Big Programming Change in LA + 78 New Stations!

AI-Generated Using ChatGPT Plus.

Hey, Car Pro family! Big changes afoot for the show. As you may have heard me say last week, it was our last show on KNX 1070. They are going to an all-news format, which was expected, and I wish them luck, we’ve made many friends there over the last decade. Frankly, when we went to just one hour in Los Angeles, we knew a change had to be made. Starting tomorrow, you will find us on KABC 790 AM and we’ll be on 10 AM to Noon. Please invite your friends to join us as well.

KABC has been a Southern California institution for more than 100 years and is one of the most recognized radio brands in America. The station has been home to some of the biggest names in broadcasting and serves the nation's second-largest radio market. Beginning tomorrow, listeners throughout the Los Angeles area will be able to hear The Car Pro Show on KABC 790, bringing our straight talk and honest answers about buying, leasing, selling, and maintaining vehicles to even more car shoppers across Southern California. We're honored to join the KABC lineup and look forward to helping listeners make smarter automotive decisions every weekend.

The number to call remains the same, (800) 926-7777, so let’s talk Los Angeles!

🎙️ New Stations & New Markets

Last Saturday, we had 78 new radio stations in 35 different markets join the Car Pro Radio Network. Our radio show website schedule page is current with all 141 stations and times we air. Some will be on the air while we are live, others will broadcast a pre-recorded version, but if you have friends or relatives in any of these markets, I would consider it an honor if you’d share the information with them so they can become part of the family, too.

Here are the new markets that came on board with us last week:

Anchorage and Fairbanks, AK; Little Rock-Pine Bluff, AR; Phoenix (Prescott), AZ; Reno, NV; Mobile-Pensacola (Ft. Walton Beach), AL-FL; Albany, GA; St. Louis and Springfield, MO; Terre Haute and Indianapolis, IN; Lincoln and Hastings-Kearney, NE; Lexington, KY; Washington (Hagerstown), DC-MD; Traverse City-Cadillac, Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, and Lansing, MI; Paducah-Cape Girardeau-Harrisburg, MO-IL; Jackson, MS; Great Falls, MT; Charlotte, NC; Amarillo, Odessa-Midland, Lubbock, and Abilene-Sweetwater, TX; Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM; Salt Lake City, UT; Syracuse and Buffalo, NY; Knoxville, Jackson, and Tri Cities, TN-VA; Shreveport, LA; Burlington-Plattsburgh, VT-NY; Denver, CO; and Casper-Riverton, WY.

Bear in mind, we will not have dealers in every one of these markets but will have them where it makes sense AND in cases when we can find dealers that meet the standards I set many years ago. The vetting process is incredibly time consuming.

⭐ New daily feature heard on 396 Stations

Also new is a daily feature that answers your automotive questions and can now be heard on 396 radio stations coast-to-coast plus Guam and Canada every Monday through Friday in Morning and Afternoon drive times. It is called: You ask, Jerry Reynolds the Car Pro answers! I’ll take questions from my popular FAQ page along with questions I am regularly asked on the air and share the answers with the world!

👋 We welcome our longtime friends in Los Angeles to KABC 790 AM and all our new friends from coast-to-coast. Thank you for being part of the family!

National Show Radio Schedule →.

Straight Talk and Honest Answers

 

CarPro Advice: Don't Tell Me This Is Your Last Car

I've been hearing those words for decades, but life has a way of changing plans. 

Read more → 

  U.S. Auto Market  

Used Car Prices JUMP In May

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  Teen Drivers

The 100 Deadly Days of Summer Are Here  

Read more →

FAQ: This Week's Q&A Spotlight!

Q: How Much Does It Cost To Own A Car?

• For Jerry's Answer Click Here→

Q: There's a Surge of Used EVs Hitting The Market. What Do Buyers Need To Know?

For Jerry's Answer Click Here →

  Legal Matters

AI-Generated Using ChatGPT Plus.

Suits & Settlements is a weekly feature highlighting recent automotive-related legal matters. Whether they impact customers and drivers, a specific automaker or have wider implications for the industry, they are important lawsuits and settlements I think you'll find as interesting as I do.

In this week’s Suits & Settlements, you’ll find the following reports:

• State Farm To Pay $8.8 Million Diminished Value Settlement
• Blind Man Sues Chicago Dealer Over Alleged Loan Deception
• Court Dismisses Claims Against Cummins Leadership in Diesel Case
• Seat Heater Lawsuit Puts Mazda in the Hot Seat

Read more →

  Quick Shifts

Each week I bring you the top stories in the auto industry along with my commentary or sometimes amusing thoughts about the craziness that goes on in the world of cars.

Stories you’ll find today:

• This Is Not What They Mean by Guard Dog
• Nobody Wins This Debate
• One Very Awkward Citation
• Cocaine Hidden In Kim Kardashian Underwear Shipment

Read more→

  Weekly Recalls

• • Ford **DO NOT DRIVE WARNING/CRASH RISK** →
  • Ford **CRASH RISK**→ 
  • Ford/Lincoln →
  • Honda →
  • Hyundai**FIRE RISK** →
  • Subaru **CRASH RISK** →

  Incentives Guide

Here you'll find our incentives and rebate guide which includes a link to every major manufacturer’s incentive page. Just enter your zip code to find the current incentives offered in your area. 

Current incentives By Automaker  

  Sell Or Consign Your Car For Top Dollar!

I hear from a lot of people who end up with an extra car for some reason. Sometimes it is due to a death in the family, or someone gets transferred overseas. I’ve seen many occasions where this happens. Well, now, we have two ways to dispose of a vehicle.

ThisCar has been with us for quite some time. They are terrific buyers and make the transactions very easy. They have helped many of our listeners and I’ve had terrific feedback. They are great, too, if you need a good idea what your car is truly worth and as I always say, a car is only worth what someone is willing to write a check for it. ThisCar writes checks, and lots of them.

Now, if you have more time, RetailMyRide.com is now an official partner of the Car Pro Show and they take cars on consignment. You’ve heard me recommend them in the past most likely, and they have helped many of our listeners. They market the car at all the right places, they get top dollar for it, take a little off the top, and you get the rest. It’s that simple. No people coming to your house, calling or texting, no worrying about how to complete the paperwork, they do all that for you.

So, the question is: Do you want quick cash or the most cash? We’ve got you covered either way with CarPro AppraisalPro OR CarPro ConsignPro.

It all starts at CarPro.com, click SELL A CAR at the top, or click here →

  Kim Komando Quiz and Tech Tips  

Besides the Car Pro Show and our weekly newsletter, my other favorite radio show and newsletter is Kim Komando’s.  We are on many of the same radio stations across America.  She does for her listeners and newsletter subscribers exactly what I endeavor to do:  Give you useful information to keep you up to date on the latest in cars, only she does it with technology and there is nobody who does it better.  Not sure how she puts out a top-notch newsletter seven days a week, but she does.

I recommend you subscribe to Kim’s daily newsletter. I learn something new every single day, and it’s free! Subscribe here →

💡Kim’s Quiz: 

Somewhere between HAL 9000 and the self-checkout machine yelling “unexpected item in bagging area,” McDonald’s decided to let AI run the drive-thru. No more humans. Talk to the box, get your Big Mac. What could possibly go McWrong?

Q. What did the AI add to customer orders before the experiment ended: A) Nine sweet teas (when they ordered one), B) Bacon on a vanilla ice cream cone, C) 260 Chicken McNuggets ($222 worth) or D) All of the above?

*Answer below my closing message at the very bottom of this newsletter

💡Some Interesting Items I Found In Kim’s Daily Newsletter!

Each week, I comb Kim's newsletters and curate a list of her tips and advice that I think you'll find relevant and interesting.

This week: Toyota trains Alabama high school students and more! →

   Check Out Our Newsletter Archive Page!

Go to the Newsletter Archive →

  Classic Car Contest: Win An AutoHeatShield!

  Exclusive Approved Products & Services

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  Miss the Show? Catch Our Podcast!

  Searching For A New Or Used Vehicle? 

  You Have 5 Hours To Call The Show! 

  Now Airing On KABC +78 New Markets!

  Jerry's Must-Watch Video of the Week! 

  Todd's Video of the Week! 

  True Stories From A Former Car Dealer

This is #16 in a series of 40 stories written by me about occurrences from my days in the car business. Each story had a lasting impression on me for some reason or another. Some because they were funny, some because they were sad, and some were just strange. But whatever the case, over the next 23 weeks, we’ll feature one of them, in order for you to enjoy.

Today, I tell you a story about a time when I was the General Manager of a Ford dealership in Dallas and went to check on an alarm going off in the service department. I was attacked from behind, but luckily, I was armed and took a shot at the assailant. Sadly, the only thing that was hit was a customer’s Ford EXP. Anybody remember those? There is one I’ll never forget. I always hated those cars, and I hated them even more after this.

You can read #16 here: The EXP →

Click here for the True Stories library →

  Closing Message From Jerry

The Empty Parking Space

There are certain things you never expect to miss.

A laugh in the hallway. A familiar voice on the phone. A handshake from someone you've known for years.

A parking space.

That last one probably sounds strange unless you've spent most of your life around a dealership.

Dealerships are like small cities. The same people come and go every day. Salespeople, technicians, managers, service advisors, parts people, porters, receptionists. Everybody has their routines, their habits, and usually a favorite place to park. After a while, you stop noticing the cars and start noticing the people.

Then one day, somebody isn't there.

At first, you don't think much about it. Maybe they're on vacation. Maybe they're sick. Maybe they took the day off.

Then reality settles in.

They're not coming back.

I've spent more than four decades in and around dealerships, and over that time I've seen a lot of empty parking spaces. Some belonged to people who retired and moved on to enjoy the next chapter of their lives. Others belonged to people who simply chose a different path. But there are a few spaces I still think about today because of the people who occupied them.

One of those belonged to my friend Joe.

I was still a kid learning the business when I met Joe. He was one of the top salespeople at the Ford dealership where I worked, and he was one of those people who made an impression on everyone around him. He had a big personality, a great sense of humor, and he treated me like I mattered even though I was just a teenager working in make-ready.

One Saturday, Joe asked me to help him pick out a new demonstrator. We rode a golf cart through the back lot looking at rows and rows of cars. I spotted a silver Ford LTD and told him it was the prettiest car on the lot. Joe looked inside and said he didn't like the light gray interior because it reminded him of a casket.

I laughed and talked him into taking it anyway.

Later that day, he invited me to ride with him to Wichita Falls to visit his mother and watch the Cowboys' game. I wanted to go, but my grandmother was ill and my parents wanted me to stay home.

A few hours later, Joe was killed in a head-on collision while driving that very LTD.

He was 39 years old.

For a long time after that, I would see where Joe parked and think about him. Not just because of how he died, but because of how he lived. Joe taught me something that I didn't fully understand at the time: none of us know when we're having our last conversation with someone.

Years later, another person came into my life who left a lasting mark.

His name was Dick.

If you've ever worked in a dealership, you've probably known someone like him. The person everybody respects. The one who knows where all the bodies are buried, knows every customer by name, and somehow becomes part of the DNA of the place. People like Dick don't need a title to command respect. They earn it over years of showing up, doing things the right way, and helping everyone around them.

When people like that leave, the building feels different.

The same walls are there. The same showroom is there. The same parking lot is there.

But something important is missing.

Then came the hardest empty parking space of all.

My son BJ.

Many of you knew BJ or heard me talk about him over the years. He loved the car business. More importantly, he loved people.

BJ wasn't successful because he had some magical closing technique. He wasn't successful because he pressured people or played games. He succeeded because he genuinely cared. He remembered names. He followed up. He treated customers the way he would want his own family treated.

That's why he led the board so often.

That's why customers kept coming back.

And that's why so many people still talk about him today.

After BJ was gone, there was an empty parking space.

There was also an empty desk, an empty office, an empty seat at family gatherings, and an empty place in conversations where his voice should have been.

The older I get, the more I realize grief changes, but memories don't.

The sharp pain softens over time. The memories somehow become clearer.

I can still hear Joe's laugh.

I can still picture Dick walking through a dealership.

And I can still hear BJ telling a story that I've probably heard a hundred times before.

That's when I realized something important.

The most valuable thing we leave behind isn't money. It isn't a title on a business card. It isn't awards, plaques, or trophies sitting on a shelf.

It's the impact we have on other people.

It's the lessons we teach.

It's the kindness we show.

It's whether somebody smiles when they hear our name years after we're gone.

Every dealership I've ever worked in eventually got a new employee. Every office got another occupant. Every parking space eventually had another car sitting in it. That's just the way life works.

But every once in a while, when I pull into a dealership, I still find myself looking toward certain spots. Not because of the vehicles that used to sit there, but because of the people who did.

And I've come to believe that's the real measure of a life.

Not the money you made. Not the position you held. Not the success you achieved.

It's whether somebody still remembers you long after your parking space belongs to someone else. I hope many remember me after my parking place sits empty.

Straight Talk and Honest Answers — always.

 💡Kim Komando Answer: 

The answer: D) All of the above. Yes, really. The AI struggled with accents, background noise and overlapping voices. I mean, it even added butter and ketchup packets to people’s milkshakes. That should be a crime.

McDonald’s hasn’t given up entirely, saying voice AI will return. Meanwhile, Wendy’s launched FreshAI with Google in 2024, and Chipotle has been quietly testing avocado-cutting and chip-bagging robots called Autocado and the Augmented Makeline.

Sounds like McDonald's will soon be offering fillet steaks too. They'll call it a Big McStake.