Vehicle alignment means making sure your car's wheels point in the right direction so your tires wear evenly and your car drives straight. If it's off, your tires can wear out faster and the car might pull to one side.
Tire balance means making sure the tires spin smoothly without shaking. If they're not balanced, your car might vibrate and the tires can wear out unevenly.
Tire balancing means making sure your tires spin smoothly without shaking. This helps your car ride better and keeps your tires from wearing out too fast.
Fleet maintenance means taking care of many vehicles regularly so they don't break down and cost a lot to fix. It's like having a plan to keep all your cars running well and safe.
A crusher is a big machine that squashes old cars so they can be recycled. If a car is rescued from the crusher, it means someone saved it before it got crushed.
Brakes help your car stop when you press the pedal. They can get dirty or worn out from things like dirt and salt on the road, so they need to be checked and fixed sometimes.
Sway bar links are parts that help keep your car steady when you turn corners.
LIVE
Good morning Niagara you're tuned into car connection where the coffee's hot the tools
are ready and the talk is always tuned up I'm your host Niall Motormouth Jenkins coming
to you straight from the car connection workshop where we mix a little humor a little know
how and a whole lot of horsepower here it's not just about fixing cars it's about keeping
you rolling saving you money and giving you the confidence to understand what's under
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 coffee sit back join the crew because this is car
connection your Monday through Saturday morning motormouth morning drive pit stop for storey
smarts a few good laughs and I'm Niall Motormouth Jenkins we're shifting into gears this morning
well lots of stuff going on first and foremost let's give out the the weather report because
things have gotten a little bit hairy not hairy as in a monkey hairy but a little bit
hairy and what that means is that we have fog and fog is very interesting because it
can be very very tricky so we thank Niagara block at 5000 Montrose Road Niagara Falls
building Canada since 1931 with building products and hardscape landscaping materials to help
you design create build and enjoy your backyard space or wherever it may be on your property
we have a yellow advisory fog alert this morning severe to moderate possible threat
to life or property here's what I say about that near zero visibility in fog in fog is
expected this morning in the Niagara region so if you're in our area south shores of Lake
Erie all the way through the Niagara region travel will likely be hazardous in some locations
visibility will be will likely be suddenly reduced at times so please continue to monitor
adjust your driving and in reference to the fog I don't personally I don't like driving
in the fog I do remember a trip I took to Newfoundland and I was running late for the
ferry off of Port Abask and I'll tell you it was a pea super I could not even see beyond the
windshield but I could see down the we're on Kelly's Mountain and it's about 186 feet to the
water and there's no guardrail yeah so hopefully you're not in that position today that I was at
that moment but that was the thickest fog I'd ever seen in my life I could see nothing beyond
the windshield of my 1977 Ford Bronco at the time and that was back when the cell phone I had a
Motorola sound cell phone how many of you had that was the size of a house brick was and weighed
about the same as a house brick but anyways we got through it got to the to Port Abask to catch
the ferry around midnight and it was black as pitch but I'll tell you it was creepy because you
look down I look down to my left and I can see water flickering and it's a long way down there
and super foggy so please be careful slow down adjust your driving to the fog and especially this
time of year the deer are on the move and I've never seen so many deer out in the open during
the day munching away on edibles because they're gonna be fawning soon see running season happens
in the fall and now the big fellas are keeping an eye on their on their women their ladies because
they're going to have babies very very soon so they're on the move yesterday I just missed a
couple of them and I don't drive too fast right pop right out of the bush a male and a female so
they're on the move and in the fog makes it even worse so please please please be very very careful
out there slow down and keep an eye if you've got a co-pilot eyes on the deer look for eyes
in the headlights because even on the highways they're they're scooting around the move right now
they can pop out of the bush in like literally seconds I was literally not even two minutes
from home and right in front of me to come flying out of the bush male and a female and
really nice set of antlers I said wow nice set of antlers you got there very nice well we've
got an interesting topic to talk about this morning as we enter into the spring time and we
have had a go of it with winter for several months now and that really pays a toll on your
automobile so we're going to break that out a little bit more over the next couple of weeks
as we get into early spring there's a lot of preparation to do not as in H okay
we just surpassed our episode 100 and that we are actually on episode 102 today season two
episode 102 so there's a hundred lessons in vehicle ownership that they never told you
up on our iHeart platform so all the links to everything that we are involved with all the
platforms YouTube Facebook Instagram Stevensville on the web we have an excellent business profile
there thanks to our skippy our videographer who created that website and has found a way to connect
the community with the local businesses in Stevensville so they put us up a wonderful profile
page there and I know that she posts bloopers and outtakes there I don't think she knows I know that
but I do keep an eye so you'll find reels on Facebook and Instagram that you won't see
anywhere else and don't forget to subscribe for our YouTube channel 93% of you are enjoying
the videos but aren't subscribed so do us a favor help us to keep the ignition on and running on all
eight cylinders smoothly by making sure you like subscribe leave a comment share us with your friends
but most of all check your subscription make sure you're subscribed because all those little
things that I just mentioned are what helps us with our vision of our YouTube channel to get
where we want to go and that is to be able to afford to buy the parts and put the parts on
supply parts and labor and shoot some videos and show you how we get things done in the car
deal in understanding your automobile a lot more so the more you know the more you learn at any age
group so I don't want to hear any excuses you know I'm 80 something years old my father still drives
has all his faculties he's 89 years old and he texts me that's right and he knows how to use a
cell phone so no excuses as my professor would say Jenkins yes excuses are useless tell me you
have to make soup no I'm not telling you that so join us on YouTube you're missing out on a lot of
teaching I teach you five things always what it is where it is how it works how it breaks and if
you would have understood a little more about your automobile guess what would happen you'd know stuff
you absolutely would know stuff that's what I'm talking about learn some basics
and put some tools in your tool drawer also on our homepage top right hand corner not only
all our platform links are there available for you I heart we're on all all the major Spotify
Amazon and the like yeah Apple so wherever you're pulling your podcast from we're there just
put in the search box car connection workshop let's have our morning swinging together I've
been making some adjustments to the sound let me know what that looks like our skippy said where
she listens at work and it's not loud enough and I'm adjusting the online mixer according to chat
GBT to make sure I've got it set up so if some of you could just send me an email or put a comment
you know when one of our YouTube videos saying the sound is okay that would be fabulous but the
sound on YouTube is not this sound right here on podcast so send me an email email an eel yeah
an eel email now at ccbusnet.com or if you're driving this one my other email address you'll
remember fairly easy motormouth.jankens at gmail.com so like I said I've been messing around with the
sound this morning trying to keep skippy happy she goes oh I gotta turn the external speaker at
work up so high something's not right motormouth you gotta get on that and check it and I'm
adjusting it this morning I'm way behind the eight ball and I'm like I should have just you ever get
that feeling I should have just left well enough alone because now I'm way behind this morning
and we've we've got to catch up so thank you to our certified financial planning professionals
Tony Miele and Larry Teetrel would you say a little prayer for them it is tax time and I know
they are super busy the fellows are super busy making sure that their clients are all taken care
of and nestled in for tax season that was RSP season RSP season I think is coming to a close
it has come to a close so just uh say a little prayer for them there'll be a little worse for
where I think our certified financial planning professionals are available to you on our website
as our all our program partners just click on their logo and you will open a profile page and all
the pages are set up the same so it's easy for you to navigate our website anytime and thank you
for giving them your business you can sign up for an hour and a coffee discovery meeting with
either Tony or Larry they're both certified financial planning professionals over 50 years
combined experience they'll review a portfolio wherever you have it and make some suggestions
how I can work better for you uh take a look at your debt load and how they can reduce that and
work towards getting you back to zero estate planning powers of attorney health proxies
setting up a mortgage having had a mortgage with a bank for almost 20 years now
and great rates wonderful mortgage department out in Winnipeg to deal with the ladies out there
fantastic life insurance critical illness insurance that's all available to you to sit down by zoom
in person in the conference room board room at your home at a coffee shop or a telephone call
either way put your wallet away you're not going to need it because they're not going to sell you
anything they're going to listen to see where you are and where you would like to get to that's what
they do that's what Tony and Larry do so take advantage of that they don't need any more clients
they're super busy but they want to help our car connection listeners to get on track and stay on
track so on three two one uh if you just zip through the drive through this morning check your
order double check it now has anybody noticed that you know when you stir your coffee clockwise it
tastes different if you stir it counterclockwise check that out sometime get back to me leave me
leave me a comment send me an email motormouth.jankins at gmail.com q and a we're going to talk
about that right after we have our swiggy so whatever your morning breakfast is in your cup
we count it down and let's taste away let's have a swiggy three two one
it's already cold i know i've been working at things for a while
check and adjusting check a check a check a and uh i don't really like it but let me know what you
hear out there this morning the main thing is to get the information out there i'll mess with it a
little bit more and get chat gbt involved and then we'll tweak up the uh we'll tweak up the master
board here that's what i need to do i think i got to get into it and make the adjust put the
adjustments back where they should are supposed to be and then just slightly adjust them more if
the podcast is not loud enough for you so let me know what you hear at your end
is it loud is it too loud because i can just adjust the decibel levels and we'll get it where it
needs to be thank you to our non-profit faith-based organization crystal ridge dream center they have
to raise all their funding to run all the programs they have for young adults seniors
single moms and the kids after school program they feed out the door they're just shy of 300
people per day twice a week that's tuesday and friday 286 meals went out yesterday
being tuesday tuesday in times when community support is crucial crystal ridge dream center shines
as a beacon of compassion and transformation so click on their link on their little under their
logo you just click on the logo everything opens for you that's how easy it is on our home page a
car connection business network dot com and i put all this information in every description for our
podcast here and put all the information on how to connect with us and how you can help us and
support us and and keep the ignition on and keep us running on all eight cylinders smoothly
and our vision always share our vision with you because our online store is part of the vision
that um when you grab some merchandise you shop in our store and buy some merchandise everything
turns around it's not just a store it's a mechanical tool to help us to help those struggling with
addictions get to a total freedom addiction campus for canadiens and us residents and that's our way
of saying you're helping us freedom expressions as a part of total freedom it's one of the
businesses they run that helps to fund their campuses so there's they work very hard on
becoming self-sufficient they have a takeout kitchen window they have a repair shop called
freedom automotive they have a boutique they have a candle factory and they have freedom
expressions where they print everything t-shirts coffee mugs you name it whatever you want knitted
hats we call them toks and ball caps they have a ton of supplies available and that helps to create
again another revenue stream to help the campuses be self-sufficient and not having to reach out
to government for grants they do not want to do that so when you grab some merchandise
top right hand corner of our home page is where our store is you you're ordering directly from
freedom expressions they're putting it together you're helping those struggling with addictions
they actually work in those different departments on the campus to learn how to get back in the
workforce when they get to that area through the program we don't like to call it a program there
because it's not it really is a life change for them it's getting out of addiction and getting out
of those old habits and moving forward and then learning how to do everything again from fresh
having your own space paying rent getting a job being responsible to get there all that is done so
check them out just click on the logo for total freedom remember you can't fight what you can't see
it's an alternative addictions program bringing healing and restoration to individuals and families
enslaved by cycles of addiction and destructive behaviors and we they've been a part of us for
oh at least a decade now let's jump into our topic this morning it's early spring yes don't
forget to spring forward this saturday evening we go back to daylight savings time and yes
we lose an hour of sleep yeah i'm not impressed by that but any hose it is what it is it was good
while it lasted but it means we lose an hour of sleep it means it's getting warmer and getting
light early out earlier and staying light outside longer and we're moving in the right
direction well this morning i'm going to continue to talk about spring vehicle maintenance because
this is the critical time of year to have your vehicle assessed and make plans for corrections
repairs and service and we want to begin to think thinking about our summer tires
getting them out and get them rebalanced is a great idea because your tires take an absolute
beating on the roadways i mean i we've seen some potholes skippy and i were out uh filming
for you on the south shores of lake eerie showing you the ice castles and castles and ice as far as
the eyes could see and it kind of looks mountainous and i would say it looks very Antarctica or Iceland
or the moon parts of it kind of looked like if you were walking on the moon i think there's a song
about that somewhere yeah so we filmed that and um yeah it was stinking cold out there freezing
cold we had to take a couple of breaks and warm up the the wind the sun was fabulous but the wind
was extremely sharp but i talked about in that video how important it is to get your vehicle
ready for winter well now we're starting to come out of that very very slowly we got some great
weather coming up next week so hang on to your hats we could see 68 degrees next week so let's
hope that that happens so all that ice is going to begin to melt but there is miles and miles of it
so they won't open the ice boom until it reaches seven square miles of ice left on the lake then
they'll open the ice boom so we don't plug up niger falls and maybe take out a bridge or two
but it means assessing your tires your summer tires because there's potholes out there skipping
and i went through a pothole out there uh getting out of crystal beach it was almost as big as the
fj in fact skipping goes don't hit that one i go how can you miss it it takes up almost the whole
road but we ended up dipping down into it a little bit it was a it was a large i would put that down
as a a double xl pothole that's how your vehicle loses alignment that's how your tires lose their
balance and as the rubber comes off the tires they don't weigh the same kind of like at the end of
the day you know you remove all your clothing when you're standing there in all in your all
togetherness with the lights out and you go oh i feel much lighter your tires are the same way
as they wear down the weight changes and the balance is off so get your summer tires out
and get them rebalanced that's what you want check them make sure they're okay
and that you're ready to go because the changeover is coming quick that'll be April 15th is what my
insurance company um states is they've got winter tires have to be on by the 15th of November
and have to be off by April 15th to get a five percent discount so you might want if you if
you're just learning about that right now you might want to check into that and make sure that you
can capitalize on having winter tires on and letting your insurance know they might ask you
for a couple of pictures but who cares it's not a big deal send it in and get a discount
yeah get the discount well grab your 16 pack of crayola crayons pass that over to your passenger
with along with a folded up leaf bag that we call our car connection workshop laptop because it never
runs out of power and when you're using crayons you never run out of ink so you can get that
information written down i'm going to give you a couple of tips this morning on springing forward
time to assess and make corrections and most of all plan plan to get the vehicle into the shop
to get it evaluated and it doesn't mean that you know you're going to keep the steering wheel
and change everything else you want to stay ahead of the maintenance curve and we put that video up
with regards to our fleet maintenance system that is available to you and all the deal
details are there in the description and the title for you to connect with me to get yourself
a fleet maintenance system car connection system that will help you stay ahead of maintenance
all year round 12 months of the year and it's easy peasy to use it and we'll be talking a lot more
about that in the in the coming few weeks as well because once you're following our fleet
maintenance system you are beating the automotive game that's right you're making a difference in
your pocketbook and putting more money back in your pocket because quite often a $200 repair
that goes unchecked can very easily turn into a $5,000 repair and i don't want to see anybody
get into that position because you don't have to you just have to have that planned
and you have to have the fleet maintenance
system working for you and you working with it and it's super simple it is not complicated
learning how to text an email on a smartphone or a new phone you know when you upgrade takes a lot
of time doesn't it it takes quite a few weeks before you get comfortable with understanding
how it works well our fleet maintenance system isn't like that the instruction sheet is minimal
very minimal and you can watch that video it uploaded on the 27th of February so that was
just last friday so the video's up there i'm sitting there in the shop with our 1997 Jeep TJ rescue
we rescued it from the crusher and the project is coming to the end it's kind of sad a little bit
but we've used that vehicle to show you we could take something from nothing and turning it into
something and at the end of the day i've got some welding to do in the spring i want i prefer to do
it outside not in the shop and to close up the floor put a couple of a floor a partial floor pan
and what we call the torque box and that'll fix that the reason the floor has damage on the driver
side was because the leaking windshield for many years was neglected to be taken care of and that's
how you go from a two hundred dollar repair to a five thousand dollar repair so that that jeep
has been like our our mascot for skippy and i but we've everything that we've done on that vehicle
is just maintenance neglected maintenance and we videoed it to show you everything that will
take a vehicle out that's it that's all that little thing needed with some loving some tender
loving care a game plan for maintenance and fix the stuff that's broken for Pete's sake that's
going down fix it it doesn't cars don't self heal i'm sorry to tell you on a Wednesday morning early
spring that vehicles do not self heal they don't they never will so to reach three hundred thousand
four hundred thousand six hundred thousand k miles it's not rocket science it's following
a plan and when does the plan start it starts today getting things organized booking a service
for the vehicle get it completely checked over this time of year is the perfect time
not to just peek a boo and check brakes take them apart clean lube replace what needs to be replaced
and that's how i top my customers my own shop no we don't look through the wheel and say everything
looks good no we pull the wheels off and we take the brakes apart we clean service and replace
components as necessary when the wheels go back on you got equal braking on all four wheels
you cannot evaluate brakes by just looking at them you can't and i'll tell you why
because things seize up that you can't see you have to feel it you can't look at and go that
sees that pin is seized or that bushing is seized or that caliper is stuck we don't know that you
can't tell that from just looking at it you might be able to look at the brake pads and go well the
outside pad has more material than the inside pad guess what that tells me right away you need a
brake job we got to get in there the brakes aren't wearing equally there is a problem houston and we
got to get to it that's what that means and part of your spring maintenance you got to remember
all the road splash all the salt everything nails the brakes why they're wide open
they're wide open to all the stuff you're hiding inside your vehicle while you're driving down
the road your brakes are getting all that road splash from vehicles passing you sitting right
up the backside of a truck that's car washing you with road salt and sand and dirt and crud
and taking the pain off your car for you at the same time sandblasting it so brakes are wide open
to everything that's on the roadways and that's why i say this time of year the plan is wheels off
brakes all apart service assess replace as needed you want to hit the road in the summer knowing
you have equal braking on all four wheels because in the summer everybody drives a whole lot faster
than in the winter right they just caught a guy a slide on youtube so it's got to be real
120 k over the limit dude has definitely got a problem with insurance now and everything else
i don't know if the vehicle was impounded just said man caught 120 over the limit
yeah that'll get you there so how fast was he going 120 over
well if it was if it's marked 80 he was doing 200 k right if he was if it's suggested 100 k
he was doing 220 k per hour
and it's nothing to laugh at because i would not want to be anywhere near that person because
very easily that person could put you and pull you and suck you in to their nightmare
so a number of things that need to be checked i'm gonna ram ramble through them very very quickly
because time is getting away from us here thank you to city auto sales and leasing
earl louise grant great car guys and gals providing quality vehicles low mileage always
at fair prices greater Toronto areas pre-owned premier auto store check in with earl louise grant
they have a large inventory under roof and outside if something is but you have something in mind
specifically that you would like to buy you need to check in with them they have a lot of resources
let them do the legwork and i'll tell you what earl louise grant sell no junk and they don't buy
junk they don't sell junk you can buy with confidence and be treated with nothing less
than honesty and integrity so we need to get into all the brakes wheels off take the brakes all
part assess brake lines fuel lines suspension and steering do we have any worn out components
before you put your summer tires on and i highly endorse this time of year a four wheel alignment
because these potholes they knock your steering geometry way out but we need to make sure that
you don't have any ball joints tie rod ends inners and outters sway bar links lower control arm
pushings that everything in the suspension and steering is working together there's nothing that's
worn out or broken then we can perform a four wheel alignment and put the steering geometry back into
manufacturer specifications because that's where it needs to be fluids filters they all need to be
inspected tested and verified what needs to be gushed and flushed what filters need to be replaced
and do a full service oil change checking lights levels operation of wipers the whole nine yards
we need to give your vehicle this time of year a 100 percent bumper to bumper physical and that
will get you set up for the summer and it will also give you a kick start at getting everything
in working order and it buys you some time so if there's quite a few things that need attention
guess what with a plan and an evaluation completed now you have a true plan what's needed now
in the near future in distant future and it can all be documented and then you can set forth a plan
and the finances to get the vehicle back in good solid working order that's gonna do it for today
tomorrow we're gonna get into it a whole lot deeper and i'll break things out for you so
keep it under 100 watch out for the other guy it's hump day it's the middle of the week it's
Wednesday and we're almost at the weekend so drive safe and uh take it easy out there with
all that fog the deer are on the run and they can just kind of show up right in front of you
and it's dangerous especially if they have antlers they can come up through the windshield over the
hood into the wind windshield and you can get injured we don't want anyone getting injured so
just your driving today according to road conditions and visibility make it a super Wednesday
have a five minute extra long lunch today just tell him motormouth said it's okay
it's spring and it's Wednesday peace patience kindness happy healthy motoring and we'll see
you tomorrow morning for another edition of motormouth's morning drive bye for now
About this episode
Niall Motormouth Jenkins kicks off the spring season by discussing the importance of vehicle maintenance after a tough winter, emphasizing safety tips for driving in fog and watching for deer. He shares personal stories, promotes community connections through local business profiles, and encourages listeners to subscribe to their YouTube channel for automotive education. The episode also highlights support for financial planning professionals and a local nonprofit, blending practical car care advice with community engagement and a touch of humor.
As we head into early spring, now is the time to assess, make corrections, and build a plan for your vehicle.
Small issues don't fix themselves. Minor fluid seepage, brake wear, alignment drift, aging suspension components - they all move in one direction if ignored.
In this episode, we break down how to evaluate what needs attention now, what can wait, and how to plan ahead so you're not reacting to breakdowns later.
The Key Structure,
When you track brake lines, brakes, fluids, filters, tires, steering, and suspension in a disciplined way, you reduce stress. You stop relying on memory.
That's exactly why we created the Car Connection Fleet Maintenance System - a simple, reusable way to stay ahead of repairs and avoid missing critical service items.
If you'd like details, send me an email with the word "FLEET" and we'll send you the information.
Your vehicle will thank you.
Your wallet will thank you.
and your brain will thank you too.
Merchandise available at Car Connection Business Network .com (ccbusnet.com) grab some merch and join the crew in helping those struggling with addiction get to a Total Freedom Addiction Campus Canada & USA where a New Life awaits them there! Thank You so much, Nile Motormouth Jenkins.
Tnx for watching, following subscribing, commenting, listening and sharing us with your peeps!
It keeps the ignition on and engine running smoothly, Happy Healthy Motoring Friends, We Love y'all very much! Peace Patience Kindness Always. see you in the next one, oh I almopst forgot, RING THE BELL! NMJ
