Mileage may get the headlines, but upkeep is what keeps a vehicle healthy through summer and beyond. The hosts walk through a “repairs and maintenance debrief” mindset—bundle checks with an oil change, review the service report, and stay ahead of repairs. They highlight practical pre-summer items: tire pressure (TPMS or a gauge), weekly fluid checks, and a full brake inspection on all four wheels, plus front-end checks and a four-wheel alignment to prevent uneven wear.
Summer driving season is here - but is your vehicle ready for it?
In today's Auto Repair & Maintenance Debrief, we break down 5 simple but critical maintenance checks many drivers overlook until problems show up at the worst possible time We cover:
✅ Tire pressure checks manually if no TPMS
✅ Monitoring engine oil & Fluids weekly
✅ Brake Inspections
✅ Front -end & suspension inspections
✅ Four-wheel alignment reminders
This episode also kicks off a new summer maintenance reminder series featuring 40 practical vehicle tips designed to help drivers avoid breakdowns, improve safety, and save money before small issues become major repairs.
Preventative maintenance always costs less than emergency repairs.
#AutoRepair #VehicleMaintenance. #CarCareTips
Yes we have merch: visit ccbusnet.com to browse our online store, all proceeds go to Total Freedom Addiction Campuses Canada & USA, where new lives begin.❤️ Thank You Skippy & Motormouth.
You'd like to support our channels, now you can, visit our donation page at: buymeacoffee.com/motormouthnile 👍☕️ Tnx guys❤️ Skippy & Motormouth.
Skippy & I would like to say Thank You to all of you friends that are helping our channel to grow: Keep it up we love you all very much💕 Like, share ,Follow, Comment , Subscribe, Ring That Bell 👌
REMINDER: Our Car Connection Fleet Maintenance System Now AVAILABLE on our web site taking orders, SPECIAL PRICING for those who have subscribe to our YouTube Channel, DETAILS AT ccbusnet.com get your Today! While supplies last.
More Episodes and ...project Details & Links are available at Car Connection Business Network.com (ccbusnet.com) you'll find everything on our home page if you'd like to follow the build & Repair work we do & connect with our program partners, click their logo to meet them, Thank You for supporting them too⚠️🙌 Nile Motormouth Jenkins.
We'll see you in the next one friends, Skippy & Motormouth
"...rs, we live them. Whether it's a 25 year old Jeep Wrangler getting a second chance at life, or a Nissan Rogu..."
The Jeep Wrangler is a type of SUV built for driving off-road. Some versions have removable doors and a removable roof, which makes it feel more open. People often keep older Wranglers running by repairing and maintaining them.
The Jeep Wrangler is a rugged, off-road-focused SUV known for its removable doors and roof and its ability to handle rough terrain. It often comes up in conversations about keeping older vehicles running, since many owners restore and maintain Wranglers for years. That “second chance” theme fits well because the Wrangler’s design and community support make it a popular choice to refurbish rather than replace.
"...gler getting a second chance at life, or a Nissan Rogue getting its brakes back in order, or maybe even a..."
The Nissan Rogue is a compact SUV meant for normal daily driving. It’s the kind of car people use for commuting and errands. If the brakes aren’t working well, it usually means the car needs brake service so it can stop safely.
The Nissan Rogue is a mainstream compact crossover SUV designed for everyday driving and comfort, which is why it’s commonly discussed in maintenance and repair contexts. In the podcast context, it sounds like the focus is on getting the vehicle’s brakes back to proper working order—an example of keeping a car safe and reliable through routine fixes. That kind of “second chance” story is typical for high-mileage, widely owned vehicles like the Rogue.
"repairs and maintenance debrief, five things I plucked out in the last six months, number one, tire pressures, [1525.1s] tires aren't cheap, have you researched tires lately,"
Tire pressure is how much air is in your tires. Keeping it at the right level helps the car handle correctly and helps the tires last longer.
Tire pressures are the air levels inside your tires, and they directly affect handling, braking feel, ride comfort, and tire wear. Checking them regularly is a key maintenance step because pressure changes with temperature and time.
"tire pressures, premature tire wear is costing you money, and the opportunity for a really bad accident to happen too, under inflation, if your vehicle is not equipped with TPMS,"
Premature tire wear is when your tires get worn out faster than expected. One common cause is running the tires too low or too high on air, which makes them wear unevenly.
Premature tire wear means the tread wears out sooner than it should, often due to driving with incorrect tire pressure. Under-inflation and over-inflation can change how the tire contacts the road, increasing heat and uneven wear patterns.
"premature tire wear is costing you money, and the opportunity for a really bad accident to happen too, under inflation, if your vehicle is not equipped with TPMS,"
Under inflation means your tires are not filled with enough air. That can make the car handle worse and can wear the tire out faster, and in extreme cases it can be dangerous.
Under inflation is when a tire has less air pressure than recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. It can reduce steering response and increase tire heat buildup, which accelerates wear and can raise the risk of a tire failure.
"premature tire wear is costing you money, and the opportunity for a really bad accident to happen too, under inflation, if your vehicle is not equipped with TPMS, [1610.5s] the tire pressure monitoring system, guess who is TPMS, that would be you"
TPMS is a system that checks your tire pressure for you. If a tire is low, it warns you so you can fix it before it causes bad handling or wears out faster.
A tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is a safety feature that watches your tires’ air pressure and alerts you when it’s too low or too high. It helps prevent handling problems and faster tire wear that can happen when tires aren’t properly inflated.
"so tires, we don't need to be blowing them out, wearing them out prematurely, [1653.4s] over inflation, under inflation, wrecks a tire, it's that simple, so we need to keep an eye on"
Over inflation means your tires have too much air. That can make the tread wear in the middle and can reduce how well the tire grips the road.
Over inflation is when a tire has more air pressure than recommended. It can cause the center of the tread to wear faster and reduce the tire’s ability to grip the road evenly, hurting ride quality and traction.
"so tire pressures get on it, and my recommendation to you is if you don't have TPMS, buy yourself a decent tire gauge and learn how to do it yourself, number two, have you checked your fluids this week, so tire pressures once a month,"
TPMS is a system that tells you if your tire pressure is getting too low. If you don’t have it, you should manually check your tire pressure with a gauge.
TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) is a car feature that alerts you when a tire’s pressure is too low. It helps catch slow leaks before they cause uneven wear or a blowout.
"so tire pressures get on it, and my recommendation to you is if you don't have TPMS, buy yourself a decent tire gauge and learn how to do it yourself, number two, have you checked your fluids this week,"
A tire gauge is a small tool you use to check how much air is in your tires. It’s especially important if your car doesn’t have TPMS.
A tire gauge is a handheld tool used to measure tire pressure in psi (or kPa). Checking with a gauge is the manual alternative to TPMS and helps you spot underinflation early.
"check your fluids, power steering, brake fluid, transmission fluid, motor oil, coolant, all those things can be checked in literally 15 minutes, something you could do once a week"
Brake fluid is what makes your brakes work. If it’s low or old, your brakes may feel weaker or not respond as well.
Brake fluid is the hydraulic fluid that transfers force from the brake pedal to the brake calipers/rotors. If it’s low or contaminated, braking performance can degrade and the system can become unsafe.
"check your fluids, power steering, brake fluid, transmission fluid, motor oil, coolant, all those things can be checked in literally 15 minutes, something you could do once a week"
Transmission fluid keeps the transmission parts moving smoothly. If it’s low or old, shifting can get rough and the transmission can wear out faster.
Transmission fluid lubricates internal transmission components and helps manage hydraulic pressure for shifting (in automatic transmissions) or clutch operation (in some designs). Low or degraded fluid can lead to harsh shifting, overheating, and accelerated wear.
"check your fluids, power steering, brake fluid, transmission fluid, motor oil, coolant, all those things can be checked in literally 15 minutes, something you could do once a week"
Motor oil is what keeps the engine from grinding itself to death. Checking it helps make sure the engine has enough lubrication.
Motor oil lubricates the engine’s moving parts and helps carry heat away from critical components. Checking it regularly ensures you’re not running low or with oil that’s too degraded to protect the engine.
"number three, when was your last vehicle full brake inspection, all four wheels, when, so these are questions for you today,"
A brake inspection is a check of your brakes to make sure everything is in good shape. Doing it on all four wheels helps catch wear or issues early.
A full brake inspection checks the entire braking system across all wheels, not just how the brakes feel. It typically looks for wear and condition of brake components so problems can be caught before they affect stopping power.
"number two have you checked your fluids this week including motor oil, so again power steering, [1851.5s] brake fluid, coolant, washer fluid even, and motor oil, number three, when was your last"
Power steering helps you turn the wheel without as much effort. It uses a special fluid, and checking it can help avoid steering problems.
Power steering is the system that uses hydraulic or electric assist to make steering easier. It has its own fluid, and checking that fluid level/condition helps prevent steering from feeling heavy or noisy.
"brake fluid, coolant, washer fluid even, and motor oil, number three, when was your last [1859.9s] vehicle brake inspection, all four wheels off the vehicle do a tire rotation at the same time,"
Washer fluid is what sprays onto your windshield to help you see. If it’s empty, you can’t clean the windshield when you need to.
Washer fluid is the liquid used by the windshield washer system to clean the glass. Keeping it topped up helps maintain visibility, especially in summer road grime and bugs.
"brake fluid, coolant, washer fluid even, and motor oil, number three, when was your last [1859.9s] vehicle brake inspection, all four wheels off the vehicle do a tire rotation at the same time,"
Coolant keeps the engine from getting too hot. If the level is low or the fluid is worn out, the engine can overheat.
Coolant (antifreeze) circulates through the engine to remove heat and prevent overheating. Checking coolant level/condition matters because low or degraded coolant can lead to overheating and potential engine damage.
"vehicle brake inspection, all four wheels off the vehicle do a tire rotation at the same time, [1865.9s] when was that your brakes last inspected, number four front end and suspension check,"
Tire rotation means swapping tires to different spots on the car. It helps them wear more evenly so you don’t replace them as soon.
Tire rotation is the practice of moving tires from one position on the vehicle to another (e.g., front to rear) to even out wear. Because tires experience different loads and slip angles, rotating them helps extend tire life and can improve traction consistency.
"when was that your brakes last inspected, number four front end and suspension check, [1874.1s] man we've got roads out, yesterday I drove on roads and I'm thinking I just put a whole new front"
This is an inspection of the parts that help the car ride smoothly and steer properly. If those parts are worn, the car can feel bouncy, noisy, or pull, and tires can wear out faster.
A front end and suspension check inspects the components that control ride and steering—things like bushings, ball joints, and shocks/struts. Worn parts can cause vibration, wandering, and uneven tire wear because the wheels aren’t being held in the correct position.
"number five, [1921.1s] when was the last four wheel alignment that you had performed to your vehicle to make sure that you're not wearing your tires out and that you don't have suspension and steering problems,"
A four-wheel alignment adjusts how your wheels sit on the road. It helps tires wear evenly and keeps the car tracking straight.
A four wheel alignment adjusts the angles of the wheels so they track correctly relative to each other and the road. Proper alignment reduces uneven tire wear and helps prevent steering/suspension issues from showing up as drivability problems.
"so those two go hand in hand, four and five, front end suspension check, that's all the [1939.7s] tie rod ends and we've been recording some more of that for our YouTube channel on my own 2007"
Tie rod ends are parts that help connect the steering to the front wheels. If they’re worn, the steering can feel loose or inaccurate and tires may wear unevenly.
Tie rod ends are steering linkage joints that connect the steering system to the front wheels. If they wear out, you can get looseness, wandering, or imprecise steering, and it can also contribute to abnormal tire wear.
"tie rod ends and we've been recording some more of that for our YouTube channel on my own [1948.4s] 2007 FJ Cruiser, it's almost brand new, almost, it's going to be 20 years old in July, happy birthday FJ"
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a rugged SUV built to handle rough roads. Here, the host talks about his 2007 FJ Cruiser to explain why suspension and steering checks matter over time.
The Toyota FJ Cruiser (2007) is a body-on-frame SUV with a retro, off-road-focused design and a reputation for durability. In this segment, the host uses his 2007 FJ Cruiser as a real-world example while discussing front-end/suspension wear and rough-road impacts.
Select text to request an explanation
Good morning folks, you're tuned to Car Connection where the coffee is strong, the stories
are real, and the wrenches never stop turning.
I'm your host, Nile Motormouth Jenkins, coming to you from the Car Connection workshop, where
the smell of fresh oil, little elbow grease is all part of a balanced breakfast right
here.
Around here we don't just talk cars, we live them.
Whether it's a 25 year old Jeep Wrangler getting a second chance at life, or a Nissan
Rogue getting its brakes back in order, or maybe even a mystery leak that's got everyone
scratching their heads.
This is where we roll up our sleeves and we get it done with a little wit, a little wisdom,
and a whole lot of fun.
Car Connection isn't just about nuts and bolts and diagnostics, it's about connection.
Connection to our vehicles and to the people that drive them, to the community that keeps
rolling because when you fix a car, you're not just turning a wrench, you're restoring
someone's confidence, freedom, and maybe, maybe even their sanity.
We're here every week for the Motormouth Morning Drive at 8am, Monday through Saturday, Saturday
we have Q&A, question and answer one hour, helping you to keep your ride safe, reliable,
ready for whatever road lies ahead.
So whether you're a weekend wrencher, a daily commuter, or someone who just, you just want
to understand that strange rattle and what that really means.
Stick around for shop talk, expert advice, few good laughs, and maybe a story flashback.
It happens.
I can just be doing something going, oh yeah, I remember, am I the only one that does that?
You just have a flashback and you go, why am I thinking about, what?
No way.
Well good morning and welcome to Thursday, we are almost into the weekend, you've almost
pulled it off so hang in there, we got a little ways to go and then you can take a deep breath
and sit back and maybe relax, cut the grass, do a pile of yard work, trim the trees, dig
the gardens, put flowers in, stop the madness already.
Exactly, that's what time of year it is and what we tend to forget is the automobile,
the car.
What about the car?
That's what we're going to talk about.
So if you want to keep an older automobile running as long as you want, it's simple.
Mileage doesn't matter, maintenance does.
Mileage does not matter, maintenance matters and that's what we talk about here.
You can keep a vehicle 20 years old and keep it for the next 10 years if you want.
If you listen to what I'm telling you and actually do it, remember the do does and the
did is done so you can listen but not do.
That will net you out the same that you've always had but if you learn some of the basics
and begin the process of taking better care of your automobile with what we see coming
down the pipes right now, I'm telling you that older vehicle is going to be your next
best friend.
Yeah, vehicle shutdown system.
I don't know about you but I won't be playing that tune, no Surrey Bob, not at all.
I'm not playing that tune and here's what I've always said is the consumer has the power.
We just haven't figured that out yet.
As I talked about yesterday, if a particular vehicle flavor is giving you lots of problems,
why do you continue to enjoy that flavor?
Go try a different flavor and see what happens.
That's it.
You don't have to get locked up into the politics, into the blasé, blah, everybody's got their
opinion and we know what that means.
Yes, opinions are like earlobes.
Most people have them.
We've got to take a look at what's going on and educate yourself about what's going on
and you know those things that just don't turn out right.
It's kind of like this.
You go to the store.
I'm the mega grocery shopper guy and I'm the grub grab guy.
That's what I do.
Go for the big GG, the grub grab and I'm a hard shopper and I know the prices and I
know what's good and I know what's not and once in a while you get something, you want
to try it and you go, that really sucked.
So are you going to go and get it again and sit and have a meal with it and go, you know,
that sucked even more.
So are you going to go get it again?
That's my point.
We have to be prosumers, not consumers and this vehicle shutdown thing is growing legs,
my friend.
So if you want to do your homework on it, it's going to open your eyes real big because
big brother doesn't only want to know what we're doing 24 seven.
If you've been a naughty boy or a naughty girl, they're going to turn your car off for
you.
Not me.
I'm going to stick with my 20 year old and 25 year old automobiles and just continue using
the car connection fleet maintenance system and I'll keep them going until I can't and
there will be no shut off on my automobiles.
Let me tell you that and this is where the consumer has to say this when that happens
and it's already happening friends.
It's already happening.
So I'm just giving you a heads up on it.
It's growing legs.
The consumer is going to have to shut it down.
How do you shut it down?
Well just don't buy that that vehicle.
Yeah, you just go, well, I'm just not going to buy that.
We have consumerism is in the palm of our hands and what their manufacturers are afraid
of is that one day we'll actually wake up to that nasty alarm clock that you want to take
take a five iron two for an hour and relieve stress.
You'll feel a whole lot better, but you'll need a clock again is that we just say no.
That's it.
No, enough is enough.
Exactly, but it's coming and I'm watching it.
I'm going, well, that's not going to happen anything in my driveway.
Let me tell you they're owned and I owe no one nothing and that is the position that
I would highly recommend that as many of you that can hear this podcast right now, you
hang onto that older vehicle that doesn't have any of this control ism on it and keep
it going because you've got a more reliable vehicle than what's coming down the pipes
right now.
The manufacturers really have done it to themselves and I'm just that's as far as I'm
going to go with that.
You've done it to yourself, manufacturers.
You've decided to go for profitability instead of quality.
So you put profitability ahead of taking care of the consumer and that they they're lining
up to get your product.
That's changed.
But as I said mentioned yesterday, all this stuff that's going on with the manufacturers
and this breaking down and pattern failures, this has been going on since like 1990.
This isn't anything new whatsoever.
44 years in this trade, let me tell you the things that I've seen in automobiles, that's
what allowed me to be able to cherry pick what I want to drive.
So people would always ask me, you know, hey, motormouth, what vehicle should I buy?
The one you like.
That's what I tell you.
The one you like, but do your homework.
Well, today's title is Repairs and Maintenance Debrief.
I thought with everything we've covered in the last six months on the motormouth morning
drive, I thought we better go back and do a little debrief because it's always a good
thing to do.
It really, really is.
Even after a family vacation, what did you like?
What didn't you like?
Was the road trip worth it?
The value?
Did you get value out of it?
Doing a debrief is always important.
So this morning, I've gone back six months and I've plucked out five things that are must-dos.
Must-dos if you want to keep your vehicle long-term and it is very doable.
You know, how long would your vehicle last if you're actually following a maintenance
plan so that it's not all swirling in your head with everything you've got going on
every single day.
It's actually organized and you can actually breathe and follow along and go, oh, we need
to take care of this next, honey.
So when the vehicle goes in, we need this, this, and this looked at at the same time
we're getting the oil change.
And then when the vehicle comes back and you got a report and everything looks good,
kind of like coming out of the dentist and they tell you got 15 cavities.
No, hopefully not.
Hopefully they say, hey, it's looking good.
Your mouth health is doing good.
That's saving money.
Your automobile exactly the same way.
If you're following a maintenance, which you should be with your mouth health or you fall
behind that next visit, you know that there's the dentist is going to give you a what for,
how to and book your next appointment.
You got problems.
Yeah, you know, there's going to be, there's not going to be zero cavities.
There's going to be a number and he or she is going to tell you what that number is.
Well, let's jump into our morning swiggy.
If you're joining us for the very first time, welcome aboard.
We're glad to have you.
Make sure you got your pack, 16 pack of crayolas and always a fresh leaf bag.
So you've, you've got lots of surface writing.
You put things down, just jot it down.
Crayons never let you down either.
So whatever your favorite morning beverages, you're just getting through the drive through lineup.
You know, I look at those lineups and I'm going, how do people do that every day?
Yesterday I was on the road, it was on the road day to get a number of things appointments
taken care of and materials that need to be picked up and pieces, parts and everything
for the car connection workshop.
It was like 12345 head back to the studio and get some more work
done and everything worked out.
I don't just go out on the road anymore just for like one appointment.
No, it's a, I line everything up for the day and then when I hit the road, I'm on my way
and I looked at yesterday, I'm looking at these morning lineups.
Do you guys actually, do you sit in those lineups like that waiting for your morning
bevy?
I'd lose it.
I'm just saying, I just like, you know what, that's, that's time I can never get back.
So, hey, you know what I say, God bless you.
You got more patience than I do to, to sit there that long to get a cup of Joe.
That's why me and my blue thermos, we are best friends because I can just pull off,
pour a cup and away we go.
Just keep on keeping on.
So get your morning beverage ready.
You're getting back out on the road and heading to work.
Keep an eye on the other guy.
Keep an eye on traffic today.
We're getting closer to the weekend and I think sometimes the switch just gets partly
turned off.
Yeah.
The driving, I notice, I try to do all my road appointments on a Wednesday, hump day.
I just find that I can get to and from faster.
I don't know.
I mean, I'm not a fast driver by any means.
I, I, I rules of the road.
That's me.
That's right.
I'm that guy, I'm that guy in the outer lane, just toodling along five to 10 maybe over
the limit just to satisfy some of you that are practically swapping license plates with
me.
Oh, that's drafting.
I forgot.
Who knew?
Yeah.
I'm that guy and there's a whole reason behind that 44 years reason, 44 years.
And I save a ton of money on fuel.
Yep.
We've almost made it through May and I still have a half a tank.
Try that one on for size.
I mean, I'm not commuting every day, but vehicle is needed.
It's required and there's things that we can do to get that fuel saving.
So the temperatures are looking really, really good.
Things are starting to steady Eddie and that's what we need to run the 30 day fuel savings
challenge and at minimum, if you follow it and I'll coach you 30 days, you can put $100
worth of fuel savings back in your bank account.
How does that sound?
And if you got the guts, as my professor would say, motor mouth, no guts, no glory, right?
That's what he meant when we have an exam coming up, which means you're going to have
to stay up late and cram that was me.
How many of you are the cram student?
You know, you studied when an hour before or the day before the night and day before
that was me.
I was the cram guy.
Anyhow, get back to the morning beverage, raise your cup, whatever it is, keep an eye
on the road if you're driving, wake up your passenger, exactly.
And down the road we go on 321, let's say thank you to Earl and Louise Grant, City Auto
Sales and Leasing, providing us with low mileage quality vehicles at fair prices.
You can buy with confidence and be treated with nothing less than honesty and integrity.
That's how they've received the Moniker Greater Toronto Area's premier pre-owned
auto store.
Earl and Louise, and I'll tell you, Earl is fussy.
He will not bring any junk back to the dealership whatsoever.
They do not sell any junk there.
So we can, you know what's nice is we can buy there and know that we're bringing home
something that is not a beast, exactly.
So get in touch with City Auto Sales and Leasing and let them know that you heard about them
right here on the MotorMouth Morning Drive and Car Connection.
321 that's how we do it.
You ready?
321 mm-mm.
Take a real big swiggy.
Get that in you this morning, get it going.
All right, morning weather brought to us by the great team at Niagara Block, 5,000 Montrose
Road Niagara Falls, building Canada since 1931 with building supplies, all the blocks
and bricks and steel and girders and whatnot to get that building put up.
But if you're looking to create a backyard space, you know, that wonderful outdoor cooking
zone or maybe just your very own oasis, they have all the hardscape, landscape materials,
make you an English walkway and also you can get lined up with a contractor that they
have on the referral sheet.
So check in with Kathy, Dave and Dan Grimo and let them know what your needs are and
get that project going, get that outdoor oasis created so that you can enjoy it with your
family and friends this summer.
This summer you can get a ton.
So check in with Niagara Block at 5,000 Montrose Road Niagara Falls and say thank you to the
team there, the next generation.
Right now 51 degrees, I've been outside twice, once at 415, I think it was 425, 51 degrees
now partly cloudy, wind is making it feel a whole lot cooler, about 48 degrees.
Sunny conditions expected around 6am, today's temperature range will be 51 to 66 and it's
going to feel more like 48 to 65.
We can handle that.
Yes we can, I believe we can.
So wherever you're listening from, let me know in email, motormouth.jankins at gmail.com,
let me know where you're listening in from on the morning drive and what's the temperature
like where you live?
This is the Niagara region, the south shores of Lake Erie but maybe it's like the British
Virgin Islands.
Always seems to be like 84, 85 degrees every day.
I wonder if that's low humidity or not, I'm not sure.
But they have a steady weather report, I have that on my phone because there's a couple
of places I just like to see, what's the weather like there over there?
Alright, let's jump into what I have for you this morning so we can get everything on
the table before you arrive at work.
If you have issues with money, listen up, whatever the issue is, you need to book that
hour in a coffee, that discovery meeting with our certified financial planning professionals,
sit down and get your questions answered.
The best advice I can give you, you'll be working with the best of the best.
Tony Miele and Larry Tietro have been my financial planners for well over 20 plus years, I call
them my brothers from mother mothers, we have a great relationship and they're here with
us in car connections since 2007, helping a lot of people get through what seems to
look like all things are lost, there's no way out.
There is.
You have questions, they'll listen and put together a plan so that you can move forward.
So whether you have questions about investment portfolio, if you have investments with the
bank you really seriously need to sit down and get that taken care of because they're
not working for you, they're working for all of us to pay interest, that's it.
And use your money to make them lots of money and make you little money.
If you're carrying a lot of debt, you need a state plan, you have kids at home, you have
no estate plan, you've got to get on that.
If you need a mortgage arranging, I haven't had a mortgage with a bank, I've stepped away
from the banks a long time ago, they have their place in the food chain and I keep them
at bay, simple as that.
Life insurance, critical illness insurance and a whole lot more.
So take advantage of that discovery meeting friends, it's an hour and a coffee.
Leave your wallet at home, leave your purse at home, sit down and get down to business
and connect with Tony or Larry and let them work their magic.
These guys know their craft and when we think all is done and over, you'll be surprised what
they can do.
They know tax laws, they know the whole thing, it's not about what we are out there trading
time and money for, it's what we get to keep and that's important.
Alright, repairs and maintenance debrief.
So as I mentioned, I've gone back six months and I thought, you know what, we've covered
a lot of ground in helping you to keep that older vehicle running because that is the
best one right now, let me tell you.
You have an older vehicle and the structure is sound and solid, keep it that way.
Mileage doesn't matter, maintenance does, that's what I want you to remember and that
is the truth, regardless of everything else, all the squawk boxes out there and all the
talking heads and all the marketing and garbage they throw at us, the truth is you don't need
to change your car out every three to five years, you don't need to be spending $60,000,
$70,000 on a piece of sheet metal and rubber that's built like a freaking trash can, trust
me, yeah, not to say all of them are, but they know who they are and they brought it
on themselves and there's a reason, here's the thing, if their product line was good,
really, really good, there would be one of those products in my driveway, but there isn't,
there isn't, my daily drivers, they aren't and there's a reason behind that, there really is
and that's what you have to figure out, but going forward, I would say if you're going to
purchase a vehicle today, I'd be looking at something 2017, I know you may throw something
at the phone, or the computer, whatever, 2017 low mileage, well taken care of,
that's a goodie, right there, I would not go beyond 2000, I mean 2001, no, I'm just kidding,
not that far back, 17 to 2020 and that's kind of my, that would be my, if I'm shopping,
that's my top end is 2020, I would probably be more like 2018, 2016, even a really good,
clean, solid 2015 would excite me as well and I would baby that car right into my retirement
and beyond and beyond, that's my suggestion to y'all, whether you do it or not, it's okay,
because this program is for those who want to learn the basic fundamentals of vehicle ownership
and get a better understanding that no, you don't need to be working your tail off, trading time
for money, making stupid car payments, then by the time it's paid off, you don't have anything
that has any value left, if there's something left, that's my point, if there's something left
and I often say, you know, the older vehicles that we use for vehicle fundraising and we got
one coming up on the 6th of June, I'll tell you about that in a little bit, their vehicles I
grab for next to nothing, clean them up, fix them up, loved on them and they are fully functional
any time of the night or day, so what's up with that, if I can do it, you it doesn't
matter what you're driving, whether it's a three-year-old, five-year-old, you own it,
unless you're still paying for it, I was just doing some research this week, seven-year car loans,
did you hear what I just said, seven-year car loans, you got to be out of your mind, seriously,
take me to the you pull it yard and I'll wrangle something out of there in two months, it'll be
ready to do the next 20 years, I'm serious about that, as serious as curly fries with cheese on
them, okay number one, get your crayons ready, if you're working with a pen we feel sorry for you,
but anyways, crayons last forever, they taste bad, I don't know why I said that, repairs and
maintenance debrief, five things I plucked out in the last six months, number one, tire pressures,
tires aren't cheap, have you researched tires lately, I mean there's cheap tires out there,
but I wouldn't put them on, I call those whiz bangs, yeah no thank you, because if you can't stop it
or steer it, nothing else matters, if you're heading out to the rhubarb patch, let me tell you,
it's going to be a bad day, you got what I'm saying, it's going to be a bad day, we want to make sure
that we have top quality tires, I really don't like that word premium, but it's, I guess premium
has taken over good, so there's good better and best, I prefer to be somewhere beyond the premium
into the better, and if the budget allows best, so good better best, premium is kind of
somewhere between good and better, that's where it is, it's somewhere in between there,
that's what I figured out, but it definitely isn't best, so remember that when it comes to auto parts,
good better best, that's how we work, and that's how I fix cars, if I only have this amount of money
to work with, that tells me where I'm going to be on that scale of good, better, and best
in product lines, tire pressures, premature tire wear is costing you money, and the opportunity for
a really bad accident to happen too, under inflation, if your vehicle is not equipped with TPMS,
the tire pressure monitoring system, guess who is TPMS, that would be you, I'm just saying,
that would be you, or I allowed my customers, when we had the automotive shop on the Hamilton
Mountain, you need your tire pressure check, just swing by, one of us will come out with the air
hose and we'll take care of it, but if they were our customers, they would be back in a month anyway,
usually for their next maintenance, because we always booked a meeting from a meeting to keep
their vehicle up on maintenance, and not give them a chance to let it slide and put them in a difficult
financial situation, so tires, we don't need to be blowing them out, wearing them out prematurely,
over inflation, under inflation, wrecks a tire, it's that simple, so we need to keep an eye on
our tires, do a walk around, your vehicle is a good habit to create, so that you can look at
the tires and see if there's anything sticking out of them, and I remember a lady coming in,
and she said, there's something sticking out of one of my tires, I can't figure out what it is,
but there's something definitely in there, and I said, you drove it here,
so I went out there and I had a look, a fork, there, her tire got forked, it did,
and this thing went through a good piece of rubber, not the sidewall, it went through a good
piece of rubber, and it fed its way in there, and all that was sticking out was the tab on the end
of the utensil, so when I took this tire off and I popped it down, being careful on what the heck
is in there, and then when I managed to get half the tire up and over the rim, you could see how
this fork went in there, it fed itself right into the tire, that's one of the weirdest things I
ever saw, but that's what happens, she did a walk around, she discovered that, that was a tire that
would have definitely blown right off the rim, so good call, so tire pressures get on it, and my
recommendation to you is if you don't have TPMS, buy yourself a decent tire gauge and learn how to
do it yourself, number two, have you checked your fluids this week, so tire pressures once a month,
fluids every week, we want to check them every week, give you check your oil this week,
probably not, have you picked a day that you're going to check your oil, probably not,
these are the little things that are going to bite you in the butt my friends,
check your fluids, power steering, brake fluid, transmission fluid, motor oil, coolant, all those
things can be checked in literally 15 minutes, something you could do once a week at the end
of the day if that's when it's best for you, at the end of the day do it, or get up early like I do
and get it done, I like to get up early while the rest of you are sleeping because I can get a lot
of stuff done without being interrupted, without interruptions, number three, when was your last
vehicle full brake inspection, all four wheels, when, so these are questions for you today,
these are questions for you to answer, so chalk them down and mull them over today while you're
at work and put an honest answer beside each one of these five things the must do, so again tire
pressures, when did you check them last, was that number two or number one, that was number one,
number two have you checked your fluids this week including motor oil, so again power steering,
brake fluid, coolant, washer fluid even, and motor oil, number three, when was your last
vehicle brake inspection, all four wheels off the vehicle do a tire rotation at the same time,
when was that your brakes last inspected, number four front end and suspension check,
man we've got roads out, yesterday I drove on roads and I'm thinking I just put a whole new front
end in this thing and I feel like I'm pounding the thing to death, the roads are rougher than a
stucco toilet seat, unbelievable, so if you think for a moment that you've got super-duper
unwearable suspension and steering components, think again not true, and if you're a rough
driver that means you got to beat everybody to the next exit on the highway or the next stoplight,
then your vehicle's taking a bigger pounding than my own, let me tell you, so front end and
suspension check, when was the last time you had that done, and last but not least number five,
when was the last four wheel alignment that you had performed to your vehicle to make sure
that you're not wearing your tires out and that you don't have suspension and steering problems,
so those two go hand in hand, four and five, front end suspension check, that's all the
tie rod ends and we've been recording some more of that for our YouTube channel on my own 2007
FJ Cruiser, it's almost brand new, almost, it's going to be 20 years old in July, happy birthday FJ
and just shy of 400,000 kilometers, doesn't happen by accident, but you say well, but you're a
mechanic, I worked with some mechanics and let me tell you, I wouldn't take their car to the corner
store, yeah, I keep, I see the value in an automobile, that's what I see, I see the value
and I see how hard you have to work to buy the next one and that and I've done it and I'm not
doing it anymore, when I bought the FJ December 27th 2013, I said this is it, I'm done with this
making payment thing, it's getting tired and I'm getting tired, I'm running the roadways
to pay for it, no, not doing it anymore and it means no matter what you own folks, you're going
to have to do the maintenance or you're going to have to work your high knee off to put a big
pile of cash together to buy one of these pieces of junk that they're offering out there
and that's it, I said the quiet part, junk, you got to pick the flavor that wins,
you got, sometimes you know, it's better that the devil you know than the devil you don't know
and sometimes you just got to go, you know what, I'm done with this, I'm going to go to another
flavor and give it a shot, see if it works out for you and that's what I've done many years ago
and I know what vehicles will last if you take care of them, you know, everything will last longer
if you're willing to take care of it and that is the point, that's my final point today is this
program and being on the on radio for 31 years, we were on ESPN for 12 and a half, we were on
an huge FM station out of Buffalo as well for 24 and a half and I have fielded thousands and thousands
of automotive questions with our car connection live calling program and here we are on digital
and I can reach more and more people, you don't have to play the car game, you have to make a
decision that you're going to take care of your things, be a good steward, a good great car care
giver, take care of that thing and it's going to take care of you, if you stay ahead of the repairs
and maintenance you can do it, yes you can, it's not just because I'm a mechanic, no sirree, I watched
my own clients at our shop on the Hamilton mountain for 11 years, they followed my maintenance and
they were happy and they kept their cars for a long time and they were in great shape, how did
that happen, it's making that decision to just take care of it, you know, instead of sitting on your
butt and doing nothing and wasting time putting effort in, effort equals results and many of us
unfortunately we love the results but not so much the effort right, summer's coming, you know what
I'm saying right, there's going to be swimming and beaches and you know that you've probably put on a
pound over the winter, it's not going to fall off, you can't wish it off, you're going to have to do
something if you want to look better in the mirror and in your bathing suit this summer, so you have
to have a plan and then you got to implement the plan, check your progress along the way, reset the
final arrival date if you have to but keep moving forward and that's the same with your car, just
keep moving forward, if the structure is solid everything else is repairable, maintainable
and serviceable regardless of what anyone else says is not true, and mileage doesn't matter,
maintenance matters and you can do this, you absolutely can, if you missed this morning's
program that's okay, they load up automatically to our YouTube channel, our website is the biggest
tool we have in our toolbox and to get you there it's carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com,
everything's on our on the homepage that you'll need to like follow and
plug into more episodes and details, all the links are available at carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com
in the top right hand corner, so short form is ccbusnet.com, I put all that information
in the description boxes of our YouTube videos and our podcasts are on all
platforms Amazon, Apple, Spotify, Podbean, wherever you pull your podcast from just type in car
connection workshop, you'll find us absolutely, make sure you like subscribe share follow and
leave a comment and ring the notification bell so that you know when our next videos come up
and we have a whole bunch of teaching videos on just what I talked about tire pressures,
checking your fluids, where are they, what are they, how do you test them,
how do you check them, brake inspections, evaluations, front end suspension and steering
and four-wheel alignment, in fact the single mom that owns the minivan, 2010 minivan,
Vanna White just had the alignment done, the thing is top drawer now, 2010,
think about it folks, how old is that, 16, 16 years, 2007, it's 19 years old, 1999, how old is that,
321,000 miles I just watched it yesterday, looks top drawer, be a good car care giver
and take care of it because the best vehicle in your driveway, ladies and gentlemen, is the one
that's paid for, so check us out online if you haven't signed up for our YouTube channel, Instagram,
Facebook, iHeartRadio and our online store, we do have merch and all the proceeds from the
merch goes to Total Freedom Addiction, Campuses Canada and USA, Skippy and I are working hard to
help those who are ready to say goodbye to our addiction forever and for good, get to one of
the campuses, so all the proceeds, whatever you buy and pay for safely online in our store,
get shipped directly to you and stand with our crew and let's help those who are ready to deal
with their addiction get a new life, till tomorrow is Fun Friday, we'll see you right back here for
more of Motor Mouse Morning Drive, be careful out there, happy healthy motoring, peace patience
and kindness always and we'll see you in the next one, bye for now.
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