0:00 / 0:00
Brake Check Before the Road Trip: Winter Tips to Keep You Rolling

Brake Check Before the Road Trip: Winter Tips to Keep You Rolling

Car Connection Workshop Nov 17, 2025 34 min
0:00
0:00

About this episode

Winter driving requires special attention to your vehicle's braking system. Niall MotorMouth Jenkins shares essential tips for ensuring your brakes are ready for the slick roads ahead. He emphasizes the importance of a thorough brake inspection, including the often-overlooked parking brake, and offers advice on how to communicate effectively with service technicians. With humor and practical insights, this episode aims to equip listeners with the knowledge to maintain their vehicles and avoid costly surprises at the repair shop.

Filter:
|
Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Concept

working relationship with a service technician

"...if you have an established working relationship with an automo's service technician at the counter and in the shop that's a good place to be..."

A good relationship with your car's service technician means you trust them and can talk to them easily about what your car needs. This helps avoid surprises and makes getting your car fixed easier.

Term

five o'clock surprise

"...you really need to protect yourself so that you don't have the five o'clock surprise, you're not paying for something, you've not authorized and then the big argument breaks out at the service desk..."

A 'five o'clock surprise' is when you go to pick up your car and find out that the bill is much higher than you expected, often because you weren't told about extra charges. This can cause arguments with the service desk.

Car

Lucid Air

"...oh by the way did you do this, did you check the air in condition of the spare tire then the service ..."

The Lucid Air is a fancy electric car that can go really far on a single charge and has a lot of cool tech inside. It's made by a company called Lucid Motors and is meant to compete with other high-end electric cars. People might talk about it because it's one of the newest and most advanced electric cars available.

Part

rear defroster

"...check your rear defroster grid you know the thing with the little lines in it..."

The rear defroster is the part of your car that heats up the back window to melt ice or fog. It has little lines that get warm to clear your view when it's cold outside.

Company

City Auto Sales

"...thank you to Earl and Louise Grant at City Auto Sales and leasing GTA's premier pre-owned auto store..."

City Auto Sales is a place where you can buy used cars that are in good condition. They make sure to sell cars that are reliable and not broken down.

Term

in-house financing

"...they also have in-house financing so whether you have good credit bad credit or no credit..."

In-house financing means that the car dealership can help you pay for the car without needing to go to a bank. This is helpful for people who might have trouble getting loans elsewhere.

Term

four-wheel drive

"...whether you have traction control all-wheel drive sometimes all-wheel drive sometimes four-wheel drive..."

Four-wheel drive means that all four wheels of a car get power from the engine, which helps the car grip the road better. It's useful for driving on rough or slippery surfaces.

Car

Nissan Rogue

"...e last one we just videoed was an 08 2008 Nissan Rogue and out of the whole thing the rear brakes were ..."
Car

Nissan 2008 Nissan

"...the last one we just videoed was an 08 2008 Nissan Rogue and out of the whole thing the rear brakes were absolutely shot including the emergency brake..."

The Nissan Rogue is a small SUV that is good for families or anyone needing extra space. The 2008 version is known for being comfortable and having good gas mileage.

Term

brakes

"...the rear brakes were absolutely shot including the emergency brake so three videos we did this summer on that come to mind..."

Brakes are what help your car slow down or stop. They are very important for safety, and if they are worn out, it can be dangerous to drive.

Term

emergency brake

"...the parking brake the emergency brake and rear brakes were absolutely nothing left to work with..."

The emergency brake is a backup brake that you can use to keep your car from rolling when parked. It's important for safety, especially if your regular brakes stop working.

Term

parking brake

"you still need to use the parking brake if he says oh no sweetheart no that yeah we know you know the guy is wrong..."

The parking brake is a special brake that keeps your car from moving when it's parked. It's important to use it, especially on hills.

Car

Dodge Ram

"give him the stink eye okay give him the stink eye because and then send him to our YouTube channel to look up the 2010 that was the first one we did was a 2010 Dodge Ram..."

The 2010 Dodge Ram is a big truck that can carry heavy loads and is often used for work or towing. It has different engine choices and is built to be tough.

Car

Kia Borrego

"...king brake destruction second one was a 2010 Kia Borrego yeah they didn't make a lot of them so you may no..."

The Kia Borrego is a big SUV that can fit a lot of people and gear, and it was made for a few years starting in 2008. It has strong engines and is good for driving off the road, but not many were sold, so you might not see them often. The talk about it might be about some problems it had with brakes.

Term

traction control

"even if you have traction control with ABS the ABS system can only re-correct the vehicle from a skid or a yaw"

Traction control is a feature in cars that helps keep the wheels from spinning too much when it's slippery, like on ice or wet roads.

Term

ABS

"even if you have traction control with ABS the ABS system can only re-correct the vehicle from a skid or a yaw"

ABS is a system in cars that helps prevent the wheels from stopping completely when you brake hard, which helps you steer better in emergencies.

Term

yaw

"the ABS system can only re-correct the vehicle from a skid or a yaw which is what we call it I call it a yeehaw because you're going"

Yaw is when a car turns sideways instead of going straight, which can happen if you lose control while driving.

Term

brake inspection

"...my biggest recommendation I can give you is a four-wheel brake inspection and yes the parking brake needs to be working..."

A brake inspection is when a mechanic checks your car's brakes to make sure they are working properly. This is important for your safety when driving.

Part

parking pawl

"...there's a very tiny teeny weeny piece of metal in the transmission on an automatic that's called a parking pawl..."

The parking pawl is a tiny piece inside the car's transmission that helps keep the car from moving when it's parked. It's not very strong, so it's important to use the parking brake too.

Term

automatic transmission

"that keeps the transmit automatic transmission in park should that little tiny piece of metal..."

An automatic transmission is a system in a car that changes gears for you, so you don't have to do it yourself like in a manual car.

Term

braking system

"you've got to get in and see all the brakes all the components that make up your braking system so it's how I've been"

The braking system is what helps your car slow down or stop. It includes parts like the brake pads and discs that squeeze together to create friction.

5 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