Cold Weather Driving: What Actually Matters ( Mechanic's Winter Survival Checklist )

Good morning, folks! You're tuned into Car Connection, where the coffee's strong, the stories are real, and the wrenches never stop turning.

I'm your host, Niall Motormouth Jenkins, coming to you from the Car Connection Workshop, where the smell of fresh oil in a little elbow grease is all part of our balanced breakfast.

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Something that just kind of pops in my head and I share it with you.

Well, we're going to cover cold weather driving, what actually matters.

That's what we're coming. I have 12 tidbits for you to kind of help you.

I'm looking at the radar. For those who are listening in your warm climates, God bless you.

We're single digits here. In fact, last night on the south shores of Lake Erie, here where we have the studio and the campus.

We call it the campus. Or is it the compound? I think we changed it to compound.

Yeah, we take up a corner, have for decades, and a little more of the corner. But that's okay.

Here on the south shore of Fort Erie, Canada, we get winter. And last night, zero. We hit zero.

I'm looking at the forecast into next week. The work week ahead. There we go. Fixed it.

Or coffee. We'll get there in just a minute. So get yourself ready.

Yeah, single digits. We got really cold the last few days, almost the last week.

And it's getting colder. So I thought this is a perfect time to kind of step back.

I want to give you some reminders, some things that can help you and your car survive the cold weather.

There's some tidbits here that if you implement them, you know what, it's going to save you a lot of headache, a lot of heartache.

Because it's this time of year. Batteries fail instantly. Tires go flat. They're under inflated.

Nobody wants to deal with it because it's cold outside and uncomfortable.

No one wants to fill up the windshield washer jug because it's freezing cold outside and that takes too long.

And the list goes on and on and on. But it's this time of year where things break.

They break if you're in the area where you get real winter, like we do this year.

The temperatures are kind of like old school for us. But it takes some getting used to.

Because we've had a couple of wimpy, gray, wet, rainy winters, kind of blaze, blah.

Yeah, well you're starting to go to McDonald's and say, can I give you 20 bucks just to lay under the apple pie heat lamp for 15 minutes?

Yeah, I need some vitamin D. Exactly. And I remember the one year, I'll tell you, I think I was starting to go banana ramah.

And we had something like almost four months where it was just gray every day.

What you got yesterday, you're getting tomorrow, next week, the week after.

Those people in Alaska, I don't know how you do it.

Up there where my brother-in-law is and he's a mechanic up there in Nineveh, same thing.

I don't know how they do it where, you know, it gets twilight or it gets dark, middle of the day and that's it.

I don't know if I could handle that.

So anyways, before I digress, cold weather driving, what actually matters.

And coming up Monday, you're going to want to stick around for this one.

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Figure out how many weeks that is.

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How you could have learned just a few things, just a few fundamentals that would save you so much headache and heartache.

I can't even tell you enough that getting some basics, regardless of your age group, who you are, or anything.

A small human, big human, older human, wider human, taller human, it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter.

When you've got some basics, you've got some strength.

You've got some knowledge.

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So coming up, our 30 day fuel savings challenge.

It's 30 days back to back.

I'm going to be your coach and your leader and guide you through it.

But it's going to take honesty and commitment.

And I'll tell you this, just on one vehicle in your household, if you pass the 30 day challenge back to back,

minimum, you're going to put $100 a month back in your wallet.

Two cars and two of you taking the challenge, guess what?

That's like $2,400 back in your wallet in 2026.

Got you excited?

It should.

And then on top of all the other tips and nuggets I share with you, if you implement them, it's more money back in your wallet.

I hope you're listening because it all comes from the heart.

Sometimes I might be a little harsh but I'll tell you, I had some really good teachers

and I needed to have a whooping like a bad donkey once in a while, you know, get things back on track.

But that's how I learned and I worked hard at it.

And I did after trade school days at night back to the college to take night school to get better,

to learn more, to be more of an asset to you, not a liability in the service base.

To help you, to get you to understand because I'll tell you what, once you master fleet maintenance,

you're a winner.

You're way beyond your coworkers, your names and your circle of friends because that is the roadmap.

And that's what I figured out in my early 20s when I was doing a lot of work and service work on maintenance vehicles.

Fleet vehicles doing maintenance overhauls.

That's where I developed my checklist that I'm going to share with you.

You'll be able to actually buy that checklist and use it over and over and over and over again.

You will never wear it out.

That's going to save you even more money.

And especially if you've got kids coming up, they're going to have their own car.

That maintenance schedule I created is a gold bar for those kids to learn what vehicle ownership is all about

so they're not trading time for money and making stupid car payments.

And I don't mean to come across that way.

Hey, for you folks that got deep pockets, wheelbarrows full of cash, God bless you.

But for the most part, that's why we added the certified financial planning professionals to our lineup

is to help you to learn how to manage money, get your questions answered and get your money working hard for you

instead of you hard for your money because I'll tell you this from my heart to your ears.

If I knew then what I know now, I'd have been retired at 40 years of age.

I kid you not, I would have had the choice to walk away and say I'm done.

Now it's my turn.

But I did.

I made some mistakes.

You know, mistakes made while you made while you while you wait.

I used to have that sign in my waiting area and Jenkins automotive.

So let's dive in.

I always like to start off with a swiggy.

I think that's a good thing.

So come Monday morning, we are going to be busting.

You ready for it?

The most expensive, cheap maintenance skips.

Things that you overlook that would come back to you again and again putting money back in your wallet.

Back in your wallet.

Hey, with our CFPs, I also want to say they can also teach you how to save for that next car in advance.

How to put money aside to keep the maintenance going on the vehicle you have.

And you know what, folks?

Somebody calls your car a jalopy or a piece of, you know what, POS.

It's okay.

Because you know what, if they're making payments, they're trading time for money.

Their car broke.

They're working to keep that thing.

But when you hop in your car and you've taken care of it and you've looked after the structural integrity,

that means rust proofing every year to keep it solid, keep the rusties away.

Everything else is exchangeable.

You can replace it, repair it or service it.

One and the other.

And that's money in the bank.

Because when you put the key in the ignition, there's no partnership with the bank.

No interest.

So that's what we're going to be taking care of on Monday.

On Monday, we're busting the most expensive cheap maintenance skips on the planet.

So I'm opening up the vault and sharing even more information with you to help put money back in your wallet.

So again, if you're looking to cut expenses on driving an older vehicle and not overspending

and wanting to put money back in your wallet, wanting to keep that vehicle as long as you possibly can,

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All right, are you ready?

Well, let's have a swiggy together.

And it doesn't matter what beverage you have, whatever it is, that's your favorite morning beverage.

I appreciate and respect that.

If you're just going through the drive through, double check your order, lock it down in your cup holder.

I can't tell you how many times I've had my beverage tumble out on the passenger side floor and go,

yeah, that really sucked with a K.

Yeah, that's a mess.

And I don't have my morning beverage and I'm traveling and I don't have time to go back.

Exactly.

So lock it down on 321.

We have a swiggy together and let's get this program rolling this morning as we cover cold weather driving.

What actually matters?

We're going to tear that off.

Ready?

Three, two, one.

That is what I call one of the oz of life, the nectar.

Whatever your nectar is, that's fine with me.

Doesn't matter.

We can always agree to disagree.

That's how I grew up.

You know, my friend Martin and I, we would disagree and then we'd beat the tar out of each other,

rolling around on my parents' front lawn and the neighbors going,

I think they're going to kill each other.

And my pops would go, no, they'll be all right in a few minutes.

Let them go.

And then we'd start laughing.

Then we'd get up.

We got grass stains on us, our elbows and everything.

And some red marks from smacking each other.

And then one of us would say, hey, you want to go to Siebel's and get a cold cola?

Done.

You buying?

Yeah, I'll buy.

All right.

Let's get out of here.

We'd hop on our bikes and away we go.

And you know what?

We'd never remember what we were actually fighting about on the front yard ever.

We'd be having a cold, a cold bottle of Coke, Coca-Cola and going,

what were we arguing about?

Oh, I don't know.

But this is really good, isn't it?

I go, yeah, this is really good.

All right.

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I think Siri is ordering muffins here.

What are you doing, Siri?

Can you wrestle me up a cup of coffee?

Another cup of coffee and one of those donuts with little chocolate sprinkles on?

I didn't think so.

Thank you to Total Freedom Dairy and Center New York and Total Freedom

Sydney, Manitoba, Canada.

They are an addictions campus.

And in Sydney, Manitoba, the directors are Rick and Robin, let me tell you.

They have a story to tell when it comes to addictions.

And that's a men-only campus.

Total Freedom Dairy and Center New York is a larger campus.

That's for men and women.

Are you okay over there or what?

Don't you make me come over there, Siri?

I'll pinch you.

There, she's gone now.

That usually doesn't.

When I say I'm going to pinch you, she disappears.

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It's heartbreaking to watch the person go through it.

It's heartbreaking to be kind of in their line of fire when

they're not doing well.

It's the addiction.

It's not them because, you know what?

You've got to love them anyway.

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And you can check them out on the homepage of our website.

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All right, let's jump in.

You're ready.

You've got your crayons ready.

Pass over that 16-pack of crayola crayons to your

passenger if they're with you.

If not, you can listen and re-listen on our I Heart Radio

link.

You can click on that link on the homepage of our website.

So we always fold up a leaf bag to make it look like a laptop.

And then your passenger really feels special because

they're, you know, they're taking notes for you.

Number one, here we go.

Cold weather driving.

What actually matters?

I had to rattle my brain a little bit and I could have

probably put down 25 things, but I knew that would take

up way too much time.

I condensed them into 12.

12 of what I feel are the tightest things that you need

to be all over, like axle on a donut.

If you've ever seen that, it's messy.

Yeah, it will leave some visuals in your mind for

quite a while.

It's a friendly dog, but when it came to a donut,

that donut never had a chance at all.

So number one, vehicle warm up time is critical.

You know, we're in the single digits and metal is cold.

The fluids are cold.

The fluids that are protecting very expensive mechanical

components like engines, transmissions,

drive lines, yeah, big time, big ticket money items.

We do not want to break them because we didn't give

them the time to warm up.

It's critical.

Doesn't mean you got to leave the thing running for

half an hour, 50 minutes like one of my neighbors.

One of these times I'm going to wrap my some leftovers

up in some Reynolds wrap, aluminum foil,

go over open the hood and put it on their exhaust manifold

so they can heat up my lunch for me.

Yeah, because I'm not big on microwaves.

So that would be like, what do you call it?

What am I thinking of?

It'll come to me in a minute.

Convection oven.

Yes, convection oven.

Yeah.

My pops has this thing.

It's a heat something.

Cooks all his food in there.

Let me know what you think that is.

But he loves it.

He loves it.

I'm thinking, yeah, they're going to let that baby run

for half an hour, 50 minutes.

I could get my lunch pre-warmed.

So you don't need to do that.

And I'll use myself as an example.

This afternoon I had to go out to the MTO

getting a vehicle registered, getting our 2008 Nissan Rogue

actually is officially in my name, insured,

played it on the road, ready to do business,

toodle around the town and take care of business force.

And it runs on farts in a jar of that thing.

I tell you, it's fabulous.

It's fabulous.

And yeah, it has a list of preordained issues,

but I'll be well ahead of those already.

And I am.

So I had to go to the MTO or DOT, whatever you call it.

Everybody's different on that.

License Bureau.

There you go.

Commonality.

To get all the paperwork done

and pick up the slips at the insurance guy.

And that's all done in town now, which is fabulous.

I don't have to go out of town for my insurance guys.

I put everything in town now,

and that just makes things a whole lot easier.

So anyways, I was taking the FJ, and it was stone cold.

I had the Nissan Rogue running this afternoon,

clearing it off so I could take pictures for the insurance.

We had to have a north, south, east and west picture

for the insurance to make sure that you can't

climb into it outside with the doors closed.

Yeah, that kind of thing.

So I fired up the FJ and locked it down, of course.

Don't leave it to something with the...

If you want to keep it,

you better not leave it running with the keys in it.

It's just that's the world we live in.

So I thought, well, I'll get it started.

Go get myself dressed up

and get all my gear ready to go out the door.

It'll be about 15, 20 minutes.

That's perfect.

If it's really, really cold,

you might want to go a little bit more.

A little bit more.

I would probably...

I'd probably be closer to 25 minutes.

20, 25 minutes.

And then down the road.

Because you know what?

I don't want to break anything huge mechanical,

either, because it's cha-ching.

Yeah.

And my last name's not, you know,

Ford or Rockefeller.

Yeah.

Or Vanderbilt.

Yeah.

It's just not.

That's what I'm saying.

If I lose...

If I lost two bucks in the driveway,

I'm going to trip you getting there to find it.

So that's number one.

Vehicle warm-up time is critical.

And what that means is

when you leave the driveway

or the parking lot wherever you are,

don't beat on that car

like it's a bad donkey

or like you stole it.

Give it a chance

to get totally warmed up

to what we call normal engine operating temperature,

195 degrees Fahrenheit on all vehicles.

Unless it's one of those

electric plug-in things,

which I don't talk about.

Someday I will.

Yeah.

And you probably won't like me,

but just the same.

We all got to do our own homework.

And I know too much.

That's the problem on that area.

Anyhow,

you want to let that vehicle warm up slowly,

don't beat on it.

Give it a chance.

Watch the temperature gauge.

Most of you know where the needle is

when it's warmed up.

That's when, you know what,

you can put the hammer down.

But if you beat on the car too soon,

you're probably going to break something.

Something will break eventually

over the winter

and it's going to cost you.

So you don't want to take money out of your wallet.

We want to stuff it back in.

Number two, engine oil.

It's got to be cleaned and serviced.

If you didn't get an oil change

heading into the fall,

here's what I usually recommend to everyone

in the fall, regardless of if it's due or not,

go into the winter months

with a fresh oil change.

Period.

Top notch filter.

No cheapies, guys.

No cheapies.

Step up to the plate.

I don't care what color it is.

If it ain't my brand,

I will not put it on anything I drive

or anything I build.

And you probably ask,

what do you use?

I like the...

I've always liked and always used

Wix filters.

Top drawer.

Absolutely.

No $299 filter

or drive-through oil change filter.

Yeah, you might as well stuff a thing

of toilet paper into a can

and spin it on there.

Yeah.

You're protecting a very expensive component, folks.

That's what you got to know.

Yeah.

If you're the goalie for the Dart team,

do you just want, you know,

an apron on?

Yeah.

You know, like a man chef apron.

You think that's going to help you?

No.

It's going to stink and hurt.

And there's going to be blood marks.

You're going to want something tougher.

Well, that's what I say with oil filters.

You want something tougher

to protect that engine

at all costs.

So no cheapie oil changes.

No cheapie motor oil

and no cheapie oil filters

or filters, period, or fluids.

Top drawer the best of the best

because you know what that's going to do?

Put money back in your wallet.

It's going to keep that vehicle running

long-term

because the winter is very hard on vehicles.

This is the, you know, if you live

like we do with frozen mucklucks

and dog sleds frozen to the ground

winter long here in Canada,

you know what winter can be like.

We can have weeks and weeks of cold

but not like minus 40

where my brother-in-law is in Nunavut.

Minus 40, minus 44

since September

and zero visibility.

He's gone two weeks, home for two weeks

working on humongous

mining equipment

just monster stuff

like bigger than stuff I've ever seen.

So number three

we need more blow

not show.

What does that mean?

The cabin air filter.

If your vehicle is equipped with a cabin air filter

you need all the blow you can get

coming out of the vents

for defrost especially this time of year.

You need the hardest defrost fan

speed you can get.

If you can get fifth gear out of that fan motor

you force it to fifth gear

and you need lots of air flow.

So if the cabin air filter is restricted

it's taking way too long

to get the defrost mode to work properly.

And if you want to watch some cool videos

that's what I have to fix on the

97 Jeep TJ Wrangler rescue.

We rescued it from the crusher.

There's a whole series of videos there

and we're moving along on this project

and it's all about

maintenance neglect.

That's what put the vehicle in the wrecking yard

in the first place was maintenance neglect.

So everything we've been doing

is maintenance that was just

left behind for somebody else to do.

And that's what we're going to talk about on Monday.

The most expensive

cheap

maintenance

skips.

Things you skip

that will put a lot more money back in your wallet.

So engine air filter

top drawer. Again

no cheapies guys

and gals wicks.

They don't pay for any of my programs

they're not a sponsor but you know what

when I worked on a race car

when I was in my early 20s

as an apprentice

that's all we use.

That's all we used all the time

was wicks filters

and that's kind of in my blood

they make a great product

and I give them a kudos for that.

Don't ever change it guys

otherwise

I will hunt you down

yes

like a bad bad donkey

when I when I catch up with you

I love my wicks filters

so cabin filters

engine filters

oil filters

use wicks

you can count on them

qualities there.

Number four

transmission service

if that oil is filthy dirty

it's thick

and I don't care if it's synthetic

don't even try and sell me that

because I'll take your lunch

and your milk money all at the same time

it gets dirty

it picks up particles

it thermally breaks down

just like everything else

it has a date stamp

by mileage or time

and it doesn't last

the lifetime of a vehicle

whatever that is

nobody's ever really been able to identify that

for me because what I know

to be lifetime is the day

your manufacturer's warranty runs out

either by time or mileage

that's what everybody's

brainwashed into thinking is lifetime

that's it right there folks

you're getting nothing

not a zippo bupkus

zilch

once you hit the mileage

or the time by month

or mileage then your warranty's void

then it's your dime

but anything wear and tear

that's your dime anyway under warranty

unless you have an amazing

bumper-to-bumper warranty which

I don't even think exists anymore

Hyundai might be the only one that

they were the ones that started that

they were the only ones that had bumper-to-bumper

warranty for a hundred thousand

seven year hundred thousand

that was uncanny

so transmission service

not just a gush

and flush you know bad blood

out good blood in

those are great machines but you know what

you're not changing the filter

you're not inspecting the transmission

that means nothing to me

it's kind of like cutting the lawn in the middle of July

it's 93 degrees high humidity

you go in the house you take a nice shower

you're all nice and clean and put your dirty clothes

back on

exactly

for what?

exactly why do you even have the shower

if you're going to put your dirty clothes back on

so why would I even just go ahead

and put clean fluid in there

if I'm not going to inspect the transmission pan

for particles see if I've got something

nasty waiting for me

and clean it out

and change the filter

put a clean one in there

and or remove it

it's a removable screen wash it out

in mineral spirits clean it up

and put it back in

bang that's a service

and in the winter that transmission oil

gets thick when it's dirty

and if you haven't done a transmission oil service

in 50k

listen up

your day is coming

when that transmission will put that car in the wrecking yard

yes siri

just go to a you pull it wrecking yard

and have a look

how nice the vehicles are in there

it's either motor or transmission

right there

when you see how much it's going to be

and you go wow it's already 10 years old

I don't want to put that kind of money into it

off to the wreckers

you know what I was thinking

would be a really cool video

would be going to the you pull it

would you let us pick any vehicle we want

and then get all the parts

we're going to need to put it back together

and put it back together

and then donate it to somebody

I think that would be

a really cool video and I would love

doing that

I really would pull in all the parts we need

collecting them all up

harvesting them all up

get the vehicle back to the shop

and go to it

and get it done

I don't know if it's possible

but I think it would be absolutely amazing

number 5

cooling system

last time service

never

for the cooling system which is

the number one most neglected is

it's not just about will the antifreeze

freeze

will it freeze up on me

what is it good to

minus temperature wise

if that's all you're considering

there's a lot more to the cooling system

than what meets the eye

if you really want to learn about the cooling system

go to our YouTube channel

I've got videos up there

I think I was in the first 50 that we did

the cooling system

walking through the cooling system

showing you what happens when a cooling system fails

and that was

the death blow

to the 1997 Jeep TJ Wrangler

that we rescued from the crusher

the death blow was

the cooling system failed big time

blew the motor up

blew it up big time

and we share all that on the YouTube channel

in the series and you can look that up

testing antifreeze

looking for how am I testing it

what does it mean

what does it mean to you

those are the things you have to know

number six

tire pressures

this is huge

this puts money back in your pocket

instantly remember I talked about at the beginning of the program

30 day fuel savings

challenge coming up in February

we're going to do that after

family day which is I think

16, 17 February

we'll get that out of the way and then we're heading towards spring

right March

I'm hoping like March 1st we're done with this

white stuff and this freezing cold

I'm ready for shorts

and t-shirts and warm weather

and the top down

yeah baby

that's where it happens

just don't smile

tire pressures this one's going to blow you away

if you haven't heard it already

and I'll keep reminding you of these things

because they're simple things

you can do to put money back

in your wallet

so when you're out there trading time for money

home to work home to work home to work

home to work home to work

and then do it again next week

that's what I'm talking about

that's getting on the hamster wheel

jumping off lick the little ball

get a pellet jump back on

can we picture that

yeah we want to put as much money

back in your wallet as possible

so that you're working

you're not working hard for your money

your money's working hard

for you

here it is write this down

for every one

PSI pressure loss

in one tire

one

that's a 2% fuel economy

reduction right there

tires being dragged down the road instead of rolling

there's friction

friction creates heat

friction creates drag

and yeah

physics

you know I'm one of those wackos

that really like physics class

I really did I thoroughly enjoyed it

a lot of my buddies go something's wrong

with you motor mouth

I learned a lot in physics class

friction

and formulas

all that stuff is in my world

being an automotive service tech

trucks and equipment

like truck and passenger vehicles

I hated math

I know that's a tough word but yeah

I did I absolutely loathed it

and typing

yeah and all that stuff

I'm doing it now like all the time

every day math

formulas figuring stuff out

doing figures yeah

doing my own accounting and book work and stuff

it's there in front of my face

all the time

so this one's easy to figure out

so for

every one PSI

under inflated on one tire

you're losing 2% fuel economy

is it worth checking

your tire pressures and making sure

they're right where they should be and especially

in this cold weather tire pressures

change like crazy

because the molecules

air molecules shrink

and they drift through the sidewall

tires so when the colder it gets outside

the easier it is for the air

to escape through the sidewall

tires naturally leak

sorry to tell you

not all vehicles have TPMS

tire pressure monitoring system and most people

don't pay attention to it anyway

my pops is one of them hey pops

your TPMS lights flashing

oh yeah we're booting down the highway

yeah doing a buck something

and I go like you think

we should probably get off at like the next

rest center and just have a

have a peekaboo

oh that's alright

well how does stinking how do you stinking

know it's okay just looking

at it flashing yeah it's alright it's not saying

yeah don't worry buddy I'm okay

no that's up to you you got to go to

the next level you got to find out what's going

on there so for

every one PSI under

inflated 2% fuel economy

reduction how many tires does your

vehicle have

and I did I did a

presentation to some

big companies trucking companies

that have like almost 400

units

to their fleet and I

I did the math

formula just on one

truck with one trailer

and under inflation

what that vehicle is costing them

in fuel economy

without having blown tire and causing

an accident which

puts the cost higher on that particular

vehicle

they blew a gasket going holy smokes

are you freaking kidding me and I go

nobody's ever your tire guy never showed

you this

the guy that comes in and services your tires

does he go around pumping them up

make sure all the trailers have all

the tire pressure set

you might want to

have a little chitty chat about that

number seven

didn't make me popular with the tire

guy in a good way

yeah coffee and a donut

did not help just saying

number seven

another killer when it comes

to cold weather

driving what actually matters batteries

batteries

if the vehicle's

sitting you don't mind if I have a swiggy do

you

yeah that was

worthy thank you

go ahead help yourself

batteries discharge

I just went through this

single mom

said I think my batteries

gone dead on my

vehicle what should I do I said can you

get what you know

you got to get one of your fellas your son

or whoever to pull that out

no

didn't happen so I'm thinking you know

what I'm going to be out that way

no I'm just going to go get it

because to wreck a perfectly

good battery just doesn't make sense

and car batteries

I just pulled the battery out of my little

Honda because I'm not going to use it for the winter

it's off the road now officially

now we have the rogue on

oh eight rogue all wheel drive

it's such a beautiful car

I really don't want it out in the salt

and everything anymore it's

I did some custom stuff to it this year

and it's it's looking really good it's spotless

inside looks like brand new

new headliner in it

a new to me anyway I got some salvage

stuff anyhow that's

a story for another time so

it's officially off the road I pulled the battery out

and it's good thing I did because the batteries down

went to like 10.4

should be 12.6

to 13.4 volts

the battery was sinking

in the cold weather so it's it's on low

charge it sat for 48 hours

to warm up I went

and got that battery out of the

van brought it back to the shop

and let it warm up again

for 48 hours so that it

room temperature for sure

and if there was anything in there

starting to freeze we can get it let it

just naturally unfreeze

don't boost and go

folks that'll kill the battery

it heats up the plates

in the battery buckles them and then

that batteries done

if it survives four months you'll be lucky

because that's what kills it

boost and go

alternators I'm going to repeat this

a million times for the amount of time

you tune in it is not

a battery charger alternator is

not a battery charger

armchair warriors never has been

never will be forever

and ever amen period

it is designed

to

run the electricity

to every accessory

that vehicle is equipped to that's

the purpose of an alternator

it is not

a battery charger

not

although go ahead

boost and go you will pay

the price because you're overheating the alternator

it's working way too hard

thinking it's trying to run accessories

when it's trying to fill up a battery

and put the charge back in

that burns out

the electronics inside

the alternator in no time flat

and if you don't think

that that's true

boost it get it started

and try putting your hand on the alternator

without an oven mitt on

yeah you can make a grill

cheeser in about

one minute on that alternator

you're going to fry it and alternators

aren't cheap

not a dollar ninety nine

or two for four hundred

bucks not going to happen

purpose of an alternator

to provide electricity

to every single accessory

in the vehicle

once the car started

purpose of the battery

is to store electricity

to get the vehicle

cranked over

via the ignition

and the starter motor

once the engine fires and starts running

the alternator says

okay I'm ready

when you are

to turn the accessories on

so once the engine starts

there's been voltage removed from the battery

so the purpose

of the alternator at that very moment

is to put back

the electricity that was removed

to get the engine cranked and started

once the

standing voltage has been met

12.6 to 13.4

the alternator goes

I'm done here

you're okay guys

you're okay fella

to the battery

now it's waiting for whatever accessory

you turn on it's providing electricity

so as the engine is running

and all the computers are lit

the alternator is providing electricity

to those components

exactly

that's what it does

nothing else

you treat it like a battery charger

you are going to go down that road

where it's going to fail

the alternator is going to fail to the overheating

burning out the

circuit board inside

and it's over

and yes, she's singing

that's right

so that is what you got to be careful of

so batteries

discharge

when a vehicle is not being used at 2%

per day

so here's your figurinis

get your crayon

if the

standing voltage on any car battery

is we're going to tie it off

at 13.4

volts

so if we were to put a meter on the battery

we should see

13.4 volts

if we've got a super healthy battery

so

for every day

the vehicles parked

you can subtract

and especially in the weather

super hot outside

resistance is high when it comes to electricity

and a battery still

just charges

the heat draws the voltage out of the battery

kills it

you can lose a battery in the summer just as quick as you can in the winter

proven

happened to me

just died

on a super hot day

done

over

yep, she was singing

at 13.4

that's let's say

used like a bank account

so it's 13.4

is in the bank

every day the vehicles not

used in the freezing cold

that battery will lose 2%

of that voltage so you can subtract

2%

so figure out

13.4

times 0.02

that's going to tell you how much voltage

per day the vehicles not being used

is going to be missing out of that battery

it's discharging

here's what happened

the battery I went to go and rescue

and I knew that battery was

no more than 2 years old

but nobody seemed to be paying

attention to it and I was like you know what

not on my watch

batteries are like that little battery that goes in our

Honda

250 bucks for this thing

it's smaller than a lunch box

and nothing else fits there

250 bucks

and there's nothing else you can put in there

it won't fit

the cavity that goes in is

Chocoblock

it's this or nothing

so do I want to lose that battery

heck no

absolutely not

it's only 2 years old

and the battery I went to rescue

is marked February 2nd

2024

so it looks like it's coming back alive

but if I had not

gone to rescue it

that day it would have frozen solid

it would have been frozen like a cinder block

and yes

she's singing it's over

don't even bother trying

to let it thaw out and charge

because the casing usually puffs out

and that is a big indicator

that it's done

what happens is

when a battery starts to get down to around

10.4, 9.6

the H2SO4

which is the

which is the acid to keep it simple

I'll keep it simple terms

the acid

chemical composition

when a battery is fully charged is H2SO4

when the battery discharges

and starts

to get too low

the H2O

and SO4 separate

so it's no longer H2SO4

it's H2O

space

SO4

and the lower the voltage gets

that gets further apart

H2O

SO4

are you getting it

I know you are, you're sharp

so

when the water separates out

it freezes instantly in this weather

it doesn't need to ask

it doesn't need a couple of days

put a cup of water outside

and check it out, do you want to try it

and have some fun with it

get a hot cup of water

and throw it up in the air tonight

and let your kids see what happens

it's amazing

it has to be hot water

throw it up in the air and watch what happens

it turns into snow

instantly, it's crazy

so your battery doesn't turn into snow

it turns into a giant ice cube

the battery is killed

just like that

so if I hadn't said to myself

I'm not going to let that battery fail for that lady

I'm going to go get it

and I did, I went and grabbed it

I had some errands to do in town

and I thought I'll just scoot out there

grab my tools, take my stuff

take it out

and I did

and it's back here, it looks like it's going to be okay

so remember batteries

discharge at 2% per day

go, still needs

get that thing where it needs to go

and get that battery out

and let it warm up

and get it properly charged

here's how it's done

you don't hit the high button

on the charger

nice and slow, like a 10 amp

trickle charger overnight

then the next day

I take it off for an hour

then I'll pretest it

I call that the one hour charge test

I don't ram my heavy commercial

battery charger to it because

it's too much

too, it's too much too fast

and I can buckle the plates and kill

a perfectly good battery that I could get

to come back with some patience

so I put my 10 amp

trickle charger on it for 24 hours

take it off for an hour

and then I just do a quick check

to see where my voltage is

and if the voltage is coming up under load

then I know this battery has a great chance

to come back

put it back on the trickle charge

for another 12 hours

and test it again

and watch it come up

that's exactly what I did to it

slow charge

same with the battery that came out of the Honda

same thing, slow charge

that's what you want to do

no boost and go

and buddy says

you know how long it takes

for that alternator to cook away

charge that battery back to standing voltage

13.6 volts

12.6 to 13.4

actually

if you get one that's 13.6

that is a really strong battery

it will take

60 days of

driving

so 60 days of driving

you're cooking

your alternator working it like a battery

charger you know what I got to say to that

brilliant

just brilliant

not really

so boost and go

is not a good idea

battery is dead

get it out of there

and get it into the warmth

24 hours and start charging it

slow 10 amps

for 12

another 10 amps for 12

and test

alright number 8 let's whiz through these ones

they're all pretty much basic

minus 45 washer fluid

nothing less prevent freeze up

and slushing I notice

which is great and super to see

is a lot of the stores now

are carrying and even the

the fuel filling centers

I was up in London on Tuesday

and they had skids of it outside

and it was actually not bad

price was 6.99

if you bought two jugs and you know what

you might as well because you're going to use it anyway

but that's not a bad price for minus

45 I thought that was really being fair

so nothing less than

minus 45 I suggest

run it all year round that's what I do and then I

don't have to think about a freeze up

and I find it works so much better to get the

bug guts off the window

number 9 wipers

make sure they're free

and if they're not

like when I went to pick up the rogue

the wipers were non-existent

it had wet snowed

a couple days before

it rained a little bit here and then everything froze solid

guess what

that was the day I had to go and pick it up

so there was no way

I was getting those wipers off the windshield

by beating them to death with a snow brush

they're brand new wipers

no thanks

waste of money then you're going to break them

use cold water

or de-icer

and just pour it along there

and get the wipers loose

but the best thing you can do is to get into the habit

and get the wipers up

just make that habit

it's 21 days to make or break a habit

that is a really good one

so you don't cost yourself money

breaking things in

the wiper mechanism

the transmission, the wiper motor, the pivots

the arms themselves

it just gets ugly fast

and yeah it's going to take money out of your wallet

number 10

keep your engine bay

that's the front

out of the wind

wind chill

on the battery will save your batteries

life

will save your batteries life

which

shortens the battery life

when it's in the wind chill

so it's being hit by that freezing cold air

so you want to do yourself a favor

also if the snow is blowing

and drifting

get the nose of the car out of the wind

I've had it myself

where I wasn't able to get back to my vehicle

I was working at a shop

and I couldn't get out of the plant

to go in and

flip it around

when I got out there at shift change

I opened the hood

it was flat with snow

I mean totally flat

it had been blowing

and drifting all day

I had to dig my motor out

by hand

before I could start it

so you want to park

check the wind direction

lick the finger

or a scar for something

and put the front of the car

out of the wind

some people say if I need a boost

we can get to it from the side

simple as that

number 11

fuel level

it's worth keeping

the tank full folks

E doesn't mean

to stand for enough

a full fuel tank

means that there's no air

up above the fuel line

because

air means water

there's moisture in the air

and it will condense and you'll have water

in your fuel

because what happens is the fuel

is a different temperature than the

air above the fuel line

water droplets

form on the inside of the fuel tank

and guess what

they drip into the fuel

that's a huge problem

so keep your tank full

I just did that tonight

took the FJ up to the license

bureau

I noticed I'm just under half

I topped it off while I was uptown

guess what

I got to put fuel in it anyway

we all got to put fuel in these things anyway

make a habit

that will save you money

water in the fuel

and that is a huge challenge

right now in the sub zero

temperatures we're in

ice crystals form in the fuel system

we'll plug the fuel filter and it's car no go

or you just can't accelerate

at all there's no power

so you can't

you can't drive it

number 12 last but not least we'll sew it up with this one

thank you to rainbow motors and

garage for making car connection

workshop possible here on

radio and all podcasting

platforms wherever you get your podcast

pulled from sales

and service you can trust always

Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Rita and remission

the brothers up there take care of

all years make some models

a vehicle including up to light

commercial vehicles that's what they do

they've been a part of car connection for many years

and we appreciate them

sales and service you

can trust rainbow motors and garage

city auto sales and leasing

you have a new family waiting for you there

Earl and Louise Grant husband and wife team

been in the pre-owned vehicle

business for almost 25 years

I think it may be a little bit over now

sales and leasing

low mileage vehicles

quality vehicles at fair prices

they have earned the title of

greater Toronto area's premier

pre-owned auto store if they don't have what you're looking for

same with that rainbow motors

let them know what you are looking for

in a vehicle if they don't have it

let them do the legwork

they have the resources to source it for you

and they're not going to sell any junk

if it's junk they're going to leave it right where it is

city auto sales and leasing

buy with confidence be treated with nothing

but honesty and integrity

and thank you to Niagara block

at 5000 Montrose road Niagara Falls

Canada building Canada

since 1931

building supplies and hardscape

landscaping materials

to help you create that amazing

backyard oasis

that you've always wanted

they can connect you with contractors

that can start the job finish the

job and it will look stunning

outstanding so check in

with the Greenwell family

at Niagara block

Montrose road Niagara Falls

building Canada since 1931

and thank you to our certified

financial planning professionals Tony Maley

Larry Tietral 50 years

experience as fiduciaries

working with IG wealth management

these guys are two of the best in all of Canada

they're my brothers from other

mothers and they are

my personal financial planners

I've known them for over 20 years

and when I say they can get the job done

yes they can

so excuses are useless

they'll review a portfolio

whatever size it is

put together a debt

retirement plan a state planning

the powers of attorney the whole nine yards

that's not something you do yourself

that's all I'm going to say about that

it is not a cake mix in a box folks

mortgages they arrange mortgages

I've had a mortgage with IG wealth

management now going on 15

years plus wouldn't think

of going anywhere else

great rates excellent team

to work with life insurance

critical illness insurance

and you have access to all that

and a review and a discovery

meeting complimentary

because you know car connection

and you know me we have

nicknamed it the hour in the coffee

so don't be shy

no more excuses

book that hour in a coffee and get your questions

answered from those who can help you

their certified financial

planning professionals and they

Tony and Larry

both know what they're doing connect

and make it so

all right I think I have do I have one more

yes I do

number 12

this one is more to me is most

important of all through the winter months

I want you guys and gals to be safe out there

I don't want to hear of any mishaps

because it just takes a split second

take your eyes off the road

or think that you're invisible

invincible in your car and you're not

change and adjust

your driving habits to suit

the road conditions

and lend room to each other

courtesy

extend courtesy

no road rage here

park your emotions when the roads

are slippery and slick

people will slow down

they're cautious they're afraid

you don't know what's happened to them in the past

maybe they've had a really bad wreck and they're

nervous they're a nervous driver

get off their butts

stop being a goof and an idiot

trying to make them go faster

and you know what

just park your emotions

if you want to drive fast and foolish

you go right ahead

I give you permission to do so

because I don't care

if I'm on the road I'm a cautious driver

sometimes I'm a little nervous

and the heavy stuff because it takes

only but a minute

to change your entire world

and the world of someone else

so lend room to each other

extend courtesy

and to the road crews

the guys are trying

to do their job to keep us safe

out there let's give them the

courtesy of doing so

yeah and those of you

who I've seen with

just horrendous behavior

towards the road crews trying to keep us

safe shame on you

don't be one of those don't

peace

patience and kindness

always always

it's time

to stop the division

it's time to become loving

and caring and courteous

to one another always

not just sometimes

always because you never know

when you need a friend

so till next time

have a great weekend

we'll see you Monday morning

same time went a little longer

today but these were things that

I feel are very important for you

to know that can help you out there

in the cold weather I don't want to hear

of anyone getting stranded

getting frostbite because it can happen

it's really really cold out there

and any naked skin you're going to get

frostbite now tell you I've had it

it is not fun it's not something

I would wish on anyone

so remember everything we talk about

lives at our website it's the biggest

drawer in our toolbox

at carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com

have a great weekend

see you Monday morning as we cover

the most

expensive, cheap

maintenance skips

another method to put money back in your wallet

drive safe, keep it under 100

and put that coffee on

I'm going to come to your house

Cold Weather Driving: What Actually Matters ( Mechanic's Winter Survival Checklist )

About this episode

Jeep Wrangler

Nissan Rogue

battery

cold weather

tires

jalopy

rust proofing

Nissan 2008 Nissan

Toyota FJ Cruiser

engine oil

Wix filters

cabin air filter

maintenance neglect

engine air filter

cabin filters

engine filters

oil filters

transmission service

bumper-to-bumper warranty

transmission pan

transmission oil service

cooling system

PSI

fuel economy

tire pressure

TPMS

headliner

salvage title

volts

boost and go

Dodge Charger

trickle charger

voltage

wipers

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