My "Car Talk" Debut

Yep, that was me this weekend, Matt from St. Albans, Vermont on Car Talk, with my own strange vehicle question.

The call was actually recorded in the summer, when I contacted Car Talk on a whim with an ignition key problem.

Tom and Ray Magliozzi, also known as Click and Clack on
"Car Talk" helped me with my ignition key problem
on their show this past weekend

Seems when I drive down a rough road, the key sometimes falls out of the ignition and onto the floor and I'm going along.  The truck just keeps on, well, truckin.'

My question was, Can I ignore the problem?

Yes, said Click and Clack the ever-ebullent hosts of Car Talk. Unless I have rust holes on the floor of the truck, in which case the issue could become particularly problematic, as you can well imagine.

And I took their advice. As Click and Clack pointed out, the ignition key problem is a particular boon on cold mornings when the windshield is all frosted over.

I can start the truck, pull the key out of the ignition without taking it off the key ring,  and go back into the house. That way, when I leave, I can lock the house door without removing anything from the key ring.

By the way, Car Talk is a bit less spontaneous than you'd think. Click and Clack, whose real names are Tom and Ray Magliozzi, don't know in advance who's calling or what their car problem is, so the actual interaction between caller and the pair are spontaneous and fresh.

But to get on the show, you email them with your car problem. If the producers think your problem might be interesting, they call you back and ask for more details. If they still think you or  your problem, or both is interesting, they set up a time when they call you.

Car Talk calls, and you're told to hold, because Click and Clack will come on the line and say, "Hello, you are on Car Talk."

Then  you're off.

So if you have  a weird car problem, give them a shot. It's fun. But remember, a key that falls out of the ignition while the vehicle is in motion has already been taken. Sorry.