The Best of Car Talk - #2473: The Brains in Maine

Episode Date: September 10, 2024

Theresa from Maine has a problem with her car sliding all over the road when she's braking. You'd think that would grab Click and Clack's attention, but you'd be wrong. They would rather use the time to muse on the relative insanity of all of their New England neighbors to the north on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.Get access to hundreds of episodes in the Car Talk archive when you sign up for Car Talk+ at plus.npr.org/cartalkLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This message comes from Indiana University. Indiana University is committed to moving the world forward, working to tackle some of society's biggest challenges, nine campuses, one purpose, creating tomorrow today. More at iu.edu. Hello and welcome to Car Talk on National Public Radio with us, Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers and we're broadcasting this week from the Department of Form versus Function Department. Get that?

Department of Form versus Function yes here in car talk plaza now we've been taken to task on the issue of form versus function this week by jim and elizabeth and glass go from rock wall texas i read to you the following they're clicking clack i heard you talking last week about the cars you drive that are somebody else's cars these loner cars that the manufacturers are nice enough to let us drive your opinion of the had been had been nice enough to let us drive

before the Taurus incident there was an incident Jerry your opinion of the firebird was especially interesting to me that wasn't last week how old is this letter doesn't matter it says unimportant particularly since I've heard you praise the Volvo the second ugliest car in the world maybe you like the Saab more since it is even uglier than the Volvo. Wherever you got the idea that the main function of a car is to be practical, I cannot imagine. It is certainly not a part of your Italian heritage. The Roman Colosseum is functional. That's where they fed numbskulls like you guys to the lions.

That's a friendly little letter, isn't it? Indeed. If you wanted real functional practicality, you would just stay home to start with. It costs less, and you never need to watch a mechanic shrug. The main duty of a car is to be good-looking. Really? To turn heads, to make others jealous, and to make the driver feel rich and famous. Oh, really?

A car that really does its job is one that will do all this and also make your teeth shiny, your hair curly and childbirth easy. A firebird can do this. A Jaguar can do this. A Volvo cannot do this. Well here's my feeling, here's my thoughts. Here are my thoughts on that Yeah, all cars should be ugly Yeah, yeah

I'll recount the little story The time that you lured me into the back alley That building that you lived in. Oh To help jumpstart a neighbor's car I was trying to be a nice guy with your car the alley was barely wide enough for my car and it was covered with a sheet of ice it was the middle of winter yeah unsuccessfully we try to jump this car realizing there was something more wrong with it than a dead battery and my brother leaves he says well okay see you later the person who owned the car leaves and they leave

me there to find my way out of this alley and of course now it's dark and even slipperier right and I just I was driving my Ford it was a 76 Ford if I remember the LTD how will I remember the green LTD that's the one that caught fire in the hotel in Montreal that's another story and as I was trying to get out of that narrow alley I scratched my car and I became infuriated at you! Me? I was trying to be a good Samaritan with your car! Yeah, well that's why I was infuriated. So what's that got to do with form versus function? Well, had it been a week earlier when the car hadn't been all fixed up and painted, I would have just floored it. Sure, you'd have made it out. I would

have made it out. I would have banged on both sides, all the buildings on either side, would have banged it all up and scratched it, but I wouldn't have cared. You realize how many altercations take place every day over cars that get scratched or nicked by some inconsiderate person, because there are some people, like the Glasgow's,

who consider the beauty of their car most important. They're taking it too seriously. Yeah, I mean. Exactly, I mean mean do I worry when I hit somebody? Of course not! But if I had a jaguar I would be nervous all the time. I would like to also point out to you Jimmy that it's dangerous simply liking something because it looks good. It isn't necessarily the best way to go as your wife's as wives have discovered no as I've discovered regarding all my wives I mean you're gonna look for something deeper Jim you can't just go for cute

that's right you can get you in a lot of trouble we know that cute's good for half an hour you got it I would like I would like to hear other people's opinions on this yes I'm sure this is a very very very serious issue It is Jim has brought up. It is it is indeed and it might be life-altering I mean this might say this is something that Detroit and Tokyo probably want to hear about maybe Maybe well, they were there were companies. They have been companies in the past that have made cars which clearly Exhibited the function over form notion. Oh, yeah. Like American motors.

American motors, exactly. And no more. And Chrysler, of course, continues to do that, but that's a fine tradition. Anyway, if you'd like to call us, our number is 1-800-332-9287. Remind me later to tell the hotel stories. I love your car talk. Hi hi John Murphy from Eldora, Iowa

No last names, please John I have a sob story for you Yes, and I have a feud between two mechanics that happen to be friends of mine And they are about an hour apart from each other and and they haven't seen each other But it's an interesting few does of the work to help me with it yeah i was just a mistake i think that these are friends of yours who happen to be mechanics yeah all their mechanics of yours who happen to be friends i'm not sure i'd have to check uh...

okay i got it nineteen eighty six blue bob nine hundred does not have the turbo i have back down the driveway real slow yeah does not have the turbo i uh... back down the driveway real flow apply the breaks and i get a loud uh... loud sound it's kinda like uh... all uh... something like that

what clock and uh... one of the break alpers and the important that's the guy i'm with the domestic mechanic says that uh... it's the threat spring and seat and they really are arguing well is the sound more a slapping sound or is it more a boinger not a boy not a boy boy there is no boy quality to the sound at all snapping I mean is it

like a little deeper than that way would have not that wasn't good yet better but deeper nobody has the noise is there any residents to what are is it just a good no residents uh... good good black a good to act die go with the caliper caliper guy i go to calabar guy too

now the uh... the mechanic, the domestic mechanic already, he looked at the brakes, he said the calipers were fine. I go with the spring guy. Why does it do this? Well the slides wear out and the caliper actually will move against the slides and the reason it does it in reverse is that it's not the direction you usually travel when you apply the brakes and so there's a lot more for it to move when you're going in reverse. So I think that that's what you're hearing. You ought to be able to reproduce that thing pretty easily.

Is it coming from the front, the noise? Front right. You ought to be able to reproduce it on the lift because it's a front-wheel-drive car yep so you ought to be able to run this thing and I will I don't have to state the necessary cautions about running it at too high a speed tires explode and all that I trusted anyone who does it won't know enough no no that's right enough we don't we don't have to lead everyone on by the hand here and if they don't then the tire will blow up bottom problem. It's not our problem.

Exactly. I mean, you can put it up on the lift, and you don't have to be going fast, fortunately, for this to happen, and you can make it happen right away, and he can stick his ear right in there and listen, and he can take the wheel off and see the car up and move. Actually, better than putting it on the lift is just jack up the right front wheel. Put the thing in reverse and take the tire off even. And step on the brake. And he ought to be able to see and feel

exactly what's going on. All right. Tell him to put his hand on the spring, and he'll feel it's that spring that's no good. The domestic guy's already ordered a new spring. How do I do this without crushing his ego? Oh, he has, huh? But he hasn't called me in two weeks, so.

Hasn't called you? I would go to the other guy, or maybe even a third guy, and do this test we just described. Yeah, I mean, there's no reason to guess at this, because this is a kind of a problem that you can absolutely determine where the sound is coming from. Okay. So it's crazy to go replacing stuff. Well, if you don't want to hurt his feelings, fix the caliper, replace the caliper, that is, and then you can take it into him and have him do the spring too. And then he'll drive it and of course the noise will be gone. And you'll say that did it. He'll think he's a hero.

Well don't say that did it, just say the noise is gone. Right, you won't be lying. You can tell both of them the noise is gone and then you'll retain both friends. Ah. Won't that be good? That would make me happy. I'll lose some sleep over this. And it's only going to cost you two, three hundred bucks to retain these two friends. And if it were me, I'd spend more than that. I don't have any friends.

But if I could get two friends for three hundred bucks, 150 bucks a friend? I would go for it any day of the week. Oh, you guys are ahead of me. Ha ha ha ha! Hey, John, thanks for your call and good luck. Thank you. Love you guys. See you later. Bye.

Hey, we've got more calls in the puzzler answer coming up right after this. you can send and spend money internationally at the mid-market exchange rate. No guesswork and no hidden fees. Learn more about how WISE could work for you at WISE.com. Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working together to create a just world where all people have access to renewable energy, clean air and

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I mean, what is this? I don't know. I don't know. So we'll wait until next week to give the answer to last week's puzzler, and we'll give everyone a chance to do a little more research. Research for a puzzler? You know, you never know what lengths people will go through to get away from their families during holidays I can see it I love to chat with your parents hun but I gotta go do research on the puzzle if

you'd like to call us the numbers 1-800-332-9287 hello you're on car talk hi this is Heather Aaron Kiel from Aurora Colorado hi Heather how the Aurora a goddess of the dawn that's right. Yeah out here on the plains. Yes. Yeah indeed. So what's up in Aurora? Well, I have a 76 Volkswagen bus She's not much That we love grateful dead stickers all over it. No. Oh no, no McGovern Not no sticker. No stickers no all now the government not not because those are the first time that's not sure whatever the problem is that's part of what is some kind of a radical but I'm

my problem is that we wanna take we want to go camping and we have a one-year-old and you know we've always written in the front with the windows down in the summer and I'm one time I was riding in the front with the windows down in the summer and one time i was riding in the back and i noticed raw gas fumes so now we're afraid to take anywhere cuz we obviously don't want to fix the art child

in the back seat and no one seems to know what to do about these gas fumes but you don't have any qualms about anything else regarding this vehicle in your one-year-old child well like the fact that they flip over and none of those things of those things are very consequence but the smell now worried me yeah it should i suppose

but i mean have you had anyone look at yeah we have and they actually it went into uh... if they replace like the exhaust muffler tailpipe they created a white pipe for it i don don't know what any of this stuff is But they did all that and I don't know what that would have to do with raw gas nothing Oh, right. That's what I thought that's why I'm right guy Yeah, you were right doesn't have anything to do but there might have been a boat payment do and maybe you needed Some exhaust work anyway, I'm sure you did yeah oh yeah no that's you know everything on it's pretty original. But did they check any sources

of actual like raw gas like the gas tank the fill it to carburetor. Well this is pretty simple I mean you've got a gas tank you've got a line that runs from that to the fuel pump and another line that runs from the fuel pump to the carburetor and that's pretty much it. Yeah and that's where that would be coming from coming from and you don't have a lot of places to look okay seventy six seventy seven yes seventy six was still carburetor of course i believe and it smells the worst right after you started up right after you started up fuel pump just a guess like everything else

i mean what else could it be? i mean with the information available it could only be a guess like everything else. I mean what else could it be? I mean with the information available it could only be a guess but an educated one. An educated one. Oh I like it too. Yeah formed by years of experience. Yeah. Yeah and if the smell abates after it's, well either you're getting accustomed to it and that's why it seems worst, it's worse when you first start it. Uh but I would rather, I believe that the fuel pump diaphragm has got a little hole in it and for whatever reason it's squirting gas out when you first start it and then after you run it for a minute or so the gas stops coming out.

You've obviously looked and found no gas leaking. I would recommend that you open the engine compartment and with a bright light have an assistant start the engine and look to see if you see any gas squirting out from places where started how about a candle would that be a good way a propane torches usually uh... more recommend yeah that's the the quick find method yeah i mean these guys ought to have been able to find it had they been

well the reason they couldn't is the exhaust system is making so much noise they couldn't concentrate now that the engine making so much noise they couldn't concentrate Now that the engine is nice and quiet you have to have find it nice and quiet Yeah, but you have to have peace and quiet to think most clearly That's why I never come up with any good answers because my brother will never shut up If you shut up for more than 30 seconds at a time, I can actually give an answer or two was correct every week But tell them if you're not willing to do this yourself have the mechanics do it okay it leave it leave it overnight let them started in the morning they'll find

it my guess is it's it's almost going to be the fuel pump i want to my guess my recommendation is replace the fuel pump okay yeah and you're absolutely right don't let the little kids sit there in the back and smell those fumes and make sure that whoever rides in this adults kids or whatever Where's a football helmet? Okay, yeah, these things are dangerous airbags doesn't at the 76 bus had airbags Yeah, it's got air conditioning and power steering too. Oh and really great heat in the winter Yeah, and heat and good brakes and automatic transmission right great vehicle for a lovely family side impact protection five mile an hour bumper

Hey, Heather, all right. Well, that's the luck transmission right great vehicle for a lovely family side impact protection five mile an hour bumper hey heather all right well best of luck tomorrow great time camping thank you yeah i think a lot you guys alright five five five one eight hundred three three two nine two eight seven lawyer on car talk hi this is a bigger offer williams town massachusetts will say it again did you grow from willstown, Massachusetts?

Did you wow? a biju Biju absolutely right rao that's right Did you know and where you from? Williamstown yes, that's right. Oh you born there. Oh, no I was born in India Did you know I love I love Indian it's's almost as good as Arup Gupta. Oh Almost where is Arup? We have lost contact with well the last we heard Arup was sailing across the Atlantic. It is Suzuki Samurai Yeah, oh, that's right. So Biju Rao. What's up?

Well, I have the CLC's problem. I tend to I'm problem I fall asleep at 10 o'clock every night precisely at 10 o'clock. Even when I'm on the road I fall asleep at 10 o'clock at night. And it's a problem. It certainly could be a problem depending on what you happen to be doing at 10 o'clock. Well if I'm driving. Yeah then it becomes a problem. That's right. Well, it is a problem unless you plan ahead. For example, I would make sure that if you're gonna leave the house at 930, you put your jammies on. So if you do fall asleep... Yeah, you know when they find you, you'll have your jammies on. So, I mean, you just need an alarm clock. I mean a watch with alarm, so at quarter of ten

it lets you know that you've got 15 minutes to lie down. What I usually try to do is to smoke two strong cigars and two strong cups of coffee. Ah, then does that help? That helps for a bit, but then after 20 minutes I fall asleep again. How long have you had this problem? And in fact, well, actually, I don't consider it a problem. It might be a blessing That's your problem I would I would like to have this problem if I have I knew No matter what I would go to sleep at 10 o'clock

Then you could always if you're going somewhere on a plane Yeah, you could always arrange to take nine o'clock flights so that you get in sit down Have a little snack and bingo! That's actually what I do, yeah. You do? I'd love to have this. Yeah.

Yeah. I have a similar problem except that the time is not the 10 o'clock, it's the sofa. If I find myself in the proximity of an occupied sofa, I lie down and I'm out within a matter of maybe 45, 50 seconds. That's just amazing. You know, it's a really a wonderful thing. But I don't know why the car seat loves me to sleep. I mean, I only started driving a year ago,

and maybe that's what it was. I've always used to sit in the back seat and fall asleep when people drove me. Ah, of course, this is a case of conditioning. Maybe. Right, it's a carryover. Yeah.'m your childhood We have a real question be you No, I don't think it's a problem because you can plan on it

Okay, no use it to your advantage as you've used you've discovered on airplanes. What kind of a car do you have? Okay, well there are a couple of ideas you could you could certainly trade that thing in okay and get something with a much bumpier right about to keep you awake or you could really put like seventy five eighty pounds of air in the tires and he'd be bouncing down the road and you'd never fall asleep then you have blatter problems about their while that will also keep you

awake to wake like perhaps perhaps perhaps uh... it it it it it it really it will be making my my car now that anybody doing that because screwdriver hammer yet crawl underneath but punch three or four holes in the muffler and i'll do the job

that's it uh... and what if you want to get a step by the way that's not a lot of things nice to look at it And punch a few in the gas tank while you're in the dance hall. Yeah, and the oil pan is nice too. No, actually, I remember my brother-in-law used to drive all the time. My brother-in-law was one of New York City's finest. And he used to drive at the end of his shift, whenever that was, to his cabin in upstate New York in Unidilla. And frequently, he would do this after working a double shift

well and he would find himself nodding off at the wheel how do i know this i was with a man when i would be on i'd be talking to him and i wouldn't be getting any answers and he'd have his chin down on his chest but the car would still be going at seventy miles an hour we bought for him a little device that clips around your ear yes we bought one for Tony Hatton who has the same little problem.

Yes. And what is this device, too? And when your head begins to dip, when it goes off level, it sounds an alarm which wakes you up. But that's neat. It is really neat. Yeah. Yeah, and it bothered him so much that he put it in the glove box.

He never used it. Kept them away, he said. Kept them away. But you may need one of those. Bijou. Where do I get one of these things? I don't know. I don't remember. I was in a catalog.

I'm sure someone will tell us. And when we find out, we'll e-mail you. What usually happens is when we mention a product like this on the air, the manufacturer sends us a couple. So we get your address, we'll send you one. Thank you very much. See you later. It is actually a great little device.

I think it actually worked. Well, it did. It did. But you noticed that Claud does not use his anymore, and Tony does not use his either. No. There is something wrong here. No. Because I tell you, it was bothering them.

It was keeping them awake. Hey, stick around for more calls and the new puzzler coming right up. When voters talk during an election season, we listen. We ask questions, we follow up, and we bring you along to hear what we learn. Get closer to the issues, the people, and your vote at the NPR Elections Hub. Visit npr.org slash elections. It's a high-stakes election year, so it's not enough to just follow along. You need to understand what's happening so you are fully informed come November. Every weekday on the NPR Politics Podcast, our political reporters break down important

stories and backstories from the campaign trail. Do you understand why it matters to you? Listen to the NPR Politics podcast wherever you get your podcasts. This election season, you can expect to hear a lot of news. Some of it meaningful, much of it not. Give the Up First podcast 15 minutes, sometimes a little less, and we'll help you sort it out. What's going on around the world and at home. Three stories, 15 minutes, Up a little less, and we'll help you sort it out, what's going on around the world and at home.

Three stories, 15 minutes, up first every day. Listen every morning, wherever you get your podcasts. On the TED Radio Hour, paleontologist Ken Lacovara says a spot in New Jersey sheds light on exactly what happened when an asteroid hit the earth. This makes this the best window on the planet into that pivotal, calamitous moment that wiped out the dinosaurs and really made the modern world as we know it. The day the dinosaurs died.

That's on the TED Radio Hour podcast from NPR. Hi, we're back. You're listening to Car Talk on National Public Radio with us, Click and Clack, the Tabard Brothers, and we're here to discuss cars, car repair, and the relentless pursuit of perfection. Just today, our esteemed intern, Catherine, what's Catherine's last name? Ray. Ray? Yeah, like a ray of sunshine.

A ray of sunshine. Catherine Ray said to me, you know, Tom, she said, as she is woke to do, she says, you know, Tom, I got something stuck on your beard. No, no. No? She said, I think the intelligence of the listening audience... Has improved?

...is decreasing. Oh, that's good, maybe. She was doing this, she said this based on her perusal of mail... Aha. ...for this past week. Just the week before, it was the day of July... What? But I got to it, didn't I?

Roger Eakin sends me this little memo. You? Not us. No, I'm sorry. Both of us. Dear Tom and Ray, regarding your recent request for mail, specifically eloquent literary creations, I have something which may be helpful to those who aspire to produce the aforementioned excellence in correspondence.

Already it's beginning to sound good, isn't it? Already it sounds better than anything we could do. Reference the enclosed document. I was astounded to discover this phenomenal work in my email mailbox when cruising the information superhighway. Imagine my- At 35 miles an hour, right? At 35 miles an hour, which is plenty good enough.

Where the heck is everybody going in such a hurry anyway you must on a macintosh computer right now that i have a thirty-five imagine my surprise as each concept unfolded now i should tell you that this is entitled to write good there's a list of of important but often forgotten rules of English.

Imagine my surprise. Did I read this sentence three times? As each concept unfolded, my jaw convulsed in wonder as the individual lines of text slithered over my mesmerized brain. It was at that instant I realized, cataclysmically, this must be some sort of Rosetta Stone. Indeed, the key to written excellence for the English language, a virtual tour de force in literary instruction. He's on the Andy scale already. He is indeed. I have taken this prized monumental tablet. This may be Andy writing under an assumed name. This may be under an assumed name of Roger Eakin from

Barney Lake, Washington. I won't even read from the Rosetta Stone, must I? Well, I'll give you a little sample. Maybe every week you can give us a little excerpt. I'll give you the first one. It's entitled, the document, the Rosetta Stone. How to write real good. The document, how to write good. Number one, avoid cliches like the plague.

They're old hat. Okay, next week I'll read another. Yes, I just can't wait. Well as I mentioned earlier, the puzzler is off this week, so we'll just plow right ahead, don't you think? You can plow if you want, not me. I'm going to just sit here and take phone calls. 1-800-332-9287.

Hello, you're on Car Talk. Hi guys. Hello. you can plow if you want not me i'm gonna just see her and take phone calls what happened three three two nine two eight seven a lawyer on car park hi guys i know my name's therese therese up is that with an h yeah where you from portland

portland main you know you know you know the uh... you know the born maniac you weren't you weren't born today yesterday on no you're not you're not a you're not a born maniac. You weren't you weren't born there. Yes, I am No, you're not 100% No kidding. Yeah, yeah, well as you can see I don't drive like one because that's gonna be your first question. No, no, no, we don't you don't talk like one either We've had many calls from Maine and I went to school away Actually, I think the maniacs drive pretty well that you're not like your wacko neighbors in New Hampshire

Now there's wacko in Maine and it's relatively sane the driving. Yes Ah, no, I was discussing just yesterday with my lovely wife The fact that we have three states up there in the corner of the United States Maine New Hampshire and Vermont And the people who live in those three states are about as different as you can get. Well yes they are very different. And how can a line drawn on a piece of paper cause that to happen? Oh very easily. I mean when you walk from Maine to New Hampshire you don't know that you did that.

It's only if you have the map with the line on it, and yet the people in Maine are relatively sane, the people in Maine are relatively sane The people in New Hampshire are completely nuts and the people from want to roll on drugs Are quite different I don't I'm not sure how to characterize them I think Well, not all of them, but but some that I've met and people in Vermont to kind of mellow. Yeah No, so I mean Teresa do you agree with this characterization on that uh... i don't know the vermont people that well but uh... in maine i do yeah but what about the difference between maine and new hampshire though i mean

i'm right about that yes yes yes well i'm glad we were able to answer your question for thanks for calling and call again when you got a minute the the go ahead what's your question okay Okay I have a 1995 Saturn SL uh-huh and it's purple uh-huh and I'm fishtailing when I try to stop quick and in all my years of driving and this is the second new car I've had I've

never had this problem somebody stopped suddenly in front of me in traffic I slam on the brakes and the car fisht, the rear end of the car slides to the right. This is on dry pavement? On dry pavement. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm a good snow driver, you know, of course, being a maniac. Yeah.

So you're afraid what it's going to be like in the snow is even worse? Well, yeah, this morning was rough. I talked to my brothers about this because they're mechanics, and they said, well, you must be driving like a nut. And I said no, you know drove my 86 Ford Escort for eight years and On Bob tires and a hundred and thirty thousand miles this car never had a problem If I needed to stop quick, it would stop in a straight line. Whom did you say you asked your brother? Yeah, this is a mechanic. Brothers who are mechanics

Yeah, but and the first thing they did was blame you of course that was there and immediately i don't know why they just came back from a customer relations seminar in the way what what was the last time you had anything done to the car never it's brand-new at last time first of all i've had almost a year but i've had a look at a couple of times and i brought it and i I said you guys you got to check the brakes because they're not hitching evenly or something because the cars going sideways when I stop quick and They said, you know, basically there's nothing wrong with the car. You're a car hypochondriac get out of here

You didn't obviously get the anti-lock brake option. I did not because I know how to drive Good for you. This is punishment for not getting that they think they gave you right well you know what the fish tail version there are a couple of possibilities one possibility is that you have uneven tire pressure someplace uh... so no i've checked them pretty often now well i would check them again okay that's one could that's a good strong

possibility the other possibility is that you got something wrong with your brakes and And the something that would be wrong with your brakes is that... Geez, that's the answer I was going to give. You took the words. I can't... this happens all the time. No, I was going to elaborate on that. Now I have a wonderful answer and my brother steals it from me. All right. No, go ahead.

The second possibility is there's something wrong with your radiator. Does that make you feel better? Go ahead. No, no. No, no. I don't want to steal it. I've been accused of this before. I'm mum on this. So I should not get the dealer to check the brakes. Oh yeah, you should. You've got a brake that's locking up.

You probably have uneven brake pressure. Or you have a wheel that's locking up because of some malfunction. I imagine this thing has disc brakes on all four wheels, but I don't know. I think it does. SL. That the sport version? No, that's just your basic vanilla version. Right, the SL2 is the more expensive. You may not have brakes at all in the rear. Well, I'm not the anchor. No, if you have drum brakes, then I would certainly be suspicious, and I would definitely insist that they do the brakes over again. Okay.

I'll bring it back again and I'll insist that they check it again over again i'll bring it back again on the fact that they can't yes i mean i think not just check it but reline the break if if they can find nothing wrong told you would like to change the shoes the hardware and machine the drums and that'll fix it and just as i said the operation of the cylinders make sure the cylinders are free and they should also do a break pressure check at both the split the gauge on

and check the break pressure going to both the rear wheels to make sure it's the same. Yeah, this will tax their knowledge of brakes, but they can handle it. Okay. But it's dangerous, as you know. As you know. Yes, it is. And if, I mean, does it do it every time? If you hit the brakes hard, you can be guaranteed that it will do this?

It doesn't happen to me that much, you know, usually I give people pretty a follow-distance, but the couple of times that I've had to do it yes Yeah, which case they can reproduce it themselves just say come on take a ride put in your seat belt put on this football helmet I'm gonna show you what it does and to what to what extent does it fishtail? I mean how far how many degrees from from straight ahead does it vary when you just oh, I'd say 25 maybe that's bad That's that's not too bad That's almost sideways or what would happen if i were going really fast what you're going to spend you should try it out

but that would be if they can find it would be interesting to see to what extent it it it will really turn you around me what speed you have to go to really make it dangerous you should know go up in five mile an hour increments obviously a very uh... lonely road someplace dangerous you should you know go up in five mile an hour increments obviously on a very lonely road someplace like up behind the dealership behind the dealership all the cars are parked you got it Teresa we don't you don't need our help thanks for calling see you very much bye bye well you squandered another

perfectly good hour listening to car talk our esteemed producer is Doug still the subway fugitive not a slave to fashion, Punkin Lips Berman. Our associate producer and dean of the College of Automusicology is Ken Babyface Rogers. Our assistant producer is Catherine Pertuti-Ray. Our engineer is Karen Given. And our technical advisor is Mr. John Lawler. Our public opinion pollster is Paul Murky of Murky Research, assisted by statistician Marginal

Vera. Our director of new product repair is Warren T. Myfoot. Our director of staff pay increases is Xavier Breath. Our marriage counselor is Marion Haste. Our director of country music is Stan Byerman. Our head of personal security is See How We Run. Our director of cold weather starting is Martina Never Turnover. And our chief counselor from the law firm of Dewey, Cheetah, and Howes, Hugh Lewis Dewey,

known to the meter maids as Huey Louie Dewey. Thanks so much for listening. We're Click and Clack the Tablet Brothers, and Don't Drive Like My Brother. Don't Drive Like My Brother. We'll be back next week. Bye-bye. If you would like a cassette copy of this show, it's show number 52, and you can get it on the World Wide Web by clicking on the Shameless Commerce Division of Cartock.com, or you can call and order a copy at 303-823-8000.

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And even though the health effects are not entirely known when we're on, this is NPR National Public Radio. This message comes from NPR sponsor Organic Valley, a co-op of small organic family farms. Dairy farmer Tyler Webb shares how he and his family work with nature to manage challenges on the farm. When I think of land stewardship, it's taking the opportunity to like slowly walk through your farm, to listen, to try to observe subtle patterns.

When you're not reliant upon pesticides and herbicides and things to navigate your way through farming, you're looking for ways to work in harmony with our ecosystem. From a pesticide perspective, you know, flies can be a concern. And so a lot of this bird habitat we have on the farm is because we're looking for tree swallows. They just cruise around all day long and eat flies. They come back every year in April and they put a big dent on the fly population during that period. Discover organic valley dairy at ov.coop.gov.