April 7, 2026

Maple Syrup Smell - Signs Your Car Is Done: National Parks Road Trip, the Kia Carnival

The moment a repair estimate lands, every driver asks the same question: am I maintaining a car or financing its last years? We get specific about the “sell it” repairs that blow up budgets fast, from a blown head gasket to a transmission replacement, cracked engine block, air suspension failure, and the kind of electrical problems that eat shop time without guaranteeing a clean fix. We also talk overheating damage like warped or cracked cylinder heads, heater core replacement that requires major dash work, and timing chain or timing belt failures that can turn into valve and piston damage on interference engines. The goal is simple: help you make a calm decision when repair costs start to outrun your car’s value.

Once you choose not to repair, we walk through what to do with the vehicle next: selling privately, trading it in, donating it for pickup, or turning it into a project car. If you’ve ever stared at a “fix it or sell it” crossroads, this part gives you practical next steps instead of guilt.

Then we shift into summer mode with national park road trips and driving-focused routes worth planning for, including Glacier National Park’s Going-To-The-Sun Road, Yosemite’s Tioga Pass at high elevation, and Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park where brake management matters on long descents.

We close with a straightforward review of a hybrid minivan that leans SUV in style, covering interior space, cargo flexibility, fuel economy, and pricing against familiar competitors.

If you enjoy real-world car advice and road-trip planning, subscribe, share this with a friend who’s debating a big repair, and leave a review with the most expensive fix you’ve ever faced.

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00:06 - When Fixing Stops Making Sense

00:29 - Head Gaskets And Transmission Trouble

02:09 - Electrical Gremlins And Overheating Damage

03:21 - Timing Belt Failure Cost Reality

03:56 - Sell Trade Donate Or Project Car

04:45 - Planning National Park Summer Drives

05:30 - Glacier Switchbacks And Best Timing

06:36 - Yosemite Tioga Pass Thin Air

07:43 - Trail Ridge Road Brake Management

08:40 - Picking The Right Car For Trips

09:17 - A Minivan Styled Like An SUV

10:50 - Hybrid Power Features And Fuel Economy

11:37 - Price As Tested And Rivals

13:08 - Closing Jokes And Real Life Tasks

WEBVTT

00:00:06.080 --> 00:00:08.080
Car repairs that signal it's time to sell.

00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:10.320
Yep, well, uh fix it or sell it.

00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:13.039
These repairs usually mean it's time to move on.

00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:17.920
And the way to do that is every car reaches a point where repairs start to cost more than the vehicle is worth.

00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:20.079
Well, a few fixes are part of ownership.

00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:20.719
We all know that.

00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.800
Certain jobs hint that your beloved ride might be living on borrowed time.

00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:28.640
If you see these types of repairs, you might want to have something uh to consider.

00:00:28.879 --> 00:00:29.600
So here we go.

00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:31.600
One of them would be a blown head gasket.

00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:36.079
A blown head gasket is one of the most dreaded and expensive repairs a car can face.

00:00:36.240 --> 00:00:41.520
It can lead to overheating, poor engine performance, and even catastrophic engine damage if left unchecked.

00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:45.600
Repairing it involves hours of labor and significant costs.

00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:48.799
So use that as a either yay or nay on that.

00:00:49.039 --> 00:00:51.920
The next one, Mike, would be a transmission replacement.

00:00:52.159 --> 00:00:54.399
Now, who doesn't have a problem with a trans?

00:00:54.719 --> 00:00:58.320
So failure doesn't just ruin your day, it can wreck your budget.

00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:03.439
Symptoms like slipping gears, grinding, or total refusal to shift are early red flags.

00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:05.359
So if you got that, be aware of it.

00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:10.640
A full replacement or rebuild can run several thousand dollars depending on the type of vehicle you're driving.

00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:12.719
If you got a high-end vehicle, it's going to be more money.

00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:14.560
A little lower end, not so much.

00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:17.519
It might be time to say goodbye to that car.

00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:22.560
The next one that we have on the list would be a blown suspension or air ride systems.

00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:27.359
The luxurious floaty ride can have a steep cost when air suspension fails.

00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:30.959
Stagging corners and uneven stance, much like us here on the Dais.

00:01:31.519 --> 00:01:35.200
Uh or warning lights, that often means systems are in the last light.

00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:36.640
Stagging, I'm familiar with that.

00:01:36.799 --> 00:01:42.560
Yeah, and and uh thousands, especially for high-end makes of vehicles.

00:01:42.719 --> 00:01:46.560
Even standard strut or shock overhauls are not cheap.

00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:49.840
Next one, Michael, cracked engine block.

00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:51.599
If you've got this, this is very tragic.

00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:54.560
Uh the block is a death sentence for most vehicles.

00:01:54.640 --> 00:02:02.400
It often means your engine is overheated or suffered a major trauma, and fixing it requires either a complete rebuild or an engine replacement.

00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:07.439
Unless your car has significant value, this is the kind of repair that says, thanks for the memories.

00:02:07.680 --> 00:02:09.360
Gotta move on from that one.

00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:11.599
Electrical system overhauls.

00:02:11.759 --> 00:02:19.759
When multiple electrical components start acting up, dash lights, power windows, instrument clusters, it can all point to a deeper wiring issue.

00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:23.039
They can be expensive on a time-wise in any shop.

00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:29.280
Diagnosing and fixing electrical gremlins is often labor intensive with no guarantee that it's fixed.

00:02:29.360 --> 00:02:39.360
If glitches in multiple fasteners are faster than your mechanics answers, it might be a more cost-effective to cut the ties of that vehicle and move on.

00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:43.280
Back to engine-related issues, warp to crack cylinder heads.

00:02:43.439 --> 00:02:48.159
A warp to crack cylinder head usually results from engine overheating, like we talked about earlier.

00:02:48.319 --> 00:02:52.400
Fixing it requires machine work, replacement gaskets, hours of labor.

00:02:52.560 --> 00:02:54.960
You may face lingering issues after that.

00:02:55.199 --> 00:03:00.319
If damage is severe, selling might be more practical, less painful of a decision.

00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:03.280
Heater core replacement, back to the related parts.

00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:07.840
Does your cabin smell like maple syrup or fog when you turn up the heat?

00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:08.960
Well, I don't know.

00:03:09.120 --> 00:03:11.360
Uh your heater core may be failing.

00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:15.039
Replacement is usually means removing the dashboard, a labor-intensive job.

00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:21.039
Combine the cost of the age of the vehicle, and it's often repair tips that tips the scale towards selling the vehicle.

00:03:21.199 --> 00:03:24.319
And the last one, a big one, timing chain or belt failure.

00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:30.319
When a timing chain belt chain or the belt fails, your engine internal harmony collapses.

00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:38.560
The repair involves removing large chunks of the engine, chunks, there you go, uh, which racks up labor costs very fast for interference.

00:03:38.800 --> 00:03:46.159
For inner for interference engines, a snap belt can cause valve and piston damage, making the fix even pricier.

00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:49.039
And we don't want to go pricier, so be aware.

00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:53.520
You might have something that costs if the repair is more than the vehicle's worth, get rid of the vehicle.

00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:56.159
Go get up, go get a jig car.

00:03:56.400 --> 00:04:00.319
Mike one thing I wanted to ask you, because we kind of well, we're kind of running out of time here.

00:04:00.400 --> 00:04:01.039
That's right.

00:04:01.280 --> 00:04:02.240
What do you do with it?

00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:04.000
If you decide I'm not going to repair it.

00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:04.719
That's up to you.

00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:16.399
If the car's paid off, you can you you can sell it to a private owner, you can do a trade-in or go over the no, you can't drive it, but there's uh places that can pick it up to donate the car.

00:04:16.560 --> 00:04:18.959
We did that with Kathy's uh vehicle.

00:04:19.120 --> 00:04:24.480
Uh didn't get a lot out of it, but it was it was a good feeling that you donated to can be repaired for somebody else used it.

00:04:24.639 --> 00:04:24.800
Right.

00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:31.040
Or you might give it to give it away or or write it off in the taxes or have somebody have it as a project car.

00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:35.360
Running behind, thank you for joining us today here on the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.

00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:38.160
We're gonna have our next segment coming up right after this quick break.

00:04:38.240 --> 00:04:39.120
Stay with us.

00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:53.199
Well, same speaking of things that are important, everybody's kind of looking forward to summer vacation now that we're at Easter and making plans for that.

00:04:53.279 --> 00:04:58.160
And I know that you've got a special feature on uh national parks and summer road trips.

00:04:58.399 --> 00:04:59.519
Yeah, there was so much to do.

00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:00.639
I kind of split it up.

00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:04.240
So we're gonna take kind of the west side of the country uh this week.

00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:10.959
But when you start thinking about summer road trips to the national parks, then we're not really close to any of them, so you've got to make some plans.

00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:12.959
Well, we do have a national forest nearby.

00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:13.360
We do.

00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:23.920
Well, you do, but that's not quite where you're gonna find uh from a driving perspective, you're not gonna find a lot of switchbacks or long straightaways to to really get into some elevation changes and things.

00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:24.800
Enjoy the car.

00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:25.839
Enjoy the car.

00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:30.240
So trying to do both of them, these are a few places you might go to.

00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:32.319
So Glacier National Park.

00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:34.800
Now it's called Going to the Sun Road.

00:05:34.879 --> 00:05:35.120
Oh.

00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:44.079
Now it's it's got a lot of tight switchbacks, it's got a lot of narrow lanes, uh drop-offs, the Glacier National Park.

00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:47.279
By the glaciers, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:05:47.519 --> 00:05:56.879
So if you really want to go out driving wise, you go to or go in the early morning when there's not a lot of people out there, the mountain air is a little more crisp, a lot of cooler.

00:05:56.959 --> 00:06:01.439
It's easier to drive the in a more spirited manner whenever you're doing that.

00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:04.399
And a couple of cars you might want to look at if you're out there.

00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:08.000
If you have an opportunity, maybe use something like a Mustang, a Ford Mustang.

00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:23.279
But of course, if you got the family with you, then you're going to be looking for something, maybe an SUV like the Explorer to uh carry the family with you to go see all the sites and all the uh valleys and the hills and everything that the family's gonna want to see.

00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:24.560
I knew that.

00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:35.439
The other one we want to talk about that would give you some uh a little bit of both worlds would be the Tyoga Pass in Yos Yosemite, Yosemite, Yosemite.

00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:37.839
However, you want to do it.

00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:38.879
I'm trying to cover all the bases.

00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:39.600
There you go.

00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:41.279
It's Yosemite to me, National Park.

00:06:41.519 --> 00:06:42.879
We knew you were bilingual.

00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:49.279
Now, the thing about this is whenever you're going on this drive, you're gonna run into a lot of sweeping curves.

00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:54.720
It all keeps you a nice steady pace to go through it, but you go up above 9,000 feet.

00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.480
And so your car is going to be running on some thin air in there.

00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:14.000
So whenever you start coming back down, you're doing going through the curves and along straights, you gotta kind of get into a rhythm, but you really don't want to get too spirited with it because uh your car is not going to react like it does down at sea level or down even down here below sea level.

00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:15.040
There you go.

00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:17.439
Uh something you might want to look at for that.

00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:20.959
If you got a whole family with you, of course, something like a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:24.639
You still got plenty of power, you can still feel the road and enjoy that.

00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:30.079
But if you're just you, maybe your special friend or something, you might try and do the Honda Civic.

00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:32.480
Get a little more spirited driving going.

00:07:32.720 --> 00:07:34.079
A little bit more oomph.

00:07:35.199 --> 00:07:42.639
Then uh the other one would be the Trail Ridge Road in the Rocky Mountain National Park.

00:07:43.839 --> 00:07:49.199
So this is kind of the this is actually the highest continuous paved road in the United States.

00:07:49.279 --> 00:07:49.360
Wow.

00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:52.079
So you got long climbs, steep descents.

00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:57.519
You can center, you can't got a lot of wide open views above the tree line, so you can see a lot of place.

00:07:57.600 --> 00:08:01.759
But here's the problem with this one: when you're coming downhill, you got to worry about your brakes.

00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:06.720
You got to do some brake management because you don't want your brakes to overheat in the steep descent.

00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:24.879
Uh and then you've got engine cooling you're gonna have to worry about if you're up there in the summer, even though it's up high, the elevation is a little cooler, but the engines really got to work a lot harder when they go through all these sweeping curves and above the tree line, and you're gonna see all the horizon that's like way over there, endlessly away.

00:08:25.199 --> 00:08:40.720
So uh something you might drive there, maybe if you get a chance, maybe one of the BMW 3 series, uh a Subaru has got some all-wheel drive vehicles that could work really well, or you might try the Miata MX5, which would be what I would think would be really fun if you don't have the kids with you.

00:08:40.960 --> 00:08:42.320
No, of course, a little skating a little bit.

00:08:42.399 --> 00:08:43.840
So you've got to kind of look at what you're in.

00:08:43.919 --> 00:09:05.039
So when you go to these national parks and you start thinking about them as destinations, obviously you know you may want to take the kids, you got a lot of scenic uh scenes to drive through for the elevation, the surface, surface scenery that you can see and stop and make some changes and uh get the family involved, or you can enjoy the drive a little bit more depending on what you're driving.

00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:08.480
So do some planning uh to go to the national parks for this summer.

00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:09.279
There you go.

00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:10.399
Thank you, Mike.

00:09:17.440 --> 00:09:23.120
For all these years, why do you have to have the minivan look like a traditional minivan?

00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:25.600
You don't, and they've proved it in this one.

00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:28.159
This vehicle was introduced in 2022.

00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:30.320
I think this is the first one that I've had.

00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:34.639
Uh exterior features include a minivan that looks like an SUV.

00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:36.480
Sliding passenger doors.

00:09:36.639 --> 00:09:39.440
Love it, upright attractive drill and headlight.

00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:47.679
What I like about it, overall, it gets high marks in design and execution.

00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.679
I want to use improvement or they can get rid of those funky wheels.

00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:53.279
I said that.

00:09:53.759 --> 00:09:54.080
Sorry.

00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:59.679
Interior highlights, minivan roominess with second row captains chairs.

00:09:59.759 --> 00:10:03.279
I would imagine that you could probably get a bench back there, but why?

00:10:03.519 --> 00:10:07.759
Unless you've got a uh an entire school that you're hauling around.

00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:14.000
Um fold in the floor, third row seating.

00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:16.080
That was good, that was handy.

00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:20.559
And it's got a dial shifter located on the center console.

00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:21.600
I love those.

00:10:21.759 --> 00:10:27.039
Uh ten-foot wide dual purpose screen inside of Elder Dash.

00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:33.120
I'm exaggerating, obviously, but uh the thing goes the whole way to the of the dash.

00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:36.720
Um cargo room massively, especially with the seats down.

00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:41.840
What I like the Swiss Army Knife mindset for this vehicle.

00:10:42.080 --> 00:10:45.679
We could use improvement again, second row bench option.

00:10:45.840 --> 00:10:49.840
Um you could haul the entire soccer team with that.

00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:59.519
Here's the interesting thing it has a 1.6 liter gasoline turbo hybrid power plant.

00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:02.960
242 horsepower, which is a lot.

00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:05.759
Uh 271 pound feet of torque.

00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:10.320
It had plenty of traffic speed, automatic transmission, but it is front-wheel drive only.

00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:19.840
Mileage, 34 city 31 highway for a combined to 32, 30.6 miles per gallon over 420 miles.

00:11:20.080 --> 00:11:21.200
Ain't bad, McGee.

00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.039
What I like, the mileage with the horsepower.

00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:27.519
We could use improvement, nothing.

00:11:27.919 --> 00:11:30.080
Riding handling, smooth.

00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:32.720
What else can I say?

00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:35.120
It handles it handles great.

00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:37.039
Okay, so here's the pricing.

00:11:37.279 --> 00:11:39.120
Base trim price.

00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:41.919
$53,093.

00:11:43.200 --> 00:11:49.039
Price as tested with all the uh putroll mode,$57,865.

00:11:49.759 --> 00:11:50.320
Not bad.

00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:52.960
The base price on this vehicle.

00:11:53.200 --> 00:11:57.759
The base price is it's the guy from the Hemi Hunkout.

00:11:57.840 --> 00:11:58.879
Yeah, there you go.

00:11:59.840 --> 00:12:00.480
Like you.

00:12:00.799 --> 00:12:01.519
Good for you.

00:12:01.679 --> 00:12:06.000
Uh base model price,$41,390.

00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:08.480
That's the entry level.

00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:09.679
Yeah,$41,000.

00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:10.799
I'm all into that.

00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:19.679
So uh competitors at that entry level price include, but not limited, the price of Pacifica starts at$44,445.

00:12:20.159 --> 00:12:24.799
The Honda Odyssey starts at$42,795.

00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:27.039
Sienna starts at$40,000.

00:12:32.559 --> 00:12:39.120
Because let's face it, I mean the average price of a vehicle these days$50, and that falls well below it,$10,000 below it.

00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:42.240
I really do like this vehicle.

00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:51.679
And if you're in the market for a minivan slash SUV, uh, I would definitely go down to your Kia dealer and take a look at it.

00:12:51.759 --> 00:12:52.720
Get a test drive.

00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:54.720
I think that you'll really be impressed.

00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:56.000
Good stuff.

00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:56.879
It is.

00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:03.360
Um Mars, you're sitting down there awful quiet, which really I'm taking notes.

00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:04.159
He's ciphering.

00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:04.639
Are you?

00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:07.360
I think he started his taxes, is what he's doing.

00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:08.720
Well, I'm trying to finish it.

00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:10.559
The fifteenth coming up pretty quick.

Maple Syrup Smell - Signs Your Car Is Done: National Parks Road Trip, the Kia Carnival

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