0:00 / 0:00
$15,000 for Teeth....But Cars Are "Too Expensive"

$15,000 for Teeth....But Cars Are "Too Expensive"

Car Connection Workshop Apr 03, 2026 54 min
0:00
0:00

About this episode

A “fun Friday” shop-talk show blending community updates, weather, and a long personal story about getting stranded in a snowstorm—then pivoting into a bigger rant on why maintenance matters. The centerpiece is a jaw-dropping dental bill: $15,000 for multiple teeth, with the host comparing it to car repair costs and arguing that preventative care is cheaper than “fixing everything later.” He also promotes a fleet-style maintenance checklist and a 30-day fuel savings challenge, plus Q&A coming Saturday at 8am.

Filter:
|
Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Car

Jeep Wrangler

"Whether it's a 25 year old Jeep Wrangler getting a second chance at life, a Nissan Rogue getting its brakes back in order, or a mystery leak that's got everyone scratching their heads."

A Jeep Wrangler is a tough off-road SUV. People often drive it on rough roads, so it can need regular maintenance like brakes, fluids, and other wear items.

Car

Nissan Rogue

"Whether it's a 25 year old Jeep Wrangler getting a second chance at life, a Nissan Rogue getting its brakes back in order, or a mystery leak that's got everyone scratching their heads."

The Nissan Rogue is a common family SUV. “Getting its brakes back in order” usually means fixing or replacing worn brake parts so it stops safely.

Term

brakes

"Whether it's a 25 year old Jeep Wrangler getting a second chance at life, a Nissan Rogue getting its brakes back in order, or a mystery leak that's got everyone scratching their heads."

Brakes are what help your car slow down and stop. If they’re not working right, the car may make noise, feel weak when stopping, or even warn you on the dashboard.

Term

mystery leak

"Whether it's a 25 year old Jeep Wrangler getting a second chance at life, a Nissan Rogue getting its brakes back in order, or a mystery leak that's got everyone scratching their heads. This is where we roll up our sleeves and get it done, with a little wit,"

A “mystery leak” means the car is leaking something, but nobody knows what it is yet. A mechanic will look for where the fluid is coming from and what kind of fluid it is.

Term

diagnostics

"The Car Connection isn't just about nuts, bolts, and diagnostics, it's about connection. Connection to our vehicles, to the people who drive them,"

Diagnostics is how a mechanic figures out what’s wrong with a car. They use tests and sometimes computer codes to pinpoint the real problem instead of guessing.

Term

zero visibility

"I'm scooting along, I'm keeping an eye on the road and your eyes start going a little crazy and it's snowing and it's blowing and I mean, I couldn't tell where the road was. And all of a sudden it was like, I'm like, did I just hit something?"

Zero visibility is when you basically can’t see where you’re going. In a heavy snowstorm, blowing snow can hide the road and make it easy to miss where the lane or shoulder is.

Concept

left the car in gear

"And I left it in gear. I didn't realize that I left it in gear, climbed out of the car."

Leaving a manual-transmission car in gear while you get out can cause the wheels to keep turning if the car is on an incline or if traction is uneven. In snow, the wheels may spin freely, which can quickly dig the car in deeper or make it harder to move.

Concept

wheels spinning / vehicle stuck in snow

"And I'm looking with the phone, my phone flashlight and the front wheels are just turning. The Beatles actually off the ground. I'm up on like a three foot high snow drift."

If the wheels spin but the car doesn’t move, it gets stuck. Snow can act like a slippery cushion, so the tires can’t grab enough to pull the car out.

Company

City Auto Sales and Leasing

"Our Friday morning weather brought to us by husband and wife team, Earl and Louise Grand at City Auto Sales and Leasing. Low mileage quality vehicles at fair prices. They sell no junk there. Let me tell you that."

This sounds like the name of a local car dealership that sponsored the show’s weather update. They’re basically saying they sell good cars at reasonable prices.

Concept

in-house leasing and financing

"You got in-house leasing and financing available and I'll tell you be able to buy with confidence and be treated with nothing less than honesty and integrity."

Some dealerships can arrange your car loan or lease themselves. That can make the process easier, but you should still check the interest rate and total price so you know you’re getting a good deal.

Concept

fiduciaries

"We thank our certified financial planning professionals Tony Mealy, Larry Tietro over 50 years experience as fiduciaries."

A fiduciary is someone who’s supposed to put your interests first. The point here is that the planners are claiming they have that kind of responsibility to you.

Concept

discovery meeting

"So you have an option to sit down with a certified financial planning professional and have what we call the discovery meeting, the hour and a coffee."

A discovery meeting is basically a first meeting where they ask about your situation and what you want to achieve. Then they put together a plan based on your needs.

Company

IG Wealth

"The rates are fantastic and dealing with the people there out in Winnipeg and the mortgage department from IG Wealth."

IG Wealth is the company mentioned that helps with financial planning and mortgage-related services. It’s part of the sponsor/partner being promoted here.

Company

Freedom Expressions

"It gets shipped directly to you by Freedom Expressions which is one of the companies at Total Freedom Addiction Campus at Darien Center New York."

Freedom Expressions is the company handling the merchandise side—making the items and shipping them to customers.

Concept

proper maintenance plan

"So how long would you keep your car and how long would it last if you actually follow the proper maintenance plan? Any ideas?"

A maintenance plan is the routine schedule of services that keeps a car healthy. If you follow it, the car usually lasts longer and is less likely to have surprise problems.

Concept

fleet maintenance system

"Well here's my suggestion. We are working on finalizing the profile page on our website for our car connection fleet maintenance system... Everything that needs to be done month to month... wipe it off and start back at the beginning."

If you have lots of cars, you can’t remember every service by hand. A fleet maintenance system is a simple checklist schedule that tells you what to inspect and service regularly so cars don’t break unexpectedly.

Concept

downtime

"...it may be one unit out of 300 and plus vehicles that they have in their fleet and downtime we don't talk about that because that's where things get crazy..."

Downtime just means the car isn’t working and can’t be used. For a business with many cars, that lost time can add up fast.

Concept

boneyard

"we saved it we rescued it it was a rescue because it was heading for the boneyard it was the 2008 Nissan road got a overhaul"

A boneyard is a junkyard for cars. If a car is headed there, it usually means it’s being taken apart for parts instead of being repaired.

Term

no keyless entry

"no keyless entry it's window winders and use the key and it's a five speed"

No keyless entry means you don’t unlock the car with a remote button. You usually use a regular key instead.

Term

window winders

"no keyless entry it's window winders and use the key and it's a five speed"

Window winders are manual handles you turn to roll the windows up and down. They’re usually simpler than power windows.

Term

no air conditioning

"no air conditioning has four windows down 60 kilometers an hour it's 460 air conditioning"

No air conditioning means the car doesn’t have AC. That saves money on repairs, but it’s less comfortable in hot weather.

Concept

maintenance on the chart

"follow the maintenance on the chart then you won't get behind and as we see the temperature changing"

“Maintenance on the chart” implies following a predetermined schedule (mileage/time based) for routine service. This is a core strategy to avoid falling behind and to reduce the chance of expensive breakdowns.

Term

30 day fuel savings challenge

"and do our 30 day fuel savings challenge and it's 30 days back to back you're gonna do something it's it's a plan you can do a plan for 30 days"

A “30 day fuel savings challenge” is a structured program to reduce fuel use over a month, with progress checks and a follow-on second month. The concept is behavior/maintenance-driven efficiency—small changes can add up to measurable savings.

Concept

parts and labor split

"[2796.3s] i'm going nine thousand dollars for the parts then the rest of that is labor i'm going wow [2805.8s] that's like pretty good mark up there yeah i can get the teeth made"

The speaker is describing a common service invoice structure: a portion for parts/materials and a portion for labor (the technician’s time). Understanding this split helps you evaluate whether you’re being charged fairly for the work versus the components.

Concept

mark up

"[2796.3s] i'm going nine thousand dollars for the parts then the rest of that is labor i'm going wow [2805.8s] that's like pretty good mark up there yeah i can get the teeth made"

“Mark up” just means the shop charges more than what the parts cost them. It’s basically their added profit on top of the part price.

Part

radiator

"[2931.0s] the jab you can't tell me and what's in it or anything i won't get into all that discussion [2936.4s] but you know what i don't put anything in my radiator unless i know what it is i don't put [2940.8s] anything in my car unless i know exactly what it is and where it's going yeah if i can't get any [2945.8s] information i'm not using your product simple as that that's just how my mind works"

The radiator is part of a vehicle’s cooling system, responsible for dissipating heat from engine coolant. Mentioning it in the context of “what goes in” highlights the importance of using the correct coolant/fluids and knowing what’s being added to the system.

Concept

routine preventative maintenance

"[2987.4s] have benefits a benefit plan so anyways that's where things got all messed up because [2995.0s] the routine preventative maintenance got cut off and i just couldn't bring myself to just go"

Preventative maintenance is the regular checkups and services that help your car stay healthy. If you stop doing it, problems can build up and cost a lot more later.

Concept

service that is very corrupt

"[2995.0s] the routine preventative maintenance got cut off and i just couldn't bring myself to just go [3003.3s] anywhere because that is also a service that is very corrupt don't don't ever just think it's [3012.5s] automotive but that service and we all need it"

They’re talking about a bad situation where a business might try to charge you for things you don’t really need. In cars, that could mean unnecessary repairs or misleading recommendations.

Concept

upsell

"[3012.5s] automotive but that service and we all need it and i'll tell you what if you got a really good [3018.8s] dentist you can go to that you trust that's not going to sell you stuff you really don't need [3024.5s] an upsell you guys are in great shape because you got to keep your mouth health"

An upsell is when someone tries to get you to buy extra stuff you didn’t plan on. Sometimes it’s helpful, but sometimes it’s just to make the bill bigger.

Concept

PPE

"[3126.2s] when they get released to go find those eggs it's it's gloves off it's gloves off so be careful out [3132.3s] there wear your gear and uh your PPE your personal protection equipment make sure you have that on"

PPE means protective gear that helps keep you safe, like gloves or eye protection. It’s a reminder to use safety equipment whenever you’re doing anything risky.

Term

deep water

"...don't go flying through the deep water i just saw it cars this week..."

Going through deep water can splash into places under the hood that don’t like getting wet. That can cause electrical problems or even serious engine damage.

Part

starter motor

"...he hit that puddle so hard and i could hear it blasting water under the hood and i as i walked away i go well there goes a possible starter motor and an alternator..."

The starter motor is what you use to “turn the engine over” when you start the car. If it gets wet, it can stop working or start acting up later.

Part

alternator

"...he hit that puddle so hard and i could hear it blasting water under the hood and i as i walked away i go well there goes a possible starter motor and an alternator..."

The alternator keeps your battery charged while you drive and powers the car’s electronics. If it gets wet, the car may not charge properly and could leave you stranded.

2 cars featured

Request an Explanation

Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.

Sign in to request explanations for terms you heard.

Want to learn more?

Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.

Explore Terms

Help improve this episode

See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark. Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.

Report incorrect info
Suggest better explanations
Flag missing cars