#2665: A Laser-like Focus

#2665: A Laser-like Focus

Author: NPR August 15, 2026 Duration: 34:42
Anne’s Subaru has fallen prey to several failures that exhibit a complex pattern of intricate and subtle symptoms that only a master mechanic with finely-tuned powers of concentration could ever possibly hope to diagnose over the phone. While we all wait for a master mechanic to show up, Click and Clack attempt to stay awake long enough to give it a shot on this episode of the Best of Car Talk.
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For decades, the unmistakable laughter and mechanical wisdom of Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, filled the airwaves, creating a uniquely American institution. The Best of Car Talk from NPR distills that legacy into a weekly dose of their finest moments. This isn't a dry how-to podcast; it's a comedy show that happens to be about cars. Each episode is a curated collection of the most hilarious and bewildering calls from desperate car owners, ranging from mysterious knocks and perplexing smells to automotive decisions of truly questionable merit. The hosts, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, wielded their encyclopedic knowledge not as a cudgel but as a tool for comedy, offering diagnoses with a heavy side of sarcasm, brotherly bickering, and genuine warmth. The beauty of the show is that automotive expertise is entirely optional. The real engine here is the human predicament-the universal frustrations and oddities of life, all funneled through the dashboard of a failing sedan. You'll hear timeless advice, legendary puns, and the kind of unscripted laughter that reminds you why this program became a staple for so many. Tune in for a repair manual of the soul, where the fix is always a good laugh.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 25

The Best of Car Talk
Podcast Episodes
#2676: The End of the Previa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:32
Marsha mixed up. She opened all of her Toyota minivan’s fluid reservoirs and mostly poured the right stuff into the right holes, but not quite. Click and Clack ponder her polluted Previa on this episode of the Best of Ca…
#2675: Gas and Go [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:35
Leo’s a busy guy. He pulls to a screech in front of the gas pumps, jumps out, slides across the hood of the car and starts pumping gas before his feet hit the ground -all while the engine is still running. His wife is us…
#2674: Empathic Whatever [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:32
Jeff, a relationship counselor from Maui, and Click and Clack, relationship klutzes of great renown, engage in an exchange of professional services on this episode of the Best of Car Talk. Support public media with NPR+…
#2673: Thelma and Louise II [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:38
Lydia is about to finish her graduate program and to celebrate she wants to grab a girlfriend, hop into a classic muscle car and drive across the US, just like Thelma and Louise. We think maybe Lydia kind of forgot how t…
#2668: You Betcha! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:45
From Aitkin to Zumbrota, this edition of the Best of Car Talk ‘Climaxes’(poulation 243) with a flurry of calls from the gopher state. You betcha!Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like th…
#2667: Witless Intimidation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:06
Laraine’s Acura is making a weird fricative noise that seems to be coming from impossible locations within the engine compartment. And Click & Clack have to resort to ditching their ‘nice guy’ personas in an attempt to m…
#2666: The Spidermobile [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:58
Heather’s Honda got stolen and shortly after it’s recovery she noticed that the car was infested with dozens of black widow spiders. Ugh! While you’re trying hard not to imagine the little critters crawling up YOUR pantl…
#2660: Howard's Brake Fluid Recipe [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:58
Howard was in the desert down near the US/Mexico border when he realized that he was out of brake fluid with none onhand. He did, however, have some water, antifreeze, paint thinner and some high-end tequila. What would…
#2659: Class Dismissed! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:43
Linda’s Honda has such a bad ride that she is making her 8th grade class sit silently at their desks while she talks to Click and Clack about it. Will the brothers come up with the correct answer for Linda’s Honda? Or wi…
#2658: He's a Genius! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:20
Kim’s hubby had his eye on a 4 year old Lexus that was left abandoned at the airport by a burglar after a robbery. Kim’s worried about ‘karma’, but hubby got a great deal on the car. Do ‘the bad vibes’ negate the great p…