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#1127: Your Car's a Medicare Sled

Jul 02, 2011
This week on Car Talk, what happens when you a tell a woman her Sable is a Granny car? If you're Mac's wife, you co-opt his pickup truck and drive that instead! Now Mac is hoping Tom and Ray can help liberate his beloved Tacoma from her clutches. Elsewhere on the marital front, Amanda's all hot and bothered over her husband's refusal to turn on the air conditioning. Also, why Danielle's stuck windshield wipers are helping keep her car clean; a side-view mirror masher tries to blame the victim; and on Stump the Chumps, we find out if Jackson's bad idea for moving a chicken coop came home to roost. All this, plus the Puzzler Finale from the Prisoners in Hats series, this week on Car Talk.

Show Open Topic

Updating the driver's test

This Week's Puzzler

Prisoners and hats.

Last Week's Puzzler

Why does the train need 80 cars?

As Read on Car Talk

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2 Comments

Poor Dougie...

Every week you credit Doug "The Subway Fugitive" "Bongo Boy" Behrman as "Our Steamed Producer". I can see why he'd be steamed, working with YOU guys; but why doesn't he quit? Well... with the job market, and a resume saying "I produced x years of NPR's CAR TALK, I can imagine that would be imprudent! Maybe he should consult his medical professional and get one of those good new tranquilizers; there's a new one out called Dammitol that might even be strong enough to make you two endurable! Honestly, though, love the show and try to catch it every week.
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fuel tank condensation

Maybe my "opinion" but I'll challenge your commentary on condensation. If air doesn't enter the SEALED fuel system replacing the pumped fuel, the engine will starve. There is moisture in this air and it will condense when chilled. Water will form, reacting with the tank [corrosion] and the fuel system. The effect is more pronounced with our wonderful ethanol enriched? fuels, causing rubber to rapidly deteriorate as well. I will no longer bother to replace the fuel cap only to have the rubber seal fail in a matter of weeks. So much for a sealed system. Keeping the tank largely full will minimize formation of condensation and prevent damage to fuel system components.
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