The Dry Ice solution was a bit weak, especially since roaches can survive without oxygen for as much as an hour; additionally, they can go months without food or water. As always, you can use the natural approach, and introduce a predator species .. like a wasp. Okay, maybe that isn't the most practical solution for a vehicle infestation... ... however from wikipedia ... An inexpensive roach trap can easily be made from a deep smooth-walled jar with some roach food inside, placed with the top of the jar touching a wall or with sticks leading up to the top, so that the roaches can reach the opening. Once inside, they cannot climb back out. An inch or so of water or stale beer (by itself a roach attractant) will ensure they drown. The method works well with the American cockroach but less so with the German cockroach.[33] A bit of Vaseline can be smeared on the inside of the jar to enhance slipperiness. The method is sometimes called the "Vegas roach trap" after it was popularized by a Las Vegas-based TV station.

Gentlemen, I wish to take strong exception to some advice you gave on this morning’s Car Talk program. The caller had lost a Madagascar hissing cockroach in her mother’s car and asked for a way to get rid of it. Your solution was to place a large block of dry ice in the car over night and freeze it to death. Bad idea! Now I know that you two have engineering degrees from the Caltech of the East (M.I.T.), but please listen to one who has a degree in Biology from the real Caltech. Many years ago I used CO2 to anesthetize Cecropia pupae for surgery and found that animals recovered from it very nicely. Moreover Drosophila geneticists have used it for years for the same purpose. The CO2 released in the car would very likely anesthetize the roaches, but it’s unlikely that even at -78.5º Celsius, anything less than enough dry ice to literally fill the interior of the car would cause freeze damage to them. Worse yet, a car full of CO2 can be dangerous to your caller – a young teenager judging from the fact that she is not yet old enough for a driver’s license. The tendency of the gas to pool in low places could preserve a significant amount even if the windows are opened, and CO2 intoxication can be insidious in onset and go unnoticed until judgment and coordination are already impaired. Better by far would be to trap the roach(es) and retain it as a pet. Easily constructed traps are described on several websites, such as the two below. http://www.k12.hi.us/~rkubota/digiphoto/cockroach/roach.html http://rj55.com/blog/cockroach.html For the record I delight in Car Talk and listen to it whenever I can on KQAC in Portland, Oregon. And some day I shall manage to get through to ask you about a problem I have with my 1990 Toyota 4Runner…. Sincerely, Martin Mendelson, Ph.D. 503.641.5290 mendelso@alumni.caltech.edu

The 2009 Acura has 6.3 inches of ground clearance, while the 2009 Forrester has 8 inches (new body style). Unless she's had her car lifted, his wins on that score. Perhaps he is one of those absent-minded geniuses who is always saying "up" when they mean "down"? Otherwise, I'm not sure how he could miss the fact that his car is almost 2 inches higher than hers! They are both AWD cars, although I would prefer the 50/50 F/R AWD ratio on the Forrester to the 90/10 ratio on the Acura (in my view, it's really an 'on-demand' AWD system...they're just playing with the numbers). But, since they're both AWD, I don't see that either car has an advantage here in general on-snow driving. Depending on the driver and the conditions, her car being so much heavier than his could be a blessing or a curse. Still, what REALLY matters in this situation is which car has the better snow tires!

As always, I enjoyed your show. The blend of good advice and great humor is unbeatable. About getting rid of the cockroach, you suggested dry ice and I am wondering if the CO2 would displace enough OX to kill the little bugger. If not, I would like to suggest a hose from the exhaust pipe to the interior of the vehicle. I would think the CO from running the engine for an hour or so might do the job. I hope you do a follow-up on this subject. It could be useful info for people with all kinds of uninvited guest in their cars--mothers-in-law not included.

Thawout the Mini Cooper with a couple sacks of environmentally safe de-icer. You'll be out before you can boil the feathers off the turkey in your cooker. Albeit much more fun to watch these guys set the car ablaze.