Suspension components are the parts that help support your car's weight and keep it stable while driving. They help the car handle bumps and turns better.
Performance is how well your car drives, including how fast it goes and how well it handles turns. If something is wrong, it might not drive as well as it should.
A wheel nut is a part that holds the wheel onto your car. It's important to make sure these are tight so your wheels don't come off while you're driving.
A tie rod end helps your car's steering work properly by connecting different parts of the steering system. If it gets worn out, it can make it hard to steer your car and keep it going straight.
The Hyundai Accent is a small car that is easy to drive and doesn't cost much to buy or maintain. It's a good choice for people who want a reliable vehicle without spending a lot of money.
The exhaust system is what helps remove gases from your car's engine and makes it quieter. It includes parts that clean the air before it leaves the car.
A ball joint is a part that helps the wheels of the car move up and down and turn. It connects different parts of the suspension and allows for smooth movement while driving.
Bushings are small parts made of rubber that help reduce noise and vibrations in the car's suspension. They make the ride smoother and help the parts last longer.
Sway bar links connect a bar that helps keep your car steady when turning. They help reduce how much the car leans in corners, making it easier to handle.
Winter tires are special tires made to help cars grip the road better in cold weather, especially when there's snow or ice. They are different from regular tires and help keep you safe during winter driving conditions.
The Subaru 360 is a small, cute car that was made a long time ago, mainly in Japan. It's known for being very tiny and affordable, which made it popular for everyday use. People often talk about it because it's a fun and unique piece of automotive history.
LIVE
Well good morning Niagara you're tuned to the car connection workshop where the
coffee's hot the tools are ready and the talk is always tuned up. I'm your host
Niall Motormouth Jenkins coming to you straight from the car connection
workshop where we mix a little humor a little know-how and a whole lot of
horsepower. Here it's not just about fixing cars it's about keeping you
rolling saving you money and giving you the confidence to understand what's
under the hood from the classics to your commuter car the weird noises and to
what the heck moments we've got you covered so grab your coffee grab your
cup of Joe put it in the cup holder if you're driving keep an eye on the road
and the other guy you know who I'm talking about and sit back relax don't
white-knuckle that steering wheel and join the crew this morning because this
is the Alamo no no it's not the Alamo this is the car connection workshop your
weekday and Saturday morning pit stop for stories some smarts a few good laughs
and I'm Niall Motormouth Jenkins and we're gonna shift into drive this
morning right here and help you out I've got a couple of winter tech tips to
throw in during the program this morning so thanks for stopping by and
joining in don't spill your coffee or whatever your morning beverages on on
your lap if I get you laughing too hard because in this in our world in this
world motormouth world it gets a little crazy like today please please think
about me this afternoon about 3 30 to be exact as I head into the dental chair
after a few years yeah I can't get back to my regular dental clinic because it's
in the US and I don't have a passport and that's just all a headache but you
know it's one of those things where if you don't keep up maintenance and I was
thinking this morning as my coffee was brewing yeah it's kind of like now you
gotta pay the piper because now there's multiple problems that have to be fixed
how many of you have been there you kind of put it off you procrastinate on
certain things that we don't like to deal with check engine lights I call it the
money light because everybody goes oh that's good that's gonna be expensive my
service light came on and you got to tell everybody when you get to work right
when you get to your place of work my service lights on and then somebody
will say ah that's no big deal don't worry about it well the problem is if the
service light is on and something else goes wrong it can't come on a second
time it can't turn on the second time or a third time because it's already on so
how does it warn you of other issues it can't so take the picture you know that
you placed you know your favorite pet your favorite mother-in-law or father-in-law
or child or something that you placed over that service light and just deal
with it because that's where I am with my I've got the last few days it's been
actually probably about two weeks I've been putting it off calling calling
around and finding another dentist that I feel comfortable with that's the hard
part and I thought wow is that ever tie in with automobiles doesn't it you put
it off you put it off you put it off now the thing is not even running worth a
bag of hammers and you're like I got to take it in now I'm afraid what this is
going to cost well that's what I discovered yesterday you know I finally
I picked up the phone and and I found a you know there's lots of dentists in my
area on the south shores of Fort Erie how do you pick one like what do you do
write them all down on a piece of paper throw them all in the hat and just go
okay this is the guy or this is the gal that's going to get this problem looked
after well I got the thinking is it car maintenance exactly the same way we put
it off we put it off we know there's a problem we don't want to take it in
because we know what's going to cost but what if something else is going on and
then you talk yourself out of it and then it comes back into your head because
you're driving it it's not quite it doesn't feel quite right on the road and
you're going well you know okay I'm just gonna suck it up Buttercup call make an
appointment get it in there and see what's going on well that's what I did
yesterday and it'll be good to get back on a maintenance program and that's what
I was thinking about again you know when I was going twice a year for a full
checkup you know and x-rays and examination and diagnosing if there's a
problem where we going next what are we you know what's what's good today what
may be something we got to watch till next time and see if it's changing and
if it is then you know create a course of action that's exactly like your
automobile so today we're gonna be talking about front end and suspension
components because this past summer on our YouTube channel it was like we had
vehicle after vehicle get dropped off for us to work on and shoot some videos
some teaching videos it was like suspension and steering nightmare there
were problems on every single vehicle that came in with noises in the front end
got some clunking some banging some squeaking some chattering and the vehicle
doesn't feel right on the road it's not handling the way it used to performance
is lacking and I kind of tied that all back into when I was getting my
appointments for dental maintenance not repairs just stay in ahead of the curve
if you know what I'm saying I didn't have these major mega toothaches like my
head top of my cranium is gonna blow off on my pillow overnight because it's been
I can tolerate a lot of pain trust me but it has been at the point where it's
like all right that's you're crossing the Rubicon here and I'm just thinking I
didn't have that kind of thing going on when I was having a six month maintenance
plan with my favorite dentist yeah down in cold New York so if you're down in
cold New York cold and dental care perfect place to go you'll love it there
for kids as well pediatric dental they get you out of maintenance plan they
pre-schedule you for your next six month appointment before you even leave
and you know your face is out here and frozen I'm just kidding I used to like
air tools I went to the dentist like no put that tool take that tool off the
bench we can't have that here that's too much of a run a reminder a throwback but
again when I had that six month inspection a look over clean the babies up you
know and dr. Damon would say you know now just remember you're doing a great
job flossing but just keep flossing the teeth you want to keep all right I'm
like pay that makes sense just check the tire pressures in the tires you want to
keep the rest whatever but I was thinking I didn't have these kind of
emergency this emergency situation popping up when I was on regular
maintenance so that I knew before I left the dental clinic I've got an
appointment booked I got the time the date everything that's my next
inspection so that's what I'm gonna be talking about as we move right into it
this morning the same Don Ting is the inspections and not waiting and we had
three vehicles in a row come in this past summer if you haven't subscribed for
our YouTube channel we make it really easy for you because there's a lot of
ways for you to connect with us in a lot of areas where you'll see short reels
and short videos bloopers and outtakes but our YouTube channel are all learning
videos so if you don't know the difference between a wheel nut and a hub
cap and a tie rod end it's okay because I teach you the five things so always
remember we teach the five things what it is where it is how it breaks why it
matters and what could you have done differently like inspections six months
checkups to have saved yourself a ton of money on your repair bills the same
thing about going for a six month dental checkup and not waking up in the
morning and your face is you know it looks like you you grew a second head
because your cheeks all swollen and it's pounding like a drum and you feel like
you know you're just going to keel over any minute you don't have to go through
that like I will this afternoon is like well we're gonna have to do this that
you don't have to take take some x-rays we're gonna have to you know take some
pictures we're gonna have to do an exam we're gonna have to check it over we're
gonna have to do a diet and that's the five things right what it is where it
is how it works why it matters and what could we have done to have prevented
that circumstance and situation that's now costing you more money than it should
have that's why our YouTube video came about was to also help widows and
orphans single moms single dads those the elderly this past summer we did a
couple of videos the lady lives down the street here I didn't know her husband
passed away a year ago this past March he was a mechanic and he looked after all
the cars and she's on her own and so it was the neighbor across the street who
Jay that we take care of her 2018 Jeep sent me a text and said oh my neighbor was
wondering if you could take a look at her vehicles one at a time because they're
messed up I said well you know and then she told me that you know her husband
passed away a year ago and she's now having to take care of all the stuff on
her own but her vehicles were in bad shape they were really in bad shape so
had to spend a bunch of money on parts to get the things back up and running and
back up where they need to be but that's how our YouTube video came about was
let's get a YouTube video going I have over 40 plus years of experience I'm
fully licensed and qualified my my licenses for my light truck and
passenger and heavy equipment and diesel trucks highway trucks and coaches are
all up to date let's use this to help people and I've just come just come off
31 years of radio with our car connection broadcast and decided you know
what let's make a right-hand turn and head out and podcast and reach thousands
and thousands of people and perhaps help you out help to teach you those five
things and when you get to the service desk you want to make sure that four
things are covered on that invoice take the time to make sure that the concern
has been recorded and documented properly that you know how much it's
going to cost to diagnose right so concern so there's concern the cause
which is diagnosed like my whopping toothache it's actually two that are
pounding thank God for Apple took the edge off yeah cuz I couldn't even spell
my name but at some points I was like you know it just kind of stall out cuz
the pain is like taking you over yeah feel like a zombie so concern make sure
they write down everything you say because here's where the problem always
tends to be the failure area if you're dealing with a service advisor he's not
he or she is not fixing your car they've got to take down the information
accurately to pass it now to a service technician in the service base that's
the place where communication breakdown I think there's a song about that yeah
communication yeah I think it was Chillowack communication breakdown check
check that out and get back to me on that so make sure they're writing the
details of the concern what's why you brought the vehicle in is there some
noises in the front end you're hearing some clunking some banging some squeaking
but something doesn't feel right and it doesn't per it's not performing right
make sure they get that all down so next the cause they got to spend some
diagnostic time try and find out what that looks like what's that going to cost
ahead of time and make sure you tell them I want to know everything before you do
anything how many have had an exam like that I had a very tricky top drawer exam
that part of the mark was on communication and I noticed when the
exam and everybody in the room had a different exam the questions were not
the same so you could not you know somebody can't help you out so to speak
the paper comes down on my desk and the first line says this read everything
before doing anything and turn the exam over and wait well a lot of the others
the paper went down they got it open and they're answering the questions they
lost marks for that so that's why I say concern is recorded causes
dyag time you tell them and make sure they write it down don't do anything till
I know everything that prevents a lot of stress huge but if it's not recorded
no one said it right it's the if a tree falls in the forest and no one's around
doesn't make a noise same concept so concerned cause correction so that is
what is the failed components what exactly are those parts going to cost me
and then total labor labor to install the parts plus the labor to diagnose and
then get to correction so concerned cause correction changing the parts that
have failed to why does it matter that the parts have failed so that you can
learn some things that will save you money and that's why I'm here I'm here
for you so make sure you get to our YouTube channel Nile motormouth Jenkins
we put everything in one place for you on our website and we've had our website
for a long time we started car connection radio back in 1996 and I just came off
31 years 31 years on the radio if I sound a bit different this morning you know
I think somebody gave me some kind of cold about three weeks ago and I'm
battling it off and there's a lot of stuff going around so take care of
yourself make sure you take good care of yourself because without health we got
nothing and with a broken car we got nothing so everything ties in together
it's all maintenance so just retired out of car connection radio and bringing it
over here to podcasting on iHeart Spotify Amazon music and Apple and a ton
of other platforms so let your friends know I'm here I'm licensed you can send
me emails go to our website everything is there for you in one place and I
always put reminders in the description to each and every one of these podcasts
and also on our YouTube videos as well there's information and links and stuff
in the description and I take the time to put together a really good
description because again it's the communication it's writing down the
information letting you know hey this video is about this this is what we're
going to cover same thing on these podcasts there's descriptions and if
there's anything else I need you to know I will put it in the description box
just for you so you can pick it up from there so carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com
is a three-part kind of website where we have our program partners and
recommended businesses that I put my stamp over and seal over approval on
that have been a part of our radio programs for many years and bringing
them over here with us as we move forward into car connection next-gen 2.0
on podcasts to teach you even more while you're driving keep your eyes on the
road now no squinting have another swiggy I haven't had my coffee yet I'm a
little bit afraid of it this morning things are a little excited in my mouth
kind of tender affected by cold and hot you ever been there yeah say no more so
carconnectionbusinessnetwork home page you'll see a bunch of logos there
those are all businesses that I vetted myself they've been a part of what we've
been doing since 1996 and now they're with us over here on podcasts on iHeart
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Facebook Stevensvilleontheweb.ca that's a beautiful town that's close by awesome
family-owned and operated businesses there and eateries that's where the zoo
is Safari Niagara is there that's a big draw and my pops lives there for like
42 years so I love the people there that's why I plugged in with the
businesses there so you can find us at Stevensvilleontheweb.ca click on the
business tab and again all that information is for you at carconnection
businessnetwork.com you'll see the businesses and our program partners top
right hand corner you're going to see you just click on YouTube Facebook
Instagram Stevensvilleontheweb and our merch store and we just got some we've
got some winter merch coming in I just ordered it yesterday and you go into our
store sort out what you would like pick your size pick the color put it in your
shopping cart safely pay for it it gets shipped directly to your door and here's
what happens when you do that you not only support the car connection
workshop broadcast here on I heart and help support us on YouTube and all the
other platforms that we're working on but it also helps us to work to get
monetized on our YouTube channel so that we can fix those who are going
through some hard times fix your cars for free in return let us shoot some
videos it will protect your you know your license plate and everything we
know we know how to do all that stuff so that your privacy is completely covered
so all the and when you purchase merch show it off be part of the car
connection motormouth crew but a pro a good portion of proceeds from the
merch goes to Total Freedom Daring Center New York and Freedom Manitoba that's a
campus available for Canadians men and women all age groups if you or someone
you know is struggling with an addiction you need to get there the campus in
Manitoba and the facilitators of Rick and Robin fabulous people they also went
through the program we don't like to call it a program because it really isn't
it's a life change that's what has to happen so we have that available to you
on our website Total Freedom Daring Center New York and you can also Google
and link in with Total Freedom Manitoba Canada and that's in Sydney Manitoba
that is a men only campus I want to make sure so when you buy merch Freedom
Expressions put together our store for us it's one of the businesses they have
running on the Total Freedom Daring Center New York campus to help those
going through addictions to get back into the workforce they have several
different businesses there they have an automotive shop Freedom Automotive and
they get the guys and the gals get you know when they're going through their
their life change they need to get back into the workforce and that's how they
get them back into the workforce for you so when you buy merch you're supporting
us a little bit we only get five dollars from each item and we're happy with
that and the rest goes to Total Freedom Daring Center New York and Total
Freedom Sydney Manitoba so thank you I had a time I know that was a big mouthful
but we're still new to the podcast and I want everybody to know what it is we do
we're not the new kids on the block this ain't our first rodeo been around a
while since 1996 and I've been licensed since 1988 yeah I'm I'm not as old as
dirt but maybe as old as a worm I'm not sure somebody told me that you're
almost as old as a worm motormouth all right let's jump into suspension and
steering what happens up front when we turn the steering wheel why is that
important well let me tell you the three vehicles we had in this summer the one I
actually drove quite a ways from home and then when I got into the front end on
it I'm like I got into some components and I hardly touched them and they fell
off like I would have lost the steering I didn't know that the vehicle was that
bad it was not good and when I looked at that I said well we got to definitely
talk about this because sometimes you think there's nothing going wrong but
there's actually stuff going on in the front end and the roadways today man the
potholes are big enough to swallow a Hyundai Accent I'm telling you I you know
when I grew up working on a dairy and a beef and chicken farm the trails going
to the hay fields were smoother than some of the roads we drive on today so
suspension suspension and steering worn suspension and steering components can
create and will create a very unstable vehicle where it just does not seem to
steer and handle right and the problem with that heading into the weather that
we're probably going to run into this next few months I'm not prepared mentally
for this I used to be a snow bunny not anymore my mother would say yeah you're
loving it now when we were kids digging tunnels and making igloos and whatnot and
snow forts and battling it out with snowballs she'd say you better take this
in because when you get older it won't be the same kind of fun she was right
as mothers usually are so we need on on a regular basis and I really mean this
getting back to you know my dental appointment and not having six month
checkups for a few years now during you know the big campaign the big you know
let's not go there I don't want to digress into that area I'll take a
volume to come down yeah absolutely it's a great idea to have your service tech
that you trust and that is so important we're gonna talk about that too how do
you find an automotive shop and a service technician that you know that's not
taking you for your money because they're the stories I have been seeing on
YouTube on some of the channels I plug into and emails coming in people being
ripped off it's crazy crazy I'll share one quick story lady called me on the
air just a couple weeks ago not mentioning any names she always taken
the car to the dealer it was loud something going on with the exhaust takes
it in gonna be $3,800 so she gets in touch with me on the air says what should
I do you know I trust you what what would you do and I go well I'd be getting
two more opinions but not at the dealer and I told her where to go not that
where to go okay not that where to go where to go to get the opinions get
like get a detailed estimate I said no no lip service on paper I want it on
paper so I can see it and then everybody is on the same page and understood
okay long story short how's $300 to fix it $300 she was so elated and
disappointed and called me I said follow up with me I'd like to know how did that
go she goes I took it in the guys looked at it they quoted it was $300 she was I
think it was still too much I go $3,800 wasn't well yeah I said be grateful be
grateful $3,800 plus the taxes and $300 out the door and it's fixed and it wasn't
a big deal she said I'm really disappointed in the dealership I've been
taking my car there faithfully since I bought it I bought it there I service it
there and I'm really disappointed that why didn't they come up with that option
there was options and I did a lot of exhaust work at our own shop on the
Hamilton Mountain Jacobs automotive and repairs we did equipment buses we did it
all there and we did a lot of exhaust systems a lot and I'll tell you there's
always options to help someone get over the curve money's tight somebody may be
lost a job and you know let's you know not cobble it up but let's you know we
can do something to hold off a major repair for maybe even six months maybe
a year and we do it and that's what the fellas did for they didn't cobble it up
they fixed it up bam 300 bucks or 3,800 plus tax are you kidding me so make
sure when you're having a service technician inspect all the moving
components suspension and steering is shocks McPherson struts tie rod ends
lower control arms which how is a ball joint and a lot of them now you can't buy
the ball joint separately it's a control arm and it's it actually is easier on
labor for the customer to just pull that control arm out put another one in
and it's got all new bushings and everything in it's a time saver it
really really is I I've got one more to do single mom and the van's coming in
probably I think it's week after next and it's a suspension and steering you're
gonna get a chance to see that on video as well it's lower control arms the
ball joints are worn out so we bought a front end suspension and steering party
pack and thank goodness single mom we asked some of our listeners to jump in
on that and help pay for it and somebody jumped on the phone said I'll take care
of that whole package just let me know and after the program that day E
transferred I ordered the kit off of you know the jungle website bam so it's
sitting there so here's a case where you can get taken advantage of very very
quickly suspension and steering components are something you don't want to
mess with tie rod ends inners outers lower ball joints sway bar bushings
steering linkage and sway bar links should be replaced while you're in there
because they the bushings tend to wear out they crack they split the rubbers
fall off and now you got clank clank clank going on so you really need this is
with that service tech that's going to inspect and evaluate all of your
vehicles suspension and steering parts to verify their working condition and
then talk about it talk about those components have you know if you got the
opportunity go to the shop play show and tell say I want to go out to the shop I
want you to show me what's going on and and get the tech to show you the
components that are worn out and the why why is it worn out not just tell me show
me and I did a lot of show and tell at our own shop because I wanted whoever was
coming in to see what I looked at was looking at why the stuff needs the
components need to be replaced so you don't go away and out the shop door
going did he fleece me or not I you know I'm not feeling good about it I didn't
want anyone leaving my shop feeling like that ask me a hundred bajillion
gazillion questions but I don't want you going home and go walk into your car
and going to the guy just fleece me did I just get ripped off not a good feeling
it I would never want you to walk away feeling like you got taken advantage of
so having that service tech and having that relationship and knowing that when
they've checked something and you ask them oh did you check this they say yes
you know for sure that Joe has done that for you you don't have to go check
you've got that that mutual respect that their word is their worth and their worth
is their word but it as we head into slippery icy road conditions it's so
critical that all the suspension and steering components are tight and right
because if they're not that can put you in the ditch that can put you at risk on
the roadway the vehicle is not going to perform well and you've got to have those
winter tires as well so you got gripology working for you so we're gonna
talk about brakes next in the next episode because these are the components
that I have ironed down to kind of the nucleus heading into slippery icy black
ice cold road surface conditions and then add in their winter events and if
you've got a vehicle that has lousy tires lousy brakes lousy suspension and
steering you've got a vehicle that is a piece of danger on the roadway not only
to yourself and you're in the occupants in the car with you but to those people
around you because that vehicle's got control of you you don't have control of
it so these are the things we're gonna cover in the next podcast is brakes and
how important we need we need to stop it and we need to be able to steer it
doesn't matter if you you know if the car's spinning around and through doing
360s turn the radio up and scream a little louder because that car is gonna
it's gonna stop when it wants to and that's the way it is so I want to make
sure that you guys out there aren't doing 360s and landing in the ditch
somewhere and you know what life can change in such a moment with automobiles
things can change very very quickly so I want you to be safe out there I'm not
here to sell you a dog-gone thing nothing I'd give you a coffee if you want a
cup of cup of joe or nice tea herbal tea whatever we can tune that up but you
know what life can change in a moment and if once it happens you can't go back
and change it it's happened so if we can do things to prevent that reduce that
prevention of that happening isn't that a good thing I think it's amazing is
instead of procrastinating let's get after it and just get it done right
alright enough said for today I'm your host now motormouth Jenkins be sure to
check in on our website at carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com anytime we
have recommended businesses there and I know that you can count on them for sure
100% from finances to automotive to building products put a pitch in for
Niagara block been in business since 1931 on that 5000 Montrose Road in Niagara
Falls building Canada one piece one block at a time so all for all your
hardscape landscaping products they've got amazing stuff to make yourself an
oasis at your home place to hang out they have all the building products there
and their service is fantastic so visit our website often the homepage has all
the contacts YouTube Facebook Instagram Stevensvilleontheweb.ca click on the
businesses tab our merch stores there and you can connect with me send me an
email through the website form you can do that on Stevensvilleontheweb.ca
there's lots of ways for you to connect with me send me an email if there's a
topic specific you would like me to cover I'd love to do that just for you
just for you and maybe even dedicate that program specifically to you so keep it
under 100 watch out for the other guy and we'll see you in the next episode of
the car connection workshop right here thanks for tuning in bye for now
About this episode
Exploring the importance of regular maintenance for steering and suspension, Niall Motormouth Jenkins draws parallels between dental checkups and vehicle upkeep. He emphasizes the risks of neglecting front-end components, sharing stories of vehicles that suffered from lack of attention. With a focus on preventative care, he discusses the need for inspections and the role of trusted service technicians. The episode also highlights the dangers of driving with worn parts, especially as winter approaches, and sets the stage for future discussions on brakes.
Today On Car Connection, we're getting right up front-literally. I'm diving into the forgotten heroes under your vehicle: your front-end steering and suspension components. Just like your dentist says, "see you in six months," your car needs that same check up schedule. Ball Joints, Tie rods, bushings, bearings- they all take a beating, and if you ignore them, you're not just risking a shaky steering wheel... you're risking a whole lot more. In this episode, I break down: why steering and suspension wear happens quietly, The one component most drivers never check (but should!) What proper 6-month front-end inspection actually includes, How to catch problems before they cost you real money, Why maintenance means safety later . short, sharp, simple-and full of that Motormouth charm you've come to expect. Let's keep your front end tight, your steering smooth, and your ride safe. Stick around to the end for this week's quick tip that'll save you a visit to the tow truck. visit us anytime at car connectionbusinessnetwork.com (ccbusnet.com) links for Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, StevensVilleOnTheWeb.ca click businesses tab for our profile, bloopers and outtakes, merch store iheart pod cast archives and much more, businesses that have my seal of approval! Thanks for tuning in! Happy Motoring Friends, NMJ