KLZ 560 AM DENVER'S CONSERVATIVE HOME STATION
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The discussion shifts gears to cover the frustrations and hazards of driving in snowy conditions, with firsthand accounts and listener feedback. We tackle the pressing issue of vehicle warranties, specifically why you might want to think twice before investing in a Ram truck. Packed with expert advice to keep your ride smooth, this episode also features advertisements that touch upon preventative maintenance and oil maintenance solutions.
SPEAKER 08 :
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SPEAKER 12 :
There’s no such thing as a stupid question. This is Drive Radio. All of your automotive questions are just one phone call away. 303-477-5600. Drive Radio is made possible by the member shops of Colorado Select Auto Care Centers. To find one near you, go to drive-radio.com. Now, Drive Radio on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 17 :
All right, we are back. Last hour, Drive Radio, KLZ 560. Question of the day, and a lot of you have texted in on biggest pet peeve while driving in the snow. Probably the largest pet peeve is top two. Not clearing off snow like I talked about in the first hour, and then some people just drive too fast. I’m one of those guys where I don’t dink around. I go from A to B pretty quickly. I will watch my speed, well, at all times, but especially if it’s snowing, I would definitely watch my speed. I’m not one to drive in the right lane and be well underneath what everybody else is doing, but I’m not going to pass people and drive extremely fast either on the same token. I’m also one where, like last night going home, the roads were wet, not slippery. We were well into the high 30s. You could tell from the temperature that nothing’s going to be freezing. And yet some people thought that we were, I guess, driving in a huge blizzard, snowstorm, and it wasn’t doing any of that. And in that case, I’m one where, you know, fine, if you want to drive slow, I’m all for it, but get out of left lane. Get out of the way. If you’re not, if you can’t keep up with traffic and speed and so on, then fine. Just get out of the right lane or out of the left lane, get in the right lane. But a lot of people have said, you know, excessive speeds when people are driving. And I get that. I was coming home the other night in that snowstorm where I was explaining with the golden officer and I had to make a detour and so on even to get home. And I will tell you that there was an older couple, which I was shocked at, because typically it’s younger people, older couple in a Subaru. And again, I don’t drive slow. And I was, you know, rolling along pretty well Wednesday night coming home. Roads weren’t super bad, but, you know, I was under the speed limit but still moving along. And there was this couple in a Subaru that had to have been going 15, 20 miles an hour faster than I was to the point where they were darting in and out of cars and so on. And I’m thinking to myself, what – in the world. And eventually, you know, things kind of got jammed up. And I got up to where I could see in the window to kind of see, okay, who’s driving this thing. And it’s an older couple. I mean, older couple, like both people gray haired older couple. So these were folks that were well above my age. And I’m thinking, where are you going so quickly, you know, that it’s this big of an emergency to where you’re putting everybody else, you know, in danger by driving the way you’re driving? And by the way, you’re just in a Subaru. This isn’t, you know, you’re not driving anything that’s extra special. I get it. They work well in the snow, but holy cow. Anyways. Those are the top two answers that I’ve had come in today on, you know, biggest pet peeves when driving in the snow. And lines are open 303-477-5600. Had a question a moment ago, too, on a 5.3 Chevy with a crank sensor or sorry, knock sensor issue. And those are well known for that. They’re also well known for having wiring issues as well. So this particular texture, we’ve been going back and forth. Yeah, that’s one where I would not only just do sensors, but while you’re at it, put the wiring harness in as you can at the same time because they’re known for both. So just on that particular level, yes. Any other mechanical questions, maintenance questions, whatever, we’re here to answer that as well. And, yes, I can answer those also, 303-477-5600, and appreciate all of the text messages and things that have come in as well. Okay, back to cars and inventory. I had some questions on this through the break as well. What are my thoughts on how things are going to work along those lines? I keep getting this question. I bet I’ve answered no less than a dozen of these in the last several weeks. Would I buy a Ram pickup? No. Specifically Ram, you know, three quarter ton, one ton diesel truck. Would I buy one? No, I would not. And some are asking why? Well, because they’re not standing behind their warranty. I’m a fleet. I’ve got numerous of those trucks. And they’ll develop injector pump injector issues and even some exhaust DPF issues. But that’s kind of common on a lot of diesels. But specifically, they’ll have some injector injector pump issues. And it’s not even the dealer that won’t necessarily warranty them. It’s what the dealers are being told from the manufacturer from Ram that’s the biggest issue. They won’t warranty them. They won’t stand behind them. You’re on your own. And I know I’m not the only fleet that’s had problems because when you look at the amount of Ram trucks on the lots today, diesels included… And you see how many are stacking up. I’m not the only one with problems. And many of you as listeners have told me you’ve had similar problems or you’ve known of somebody that has similar problems as well. So it’s not just me. And I’ve had everything from Ram blaming me for the quality of fuel and this, that, and the other, and on and on and on we go. And it’s a bunch of garbage because I’ve got other trucks that run the exact same fuel that have no issues. So it’s not a fuel issue. It’s a truck issue. And since they won’t stand behind the warranty, why would I buy their truck? And so, Ram, if you’re listening, I can’t tell you how many people I have steered away from buying your vehicles, your products. And I was a pretty dyed-in-the-wool Ram guy for the longest time until you stopped warrantying the trucks. And when you stopped doing that, I stopped buying the product. And I’ve told everybody else that I know the same thing. It’s really stupid on your part. But that’s what happens when you get poor leadership in these companies and they make really dumb decisions. So I get that question all the time. Why would I not buy a Ram diesel truck? Because they won’t stand behind the warranty. And you’re probably going to have an issue. So why end up with a truck that you know you’re going to have issues with and then they’re not going to stand behind? You couldn’t give me that truck. It’s not worth owning. It’s more problems than what it’s worth. I’m trying to get out of every one of them I have in my fleet, and that doesn’t happen overnight because it’s expensive, as you know, as a process. But every year I keep trading out of those, you know, selling off and changing over. And I get that question also. What am I going into? Duramax. Some have said, well, why aren’t you buying Fords? Well, I’ll also tell you this. In this area, especially the north end of town, I don’t have good service from the Ford side. So, no, I don’t buy Fords either. So we’re buying Duramaxes. We have the least amount of issues with them. Some people are having some transmission issues with the Allison-like 10-speed. It’s not a true Allison. It’s an Allison-branded 10-speed. Us, personally, as a fleet, we haven’t had any issues on that end of things. They all can have some exhaust issues from time to time, I should say. Doesn’t really matter. That’s the nature of the new diesel exhaust systems. Now, I did read this last week. Don’t know how true it is because you can’t always count on what you see and read. Supposedly, Cummins and Ram, it’s coming out with a 7-point-something liter inline 6. So it’d be bigger than the current 6.7. So they’re up in the cubic inches. And they’re going to put an electric-controlled DPF, so diesel particulate filter, that currently is run with fuel. They heat it up and burn off the excess with the extra fuel coming in the exhaust. Supposedly, they’re going to do that electrically. coming later in 2025. I don’t know how true that is. I can’t verify that, and it’s going to have an 8-speed heavy-duty transmission in it as well. Again, don’t know if any of this is true. There’s been all sorts of rumors on some of this stuff for a while, and I have no idea whether it’s true or not. There’s also rumors that Cummins is building an inline six gas engine, much like the six seven diesel. Again, don’t know if that’s true either. So I don’t always, you know, count on what I read. or C, until it actually comes out or I see it in some sort of a press publication that I get from all the manufacturers. But that’s my scoop on the heavy-duty diesel truck. You guys are using them for work trucks, and like I do, you’re towing trailers, plowing snow, doing whatever. That’s where I’m at on that end of things. And I like the Ram products the best as far as their turning radius is concerned for the things that we do. But you can’t rely on the warranty sides of it right now. When you can’t do that, I won’t buy it. So those of you that are always asking me, that’s where I’m at on it. There will be increased inventory, I believe, on the Ford and Chevy sides of things. There is a huge amount of product on the ground for the Ram, Jeep, Dodge sides of things, so much so that Stellantis is hurting big time. They’re struggling. If they don’t get bought out in 2025, I’ll be surprised. So I’ll take a break. We’ll come back. I’ll take some calls. 303-477-5600. This is Drive Radio, KLZ 560.
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SPEAKER 17 :
All right, we are back. Drive Radio, KLZ 560. Somebody asked me a moment ago, too, about compression tests. I will answer that in a moment. In the meantime, Patrick from Brighton, go ahead.
SPEAKER 06 :
Hi, John. Hey, I’ve got a 17 Sierra. It’s got 58,000 miles on it. It’s got the 6.2. And I was wondering, back in the old days, they used to pour water down the carburetor to decarbonize the valves and that. Since it’s direct injected, BG44K doesn’t work, I don’t think. I was wondering if I could get a spray bottle of water, idle it up, and shoot it through there to help the carbonate.
SPEAKER 17 :
No, it really won’t do much in that way. And the majority of the carbon is in areas that the fuel is not hitting and that water won’t do anything either. BG does have a decarbonization service you can do that works pretty well. It has to be professionally done. And at the same time, you’re going to do the EPR, the engine performance restoration that’s on the oil side of things. Between those two, you can decarbonize it that way.
SPEAKER 06 :
Any idea on the average cost of the BG to have that done? I’ve already did the transmission.
SPEAKER 17 :
On the oil change side of it, plan on an EPR with full synthetic and proper oil filter and so on. You’re going to be, Patrick, in the 120-ish range on the oil change, and then most of the fuel service is going to be probably in the 300-ish range or so.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay. Okay. I was curious. No, great questions. I’m just old. Yeah, no, no, I’m just old and got forced into retirement through disability and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, well, how can I do this the cheap way?
SPEAKER 1 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, and unfortunately, on the direct injection side of things, it’s not easy to do anymore because of what it is, and you know what I mean by that. Yeah, in the old days, you could do it. In fact, in the old days, GM had a really great top-engine carbon cleaner that worked extremely well. Again, can’t use it on these engines.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, well, I guess that answered my question. Hey, well, I got you. Yes, go ahead. It’s got, like I said, 58,000. I bought it with $20,000 on it. Should I do the plugs?
SPEAKER 17 :
At 58, you’ve got a little bit of time, although you’re getting right there. I mean, within the next year, you need to do them. Around 70-ish or so is when I would do them. So you’re getting very, very close. Okay. But, I mean, not an emergency. I would just kind of plan that on down the road, Patrick, but it doesn’t have to be done tomorrow. But within the next 12 months or so, yes, I would do them.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay. That sounds good. I mean, the thing runs good. I outrun them Hemi Dodgers.
SPEAKER 17 :
They work good. The 6.2 is a great motor. It works great.
SPEAKER 06 :
Oh, I love it. I went to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon, and I got over 23 miles a gallon driving the speed limit.
SPEAKER 17 :
Awesome. Awesome. Nothing wrong with that. Take that all day long. Love the truck. Thank you.
SPEAKER 06 :
Well, John, thanks for the information. You bet, Patrick.
SPEAKER 17 :
No, appreciate the phone call. Okay, real quick, before I go to John, I had a question. Why don’t technicians do mechanical compression tests anymore? they will occasionally if there’s a problems trying to get some things diagnosed and they can see potentially a problem with a particular cylinder they may go ahead and do one or two cylinders and then check that cylinder and see mechanically where it’s at but because of the modern electronics and the ability to shut cylinders off at certain times and compare that to how the rest of the engine is working and running and handling things and so on through that information they can really determine whether a cylinder is low or not without ever doing a physical compression test and that technology quite frankly, has been around for a while now. We were able to do relative compression tests, you know, 20 years ago electronically, and that technology has done nothing but get better since. So the need to physically do that isn’t as great as it once was. Still happens occasionally, but honestly, not near as much as it once did because we just don’t have to do it anymore. John and Cheyenne, go ahead.
SPEAKER 04 :
So I have a question for you first. Sure. Did that Subaru the other night have a coexist sticker on it?
SPEAKER 17 :
A good one. Well, it was so snowy, I didn’t see any stickers.
SPEAKER 04 :
Usually that sticker on a Subaru indicates that the person driving is a moron.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, it usually does. Yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
Sorry. No, you’re right. I was out moving, blowing the deck off. And I heard that and I was laughing. I’m done for the day. So pet peeves, driving in the snow. when the posted speed limit by the state says 55 and the track to trail is still got to do 70.
SPEAKER 16 :
Um, yeah. Um, yeah, I can’t disagree with that.
SPEAKER 04 :
They have electronic speed limit signs on I 80 or like half of the distances, you know, half of the 400 miles and the troopers in combination with the plow drivers who are out there will say, Hey, you need to slow this down. Let’s set it at 60 or 55, 40, whatever. They’ve been safe. Well, I try to do what they’re recommending, but the scariest thing in me is when that tractor trailer goes by you on a snowy road that may have ice, because I’m always afraid that rear end of that truck is going to snap out and just shoot me into the ditch, and I can’t control that. You know what I mean? Right. Right. Because you could be driving as safe as possible, but if that other idiot—
SPEAKER 17 :
slides into you you’re in the ditch yep i’ve had similar situations like that happen and it’s why when you’re driving well defensive driving is all the time anymore john but especially when the weather’s like that you have to watch everyone oh i know it’s like we go up to see uh maybe we’ll go up to brett nordic or one of the nordic centers
SPEAKER 04 :
I avoid 70 like the plague. I come down the back way from Laramie, Walden, Kremling. You know that way? Right. Because there’s just not as many idiots on the road. Not as many people. Yep, you’re right.
SPEAKER 1 :
100%.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, and it seems like I-70 going up to the Eisenhower Tunnel from Denver, especially like on a day like today with ski resorts all opened and stuff, you’re just going to run into so many knuckleheads that really don’t know how to drive. Yep, you are 100% correct, John. I mean… I remember my father taking me to a parking lot when I was 16 and learning to drive. That was completely snow covered and he made me put the car into skids. so I could learn how to recover from a skid in a big, open, empty parking lot with nobody around. But I don’t know if they’re taught that anymore.
SPEAKER 17 :
No, they’re not. They’re not, John. I mean, I live at the base of what you’re talking about, and I can tell you that even today going home, it will start to back up traffic at Wadsworth area, roughly.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right. Now, do you have an alternate you could take to avoid 70?
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, and I do at times, depending upon what the map and everything looks like. And I’ve got numerous ways I can get through the back way home. And a lot of times I do. I’ll just jump off and go the back way because I’m not going to fight that.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, because it’s not you. It’s the guy that slides into you because he drives like your Subaru guy the other night. That’s right.
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s exactly right.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yep. The other thing, you don’t have a problem with the Ram gas trucks that are currently on the watch, do you?
SPEAKER 17 :
No, the gas engine trucks are fine. I mean, other than their fuel economy isn’t what some of their counterparts are. Right. Creature comforts, interior, all of that. Yeah, no issues whatsoever. I think the problem, though, that Ram’s having right now is what I said earlier. When you start giving certain customers a bad taste and they start spreading what I just said, even though I’m talking about heavy-duty trucks, others listen to that and think, well, I’m not buying anything then if that’s the case. That’s the problem these manufacturers, John, don’t understand. Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, it’s the same thing. Right now, I’m going to say this. The best vehicle I’ve owned in the last 20 years is that Toyota. Yeah, can’t argue with that. And if I needed a new half-ton, I would look at the Tundra.
SPEAKER 17 :
Good truck, nothing wrong with it.
SPEAKER 04 :
No, no, but a lot of people, it’s not a Dodge, it’s not a Chevy, but it’s a Toyota.
SPEAKER 17 :
If you’re comparing half-ton trucks, you can put the Tundra right into the mix. There’s nothing wrong with them at all. None.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right, right. And for what I use a hat fund for, mostly hauling stuff from Home Depot and stuff, I don’t, you know. Be fine. Not hauling a whole lot of stuff. It’d be fine. It would be fine.
SPEAKER 17 :
Absolutely. But, you know.
SPEAKER 04 :
Still got 235 on the Ram with the 47, and I’m going to see if I can get to three.
SPEAKER 17 :
You know, it’s a shame, John, that, you know, Ram, which at one time, not that long ago, was very, very close to being right in line. I mean, typically, you know, F-150 sells, you know, close to 900,000 units a year. Chevy and GMC, if you combine them, they’re right in that same ballpark. And then for years and years, Ram was a distant third. Not that long ago, Ram was right up there selling almost the same as what Ford – and Chevy were doing, and then they let all that slip away, and I don’t know why.
SPEAKER 04 :
Was that before Stellantis bought them out? Yes. So, I mean, is Stellantis not really an American car company, but a European company that’s trying to run an American company?
SPEAKER 17 :
Yes, and their ways of doing things are much different than what we do here. And the truck market as well, as you know, John, the truck market, which, again, love Toyota, and it’d be interesting to see if they ever built a heavy-duty truck, how would that work, how would that look, and so on. But building heavy-duty trucks is a thing of its own, as we’ve seen in this country, and it’s why you only see, in this country especially, Ford, GM, and Ram doing that. And Ram really has slipped to your point, because I don’t think those guys understand the market they’re in.
SPEAKER 04 :
No, they don’t.
SPEAKER 17 :
They don’t even understand the customer that they’re in. That’s the other thing, John. That customer is different than what they’re used to.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, because you’re – what are you buying, 10 trucks a year? You need trucks that are reliable for your business. And if you can’t count on them when something goes wrong, you’re going elsewhere.
SPEAKER 17 :
Correct. And on top of that, just the use that the trucks are going through. Keep in mind that, you know, for all of you listening, that particular lineup of trucks, there are guys, John, as you know, that are doing everything from, you know, being on a farm. They’re running hot shots out of it. They’re running – a plumbing business or a contracting business, or in my case, you know, you do all sorts of other, you know, property maintenance and plowing snow and pulling trailers and so on and so forth. A lot of guys buy them just to go pull their fifth wheel camper or their RV around. I mean, the amount of uses in that segment is huge. And I just don’t think European countries, because they don’t do that in those countries, I don’t think they understand that market segment.
SPEAKER 04 :
No, they don’t. Two other real quick things. You were talking about that guy with solar and the price of electricity. Remember, a regulated utility has what they call a power cost adjustment. And that’s based on what they’re paying per megawatt or, you know, hour to buy the electricity from the generation. So if the price of generation goes down based on, you know, more coal, more oil and everything, the electric bill, part of it should go down. Correct.
SPEAKER 17 :
Correct.
SPEAKER 04 :
That part of it should go down.
SPEAKER 17 :
That would be my biggest fear right now going solar is what’s that number going to do moving forward, John?
SPEAKER 04 :
Got to do, like I talked to you when we were on Ready Radio, not Ready Radio, Fix It Radio a couple weeks ago. You got to do the math. Right. You know what I mean? Right. You got to sit down and figure out pen and paper or calculator. That’s right.
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s right. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 04 :
And I wanted to bring that up because you brought that up. But there is, you know, hopefully we’ll see the power go down. But the other thing, if you want to look, Kemmerer, Wyoming, and it’s Gates, but he’s building one of those micro nuclear plants there right now.
SPEAKER 16 :
Awesome. Awesome.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 17 :
Whether you like the guy or not, that’s still pretty awesome.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yep, on the grounds of an old coal plant. So it’s got all the tie-ins to the grid. He’s just got to build, you know, they’re going to build a reactor. And, of course, that’s going to take five years or whatever. Right. But, John, have a good rest of your weekend.
SPEAKER 17 :
I appreciate it, John. Thank you very much. We’ll come right back. I’ve got a text message that came in. Larry is on the phone. We’ll talk to him in a moment as well. Don’t go anywhere. Drive Radio KLZ 560.
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SPEAKER 14 :
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SPEAKER 17 :
Hey, John, how you doing? I’m good, sir. How are you feeling?
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I’m getting better. Good. Getting better. Yep, doing my physical therapy, so I’m hoping to be up and around within a week or two. Yeah, we’re doing good.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, that’s good. Can’t wait to get you back here, and glad you’re doing well, Larry, as always.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I hate to miss it because you’re doing such a great job on the show. I love it.
SPEAKER 17 :
Well, I appreciate it when you’re here. You do a lot of things to help us out on a weekly basis, and we’re very thankful, and the folks miss you when you’re not here.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, I appreciate all of them. Believe me.
SPEAKER 17 :
They’re good people. They’re great listeners, as you know.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes, they are. I don’t think there’s any better listeners. I agree.
SPEAKER 17 :
I agree.
SPEAKER 05 :
I just wanted to tie in on the… The winter driving?
SPEAKER 17 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 05 :
The pet peeve? To compound your comment on people that don’t clean their windows, it’s the same people that don’t know where they’re going.
SPEAKER 17 :
That’s true.
SPEAKER 05 :
So they can’t get there, and they can’t see, and oh, my God.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, great point. Yep, you are 100% correct, Larry. It’s frustrating. I mean, really, it is. It’s frustrating. It’s like, okay, first of all, plan where you’re going. Get your car all cleaned off. Know what you’re doing and where you’re going, and it’s not that complicated.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, and it’s not. And the sad part is it’s the law. Clean the car off.
SPEAKER 17 :
It is a law. You’re right, Larry. Although somebody texted in earlier and said, you know, the snowplow thing, for example. When can you pass a snowplow? When can you not? Somebody texted in and said, you really think they’re going to pull you over in a raging snowstorm when those snowplows are rolling down the freeway anyways? And the answer is probably not. So at the end of the day, does it matter? Not really. I mean, that’s one of those laws, Larry, where it’s like, why did you write that? Because it isn’t going to matter anyways.
SPEAKER 05 :
No, but unfortunately, it’s one of those laws that are common sense.
SPEAKER 17 :
True.
SPEAKER 05 :
If you can’t see how it actually drives. That’s true.
SPEAKER 17 :
True. Good point.
SPEAKER 05 :
I mean, you go back to your talk about the old couple in Subaru. Well, I’m sorry I’m the only couple, and I don’t drive a Subaru, but I still don’t drive that fast.
SPEAKER 17 :
No, and again, in this particular case especially, there just wasn’t any reason to. In fact, as it turned out, Larry, I ended up ahead of them where I was going, and I was in the right side of the freeway. They were on the left side, and I ended up being ahead of them when it was all said and done. So they gained nothing.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, and even not only in the freeways, if you’re driving in town that way, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had cars pass me, and I’m right there behind them.
SPEAKER 17 :
You’re at the light with them.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yep.
SPEAKER 17 :
Absolutely. I hear you.
SPEAKER 05 :
And what did they gain?
SPEAKER 17 :
Nothing.
SPEAKER 05 :
10 seconds?
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, really nothing at that point. Not a thing.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 17 :
So.
SPEAKER 05 :
I did a survey a long time ago, gentlemen. I used to go to Lake Powell all the time.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
And the only way that I could gain any time driving fast is if I was driving a long distance.
SPEAKER 17 :
Otherwise, you weren’t gaining anything.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s right. You don’t gain anything. If you do anything, it’s maybe 5 or 10 seconds, big deal.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yeah, but the only exception I see to that is I can look at my app as I’m going home at night, and I can either use the HOV lane, not use the HOV lane. And when it’s bumper to bumper and the HOV is clear, I can improve my time home by about 10 minutes, which is actually pretty significant.
SPEAKER 05 :
Well, sure it is.
SPEAKER 17 :
But that’s the exception to what you’re saying.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right, because there’s a different lane to do what you want to do.
SPEAKER 17 :
And that’s bumper-to-bumper stop traffic that you’re going to just be sitting and waiting for things to go at a snail’s pace versus moving along in the HOV lane. Exactly. Yep, yep. No, that’s a good point, Larry. Well said.
SPEAKER 05 :
I agree with it, John.
SPEAKER 17 :
All right, man. Well, appreciate it, and we’ll see you soon, Larry.
SPEAKER 05 :
Great show, John. All right, man. Take care.
SPEAKER 17 :
Get to feeling better. I had a question that came in. A 2003 Camry, 2.4 liter, has 275,000 miles on it, has a cat code. So coming up with a, you know, check engine lights on, saying the cat’s bad. It probably is at 275,000. Question is, should you just replace the catalytic converter, or do you replace the entire exhaust system? Big difference in price. My answer on that would be, how long are you going to keep the car? If this is a car that you’re going to keep for quite some time, if it’s in great condition and everything else on it is all dialed in and so on, and you can find that complete system, I would do that. I wouldn’t just cut it off and have somebody put a catalytic converter on it. Now, in the state of Colorado, we have to have California-compliant catalytic converters. I know it’s dumb, but that’s the law. Even though we’re in Colorado, we have to have catalytic converters that are approved for sale and in use in California. They’re called California cats. So keep that in mind as well. So as you’re shopping this, no matter what you choose to do, make sure you’re buying a California-approved catalytic converter and buy a high-quality one. There are some low-quality things on the market. There’s a big difference in price. Catalytic converters are one of those things where you literally do get what you pay for. And what I mean by that is if you buy a low-quality cat, you’ll put it on, you’ll turn the light off, and you’ll pass an emissions test, but you might be doing it two years from now. I’m not exaggerating when I say that. Some of the low-quality cats won’t run any longer than that, meaning you’re doing it all over again in a couple of years. Now, if it’s a car that you’re just looking to dump and get rid of and you just want to have it pass emissions and be done with it, that’s a different scenario. But if this is a car you’re going to keep long-term, put a high-quality catalytic converter on it, and it will last probably, I don’t know if it’ll go another 275, but it’ll go a long time, and you’ll be set. So those are decisions that this particular scenario, you have to make on the front side as to what you want to do. One other thing, too, that somebody said, keep in mind on tax credits, and this is very true. EV, solar, and so on. You have to have substantial income to even take advantage of said tax credit. Because if you don’t have a certain amount of income, that credit doesn’t do any good to you whatsoever. So once again, it’s not a blanket across the board. Now, the EV tax credits for 2024 are a little bit different. If you qualify and everything works, that money comes right off the top. So if you’re getting a $11,500 tax credit, state and federal, and you meet all the requirements, they’ll just lower the price of the car by a set amount. That’s a new thing that came in for EVs in 2024. And that’s how that part of it works. So make sure that if that’s something you’re looking at, you check all of that out. But thank you, by the way. I appreciate those messages because, yes, solar, those sorts of things, you have to have a certain income level to be able to even take advantage of those credits in the first place. So thank you for the reminder. All right, last break. We’ll come right back. Drive Radio, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 15 :
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SPEAKER 13 :
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SPEAKER 02 :
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SPEAKER 17 :
All right, just got a few text messages in, by the way. Somebody actually sending me a picture of a truck all covered in snow where somebody didn’t want to take the time to wipe things off. Thank you. Yes, I agree. And then also had some messages back and forth on some of the heavy-duty truck stuff we were talking about. And again, you know, by all means, and we say this all the time in every car review that I do, Go do your own research. Go drive the trucks that you like, although they’re all very compatible now as far as creature comforts, what they do on the inside and so on. Some of them, some of the trim levels might be a little different than the other, but that’s where the free market and competition creates things to be fairly equal. One might be a little ahead of the next, but that’s how we end up with more and more things along those lines. I mean… Back when trucks, when I first started buying trucks clear back in the 80s, they had bench seats, power windows and door locks if you ordered it that way. And you might have got an AM FM cassette radio and air conditioning. That was about it. There wasn’t full bore leather and heated seats and massaging seats and on and on and on we go. I mean, none of that stuff existed at that time. You were doing good to have a nice plush cloth seat to sit on versus the Naugahyde that, you know, burned your legs when you got in in the summertime. And I’m not exaggerating. And man alive on the pickup truck end of things, have we come a long way to the point where a lot of folks owning pickup trucks probably never even use the bed of the truck. They’re buying it for whatever other reason, which at that point you kind of wonder, why’d you buy a truck? But, you know, hey, I’m also one where buy whatever you want to. I could care less. I don’t care whether you’re using it or not. I’m not one of those. I’m not from that camp where if you’re not using it specifically for what its intention was, you shouldn’t buy it. Buy whatever you want to. I could care less. That’s your call. I’m never going to criticize what somebody buys. If you want to buy it, buy it. Hey, that’s you. Now, on a side note, this is just something I was going to throw out to everybody. We’ve got a few minutes left in the program, and I don’t have a lot of time for calls, but might be able to take one or two. has, and I know most of the people listening to this show are from the conservative side of things. I understand that. I also know there’s a lot that aren’t. That’s fine, too. I appreciate all the listeners that listen to this three-hour program. All my programs, actually. I appreciate that. And they come from all walks of life. But in light of what just happened Tuesday, with the support Donald Trump got from Elon Musk, and there’s no denying there was support there. Support from Joe Rogan, support from Tulsi Gabbard, from all sorts of other people that frankly weren’t on that side of the aisle for the longest of times, Elon Musk included. But given that fact, does your opinion of Tesla change? Stock prices have gone way up. Somebody’s opinion changed because the stock wouldn’t be doing what it’s doing if it hadn’t. But as a… In most cases, conservatives are kind of anti-EV. I’m not. By the way, you guys all know that I own one. I’m not anti-EV by any means. I think there’s a lot of great uses for them. I’m not buying it to save the planet, though. I’m buying it because of some of the other features they have. Like, for example, the new Silverado that’ll do zero to 60 in like four and a half seconds. I mean, those sorts of things. There’s a lot of cool things that EVs do that other vehicles can’t do. On the same token, they have limitations, just like a lot of vehicles have. But my question is, and again, I don’t have a lot of time to take a lot of calls, and you can even text me your answer here. What do you think of Tesla after what just happened in regards to the Tuesday election? I’ve never been a Tesla fan. You guys all know that. I think the Cybertruck is one of the most hideous-looking vehicles on the road. Some cool features, no doubt. It’s cool as far as all of that goes. Ugly as sin. But I will say that if you’re somebody that wants to market your business… Wrapping one of those with your business name will definitely get you attention because everybody looks at them whether you like them or not. Charlie, I’m sure you’ve experienced the same thing. If you see one driving by, you’re looking. Even if you don’t want to look, you’re looking because it’s so unique. from everything else on the road that you’re looking. So for those of you listening that are kind of anti-Tesla, I will say that if you’re a business owner that can make a Tesla Cybertruck work in your business, advertising-wise, I don’t think you could find a vehicle that’s going to get you the attention that a Cybertruck will. Now, all that being said, my point with conservatives in general, and I may ask this question even during the weekly program, is has your opinion of all of that changed? And it’s just a question. Mine has a little. I’ll be the first to say mine has a lot. Am I a Tesla fanboy? No, you guys all know that I think they’ve got some limitations. I think early on, a lot of their manufacturing was very crude and weird and using different fasters in different places and all sorts of different componentry to build what they could have done with one piece. In some cases, they built an inner fender panel with multiple pieces where it could have been in one piece, things like that. Now, I will say that that’s improved. They’ve learned how to do their manufacturing better. Now, I’ll give them, and I’ve said this before, they were never a manufacturing company to begin with. They were a technology company that built cars. Now, they’ve gotten better at building cars. And the one thing you can’t fault Elon about when it comes to Tesla is for the majority of the car, it’s built here. I mean, even the seats, he created his own seat factory to even build the seats for the car. So you can’t fault him on that. There’s more of his car built here than any other manufacturer. So you got to give him a little credit along those lines where a lot of us that are American made. It’s funny. As conservatives, there’s a lot of American-made supporters yet have been against Tesla this whole time because it’s an EV. Yet more of it is made in America than any other company. So my question for you all is just something to think about. Has your opinion of Tesla changed? With all of the support that Elon Musk gave Donald Trump, which, again, I’m a supporter of. There’s no secrets there. I like his policies and what he does for the country, especially as a small business owner. But just as an American, I like his policies better than the other side. It will put more money in your pocket at the end of the day. It will lower the price of some of the goods, energy, so on. The car, the things that we’ve talked about even for the past three hours in regards to, you know, cafe ratings and EV mandates and, and, and. All of those things will be better for you when it’s all said and done, meaning that’s why I’m a supporter of. And you guys all know that. But, again, my main point is, my main question is, will the fact that Elon Musk and the support that he’s given – for a lot of conservatives on our side. All right, got a text message in a moment ago. One of the irritations is that this person has. Yes, and this is mine too. Ram truck owners that aren’t towing a trailer that run around with the mirrors extended. Same irritation, by the way. It’s the dumbest thing ever. I don’t understand why you do that. Those of you that do, stop. Please. If you’re not towing a trailer, fold them in. Why you fold those out and look stupid going down the road is beyond me. Now, I was going to talk about this today, and I’ve talked about plenty of other things, so I may have to postpone all of this until next week. But I can’t tell you the amount of trucks the last few days I’ve seen that have the wrong wheel and tire combo that make them a handful to drive in the wet snow like we’ve just had when they should have no issues going through the snow at all. And I saw numerous trucks that fit that description over the last few days, and I just don’t understand why they do that. Number one, it doesn’t look good. They think it does, I guess, but it doesn’t. It looks awful. And on top of that, that wheel and that super wide short sidewall wheel tire combination a lot of these guys with these big trucks have make them a handful in the weather that we just have had. So those of you, if you know anybody along those lines, you might mention that, you know, at the end of the day… And you’re not benefiting yourself and or those folks even around you when you’re driving from A to B in the weather that we’ve just had by having that wheel and tire combo. All right. With all of that, I’ll let you guys go. It’s been a great day today. Thank you so much for listening. Those of you that are still maybe snowed in or digging out, please be safe. Take care. Stay warm. It’s not super cold out, by the way. That’s part of why this is like a spring storm. versus a winter storm. But stay safe. We’ll be back next week. Don’t forget, Rush to Reason during the week from 3 to 6 p.m. where I’ll go into more details of what I just mentioned to you all about Elon Musk and Tesla. But have a great weekend. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 12 :
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.
