Q&A Saturday June 20 2026: Car Shopping, Brake Shakes, & Front - End Noises Explained
Car Connection Workshop
Q&A Saturday June 20 2026: Car Shopping, Brake Shakes, & Front - End Noises Explained
Car Connection Workshop · Jun 20, 2026
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Car
Toyota FJ Cruiser
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a rugged SUV that’s known for being tough and long-lasting. Here, the host is using their 2007 one as an example of a vehicle that can rack up a lot of miles without giving up.
Car
99 Honda Civic DX
The Honda Civic DX is a basic, practical version of the Honda Civic. The host is saying their 1999 Civic DX has lasted a long time and still has working air conditioning.
Term
air conditioning
Air conditioning is what cools the inside of the car. If it still works well after many years, it usually means the A/C system hasn’t been neglected or failed.
Term
rainometer
A rainometer is a tool that measures how much rain has fallen. The host is looking at the reading to figure out whether the amount is very low or higher than expected.
Car
Ford Lightnings
The Ford F-150 Lightning is a pickup truck that runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It’s built to do the same kind of truck jobs—like carrying things and towing—while using a battery. The “Lightning” part is just the model name for the electric version.
Car
Toyota Tundra
A Toyota Tundra is a large pickup truck made for work and towing. People talk about it because it’s meant to handle heavy tasks, but the podcast is basically saying to make sure it’s the right fit for you.
Concept
parallel park
Parallel parking is when you park next to cars along the curb by backing into the space. It’s a skill many people struggle with because you have to line the car up carefully.
Term
blind spot
A blind spot is a part of the road around your car you can’t see from the driver’s seat and mirrors. That’s why it can be risky when changing lanes—someone might be there without you noticing.
Concept
lack of maintenance
The host is saying the brake problem may be caused by not getting the brakes serviced. When brake parts wear out or stick, you can feel shaking or hear odd noises. So the fix usually starts with having the brakes inspected and serviced.
Term
NVH
NVH means the car’s noises and vibrations. If you hear squeaks, squeals, or thumps—or feel shaking—that’s what NVH is talking about. It helps describe what’s “wrong” even before you know the exact part.
Term
freewheeling
Freewheeling is when a wheel spins freely without being slowed by the brakes. If one side is dragging, that side turns slower. The speed difference can make the car pull to the other side.
Term
seizing up
“Seizing up” means the brake part gets stuck and won’t move normally. If the caliper sticks, that wheel keeps slowing down a bit. That imbalance makes the car pull to one side.
Term
coefficient of friction
Friction is what creates grip between two surfaces. The coefficient of friction is a way to quantify “how grippy” that contact is, which matters for braking and stopping power.
Term
caliper
The brake caliper is the part that squeezes the brake pads onto the spinning brake disc to slow the car down. If it sticks and won’t release, the brakes can stay partially on and overheat, leading to shaking and noise.
Term
brake pads
Brake pads are the replaceable material that the caliper presses against the brake disc. If the brakes don’t fully release, the pads can overheat and wear badly, which can cause shaking and rough braking.
Term
rotor
The rotor is the spinning metal disc behind the wheel. The brake pads press on it to stop the car; if it gets overheated or damaged, braking can start to shake and make rough noises.
Term
brake job
A brake job is when a shop services the brakes—often replacing pads and sometimes rotors. If another brake part is sticking, it can make the “new” brakes wear out or shake quickly.
Term
brake shake
Brake shake is when the car vibrates when you press the brakes. It’s usually caused by the brake disc or pad contact being uneven, sometimes because a caliper is sticking.
Term
chatter
Chatter is a rough, rattling vibration or noise from the brakes. It often happens when the brake disc surface isn’t smooth anymore or the pads aren’t contacting evenly.
Term
four wheel full brake inspection
A full brake inspection checks all four brakes, not just the one that seems suspicious. The idea is to take things apart so the shop can find exactly what’s worn, sticking, or damaged.
Term
bearing
A bearing helps the wheel spin smoothly. When it wears out, it can make a noise that gets louder or changes when you turn.
Term
front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive means the front wheels do most of the work to move the car. Because of that, problems in the front—like worn bearings or drive parts—often show up when you turn.
Term
half shafts
Half shafts are the parts that send power from the transmission to the wheels. If they’re worn or damaged, they can cause noises when you drive or turn.
Term
fuel pump
A fuel pump is what sends gas from the tank to the engine. If it’s going bad, the car may start poorly or lose power.
Term
CV shaft
A CV shaft is the axle that lets the front wheels turn and move up and down while still getting power. When the CV joint wears out, it often clicks or pops when you turn.
Term
stethoscope
A stethoscope can be used like a listening tool for cars. The mechanic puts it on parts of the car and listens while the wheel and drivetrain are moving to find where the noise starts.
Concept
misdiagnosed
Misdiagnosed means the root cause of a noise or symptom is identified incorrectly. This matters because front-end noises can be misleading: load transfer during turns can make the “wrong” side seem guilty, so mechanics need a method to isolate each side.
Part
axle shaft
The axle shaft is a strong metal rod that helps send power to your wheels. If it’s damaged and you keep driving, it can break and cause bigger, more expensive problems.
Term
detailed estimate
A detailed estimate is a written quote that shows what repairs will cost and what parts/labor are included. It helps you avoid unexpected charges later.
LIVE
Good morning Niagara. You're tuned into car connection. We're in the coffee's hot.
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
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classics to the commuters, the weird noises to 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 story
smarts, a few good laughs, and I'm Niall Motormouth Jenkins and we are shifting
into drive this morning. We've made it to the weekend. It's officially Q&A
Saturday. I want to thank all those who sent their questions in by noon on
Friday, so if you haven't had a chance to do that, here's your opportunity for
the following week is to if you're just joining us for the first time, Saturday
is a one-hour Q&A. I cover three questions that come in out of all the
questions that are in the pile and unpack those three questions completely
giving you a detailed answer so that when you hear your question answered on the
podcast, you've gotten a real answer, not just a fluff answer. So good morning.
If you're joining us for the first time, welcome to Car Connections Motormouth
Morning Drive. I am Motormouth officially. Thanks for stopping by. You can catch
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If you don't look after a fairly new vehicle, then what are you going to do
with the next one? That's the big question. So if you're very weak on doing
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you've paid the loan off and that's five years for most, seven for others, maybe
10. After you pay the loan, is the car getting newer or older? There's the
question. Because I always hear this. Well, I want to get a I want to get a new
car because I need to have reliability. I don't want to drive an old car. Oh,
well, you know, if you're in that position, that's great. But for many,
you know what, we got to keep them going. And I am not interested in paying
interest whatsoever, because it's not necessary. If you step up vehicle
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gross too. They're kind of unique looking, but keep a distance. I'm just
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stand with us, Skippy and I and the crew because our job is to do the best we
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together we can change lives. All right, let's jump into our program this
morning and have our morning swiggy. So if you're one of the lucky ones that
are working weekends, like I do, and it's okay, I'm not complaining, never
complain, never explain. So if you're in the queue to the drive through, really,
you know, really put a close eye on your order. It is weekend and it could be the
weekend warriors in there serving up or they're filling in for somebody and they
really don't want to be there. So no disrespect but check your order before you
leave the drive through and we'll have a morning swiggy in about 30 seconds
brought to you by Earl Louise Grant at City Auto Sales and Leasing, providing
us all with low mileage quality vehicles at fair prices. They're greater
Toronto area's premier pre-owned auto store. You'll always be treated with
honesty and integrity and you'll be able to buy a vehicle from Earl and Louise.
Mama Louise, wait till you meet Mama Louise. You'll want to go back and buy a
car every day of the week. You will love it there. So you can buy with confidence
and be treated with nothing less than honesty and integrity and if they don't
have the vehicle you're looking for, just let Earl know he's a major car guy and
they have a lot of resources to find that specific vehicle you're looking for.
Save you a thousand steps and getting somebody else's piece of junk because
you know what? Those folks that don't listen to car connection and haven't for
32 years, they're the ones that drive it into the ground. What does that mean?
I'll tell you in short, they do nothing to the vehicle whatsoever. It's not
covered by warranty. They don't put a dime above what they're paying for it into
that car. Those are the worst pieces of junk to get your hands on. They are.
They're the worst. I would much rather buy a rental, a vehicle off rental that has
been driven like it's been stolen. Those vehicles, they're bulletproof because
you know if you've ever had a rental, you kind of drive it hard. Yeah, so if it's
going to break, here's the theory and it works out very well. An off rental
vehicle has been driven really hard and if anything major was going to go wrong
with it, it would have done it while it was a rental. There you go. Those vehicles
are well broken in and I'll tell you, you'll get a good one for sure. The
vehicles that have been just driven for three to five years, no maintenance
done unless it's covered by the factory. Those vehicles, those are junk. They
really are. They turn into a big money pit. That's what happens. So low mileage
is not always good. I bought a lot of vehicles, almost 300,000 K, been some of
the best vehicles I have ever owned in my life. I bought some vehicles that were
babied, bought new, hidden away, driven very little and you get it out on the
highway and the engine starts hammering. Yeah, not once but that happened like
three times in a row. That's when I said I'm not picking up anything low mileage
from anybody because it'll fall apart very, very quickly and they do. They need
a lot of work. So let's have our morning beverage together. You ready? Whatever
your flavor is, it's okay with us. We have high octane, 99.9% octane boost, not
a penny less. And on three to one, we have a swiggy together and we say,
thank you, we're on Louise Grant at City Auto Sales. Okay, 321
That is so good right now. You ever notice that, you know, the first cup of
coffee in the morning or whatever your morning beverage, you take a swiggy and
you go, yeah, that was worth getting up for. Absolutely.
Alright, let's jump into our weekend weather and then we'll cover our topics
this morning of three questions. Thank you to Louise, Catherine and Jimmy for
sending in your questions and having them in by noon on a Friday so that I
could pluck three yummy ones out and break them down for you. So thank you
very much for taking time to do that because that's what makes things go
around here in the car connection workshop. If you do not have a maintenance
schedule to follow, we have our car connection maintenance schedule on a
profile page on our website along with an order form. You order it through the
car connection studio and I send that out to you directly. Special pricing if
you're subscribed to our YouTube channel and get yours while quantities last.
This is an easy way for you to track your vehicle maintenance by yourself.
Again, no matter what age, size, dimension, color or anything, marital
status, you know, you don't have a goldfish or a hamster anymore. It's
okay. You can have a car connection maintenance schedule kit and track your
own vehicle maintenance and be in charge and in control of the maintenance on
your automobile. And you know what? You can live with that vehicle for a long
time. Our 2007 FJ Cruiser is going to have a birthday coming up June the
6th and it will be 20 years old and just shy of 400,000 K. I'm not quite sure
when the birthday is for the 99 Honda Civic DX, the Rocket, but it's at 319,000
in the air conditioning. Still blows penguins out the dash. You can hang beef
in there. I'm telling you, that's a fantastic little car. I have to tap on
the gas gauge just to believe that is, is that a true reading there?
Is that? Wow. I went all that distance and needle didn't even barely move.
Those are the vehicles to have right now. Alright, so weekend weather. Here it is
brought to us by Niagara Block. That's Kathy, Dave and Dan Grimo. The next
generation of Niagara Block at 5000 Montrose Road, Niagara Falls, building
Canada since 1931, building supplies, bricks and blocks. I think it's mostly
blocks. I don't think I'd seen a brick there, but they do have interlocking
brick and all the hardscape landscaping materials to create that beautiful
backyard Oasis you've always wanted. Check in with Kathy Grimo. If you're
needing a contractor to do that work for you, she has a list of qualified
contractors that could estimate, design and create that beautiful space that
you've always wanted. So check in with the Grimo's, Kathy, David and Dan at
Niagara Block 5000 Montrose Road, Niagara Falls. Let them know that car
connections sent you. Here we, here we have our RAIN meter, the rainometer
0.05. Now what does that mean? I have to look at the symbol there. That means
is that greater than or less than? That's less than, less than, yes, less than
0.05 of an inch on the rainometer. Saturday's low will be 55 degrees
between 5am and 6am. The high will be 70 degrees between 2pm and 3pm. The
temperature range will feel like 48 to 67. The wind will make it feel a whole
lot cooler than the actual temperature. Let's jump in to see how, as Father's
Day weekend, hopefully get a barbecue us in there, get fire up sparky and throw
some meat on the grill. There could be some room for some vegetables, not much
though, not on our grill. Alright, the rainometer, the rainometer for Sunday is
less than 0.05 of an inch, but I actually see some lightnings on my screen. What
does that mean exactly? Sunday's low will be 56 between 5am and 6am. The high
will be 73 degrees between 3pm and 4pm. The temperature range, and this is in
the Niagara region, of course. Okay, 3pm between 3pm and 4pm. Temperature range
will feel like 55 to 71. Wind will make it feel cooler than the actual
temperature. I'll tell you, last few days here in Niagara region and on
South Shore Lake area, the waves, the waves were 12 to 15 feet. Little windy
out there. I think you should probably leave the canoe on the shore. If you're
not 153 footer, probably shouldn't be out there. Always check the marine
report before heading out anywhere on any body of water because things,
especially on Lake Erie being a shallow lake, it can blow up very quickly. You
can't do anything about it. It's tough. Thank you to our certified financial
planning professionals, Tony Miele and Larry Tietro. 50 years experience with
IG Wealth Management. They are my personal financial planners and my
brothers from other mothers. Get that hour in a coffee, friends. If you are going
through some challenging financial times, then get your questions answered.
Bring some clarity to whatever your questions are and your concerns. The
fellas, they're two of the best in all of Canada and they're very humble and
they don't need any more clients, but they're giving of their time to help
those who reach out. They're handing you an olive branch. We call it the hour in
a coffee discovery meeting. Nobody, no sales, no finger pointing at all. They're
trying to formulate a plan just for you. So take that hour in a coffee seriously.
That's an hour discovery meeting at no cost. Leave your wallet and your person
at home and check in with Tony Miele and or Larry Tietro. Let them know that we
sent you and where you're from from car connection and you'll be in good hands.
Get your questions answered by those who have the fruit on the tree. If it's not
Tony Miele or Larry Tietro, you want to make sure you're sitting with a
certified financial planning professional that understands tax laws,
portfolios, debt management, estate planning, mortgages, life insurance,
critical illness insurance and a whole lot more and tax laws and everything to
do with making and creating an estate plan. Well let's jump into question number
one. We're on episode 196 today which means in a few more days we'll be
heading into season three with car connection. That's amazing. I can't
believe it. The time has gone by and being able to do a program for you. Half
an hour programs during the week Monday through Friday and Friday being our fun
Friday and Saturday being a one-hour question and answer. So again make sure
you get your questions in by noon on Friday. MotorMouth.Jankins at gmail.com
or Nile at CCBUS as in busnet as in net.com. That's just short for
businessnetwork.com Nile at CCBUSnet.com. Well Louise asks and I read them as I
get them so if there's grammical errors it's okay. I'm just reading them off as
I pluck them from the email. So Louise is saying time to replace my 15 year
old car been a while since I went car shopping. What to do. Well first and
foremost I would say if you have to drive two days as the crow flies to get to
Earl Louise Grant at City Auto Sales and leasing it would be well worth your
time to sit with Earl and Mama Louise because you're in a safe place there.
You're not going to come home with somebody else's junk and you're not going
to be treated with dishonesty and disrespect in the whole nine yards and
a bag of chips and a diet soda. You need to take your time girl and what I mean by
that is I've said it before and I'll say it again. Go to the dollar store and only
take enough money to buy one of those little handheld spiral bound notepads.
I call them tablets. Okay you need one that fits in the in the palm of your hand.
It doesn't have to be humongous. You don't have to go in with a ginormous
clipboard and the reason I say just go in with a couple of bucks but I don't
know about you with the dollar store it always seems to cost me $20 more at the
dollar store. Is that just me and I've often thought what would be a really cool
video is to set six people into a dollar store of my choice location so that you
don't know the store and then give you a certain amount of time to come out with
as many items as you can find a dollar or under. Yeah I think that'd make an
amazing video and you have to would have to have your own dollar
store costume. Yeah I'm I'm really seriously thinking about that that we
skip you and I she's excited about it she goes I'll be really good video I go I
think it would I think it'd be a killer video I'll be laughing so hard because I
don't know about you but if I find an item under a bucket at the dollar store
Cha-ching I'm happy oh yes happiness all right let's jump into that for Louise
is now you have that spiral bell notebook you're going to write every
vehicle on an individual page of that booklet and I've gone through this
probably a bajillion gazillion gazillion times lots so that little
notebooks your friend you write down on each page a vehicle that you're
interested in that sparks your interest not your neighbor not me not the dude
next door not the guy that's creepy across the street the creepy guy your
thoughts what you like so on each page if you have six vehicles in mine or seven
or ten you write on each page what that vehicle is and the model here that
you're interested in okay and if it has to be a specific color put that on
there too has to be this color all right to me when I'm vehicle shopping color
doesn't matter that much to me you know as long as it doesn't look like fluffy
the clowns car that's a little too much that's a little clowns are creepy okay
let's leave it at that yeah it's like the flying monkeys on what was that
program total yeah you know the little a dog yeah that that movie creepy wizard of
Oz flying monkeys that part still creeps me out anyways I digress so now you've
written down each year make model color on one vehicle per page draw a line down
the pay the middle of the page top to bottom so vertically left side things I
like right side things that suck and that's what I that side is deal breaker
stuff okay so I write that on there things that suck suk so those are the
things that I can't live with you're in the gonna be in that lane on that piece
of paper so now you're going to organize going and road testing every single one
of those vehicles and here's how you manage that you walk in the door you do
not become coerced into buying something by the salesperson or feel
intimidated by any way shape or form you're going to control the purchase from
start to finish so there's no emotional damage taken place so when you walk in
you say I'm here to road test blah blah blah I'm not here to purchase today only
road test and they may start talking and they will salespeople you know their
lips start talking that's when they're lying and an 84 year old salesman told
me that how do you know motormouth when a salesman's lying to you I don't I don't
know when their lips are moving oh that's man that's good to know right that
down so that stays with me so you want to make that perfectly clear so that they
know what your your all intense purposes are you're in the showroom they're gonna
be on you like a vulture right now because the market is not hot for sales
vehicle sales pre-owned oh yeah pre-owned they're busy very busy because
that's where you need to be and I would suggest if you're buying pre-owned
Louise here's what I'm gonna suggest to you I know you're giving up a 15 year
old vehicle but I would not buy anything beyond 2020 right now I would leave I
don't care what come what flavor it is well unless it's a Honda you're good
there Toyota just be careful with the the tundra thing I don't think you'd be a
tundra gal but I could be wrong I say I could be wrong
yeah you Toyota Hyundai even Honda you could go newer but as for the rest
something smells real bad if you know what I'm saying just stay away 2020 and
under and you're gonna save money on that too big time because somebody else
takes a hit on depreciation so now you're gonna road test that I'm gonna just
choose the number six you got six vehicles that are of interest to you
going road test every single one and when you walk in you say the same thing you
said at the last one I'm here to road test only today I want to see this
specific vehicle if it will work for me I'm not here today to make the decision
to purchase they go oh well why not because I had several other models that
I wish to ride first oh may I know no I'm just here to do this one so as you're
driving this vehicle you have that little notebook out don't write things
down while you're driving but take it into a parking lot park every single
vehicle that you're road testing put it between the lines that's what I want you
to do pretend like the whole parking lot is full jam packed with cars because
there's a four for one special at Walmart and you're freaking out that they
may not have supplies and and you'll miss out on that humongous sale so you
want to go to a parking lot and you want to back it in parallel park do the
whole 90 because I can't tell you how many people have purchased a vehicle and
then they go I can't park the thing worth beans like the blind spot is horrible
for lane changing I'm a little intimidated by the vehicle it doesn't
really work for me in the seats are stinking uncomfortable feel like I'm
sitting on a piece of two by four and five eights plywood yeah these are the
things you have to learn before you own it that's where I'm taking you take the
time this is a huge deal this is a whack of cash and the last thing you want is
to have a vehicle in your driveway that you really don't stink and like and you
know usually the first six months once the honeymoon's over you really get to
go you know it's really awkward to get the kids in and out and packages and
it's got a blind spot and I can't park the thing to save my life it just doesn't
work it's not what I expected so those are the things you're going to write
down on the left side things I like right side things that suck do the next
vehicle do the next one
next one don't even look at price right now the thing you want is to find the
vehicle that works for you again no outside influence buddies co-workers
what not and whoever's and who's that creepy guy this is your deal Louise this
is your deal no one else's even if you asked me said motormouth what vehicle
should I buy the answer to all of you the one you like and please do your own
homework and that's what I'm giving you your homework I do the same I take a
notepad if I'm going to look at something even for anyone else I write
down what I liked about it and what sucked just total deal breakers be honest
you know I just got hit by another company they want to send me some
equipment to to review and I said I'd be happy to do that for you but you have
to be willing to accept my review the things I liked about it and the things
I don't then I'll do a review if not then don't send me anything okay and that
happens all all the time the last couple of weeks I've been hit up by companies
would you do a review for us and those are the stipulations yeah sure I'll do
that you never know you can always say you know I have my go-to stuff but you
know you can always take it be open-minded mind is like a parachute
remember it only works when it's open so the weeds this is your shopping day to
find your vehicle your next vehicle that works for you and that's what's
important don't be asking what your friend thinks your neighbor anybody else
know this is your money going down on the vehicle that's going to be in your
hands to take care of for I hope the next 15 years or more for you you've done
well if you've got a 15 year old car you've done well well done you thanks
for sharing that question and the opportunity to help you with your
shopping but I would highly endorse you connect with mama Louise and her
husband Earl Grant mr. and mrs. Grant will take very very good care of you and I
know you'll be in good hands hundred percent hundred percent so check them
out on our website connect with them and let them know what
vehicle you're looking for I don't know if you're looking at brand new or you're
looking at pre-owned but I would certainly if it's brand new you're gonna
do exactly the same procedure if it's pre-owned you're gonna do exactly the
same procedure that's it and you know it doesn't hurt to find out just ask the
salesperson I need to know what the approximate value is to the vehicle so
you can put the price tag on the page that matches the vehicle you road tested
because maybe at the end of the day it's going to be the budget that determines
which vehicles are going to be moved from the suspect list to the prospect list
and that's where you want to get to great question and that's when I fielded
for 32 years now and 44 years is a tech 32 years in the communication business
yeah yeah you know radio is kind of the non communication communication
business I'll write a book someday yeah you'll you'll you'll get a good bird's eye
view of what that looks like not at every network but a number of them yeah
they're in the non communication communication business and my born
operators would go that's a great way of describing it and being polite all
right question number two you're tuned to motormouth morning drive here on
Saturday's Q&A questions and answers if you want your question to be answered on
the broadcast that's easy to do if you send your questions in by noon hour on
Friday that's when I need to have a noon hour on Friday okay it's motormouth dot
Jenkins at gmail.com or Nile at CC bus net dot com question number two comes in
from Catherine there's a horrible shake when I apply my brakes and the vehicle
pulls to the right hand side okay hmm I think I'm on that one not too sure but a
hundred percent sure yeah I'm cautiously optimistic on that one well number one
okay you're gonna say way to go Sherlock did you figure that one out on your own
it's a break problem yeah last summer the break national skip you would tell
you wow people really really beat their brakes up don't they and I go no it's
called L of M lack of maintenance when you have a car that has brakes you know
what they're gonna do yeah we'll just leave it at that if you don't know what
to do here's what you need to do get the brakes checked anytime you hear
something quirky some grunching squeaking squealing thumping thudding
chattering or NVH we call it noise vibration and harshness mm-hmm NVH it's
real I didn't make it up I wish I did but I did not make that up so you've got
pulling to one side that tells me we have a caliper that's hung up on the
opposite side so if it's scoozing over to the right side the left side is
seasoned up okay now before the naysayers go no that's not possible you're an
idiot I could be but probably not all the time yeah not just when you're not
looking but if Skippy catches me on video I'm busted she go she doesn't tell me
she just post these things I posted a new reel check it check it out you did it
yeah I did you I didn't know you were recording that you weren't supposed to
record that yeah that happened the other week I posted the wrong short and then
I actually watch watched it afterwards I go oh you can't post that I had to knock
it out of there yeah because I said a bad word not a not a really bad one but
just inappropriate I don't drop F bombs or anything like that but I had I said
the ass word okay the other will other word for poop or poo or excrement yeah
and it was on that video so I took care of that I was in I was a little I
embarrassed myself so here's the deal the vehicle will always trail to the side
that is freewheeling because it's turning faster get this guys okay please
because if you put me that stupidity in the comments I'm gonna say you're silly
it will always pull the problem child is the side it's not pulling to no that's
not true it is true so if it's if it's trailing to the right the problem
wheel is on the left if it's trailing to the left the problem wheel is on the
right it's opposite because whatever wheel is freewheeling it's turning faster
than the side that's dragging that is lagging behind so if we have a caliper
that's hanging up that wheel is not turning free or as fast is the right
side and that's why it will scoot over to the opposite side so again if the
left side caliper is seizing up it will the car will lead to the right it will
want to take off to the right if the right side caliper is dragging the vehicle
will want to go to the left so that's how that works so it's completely
opposite it's the coefficient of friction is the technical term so drag
there's there's friction there so that friction is preventing the wheel from
turning at the same speed is the opposite side that is freewheeling that's how
that works okay that's the science that's not motormouth that is the science
behind the coefficient of friction man I was where did that come from I must have
had a really good cup of coffee on that one so what we want to do there Catherine
is we want to get that vehicle in in fact that's a great question because I
have a vehicle coming in today after the programming that has that exact thing
going on and it just happened suddenly where the driver's side caliper decided
to pinch the brakes and not let go and occasionally it does let go and then the
pull to the the trailing to the right is what is happening and when the caliper
decides to go okay I'll stop pinching now the brake pads everything's good but
the caliper is seizing up and it has damaged a perfectly good brake job on
that car might add but it's too bad you know that's original calipers on there
so it is a good idea every couple of years whether the calipers appear to to
be working decent they can let go anytime it is a good measure every two to
three years if you're doing a brake job just change the calipers up because this
is what can happen this car is a 9 an 09 with just a little over 80,000 K and
there are the original calipers and I did the brakes on it probably two years
ago it doesn't see a lot of mileage stays in town mostly and now the caliper
seizing up and it and it smoked the pads the wheels all black and when the
brakes are applied yes same as you Catherine it's shaking shaking bad and
as that caliper doesn't release it pinches the brake pads and continues to
pinch pinch heats up the rotor and then the rotor goes out around and now you
have like real chatter you know like boom and it may even sound
like that when the because the calipers it's applying itself it's putting the
brakes on for you and it's not releasing in it and it will pound it will bubba
bubba as you're going down the road and it's kind
of creepy because it sounds like you're gonna lose it's gonna be you know the
old country song you picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel yeah and you don't
want that so you want to get that in quickly and have them do a four wheel
full brake inspection that means let's pull calipers off brake drums off let's
pull the brakes completely apart and do a full assessment that way we can
completely estimate what needs to be done what needs to be serviced what needs
to be replaced and that way we can have when the your vehicle goes back out on
the roadway you can be confident knowing that you have all four brakes are
working equally together together all right remember it's Father's Day weekend
we made a rule yesterday on a fun Friday no ugly sweaters no goofy t-shirts no
shirts no ties no stripe socks no no none of that gift cards yes for favorite
stores cool stuff only cool stuff and food food is good favorite eats okay
all right back to the program back to today's programming all right next
question coming up are you ready Jimmy writes question number three I'm hearing
a noise in the front when turning to the right okay on left turn what could I be
looking at well if it's front-wheel drive which most vehicles are today could
be a bearing could be a CV shaft or some column half shafts and I'm not a
believer in half-calf double decaf of the half-calf no it's 99.9% octane boost
but for those who drink half-calf double decaf you know God bless you there's just
something really weird about that coffee we're having a tough coffee we're
having coffee that's that's strong enough to resurrect a dead fuel pump yeah
that's our theory so we want to just stick to the basics if we're hearing
hearing a noise in the front when turning right but nothing on a left turn
the problem is usually here it is it can and most likely will be the opposite
side almost all the time people think the problems on the right hand turn no
the problems on the left side on the right hand turn in a lot of cases that's
why I can tell you this it's more likely going to be a wheel bearing or a half
shaft a CV shaft diagnosing is the trick now I used to have this garbage can I
know you're gonna laugh at this I had this metal garbage can I had bashed down
and it fit the wheel of a car perfectly so I put the vehicle on the lift because
most of the time I worked by myself I bring them the vehicle down so that
wheel is right in that crevice of that metal garbage can and it will hold it
would hold that wheel stationary for me while I hear the opposite side and so
with my stethoscope I'd put somebody up inside a volunteer old person and with
the engine running just put it into gear gently and then run the wheel up put a
little gas pedal on it and then I can isolate each side and I do that to both
sides and I can tell you that nine times out of ten it's gonna be a CV shaft
half shaft or a wheel bearing on the opposite side to where you're hearing
the noise not to say it can't be that side when you're turning right it could
possibly be that side but if I had a nickel for every time it's that kind of
thing has been misdiagnosed yeah I'd be in the Cayman Islands by now without
issue I'd be long gone partner and drinking a fruit drink while the water
ocean spray laps my feet sitting in a chair so we want to slow that down but
you definitely want to get it in because if it is a wheel bearing or a half
shaft and it's making noise that means it's loosey-goosey and it's something
could snap so we don't want it we can't stop it or steer it nothing else really
matters if you know what I'm saying nothing else matters whatsoever so we
want to make sure on the dyag so that you're not spending money fixing one
side and then the noise is still there then now you're doing the other side I
mean if if the money is there to do both sides here's what I always suggest to a
client is both sides are the same age same mileage so if you're able it would
be best to do both sides all at the same time and then you're starting from
square one but if money's tight then we do the side that has the issue and then
when the other side lets you down we take care of it at that point because the
opposing side will give you the same symptom at some point it sure will it
just that's the way it is whatever you do to left side do the opposite side keep
the vehicle equal but if the budget's not there fix what we have to get you
down the road but then you know you've got the other side the same age it could
it could come along and have the same problem in the next 6 to 12 months so
while you've got it on the lift and you got one side all torn apart and parts
ordered why not just do the other side but again it's the budget and it's your
choice but great question Jimmy you don't want to mess with that you don't want
to be breaking an axle shaft and smashing the transmission taking the
bearing housing out inboard bearing we don't want to see any of that happen to
you so get it into the shop right away and if any of you need a referral if we
have a shop in your area because I don't know where you may be tuning into this
podcast from we'll do our best to line you up with someone that you can trust
you certainly want to make sure you always get a detailed estimate so that
there's no surprises absolutely not always ask questions always get a
detailed estimate so you know where you stand from the very beginning and don't
forget there's going to be diet time in there as well so you ask for the big
picture what is it going to cost me all in so there's no surprises okay so great
questions it's been great having you with us today enjoy your father's day
weekend get out there and do something if your pops is still with you make some
memories and enjoy that time together and remember keep it under 100 put the
coffee on because we might just stop at your house so happy healthy motoring
friends peace patience and kindness always and we'll see you in the next one
Monday morning for motorbikes morning drive 8 a.m. right here in the car
connection workshop bye for now
About this episode
Saturday is a one-hour Q&A where the host unpacks three listener questions. The discussion ties car shopping decisions to maintenance, warning that neglected vehicles outside warranty can become “a big money pit,” while very low-mileage cars can still “fall apart very, very quickly.” The host also explains brake shaking and front-end noises: a sticking caliper can cause pulling, overheating, and “real chatter,” and one-direction turning noises often point to a wheel bearing or CV/half shaft on the opposite side.
Original notes
Thinking about replacing your vehicle? Feeling a shake in the brakes? Hearing a mysterious front-end noise when turning? This week's Q & A Saturday tackles three common automotive questions that many drivers face.
🚗 Louise is replacing her 15 - year -old vehicle and wants to know how to approach car shopping after being out of the market for years I walk through my proven step - by- step process to help you make the right decision without being influenced by sales people, family, friends, or anyone else. You're the one buying it, paying for it, and driving it.
🛑 Katharine is experiencing a brake shake and a pull to the right when braking. We discuss the most common causes, including brake and suspension related issues, and what should be inspected before the problem gets worse.
⚠️ Jimmy is hearing a front - end noise while turning. We explore possible causes such as a failing CV axle or wheel bearing and why proper diagnosis is critical before additional damage occurs.
Real - world questions, practical answers, and automotive advice you can use.
#QandASaturday #CarCareTips #AutomotiveAdvice
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Happy Healthy Motoring Friends, Peace Patience Kindness Always, NMJ
We'll See You In The Next One 🚗 👍
Car Connection Workshop
Nile Jenkins
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52:40