“New vehicles are reliable, right?” is the question the Car Connection Workshop comes back to, and the hosts don’t let it slide. They share real shop examples—like a dead battery traced to “there's a parasitic draw” and a Nissan shifter-handle repair stalled by parts that are “no longer available.” The discussion widens into warranty reality: “three years 60 000 kilometers zero warranty left whichever one occurs first,” after which “it's your dime.” Reliability, they argue, hinges on maintenance and parts availability, not the badge.
Are new vehicles really more reliable, or are we being sold a story? In today's Motormouth Morning Drive Podcast, we break down the reality of modern vehicle ownership, warranties, maintenance strategies, and why older vehicles may actually make more sense for long-term reliability. We also talk about protecting yourself after warranty coverage ends and why having a maintenance plan matters now more than ever. Plus, Skippy and I officially launch our BuyMe a coffee page for those who want to help support the podcast and YouTube channel.
remember to : Like, Share, Follow, Subscribe, Leave A comment too, ring the bell so you don't miss the next rescue project, maintenance tips, and real -world car ownership advice.
motormouth merch available online store at (ccbusnet.com) all proceeds to Total Freedom Canada and USA helping those with addictions say good bye to them for good, we want to help get them there🚗 Thanks Again Friends for Joining our Crew❤️ Skippy & Motormouth.
More episodes and...project Details & Links are available at Car Connection Business Network.com (ccbusnet.com) you'll find everything on our home page if you'd like to follow the build or Repair work we do, connect with our program partners click their logo to meet them, Thank You for Supporting them also👍 Nile Motormouth Jenkins
"experienced a dead battery out in the field out in our woodpile... And dead battery. So I had to call my buddy Charlie to bring one of the big green tractors to get us started."
A dead battery is when the battery doesn’t have enough power to start the car or run the electronics. Sometimes it’s just an old battery, but sometimes something in the car keeps draining it.
A dead battery is when the battery voltage drops too low for the vehicle’s electronics and starting system to operate. In modern cars, a dead battery can be caused by normal aging, but it can also be triggered by an electrical issue like a parasitic draw or leaving a door/feature active.
Term
key in the ignition
"What, you know, I had the key in the ignition, but that should not have happened. The key wasn't on, just the back door was open"
Leaving the key in the ignition can keep certain vehicle systems awake depending on the car’s design (for example, infotainment, accessory power, or ignition-cycling logic). The host’s point is that the car should not have been drawing power in that situation, which supports the idea of an abnormal electrical drain.
"it has reared its ugly head now that the 07 Toyon FJ Cruiser is in the shop, that there's a parasitic draw and I'm all over it"
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a tough, off-road SUV. Here, the host is talking about a 2007 one that keeps draining the battery because of an electrical problem.
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a rugged, body-on-frame-style SUV known for its off-road heritage and simple, durable mechanicals. In this segment, the host says a 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser is in the shop due to a battery-draining electrical issue, which is the kind of real-world reliability problem enthusiasts care about.
"there's a parasitic draw and I'm all over it, like Axel on a donut, let me tell you. So we're going to show you that one on video."
A parasitic draw means the car is still using a little bit of electricity after you turn it off. That slow drain can empty the battery over time, even if the car seems fine at first.
A parasitic draw is a small electrical current that keeps running even when the car is off, slowly draining the battery. It’s often caused by a stuck module, relay, or accessory that doesn’t fully shut down, and it can be intermittent—so diagnosing it usually involves measuring battery drain and isolating the circuit.
"been waiting for a part 22 little pieces for the shifter handle uh because it's it can rotate almost 180 degrees because there's a clip in there that's broken"
The shifter handle is the lever/knob you move to change gears. If a small clip breaks, the handle can move too freely, which can make shifting feel wrong and harder to fix.
A shifter handle is the part you physically grab to move the transmission’s selector. If a clip breaks and the handle can rotate excessively (like “almost 180 degrees”), it can make the shifter feel loose or unreliable and can complicate repairs.
"been waiting for a part 22 little pieces for the shifter handle ... i've been trying to get these components for since march the 16th so yesterday was like my fourth call and i finally got some answers they're no longer available"
Parts availability means whether replacement parts are actually available to buy. If they’re hard to get—or discontinued—repairs can take much longer than you’d expect.
Parts availability is how easily replacement parts can be sourced when something breaks, and it directly affects repair time. The host describes waiting since March and then being told the components are no longer available, which can turn a minor failure into a long downtime problem.
"because it's it can rotate almost 180 degrees because there's a clip in there that's broken so i didn't realize i've been trying to get these components"
A clip is a small part that helps hold things in place. If it breaks, the shifter parts can shift around more than they should, which can make the car harder to use normally.
In this context, a clip is a small retaining fastener that holds components together on the shifter mechanism. When the clip breaks, it can allow the shifter handle to move out of its normal range, which is why the host needed replacement pieces.
"i said i'm hoping for you and for all us uh Nissan owners because i am a Nissan owner as of last year 2008 Nissan Rogue [1454.2s] and babying it and taking really good care of it"
The Nissan Rogue is a common Nissan SUV people buy for everyday driving. Here, the host talks about their own 2008 Rogue and how they’re trying to keep it in good shape.
The Nissan Rogue is a popular Nissan compact crossover SUV known for being a mainstream family hauler. In this segment, the host specifically mentions owning a 2008 Nissan Rogue and doing maintenance to keep it running.
"...wners because i am a Nissan owner as of last year 2008 Nissan Rogue and babying it and taking really good care ..."
The Nissan 200 SX is a smaller, sporty car made by Nissan. People bring it up when talking about owning and maintaining older Nissan vehicles, especially how they need to be cared for to keep working properly. It’s the kind of car that owners often discuss based on their own experience over the years.
The Nissan 200 SX is a compact sports coupe that was sold in various markets and is known for its sporty, enthusiast-focused character. It often comes up in conversations about older Nissan models because owners tend to discuss long-term ownership, maintenance habits, and how the car holds up over time. In a podcast context, it’s likely mentioned as part of a broader “Nissan ownership” experience and what it takes to keep one running well.
"and can't get them so i'm gonna have to go to a you pull it yard and i'm sure i'll find some 08 through 10 in there and maybe be able to get the little pieces that i need"
A “you pull it” yard is a junkyard where you take the parts out yourself. The host is planning to grab older Rogue parts they can’t get any other way.
A “you pull it” yard is a self-service salvage yard where you remove parts yourself from donor vehicles. It’s often used to find discontinued or hard-to-source components cheaply, like the host is trying to do for their Nissan Rogue.
"it comes down and differentials as well it comes down to the quality control basically quality control something's not being done"
Differentials are parts in the drivetrain that help the wheels turn at different speeds when you go around corners. The host mentions them as part of the kinds of problems that can affect reliability.
A differential is a drivetrain component that allows the left and right wheels to rotate at different speeds, especially when turning. The host groups “engines” and “differentials” together as part of the reliability/quality-control problems they think are happening.
"it comes down to the quality control basically quality control something's not being done and it's created this problem for them"
Quality control is how a company checks that cars are built correctly and consistently. The host thinks the reliability issues come from something not being checked or done properly.
Quality control is the process used by manufacturers to ensure parts and vehicles meet required standards before they reach customers. The host argues that a failure in quality control is behind the reliability problems they’re discussing.
"if it's three years that means you have no warranty if it's a domestic you have no warranty left"
A warranty is like a repair guarantee from the car maker for a limited time. After that time is up, you usually have to pay for repairs yourself. They’re saying that after a few years, that guarantee may be gone.
In car shopping, a warranty is the manufacturer’s promise to pay for certain repairs for a set period or mileage. Once you’re outside that coverage window, repairs typically become the owner’s responsibility. The hosts are discussing how quickly that safety net can disappear on a “three years old” vehicle.
"once you hit over
that 60 000 kilometer mark 60 thousand and one"
Car warranties often end after a certain number of miles or kilometers. The host is saying that once you pass a common mileage cutoff, you may lose warranty coverage. Then repairs usually cost you.
Many vehicle warranties are limited by either time or mileage (or both), and the mileage threshold is a key trigger for when coverage ends. The host is using “60,000 kilometers” as an example of a common cutoff where repairs may no longer be covered. After that point, the owner is more likely to pay out of pocket.
"and that was with
Volkswagen they did a lot of warranty work"
Volkswagen is the car brand the host brings up as an example of a dealer that did a lot of warranty work. They’re using it to show that some brands/dealers may be more willing to help with repairs. It supports their point about what happens after the warranty period.
Volkswagen is the brand the host mentions in connection with getting warranty work handled at a European dealer. The host uses this as an example of how warranty support (and possibly goodwill help) can vary by brand and dealer behavior. It’s part of the broader argument about whether “new vehicles are reliable” and what happens when coverage ends.
"going 2016 2017 2018 2019 with decent low mileage and as i keep saying mileage doesn't mean anything to me"
Mileage is the total distance a vehicle has been driven, often used as a proxy for wear. The speaker argues that mileage alone isn’t a reliable indicator of condition; maintenance history and how well the vehicle was cared for matter more.
"if you're looking after whatever the item is that's right whether it's a from a chainsaw ... it's only going to be as good as the maintenance that you provide to keep it alive"
Maintenance history is what services and repairs were done to the car over time. The takeaway is that a well-maintained car is more likely to stay reliable than one that wasn’t serviced.
Maintenance history is the record of scheduled service and repairs done over a vehicle’s life. The speaker’s core idea is that a vehicle’s long-term reliability depends on keeping it maintained, not just on how many miles it has.
Concept
white goods
"well there's certain things you have no control over right like the fridge the dryer the washer the dryer ... what we call white goods"
“White goods” just means big home appliances like the fridge and washer/dryer. They’re used here as an example that some things break no matter what you do.
“White goods” is a common term for major home appliances like refrigerators, washers, and dryers. The speaker uses it as an analogy to explain that some failures are random and not fully controllable by the owner.
Select text to request an explanation
Good morning Niagara, you're tuned to Car Connection, where the coffee's hot, tools
are ready, talk is always tuned up.
I'm your host, Dyle 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,
giving you the confidence to understand what's under that hood, from the classics to the
commuters, the weird noises, and the what the heck moments.
We've got you covered, so grab your coffee, sit back, join the crew, because this is Car Connection,
your Monday through Saturday morning pit stop for stories, smarts,
few good laughs, and I'm Dyle Motormouth Jenkins, and we are shifting into drive this morning as we
head into the first long weekend, Canadian long weekend of summer,
2026. There you go, I really dated this podcast.
I can hear one of my past producers on radio going,
now I gotta edit that all out. It's okay, it's all right.
This morning our topic is new vehicles are reliable, right?
Well, we're going to jump in that. We've been talking about this a little bit more,
and I was doing more research yesterday and got a chance to listen to a few more inside
Scoop Snoop on what's been going on with some of the new vehicles, not just recently,
but what's been kind of developing over the last 10 years.
And that's pretty much the facts, Jack. So stay with us this morning. We're going to jump right
into our conversation. I have five things that I want to cover this morning. That kind of sounds
like our YouTube videos. We cover five things always to teach you the basic fundamentals of
vehicle ownership and having an older vehicle and keeping it reliable. And you can I've been
doing it for four decades. So someone who tells me you got to have a new car to have reliability.
No, I take the dozen raising brand muffins coming out of the oven in just about 20 minutes. Yeah.
So we're going to uncover that today. So if you haven't signed up and subscribe,
like, share, follow, ring the bell, be notified when the new videos come out. We've got videos
coming out tomorrow, just 11 for Friday, two for Tuesday. So three new videos every single week
showing you how to diagnose problems, how we discover challenges on vehicles. Right now,
I've discovered something new that I kind of back in the fall of 2025,
experienced a dead battery out in the field out in our woodpile,
cutting trees all day. And you know, you're hot and sticky and it was a warm October and I,
you know, all I want to do is get home, get cleaned up, and have a cold snack, whatever that is.
And dead battery. So I had to call my buddy Charlie to bring one of the big green tractors
to get us started. And that's when I my eyebrow kind of raised in thinking that shouldn't happen.
What, you know, I had the key in the ignition, but that should not have happened. The key wasn't
on, just the back door was open where all the tools and equipment are. So anyways,
it has reared its ugly head now that the 07 Toyon FJ Cruiser is in the shop, that there's a parasitic
draw and I'm all over it, like Axel on a donut, let me tell you. So we're going to show you that
one on video. How do I, how do you find that thing that's draining the battery but doesn't do it
all the time? Well, I'm all over it and I'm going to show you quick, a quick and easy method,
how you can determine very quickly where's the problem, what is the problem and where's the
problem and why is there a problem. So the how, when, where, and why I will cover in a video.
And that's the type of thing that we have on our YouTube channel. So all our podcasts go there
every single day. So you can pick them up there if you want to listen, re-listen, or you can go to
our iHeart Radio channel, which is car connection workshop. So I guess I'm diving into an area I
didn't think I'd get to right away is everything we talk about lives at our website. It is the
biggest drawer in our toolbox. So anything and everything and contact information and what are
the fundraising events coming up that we're involved in. Yeah, I'm going to be in a freezing cold,
probably 34 degree Fahrenheit dunk tank in Stevensville for Springfest coming up. That's
Saturday, June the 6th. You can't miss it. The whole town shuts down. Honestly, it does. This is a
big deal, Jerry. So I volunteered to help fundraise by sitting on the podium of the
dunk tank. Yeah, so you definitely got to stop by, get some pics of that. And I have, we're
developing a special outfit for me, apparently, according to Skippy, our videographer who is
involved in Springfest in Stevensville, Ontario. So check that out at StevensvilleOnTheWeb.ca.
There's all kinds of information there for you, as well as we are placed as experts in the automotive
field. So you'll see articles and bloopers from us there, according to Skippy. I think she sneaks
stuff in there. I'm just saying, I haven't looked for a while. So but there's always bloopers,
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anything else, you have to be completely committed. It's like bacon and eggs. That's what I say. It's
but the pig, he's all in. It's a commitment. So good morning and welcome to motor mouse morning
drive 8am, six days week. We have fun Friday coming up tomorrow. I need your questions in for
Saturday Q&A. Yes, I will be doing a Saturday Q&A on the Long Victoria Day weekend. Get your
questions into motormouth.jankins at gmail.ca, no, it's .com. It used to be .ca way back,
motormouth.jankins at gmail.com. If you missed that again, in all the description boxes for
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to you. We do have an online store. All merchandise purchase proceeds go to Total Freedom Addiction
Campuses Canada and USA helping those who've made that decision to say goodbye to their addiction
for good. That's what they do there. They've been doing that for almost 25 years at the campuses
and all the proceeds go directly to the Total Freedom Campuses Addiction Campuses Canada and
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at Total Freedom. It is absolutely life-changing what goes on there. You can see testimonials,
you can watch videos and see what's happening there and how lives are being transformed.
Anything else? Oh yeah, something new. This was Skippy's idea. She said,
do you think we could maybe get some of the listeners and the viewers to buy us a coffee?
I go, I don't know. Skippy, So anyways, I checked it out and it's all set up.
So if you would like to buy Skippy and I a coffee, it's any amount you'd like to do.
It's there for you to do so and we thank you ahead of time. I just finished it off
late yesterday afternoon and I sent Skippy a message because she also has another job on the
side. I think she has like a hundred jobs. I really do. But we're grateful to have her here
in the car connection workshop helping out on Mondays and taking care of Instagram, Facebook,
Stevenville on the web.ca which is her website that she put together to create a communal
website between the businesses in Stevensville in the community and my parents have lived in
Stevensville for I think it's 42 years now. Mom passed in 22. My pop's still there. But all of
Skippy's family is in Stevensville and we know lots of people in Stevensville. So here's how you
buy us a coffee. I'll put this in the description box today. We'll see who is going to be the very
first person to buy Skippy and I a coffee. It's called buymeacoffee.com forward motormouth Nile
N-I-L-E. That's buymeacoffee.com forward slash motormouth Nile and it's all safe and secure and
set up there for you to do that and we get notified when that happens so that we can jump in and
send you a personal message back. So thank you for that opportunity to say thank you ahead of time
for those who are buying us coffee. Well let's have our morning swiggy and we better let those who
are just visiting us for the very first time know this is how we do it. This is the shtick
is we can't get everybody into the car connection workshop every morning so for us to have a morning
beverage together we have the morning swiggy. This morning brought to us by our program partner
at Niagara Block 5000 Montrose Road Niagara Falls Building Canada since 1931. They have all the
building supplies you need as far as block and angle iron, rebar and gravel all that stuff
as well as hardscape landscape materials. They could build you an English walkway and it would
be absolutely amazing. If you check in with Kathy Grimo that's Kathy and Dave husband and wife and
Dave's brother Dave's brother Dan so we want to say hi to Dan he works hard there as well they all
work hard. Kathy has a list of contractors if you're looking for something like that any kind of
building project she can give you a referral to a contractor that can help you to get the job done
and get it done well so that's estimate the job start the job finish the job how cool is that
so that you can enjoy your outdoor backyard space so if you're looking to create say a building of
some type they can help you with that if you're looking to create some landscaping and some
hardscape landscapes that outdoor space that gives you more outdoor living space with kitchen
yes for sure you got to have it with kitchen oh absolutely and enjoy that they can help you
put that all together so on we count it down 321 and then we have a swiggy together are
you ready you got your morning beverage you got through the drive through okay everything's good
check your order it is Thursday we got one more day well i'm going to say actually on long weekends
around half day noon hour that would be when my guys in the shop would start to
i don't know it was like they ran out of quarters you know in the in the uh laundromat
the the dryer would stop they just kind of slow down about 11 30 and then by noon hour like can
we go now and i would mess with them of course i would let them out early get their weekend started
so weekend is coming it's a long one want you to be safe out there but let's start with a nice
hot morning beverage 321 and that is so good i don't know i had something with my throat
going on yesterday it drove me crazy all day those herbals that seem to be doing it but i
think it's it's actually the coffee that's coming up all right we have our uh week weekday
weather for you it's thursday may the 14th wow we're almost halfway through may do you realize
that i was just thinking about that this morning as i was uh preparing to get on the horn i'm going
wow you know like this weekend we're like over halfway and then it's june july august and we're
back into it well let's let's just focus on the good stuff and uh i'm looking at the uh long range
forecast we've got some good stuff coming up so hang in there uh it's gonna change
we're gonna get the 30 day fuel savings challenge in i think very very shortly here so uh stay tuned
for that that's going to put a minimum of a hundred dollars of saving fuel savings in your pocket
per car so if you have multiple cars in the family you might all want to get in on this
i'm going to coach you but you have to do the work okay remember the do does and the did is done
thank you to our friends certified financial planning professionals tony mealy larry teacher
our program partners 50 years experience as fiduciaries they are my personal financial planners
so when i'm talking about them i am speaking 100 percent as a client these guys are two of the
best in canada and you'll never know they're so humble and so down to earth they want to help
you they don't need any more clients they're super busy but they want to reach through car connection
to help our listeners so if you have questions with regards to investment portfolio you're carrying
a ton of debt it's weighing you down estate planning you don't have anything set by and put
in concrete with regards to your estate plan if you have any kids at home at 18 years or older
are you their health proxy if you're not that creates a super duper challenge if something
should happen so doing an estate plan yourself or even a will with powers of attorney and beneficiaries
it's not something you take on yourself guys you're not saving any money whatsoever you're
leaving your estate wide open to the bandits to come and take it from you yeah c r a mortgages
i don't do mortgages anymore i haven't for 15 or so years with banks i work directly with
ig wealth management through tony and larry it's been an absolute blessing great rates wonderful
people to work with life insurance critical illness insurance and insurance seems like an expense
until you need it it's a wise investment so you can get yourself a discovery meeting we've nicknamed
for many years now since 2007 the hour and a coffee leave your wallet leave your purse at home
you're not going to be asked for any money you're not going to need it you're just going
to need to sit and have that discovery meeting either by zoom by phone in their boardroom
in a coffee shop at your home in a box with a fox but get it done okay don't be losing sleep
and having intense moments of fellowship with your spouse because things are not going well
sit down and get a game plan going it will change everything including how you take care of your
vehicle having the funds to do so and preparing for that time when you may need to make a vehicle
replacement preparing in advance well today's weather report looks much better than yesterday
and looking at the long range right now i've tapped into that we got some good numbers coming
now saturday we could see a 71 45 chance of rain sunday 50 chance of rain so we need to wish that
out of there 75 degrees but get this come monday 82 tuesday 78 wednesday 69 thursday 66 and of course
that's where we are south shores of lake geary in the niger region so let's take a look at today's
weather let's get a bird's eye view we got any precipitation well well i hate to say but here it
is rain our anion 0.05 of an inch 42 degrees right now cloudy wind is making it feel colder
about 35 degrees rainy conditions expected around 11 am today's temperature range from 42 to 49
and it will feel more like 34 to 44 it is still cool out there so today's top out temperature 49
degrees yesterday it's saying we hit 58 i think we did in the afternoon i was doing editing and
working on a number of other projects moving everything forward and getting mechanicals ready
for video shooting on monday this coming monday the sun came out and it actually wasn't too bad but
then it the clouds moved in uh early evening and it it pooped out and it was raining again
and so if you're packing up for the weekend i would suggest prepare for the worst and if it
doesn't happen you're going to be happy because if you don't have the wet weather gear with you
you certainly can't use it and put it on and protect yourself so tarps if you're tenting tarps
ropes poles all that stuff so you can create a space where you can at least have a campfire
and stay warm and dry and out of the weather should it happen so i'm hoping it doesn't
in that you have a fantastic glamping cramping cottaging weekend because this is the big hoopty
do where everything gets rebooted for summer and this is summer 2026 yeah so let's jump into our
topic this morning and thank you to Earl Louise Grant at uh
auto sale their city auto sales in leasing in Toronto and i'll tell you if you are looking
for a vehicle it is worth your drive to anywhere on the planet if you're dealing with people that
stand for honesty and integrity they provide low mileage quality vehicles at fair prices so check in
with Earl Louise if you don't see the vehicle you're looking for they have years of resources
collected let Earl do the legwork for you because if that vehicle's out there and it's any good he
will definitely grab it for you their greater Toronto area's premier pre-owned auto store well
my title today for our podcast is new vehicles are reliable right well not from what i've been hearing
and some more of the details coming out it seems like there are some serious issues
even with Nissan going on that there's problems in the management i didn't know that in fact i spoke
to uh parts department at Nissan yesterday been waiting for a part 22 little pieces for the
shifter handle uh because it's it can rotate almost 180 degrees because there's a clip in there
that's broken so i didn't realize i've been trying to get these components for since march the 16th
so yesterday was like my fourth call and i finally got some answers they're no longer available
so it's funny because yesterday i was doing research in the afternoon uh for a number of hours
and that's what i do i do research and fact check and see what's going on out there
they got a serious management problem and the sad part would be if they don't get their
poop together we could lose Nissan so i asked the gentleman at parts and he said yeah we're
keeping our ears to the ground as employees we're concerned and i said you know just as a consumer
i mean that would be horrific to lose a company that's been around so long like Nissan you know
it started out as Datsun and then turned to Nissan and it's been around forever i said i'm hoping for
you and for all us uh Nissan owners because i am a Nissan owner as of last year 2008 Nissan Rogue
and babying it and taking really good care of it and uh it just needed those two pieces to
fix it up and can't get them so i'm gonna have to go to a you pull it yard and i'm sure i'll find
some 08 through 10 in there and maybe be able to get the little pieces that i need to stop the
shifter from coming off yeah because that's not good it hasn't come off yet but i know it's working
up to it so yeah so uh keep you know check that out that's uh it's upper management that seems to be
the the issue there that's where that problem is back over to Toyota they're but they say
they're working on a fix i think they are and i think they're kind of shamed about what's been
going on with their some of their engines and it comes down and differentials as well it comes down
to the quality control basically quality control something's not being done and it's created this
problem for them would i buy a toyota today yes yes i would i absolutely would i think they're
i i would say a hundred percent they'll get on top of that and uh take care of it because they you
know and they know they need to because um they spent a long time just like Honda KIA and Hyundai
building a good strong rapport with the clientele with the consumer would you want to do something
stupid to watch that up that's the question i don't think so i think they're kind of very
ashamed of the situation and circumstances and they've been caught out and not prepared so now
they're scrambling to prepare and we see where that goes uh from there but on the other side of the
pond in the domestic market i have to say it you know what it's a shambles and it's a shame
for consumer and for again the upper crust in the establishment that's what i've always called it
the establishment has put profitability way ahead of quality and that when that happens it
doesn't matter what company it is uh that's when poop hits the fan if you know what i'm saying
yeah that's why they don't make screen doors on outhouses there's a reason behind that yeah
because if it blows up whoever's on the outside to be instantly have freckles not good so they
that's where the problem has happened is with the upper crust the upper echelon looking for ways to
continually cut corners this isn't new this has been going on since the early 90s and we've been
watching it i have been watching it very closely go south as they go closer and closer to losing
their vision on quality and paying more attention to profitability and how ways they can they can
develop to get more money out of the consumer's pocket that may work short term but that's why
we are where we are so let's jump into that new vehicles are reliable right not so much on the
domestic side unfortunately and i'm not here to to beat someone or beat a dead horse but you know
as a consumer you're all of us are out there working really hard to make a buck and not to
have someone snatch it out from under us uh with dishonesty and that's what's going on the dishonesty
is creating the unreliable automobiles so my answer number one out of the five things i have for
you this morning nope they're not a hundred percent reliable anymore at this point in time and they
haven't been a hundred percent reliable for at least 10 model years at least 10 so that would take
us back to like you know 2020 ish right sort of maybe do the math but take us actually back to 2016
to be if you want to be accurate 2016 and that you know what i totally agree with that because
that's when things we started hearing a lot of stuff and a lot of grumblings with vehicles
on the domestic side with lousy pattern failures that we're not being taken care of so quality of
goods doesn't match the price of the goods sold does not and hasn't for at least 10 years so nope
not a hundred percent and so what now well they're not anybody who's shopping for a vehicle today
i would honestly say this be shopping 2016 to about 2018 if you got to push it and you find
something gorgeous low miles 2019 but top don't go beyond 20 2020 in fact i would i would shy away
from that for sure and um you know i had i was invited to uh into a um a program on npr
uh when was that a couple days ago in Ohio so i was broadcasting from here to uh a network
in Ohio it was a i had a really good time on that interview but a question that was asked by the host
i found interesting and i don't know whether she liked my answer or not but um it wasn't one of the
questions on the uh on the agenda but it was a question that she just kind of tossed out to me
and she said uh well i i i have to have a reliable vehicle i got a vehicle that's three years old
and i'm going my brain is is like that it just goes old yeah it's old if it's three years if
you've had it three years and you bought it new guess what you're driving an old dur car so if
it's three years that means you have no warranty if it's a domestic you have no warranty left
and uh that means it's your dime right so if there's pattern failures or that thing
that i'll tell you right now it's definitely going to be one of those vehicles that's got the problems
yeah it's got serious problems and when that happens it's going to be your dime would i want
that in my possession no absolutely not because now you're in the position that the manufacturer
wants you in outside a warranty hello that's where they want you so if that vehicle you've had for
three years and now it's old um it's whatever happens there's no recourse once you hit over
that 60 000 kilometer mark 60 thousand and one um we'd really like to help you but we can't no you
don't want to help no you don't it's not you can't you don't and here's what i've always said there's
never a word can't and there's never a word don't it's they are not willing to help you
that's the problem there's always a way to take care of the customer
always and i learned that at four and a half years at a european dealer and that was with
Volkswagen they did a lot of warranty work w five what does that mean goodwill warranty
you're outside a warranty you've taken care of it there's a track record on the vehicle you've had
it back to the the purchasing dealer to have it serviced on a regular basis something major's
gone wrong you're out of warranty i would call the big wheels and they'd say sign it w five put my
initials on it get them in a in a loaner car and get them on their way boom there's a lesson in that
isn't there for the domestics there's a lesson in that don't just sing the tune and say oh and go
you know out of your way to help them when they're looking at buying another vehicle that's the only
time they stay tap the right so dance and do the right songs to try and get you to buy their stuff
again but when you're 60000 and one kilometers we'd really love to help you but we
can't what on earth is that so anyways she mentioned that and i said well you know you're
driving an older vehicle out of warranty now so whatever goes wrong it's your dime next question
so yeah i don't know i don't think that one was supposed to be on the agenda but my brain just
instantly checked into that yeah yeah national public it was actually npr and they have uh
it's now national public television and radio so i guess this this one was uh i think it was on
television yeah it was but they couldn't see me so anyways it was a really good interview i thought
but i don't think they expected the depth of the answers that i was giving them on their questions
because you know what you asked me a question i'm not going to give you just bum fluff i'm not
i'm going to give you the answer in in-depth answers so that you can get something accomplished
so reliable new vehicles are reliable right nope not a hundred percent
what they're not that's number two number three i just talked about three years 60 000 kilometers
zero warranty left whichever one occurs first if you if you drive less and your warranty runs out
by time that's what they want to happen to you because that means they've bought themselves back
a whole lot of money so if your vehicle after you've gotten to three years before you've hit
long before you've hit 60 000 k you just saved the domestic car manufacturers a ton of warranty money
i'm just saying then that's the facts number four older is more reliable yes i just talked
about that and that is a major buzzword out there if you want to stay out of hot water
and you're not buying a brand new vehicle that's got warranty it's going to be your vehicle to
that you're going to have to look after right from the day you purchase it unless you buy you know
they offer aftermarket warranties and there are a couple of companies aftermarket warranty
companies that are really really good and we'll talk about that in the future um but again you're
going to pay a price for those uh if you you know that's why i always say with warranty look on the
warranty agreement for the what's covered section because it's always shorter than the what's not
covered and how you determine whether you want to buy that warranty or not is look at what's
covered and if there's items on there that you would particularly like to have covered to give
you that peace of mind driving then you're going to probably have to step into the next package
which includes it's almost like tv right you gotta buy that's why i got rid of my tv it was like
365 a month to get three programs that i enjoyed and the rest i could care less
so i finally just go what am i doing so i got out of that so this is what happens
there are really good extended warranty companies out there but you gotta look at what's what's
covered and if there's items that you you definitely want to have covered then you're
going to be looking at another plan they usually have you know uh just for talking purposes the
bronze silver and gold package and then platinum so and my pops did that on on the vehicle that he
has right now and the one before and he never collected anything the vehicle was fine and this
is the point i'm making is and this is the point i was trying to make to the host of the program
the other day as quick as i could is you now have you're now driving a vehicle outside a warranty
so now it's your dime and hopefully uh all the bugs are already worked out in 60 000 k but if
you're driving a domestic um good luck that's what i'm going to tell you the odds unfortunately are
stacked against you because the deck is stacked for the consumer to lose so going 2016 2017 2018
2019 with decent low mileage and as i keep saying mileage doesn't mean anything to me
whatsoever if you're looking after whatever the item is that's right whether it's a from a chainsaw
to a weed wacker a snowblower to a motorcycle to a scooter whatever that item is it's only
going to be as good as the maintenance that you provide to keep it alive otherwise you're
constantly doing the home to work thing for 35 45 years could be 65 now um to to make the money
to keep buying the same things over and over again make sense well there's certain things you have no
control over right like the fridge the dryer the washer the dryer all that stuff you know all the
what we call white goods the white goods in your home basically whatever happens happens but don't
abuse it and you know what keeping the older white goods is a good idea my my good friend spencer
who's been fixing appliances in the us for decades will tell you that anytime of the night or day
keep your older white goods going as long as possible the new stuff sucks it does you're
going to be it's again planned obsolescence that's what it is that's what we're up against the consumer
has to become a prosumer not a consumer so older being more reliable doesn't mean that you're
buying something unreliable and that's what the host was basically saying to me and i'm going
in my head my head big service light comes on no no and then the other part of me is going
don't let her have it don't just don't let her have it back up the bus take a deep breath
breathe just breathe because i i i did have to say i said well you're driving a three-year
vehicle that's outside of warranty so does that give you i said does that give you a sense of
reliability she did answer but i i didn't hear it would it you're now three years in it's older
there's no warranty does that put you in a position where you feel that the vehicle's still reliable
how can you answer that yes you don't know what i have no idea
somebody drives a vehicle up to me and says it's three years old i got to buy out the lease or
return it what should i do i don't know well what kind of condition is it in what kind of problems
have you had look at the pattern has there been pattern failures has anything big gone wrong with
it that the vehicle's known for you know there's a lot of information that needs to be packed into
that answer that i don't have but when when the host said that to me it was like oh so
you've got a three-year-old vehicle outside of warranty but you feel comfortable because it's
more reliable okay that's what i really wanted to say was but i didn't i didn't okay i was
peace patience kindness always right yeah so her answer was not a good one and that
told me that you're you know that person is not in tune with the automobiles she has no idea
no idea whatsoever what her answer was i i need a newer vehicle for reliability
it's three years old okay let's move on so if you're out there buying that's why i really
like the fact that we have Earl Louise Grant on our side and as program partners for those in
the Niagara region all the way through to Toronto it's not that far a drive to to be able to sit
down with Earl Louise Grant and buy a low mileage quality vehicle at a fair price
and then take take care of it see that's that's the big answer is
you've got to take care of it if you're not willing to take care of your automobile and see the value
in doing so i can't help you and i'm just being honest i'm speaking from my heart i can't help you
a man convinced against his will as of his own opinion still that's it that's how i live my life
a person wants to get into an argument over something i'll just let you be right it's okay
with me you know as for me in my house that's it i'm not here to change anybody i'm here to share
what i know that works for 44 years if you're willing to do it you're going to put more money
back in your pocket and you're going to win the car game hands down the deck will no longer be stacked
in their favor it will be stacked in your favor and that's why i created the car connection fleet
maintenance system and you can check that on our website it's just hot off the press that's what i
use to keep the vehicles that we have in top drawer condition so i don't have all that stuff
swirling around in my head i just have to look at the maintenance sheet
where's this vehicle at what was done last this is what i need to do next done keep move forward
get to the end start another year and just rotate the pattern it's an older vehicle
10 years old you'll be able to keep that thing easily 10 years 10 years more easily okay number
53 to five years now it's older but not reliable that's what i wanted
that's what i wanted to say to her so if you have a vehicle that's three to five years old
you're driving an older vehicle outside a warranty if you bought it brand new just to remind you
that's the position you're in so should something large medium or small go wrong with it it's your
ticket they're not going to help you it's it's your dime period it's called vehicle ownership
that's what it's called at that point 100 percent you now 100 percent are invested in that vehicle
as the vehicle owner in its vehicle ownership it's all you so if that is a make a model that's
pattern failures and it's one of the 10 percent that they know they pump out of the production
line is like chicklets it's one of the 10 percent and then whatever those vehicles are going to cost
it's averaged out and added into the price of the next pile of new vehicles coming off the line
behind it so they don't lose a dime that's why i say the deck is stacked in their favor and you
have to learn to play the car game and play it well because when you don't it's going to it's
going to bite you and it's going to bite you hard most $5,000 repairs start off as a $200 maintenance
item did you know that so would you rather spend small money and get on a schedule or big money
and wait for the surprise surprise and that happens that's exactly what happens but i'm
in your corner make it a great day today you're only a little you're only hours away from having
first long weekend of summer 2026 and i hope it turns out really really well for everybody get
some sunshine get outside get the cobbies out we've been locked down for winter and it seems to have
been dragging on forever you know the cold wet and dampness is crazy it's crazy the farmers
are waiting to get their seeds in the ground to get germination going so you know from the field
to the table that's the way that works so car connection now with more ways to watch listen
and engage come and join us monday through saturday 8am for motormouth's morning drive
you can now buy skippy and i a coffee buy me a coffee dot com forward slash motormouth dial
thank you so much for considering that as well and that helps us with what it takes to do what we
do and that is to reach out to all of you that would like some help some guidance and direction
and have a coach to be in your corner that's who i am that's the lane that i've carved out for many
years and i continue to do so so like subscribe ring the bell so you don't miss the next rescue
project on our youtube channel and maintenance tips and real world car ownership advice we'll see
you in the next one we'll see you tomorrow morning for fun friday 8am sharp yours truly will be there
dial motormouth jankins for the morning drive so happy healthy motoring uh change your driving
habits to suit road conditions and keep an eye on the other guy because weekends coming the brain
start to shut down and people are focusing on getting out of dodge and getting to the cottage
getting to the trailer getting summer 2026 open and they may not be quite on the ball behind the
wheel so peace patience kindness always we'll see you tomorrow morning bye for now
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