Octane is basically how “smooth” the gasoline burns inside your engine. If the octane is too low for your car, the engine can start to knock, which isn’t good for performance or long-term health.
Knocking is when the fuel doesn’t burn in the right way, and the engine starts making a rattly/pinging sound. Using the right fuel helps prevent that and keeps the engine happier.
A 2007 FJ Cruiser is a Toyota SUV that a lot of people drive for a long time. Here they’re talking about doing maintenance so it stays reliable for the summer.
A clutch fan is a cooling fan that doesn’t always spin at full speed. It helps keep the engine from overheating, and if something hits it, cooling can be compromised.
Concept
maintenance by the month vs mileage
Car maintenance can be scheduled by how many miles you drive or by how much time passes. The point here is: if you can’t track miles, keep a regular time-based routine so the car doesn’t fall behind.
Concept
amygdala hijacking
This phrase means your emotions take over and make it harder to think clearly. The hosts use it to encourage staying calm and sticking to good habits.
They’re a local dealership/partner the show works with. The hosts say they can help find the kind of used car you want, especially if you’re looking for something clean and with low miles.
Low mileage usually means the car hasn’t been driven much. That can mean less wear, but you still want to check how well it was maintained and inspect it before buying.
“Pre-owned” just means the car has been owned before. When you buy used, you want to pay extra attention to condition and service history because it’s not brand new.
In-house financing means the dealership helps set up your loan or lease. It can be easy, but you should still check whether the monthly payment and overall cost are actually a good deal.
The “out-the-door” price is the final total you pay to get the car. It includes the car price plus the extra charges, so it’s the number you should compare between deals.
This is when you pick a car because you like it in the moment, not because it makes sense for your life and budget. The hosts are saying to focus on what you need, not just what looks good.
The Honda CR-V is a common, practical family-friendly SUV/crossover. In this story, it’s brought up as a car someone liked, but the episode is really about picking based on usefulness, not just looks.
Spring maintenance means doing a quick check and service after winter. It helps you find small issues early so they don’t turn into bigger, pricier problems.
“Maintenance basics” refers to understanding what routine service items are, where they are on the car, and how they fail over time. The hosts emphasize learning fundamentals so you can avoid unnecessary work and wasted money.
The segment argues that understanding ownership fundamentals helps prevent “wasted maintenance,” meaning services performed too early, too often, or for the wrong reason. That can reduce the chance of paying for work that doesn’t actually improve reliability.
Power steering helps you steer with less effort. If something goes wrong with the system, the car can suddenly become much harder to turn—so it’s important to fix the underlying cause before it leaves you without assist.
Stainless steel resists rust better than regular steel. The host is using it to help the repair last longer and avoid the same corrosion problem later.
“Rust out” means corrosion gets so bad it actually wears through the metal. Using stainless parts is one way to slow that down so the same problem doesn’t come back.
A flatbed tow truck is used when a vehicle can’t be driven safely or at all, so it’s loaded onto a platform. The host uses this as a consequence of neglecting maintenance—small repairs can prevent the need for towing and lost work.
The idea is that cars usually fail at the worst moment. If you fix small issues early, you’re less likely to end up stuck on the road or needing a tow.
The alternator keeps your battery charged and runs the car’s electrical systems while you drive. If it breaks, the battery can run out and the car may not start or may act weird with lights and electronics.
A main bolt is a big, important screw/fastener that keeps a part attached. If it’s loose, corroded, or about to fail, the part can move or break—so catching it early prevents bigger damage.
Car
2025 jeep
They’re talking about a Jeep from 2025 that’s coming into their shop. It’s just an example of a real car they’re dealing with while explaining how to stay on top of maintenance.
Basic maintenance is the regular stuff you do to keep a car healthy. It’s not complicated—think routine checkups and scheduled services—so you avoid bigger problems later.
They’re describing a simple plan for car upkeep—basically a checklist that tells you what service is coming next. Instead of wondering or forgetting, you can stay on schedule and avoid bigger problems later.
Car
Lexus SUV
They’re using a Lexus SUV as an example of a car you can keep running well by staying on top of maintenance. The takeaway is that reliability doesn’t mean “no upkeep”—it just means good maintenance helps you avoid expensive problems.
They mention the Dodge Grand Caravan as an older vehicle that cost a lot to keep up. The message is that if you don’t stay on top of maintenance, even common family cars can get expensive fast.
The GMC Safari is a large van made for carrying people or cargo. If it’s an older one, it can cost a lot to maintain because parts wear out over time. That’s likely why someone would bring it up when talking about expensive upkeep.
Tire pressure is how much air is in your tires. If it’s too low or too high, the car can handle poorly and the tires wear out faster, so it’s worth checking often.
Checking fluids means looking at the levels of important liquids in your car. If any are low, the car can run worse or even get damaged, so it’s a simple habit that prevents big issues.
Belts and hoses are rubber and belt parts that help the engine run and move fluids. If they get old or damaged, they can cause leaks or overheating, so it’s smart to keep an eye on them.
The cooling system keeps the engine from getting too hot. If coolant isn’t circulating or levels are low, the engine can overheat and cause serious damage.
Preventive maintenance is doing scheduled upkeep and addressing early warning signs before they turn into breakdowns. The goal is to keep wear items (like fluids, belts/hoses, and cooling components) in good condition so you avoid costly failures.
The GMC Cyclone is a performance version of a pickup truck, built to be very quick. Because it’s a special, high-output vehicle, repairs can get complicated if problems start. That’s why it may be mentioned when someone talks about a lot of issues happening at once.
Basic diagnostics means figuring out what’s causing the problem before you start guessing. It’s like troubleshooting step-by-step so you fix the real issue, not just the symptoms.
“No start” means the car won’t start at all. It could be something simple like a dead battery, or something more involved, so it’s important to check systematically.
Brake inspection is when you check that your brakes are in good shape. It looks for worn parts before they become a problem. Doing it regularly helps you avoid brake trouble later.
An oil change is when old engine oil is drained and replaced with new oil. The oil keeps the engine parts from rubbing together dry. If you wait too long, the engine can wear out faster.
A maintenance schedule is a checklist of what your car needs and when it needs it. It helps you stay ahead of problems instead of waiting until something breaks. Keeping up with it can save money and keep the car reliable.
A service manual is a detailed guide for how to maintain and repair a car. It can be hard to read if you’re not used to technical instructions. That’s why a simpler checklist can be easier to follow.
This is just a quick look under the hood to see if anything looks wrong. If you spot a leak, a damaged hose, or something unusual, it’s safer to deal with it sooner.
If your car makes a weird noise or you smell something unusual, don’t ignore it. Paying attention early can help you fix the problem before it turns into a bigger repair.
A “dry belt” is a belt that’s gotten stiff and worn out. If it’s slipping or cracking, it can stop important parts from working—so it’s worth checking and replacing before it breaks.
They’re talking about a hands-on class where people learn how to work on cars in a shop. The idea is to practice with real help from technicians, not just listen to lectures.
LIVE
Good morning Niagara, you're tuned into car connection where the 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 giving you the confidence to understand what's under that hood.
From the classics to the commuters, the weird noises to the what the heck moments we've
got you covered.
So grab your cup of coffee, sit back, join the crew because this is car connection.
Your Monday through Saturday morning pit stop for stories, smarts, a few good laughs and
I'm Niall MotorMouth Jenkins and we're shifting it into drive this morning.
We sure are, so if you're on the road just heading through the drive through, double check
your order, lock that cup down in the cup holder, pass the pack of 16 Crayola crayons
and the car connection computer leaf bag, that's our laptop and you can take a thousand
notes on there, absolutely.
But if you're alone, you're a lone driver, well you can always listen and re-listen
to all the podcasts.
We're heading through season two pretty quick.
Today's episode 150, so we'll be heading into season three very soon, very very soon.
So take it easy out there, might be a little sloppy today, we'll have the daily weather
coming up in just a few moments, but most importantly we need to get our morning swiggy
in and how we do that is, raise your favorite cup of beverage, whatever that is, I've said
before, a smoothie or some kind of green slime stuff, whatever it is, but for us it's high
octane boost, because that's what we run on, 99.5% octane boost, not a penny less.
Let me tell you, it is a busy week here in the car connection workshop, lots of things
going on, we're trying to get the 2007 FJ Cruiser back up and all healthy for the summer,
and I found yet one more item, that it was a good thing that the alternator decided that
was going to snap off the motor and head into the clutch fan, not good.
So we headed that off, but while we're in there, you'll have to watch the videos because
there's a little mini series on the 2007 FJ Cruiser heading to 400,000 km, who cares,
whatever, I said this before, if I didn't have an odometer I'd just do my maintenance
by the month, yeah by the time versus mileage, wouldn't matter, just keep doing the pattern,
we're going to be talking about that a little more in depth this morning, just do the basics,
so we're going to talk about that, many of you aren't brain surgeons and you're not auto
mechanics or plumbers or electricians or roofers or anything like that, but we just need to
do the basics, even with our, you're not only our car health, but with our own health, do
the basics and then repeat the pattern, so we're going to talk about that a little more
in depth so you can get a really good understanding is we don't need to make it difficult in any
category of our life whatsoever, it just, it seems as people, as peeps, we make it difficult
don't we, yeah we get the emotion going and then the amygdala hijacking takes place and
then the emotional levels are high, intelligence levels pretty much drop off, you ever notice
that when somebody blows a gasket on you, just try to get a word in edgewise, you can even
say that, hey, you mind if I get a word in edgewise, yes, it's my space right now, just
smile and listen, that's what I've learned, but it has taken a lot of years to get to
that point where smile and listen and the best response is just to smile, nod and listen
and let them be right and then the day goes on, that's it, you know what, if we would just
simply let those who really really really really really have to be right just let them
be right, don't get it someday, don't wake up and go you know what, everybody always seems
to just agree with me, I wonder why that is, anyhow let's not digress this morning, we've
got a lot to get through in a short period of time and I've got to make up some time
today, lost a few hours yesterday and when you're cranking out 80.2 hours a week, there's
no room for a whole lot of error, you just got to fit it all in, that's all, well let's
thank our team, our husband and wife team, Earl Louise Grant at City Auto Sales and Leasing
for being one of our car connection program partners, bringing today's podcast to you
from the car connection workshop, your host now, MotorMouth Jenkins, this is the morning,
MotorMouth morning drive and you get to enjoy that Monday through Saturday, quick reminder,
Friday by noon is cut off time to get your questions in, so you got to email those to me
so that I can sift them before Q&A Saturday, that's right, questions and answers on Saturday,
it looks like about three questions is what I can get through in depth in the hour and so that's
how we do things, so if you've got a car question, concern, share that with me
and I always put the email addresses in our description box on our YouTube channel as well
as our podcast, so all the podcasts are now exporting over to our YouTube channel so you'll
find them right there very quickly and easily, they're all on iHeart radio and all the platforms
so you just have to type in the search bar, car connection workshop, you'll find us on all
podcast platforms including Podbean, you know I've been asking and haven't gotten an answer yet,
if you had to name a car Podbean, what car would it be for you? Send me an email, let me know,
I'm looking to see if anyone picks the vehicle that I'm thinking of, Podbean, if that's the name,
only name you could give a car today, what vehicle would you select that would best suit Podbean?
Yeah, I thought that was pretty a cool idea, okay, all right, maybe not, well let's raise a cup this
morning and thank Earl and Louise Grant at City Auto Sales and Leasing providing low mileage,
quality vehicles at fair prices, they've been in the business I think pretty close to 25 years now
and they have the resources to find and locate those quality vehicles so if you don't see the
particular vehicle you're looking for, let Earl and Louise Grant know, why? Because they have the
resources for those very clean vehicles, low mileage vehicles that they find all the time
and they'll find it for you, if it's out there, they will find it but they're not going to just
pull push and drag a piece of hoopty to sell to you, no, no, that's not what they do there,
that's why they are Greater Toronto Areas' Premier pre-owned auto store, is because they
don't sell any junk, they sell good stuff, so remember, buy with confidence, be treated with
nothing less than honesty and integrity, that's Earl and Louise Grant at City Auto Sales in Leasing
in Toronto, fair prices, low mileage vehicles, in-house leasing and financing available, I'll
tell you, Mama Louise will not let you go out the door without a little sit down in a chitty chat
if you're getting in a little too deep on the automobile, which means you're going to be scraping
and scrimping to make the payment and should something happen, things go awry very quickly,
she'll very politely have that little talk with you and say maybe choose something a little lighter
on the pocketbook and work your way up and unfortunately many of you, when you go car shopping,
you go car shopping like you go grocery shopping on an empty stomach and it's growling,
yeah, you generally tend to spend way too much on junk you didn't need in the cart,
if you know what I'm saying, so I make a point because I'm the grub grabbing machine, it's me,
is I make my list, I stick to the list, if I find something on sale then something comes off
to grab that item that's on sale to put some extra, like let's just say peanut butter is an
example, let's say peanut butter you go buy the article, oh man it's on sale, we could really
use some of that, so I'll look on my list, I'm going okay I really, I can do without that
to get a couple of those to go in the pantry, that's how you do it, that's exactly how you do it,
but anyways you never go car shopping emotionally, oh I love the color, who cares, you know what,
I actually haven't bought any vehicle that I have by color, it's practicality, what can this thing do
and what is it going to be used for, okay we can work with that color, I actually really don't
even give it much thought really, the only reason I ended up with a yellow Toyota FJ Cruiser, it's
called Sun Fusion was at the time, is that the time, at the time one of my clients in St. Catherine's
insurance agent said Nile, I like your little green Honda CRV, it's very cute, thank you,
but you need to make a statement when you arrive, like what, like drive through your
office window, hey I'm here, no she goes you need to get a vehicle that like says car connections here
on site, you got to go find a yellow vehicle, that's one of your colors, the black and yellow
theme, you need to go get a yellow something so that when you arrive people know, hey motor
miles here, car connection, so that's how it ended up, that's how it happened, that happened to her,
it took quite a while but it's happened now and you know that's since December 27th 2013,
all right let's jump into our morning swiggy, you ready, you got everything ready, gone through
the drive through, got everything lined up, okay here we go, we count it down three two one and
we're gonna get this done here before mine grows a skin, I don't think it can, coffee can but my
morning herbals, I don't think so, three two one, I'm diving right in there, I can taste the
Niagara bee, yes it's in there, oh I'm thankful and grateful for bees, how about you, not those bees,
honey bees, I'm grateful for honey bees, let's jump into the daily weather, wasn't that a capital
day yesterday in the Niagara region, whoo, if that, that's the hope of the weeks and days and
months ahead, I'm good with that, that was a perfect temperature for me yesterday, like 70 ish
was perfect, absolutely and I think, I think every day should be around 75,
77 and then there should be fountains of warm chocolate and fresh fruit
and bacon double cheeseburgers in a in a coda, a cola, yeah and you don't gain any weight,
it's all zero calories, that's that would be my planet right there and fast cars,
cool fast cars, cool looking fast cars, yeah, that'd be good and good music, you know, all right
here we go, who's bringing us the weather this morning, well let me see, hmm I think the fellas
can do it this morning don't you, Tony Miele and Larry Tietro are fiduciaries and let me tell you,
get connected, now I'm going to keep it short this morning on that, they're certified financial
planning professionals, I've known them personally for over 20 years, they're my brothers from other
mothers, they have helped me navigate through some really poopy stuff more than once, so whatever
you gots going on, they probably already heard it before, but these fellas, they don't need any
more clients, but they want to help you, they want to use their knowledge to get you out of
a tough situation, what we may, what many of us think really really sucks times 10, when you
sit down and talk to them and they go okay and what else and anything else that we need to know,
you got to put it all on the table, hold nothing back and then in their minds they're already
figuring out what direction they can go to get that pressure off of you and then teach you how
not to do it again, exactly, so then you have a game plan and you have coaches to help you to get
to where you want to be, so whether you have investment portfolios that you have no idea how
they're performing, what they're doing, who's doing it with them, you've got a mountain of debt
you're carrying and pressures that come along with, you have no estate planning whatsoever, so if you
should die tonight and go to your great reward, you leave everybody behind you wallowing through
your mess and that's not right, you got to have that all planned out properly and tight and right,
arranging a mortgage, I don't do bank mortgages anymore, you know what, I like to be treated
like a person and that's what the mortgage department is amazing at very competitive rates,
so why would I want to be treated like poopy at the bank and more, life insurance, critical
illness insurance, you've got to have that put together because insurance is like this and that
includes car insurance, it seems like an expense and I don't like it either, I'm with you, I'm riding
with you, but you know what, when you need it, it's a very wise investment, so get that hour in a
coffee discovery meeting done, get it booked today, don't waste one more minute having intense moments
of fellowship over money and debt and what are we going to do and it just creates a whole lot of
stuff that just doesn't feel right, doesn't taste right and doesn't work right, so thank you to our
certified financial planning professionals, put your wallet, put your purse away when you go to
meet with them for that discovery meeting and you can do that by phone, by zoom, in a coffee shop,
at the boardroom, in your home, wherever you're comfortable the most, but leave your wallet at
home and your purse at home, they're not selling you anything, they need to see where you're at,
where you want to get to and they're going to help you get there, if you choose
either Tony or Larry you will be in amazing hands, so don't wait another minute,
what would an hour in a coffee do to change your life, well you'd have to do it to see,
well today's weather, here it is, not quite as nice as yesterday, but it's not snowing, 56 degrees
right now with windy conditions, it got windy here on the south shores of Lake Erie last night,
I think I almost saw a total go past the window a couple times, wind is making it feel cooler,
so it hits at about 44 degrees, rainy conditions from 9 to 1 pm this morning,
you know into early afternoon with cloudy conditions expected at 3 pm, today's temperature range,
here it is, 50 to 62 degrees and it's going to feel more like with the wind 39 degrees to 56,
so we're not freezing to death or anything like that, but you know I'm getting webbed feet,
I don't know about you, but I'd really like to dry out somewhat, but I'll tell you last night
everybody was screaming in their lawn mowers in this neighborhood getting it getting it shaved off
before the rain comes in, so that's what we got, we get our own planet we can fix it, perhaps,
because we're doing a lousy job messing up the one we have, that's for sure, yeah, okay let's not
go there, anything else this morning, yes, let's thank Niagara Block at 5000 Montrose Road for
building Niagara Falls and Canada since 1931, they've been busy, you know they put a few years in,
for all your building supplies, whether it be custom blocks, interlocking stone or bricks,
whatever you call those things, interlocking bricks, I had some of those at one time,
they look nice, and steel whether you need angle irons, ready rod, ready rod, no rebar,
that's it, maybe you can't get ready rod there, yeah that's Dave, anyhow if you're looking to
build something, maybe it's a garage, maybe it's somewhere to put all your stuff,
maybe it's a storage compound, or what's better is how about that outdoor living space you've
always wanted to create, well you can get it done at Niagara Block at 5000 Montrose Road,
they have all the supplies and I'll tell you the materials they have there are outstanding,
you will be able to create such an amazing outdoor space, your neighbors will be going,
what, that looks better than ours, you can't do that, yeah that kind of thing, you'll be able to go,
you know it's not bad, you know you're laughing inside, just go, yeah you know it's not bad,
it's not bad, so if you need a contractor to help get your project started, get it off the ground,
get it estimated and a plan, and then start time and a finish time, just speak to Kathy Grimo,
she's part of the Grimo family through David Grimo, that would be her husband, and then Dan
Grimo is her brother-in-law, so if you talk to Kathy she has a list at the front office
for contractors that she can very safely refer you to with confidence, that they're going to do
the job and do it right and get all the materials at Niagara Block that they can count on to make
that space happen for you, so make that happen, we have here at the studio many years ago now,
like back in 2012 and I'll tell you what, I love in the morning through the summers,
you know after the show is done I go out and just have some quiet time and the birds are here and
the rabbits come in and I'm in my space and it's quiet and I can just kind of get ready for the day,
you can't put a price tag on that at all, well let's jump in this morning, another reminder
if you're joining us for the first time, everything we talk about here is not on our YouTube videos,
just so you know, it's not a repeat, what we filmed yesterday, where a video shooted, you know,
created yesterday, what we created yesterday is a mini series on the 2007 FJ Cruiser is getting
some updates, it all started because I heard a mouse cheeping underneath the, or squealing
underneath the hood and it's a good thing I just kind of drove it from where I was when the noise
started and brought it right back home and shut it off, said I'll wait my turn to get in the shop
for spring maintenance and get these, the winter's off and the summer's on, I'm the last one in the
door and it's a good thing because I'm holding up the service bay, we have other projects coming in,
everything that's going to be updated maintenance, so that's coming up, we'll have a really cool series
just around the corner for you to enjoy and all the videos on our YouTube channel are all automotive
maintenance basics, teaching you the basics, what it is, where it is, how it works, how it breaks,
and what you could have learned is some basic automobile ownership fundamentals
to save yourself, not hundreds of dollars a year in wasted maintenance, things that didn't need to
happen or, but they happened and that'll save you thousands of dollars, it sure will, many times I
can't even begin to count a $200 repair accelerates into a $5,000 repair because, oh many of you, if
you had been driving the 07FJ would have ignored that sound of a little mouse under the hood,
jeep, jeep, jeep, jeep, jeep, jeep, jeep, that's all I heard and I knew exactly
what that was from previous experiences, so you'll have to watch the videos to watch this
all unfold, I just started building it back yesterday and found one more item ready preparing
to do a nasty and I would have lost my power steering so I'm into that right now and thank
goodness I had saved some parts in case that happened because I've already been there one time
and I can't remember how many years ago now but yeah I prepared with some stainless steel so now
the rust out is not going to happen in the future so I'm right into that one now
so you'll have to watch that series of videos to watch basic automotive repairs and service
that will keep your vehicle out of trouble and keep you off the flatbed of the tow truck and
waiting on the side of the road and missing a day's worth of work or more so we're talking about
get to our homepage where everything we talk about lives on our website all the time it's the
biggest drawer in our toolbox it's the best way for me to connect with you and you for to be able
to connect with us because we now have more ways to watch listen and engage and remember cars don't
break down when it's convenient they break when it hurts so that's what you got to remember
they break when it hurts and that is so true if I had not just brought the old 7fj
straight home and I was just in town it would have been an absolute knockout catastrophe
the destruction would have been absolutely horrendous if that alternator broke the last
bracket because it was ready to break the main bolt holding it to the engine you have to watch
the video to see see the bolt it's it's got a it's got a curve on it like a bobby hole curve
if any of you know who bobby hole is maybe bobby or
or gordy howl yeah okay I digress so everything's there on our homepage all the links for you to
connect with our program partners just click and meet them and thank you to all of you who are giving
them the business because they have stood behind us through thick and thin even through the
covid thing that was horrendous we'll talk about that another time that really uh that really set
us back about 26 years of time invested in car connection so we're we've regrouped reorganized
and rebuilding our car connection business network so you can connect with some great
businesses in and around the greater Toronto area Niagara region and hopefully perhaps I'm not
promising into the US we had some fabulous customers in the US some clients so we were able to
to refer you to businesses both sides of border it was it was running like a well-oiled machine
and even the businesses were giving each other business it was B2B it was great till that happened
anyhow top right hand corner of our homepage is a very important section and we keep it simple so
you can connect with us there you can like subscribe share follow leave a comment ring the
notification bell for our youtube channel and you can also join our online platforms
our online communities with facebook instagram stevensvilleontheweb.ca or skippy put that
that site together many years ago to bring the Stevensville businesses into the community and
the community into their business and it's a communal website you'll meet a ton of businesses
on there as well that are all from the Stevensville area that's where my parents have lived for a
lot of peeps that they hang out with and our skippy and her parents and it's just it's a
happening place so we are one of the professionals on the website that contribute to it and we also
have our iHeart radio link for you we're on all the podcast platforms apple spotify amazon we're there
so if you'd be as kind as to do some of the simple things so if you're getting something from here on
the podcast you'll definitely get something from our youtube channel we have almost 400 items there
for you to to view or listen to all the podcasts are over there support supporting us is simple
it's that like the comment the subscribe that's how you help us keep doing this and doing our youtube
channel and building our online presence and platforms and our online store all the items
that are there available to you in our online store the stores put together by freedom expressions
which is one of the companies that is on the campus in Darien center new york that's the closest
one to us here the next one is in sydney manitoba what they do they help those who are struggling
with addiction that have made that decisions today's the day i gotta get through under around and over
this addiction and get my life back my family back my world back that's what they do so we're
helping them you buy an item or two in the online store all the proceeds go to support total freedom
addiction campuses canada and usa and that's what they do they help those to get through their
addiction and find that brand new life that's just waiting for them so when you make a purchase there
nothing comes to us it all goes to total freedom can addiction campuses canada in usa so thank you
to all of you there there's all the nuts and bolts to what we do and why we do in the videos we shoot
we actually just i have another vehicle coming in from the neighborhood a 2025 jeep
that's jen's new jeep because the other one got totaled yeah we'll talk about that later that's
we're still sad about that because it was a really nice looking jeep anyhow um
we shoot the videos we provide the labor we can't provide the parts yet because we're not
monetized but it'd be great to be able to do that we have a number of widows and single moms
in the area that we we quietly take care of and they let us shoot the video we keep their privacy
very important to keep their privacy and we have to ask them to pay for the parts so we'd
like to be able to pay for the parts as well so pulling it all together and asking you politely
like i am we need your help we there's things we just can't do and that's one of things we just
can't do we need our podcast and our youtube channel to become monetized to help us to have
the funds to be able to pay for parts so be nice to be able to pay for the parts provide the labor
shoot the video and share all that with you for free that's how it works i've been in business
a long time and i appreciated every single client that we had because they were all part of the fam
and they all knew that we had to make a buck to have the shop so i could fix their cars for them
and keep them on track with basic maintenance that's what we're shifting gears in that's my segue
is we just need to learn to do the basics nothing off the planet nothing you know like
a revolutionary idea just do and learn the basics and that is the whole idea today
our car connection maintenance schedule fleet maintenance system is going to be completely
done and they're we're waiting for me to uh to give them the last couple of pieces of information
the cost and how you're able to order that online and pay for that by transfer very safely
they just got to have a couple of pieces of information from me today and then that page
is going to go live on our website carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com we're building back after
four and a half years of crap that's what we're doing and we're doing it as fast as we as we
possibly can because there's people out there that i haven't even met yet that really need some help
to move forward so that maintenance system will help you no matter and i want i want to diffuse
all the excuses if my pops who's 89 don't tell him i told you that he still drives he has all his
faculties he texts he emails he t moves not as much as he used to which is good he uh amazons
if my pops can do all that and track his maintenance on his lexus suv that he loves
he really loves this thing i can't believe it here's a guy that drove dodge grand caravans
and before that was the astro safari vans and those things cost him a fortune to run they were they
were always problems and now he's driving a 17 lexus suv and he loves the thing i mean like he
really likes it a lot if my pops can do that at 89 what's your excuse i have widows in the area
that we get their vehicles in they'll be calling me soon and saying motor mouth can you can you take
a look at this or that their husbands were mechanics and they passed away and they're on their own
they have no idea but they know that i'm here and they know that they can count on us here and they
let us shoot the videos they're okay paying for the parts and some of them actually go online
and they shop and they know where the shop and they get their own parts and they're right every time
so we're not held up because the parts are wrong they pull it off so you know hats off to them so
what's what's your excuse there isn't one if you're willing to learn it's amazing what you can do
so i'm in your corner 100 so this week you will see the page so that you can get your hands on
car connection fleet maintenance system and then you'll be you'll have me riding along with you
that's how simple it is you put the check mark in the box i can't do that and then you'll know
what the service needs to be done next and when you get to the bottom you you go back to the top
and start the next month when you get to the bottom you go to the top you start the next month
and do the basics if you just learn the basics tire pressures tire rotation checking fluids
knowing what fluids are where and what's required
belts hoses cooling system number one cooling system has to be top drawer all the time and
what the fj is getting right now is it's getting a cooling system it's due for its cooling system
overhaul so since i had to get in there to get the alternator out and it's a bit of a bear
i've pulled everything out gutted it so you have to watch the videos to see you'll see
from the videos there they'll be coming out i think we loaded up two more of the series we shot
two more three series yesterday three episodes so yeah there's one up there now and this week
there'll be two more next week two more then that vehicles out the door completely done
and you'll get to see what basic maintenance is all about that's all i'm doing i'm doing basic
maintenance items that are showing telltale signs there's a problem coming there's a storm coming
and if you don't catch it it's going to get ugly in a hurry so we've we've narrowly missed
the catastrophe hallelujah for that let me tell you i just keep that just keeps circulating in my
mind because i know exactly what would have happened if i had decided to because at that time
we were four vehicles down things it we just went through a a cyclone of problems with the vehicles
that hit the road every day and uh then it turned out one my own one of my own is a problem and i was
going to use it to go go on a road trip to welland and st catharines and thank goodness i just said no
cancel it it needs to sit till i can get it in the door because i had a dead one in the shop the
j-bean was dead it was a no start so you got to watch those videos too again basic diagnostics
basic maintenance is where you will win so if you just learn to do the basics on your automobile
and again no excuses if my pops can do it you can do it if the widow down the road can do it
you can do it if the single gal that's down the road working her buns off just trying to make it
and stay above water you can do it they're all willing to do something and that is to learn
to understand their automobile and to listen for it and to smell you don't have to taste thank goodness
for that right exactly it's kind of like somebody gets in the car and you in the winter and the
heaters on you go do you smell dog poo have you ever had that happen and you're like there's nobody
else in the car with you you're going i smell dog poo oh man did i step in dog poo and then when you
get to work when you get out of the car and you go oh man that is just nasty yeah that's when you
gotta know the basics out how to get that off there i got my leg trapped on the talk table here
what's going on yeah i'm in a bad way i'm just uh my studio chair the basics aren't gonna help it
it was just killing my lower back so it's set off to the side it's gonna meet the red truck guy
yeah red truck guy is our scrap guy i've never really talked to him ever but he knows where
i put stuff that i want him to have and take away like bye i had three of the same studio chairs
and the last one here there's no foam left in it it's a good looking chair but so now i got my
office chair that rolls on the studio table and it's not a studio chair i gotta get one
and it can't have wheels on it because if you move the wrong way you scoot away from the microphone
kind of like this and it takes right off like i'm halfway across the room can you tell yeah so it
has no handbrake yeah there's no emergency brake on it so back to the basics and i'll say it again
and the list is really small tire pressures tire rotations brake inspections wheels are off anyway
doing a tire rotation every second oil change that's how you do that how do you how do you remember
that well it's on the car connection fleet maintenance system it's all there for you
and that's what i'm trying to tell you all the basics of what you need to know and when you need
to do it and what it is is all put together for you and so we had we had what we called the car
connection maintenance schedule kit that our listeners at the time were like is there any
way you can give us a list motor mouth so we know what we need to do and it's all like right in front
of us because i find them at the service manual very confusing so they won't they won't look at it
so that was 2007 i started i thought well you know i do have a checklist that i used for myself and
i showed it to my webmaster and she goes you we need to create that people need to get their hands
on this motor mouth like you can't sit and hatch it so that's what we did with her help we put it
together we called it the car connection maintenance schedule and those things went out by the thousands
to people and there's people that i hear from that are still using the old one today
they've modified it and made it a little more user friendly for their particular vehicle
and they're still using it today yeah we bet we were on the air on the airwaves for 31 years
on different networks uh we we were on espn and we were on a very large fm station as well that was
am and i've been there on the fm station since 1996 and then did 12 and a half years on the sports
network and then covid hit boom yeah so we're now we've totally switched over to digital
and here we are and rebuilding and we've now it's um to me it's unbelievable we've now totally
revamped the car connection maintenance schedule kit and made it ready and available for you and
this week we'll launch the profile page so that you can read all about it you can even see what it
looks like i took pictures of it last week for the guys to put the page together and they only need
a couple items for me a couple of details and this thing's gonna light i can't believe it and it's
gonna be readily available to you so that you can get on it and do the basics checking fluids
looking around under the hood if here's the thing if you hear something smell something
or see something that doesn't look right don't shrug it off because as i've already mentioned
the cheaping under the hood of the fj if i had to just go ahead in fact a lady i had just closed
the hood and a lady was right there the parking lot and she goes oh that's just a dry belt my
husband when he was alive he would just put some ivory soap on that i go well thank you i really
appreciate that what do you think it is she says i said well i have a good idea i said i'm hoping i'm
wrong but if i'm right i need to just get this thing home very gently and park it till i can
get it into my shop well you have a shop i go yeah we have a shop there we just shoot videos there
and fix stuff for people yeah at no cost well you gotta buy your own parts and she goes well
that's good to know can i get your number i go well that's that's a little bit up front but yeah
you can get my number so if you need something it's good i said how long's your husband been gone well
he's been you know it seems like always seems just like yesterday but he's been gone for a while now
but you know i have to take care of things on my own sometimes it's overwhelming and i know a little
bit about automobiles but i don't know what he knew i said well if you get stuck you don't give us a
call give us a call we're here for it so you know that's when how things happen i said just do the
basics keep doing the basics it's just driving an old car in really good shape a nice one i might add
nice one good pick so that's what i thought i'd talk about this morning is let's not complicate
this keeping an older car thing going because a newer car some of this stuff that's out right now
i bet you a lot of people are thinking you know what i'm going to go get an older one and i'll
be on my merry way because this new one is just rubbish there's a lot of problems out there a
lot of engine problems a lot of transmission problems a lot of goofy stuff coming apart and
easel even for the the diesel guys out there the diesel pickup guys you guys better learn a lot
in a hurry about taking care of a diesel because that thing's going to eat you alive and there's
things that you better be doing because if you doesn't it's going to be a hurt me and that stuff's
already going on out there absolutely so that's gas jobbies i i had a diesel for for a while and
i'll tell you when i say you can sink some money in there if i told you you'd lose it you'd probably
be in the rhubarb so doing the basics on your gasser even if it's 10 years old who cares even
if it has 300 000 k on it who cares keep doing the basics keep doing the basics keep the structure
solid keep it rust proofed don't don't be afraid to spend money on that because it'll come back to
your tenfold how do you think the how old is the fj you do the math it's an o seven how old is that
put in the comments yeah it ain't no spring chicken anymore the 99 rocket wait till you
see the update on that i'm gonna be shooting the week the uh the video this uh week once the fj's
out i gotta do some paint work and i'm experimenting with something to see if i can if we can save some
bucks and if it works gonna save a lot of bucks and you keep keep that jewel looking sharp absolutely
and reliable the rocket is absolutely reliable 1999 how old is that and i don't care if you have
a vehicle that's five years old you're gonna be throwing parts at it you better be because it
won't make the next five i can tell you that the stuff they're putting out today and i'm picking on
the domestics they really need to pull their socks up man because they're putting some junk out there
and that shouldn't be happening because you go back just 10 years a 10 year old something is far
better than a 2026 nothing that's what i'm saying so learn the basics i'll keep you posted on the
profile page coming up on the car connection fleet maintenance system and you need to get
your hands on that and that's a sheet of gold for you gold yes absolutely just the basics tire
pressures tire rotation brake inspections fluids where are they could you check them yourself in
fact we have in the first dozen videos on our youtube channel on the fire chicken i show you
where all the fluids are and how to check them and identify what they are so there's a video for
you right there that is a super basic you can do it so gals you can do it yes you can when we ran
the ladies night service classes they'd be full every time we could take 12 ladies
and we put them in coveralls and put the glove them up and they had four electives to do in four
different areas of the shop and they got to perform the duty in each service bay alongside
a technician and they loved it i could have done it full time i just couldn't keep up with it
and it was great and at the end of the night we would have all the ladies are in the coveralls
and everything we just gotta find a place huddle in and take a group picture and we had eats we had
gift bags and our program partners at the time where we had hosts shop hosts and we had partners that
we had door prizes gifted it was a great time we had an amazing time i hope my hope is that we
can bring that back and that we can do that right here in the car connection workshop that is my hope
that's the ultimate goal that we can do that once every quarter and it'll be 12 spots that's it
it hands on that's right no blah blah blah all evening nope every 22 minutes the whistle would
blow and you would move to the next elective with another tech so we'll have to see where we get how
we get there but for now we need to get the day rolling don't we so just do the basics places you
in position to win and i'm in your corner nile motormouth jankins visit us on our website if
you're not subscribed and just looking at the uh the youtube channel analytics we have a bit of an
issue there uh it's showing 95 percent that are enjoying the videos are not subscribed so if you
would help us with that that would be an amazing push it really really would and here's the other
thing i notice the americans are beating the canadians on our youtube channel we have more
american viewers than we do canadians quite a bit i might say so we need to uh
we should fix that right yeah so subscribe take a moment today and go into our youtube channel
and subscribe leave a comment ring the notification bell do the basics for us and that will help us
to keep doing this so till tomorrow we'll see you at 8 a.m sharp again for another edition
motormouth's morning drive and this is the lane that i'm carving out for you and have been carving
it out for over 40 years i'm i'm in there for you got questions send them to me through email
motormouth.jankins at gmail.com nile at ccbusnet.com as well but all those opportunities to email me
you can do that through a website form by clicking on the contacts tab there is a website form there
comes directly to me there's also a way for you to do that on stevensvilleontheweb.ca
you can leave me a comment in any one of our youtube videos and we'll see you in the morning so
drive safe it's going to be wet out there maybe foggy where you are keep it under 100 happy
healthy motoring peace patience kindness always and we'll see you tomorrow it's hump day tomorrow
it's wednesday and then uh fun fridays coming up don't forget to get your automotive questions
comments concerns into me by noon on fridays so that your question could be one that is selected
out of the three for saturdays q and a make it a great day we'll see you tomorrow bye for now
About this episode
A lively workshop-style rant about keeping cars alive through simple, repeatable maintenance habits rather than overcomplicating everything. The host uses a high-mileage 2007 FJ Cruiser project as a real-world example, including a surprise alternator failure, to stress doing the basics on schedule. Along the way, the episode mixes practical car-buying advice, emotional decision-making, and listener Q&A reminders, with sponsor shoutouts and the usual humor, coffee-fueled banter, and life lessons about staying calm and sticking to the plan.
In today's episode of the Motormouth Morning Drive Podcast, we strip it all back to what actually works-the basics. No gimmicks, no overthinking, no unnecessary upgrades. Just the simple habits that separate the drivers who get years out of their vehicles... from the ones stuck on the side of the road
We're talking tire pressure, rotations,.brake checks, fluid inspections, and the power of a quick walk - around. The kind of stuff anyone can learn - but most people ignore.
Here's the truth:
You don't need to reinvent the wheel - you just need to stay on it.
Do the basics. Then do them again. That's how you win the long game in vehicle ownership.
" If you're getting value here, the best way to support is simple - Like, Comment, Subscribe, That's how you Help us keep doing this." We Love You All Very Much❤️ 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 & Repair work & connect with our program partners. Thank You So Much Friends, 💕 Nile motormouth Jenkins.
Merch available Online @ ccbusnet.com
We'll See you in the next one! Happy Healthy Motoring Friends,
