5 Common Maintenance Mistakes That Cost Drivers Thousands | A Mechanic's Warning

Good morning, Niagara.

You're tuned into car connection where the coffee's hot,

the tools are ready, and the talk is always tuned up.

I'm your host, Niall Motormouth Jenkins,

coming to you straight from the car connection workshop

where we mix a little humor, a little know-how,

and a whole lot of horsepower.

Here it's not just about fixing cars,

it's about keeping you rolling, saving you money,

and giving you the confidence to understand

what's under that hood.

From the classics to the commuters, the weird noises,

to the what the heck moments we've got you covered.

So grab your coffee if you're just sliding through

the takeout window, double check your order,

lock it down in your cup holder,

and head on down the road and join the crew this morning.

Keep an eye on the other guy, we know who he is,

because this is car connection.

Your Monday through Saturday morning pit stop for stories,

smarts, a few good laughs,

and I'm Niall Motormouth Jenkins,

and we are shifting it into drive right now

on day number five of a brand new year.

I hope you rang the new year in super strong and hard,

and just a little conversation yesterday,

grabbing a few things at the supermarket

with the teller saying, you know, I said to her,

are you gonna make it a great year?

And she goes, you know, everybody says that, you know?

This is gonna be the best year ever.

And I said, well, we all have to stand together, don't we?

And support one another, love each other,

encourage each other, and show empathy

to those that are struggling

and going through some pretty rough times.

She goes, I've never heard anybody say that before.

I said, you know, making it the best year ever is a mindset.

And that's what we're gonna be talking about this morning.

Our topic, are you ready for it?

I hope so.

I can't find it, just kidding.

Yeah, I can find it.

Five common mistakes, maintenance mistakes

that cost drivers thousands of dollars.

Yeah, that's my goal for 2026,

is to help you discover the mindset of vehicle ownership

and learning the basic fundamentals of that,

owning and operating an automobile.

The basic fundamentals are what's going to save you

thousands of dollars.

So stick around, because we also have

the 30 day fuel savings tip challenge coming up

early in the first quarter.

So another way that I can help you to give yourself

close to a $2,000 raise in 2026.

Has that caught your attention?

Yep, but you know what?

I can't do it for you.

I can only be your coach.

And if you're willing to listen and do,

you're gonna get pretty close to a $2,000 bonus.

Yeah, this year.

And I have some other nuggets that will also

save you a lot of time, money,

and a few bloody ducks.

So in every episode that we put together here

on I Heart Radio, remember we're on Spotify,

Amazon, and Apple, and all the other platforms as well.

So wherever you pull your podcasts from,

just search Car Connection Workshop,

and you will find us, you'll find us there.

We have, right now, today is series one,

episode 52 already, and coming off 31 years

of having our car show live call

and automotive program called Car Connection

on a number of different radio stations live.

We did it live.

I would only do 52 Saturdays in the year.

I'd get 52 shows done in one year.

And we've only launched on podcasts the last six weeks.

I think we're in week number seven.

Today is 52 broadcasts right here on I Heart Radio.

We wanna thank them for helping us

to get our podcasts out there.

So share us with your family, your friends,

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carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com.

That's the long version, short version, ccbusnet.com.

It's the biggest drawer in our toolbox

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recommended businesses, and all the links

to every platform that Car Connection is attached to.

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And by clicking on the business tab,

you'll find our profile page there.

And that's where our videographer posts reels

and bloopers and outtakes and funny stuff

that you will not find anywhere else.

You will also be able to jump right into our merch store.

And I haven't received my official Car Connection coffee mug

yet, but we have, and you have an opportunity to grab,

we added six more items into our merch store.

And when you purchase merch,

it's not about filling my pocket

so I can get another shiny thing like this bell.

Yeah, the proceeds go to help those

who are struggling with addiction

to get into one of the campuses,

and we'll talk about that in just a few minutes,

to get the necessary help that they need.

And that's all age groups, folks.

Addiction is not just picking and choosing what age group,

it's all age group.

Yeah, there's addictions out there.

Whatever addiction it is that you or someone you know

and love and care about is struggling,

we can't make them get help.

They have to be ready to get the help.

So we're reaching out as well.

So when you purchase merchandise from our store

and I don't wanna make this sound like,

begging for anything,

because I won't, you gotta wanna do it.

There's givers and takers in the world,

and as my professor would say,

you can only stand in one arena.

You have to decide which one it is.

So who much is given, much is required.

And that's the way I live my life.

I don't need another shiny thing,

but you know what, if we can do something

to change somebody else's life,

that's a really good tool to have in the toolbox.

So that's what our merch store is all about.

Not only are you supporting us by showing off your merch,

but also you gotta know in your heart

that you're helping someone to get

to one of the addiction campuses.

So let's jump right in this morning

and let you know that Car Connection is brought to you

by a number of program partners and recommended businesses

that make it all possible.

And without it, we would not have made it

through 31 years of radio,

but it's so nice to know when I'm on the microphone,

we're reaching North, South, East and West.

Yeah, and if you can't remember that,

it's Norman Eats watermelon sandwiches.

Yeah, figure that one out.

Exactly, Norman Eats watermelon sandwiches,

North, South, East and West.

I heard that somewhere in a couple of minutes ago.

Yeah, that's a great way of remembering that, isn't it?

Well, Car Connection is brought to you

by Crystal Ridge Dream Center.

Their job is nonprofit, faith-based organization,

reaching and serving men, women, children, meals,

love, hope, afterschool programs,

and changing lives one at a time in the Niagara region.

In times when community support is crucial,

Crystal Ridge Dream Center shines

as a beacon of compassion and transformation.

Checked about, Car Connection has always selected

a nonprofit, faith-based organization

that come alongside to make awareness what they're doing.

They are really changing lives.

And they're open this very day.

They'll be open today and back in the swing of things

after the holidays.

And thank you to Earl and Louise Grant,

City Auto Sales and Leasing.

They have owned and they deserve the title.

Greater Toronto Area's premier pre-owned auto store

for over the last 25 years.

They have lots of resources to be able

to find low mileage, top quality vehicles

and offer them to you at fair prices.

City Auto Sales and Leasing, buy with confidence,

be treated with nothing less than honesty and integrity.

If they don't have the vehicle you're looking for,

let Earl and Louise Grant their car guys,

and I'll tell you, Earl is fussy.

They sell no junk.

Their vehicles look like brand spanking new inside

and out, okay?

You know, I often think, are those the ones

that are hermetically sealed like a Ziploc bag?

Maybe, maybe, but there's a vehicle waiting for you.

Let them do the legwork using all the resources

to find that specific vehicle

that works for you and your family.

And thank you to Rita and Ramiz,

Chinute Up at Rainbow Motors and Garage

in Scarborough, Ontario.

Been a part of car connection for many years now.

Sales and service you can trust.

So if you're in the Scarborough area,

that is your best connection.

Rainbow Motors and Garage can buy a vehicle there,

get its service there.

They fix all years, makes and models,

including light commercial vehicles as well.

Sales and service you can trust.

That's Rainbow Motors and Garage.

Our certified financial planning professionals,

Tony Miele and Larry Tietro combined

have 50 years experienced as fiduciaries.

They work with one of the largest companies

in the entire planet that we spin on,

IG Wealth Management, investment portfolios,

dealing with debt, estate planning,

that's powers of attorney, the whole package.

And I just wanna say, you know,

I hear these cake mix, wills, kits that you can buy,

don't do it, folks.

If you read it the whole thing through,

when you get to the very, very fine print,

it says you should have this checked by an attorney.

So you might as well have it done properly

so that it's airtight, that your final wishes

are truly carried out.

So don't get caught up in that.

I can get, oh, I can get it done for like 20 bucks.

No, you can't.

It'll go and probate for the next 40 years.

By the time that's finished with,

there won't be any estate left whatsoever

because the government will have taken all the money.

You have to understand these things in mortgages and more.

Life insurance, critical illness insurance,

book an hour and a coffee, that's a discovery meeting.

It is available to you through me.

Yeah, these two guys are my brothers from other mothers.

That's what we say.

And we've known each other well over 20 years.

They are both, Tony and Larry are my financial planners,

have helped me through some very tough times

dealing with debt and getting financially wiped out,

not once, but three times, not by choice,

making some bad decisions,

listening to people that don't have the fruit on the tree.

So when I say, you know, if somebody in family,

your work, your circle of friends

is giving you financial advice,

if they're in a feat or not standing where you wanna be,

smile, be respectful and get out of dodge.

Book that hour and a coffee, no sales, no condemnation,

get your questions properly answered.

If you have investments with the bank,

you are not making any money.

They're ripping you off.

And I can say that because they are.

Number of my friends transferred out their dicks,

their GICs, and now they're invested properly,

they're actually making money.

They set up a TFSA, they didn't even know that was,

what that was, that it could be invested

while it's in your TFSA and build your TFSA

more money tax-free, tax-free savings.

These are the things that you need to get answers to

and you have that opportunity.

So connect with Tony Miele or Larry T-Troll.

It's a brand new year.

I know I'm talking a bit more about this.

It's a brand new year and these are areas

that many people are talking about behind closed doors

with intense moments of fellowship

between husband and wife.

And it makes for a very rocky, rough household.

Am I right?

Yes, it does.

It breaks relationships, it upsets your kids.

It's just something that can be fixed

by simply making a phone call,

connecting and booking an hour in a coffee discovery meeting

to get your questions answered and do it.

It's early in the, we're not, you know,

we're heading into the first quarter.

Let's head in strong, right?

This is the way you can do it.

I know one wants to hear about budgeting.

Yeah, and no one wants to hear a thing,

a list of things you should not do.

But here is another tool in our car connection toolbox

that can set you free of all those things

that keep you up at night.

So take advantage of that.

Both Tony and Larry, they don't need any more clients.

But they promised in 2007 to our car connection listeners

on radio that if you reach out, they'll reach in.

So don't waste their time if you're gonna pick the tires.

But you know what?

Here is a great opportunity for you to turn things around.

If he won't do it, ladies, you do it.

If she won't do it, fellas, that's right.

Take the zipper from the back, put it to the front,

and you do it.

Pick up the phone, book that hour in a coffee,

meet by Zoom, by phone, in the boardroom,

and say, Catherine's or they'll come right,

either one will come right to your home.

Whatever you are comfortable with, but do it.

I'm speaking from my heart.

I wanna see you win in 2026.

It's time to, you know, my professor taught me

there's wishes, there's wants, there's needs, and there's gots.

And you gotta decide what each one of those things is.

You're sick and tired, disgusted, fed up, and bored,

and broken, doing another lap around the mountain,

around the park.

Here's an opportunity to turn it around.

And it also includes, how do you prepare

to purchase that next vehicle?

How do you get out of stinking debt

when you know there's more months than money?

I know I'm talking your language because I hear it.

Believe it or not, I've been licensed since 1988

and opened my own shop in 1991.

And these are the conversations that we would have

when you're dropping your car off.

I'd have to listen to it.

And that's when we decided that we gotta do something

to help, to help and encourage one another.

So I know that's a long intro,

but this is a brand new year.

Don't start it off the same.

Because we know what the term insanity means, right?

If we break it down, you've probably heard it

so many times, said several different ways.

If you always do what you've always done,

you'll always get what you've always got.

And you don't know what you don't know.

That's why you don't have,

because if you knew what you knew, you'd have it.

To know it, not do it means you never knew it.

In the first place.

Thank you to the Grimoire family.

They're our newest sponsor from Niagara Block,

5,000 Montrose Road in Niagara Falls.

They've been there since 1931, Building Canada.

Can you believe that?

And I saw some black and white pictures

in Dave Grimoire's office and I was like,

that was Niagara Falls.

That was Montrose Road, Lundy's Lane.

Crazy.

Open fields, trees, yeah.

They've got some experience.

Building supplies, hardscape landscaping supplies

to help you create that beautiful backyard oasis

where you can just kind of hang out and relax

and have some white space.

They can help you line up a contractor to get it done

and they'll help you pick materials to create that space.

You know what?

Summer, 2026, sure sounds good, doesn't it?

Total Freedom Darien Center, New York

is a addiction campus open to Canadian residents

as well as American.

They also have another campus run by Rick and Robin.

And let me tell you, they have a story to tell.

When it comes to addictions, husband and wife team,

facilitators there, Sidney Manitoba Canada,

that is a men only campus, new life,

a brand new heart and new life awaits you there,

no matter what age group you are.

And you can't fight what you can't see.

They're an alternative addictions program

bringing centered healing and restoration

to individuals and families enslaved

by cycles of addiction and destructive behavior.

And when people are in addictions,

they can be super nasty and I've experienced that.

And you'll hear and you'll be called

everything under the sun,

but it's not until they make that decision

that today is the day I'm fed up,

sick and tired, disgusted and bored

and I'll do anything to get away from that.

That's how it can happen.

It's not a program at either campus.

You go there, you stay there and guess what?

Life is gonna change.

So if you were someone you know,

again, a brand new year, let's change some lives.

All right, let's jump into our conversation this morning.

Enough said on that, we don't wanna beat that donkey

all to death, but let's have a swiggy together.

I've got mine already here, I haven't even tasted it,

so we'll see what that turns out.

Get your 16-pack crayola crayons, your leaf bag

that's all folded up nice like a laptop

and get your co-pilot today, take some notes for you.

Crayons never let you down, pens suck.

I'm just saying that, yeah.

Yeah, you can go to the cup or the jar,

whatever you have, all those pens in there

and you can probably go through 12

and none of them write anymore.

But with crayons, we got your back.

All right, on three, two, one,

let's have a swiggy together.

Keep your eye on the road if you're driving.

Thank you for inviting us in to your world this morning

and we're definitely honored to have you a part

of Car Connection in our Car Connection workshop.

So we're in this thing together, three, two, one.

Superb, yeah.

You know, I heard that word

at watching something the other day, superb.

And I go, man, when was the last time you heard that term?

Superb, yeah, long time.

All right, as I promised, yes I did.

I promised you five common maintenance mistakes

that cost drivers thousands and wasted dollars

every single year.

Here is the thing, owning and operating

any kind of piece of equipment, including an automobile.

If you don't wanna be buying these things over and over

and over and over again and paying interest,

making interest payments as well,

then you gotta grab hold of the basic fundamentals.

You gotta dive into those areas

where you know what, it's a little uncomfortable.

That's right, things start to pinch, not good.

Means there needs to be an adjustment.

That's where it all starts.

So being in a brand new year,

I thought, how do we kick that off

and get you thinking in the right direction?

Because as my professor would say to me,

he goes, Nile, I've been 35 years in psychology.

My job is it's easy.

And I go, really?

He goes, yeah.

He said, all I gotta do is get people to think.

But he says, where my job gets seriously difficult is,

but then I gotta get them to think right.

He goes, that is where the challenge comes in.

And I got to thinking about that.

That so translates over into automotive.

It sure does.

Because I gotta get you to think about your automobile

in a whole new aspect.

Not looking at it, that thing costs us money

that we don't have.

Well, if you don't have a plan to change that,

it's like New Year's resolution.

Very few people can pull it off.

You should be putting down goals and dreams

and things you want to accomplish

and one big, hairy, bodacious goal for you to run hard.

Because what is your reason for getting out of bed

every morning?

Well, I gotta go to work Monday morning.

Crap, crap, it's Monday.

Yeah, exactly.

And then, you know, your order through the takeout

you know, gets botched up.

And you just let that ruin your whole week.

No, no and no.

You've got to get a plan.

You've got to be on the side of big mo, all the time.

When you're on side with big mo, you're gonna get there.

You're gonna win the battle.

There's gonna be a victory.

And you know when you come out the end,

you go, wow, we made more money this year.

How did you do it?

Well, you gotta have a plan.

You've gotta have an action plan.

And you can talk about stuff all day long

because there's wishes, there's wants,

there's needs and there's gots.

The gots are things that you have to have to survive.

Needs are also things that you must have.

Those are the must-haves in order to survive.

Wishes without a plan doesn't happen.

That's why I hear people already saying,

well, you know, yeah, we say that every year.

It's gonna be the greatest year ever.

I said, well, make it.

I said to the girl at the checkout yesterday,

then make it a great year.

Your job for you is to make it a great year

and sit down and plan it out, strategize.

Or are you already giving up?

And she looked at me, she goes,

no one has ever said that to me before.

I said, well, that's what I do.

You know what?

I don't listen to the negative Nellies

and the negative Normans.

Yeah, because you know what?

Destructive criticism is the death gargle of a loser.

Period.

My professor trained me to know that.

He said, you never take advice from anyone

who's not where you wanna be.

So when it comes to automotive, yeah.

Our 07 FJ Cruiser is gonna be part of the 400K Club this year

and the 99 Honda Civic DX,

the Rocket is gonna be part of the 300K Club this year

and then some perhaps.

And you know, how do we get there?

Gotta have a plan.

It doesn't happen on its own.

You gotta have a plan.

So you're gonna get a plan today.

Five common maintenance mistakes

that are costing drivers thousands.

I'm gonna help you get a raise.

Everything we talk about,

you can find on our website,

carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com, everything.

All the links connect.

Send me an email through there.

We keep it super simple.

And our podcaster being archived there.

You can also grab them off our iHeart podcaster site

where we, after today, we'll have 52 programs up there.

Every single one of those programs,

every single one of the videos we create

for a YouTube channel and it is Video Shoot Monday.

We'll shoot probably three, four videos

and we're a few weeks ahead now,

which is really, really good.

That takes a bit of pressure off.

We're still editing to do.

But all those things, all those tools

are available to you to create a plan.

To create a plan and guess what?

Save money.

Save money and still run and own

and operate an older vehicle.

First and foremost, you've got to make sure

you're maintaining the structural integrity

of the vehicle, period.

That's rust proof every single year.

Yep, put a dollar, put a dollar in a jar of loony

or a tuning into a coffee can, a jar, every single day.

And you have more than enough money

to get your vehicle properly rust proof and stop complaining.

Yeah, because if you keep the structure solid,

everything else is serviceable, replaceable, fixable.

All right, let's jump in.

Number one, fluid.

I cannot stress this enough

because most of you, you don't know where they are.

You don't really know what they do,

but they are the life's blood of your automobile.

That is the beginning of the end for a lot of engines,

a lot of transmissions, and that's why vehicles

end up in the recycle yard long before their time.

The fluids are not going to put the money light on

unless you've run out of fluids.

Yeah, then components are gonna let you know,

hey pal, we got a big problem here.

Yeah, overheating, brake pedal goes to the floor.

Yeah, how many of us have experienced that?

But believe it or not, you can be driving

a 15, 18-year-old vehicle like I do,

and you'll say, well, you're a licensed mechanic.

I've heard that excuse.

If I had a nickel for every time

somebody mentioned that vehicle,

oh, so like because my car knows

I'm a licensed service technician,

it doesn't need any service.

You're out of your mind.

It needs service all the time.

You gotta stay up on it,

because you know why?

I don't wanna make car payments.

I'm done with that.

I've talked about that before.

But something as simple as having the fluids tested

and changed on time, that's the clue.

The fluids are protecting some very valuable components.

Yeah, if you had 15, $1,000 bills stacked up

on your kitchen table, would you leave the room?

That's a question for you to answer.

I'd be like, you know what?

If I lost 20 bucks in the driveway,

I'm tripping you on the way there

so I can get to it before you do.

Absolutely, even if it's two bucks,

I'm tripping you before you get there and find it.

That's what I'm talking about.

These are the basic fundamentals.

Whether you just bought the car yesterday

or you've had it a period of time

and you know you're neglecting it,

that's where you're not saving,

you're not saving any money.

So this mindset has to change.

Well, I'm not gonna look,

therefore then it doesn't need to be done, right?

Oh, I don't wanna know if I don't know it

and then you know what, it's gonna go away.

No, it's not.

If you wanna put money back in your pocket,

it's the only way I can help you to do so.

That's a little service.

Fluids need to be checked, tested, verified

and get them changed.

Get them changed,

because the components that those fluids are protecting,

you know, power steering, automatic transmission,

engine oil, brake fluid,

yeah, you know differential fluid,

transactal fluid, transfer case fluid.

These vehicles, I don't care what salesman,

bring them to me, I'll lead his lunch

and take his milk money.

They're not maintenance free.

That's what they want you to believe.

Many of you have bought into it

and that's costing you thousands,

that advice is costing you thousands of dollars per year.

So again, in 2026, you want my help?

I can help you give yourself a raise

from several different directions

and still have an automobile that's healthy, strong

and running like a wild pony.

Yeah, but it's up to you.

The decision is yours to make.

If we can't even maintain something as simple as fluids,

then we're already beat.

You're already beat right out of the gate.

They will not last forever

and you may turn that key and go, I'm saving money,

the car hasn't needed a single thing this past year.

Oh yes, it does, bring it to me.

I'll prove it to you.

That there's stuff that's not maintained

and if you keep going, here's what happens.

It either comes in on a flatbed or a tow truck

and now the list begins.

All those miles that you thought you were getting

for free, maintenance free, the car hasn't broken down,

the money light hasn't coming on, everything's good,

everything's good, we're rolling.

Bam!

Now what?

Someone's gonna pay the piper now.

That every kilometer that you didn't do anything

is now gonna cost you and now you're losing

and bleeding money.

You go, oh, what a piece of crap that thing is.

No, go to the bathroom, close the door,

look in the mirror and say, you idiot, it was you.

Yep, I did this.

Ownership, you gotta own it.

You did it, not the service mechanic,

not the car manufacturer, you did it.

So fluids, they all need to be tested, verified

and replaced on time, on time,

not extending services.

And I've talked about that topic in one of our podcasts.

Number two, filters, engine, transmission,

cabin air filter.

Yeah, you can leave them in there

until everything goes south on you,

but then you're gonna pay the piper,

then you're losing money, you're losing.

We need to replace filters on time, on time.

All these things are gonna put money back in your pocket.

Why?

Because your vehicle will go to the 600K Club.

That's how you get there.

This isn't rocket science for me.

I understand the fundamentals.

I'm not trying to sell you anything

because you know what, your car is not my own.

It's not.

I do exactly everything I share with you,

I do it myself because I looked after fleets

and I got to understanding,

hey, if you just keep rotating this pattern,

you can save a lot of money.

Yeah, so I bought into it decades ago.

Filters need to be replaced on time,

not waiting until, you know,

you're trying to defrost the windshield

and you can't even get a breath

out of the HVAC system in your car

because the cabin air filters plug solid, man.

Yeah, ladies, gents that are in love with your vacuum.

If you don't change the filter, it really sucks, doesn't it?

Not really, but you're like,

why is it taking so long to clean up this stuff here?

Well, when was the last time you changed the filter?

Oh yeah, that's usually what I hear.

When was the last time you changed your fuel filter?

I don't know, an IDK?

I don't know, there you go.

The fuel pump doesn't know when the fuel filter

is restricted from debris

because it's purifying the fuel.

And there's a lot of crap in the fuel, lots.

Go and watch the video on our YouTube channel

where I take apart a fuel filter and show you

actually what's in there.

You'll go, whoa, dude, what is that stuff?

Exactly, so filters, you change them

before the car tells you you should have changed it

because remember, there's cause and effect, cause and effect.

It's never one item.

It's because this, this happened.

Because this, this happened and this happened.

Number three, suspension and steering.

You could bring me select, go down to the big W store

and put a big orange round sticker on the windshield

and mark 10 vehicles and we're gonna check

the front end on all the steering components,

suspension component.

I guarantee you, seven out of 10 have problems

in the suspension and steering.

Yeah, the components haven't broken and fallen off

and left you there on the side of the soft shoulders road,

but they will, they will.

We need to know if there are components worn out.

Simple as that because when stuff breaks

with front wheel drive vehicles,

it does a lot of damage, friends.

It does a ton of damage.

Emotional damage, exactly, comes along with that

and it could have been avoided if someone's checking

the suspension and steering components

so you don't get caught in that corner

where tie rod breaks, inner or outer

or lower ball joint, control arm,

all those things.

If you can't stop it and steer it,

nothing else really matters, right?

Number four, just a little more on the steering.

Man, there's potholes out there big enough

to swallow a Hyundai Accent and cover it up

with some cold patch.

The roads are harsh and it's beating up

our front end components, steering components all the time.

You're hitting those big sunken manhole covers, ba-boom.

That is tough on ball joints and control arms.

Everything gets jarred in the front end.

That's what takes it out is, you know,

keep an eye on the roadway.

I know specific roads that, you know,

I know which lane to get out of

because there are big kaboom potholes.

And that's where I call those ball joint bashers

because if you ride that same road every day,

which you might want to work and listening to me right now

and you hit the same potholes

and the same sunken manhole covers,

you definitely got something going on

in the front end suspension and steering.

So we need to stay ahead of that

so you don't get into thousands of dollars

of needless repairs and change your driving habits.

Slow down, get out of that lane.

You know those potholes are there

and those sunken manhole covers, yeah.

Number four, brakes.

Another area, all of you, all of you,

wait until you're hearing grinding.

There's some funky noises coming out of the wheels

for some reason.

You don't do any work on the brakes

until the next time they're broken.

And then you need a ton more parts

to bring the system back to life.

Another raise this year, having the brakes,

fully inspected and serviced twice a year,

minimum, twice a year, every six months,

twice a year and not waiting

until everything's grunching, grinding, scraping,

making noises, and then you get the list.

It needs everything.

What?

Exactly.

What?

It's gonna cost, what?

What?

And that's when I say, had you been coming in

and letting us check and make recommendations

for brake service, could have saved yourself 1,000 bucks.

That easy.

And that is simple, $1,000.

Yeah, oh, we just need to do pads and rotors.

Calipers are fine, they have been pushed beyond their limit.

Everything else is looking good.

We don't have seized caliper pins.

Some of these calipers would go over $400 a piece,

360 bucks plus tax, do it, do the math.

Yeah, and you need two.

But you may, when it gets to rear disc brakes,

it's even more complicated

because the emergency brake is packed in there too.

And most of you aren't using that.

We'll talk about that in another program.

Yeah, absolutely.

Number five, alignments.

Should have tied that in with number three, steering.

But anyways, should have an alignment,

four wheel alignment once a year.

Once a year.

Why?

Because if your steering geometry is out,

that means your tires are scrubbing down the road.

Here's what's happening.

You're wearing out tires very quickly, prematurely.

That's money out of your pocket.

So if we avoid that, guess what?

Oh, I don't need to buy two tires, go on the front.

Because you burn the sidewalls out, or the tires are cut.

They've been scraping down the road.

You know how much money in lost fuel economy that creates

when the steering geometry is out of whack?

Another raise this year.

Yep, you're gonna wanna sign up

for the 30 day fuel savings challenge.

Because that alone can bring back home two grand a year.

In savings, two grand.

Just on that.

Now imagine all these five things

I've talked about this morning.

Five common maintenance mistakes

that are costing drivers thousands.

Keep adding it up.

It's money back in your pocket.

That's what it is.

It's a mindset.

Learning some basic fundamentals

like what I just talked about.

Number five, we need to make sure

that the vehicle is rolling down the road,

not pushing the tires down the road.

Lost fuel economy, premature tire wear.

It's just more money.

Components may be worn out.

That's why the alignments whack out of whack.

Yeah, again, you could pick 10 vehicles

at the big W store.

We could put them on the alignment rack one at a time

and I'll guarantee you there's a great possibility

that 10 out of 10 needed adjustments

to bring the steering geometry back in order.

Yeah, again, no service light.

No weepy lights gonna come on.

No panic mode in the car telling you you need a wheel alignment.

It should be done once a year minimum.

Bring the steering geometry back in order

so that you're saving fuel economy, tires, et cetera.

If there's worn out steering components,

they need to be changed

so that steering geometry comes back in.

That is your five, big five today.

Five common maintenance mistakes

that cost drivers thousands of dollars.

I'm here to help you folks.

Dial motor mouth gankers in the driver's seat.

Four decades as heavy duty licensed service tech

and light truck and passenger service tech.

And I do equipment as well.

And I'm still very much hands on up to speed.

My licenses are current and I also am an HVAC tech as well.

I do air conditioning, heating and air conditioning on vehicle.

So I'm here to help you.

I'm not here to hurt you.

Have some laughs, drink some lousy coffee sometimes.

And I want to work hard for you,

but you got it, you know, as my prof would say,

when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

Well, here he is.

I don't know how many other service techs out there

are helping you to keep your vehicle intact

and get you started on a maintenance program

because it's money in your pocket.

You have to look at it as you're putting something out,

but you're getting more back.

And that's exactly how it works.

If you owned a trucking company with 375 units to look after,

if they could save $1,000 a year on fuel expenses,

they're in, they're all in.

I've had meetings like that with huge companies.

I showed them how they could save fuel expenses.

And they were like, we're all here.

And I wrote it out on a whiteboard form

and showed them how to do it.

Yeah, and their tire guy was not impressed.

In fact, yeah, I had to back off on that

because we actually were being head hunted.

A group of us that were helping big companies save money,

not blowing tires out, having insurance claims,

not wasting fuel economy.

Yeah, we had a product that would do that

and it actually, it worked.

It worked 100%.

Yeah, so the tire repair guys, onsite tire repair guys,

we were not their heroes.

Yeah, they wanted us gone.

Like you can shut up now and get out of the boardroom.

You need to leave.

That's my money for my family.

Anyhow, I can tell you some stories.

Yeah, we were head hunted big time.

It was bad.

It got really, really bad.

So anyhow, until next time, it's Monday.

Make it a super, super duper great day, a superb day.

Peace, patience and kindness.

Keep it under 100, watch out for the other guy

and we'll see you in the next one.

Make it a great day.

Bye for now.

Good morning Niagara, stick around.

We have got a great program for you this morning.

Five common maintenance mistakes

that cost drivers thousands of dollars, thousands.

My task in a brand new year, welcome to day five

of a brand new year.

We haven't had enough time to mess it up just yet.

My vision is to help you to understand the mindset,

the mindset of vehicle ownership.

Many of you fall into the exact same trap every single time.

And all you really need to do is change your mindset,

grab hold of learning some of the basics,

basic fundamentals of an automobile.

It's not complicated.

The world makes it complicated.

5 Common Maintenance Mistakes That Cost Drivers Thousands | A Mechanic's Warning

About this episode

Honda Civic DX

Toyota FJ Cruiser

power steering

automatic transmission

engine oil

brake fluid

differential fluid

transaxle fluid

transfer case fluid

fluids

filters

cabin air filter

fuel filter

fuel pump

steering components

suspension components

tie rod

control arm

Hyundai Accent

front end components

ball joints

potholes

brake rotors

calipers

brake pads

rear disc brakes

emergency brake

alignments

tire scrubbing

wheel alignment

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