Motormouth's Five Winter Tech Tips-Stay warm, Stay Smart,Stay Unstuck.
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30:54
Term
winter rated fluid
Winter rated fluid is special windshield washer fluid that works well in cold weather. It helps keep your windshield clear and prevents ice from forming on it.
Term
washer fluid
Washer fluid is the liquid that helps clean your car's windshield. It sprays out to remove dirt and make it easier to see while driving.
Car
Dodge Valiant
The Dodge Valiant is a small car that was made by Dodge. It was popular in the 1970s because it was affordable and practical for everyday use.
Term
HEPA filter
A HEPA filter is a special type of filter that catches tiny particles in the air, making the air cleaner. It's often used in cars to help keep the air inside fresh and healthy.
Car
Ford Excursion
The Ford Excursion is a really big SUV that can carry a lot of people and stuff. It was made to help families or anyone who needs to travel with a lot of gear, making it great for long trips or adventures.
Part
door seals
Door seals are the rubber parts around car doors that keep water and air out. If they wear out, your car might leak or be noisier inside.
Part
trunk seal
The trunk seal is the rubber part that keeps the trunk closed tightly so water and dirt can't get in. If it's broken, things in your trunk can get wet or dirty.
Term
driveline
The driveline is the part of the car that helps it move by transferring power from the engine to the wheels. It includes several important parts that work together to make the car go.
Term
cooling system
The cooling system helps keep the engine from getting too hot by moving a special liquid called coolant around. This prevents the engine from overheating and getting damaged.
Term
transmission
The transmission helps the car change gears and control speed. If it has problems, it can be very costly to fix.
Term
engine
The engine is what makes the car go. It's like the heart of the vehicle, and if it breaks, fixing it can cost a lot of money.
Term
warming up your car
Warming up your car means letting it run for a little while before you start driving. This helps the engine work better and can save you money on repairs later.
Term
fuel efficiency
Fuel efficiency is how well a car uses gas. If a car is fuel-efficient, it means you can drive farther without needing to fill up as often.
Part
cabin air filter
The cabin air filter helps keep the air inside your car clean by trapping dust and pollen. If it's dirty, it can make it harder to defrost your windows in winter.
Car
Nissan 2008 Nissan
The Nissan Rogue is a small SUV that can carry passengers and cargo. The 2008 version is one of the early models, which many people find useful for daily driving and trips.
Car
Nissan Rogue
LIVE
Well good morning Niagara you're tuned into car connection where their coffee
is 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 a few bloody knuckles and giving you the
confidence to understand what's under that hood from the classics to the
commuters to the weird noises like what the heck moments we've got you covered
so grab your cup of Joe sit back keep an eye on the other guy if you're driving
and join the crew because this is the car connection workshop your weekday and
Saturday morning pit stop for stories smarts and a few good laughs. I'm
Motormouth Jenkins and we're shifting into drive right here in the car
connection workshop each and every weekday morning at 8 a.m. and also 8 a.m. on
Saturdays. So let's kick back I've got some goodies for you today I think I
heard somebody say Motormouth what are you talking about today well I thought I
would share a number of winter tech tips how about five I don't know why I like
the five so much but five here's what you will always learn from our YouTube
videos and right here in the car can work car connection workshop rather on
I heart and all the major platforms so thank you for being a part of the car
connection workshop podcast family appreciate that very very much and don't
forget to like subscribe share and follow and your put your comments down
below on our YouTube videos and remember to ring the notification bell so that you
do not miss a single video single apps episodes so subscribe and watch the
videos I try and keep them around 15 to 20 minutes but you're always going to
learn five things so the videos are teaching there's fun and there's fun
demandals what it is where it is what it does why it matters how it breaks and
is there anything you as a vehicle owner could have done differently to save
unnecessary expenses on repairs that's what I teach you I also teach you the
four things when it comes to going to the service department whether it's a
dealership or a mom-and-pop shop make sure the service writer shows you all
four items first of all your concern what's going on diagnostic figuring out
what is the component thirdly changing the component fourthly road test and
confirming the repair so concern cause correction confirmation that's what
should happen and that's what you should see ladies and gentlemen fellas and
fellas guys and dolls on every single work order that's what you should see
concern the cause correction so what was what needs to be replaced and repaired
or service to deal with the concern and then last but not least confirmation
through the service technician or somebody taking the vehicle for road test
and making sure everything is as it should be so those are the things you
always be reminded of on our YouTube videos and also right here on our car
connection workshop podcast I'm still kind of getting used to this 31 years on
radio and now we're moving the train is moving out of the station and I'm looking
forward to seeing car connection the next gen our morning show for 31 years was
called car connection and earlier in the new year we started an afternoon
program called dashboard and now we're here with our very own podcast the car
connection workshop so I just slice off the car connection workshop that's all
you'll find us on all the major platforms like to also say a quick thank you to
our certified financial planners Tony Miele and Larry T troll they're my
brothers from other mothers over 50 years experience as fiduciaries with
IG wealth management these guys are two of the best in Canada so we get to have
an hour discovery meeting at no cost no obligation no sales no gimmicks no
nothing so if you have investments or you need an estate plan you need insurance
critical critical illness insurance to arrange a mortgage they've got you
covered with everything under one roof so just connect with certified financial
planning professionals Tony Miele and Larry T troll all our program partners
are available to you at carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com that's our
website that's where everything is located in one place the homepage top
right hand corner all the icons you need to click and get to the link and
connect with us there's YouTube there's Facebook there's iHeart and our
merchandise store thank you also to Niagara block at 5000 Montrose Road in
Niagara Falls building Canada since 1931 building and landscape materials you
will find nowhere else and the customer service is over the top let me tell you
and thank you to Earl and Louise Grant at City Auto Sales and Leasing GTA's
premiere pre-owned auto store quality low mileage vehicles at fair prices they
do carry a lot of inventory but if you don't see what the you're particularly
looking for let Earl and Louise know they have 25 plus years in the business
they're car people and they love to use the resources to find that vehicle that
is of utmost importance to you so in other words what you need to drive what
you need to have they also have leasing as well as in-house financing so if you
got good credit bad credit or no credit it's okay so make sure you check in with
their own Louise Grant at City Auto Sales and Leasing and to the brothers
Rita and Ramiz Shenouda at Rainbow Motors and Garage sales and service you
can trust for many years with car connection in Scarborough so check in
with them and we'd like to say thank you to them all for making car connection
possible especially to you tuning in for our car connection podcast here on iHeart
and all the major platforms well let's jump right in this morning I am going to
share with you five I know I already said that didn't I yeah five winter tech
tips well we've arrived we've had what I call the shot over the bow especially
here in Fort Erie where our broadcast studio is located on the south shores of
Lake Erie we had quite a bit of that white stuff and it's finally just kind of
disappeared since about yesterday afternoon well here we are let's start
with number one on my list are you ready just say ready I'm ready perfect now if
you're driving please don't try to take notes just relisten and our podcast
recordings are available to you on our website carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com
that CCBUS is at Samnet.com go to our archive broadcast and you'll see our
iHeart icon right there our podcasts are being posted there by our webmaster
how cool is that so we're still getting our feet wet we've got a number of years
to catch up to hitting that 31 year mark being on the radio but let's jump in
number one winter tech tip frozen windshield washer fluid here we go I
wrote this one just for you that's because you bought the cheap blue stuff
get winter rated fluid unless you like ice sculptures on your windshield that's
right the cheap stuff makes a beautiful kaleidoscope on your windshield you can't
see deadly squat or what the other guys doing so you never know who you're gonna
meet when your windshield kind of frosts over end to end side to side and I've
seen that happen so folks I was just in the the grub doing the what I call the
big GG grub grab and guess what there's a humongous loaded up skid of washer
fluid for like 299 so I looked at the jug and read the label minus 35 leave it
right there if you haven't listened to my podcast on what is it that I think
it's washers wipers and winter in your wallet you got to check that one out
that's already posted on I heart and all the major platforms I put that out
think last week or the week before you might want to check that one out minus
45 to minus 50 that's the washer fluid you want and here's my tech tip make sure
not only your washer bottle under the hood is filled with the right stuff minus
45 f or minus 50 then and use it all year round and the reason behind that is
you don't have to guess what's in there put the same in every single time I
don't use the the 30 or the 35 even in the summer months even in the fall months
I put minus 45 minus 50 and you know what I find it even cleans the bug goo and
bird poo off the windshield pretty good because you can get some pretty good
bug splatters and sometimes I think pterodactyls still fly because the birds
in my neighborhood man do they ever drop a windshield bomb so that is my tech tip
along with keep a full jug not a part jug a full brand spanking never been
tampered with jug of windshield washer antifreeze in the car along with your
snowbrush and another little tech tip on the side if it has done a winter event
overnight and your snowbrush is inside the car yeah you got to use something
else to clean it off to get to your snowbrush so here's the habit I have
created for myself it works very well when I'm on the road and I exit my
vehicle when I get home at the end of the day I take my snowbrush with me into
the house and I park it in the same spot where my keys hang so that when I leave
the next day I'm going somewhere I grab the car keys the house keys and my
snowbrush the other way you can do it is making sure that you have a snowbrush
in the house that stays there and a snowbrush in your vehicle that stays
there all winter long I find that to be less stressful when it's got like six
or eight inches of the white stuff all over it or it's also frozen yeah like a
draper the snowbrush the this the that and the other thing so just a tech tip
there to try and help you a little bit more number two carry a blanket now we're
going to cover the winter travel goodies having a roadside a winter roadside
emergency kit inside your vehicle we're going to tear that all apart and see if
we can't together come up with some ideas to things that maybe you've thought
about that should be in a winter travel emergency toter and my number one thing
is having a clear toter so that you can see everything in there yeah and so that
if anybody's peek-a-booing from outside they see a toter in the back with a lid
on it and they can't see what's in there they're gonna break the glass to get in
there just to discover it's just winter travel goodies nothing of value yeah so
let's play it a little bit safer because I I don't I don't take my winter travel
emergency toter in and out of the vehicle every day in the winter no it
stays in there and then I just make sure if I'm going on an excursion a journey I
put take some water with me and make sure you remove it so you don't have a
bottled popsicle so carrying a blanket in the trunk is not just for warmth it
also works great when you're stuck and you need traction under your tires it
does work folks believe it or not it does work all right let's move on number
three winter well I was hey Siri could you what since you're with us right at
the moment could you rustle up a hot cup of coffee and one of those chocolate
with donuts with the little sprinkles on yeah I'd really like that thanks a lot
anyhow it's hard to find good help nowadays where was I I don't know it's an
IDK moment the blanket you got that right the blanket can be used for a few
things yeah to put over Siri's head perhaps all right number three that's
where I was heading you can use WD 40 or silicone spray either one I prefer the
silicone spray and you can pick your flavor whoever's branded is that's our
right you can spray that on your door seals all the way around don't forget
the hatch trunk lid all four doors spray the door seals WD 40 or silicone
spray before the frost hits keeping them from sticking because these door
seals I replaced one for someone not that long ago and thank goodness I went
into one of those you pull it yards in St. Catharines I found the same vehicle
and the trunk seal was in mint mint mint condition it cost me ten bucks from the
dealer that seal was a hundred and ninety one dollars just same and that was
from the trunk lid the heat of the Sun actually melted the seal around the
trunk lid it was like this black sticky goo and I had to use paint thinners
lacquer thinners to get off all the gooey stuff so I could apply the new one
it was a mess so spray that on your door seals don't forget you have more than
one entry one exit get them all that way think of it as a lip balm for your car
that'll save you a ton of headaches especially when we go from rain like we
have this this past week rain wet snow and then the snow got drier and then the
temperature dropped yeah and then your wiper blades were welded to the windshield
because you forgot to lift them up yeah that's that's also in the podcast I did
wiper blades washers winter and your wallet you might want to check that one
out very important put those wiper blades up at night make get in that habit you go
to work park the car how long is it going to be there for a minimum of at
least eight hours put the wiper blades up before you take off and lock the car
down when you get home do exactly the same thing make sure you turn the stink
of wipers off as well so if you forget to take the wipers off the windshield
bam is what you're going to hear and now you just cost yourself a ton of money
because you broke something in the wiper system and it gets expensive fast I'm
just trying to help you I'm not here to scold you or anything I'm just here to
help you I am a qualified and licensed service tech since 1988 okay let's move
on that's a few years now but I am still fully licensed fully qualified my
licenses are up to date number four this this is a whole program just on its own
to be honest it really is and I may just do that because this winter tech tip
comes up every single year for 31 years of being on the radio with our
morning show car connection and we're not there anymore we're moving fully on
with podcasting because that's the way to go that's the next generation for car
connection car connection next gen 2.0 don't warm your car up for a half an
hour and I see that in my own neighborhood holy smokes that things
been running got a couple of names they have the remote start and they'll
cycle that thing two three times I'm thinking what do you got you got some
bread dough in there or pizza dough that you want to proof yeah get it rising
holy mackerel half an hour not necessary I mean if it's nine is 20 outside I'll
give my vehicle a little more time to warm up and get the glass warm so that
I can scrape the ice off and I'm not chiseling at the glass because that's
how you can punch a glass out pretty quick so what I generally do I get the
driver's side cleaned off and get the door open get the vehicle started put the
heat on full core hard core max close the door and start cleaning off so
whatever that time it takes I'm letting the vehicle warm up warm up the glass
makes it a whole lot easier to scrape it off that's the only time I will get the
vehicle started and let it warm up that way but on a day where it's like you
know a few just a few minutes to clean off the windshield maybe brush off some
light snows you don't need to let it run for half an hour it's not a fireplace
okay a couple of minutes I like to say more than a couple of minutes good 15
is fine 15 20 minutes max is fine but here's the kicker drive gently and let
the vehicle warm itself and save some fuel I mean in the winter time fuel
economy does not exist for anybody just get want to get that out there I'm
gonna be talking about fuel system winter tips as well in a little bit I did
already put a podcast out giving you some ideas about the fuel system and some
tech tips so you might want to look that one up fuel system maintenance we're
gonna talk about fuel system servicing that is something completely different
yeah kind of like Monty Python said now for something completely different a
man with a tape recorder up his nose now that is different you gotta you gotta
say so so just think of your vehicle especially in the winter as an athlete
yeah not swimming or you know tennis or anything like that but an athlete that
maybe cross-country skiing downhill skiing the Luge you know stuff that you
might do on the weekend you know I wouldn't mind trying the Luge it does
look pretty creepy though they move out pretty quick they have to warm up folks
when you go to the gym to work out you've got to warm up to prevent injury
your car is exactly the same if you love to injure your car and you've got like
stinking piles wheelbarrows full of on you know unspent cash just email me yeah
through our website carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com I can probably
relieve you of some of the pain of having way too much money yeah I'm being a
little facetious but in love I'm saying give that vehicle 15-20 minutes to begin
the warm-up process we need fluids and metals like the engine transmission all
the parts of the driveline the cooling system we want that engine to get to 195
degrees Fahrenheit and we want all the components and the fluids that protect
some very expensive mechanical components you can't see the internal
workings of it's money in the bank because when do things break when they're
freezing cold winter I think is the worst time for things big mechanical
components to break engine transmission big bucks buca bucks so again don't warm
up your car for a half an hour it is not a fireplace about 15-20 minutes if you
ask if you do a survey you'll get a different answer every time I'm telling
you what I do what I was trained to do and it works every single time 15-20
minutes while you're cleaning it off and getting yourself ready to get into a
vehicle that's warming up drive off gently don't drive it like you stole it
you know who you are let it warm itself and you'll save fuel as well not
burning it off letting the vehicle idle because that's not good for an engine
I'm telling you we'll get into those internal workings in some other
podcast I've got 31 years of car connection on radio to share with you on
podcast and I'm gonna do my best to keep them each segment to 30 minutes if
you're wanting more information instead of less I'd be more than happy to to do
an hour program because I can't I've been used to doing two hours one hour on
Saturdays live on the air I don't mind if that's what you really want but I
want to be respectable of your time and while you're driving we you know I want
to keep it light and let's have some fun and let's learn together and laugh
together but remember coffee's hot just saying some people have to be reminded of
all that stuff you know hot chocolate is hot it should be hot coffee is something
I'm still getting used to you know long time I've had my own repair shop on the
Hamilton mountain I drank a lot of cold coffee it's nice to have a hot cup of
coffee all right where are we at number four okay so you got that warm your
vehicle up even though you set off drive gently let the rest of the vehicle
warm up to 195 degrees Fahrenheit that is what we call normal operating
temperature now you're ready to go light them up keep it under 100 though watch
out for the other guy where's number five there it is number five check your
defroster before you need it and I'll tell you there is nothing like discovering
it's busted when you're already late for work and trying to scrape your windshield
off on the inside with a spatula or a debit card and then you break it and
then you got to go get another one or you use your credit card by accident and
you broke it in half I can't tell you the number of times I've heard that so
let's make sure we have really good solid defrost yeah we did did we talk
about cabin air filters I don't think we did yet I'm not sure I have to check the
the listening list but if you if your vehicle is equipped with a cabin air
filter and you haven't had that changed here's here's my tech tip for you winter
we need all the blow we can get to get that windshield defrosted and to get the
everything in the vehicle thank goodness we don't have vinyl seats anymore dear
God in heaven man those huh those are wicked in the winter you might as well
sit on the cutting board in the kitchen yeah until they warm up and you can slide
right off too I'm just saying I had the I had a really cool 1976 Dodge Valiant it
was green on green plus green times green it equaled green but with vinyl
seats don't get on them in the summer with shorts on and in the winter stiff as
a cutting board but you want to to make sure that you can get the windshield
clear but if your cabin air filter inside your car is plug solid with leaves
and you know those maple helicopter things plus if you're if you live where
you've got pine trees yeah that's all in there so it once that filter it's a
HEPA filter it purifies the air going into the cabin and in fact I will prompt
you to go to our Nile Motormouth Jenkins YouTube channel I just did only a few
weeks back an entire video on a cabin air filter you got to go and check that
out it was on 2008 Nissan I want to say Ragu but it's rogue and I'll tell you
aside from having I think I actually created a new yoga move in that video
just can't call it out other than HEPA filter twist yeah practically standing
on my head under the steering wheel in front of the driver's feet and it's
right packed in there but I'll tell you it was packed with outside elements there
was leaves there was dander there was pet hair there was people hair there was
things I didn't even want to know what it was and on top of that a whole lot more
and in that video I show you getting all the debris out of there and making sure
you vacuum it out but you're not going to get fantastic air flow to the defrost
mode or dash mode or down to the floor if you've got a cabin air filter that's
plugged should be changed minimum once a year twice a year is best if you use
your vehicle a lot because you you won't believe what gets caught in that HEPA
filter and when you don't change it you're breathing in all kinds of
concentrated bacteria which if you have any kind of respiratory issues or
somebody in the that rides in the vehicle with you has asthma or any kind
of respiratory issues that cabin filter being plugged and plugged with high
levels of bacteria is not a great idea well we've exhausted our time together
I hope you got some tidbits out of that and we'll we'll see you it well you'll
see me or hear me depending on where you're catching us on our YouTube
channel dial motormouth Jenkins or on our podcast on iHeart and all major
platforms I set them to to upload at 8 a.m. in the morning so you can catch it
on your way to work or you can go to our iHeart channel and pick them off there
and listen at your leisure upload them to your phone they're also on our website
at carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com be sure to check in with our program
partners and recommended businesses they're there for you to guide you along
the way so let them know that Motormouth sent you keep it under 100 follow us on
Facebook at Nile Motormouth Jenkins and don't forget to like subscribe share and
ring the notification bells so you're notified when new videos go up every
week and Skippy and I put videos up to every Tuesday one every Friday so
they're always fresh we have well over a hundred videos up there now so we'll
we'll hear me in the next one or see me in the next video keep it under 100 and
put the coffee on we're going to come to your house
About this episode
Winter driving can be challenging, but Niall Motormouth Jenkins shares five essential tech tips to keep you safe and your vehicle in top shape. From choosing the right windshield washer fluid to preventing door seals from freezing, these practical suggestions are designed to help you navigate winter conditions with ease. Learn the importance of warming up your car properly, checking your defroster, and maintaining your cabin air filter for optimal performance. With a mix of humor and expertise, this episode is packed with valuable insights for winter driving.
Original notes
It's time again-when your car groans louder than your neighbour's snow blower. In this episode, Nile Motormouth Jenkins fires off five winter tech tips to help you stay ahead of the cold: from keeping your seals slick with silicone spray to stopping your windshield from freezing you out, and even while your car shouldn't double as a living - room fireplace. Grab your blanket (for you and your car ) , learn how to defrost like a pro and laugh your way through the frozen season. Because when it comes to winter car care, a little prep beats a big tow bill every time. JOIN THE CAR CONNECTION NEXT GEN 2.0 CREW! Catch our new Morning Drive Podcast weekdays at 8AM and Saturdays at 8AM on iHeart and all major podcast platforms. Hit up our Youtube channel for behind the - scenes videos and garage banter. Visit CarConnectionBusinessNetwork.com (ccbusnet.com) your pit stop for podcasts, partner businesses, and our Car Connection Merch Store(just click the icons. in the top right corner). Check out StevensvilleOnTheWeb.ca click "Businesses," find our profile, and see exclusive videos you won't find any where else. Support our partners, grab some gear, and be part of the Motormouth movement- we're full throttle into the next generation of Car Connection! Thanks for Tuning - In and watching, Happy Motoring! NMJ
Car Connection Workshop
Nile Jenkins
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