Fleet Thinking for Personal Vehicles: How to Make Your Car Last like a Fleet Truck
Car Connection Workshop
Fleet Thinking for Personal Vehicles: How to Make Your Car Last like a Fleet Truck
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Car
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep Wrangler is a tough, off-road vehicle that many people love for adventures like camping and trail driving. It's known for being able to handle rough terrain and has a classic look that many fans appreciate.
Car
Nissan Rogue
The Nissan Rogue is a small SUV that is known for being roomy and good on gas. It's popular because it has a lot of features that make driving easier and safer. People talk about it because it has been updated recently to make it even better.
Concept
fleet companies
Fleet companies are businesses that own and manage many vehicles, like cars or trucks, to use for their operations. They keep these vehicles for a long time to save money before selling them.
Concept
auction
An auction is a place where items, like cars, are sold to the person who offers the most money. Companies often sell their old vehicles this way to get some money back.
Term
shunt
A shunt is a way to connect parts of a car's electrical system so that if one part is broken, the others can still work. It's like a temporary fix until you can replace the broken part.
Car
Jeep TJ
The Jeep TJ is a version of the Jeep Wrangler made between 1997 and 2006. It's built for off-roading and is known for being tough and reliable.
Term
neutral safety switch
The neutral safety switch is a part that makes sure your car can only start when it's in neutral or park. This helps prevent accidents by stopping the car from moving unexpectedly when you start it.
Term
retained value
Retained value is how much money you can get back when you sell a car after owning it for a while. Some cars keep their value better than others.
Term
one owner
A 'one owner' car means that only one person has owned it before you. This can be a good sign that the car was taken care of well.
Car
Toyota FJ Cruiser
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a tough-looking SUV that was made for off-roading and adventure. It has a cool, vintage style and is very capable on rough terrain. People miss it because it was discontinued, and many think it should come back.
Term
400,000 kilometer club
The '400,000 kilometer club' is a way to describe cars that have driven very long distances, specifically over 400,000 kilometers. Being part of this club shows that the car is very reliable.
Concept
Fleet Service Maintenance program
It's a way to keep cars in good shape by following a regular schedule for repairs and check-ups. This helps save money in the long run by preventing bigger problems.
Term
daily driver
It's the car you use every day to get to work or go shopping. It's usually reliable and practical for daily use.
Car
Hyundai Accent
The Hyundai Accent is a small car that is easy on the wallet and gets good gas mileage. It's a great choice for people who want something affordable and reliable for everyday driving. Many like it because it has a lot of space inside for a small car.
Car
Buick Century
The Buick Century is a type of car made by the Buick brand. It is known for being comfortable and having a lot of space inside, which many families like.
Term
drivable
If a car is drivable, it means you can drive it without any major problems. It has all the important parts working, like the engine and brakes.
Term
working out bugs
When someone says they are 'working out bugs,' it means they are fixing small problems with the car to make sure everything works well. This is often needed after repairs.
Concept
fleet maintenance
Fleet maintenance means taking care of a group of vehicles, like cars or trucks, to keep them running well for a long time. It helps prevent problems and saves money on repairs.
Term
blown motor
A blown motor means the engine has broken down completely and can't work anymore. This usually happens because of overheating or not having enough oil.
Term
harvested parts
Harvested parts are pieces taken from other cars to fix or replace parts in a different car. This is a common way to save money when repairing vehicles.
Term
100% reliability
When someone talks about a vehicle being 100% reliable, they mean it works perfectly and won't break down. It usually requires regular check-ups and fixing any problems that come up.
Term
gear ratio
Gear ratio is how the gears in a car work together to make it go faster or have more power. It's important for things like driving in mud or up hills.
Term
four banger
A 'four banger' is a type of engine that has four cylinders. These engines are usually smaller and use less fuel.
Term
sticker price
The sticker price is the price shown on a car's window when you go to buy it. It's the amount the manufacturer thinks the car should sell for.
Term
T-bone
A T-bone accident happens when one car hits another car from the side, making a 'T' shape. It's a dangerous type of crash because the side of the car has less protection than the front or back.
Term
MSRP
MSRP is the price that the car maker suggests the dealer should sell the car for. It's like a starting point for how much a new car should cost, but the actual price can be different.
Term
PDI
PDI means Pre-Delivery Inspection. It's a check done on a car before you buy it to make sure everything works well and there are no problems.
Concept
fleet thinking
Fleet thinking is about looking at cars as part of a group, like a company's cars, and thinking about how to take care of them all together to save money and time.
LIVE
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, a little elbow grease,
is all part of a balanced breakfast.
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 Nissan Rogue getting its brakes back in order,
or a mystery leak that's got everyone scratching their heads.
This is where we roll up our sleeves and get it done,
with a little wit, a little wisdom, and a whole lot of fun.
The Car Connection isn't just about nuts, bolts,
and diagnostics, it's about connection.
Connection to our vehicles, to the people who drive them,
and to the community that keeps Niagara rolling.
Because when you fix a car, you're not just turning a wrench,
you're restoring someone's confidence, freedom,
and maybe even their sanity.
We're here every week, Monday through Saturday,
with the Motormouth Morning Drive,
helping you keep your ride safe, reliable,
and ready for whatever road lies ahead.
So whether you're a weekend wrencher, a daily commuter,
or someone who just wants to understand
what that strange rattle really means.
So welcome aboard, stick around for some shop talk,
expert advice, few good laughs, and maybe a story or two.
Because I do have flashbacks, that's true.
Am I on my own on that one?
Well thank you for welcoming me into your vehicle,
or wherever it is that you're sitting and enjoying
this morning's podcast, the Motormouth Morning Drive.
And you may be heading through the drive-through,
grabbing your favorite morning beverage,
check your, recheck your order, check it, and recheck it.
What is it?
Measure once, cut three times, something like that.
So check it once, report back three times,
lock that down in your cup holder,
and keep an eye on the other guy, one eye on the road,
one eye on your co-pilot if you have one,
pass them over the 16 pack of crayola crayons,
and the folded up leaf bag,
so that they can take some notes for you.
Just tell them it's a high tech new laptop.
Yeah, it's touch and go, it requires crayons
to work properly.
All right, let's have a swiggy together this morning.
Are you ready?
If you're just joining us for the first time,
we are located on the south shore of Fort Erie,
and we'll have the daily weather report
for you coming up next.
And thank you to Total Freedom Addiction Campuses,
Canada and USA for providing a safe place for those
that are going through addictions and ready to deal with it,
because there's a new life waiting for them there.
At the Total Freedom Campuses, Canada and USA.
All right, we count it down on three, two, one,
and we have a swiggy together.
So whatever your morning beverage is,
we don't need to know, that's your special deal.
We go for the high octane here
in the car connection workshop.
We do not believe in turkey bacon and decaffeinated coffee.
We can't, we've been all over it, we can't figure it out.
So three, two, one,
it's even hot this morning.
How did that happen?
I forgot it.
Can you believe that?
Have you ever poured yourself a morning beverage
and kind of cruised on doing your,
whatever your diddies are to get out the door?
And you go, where's my cup of joe?
And then you got to go find it.
Yeah, that was me today.
I set it down.
It was right where I poured it.
I'm looking all over and going,
maybe I put it on the work bench
because I was out in the shop this morning.
Nope.
Okay.
I went to check on the plants, my shamrocks,
because I'm trying to make them blossom
for the upcoming, you guessed it, on the 17th next month.
Mm-hmm, yeah.
I'm working towards that with my shamrocks.
So hopefully, but my coffee cup was not there.
I found it right where I poured it and left it.
So anyhow, let's move along this morning.
Our morning weather brought to us by Total Freedom,
Addiction Campuses Canada and USA.
What do we got going on this morning?
Well, I had a little peek-a-boo.
I gotta admit, I stuck my head out
along with the workshop Willie,
our very own groundhog.
He's still hanging around.
I think he likes donuts.
I think that's the problem here.
20 degrees right now, and I only talk in Fahrenheit,
just so you know.
No Celsiuses here, Fahrenheit.
20 degrees Fahrenheit right now and cloudy.
I don't know how they know that, but anyways,
wind is making it feel colder, about 13 degrees.
Snowy conditions expected around 6 a.m.
Snowing has been snowing since 4.30, hello.
Today's temperature range was from 17 degrees to 26 degrees.
Well, that's today.
Yeah, today is just happening.
It's gonna feel like 10 to 22 degrees.
10 degrees, 22 degrees.
The high temperature today is lower than yesterday.
E-gads, man.
Our high will be 26.
Yesterday, our high was 33.
And the day before, we had almost 45 Fahrenheit.
Yeah, a couple days ago.
A lot of snow dropped, but it's returning.
Yeah, it sure is.
Overnight low is gonna be 17.
So be careful out there.
We still have winter in most cases.
I don't know where you're listening in from,
but if it's warm where you are,
please send us an invitation to stay
for the next 30 to 60 days.
That would be nice, wouldn't it?
This morning's topic, are you ready for it?
This is a prerequisite,
because I have been working on a video
we're gonna put up on our YouTube channel
with regards to the importance of treating your vehicle
as a fleet vehicle will put a lot of money back
in your pocket.
And I'm breaking it down for you.
I've got everything.
I don't normally, after 31 years of radio,
you don't, there's no do-overs.
We know when the microphone comes on,
you're on for 59 minutes and 30 seconds.
And so you don't get to go, can I shoot that again?
Can we cut that out?
Can we edit that?
No, it's live.
Live radio, live calling,
but on the digital's here,
on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Amazon, Apple,
and all podcast platforms.
So wherever you grab your podcast,
type in Car Connect workshop,
you'll find us there.
We'll be there for you.
I don't normally write a program.
I have outlines and I just follow the outlines.
And I've been in the trade for 44 years plus
and still going to it.
And in fact, I think I shocked my friend yesterday
when I told him how old I was.
He goes, I said, I just turned, blah, blah, blah.
He goes, what?
What did you just say?
I just went out the door.
I dropped off some cake, I cooked him a carrot cake,
took it over to the farm.
Does they help us out over there
if we need some sandblasting or,
hey, Charlie, you got some metal?
I need a piece of metal.
If you got something like this,
yeah, I just might have something you can carve out.
So they help us over there and help us with firewood.
So every hand washes one another.
So to get back on track before I rabbit hole too far,
I've put together an entire program
breaking down fleet service maintenance.
Because if you wanna keep your car long-term,
and stop listening to the white noise
and the talking heads that say you gotta get rid
of these things every three to five years,
you're out of your freaking mind.
Buddy, whoever that is, no, no you don't.
My last vehicle I had 15 years sold it
and it's changed hands again and it's still going.
Hello, so who are we listening to?
I'll tell you right now, fleet companies
aren't listening to that fella that says
you gotta get rid of them every couple years.
No, no, they're gonna run it until it starts costing
too much in repairs and that's when they start saying,
you know, it is getting older, but it is running well.
If we go in for one more service and one more round,
and then they go off to the auction.
That's what happens, because I work for a company
that used to look for those vehicles turned in
by certain companies because they knew
that the fleet maintenance on them was amazing.
They were well-kept, well looked after.
So I've written a program on vehicle fleet maintenance
to break it down for you in layman's terms
in simple to understand language, keep it super simple, kiss.
And that's the first time I've probably written out
a program like that ever in 31 plus years on radio
and we're only a few months in on our podcast.
So I put it all together so that I don't forget
what I really wanna say to help you to understand
treating your vehicle like it's a fleet vehicle
and changing your mindset and curving your head
around that idea that it's no longer something
that has to be thrown out like an old pen
or a bic lighter when it's empty.
Found one yesterday, I was shrink wrapping
and I like the bic lighters.
I have for, I don't know what's my thing.
It has to be a bic lighter in my electrical box
for shrink wrapping, shrink tubing
on electrical connections.
So I had to make a shunt to take care
of my neutral safety switch problem on the 97 Jeep TJ.
So I've made a shunt for now
and I probably will order a neutral safety switch
at some point and change it up.
But it's a wicked little beast to put in,
but any hose, bic lighters are my thing.
That's the only one, the only brand I like to use
because I've used them for 40 something years.
Anyhow, so I have written a program on fleet maintenance.
I've broken it down into segments
and we're going to shoot a video on that
so that you can really, you can see me
as I'm talking to you and breaking this down for you
and helping you understand changing your mindset
on your automobile and looking at it as number one, a tool.
Number two, I need to get as much life out of this vehicles
I possibly can to avoid paying interest
and monthly payments on the never, never plan
and put a whole lot of money back in your wallet.
And if that's of interest to you,
keeping your vehicle as long as you want
and it'll run reliable and healthy
and you can keep the repair bills under control
so you don't get the vehicle goes in
once every gazillion, bazillion years
and then the bills like 4,800 bucks
and you're having a wig out because why?
You gotta spend money on all those miles
you never paid anything to drive.
That's the bad mindset.
That one will keep you in the hole
because there's no free driving.
In all the years that I did fleet maintenance,
there's no free driving but you gotta make sure
that that fleet vehicle does not go down
and lose the company money for downtime.
Because today downtime is well over a thousand bucks a day.
It's probably closer to 2,000.
Back then it was about 900 a day vehicles down.
That's the loss.
So how many days would you like to be down at 900?
So now fast forward to today.
It's probably close for like 2,500 downtime per day.
Let's see if I can do some research on that and find out.
I bet you I can.
Couple of phone calls on fleet maintenance dudes
I know will tell me what is it actually today
for one vehicle in the fleet down for the day or two days?
What does it cost per day?
So if you take the mindset of drive, drive, drive, drive,
drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive, drive.
Oh crap, the service lights on.
It's running like dog poopy on my shoe.
I gotta take the car in.
Honey, I gotta take the car in.
Well, what's that gonna cost?
Oh, I don't know.
I don't know.
So how many months went by before you spent a dime
on that vehicle?
That's always a question I asked in our own shop.
When was the last time you spent money on this car?
And usually the him and her look at each other and go,
eyes back and forth.
I don't know.
And I take that as a no.
Cause if it's not a yes, we spent money on it.
Any other answer is my professor would say is a no.
They're just not wanting to hear themselves say no.
Yeah.
And that's why we are where we are on the planet
that we're on, because as the people,
we haven't learned to say no.
Remember that little dog in cartoons?
No, no, no.
Okay, that's enough of that.
Yeah, remember that little dog?
Yeah, I thought that was cool.
He was onto something back then.
So I've written the program as such so that as you see me
explaining you Lucy, I will explain you something Lucy.
All the details about fleet maintenance
and adopting that into your daily driver
is gonna be so cool.
Cause you know why?
You'll be just like me keeping vehicles 15, 19 years
and they still look great.
They drive great and they still have value.
Cause you know my 07 FJ, people are wanting to buy it
all the time and I was just looking online.
People are offering $50,000.
Well, that's what the lady that I bought it from paid
a 48 and change right from a Toyota dealer, one owner.
And that was a good score and it wasn't abused.
So they're gonna bring back the FJ
and I've already looked at it.
It doesn't look, I don't think it looks nice.
They kind of changed it.
Toyota's figured out that they shouldn't have dropped
their FJ cruiser line back in 2014,
but they've still been available in Saudi Arabia apparently.
Go figure, does it snow in Saudi Arabia?
Come on.
Anyways, I guess sand is the next best thing
at 200 degrees Fahrenheit anyhow.
You can keep a vehicle as long as you want.
And like myself, my FJ cruiser will be part
of the 400,000 kilometer club this year.
So 300,000 doable, 400,000, very doable.
600,000 K miles, very doable.
So the talking heads, I will eat their lunch
and take their milk money any time of the day
to listen to them on what their theory is
that you need to get rid of a vehicle
every three to five years.
They prefer three, that you go and sign on the dotted line
and stay in hack for a stupid car.
Yeah, cars are stupid.
We've determined that.
Yeah, we're smart, SMRT, cars are stupid.
But you know what I'm saying?
What I'm trying to say is don't fall for the lies.
We got enough lying going on.
I'll tell you what, they all should count their blessings
that Pinocchio was just a story.
Amen, on that one, can you imagine?
Hey, what happened?
Why is your nose like three feet long?
I don't know.
What?
It goes out even longer because they just lied.
They know.
So don't fall into the automotive lies.
That's what I'm gonna break down for you
on our YouTube video entitled Fleet Service Maintenance.
It's a mindset and it absolutely is.
If you adapt my Fleet Service Maintenance program
into your daily driver, you will see how much money
comes back into your wallet, not only in the course
of a year, but in a course of all the kilometers
that you can pack on that vehicle,
followed the Fleet Maintenance Chart
that I created many years ago and I've refined it
for just about any automobile.
And you can track yourself, track your maintenance.
It's a no brainer, folks.
It's a no brainer.
You know, I was just out at the farm yesterday.
One of the farms, my friend Charlie, has several farms
and he is a, what would you call him?
Farm equipment technician, he's a factory trained technician.
And he keeps his equipment pristine, I'm telling you.
He was working on one of his combines yesterday
and it's absolutely beautiful, everywhere.
Open the sides, all the mechanicals and everything.
They're spotless.
I say to him, Charlie, is that one almost done?
He goes, yeah, I gotta detail it and wax it
and get it ready.
I said, is the first one done?
Yeah, yeah, that's done.
I said, what year is this combined?
Oh, that's a 2010.
Did you hear what I just said?
A 2010.
How old is that?
That's 16 years old.
And I think we'll have to ask permission
if we can, before spring comes and Charlie gets busy
just to go out with Skippy and video his equipment.
Because it'll blow your stinkin' mind
to see what effort and how much money is saved.
So if you look up today, here's your homework,
look up the cost of a John Deere combine today.
Just look at it.
And Charlie has two of these behemoths.
They're massive.
Like you can drive a Hyundai Accent right into it
and close it up and it's gone.
It's like burp, finished.
A 2010, it looks like all his equipment
looks like brand spanking new.
He gets it in out of the weather, into buildings
and he goes over each piece of equipment
through the winter.
And when they're finished with him in the fields,
even in the summer, they get cleaned down
and they get put away.
Did that just happen by itself?
That's a perfect example.
My friend Charlie is a perfect example
of the money you can save when you practice
fleet service maintenance on your daily vehicle
and look at it as part of a fleet.
Whether you have one vehicle in the driveway or seven.
Seven drivers, seven vehicles living under the same roof.
That's bizarre.
But it does, it's reality out there.
You know, the kids are gonna stay at home
because they can't buy their own place.
Don't get me started on that one.
So they gotta live with the parents a lot longer
and try and get up on their feet.
So anyways, everyone's living under one house.
It's actually a smart idea.
It really is.
The Europeans got us on that one big time.
Buy a house altogether, you have your own space.
Everybody's got some skin in the game.
You pay that sucker off.
So now there's no interest, no payments.
Just property tax and expenses.
And everybody puts in a little and you got your own space.
Smart, too bad we can't do that with cars
because you do have those people that here,
can I borrow your car and it comes back
and it's got a big scratch and a bang in it.
Yeah, I had some difficulty on the road today.
Sorry about that.
Yeah, I had that happen.
I lent the vehicle in the shop.
I get a phone call.
I lent it out.
It was just a little Buick Century I put together.
And my fella, he drove it when his car was down.
I took it home, home to work, home to work to the shop.
Never had a problem.
We did the maintenance on it.
I lent it out to a fella.
He calls me, the driver's door fell off.
How does that happen?
So I had to go out there, see what the stink was going on.
The driver's door fell off.
I'm like, well, how did it fall off?
Well, there was a longer, much longer story about that.
How the door fell off, just fell off.
We fixed it.
But getting back to, I want it to be a little light discussion
but at the same time, if money is tight,
tighter than a duck's butt, that's watertight.
In your household, would it be wise to take action?
Instead of just thinking, there's wishes,
there's wants and there's needs and there's got.
Those are the departments.
If it be kindly, as my professor would say,
when it goes from a need to an absolutely gotta have it,
a got, now you'll take action
because you're backed into a corner.
Now you'll take action.
But this is what I'm trying to get you
understand with fleet maintenance.
These trucking companies know how to make money.
Wouldn't you say?
They get the products to and from all the time.
It doesn't happen by itself.
There's schedules for everything.
And vehicle service is one of those number one things
the gotta have thing in order for all of that to happen.
For the driver to pick up the rig,
head to so and so with trailer number, blah, blah, blah,
get there, you're going to leave that trailer,
you're going to pick up trailer, blah, blah, blah.
And that has got to go 1600 miles that way.
And it has to be there by this time.
Kind of like smoking in the bandit, right?
Long way to go, short time to get there.
Yeah.
And that all makes sense to me
when I was working on fleets for decades
that our job was to make sure
that we covered every aspect of that vehicle
that came into our service bay
to make sure we don't miss anything
so that that vehicle does not go back and have downtime.
Because when that happens,
it's coming right back to the shop.
And next time the tender's up to bid on doing service,
you might not get it.
It all depends.
Companies would change fleet managers
and all of a sudden you're dealing with a nice guy,
now you're dealing with a wiener.
Yeah.
A weenie.
Difficult to get along with.
There's only nine of them in the world,
but the real problem is they drift around a lot.
Difficult people.
So, I don't want to harp on too long,
but I will tell you that that video
is coming up on our YouTube channel.
If you haven't subscribed, like, subscribe,
shared and done all that stuff to help our channel grow
so that we can have the resources to fix vehicles
for single moms, widows, orphans,
families that are struggling for free.
That's where we want to get to.
And it could be someone you know,
it could be you, it could be someone else
that we're able to do that for.
For the price of shooting the video.
Let us show people what happened,
why it happened and how we're going to fix it.
And that's what our YouTube channel is all about.
Five things on every video.
What it is, where it is, how it works, how it breaks
and what could you have learned
as basic fundamentals of vehicle ownership
and getting some more understanding
of how your automobile works will save you
a ton of money, a ton of money
instead of relying on someone else to think for you.
And that's what's happened to Canada.
That's what I see.
The biggest thing is people don't want to do something.
They don't want to do their own homework.
They wait for somebody to do it for you.
Well, I'll tell you what,
if you want something done around the workshop,
you better do it yourself.
Otherwise you just, you know what?
You're not going to be in a car, it's going to be parked.
So you got to do something.
You know, if you don't like the way you look,
the way you feel, how's that going to change?
Somebody else can't do that for you.
You got to come up with a game plan
and then you got to be in love with that plan
because there has to, in order to have a victory,
there has to be a battle.
And owning and operating an automobile is just like that.
In order to have a victory
and stuff a lot of cash back into your wallet,
but still have a reliable vehicle that you can count on,
there's got to be a battle.
And what is that?
Taking care of it.
That's all we're talking about.
If you go into our YouTube channel
and remember, if you're just joining us,
the biggest drawer in our toolbox is our website
and it has been for decades.
The homepage is where it all happens
at carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com.
That's where our program partners are.
Click on their logo, open their profile page
and connect with them.
And thank you for doing that.
Give them your business.
They're great people.
Trust me, they're great people.
On the top right hand corner of our homepage
are all the platforms that carconnection has evolved in.
So you'll find everything you need there
if you'd like to follow us.
So we have, it's click and go.
That's simple.
Click on the YouTube, Facebook, Instagram,
Stevensvilleontheweb.ca, click on the business tab.
You can send me an email through there.
You can send me an email through our website form
at carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com.
And on Stevensville you'd say, well, what's that all about?
Well, my parents have lived there for decades
and I know a lot of business owners in Stevensville.
It's not very far from where we are right now.
And there's some fabulous business family owned
and operated businesses and business owners
that provide great products, goods and services.
So my videographer Skippy put that website together
and it has like, I think 7,000 people on there following it.
She wanted to connect because she lives in that area
in Stevensville and grew up there.
So she wanted to connect community with the businesses.
So she created Stevensvilleontheweb.ca.
I think it's fabulous.
So they put us a profile page there.
So you can find us there.
The link is there for iHeartRadio, click on there.
We will have over 100 episodes for you to tap into
if you're just finding out about Car Connection Workshop today.
Just in about a week and a half,
we'll celebrate going into a new season.
We'll be heading into season two
and a whole plethora of brand new episodes.
But the 100 episodes are there for you.
If you just go through and listen to all those
and watch the videos,
where I was going on the videos on our YouTube channel,
you can watch me bringing a vehicle back to life
that was scheduled to get crushed in the wrecking yard
and it's here in the shop and it's drivable now.
Yep, it's drivable now.
What put that vehicle in the wrecking yard?
I will give you one clue, negligence, period.
Negligence, not bothering to do a stinking thing
on that vehicle till it was car no go.
Cooling system went down and it was down for a while,
but they kept going till they blew the engine to pieces.
That's what put it there.
That was the death blow.
But everything and every video,
you see me working on something there.
The whole aspect behind the video is,
number one, what am I fixing?
What am I servicing on that vehicle
to bring it back to road worthy condition?
And at the end of this whole thing,
in fact, I was telling Charlie yesterday,
the farm, he goes, you spent a lot of money on that.
I go, you know what?
That's what I want everybody to think
because that's the way the world thinks.
You see, that's not your thinking
that somebody else's seed planted in your head.
And I said, at the end of it all, Charlie,
here's where motormouth is gonna have the last laugh
because all of your thinking,
this is costing thousands to put this thing back on the road.
I'm gonna allow every single one of you
to put your suggestion in what you think
when this little 25-year-old Jeep is done
and now it's drivable and it wasn't.
It's drivable.
Yep, it shifts, it has brakes all the way around.
I'm just working a couple of bugs out,
a couple of things that weren't working
that bother me not working.
I have to chase it till it does work
because in my mind's eye, just like fleet service,
everything has to work, everything.
Nothing goes on the list of,
we'll get back to that later
because you know that never happens.
It never happens.
So Charlie's smiling as I'm sitting in that,
having a chin wag yesterday, brought him some snacks.
Yeah, word got back to me.
He didn't have any snacks in the farm shop.
I'm like, wow, we can't have that, can we?
So we had to take care of that
with some carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
Yeah, that pretty much got him down from the combine.
What do you got there?
Oh, where are you?
Couldn't even see him.
He goes, oh, the word got to you, did it?
And I go, yeah, I'll just put it in the fridge.
I know where it goes.
What do you got?
I go carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
I'll be right down.
Yeah, so that's working together.
And I look at my friend Charlie and his equipment
and how old it is and how well maintained it is.
Even other farmers, they look at it and just,
they can't believe it because their stuff,
they leave it where they're finished with it.
It stays outside.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment
just in the weather right now,
where they finished with it, that's where they leave it.
And then they wonder why it's broken
and they got to spend a ton of time and a ton of effort
to get it ready to go back in the field.
So anyhow, where was I going?
Skidded off the runway here.
So the fleet maintenance is the secret, folks.
To keeping your vehicle long-term.
So anyway, at the end of the day,
this little, tiny, red Jeep TJ Wrangler 1997,
I didn't know diddly squat about Jeeps until now.
And now I know how they're put together.
And they're quite neanderthal, that's all I'm gonna say.
I'm saying it politely.
But it's a Jeep thing to the Jeep people out there
and I don't wanna disrespect them.
I totally understand.
It's communal.
It is.
They know, Jeep people know that Jeeps are,
they need maintenance all the time.
They just, they do.
And they're not the greatest vehicle put together.
Like it's not a European sports car or anything.
It is a workhorse.
That's what it is.
And this little red Jeep was just neglected
to the point where there was nothing left.
It wouldn't even run anymore.
That's how it got there.
They blew the motor up, it's over.
So everything I fixed, serviced, cleaned, maintained,
replaced has been done with some used parts,
actually quite a few harvested parts
that were in great shape, serviced
and put in back into place, back into service.
Some stuff was like, ain't not gonna work.
We gotta spend on here.
But at the end of the day, I will reveal
in the last video of that 97 TJ Wrangler,
the cost to bring that vehicle back to 100% reliability.
Turn the key and go.
But that doesn't mean now you drive it until you can't.
No, that's not what that means.
It means you continue the pattern of maintenance
and treat it like it's a fleet vehicle.
And it is, it's gonna be part of our fleet
that takes care of the bringing in of firewood every year
because we heat with wood.
And Charlie has lots of wood
and I help him by clearing out the bush of the dead trees
and making room for the forest area on his farms
to continue to grow.
And so we harvest wood.
And I don't wanna use my good vehicle, the FJ,
for that anymore because you're getting into mud
and then you gotta power wash it off.
That's what the Jeep is for.
It's got the right gear ratio.
It's five gear.
It's a four banger.
It won't be too bad on fuel
and it's gonna pull the wood trailer.
It's gonna take it to the wood lot, load it up,
bring it home, go back to the same thing.
That's what its purpose is.
It's going to be part of a working tool in our fleet.
And even Charlie said that to me yesterday,
you're gonna use that to haul the wood trailer
and go, yeah, that's what it's been born for.
That's what I'm saving it for.
I don't wanna wreck the FJ Cruiser.
I want it to go to 600,000 kilometers
and I wanna keep it clean and out of the mud and stuff.
So that's its purpose.
You're going to get to see right down to the dollars
and cents what it costs to bring that thing back
to condition, drivable condition, everything works,
everything's maintained, it's ready to go down the road
with confidence.
And you're gonna get a chance to put a price tag to that.
And I think we're gonna have a prize for the winner
that comes within a certain amount, dollar amount.
And you're all going to be shocked and awed
at how much it costs to create something from nothing.
Something from nothing is what I'm talking about.
You know, I did a podcast and I leave you with this
just a couple of weeks ago.
The cost of buying a brand new Jeep today.
I went in to get some parts.
The guy couldn't help me.
That's strike three.
I won't go back there.
And I saw the sticker price on a Jeep
and my friend Jen has a new one
because I told you the story of hers getting written off
like literally two minutes from her driveway.
Very sad.
Someone's poor choice of not stopping
at a stop sign and T-boner.
And that cost her money to get into another Jeep.
And I looked at the stickers in the window and I went,
you gotta be kidding me, right?
That's $58,000.
That's without interest, payments,
PDI, shipping freight, gas, oil, maintenance
because you gotta maintain it.
Yup, gotta maintain it.
You're gonna spend that kind of money
and I broke it all down for you.
So if you haven't heard that podcast,
you gotta listen to that podcast a few times.
So that's where we're heading is to try and help you
to change your thinking from regular thinking
about your automobile to fleet thinking
for personal vehicles.
That's gonna put a large amount of money back
in your wallet.
I kid you not.
Add on top of that our 30 day fuel savings challenge
which no one has emailed me yet to say I'm in.
I wanna try this out.
That also will put money back in your wallet.
So I guess it depends on how desperate you are
to get out of your financial situation
because in Canada, the stats are alarming.
It was 74% of the population in Canada
is about $200 from going bankrupt.
That's really sad.
It absolutely is.
What has happened to our Canada really?
What has happened?
What have we allowed to happen to our Canada?
Because we just don't know what the word no means
and do our own homework.
That's why I'm here to help you.
I'm here not to hurt you.
Motor mouth's here to help you
and teach you what I know about the car biz
because I know a lot about the car biz.
And you know what, folks?
I'll leave you with this little tidbit.
It's just a game.
He who knows the rules best plays the best.
That's what I'm teaching you.
If I can do it, you can do it.
I have a 1999, a 2007, a 2003,
and they're still very reliable.
Oh, and the oldest one is 1984.
The first vehicle I bought out of my pocket
and financed it, that cost me an arm and a leg of interest
at 17.93% back in the 80s, and I still have it.
How did that happen?
It fixes itself, it cares for itself, fleet maintenance.
Make it a great day today, folks.
Drive safe, keep an eye on the other guy,
and take your foot off the loud pedal a little bit
and watch how much money is saved.
Be careful out there, happy, healthy motoring,
and we'll see you tomorrow morning
for another Motor Mouth Morning Drive.
Peace, patience, kindness, always.
Bye for now.
About this episode
Exploring the concept of treating personal vehicles like fleet vehicles can significantly extend their lifespan and save money. Niall Motormouth Jenkins shares insights from his extensive experience in automotive maintenance, emphasizing the importance of regular upkeep and a shift in mindset regarding vehicle ownership. He discusses how fleet companies manage their vehicles to minimize downtime and costs, encouraging listeners to adopt similar practices for their own cars. The episode is filled with humor and practical advice, making it both entertaining and informative.
Original notes
Most personal vehicle owners think short-term, while fleet operators think long - term- that's why fleet vehicles often last longer and cost less to maintain. In this episode we break down fleet thinking for personal vehicles, including scheduled maintenance, preventative repairs, documentation, and mind set shifts that can save thousands in repairs and extend vehicle life. If you want your daily driver to last like a fleet truck, this episode is for you.
"Fleet operators don't wait for things to break - they prevent failures before they happen. Today, were stealing the fleet mindset and applying it to your personal vehicle"
More episodes and ...project details & links are available at Car Connection Business Network.com ( ccbusnet.com )you'll fine everything on our homepage if you'd like to follow the build/repair work we do & connect with our program partners click their logo to connect with them Thank You!
Grab some Car Connection Motormouth Gear to join our crew in helping those struggling with addictions get to a Total Freedom Addiction Campus, where a New Life Awaits them there, Thank You so Much! Nile Motormouth Jenkins. Tnx Friends for watching & Listening, Subscribe /Follow to help us grow our platforms! Happy Healthy Motoring, NMJ Peace Patience Kindness Always.
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