fairly expensive upkeep coming, very expensive repairs and maintenance coming along, and they don’t want to spend the money to do that.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s exactly right. And it also doesn’t go across the board. But in general, these cars are prized possessions when the owner has them. So the paint and the body looks great. They’re clean. They’re washed. But underneath and under the hood, they may have some neglected maintenance.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, and by the way, Pat just said it very well, may have. We’re not saying that’s the case in all situations. In some cases, you may find that they’ve done a very good job of keeping the paint and interior and all of that in great shape. And by the way, they did the same on all the maintenance stuff, and it’s a great car to own, and you’re good to go. On the same token, you may find that they did really well at keeping up the interior and the exterior, but maybe not so much on the rest of the maintenance needs the car has. Because, again, it’s not inexpensive. It’s not cheap to own some of these other brands that we just mentioned. Again, not knocking German cars. For all of you that are out there, and I’ll just be straight up honest, they build some fine automobiles. I’m not knocking German cars, but they’re expensive. On average, they’re more expensive to own than some of their counterparts.
SPEAKER 05 :
And I am a very, I don’t know, pragmatic person. My wife likes to say I’m cheap. But I was one of those guys. I wanted to drive that Audi. I bought one. I enjoyed it. And it was expensive. But I really, really enjoyed it. And I kept up on the maintenance. And that was fun. There you go. That’s all that matters.
SPEAKER 10 :
Mike, you’re next. Go ahead.
SPEAKER 08 :
Hey, worst car on the planet. I’ve owned them. My wife owned. My ex-wife insisted on them. Range Rovers, Land Rovers, largest hoax ever perpetrated on the American public.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, and because people think, oh, well, I can go anywhere I want to go. I can go to the end of the world and back and so on. And, you know, well, maybe you can. Maybe you can. But there’s a cost to that, Mike.
SPEAKER 08 :
Oh, my goodness. That thing was constantly in. We had two of them. It was constantly in the shop. And I’m not always a huge fan of Consumer Reports and their automotive section. But I don’t think they even test them anymore. They were so bad. And everybody seems to think if you spend that much money that it’s going to be good. And if Britney Spears drives one, everybody thinks they’ve got to have one. It was, I just went, you know, every time I see somebody behind the wheel, I go, talk about a mullet.
SPEAKER 10 :
boy boy did boy did they catch you coming and going and again as you know mike i’m i’m not against owning you know in fact i’m not against anybody owning anything you want to own it and you understand what you’re getting into i think though what happens on certain vehicles range rover by the way being one of them is people get this misconception that oh well you know that’s you know my neighbor’s got one it’s not a bad car Well, maybe your neighbor leased it for two years, and they’re just going to walk away from it at that point in time. And by the way, if you’re going to own a Land Rover Range Rover, I’m not typically, Mike, a big lease fan, but if there’s a car to ever lease and then walk away when you’re done, that’s the one to do it. That’s the one, yep.
SPEAKER 08 :
Absolutely. You know, doing the math when we owned it, it was when we owned two, not at the same time, but It ran between $1.60 and $1.80 a mile to maintain.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, for those of you listening, and I know this because I’ve coached Land Rover, Range Rover businesses in the past. And, Mike, the average ticket, the average invoice coming out of most Range Rover shops, independent shops, not the dealer, but most independent shops, the dealer is going to be higher. But most independent shops, Mike, it’s going to be about an $1,800 bill on most Range Rovers. That’s average, meaning there’s some lower and some higher to get that $1,800. Yep.
SPEAKER 08 :
Well, and I’m a big fan of, I tend to find something good about pretty much every car and manufacturer. There’s good and bad with all of them. I think Range Rovers have a great approach angle. They’ve been fairly good four-wheel drives. Off-roaders, they’re pretty big for that in today’s world. There are no Jeeps. But that’s okay. You know, but most people don’t buy them for that. They’re mom bombs, essentially, or they’re status symbols.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, no, you’re exactly right. No, Mike, you’re 100% correct. And, you know, the… I’m like you. I always try to look at the positives of what’s in a particular vehicle. And the one thing that I will tell you on the Range Rover end of things, and they’ve been this way from day one, they have got a very robust drivetrain minus the engine sides of things. So, in other words, Mike, you know, transfer cases, differentials, and so on, they’re very, very robust. The problem with Range Rovers is all of the other ancillary things they have.
SPEAKER 08 :
Oh, okay. I rented one in San Francisco one time to go up to Laguna Seca to drive in a race up there at Skip Barber’s Racing Series, and it had seven miles on it, and we didn’t even get it out of the rental car parking lot before it locked my partner and I in.
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, my word.
SPEAKER 08 :
We couldn’t get it to open. And, you know, this is before cell phones, so we’re signaling the rental people. They came out. You know, we couldn’t get the hood to open. We couldn’t get the door to unlock. They finally got a locksmith out to get us out of it. And it had seven miles on it.
SPEAKER 05 :
So fit and finish problems, electrical problems, engine problems.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, and Mike, you know, even one of those, because of the way they monitor brake pad thickness and so on, even putting a set of brake pads on, I mean, all of that stuff is just astronomically higher than anything else, because all of those little, you know, quote-unquote, you know, add-ons, add-on. Right.
SPEAKER 08 :
Yeah, no, I get it. I just absolutely… went ballistic when i sat here and went okay this doesn’t even have seven miles on the odometer and i can’t even get in and out of it yeah it might be a sign maybe that was what was the old british car thing lucas prince of lucas you know anything lucas electrical is awful Anyway, listen, good show.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thanks, Mike. As always, I appreciate your input, and he is spot on. All right, we’ll take a call as soon as we come back. Couple lines open, 303-477-5600. Drive Radio, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 01 :
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SPEAKER 16 :
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SPEAKER 18 :
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SPEAKER 20 :
Napa know-how.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, we are back. Drive Radio, KLZ 560. Steve, you’re next. Go ahead.
SPEAKER 06 :
Good morning, gentlemen.
SPEAKER 10 :
Good morning.
SPEAKER 06 :
What a stupendous Saturday. Absolutely. Just wanted to ask a couple questions on Apollo. We talked about the Persian prince’s baby mama. When the C-300 had a parking lot ding, the other person at danger wouldn’t share insurance information. Cut to the chase. USA says, okay, take it in. Took over all we did. They said, fine, we’ll repair it. And then they didn’t, and they totaled it. And I got to thinking, as you mentioned, co-parts is generally the people that get these things. That’s right. Correct. They’ve got to be making a fortune because you know the cost of these parts, and the car parted is far more valuable than the salvage price. So I just… really worry about that. And I just wonder a couple things. Has any auto manufacturer developed ANC, active noise cancellation system like you have on a lot of aircraft, like Bose?
SPEAKER 10 :
Like we talked earlier, Steve, Lexus is doing some of that and has been for a while. I think some of your higher-end vehicles are starting to do that, yes.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, last question. Your replacement car, after we did everything you asked, which is to get the estimate, take it in, get a rental car, and decide the total. The replacement is a GLB 250. What’s your thoughts on those things? It’s a 24.
SPEAKER 10 :
Say that again. I’m not following.
SPEAKER 06 :
Say that again. It’s a Benz GLB 250. Okay. What are your thoughts on that?
SPEAKER 05 :
On 250, just is it a good car?
SPEAKER 10 :
On is it a good car? Well, again, it goes back to the conversation I just had a few minutes ago, even with Mike, Steve. I mean, is it a good car? Is it not a good car? Honestly, that’s not really the question. It’s what’s it cost to keep that car on the road? And given the fact it’s an MB, it’s more money, period.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, exactly. It’s still under factory warranty. But man, this thing’s so, I mean, over-engineered with systems and sensors and microprocessors.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yes, yes. And again, for everybody listening, and please, don’t think I’m knocking the European cars, because I’m not. I think they’ve got a place, and a lot of people love them, and they’re great. They drive well. Typically, their handling and the way they work, as far as that’s concerned, Steve, is typically better than a lot of their counterparts. I’m not taking anything away from the Germans and the way they build cars. They’re just more money to own, period.
SPEAKER 06 :
As I mentioned, this, by the way, is the first car I’ve gotten the Persian princess baby mama to read the manual. Because it’s pretty complex. So anyway, my concern, I haven’t been able to address this, is that because it’s a turbo on a small displacement engine, you’ve got, when the turbo, as you know, creates a lot of higher induction there. Does that thing have intercoolers?
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, I would think so. Yes. At least one. I don’t think there’s a car. Again, I think I could probably even get quoted on this one. I don’t think there’s a vehicle made today with a turbocharger that doesn’t have an intercooler. It’s because standard equipment on because it’s the only way they can keep the air charge cool. They can get more power out of it. There’s just so many advantages, Steve, that I don’t think there’s one made today without one. I agree with that. I think the non-intercooled turbos is an older technology.
SPEAKER 06 :
Because if you do not cool down that induction air, you’re going to have problems.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, and a lot of this has to do with even emissions and so on. If somebody knows of a new vehicle with a turbocharger on it that’s not intercooled, please let me know because I don’t know of any, Steve.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, just want to run that past you. Let me know if you have any more thoughts on the GLB250. We call it the great-looking Benz.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, and again, would I own one? Sure. You just have to realize you’re going to spend more money on it.
SPEAKER 05 :
And I think what they’re known for is their combination of practicality, because it’s an SUV, right? And then, as you said, Steve, the technology, it’s got a lot of features and a lot of electronics and sensors on it. Correct.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yep, it does. And by the way, it’s a lot better than the C300. in the fact that if you’re over 5’6″, which I am, man, that CC800 was like climbing in and banging your head every time.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, good point.
SPEAKER 06 :
Have a great one, gentlemen. You too, Steve.
SPEAKER 10 :
I appreciate it. All right, up next, we did a review. Speaking of all these new cars and things that we’re talking about, my son and I, Richard, did a review earlier in the week on an IONIQ 9. That is the electric SUV coming out of Hyundai. So tune in, listen to that. We’ll be back right after that. All right, it’s that time of the week where we put in our car reviews. Richard, what have you driven lately?
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, Dad, so I actually drove, I think, my favorite car of the year so far. And that’s saying something because we’ve had some really fun cars. And this is actually an SUV. It’s a 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9. This is the, let me make sure I get this right, the all-wheel drive performance calligraphy edition. Folks, this is Hyundai’s plug-in car. Totally electric SUV. It’s very similar to a Kia EV9, which is a similar manufacturer, cousin, whatever you want to say. Hyundai is separate, so we’re going to review this. It’s got all of the bells and whistles that you could imagine on this vehicle. Five-year, 60,000-mile new vehicle warranty, 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, 10-year, 100,000-mile electric vehicle warranty. seven-year unlimited-mile anti-perforation, and a five-year unlimited-mile roadside assistance. And some of you are saying, Richard, why are you giving me the warranties? Well, folks, because this is one of the best-selling features of a Hyundai, and it’s not only on this vehicle, Dad. It’s on their other vehicles, too. But it is a fantastic value that you get when you buy this car. Total price on this vehicle, Dad, $77,040. Now, that’s not including some tax credits and stuff that you can get, which obviously does run out at the end of this month. And if you’re listening to this review after the fact, just keep that in mind. However, Dad, I love this vehicle. And the main reason is because it overperforms. It under-promised and over-delivered for me. In terms of range, I believe they say this thing can go up to 335 miles on EV. I was actually closer to like 360 miles, to be honest with you, Dad. Mind you, this is the all-wheel drive variant. It’s a three-row electric SUV, and I was able to fit six full-size adults in this vehicle along with, Cargo behind the third row, which is great. It also comes, Dad, with a… If you’ve got the level 2 or the 240-volt outlet in your home, you don’t have to go buy a new charger. It comes equipped with one. It’s got several different adapters, all different types. It kind of comes nicely, conveniently tucked in the frunk, and it’s a modified frunk. It’s not a full-size, as some of these other vehicles are. But, Dad, I just love this vehicle. It ran well. You can adjust the one-pedal driving to be basically full one-pedal or a lot less, depending on how you want to drive. If you want it to drive more like a traditional car to where it doesn’t break at all, you can set it that way. It’s got massaging front seats or at least front driver’s seat. It’s got heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel. I think the second row had heated and ventilated seats. It’s got… all the great sound system that you’ve come with with Hyundai. And folks, if you have not been in a Hyundai in a while, especially this model, this calligraphy performance level or trim level, it’s just phenomenal. I don’t know how to say it. It’s one of my more favorite cars. And I will say this, it is a very unique looking car where you may have seen this car driving down the road and you’re not sure what it is. And I would encourage you to get out and see that. Again, depending on What you qualify for, Dad, as far as different tax credits, whatever it might be, the price that I mentioned earlier may not be that way for you. And I will say this. I drove this thing everywhere, and pretty much every night I was able to plug it into the level 2 charger that I’ve got at home, or that they provided, I should say, and basically charge this vehicle back up to full range. And I will say, there’s something about the EV market in that way. it’s nice to get in, Dad, and basically have a full tank of fuel.
SPEAKER 10 :
Every day.
SPEAKER 03 :
Right? And, yeah, and fuel, obviously, in this case, is electricity, but you’ve got a full battery or 80%, depending on… We can get into that later. But every day, right? You don’t have to worry about stopping. But the nice thing at the same time is I didn’t feel like… I didn’t feel a ton of range anxiety because, again, you’re getting over 300 miles on a full battery. Now… That is here in the summer in Colorado, Dad, which is about as close to ideal conditions as you can get.
SPEAKER 20 :
Right.
SPEAKER 03 :
I’m sure as it gets colder out, that’s going to go down a little bit. But it’s just something to know. Outside of that, Dad, I have no negatives on this car. It drove well. It was fun to drive. The kids, when you put them in it, we call it rocket booster mode. And honestly, you change it to sport mode. But that’s all the ultimate thing is these electric cars drive fantastic.
SPEAKER 20 :
They do.
SPEAKER 03 :
Encourage folks, head to your local Hyundai dealer, check it out. Again, Hyundai IONIQ 9. This was the Calligraphy Performance Edition. And when you do that, let them know that John and Richard Rush from Drive Radio and Rush to Reason sent you.
SPEAKER 13 :
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SPEAKER 10 :
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SPEAKER 13 :
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SPEAKER 10 :
All right, we are back. Drive Radio, KLZ 560. Thanks so much for tuning in. We appreciate it. Pat Schneid with me from Alltech Automotive up in Fort Collins. Kerry from Nebraska, you are next. Go ahead.
SPEAKER 07 :
Oh, thanks. I really enjoy you guys’ show. I’ve got a question that’s probably not going to apply to a lot of people, but I’ve got an older, or I should say an old 1976 Chevrolet C60 truck. Okay. It’s actually an old grain truck.
SPEAKER 20 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 07 :
And… Power steering went out a year ago and I put a new pump in the truck when the pump is kind of part of the reservoir system. And I put the new pump in and everything has worked fine. No problems with that. But it just has a constant whine to it since I’ve done that. And it sounds a lot like something that, you know, is low on oil, but it’s not. and power steering works perfect.
SPEAKER 10 :
And really quick, I think, if I’m not mistaken, that has a hydro boost system on it as well, does it not?
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I think, yes, it does.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I’m pretty sure it does. And what’s happening there is there’s most likely still air in it. Those are kind of hard to get bled out. And the best way to do it is if you can get the front end just off the ground slightly where you can turn the wheels without there being any resistance to it. So if you’ve got a decent-sized jack, lift the front end up, get the tires and wheels off the ground, and then just fire it up and crank it lock to lock, lock to lock, lock to lock, and try to get as much of that air bled out as you can.
SPEAKER 07 :
okay i like i said i did this about a year ago and the truck gets driven very very rarely we’re just using during seat planning right now so uh and it did say in the instructions that you’re supposed to use some type of vacuum you know after you put the fluid in it and i was real careful to get it primed as well as i could and and all that and i thought eventually that would have to just work out of there but it just it hasn’t so uh you know probably it’s Probably has 10, 15 miles off as far as driving it, but I will try that. So with less resistance, you’re saying that’ll help work out the possibly air that’s in the line.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, and again, you’d think by now that that would work its way out, although I’ve seen some of those where, no, that’s not the case. Now, the other thing I’ve seen on those, and this was going to be my second question, is what pump did you use? And was it new or remanned? Yeah, was it new or remanned pump?
SPEAKER 07 :
It was a… I almost can’t remember. I believe it was a Roots three-man pump. I got it from Napa. Had a little bit of a hard time getting the numbers to match up to what would even be available. But I’m pretty sure it was a new pump.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. Double check that because some of the remand pumps, that can be an issue, and I’ve seen some of those in my career where you can’t get them bled, period, because the pump itself has some sort of an internal problem. In other words, it’s generating… I don’t want to say generating air, but it’s not allowing the air to come out. The pump itself can be defective. Now, is it possible that even a new pump can do that? Yeah, of course. I mean, just because it’s new doesn’t mean that there’s not some fallibility to it, Kerry. Typically, though, we see it more on the reman pumps than we do new pumps.
SPEAKER 05 :
I would agree with that. So in our case, we’ve got a 30-year-old Toyota truck, and about three years ago, we put a remanufactured pump on it. It did happen to be from Napa, and it’s been noisy ever since. So we’ve decided not to pursue it because, as you said, a truck gets driven infrequently, and the power steering works. If it fails or when it fails again in the future, we’ll put another pump on it. You might be in that situation. I mean, your truck is 50 years old, and it’s a question of the quality of the pump, I think.
SPEAKER 07 :
Right. Yeah. And it’s not a big deal. It’s just that it’s just a little one of those kind of annoying things. You know, something’s not right. And I’m not near the truck now, but I remember in the instructions, it also had me have to do it. It seems like I had to do a couple things on the pump itself, depending on the application, which makes me think maybe it was a reman or something. I can’t remember that detail.
SPEAKER 10 :
Because it’s part of the Hydroboost, is the braking and everything okay? Does all that work properly? Do you have any issues there?
SPEAKER 07 :
I do have problems with… uh keeping the brakes up on the truck okay that’s because of the air in it yeah now you’re in a little different scenario than just having a little noise and putting up with it given the fact that it runs a braking system i yeah this is one you got to fix you don’t have any choice yep yeah i’m losing well my my uh braking issue it just i lose fluid over the winter and then i have to pump it put fluid in and pump it back up and then it’ll be fine for a while i didn’t realize there’s any correlation between that and the yes and the power steering i mean as far as brake fluid goes that’s not part of power steering but the boost side of it is the power steering right okay okay okay all right well it might be one of those i’ll i’ll check some of those things and maybe a thing they just because i’m not going to put any more money into it for no more than what we drive it. I was just trying to think of something quick.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I mean, first things first, I would go ahead and try the, you know, get the wheels off the ground, try the lock to lock. Let’s see if we can get some of that air pushed out of it. What fluid also did you use? Did you use ATF or did you use actual power steering fluid?
SPEAKER 07 :
No, I use power steering fluid.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay, good. I mean, a lot of guys, and I’m not saying it doesn’t work because it does. A lot of guys will go ahead and use ATF in them instead of power steering fluid. But in these cases, if it had ATF, I would recommend you put power steering fluid in it. But since you’re using that, you’re already good.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I did that. So, okay. Well, we’ll just take a look at it again. Just want to get some ideas there.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay. Hey, Kerry, one more point. I just did a quick Internet search here, and according to artificial intelligence, the 1976 Chevrolet C60 is not a hydro boost system. So you just want to verify that because I’m not saying artificial intelligence is right, but you just want to make sure you know what you’ve got before you change. Your brakes may be separate from your power steering.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, double check that. And I’m going off memory, and I, not to argue with AI, but I thought that had hydro boost. I did, too. I thought it did, too.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, I think it does, because that’s another unit up on the back of the power steering pump itself, or not power, or… On the brakes. The master cell.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yes, that’s exactly. And the power steering hoses will run to that. Yeah.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, and I think it, and as I… think back, and I think it did. There was another line that went up higher.
SPEAKER 10 :
Then it’s a hydro boost.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, so, okay. All right. Well, thanks, guys.
SPEAKER 10 :
You’re very welcome, Kerry. Great questions. Thank you, by the way, for that. I appreciate that greatly. All right, let’s go to Jeff in Western Montana. Go ahead, Jeff.
SPEAKER 04 :
Hey, good morning, gents. Hope you’re enjoying the beautiful weather. We are.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you, sir.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, two quick points. I think the worst vehicle… that I’ve encountered was a 240Z. Not from anything powertrain related, but a friend of mine, a co-worker, had one of all places in England when we were there with a lot of salt on the road. And he brought it back to the States and basically had to jump it because the salt had corroded out the tubular frame that they used.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yep, I’ve seen those. I’ve seen that happen.
SPEAKER 04 :
Everything was fine on the vehicle, powertrain-wise, but no frame and very difficult to repair. There’s little things, like you say, folks don’t realize that there’s a lot of little things in a vehicle that can affect the maintenance schedule on it, and that was one of them.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yep. No, you are 100% correct. And those in particular, with what you’re talking about, was very common back in the day. And one of those things where if you went to buy one of those cars, one of the first things you did was roll under it. Just to check the corrosion and the rust. A lot of them from other places outside. Even some Colorado cars, if they hadn’t been cared for well enough, would do the same thing. Wow. They were good looking cars. They were good looking, but that was one big factor they had.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, he loved driving it in England because it had left-side drive, and he was… Oh, yeah. The roads were small. He couldn’t go as fast, but the windiness, just kind of the driving experience, going through roundabouts.
SPEAKER 05 :
Oh, you bet. Very nimble.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, it was very fun. And regarding storage, one of the things I’ve done… is you were talking about the cases that you can get at Home Depot and Lowe’s and places like that. There’s a lot of polyethylene cases, you know, stuff that milk bubbles are made out of, that you can buy really cheap at Harbor Freight. I’ve even gotten Hobby Lobby and Michaels. They have adjustable dividers in them, so you can adjust the size of the compartment for anything from tiny, tiny screws. I’ve actually got, I think, 12-inch lag bolts there. or maybe even a little bit bigger in some of them. So that’s what… And then I’ve sent you… You know about my French cleat system, and I’ve sent you some pictures in the past about the little shelving units that I built. I think out of a sheet of 2×4 MDF, I can make, like, two little storage units. So each of those will hold four or five of those cases, and so I just stack them on the… trench cleats as I need, and if I need any more, I build another one and get some more cases. Great idea. It’s just really, really handy, and for this particular mizer, very, very cheap.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, no, great idea. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 04 :
because I think they’re like $6, $8 or something at Harbor Freight, maybe even less at Harbor Lobby, especially if you can find them on the learn shelf in the back of the store.
SPEAKER 10 :
Great idea. Great tip. No, that’s awesome. Just a thought. No, that’s awesome, Jeff. No, absolutely. Appreciate you very much, by the way. All right, Gary, hang tight. We’ll come right back to you. We’ve got a line open, 303-477-5600. Drive Radio, KLZ 560.
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SPEAKER 10 :
All right, we are back. Drive Radio, KLZ 560. Gary, you’re next. Go ahead, sir.
SPEAKER 09 :
Oh, hi, John. I sold a condo, so I have a little money, and I’m thinking about an electric vehicle and probably a hybrid. And I was reading in, I think it was the New York Times, that Chinese manufactured EVs, they manufacture like 70% of worldwide EVs. That’s correct. And it said even with the tariffs, they’re less expensive than American EVs and hybrids. Would you recommend looking at Chinese EVs or hybrids?
SPEAKER 10 :
I don’t believe there’s any sold in the U.S., Gary. If they are, I don’t know where.
SPEAKER 09 :
Okay, the article doesn’t say anything like that, but you’re probably right.
SPEAKER 10 :
And the reason I say that is I don’t believe, if somebody can tell me, because this is something I’ve tried finding and I’ve never found the exact explanation to this, but I believe, Gary, it’s not only the whole issue between us and China and imports and so on, I’m not sure they pass all of our safety guidelines.
SPEAKER 09 :
Oh, you’re probably right. Okay. Hey, one other question, and then I’ll let someone else get on. No, you’re fine. How has AI affected cars? How has AI been integrated into new vehicles?
SPEAKER 10 :
In a lot of ways. So they’re using AI not only in the manufacturing end of things, it’s becoming more and more prevalent even in the driving that you’re doing. And what I mean by that is the vehicles are now looking at everything from, you know, where the stripes in the road are. Are you veering off the Volvo? I’m test driving right now. I’ll give a review on in a week. the volvo i’m driving right now gary will tell me if i’m not looking at the road like i should be so say i’m looking down at the radio or i’m looking out the side view mirror or something along those lines it’ll actually tell me that i’m distracted i’m not joking last night i yawned and it actually said are you getting tired i’m like i just yawned i’m good so so gary they’re being incorporated into all sorts of things and i’m laughing but that’s literally the direction we’re headed
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, AI is just amazing. You know, the one thing I thought you might say is, you know, that the light that we all love so much, that check engine light.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yep.
SPEAKER 09 :
I thought eventually AI could be used to actually verbally tell you. either the sensor code or what’s wrong.
SPEAKER 10 :
We’re probably coming to that. Yeah, I don’t think you’re off on that at all, Gary. I think at some point in time, you could easily see that happening and or have like a backdoor into all of those codes without even using a scan tool. Eventually, I think we’ll get to that point where the car itself will have enough diagnostic ability that the shop will just go into a backdoor mode onto the car to figure those things out. Real quick, I did look… gary and the biggest reason there’s no chinese cars in america is there’s a hundred percent tariff on them so there are no chinese evs sold in america oh okay um so so before i before we go i did want to ask i mean if you’re looking at evs are is there a particular type you’re looking at brand etc what you know are are you have you done any research on that yet
SPEAKER 09 :
No, maybe you could help me. What I’m looking for is, you know, I just look as a car as an expense. So I’m looking for a reliable, basic, you know, passenger vehicle, relatively small. I’m in a Kia Forte right now. So something along those lines.
SPEAKER 10 :
And Kia has some great smaller EVs, Gary, and I would not hesitate to buy one at all. The biggest thing for you is look at how many miles a day you’re going to be driving. Do you have the ability to charge every night? And if so, just do the math and buy that EV accordingly. Yeah.
SPEAKER 09 :
Okay. Yeah, I was thinking about Kia because I know some of their – hybrids are pretty good actually their hybrids and or their full electrics work fabulous absolutely i would i would not hesitate to buy one at all and john uh this is kind of a tangent but i i did survive the uh you know where i work yes i did survive the the reduction in force good for you good for you gary glad to hear that
SPEAKER 10 :
All right. Happy to hear that. Gary, thank you, man. I always appreciate you calling in. You’ve always got great questions, and I appreciate that greatly. Let’s see. Bob, you’re next. Go ahead, Bob.
SPEAKER 19 :
Hi, John. This is Bob in Colorado.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 19 :
I talked to you last Saturday, John.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 19 :
Okay, on that Blandor?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 19 :
Okay. Well, I got a video. It’s it. Yeah, it’s not moving. It’s the Blandor motor.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 19 :
And it’s right up there above my knee and all.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yep.
SPEAKER 19 :
And there’s a piece right above my leg when I’m – you know, inside there. There’s that plastic thing that comes across, and it’s moved back and forth where the heat can come down on the floor. Correct. I unhooked that. That’s fine. That’s out. But now the part back there where it hooks onto, where it slides into, I can’t move that out of my way, John, to get up in there to get a wrench up in there and to work on that. And so we pulled up a video, my wife and I and then my son, too, and he’s really good at all this there, and it says, go to the passenger side take that paneling off underneath the air. And he says, okay, now let’s move to the other side. But he doesn’t say what to do on that side. He just says, let’s move to the other side and get back up underneath again.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, and I can’t remember, what year was yours? 2012?
SPEAKER 19 :
Chevy Silverado, yes, sir, 5.3.
SPEAKER 10 :
It’s a 2000, right, if I’m not mistaken? Yes, uh-huh. Yeah, and it’s been a while since I’ve taken one of those blend doors out because that’s 25 years old now. Can you get it without removing the dash? I don’t think so. I think the dash has to come out, Bob. I kind of think so, too. oh my goodness just just for access right yeah i don’t think you can access it without it and again it’s been a while for all of you listening it’s been a while since i’ve actually uh been into one of those so if somebody knows that for sure but i think you have to have the dash out because i can get underneath and get up there and i can touch it i can feel that i can see that little white looks like a little fan that would move back and forth if it was running
SPEAKER 19 :
But there’s just this one, the plastic thing that comes down in this, you know, between right in the center of the dash comes over. Then that piece hooks to that. I can take that piece out, but the piece that where the heat actually comes down at, and now it’s not much, but it’s just enough so I can’t maneuver my wrench. But I can unplug that thing and everything. I just can’t seem to get to this one particular screw that’s way up high. Hmm. to get to that. I can get to two of them, but I cannot. If that plastic thing was out of my way, I’d be sailing. No problem at all.
SPEAKER 10 :
And we’re talking the temperature blend door, correct? I’m trying to remember from last week, but it’s a temperature blend door, right? Hot versus cold?
SPEAKER 19 :
Yes. Well, it’ll give me both cold and hot just to make it run. And it’s got like a white little plastic thing. It looks like a fan.
SPEAKER 10 :
And you have the lower part of the glove box and the kick panel and all of that out at this point?
SPEAKER 19 :
No, I didn’t. I had that out, but then I have it out yet, but the cover. And then the guy says, let’s move to the other side. But he doesn’t tell me why I should have took that down. And he just said, now let’s move to the other side. And I thought, well, maybe there’s something in there. where I could reach from the other side and push that thing out. But I can’t do that either.
SPEAKER 10 :
Because I know for the temperature door you have to take the dash out, but I believe for just the blend door you can do that without taking the dash out. But I’m pretty sure you’ve got to pull the glove box, all of that out, and I believe even the kick panel itself has to come out on that passenger side. Not the driver’s side, but the passenger side has to come out.
SPEAKER 19 :
Uh-huh.
SPEAKER 10 :
and then you should have access to everything you need at that point.
SPEAKER 19 :
But that would be real far away, John. That would be too far away from where… Where am I? Where am I? You know, right above my gas pedal. Well, be too far away.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, that’s going to be on the passenger side, not the driver’s side. And again, without looking up underneath there and not seeing not actually looking at it, it’s hard for me to remember all of that. This is where I got heat, John.
SPEAKER 19 :
I got you got heat.
SPEAKER 10 :
You just you can’t get from defrost to the to the vents, right?
SPEAKER 19 :
That’s right, John.
SPEAKER 10 :
You got it right there. Yeah, and that door you should be able to do without taking the dash out. Now, the question I’ve got is, is this something where you’re going to need a particular special tool, something along those lines to get up into that fastener? And again, I don’t remember.
SPEAKER 19 :
What the guy said, John, is you must have a 7mm, what I got. Then he says a 5.5mm, which I never heard of.
SPEAKER 10 :
5.5, that’s common for GM. That’s a common fastener for them.
SPEAKER 19 :
A 5.5?
SPEAKER 10 :
5.5, yes.
SPEAKER 19 :
Okay, I never heard of them, and I got plenty of tools, but okay, I’ll just have to get one in that screwdriver. And that’s all he says. He said these are the three things that you need.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, and that sounds right.
SPEAKER 05 :
That sounds correct. So, Bob, I’m doing a little research here on the Internet, too, and I’m wondering if we’re talking about the actuator itself or the blend door itself.
SPEAKER 19 :
The actuator.
SPEAKER 10 :
All right, and we’re out of time. Hang tight, Bob. We’re right at the top of the hour. Pat, hold that thought. Bob, I’m going to put you on hold. We’ll finish this up. We can do a little research even here. Pat and I will at the top of the hour. Hang tight. We’ll be right back. Drive Radio, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 02 :
Still haven’t had enough? Go to drive-radio.com. Email your questions and comments. Download previous programs and find lots of useful information, including your nearest Colorado Select Auto Care Center. That’s drive-radio.com. Thanks for listening to Drive Radio, sponsored by the member shops of Colorado Select Auto Care Centers. On KLZ 560.
