Reply #11: Here's the info from the website about call-in: [View All]

[ReadTomPaine]

Not 100% sure, but I think you leave a message ahead of time and they call back and arrange the telephone spot for the show.

Call 1-888-CAR-TALK (888-227-8255) - From the website:

FAQ #2: When is the show actually broadcast? I've heard it at different times in different cities.

Car Talk uses voice mail to be fair to people in all the different time zones. Anyone can call anytime they like and leave a message. Every week our Associate Producer Louie Cronin and her staff of lackeys go through the messages and pick a variety to throw at the guys when they go on the air.

FAQ #3: So, when should I call in?

You can call anytime you want and leave a message on the voice mail. If the lines are busy when you're hearing the show, set your alarm for 3 :00 a.m. and call then.

FAQ #4: What do you look for in callers?

Louie tries to get a variety of callers on every week; people from different parts of the country, with different kinds of cars, different types of problems...some mechanical, some interpersonal, some criminal. But there's no specific type of person or question for which she's looking.

FAQ #5: Do Tom and Ray know the questions in advance?

No. That would entail researching the right answer, which is what? Work -- something to which they are categorically opposed in all its forms.

(By the way, the guys don't participate in caller selection, because Doug Berman knows they'd just pick all the easy questions. Only Louie Cronin knows who's going to be on the show each week, since she calls people back. And she's not telling!)

RTP