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The Missing Producer
About this episode
Technical difficulties take center stage as the I Speak Jeep team navigates their first episode without their usual producer. Host Neil Simpson and guests discuss the challenges of going live, share humorous anecdotes, and reflect on the evolution of recalls in the automotive industry. They delve into the importance of recalls, the historical context behind them, and how safety standards have changed over the decades. Expect a mix of lighthearted banter and insightful commentary on the complexities of vehicle recalls and warranties.
Topics:
air bags
Cadillac
Chrysler
Daimler
electrical systems
extended warranty
frame ectomy
GM
gravity feed
Honda
Cars:
Chevrolet Impala
Ford Explorer
Ford Model T
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Jeep Wrangler
Mercury Monarch
Saab 9-2X
We want to hear from you, Send us a Text
Welcome to an episode full of challenges without our producer. Don't worry, Neil and Scott manage to put together a great episode and squeaked by on the technical difficulties. Stay tuned to future episodes as the producer gets closer to being able to reveal what he is opening in Erie, PA.
Thanks for listening, give us a review and check us out on YouTube -SFJ4x4 and visit our website to grab some great gear or products for your Jeep, SFJ4x4.com. Don't forget, you can email [email protected] for special content requests, blind react videos, suggestions, special guests, or general questions. Check out our Patreon patreon.com/ISpeakJeep
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Technical
Too Afraid to Ask
Car
Ford Explorer
"...10000 Ford Explorers fall over because their tires explode..."
The Ford Explorer is a type of SUV made by Ford. It's known for being spacious and good for families, and it has been around for many years with different versions.
The Ford Explorer is a mid-size SUV that has been popular since its introduction in the early 1990s. It has undergone several generations of redesigns, making it a common choice for families and outdoor enthusiasts.
Car
Mercury Monarch
"...I remember my mom had a mercury monarch that was like two years old and the back bumper..."
The Mercury Monarch is a car that was made by the Mercury brand, which was part of Ford. It was popular in the late 1970s and known for being a comfortable vehicle.
The Mercury Monarch was a mid-size car produced by the Mercury division of Ford from 1975 to 1980. It was known for its comfortable ride and was part of the larger Monarch line that included various trims and features.
Term
extended warranty
"...we're trying to reach you about your cars extended warranty plan and how that's become a money making scheme. Yes we're going to try and avoid all of this what has a warranty..."
An extended warranty is like extra insurance for your car that you can buy after the original warranty expires. It helps pay for repairs if something goes wrong with your vehicle.
An extended warranty is a service contract that provides additional coverage for a vehicle beyond the manufacturer's warranty period. It can cover repairs and maintenance for specific components, offering peace of mind to car owners against unexpected costs.
Term
Takata airbag
"Because of the Takata airbag Recently Chrysler has released A Stop service Immediately stop driving"
The Takata airbag is a type of airbag that can be dangerous because it might explode instead of just inflating safely. This has caused a lot of problems and led to many cars being recalled to fix the issue.
The Takata airbag refers to a defective airbag inflator produced by Takata Corporation, which has been linked to numerous injuries and fatalities due to its tendency to explode and send shrapnel into the vehicle's cabin during deployment. This has led to one of the largest automotive recalls in history.
Brand
Toyota
"For everybody Honda, Toyota GM Chrysler They are the standard"
Toyota is a Japanese car company that makes many popular and reliable cars, like the Corolla and Camry.
Toyota is another major Japanese automaker, famous for its innovative technologies and reliable vehicles, including the Corolla and Camry.
Brand
Honda
"For everybody Honda, Toyota GM Chrysler They are the standard"
Honda is a car company from Japan that makes many popular cars, known for being dependable and good on gas.
Honda is a well-known Japanese automotive manufacturer, recognized for producing reliable and fuel-efficient vehicles, including popular models like the Civic and Accord.
Brand
GM
"For everybody Honda, Toyota GM Chrysler They are the standard"
GM stands for General Motors, an American car company that makes many different brands of cars, like Chevrolet and Cadillac.
General Motors (GM) is a leading American automotive manufacturer, known for brands like Chevrolet, GMC, and Cadillac, and has a significant impact on the automotive industry.
Brand
Chrysler
"For everybody Honda, Toyota GM Chrysler They are the standard"
Chrysler is a car company from the United States that makes different types of cars, including minivans and SUVs.
Chrysler is an American automobile manufacturer known for producing a range of vehicles, including sedans, SUVs, and minivans, and is part of the Stellantis group.
Term
airbags
"That's not special There's a chemical within the airbags themselves"
Airbags are safety features in cars that pop out quickly to help protect people inside during a crash.
Airbags are safety devices in vehicles that inflate rapidly during a collision to protect occupants from injury.
Term
internal components
"And it breaks down the internal components"
Internal components are the parts inside something, like a car or a machine, that help it work properly.
Internal components refer to the various parts within a system, such as a vehicle's engine or airbags, that work together to ensure functionality and safety.
Car
Chevrolet Impala
"I actually had a recall On a 2008 Chevy Impala And it was the"
The Chevrolet Impala is a large car that's been popular in America for many years. The 2008 version had some problems that led to recalls, so it's good to look into those issues if you're thinking about buying one.
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size sedan that has been a staple in American automotive culture since its introduction in 1958. The 2008 model has been noted for experiencing recalls, which can affect safety and reliability, making it important for potential buyers to check for any outstanding issues.
Car
Saab 92X
"...for that example is I had a Saab, a 9-2X"
The Saab 9-2X is a small car made by Saab that was available in the early 2000s. It shares parts with another car made by Subaru, which makes it interesting for fans of both brands.
The Saab 9-2X is a compact car produced by Saab from 2004 to 2006. It was based on the Subaru Impreza and offered a unique blend of performance and practicality.
Concept
re-badged
"Re-badged as a Saab"
Re-badged means taking a car made by one company and selling it under a different brand name, usually without major changes to the car itself.
Re-badging refers to the practice of taking a vehicle from one manufacturer and selling it under another brand name, often with minimal changes. This is common in the automotive industry to expand market reach or utilize existing platforms.
Brand
Cadillac
"So I had to go to a Cadillac dealer At one time Was a Saab dealer"
Cadillac is a brand of luxury cars made by General Motors. They are known for their stylish designs and comfortable features.
Cadillac is a luxury vehicle division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Known for its high-end vehicles and innovative technology, Cadillac has a long history in the automotive industry.
Part
part
"And they actually Had to order a different part When I arrived because"
A part is any piece of a car, like the engine or brakes. Cars are made up of many different parts that work together to make them run.
In automotive terms, a 'part' refers to any individual component that makes up a vehicle. This can include anything from the engine and transmission to smaller components like sensors and switches.
Term
recall
"...we have had some interesting Jeep recalls..."
A recall happens when a car company asks owners to bring their cars back to fix a problem that could be dangerous. This is usually because of safety issues that need to be repaired.
A recall is a request to return a product, often due to safety concerns or defects. In the automotive context, it typically involves vehicles that may have safety issues that need to be addressed by the manufacturer.
Term
trailer hitch
"Got a free trailer hitch per Jeep to help protect the gas tank. We were just asking the trailer hitch."
A trailer hitch is a part that allows you to connect a trailer to your vehicle so you can tow it. It's important for safely moving things like boats or campers.
A trailer hitch is a device attached to a vehicle for towing a trailer or other load. It provides a connection point between the vehicle and the trailer, allowing for safe transport of goods or recreational vehicles.
Car
WJ
"...talking to some WJ owners that obviously the skid plate that holds up the gas tank..."
WJ is a model name for a type of Jeep Grand Cherokee made between 1999 and 2004. It's known for being good at off-roading and has different engine choices.
The WJ refers to the second generation of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, produced from 1999 to 2004. It is known for its off-road capabilities and a range of engine options, making it popular among SUV enthusiasts.
Part
skid plate
"...talking to some WJ owners that obviously the skid plate that holds up the gas tank like the rust away and fall out..."
A skid plate is a piece of metal that protects the bottom of a car. It helps keep important parts safe when driving on rough roads or off-road.
A skid plate is a protective component installed on the underside of a vehicle to shield critical parts from damage, especially when driving over rough terrain. It is particularly important for off-road vehicles to prevent damage to the fuel tank and other vital components.
Term
frame ectomy
"So they went in and they did a frame ectomy. They removed the old frame, which is that body off..."
A frame ectomy is when the main structure of a car is taken out, usually because it's damaged. This is a big job that requires a lot of work to fix the car properly.
A frame ectomy refers to the process of removing the entire frame of a vehicle, often to replace it with a new one or to perform extensive repairs. This is typically done when the original frame is damaged or rusted beyond repair.
Car
Ford Model Fords
"When you know when we're dealing With those early model Ford's You were just happy you weren't right around"
The Ford Model T is one of the first cars that many people could actually afford. It changed how cars were made and helped more people own a car, which was a big deal back in the early 1900s.
The Ford Model T, produced from 1908 to 1927, is often regarded as the first affordable automobile, making car ownership accessible to the masses. Its significance lies in its role in revolutionizing the automotive industry and popularizing assembly line production.
Term
VIN number
"...you can take your VIN number. You can go on the interwebs and you can go to the search recalls..."
A VIN number is like a social security number for cars. It's a special code that helps identify a specific vehicle and its history.
A VIN number, or Vehicle Identification Number, is a unique code assigned to every vehicle. It serves as a fingerprint for the car, providing information about its make, model, year, and history, including recalls and ownership.
Car
Jeep Wrangler
"The clutch issue Of the JL Wranglers That they still don't have a fix for"
The Jeep Wrangler is a tough car that's great for driving off the beaten path. Some newer models have a problem with the clutch, which is a part that helps change gears, and many people are waiting for a solution to this issue.
The Jeep Wrangler is an iconic off-road vehicle known for its rugged design and capability. The JL generation, introduced in 2018, has faced some issues with its clutch system, which has raised concerns among owners and enthusiasts as a fix has yet to be implemented.
Term
technical service bulletin
"...there is also another layer to this called TSP or technical service bulletin..."
A Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) is a notice from car manufacturers that tells mechanics about common problems with certain car models and how to fix them. It's not a recall, but it helps ensure cars are repaired properly.
A Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) is a communication from a manufacturer to inform service technicians about specific issues related to a vehicle model, along with recommended repairs or maintenance procedures. TSBs are not recalls but provide guidance on known problems that may affect vehicle performance or safety.
Company
Daimler
"...worked for Chrysler, Daimler, Chrysler..."
Daimler is a big car company from Germany that makes luxury cars, especially known for the Mercedes-Benz brand. They are important in the car industry worldwide.
Daimler AG is a German automotive corporation known for manufacturing luxury vehicles under the Mercedes-Benz brand, as well as commercial vehicles. It plays a significant role in the global automotive industry.
Company
Stellantis
"...before Stellantis was a thing..."
Stellantis is a new car company that was created when two big car companies, Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group, merged. They own many different car brands.
Stellantis is a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation formed from the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the PSA Group. It encompasses a wide range of brands, including Jeep, Dodge, and Peugeot.
Term
electrical systems
"...his biggest advice to us was regarding the electrical systems of the TJ..."
Electrical systems are the parts of a car that use electricity to work. They help control things like the lights and the radio, and they are important for making sure the car runs properly.
Electrical systems in vehicles refer to the network of components that manage the car's electrical functions, including the battery, wiring, and electronic control units. These systems are crucial for the operation of various features such as lighting, infotainment, and engine management.
Concept
over-the-air updates
"...we've seen it more and more where they can Update your vehicle..."
Over-the-air updates mean that car companies can fix problems or add new features to your car using the internet, just like how your phone gets updates.
Over-the-air updates allow manufacturers to send software updates directly to vehicles via the internet. This technology enables improvements and new features without requiring a physical visit to a dealership.
Term
TSB
"...Or TSB's Associated with the potentiality For his Jeep to burn down..."
A TSB is a notice from the car company to repair shops about problems that some cars might have. It tells them how to fix those problems, but it’s not as serious as a recall.
A Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) is a communication from a manufacturer to dealerships about specific issues that may arise in vehicles. It provides guidance on how to fix these issues, but it is not a recall.
Term
plug-in hybrid
"...He bought it because It's supposed to be a hybrid Or a plug-in hybrid..."
A plug-in hybrid is a car that can run on both gasoline and electricity. You can charge it by plugging it into an outlet, which helps save fuel and reduce emissions.
A plug-in hybrid is a type of vehicle that combines a traditional internal combustion engine with an electric motor and a rechargeable battery. It can be charged from an external power source and typically has a longer electric-only range compared to standard hybrids.
Term
used vehicle
"...it was only a couple years old. Nothing wrong with the vehicle..."
A used vehicle is a car that someone else has owned before. It's usually cheaper than a new car and can still work well.
A used vehicle is a car that has had previous owners and is not brand new. These cars can often be more affordable than new ones and may still be in good condition.
Term
gravity feed
"...you have a gravity feed like a tractor. Makes perfect sense to me..."
A gravity feed system uses gravity to pull fuel from the tank to the engine instead of needing a pump. It's a simpler way to get fuel to the engine, like how water flows downhill.
A gravity feed system relies on the force of gravity to move fuel from the tank to the engine, rather than using a fuel pump. This system is often simpler and can be found in older vehicles or certain types of machinery like tractors.
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SFJ 4x4 Studios presents
In my oversized four-wheel drive Jeep
A Jeep podcast starring industry experts
Cure monocity
What? Say that again!
With mad scientist Scott Brown
I use my drill press as a sort of lathe
Our host, Neil Simpson
If one light goes on they all go out
Phil Bruce Shenanigans
We are really professional with Jeeps
This is I-Speak Jeep
And now we have no camera
Davey's coming
Help
SFJ 4x4 Studios
We have no camera
In my oversized four-wheel drive Jeep
A Jeep podcast starring industry experts
And then I go to I-Speak Jeep Live
It goes to weekend updates
What did you do, Davey?
Hey, we have camera now
Hey, Davey's on camera!
I think we're live, folks
I think we're good
Somebody give us a shout in the comments
Can you tell that we don't have a producer today?
Can you tell that we do not have a producer?
After many years of him
Helping strongly build this podcast series
Man, first show without Jeff
And it's off to a great start
That's true, Nathan, that's true
Good morning, afternoon, evening
Wherever, however you are joining us
This is the I-Speak Jeep podcast
Presented by SFJ4x4.com
My name is Neil with Simpsons Family Jeeps SFJ 4x4
And I'm in Grandma's couch studio
Not joined by the Italian stallion, the producer
But...
The maddest mad scientist
And the savage was briefly in here
As I clicked the intro, I don't know, 11 times
To go live
We had a lot of technical difficulties
I promise you we've been troubleshooting
For about the past 45 minutes
And wow, that was right down to the wire
But here we are
We wanted to adapt, overcome, persevere
See this through for our listening audience
But primarily our live audience
Our viewing audience
Because so many of you, we appreciate you
Coming to, you know, to the comments
And hanging out
Wowzers
So as I scroll back to the top here
Nathan in another language
Just because I don't understand him
Doesn't mean it's any less valuable
Good morning, Nathan, Billy Joe
Jeanie, Joe, Brian, Geaka Jeepers
Nathan again
Good morning, good morning to all of you
Seems like, seems like
Oh, we can tell, yes, that we're very conscientious
That we have no producer
Davey worked diligently with Jeff on the phone
To try and get us to this point
If you are listening in your ear holes at a later date
We super, super appreciate that
And for you, there should be no technical difficulties
This should just kind of be smooth sailing
Other than the fact that you're like, yep
Those guys work on Jeeps and not on sound systems
With that said
Unless they're in Jeeps
Oh, we do that
Yeah, this is different
This is a whole different animal
There's a lot of software glitches
Which we're actually going to be talking
A little bit about today
As we chat about recalls
And I really struggled with the title
Because I had like a fun, you know, fluffy title
And then as the last thing Savage said
Before he left the studio, you know
For one of the times
Was, hey, I made you a cheat sheet
There's a thing on hey, how to write your titles over there
And it totally trashes me on my titles
And so I was like, well
Now I'm just screwed
Because I mean, I'm just recalls
You know, that's what we're talking about today
And we'll tell you why that is
Additionally, if you want to hang through
Hang through the outro
Which we may or may not actually have
Yeah, let's see
Could be a train wreck that you, you know, get to
We at least know where it is now
Sort of
Sort of? I actually have no idea
I'll be honest with you
What was the live one? The one that you kept hitting wrong
That was the weekend update
Yeah, but that's somehow how we got to here
That doesn't make sense to me
Whatever
You can hear about our weekend updates
And what we had going on
It's your turn to sing the transition
No, you did such a good job
I don't want to steal any of your thunder
And in a moment
I'd like to say happy presents day
As we used to have independent celebrations
Of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln
And their birthdays
And then historically
You know, somebody was like
Hey, we just need to
Celebrate all of those historical
Presidents who have
You know, done such a hard job
And gotten us to where we're at
So
Hello, hello
Nick is saying good morning
Scott Bennett, good morning
And
Nathan is asked
Speaking of listening in a later day
Are you sure it's recording?
Honestly, Nathan
I'm not
However, however
Because of
All things redundant
And I like
Multitudes of things
I factually know that we have a hard drive
Recording happening in front of me
So despite the fact that
I don't actually know whether it's
Recording to
Our studio
You know, computer system
I do know that there is
A hard drive
Which I absolutely started late
But I can see the little button
And I know that from my YouTube videos
Because Davey comes over and hits that button
For me
So
So there's that
This is really a new
This is really quite the new experience
And I think that it's a fair enough
Segway
To kind of talk about recalls
Now, we want to approach this subject
If you joined us last week
You'll know that we were talking about
Heater systems
Which Davey thought my titling of that
Particular podcast sucked
But whatever
So we had said we didn't even get to
The modern day stuff that
And we're going to
But I decided we shouldn't do that
To in a row and bore you to death
So now we're going to bore you about recalls
Before we bore you about
Heaters again
And I mean in theory
We're going to try and approach the
Recall conversation
A little more from
A
Social construct
If you will
Share some stories of our own
Experiences but then also some insight
As to what the manufacturers are doing
Why they are
Of value and not of value
And how the process
Is acidic
Are they out to get you with the recalls
That kind of stuff
There's some
Mixed stuff and so we're going to
Unpack that more so than
The technical minutia
Of
What is being recalled and why
Of course we are going to touch on some of that
Why that is
Oh, I think it's valuable
I have to stop and go back
And so we had a couple good
Hellos come in and I think I mentioned those
Charles says good morning, Joe is saying
I vote to nominate Davey for producer
Rob
Daddy Jeep says good morning
And somebody else had mentioned bringing
Savage in
Savage right now
Is refusing
Like flat out refusing
To get in the producer's seat
Now I need everybody
To be conscientious of the fact
That
Jeffrey's
Lofty ambitions
With his
We technically do have a producer
He just had
New business
Growing pains
And we'll have those for
A little while
Off and on as
Anyone that has done their own business
Will know
Can you only imagine
Early days of the business
If we tried to do a podcast
Well
I mean and it depends on how early
I mean we did we were in
A Jeep
Way back
Way back days
Yeah
That would have been a train wreck
So we got to give him some grace
And
He didn't live as high and dry
He did try over the phone to
Do some troubleshoes
But this is a very complicated process
And one of the biggest challenges
We have and we will touch on this later
Is today
Our technology
You're one update away from
Either success or failure
Totes
And that's what we literally had here
And we have a situation too
Which again we're going to hit on later
If you don't update
What do they do to you
Yes
And that's basically what we dealt with today
But in all good
Mad scientist stuff
We have to go back in time
On everything
Wow
So when you had a recall on your horse
You just shot it
You got a new horse
You're really pushing this
You're really pushing this horse
Wow
I'm doing it for the fans at this point
Right
Anyways
Early days we really didn't have
Recalls on our
You know 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's
Vehicles
You were kind of on your own
And another thing that was kind of
On your own was a warranty
Maybe you had like
A 30 day
Or that kind of stuff
But we actually were talking about this
Back in the day you had a code of conduct
It was kind of with this unwritten rules
Of
Society, of the road
Of that kind of stuff
Of business practices
So if you went and bought a car
And you and that
Dealership owner
Had a good working relationship
A.K. good code of conduct
And you had a problem
That dealer was there to help you
And was going to do something
To assist you
Now the problem with that was
Is that as a dealership by dealership
Basis
And that is relationship based
Operation
So that meant if your dealership was owned by a
Jerk
You're going to have less than ideal
Circumstances with your vehicle
If you have a problem
So a lot of things were just handled by
Yourself or the local garage
Or what have you
At some point
I'm sorry
With all the technical difficulties
I didn't get to look up my history
Facts but at some point
We decided that we needed to standardize
This process
Kind of take the jerks
Even it out bring up the jerks
And break down the personal
You know
Relationships and make a process
That's when we started seeing
Warranties
I want to say into the 80s
Is really where I think it hit hard
You can mad scientist
Me in the comments
Or in the things and let me know how
Right or wrong I am
But at minimum I'm thinking 70s
As well as when warranties kind of hit
And you had
A certain amount of time
For your warranty
And how long the manufacturer was
On the hook
For a problem with your vehicle
And then at some point
Safety standards
Enacted
And we said hey
A problem with the seat belt
Problem with
Breaking systems
Or steering systems
Something that kind of keeps you from
Crashing and burning
Should have
A heightened sense of
Responsibility
So much so that at this point
We now have a website
And operation
Federally
To
Keep track of recalls
And safety issues
They basically they look
At crashes
World or nationwide
And what was the cause of that
Accident
And if there is a trend
That you know
10000 Ford Explorers
Fall over because their tires explode
That we have a
Trend here that is consistent
With a problem
And we need to then figure out
The catalysts of that
And that's when you will then see a
Recall so much so
In the case of like the Ford Explorers
It was literally a tire recall
So the tire company was recalling it
So it wasn't just on
Ford it was
A product recall
And so
I think that you know
Realistically speaking as we
Distribute through this
This time frame where
And I think maybe it was a little
Earlier than you're suggesting
But definitely as knowledge
Starts to spread and we get away from this
Dealership
Based interaction
We get this
Federal safety standards and federal
Regulatory and of course
We know that that actually
Goes back
Really really long time but that was not
Exactly pervasive
Knowledge and we know this because
The big three auto industry
Ran a bunch of people
Out
You know in that process they got
They got vehicles decommissioned
They got up and coming auto manufacturers
Kicked out you know what I mean like
They did some things to plow
Their competition
I was going off the date because I remember
My mom had a mercury monarch
That was like two years old and the back bumper
Fell off so I don't think that had
Any recalls or long standing warranty
I think that that's different
Is that we have to differentiate
A warranty from a recall
That's true
And so we want to make sure that
We don't fall into
Within this conversation
We fall in this conversation
Regarding a warranty
So much as a
Recall right a warranty and now
The warranty process has gotten out of hand
And we joke about the
You know we're trying to reach you about your
Cars extended warranty plan and how
That's become a money making scheme
Yes we're going to try and avoid
All of this what has a warranty
What doesn't and that could
That could be another podcast it totally
Is a podcast based on
What is warrantable what is worth
Getting your money back how
How do we go about that
Are warranties expressed implied
Or guaranteed right
And as Rob said
I actually think this is
I suppose
Back in the day people didn't expect
Something for nothing and they were okay
Paying for services right
Now the issue is when
A business
Seeks to
Do less than sub car
Sub part work or is
Negligent in their processes
Yes right
And that's where this whole you know
Jerk to personal
Appeal comes where we try to create
The balance is okay well this is the baseline
This is the attempt at standardizing
Right the industry and the process
And
Recalls
Fall within that
Standardization and you have a voluntary
Recall and then we have a mandated recall
Right and
And exactly when and where those started
That's you know not
A fact that we have in front of us
That's not what this is supposed to be
A lot of that is about consumer confidence as well
A company can be like
Hey we missed the mark
But we're voluntarily trying to fix
This ill
Where it's when it's a required
Recall that's a little bit more
That's where the government is stepping in going
Hey you've done something specifically
On a safety related system
All your Ford Explorers are falling over
Now you have no choice
We are going to
Insert ourselves into your business practice
Right because you have
Proving yourself untrustworthy to the public
Right and the public's best interest
We're going to get involved
And so that's
Give or take that's part of the
Mandatory recall process
Now why this is
Critically
Important
Is
It's immediately in our face
Because of the Takata airbag
Recently
Chrysler has released
A
Stop service
Immediately stop driving
Roughly a quarter million
Chrysler vehicles
And this is not something new
We have been dealing with this
Takata airbag recall
For
10, 12 years at least
Oh it's been decades
It goes back to 25 years actually
Is when we start to see
This fail point
Now it's important to note
That
Realistically
What ends up happening is
Through any type of
Manufacturing process you have
Batches
And the mother ships
And manufacturers
Basically they're going in and saying
When did this occur
And how long did it occur
For
This Takata airbag recall is a
Perfect example of this
Initially they said hey we only have
Units that are having problems
From point A to
B
If your serial number
Fell outside of that production realm
Then you simply
Didn't qualify
Right
And so you could be
Out of
Makeup stuff
If the recall starts at unit
1000
Your Jeep, your truck, your car
Whatever could be
999 coming down the factory line
And
Somewhere in their data tracking
They have deemed that the system failure
Happens at vehicle 1000
Now what has happened with this
Takata airbag recall is
And this has been multiple times
We keep having outliers outside
Of this block of
Offended vehicles
And has made it get
Larger and larger and larger
And at this point if it's a Takata
Airbag it's pretty guilty
And that's why they have
Said
Realistically speaking that roughly
A quarter million vehicles that
Have been affected
Need
To be immediately
Stop being used
Because
It's guilty by association
And
For those that aren't familiar
Takata is a big
Airbag manufacturer
For everybody
Honda, Toyota
GM
Chrysler
They are the standard
Yeah so
That's not special
There's a chemical within the airbags themselves
That breaks down
And it breaks down the internal components
And ultimately when the airbag discharges
It actually
Sends shrapnel
And there are 28
Deaths
That's right 28 deaths
Specifically
Related to Takata
Airbag failures
And also
Finding out that as these
Age it's getting worse
As
As this chemical keeps aging
Out the things
Basically it becomes more and more dangerous
Now this recall is
Federally monitored
As well as
By the in-house records
Of the manufacturers themselves
So realistically
That recall follows
The VIN
It's married to the VIN number of the vehicle
So even if the vehicle has changed
Hands to a new owner
In
Theory
Those individuals
The
Owner knows that they have a recall
The manufacturer knows that
And why I say this is because
I actually had a recall
On a 2008 Chevy Impala
And it was the
World's dumbest recall
And
Realistically
Speaking it was
An ignition system recall
And
What the
And if you heard me say this on my socials before
You should not have
A
Janitorial hoop of keys
On your ignition keys
Especially if you have like
A 99 to
A
2010 GM product
If you've got all these fun key chains
And pocket knives
And
Nice heavy
Key chain medallions
I understand
The desire to have that stuff
That the trinkets
With you, I get it
But it's not good for your ignition
Tumblr itself
And so GM
You know we're dating ourselves
By talking about ignition systems
Stop it, shut up
So GM
Had this ignition system and basically
They said that
That it would get loosey goosey
Now I have a
Chrysler has had absolute
Trash ignition tumblers
For decades
So I'm a Chrysler guy
So this O8 Impala was not special
To me
He's used to jiggling around
I'm used to playing with it
For it to work a little bit better
You know
That's totally double what Toronto intended
But so
As far as the ignition, my O3 RAM
I have to find the sweet spot in there
For it to actually
Work appropriately within the truck
So the car was pretty underwhelming
But what people were complaining about
Was that they would be driving down the road
And then all of a sudden
The car would shut off because
Basically you found the wrong
Sweet spot in the ignition
What
It's mind numbing to me
What their fix was
Was
To first inspect your key
Your key ring
If you had
Stuff
They would tell you that they could only
Qualify you for a recall
If you didn't have stuff on your key ring
So their first step was
Remove any key chains
And additional keys from
The ignition key itself
That was your
First step. Once they identified
That was the case
And I kid you not, they're only fix
For this because they were not actually
Doing a tumbler
Replacement. They were not fixing
Anything in the column
They would cut you a new key
And the difference was
On my
Factory key
The key hole was
Oblong. So not quite oval
But like the size of
A
Jelly bean or something
It was oval, it was longer
And the new key was round
It was the size of a Mike and Ike
And the new key was basically
Just a pencil hole
It was moving the
Weight up to the center of the key
That's right. That was their
Air quotes fix. And that was the world's
Dumbest fix in my opinion
And I refused
To go in for the recall because
I just wasn't, I didn't need
To go in to get a new key. It didn't matter
I wasn't having problems with the system
And I just went sans
Trinkets
On my key itself
So
I know that for
Years, we had that car for almost 15
Years or something
I would just get a letter
And it was like, you're in violation
Of your recall and had a big old stop sign
And it was like, danger, your car
Could shut off, blah, blah, blah
And I'm like, but
It can't. And your fix is just
To give me a crappy key
And so I titled this
Sometimes it's hard to say sorry
In part of the recalls because
The manufacturer is going, hey
We recognize that something's not great
Yes
But we're not actually going to spend a bunch of money fixing it
Right
And so this is where we get to
The Takata. They have been
Doing replacements
Where the manufacturer is spending money
And the crazy part. So I have
A personal experience with this recall
Well, hold on. The piece is
There has to be some consumer responsibility
That's what the manufacturer is going
I'm not going to put out a bunch of money
You have a 10, 15 year old vehicle
And you use it
I'm not going to put out a bunch of money because
You have too many key chains on it
Well, and there's varying degrees
Of that. The key is more
Low impact
The airbag is getting higher and higher
Well, that's why the airpacks, the airbag
Kills people
Has a potential to
For that example is I had
A
Saab, a 9.2x
Which is actually a Subaru
Re-badged as a Saab
It was this weird
Love child while GM
Owned part of a Subaru
And Zill had Saab
And
By the time I got the car
Saab was dead
There were no dealership network
So we had quite the pickle
Or GM had quite the pickle
They had no dealer network
They had a part
That's actually a Subaru part
That they had to find and procure
To then have
One of their technicians
That doesn't know these vehicles
Install it
So I had to go to a Cadillac dealer
At one time
Was a Saab dealer
And they actually
Had to order a different part
When I arrived because
I didn't have a real Saab
I'm sure they had the real Saab
Parts on hand
Yes
And they only did
One of the airbags
They did the pasture side airbag
They did not touch the one in the steering wheel
Because again at that point
In the recall
It was a very narrowed focus
It's a narrow focus
There's batch quantities
There's VIN numbers that associate
And that is how these recalls work
So I imagine at this point
Probably at the steering wheel
One is guilty as well
I'm certain at this point
I'm certain and you know
As far as how these
You know how this
Recall processes work
We have ones that are of
We have ones that are of value
And then we have ones that are kind of
Trivial again between that voluntary
And mandatory
Processes
And we have had some
Interesting Jeep recalls
One that sticks out in my brain
Is the WJ
Gas tank recall
Where they were trying to be
Ford Pentos and getting hit in the back
And gasoline could leak
Or explode or be dangerous
So everyone
Had a WJ that didn't have a trailer hitch
Got a free trailer hitch
Per Jeep
To help protect the gas tank
We were just asking the trailer hitch
To be an extra bumper
I thought that was the funniest recall
Yes
And I remember talking to some
WJ owners that obviously the skid plate
That holds up the gas tank like
The rust away and fall out
And here we had them worrying about
A hitch when the gas tank is
Physically trying to remove itself from the vehicle
Can you imagine how challenging
The dealership has
Because you go in for a recall
At that level you're getting
You're getting services
And you're getting product
For
For free
That's part of your process
The value
So now can you imagine
That
You have this rusty vehicle
You qualify for that
You go to the garage
And now this technician
Which recalls are often times performed
By the entry level mechanics
Because the way the dealerships work
And we've talked about this before
Flat rate pricing
And now
Arguably
The least qualified out of the staff
I'm not saying they're not qualified
But the least of that staff is typically getting
Saddled
With this crappy job
Of trying to wish
This a brand new
Hitch onto a Jeep that the gas tank is
Trying to rust off and fall out of
Make it even worse
I had the pleasure
Of working on a bunch of Toyota vehicles
Where they have had the frame recalls
And we were doing you know
Transmissions or other work
My old job
And we literally would have a frame
That had holes
That had holes in it
So they went in and they did a frame ectomy
They removed the old frame
Which is that body off
Motor and transmission now
A very invasive repair
And if your brake lines
Did not just hemorrhage
When they removed them
They got put back on
So you would have this gorgeous black
Brand new frame
With these crusty nasty brake lines
That were arguably unsafe
At that point
Especially because now they've been messed with
You've been moved them around
And it was really
A weird sticky wicket
Of whose responsibility
Is what
And I think that that is
The crux
Of the recall conversation
And on the Toyota one
Real quick
I had a bunch of customers tell me
If they would have communicated with me
And said hey the brake lines are $500
They would have paid the extra
Just to have a safer vehicle
But it was such
An out of the range
Of the service
Yes
It did not happen like that
I know a couple of guys
Who were technicians at that time
Who were doing those frame jobs
And I
Am familiar with another technician
Who was working at an international dealership
Equally got involved in a frame recall
Process
And for them
They
Figured out the process
To make that swap as efficient
As possible
Realistically because the nature
Of the recall was
Inevitably the mother ship
Is losing money by doing this
They want to pay out as little
They want to do as little
And we know because we communicate
So much with our customer base
That can slow things down
Sometimes you got to then jump to another
Job while we're waiting
For the person to get back
We don't have them on hand
That I know from these other technicians
Objectively their goal
Was to move as fast
As humanly possible through that job
That was the only way
The dealership and the
Technician by extension
Made any money
Because otherwise
There is a negative
Incentivization there
They don't want to stop
And communicate
And do all these other
Things hey this bushing is actually bad
And these lines could really be replaced
Because it slows down the job
And we know that because
Sometimes we feel like we're moving
At a snail's pace because we try
To operate with heightened transparency
And communication with our customers
And that
Adds layers
To the job itself
Whereas with this international
Frame job I know it was
Something like
Quoted like 16
Billable hours
Of course now when it's a recall
Or a warranty issue
It only pays a fraction of that
To the technician
To the dealership and technician
And
Realistically speaking
This technician
Had gotten it down to under 4 hours
That's crazy
And he said he and
This other guy at this particular dealership
Close to the great lakes
Lake Erie
Were so proficient at this
That corporate global
International
Actually did tours
And studies over him and his
Buddy because they
Then figured out how to
They want to know what the secret sauce is
And they deemed it
Acceptable
And then they
Docked the rest of the flat rate guys
So that originally
It was deemed a 16 hour job
And they
Took it all the way down to like 7
Or 9 or something because these guys
Had figured out how to do it in 3
And a half, 4 hours
And
That's not right
And that is why the processes
Of recalls
It becomes disconnected
From the consumer's
Best interest
And the consumer's
Experience and what we think we should
Be receiving. And I saw that
You know previously
Rob had mentioned like people want
You know people didn't want something for nothing
I think that the issue is that we
As vehicles got more and more expensive
And our
Demands as a consumer
Kind of increased
And the manufacturer said yes I can provide
That for you
The degree of the relationship escalated
When you know when we're dealing
With those early model Ford's
You were just happy you weren't right around
That horse and buggy and that you had to shoot the horse
Absolutely
And so as we've gotten further and further
Away from the epicenter of that original
Transaction
Well actually
Should have thought of this before
But there actually was a problem with Model T's
That the
Front axle was not safe
And Ford
Henry Ford himself knew about this problem
Not only so much as
Fact that he was
Experienced this problem when he took
Like three or four Model T's
For this
Weekend deal
There's actually a story about this
And they wrecked one of the cars on the way back
Because
He was in a hurry and was pushing
The speed of the cars
And they had to go back to the factory
And get parts to fix the car
On the side of the road to then drive it back
And there was people
That said hey
This is obviously a sign we need to update
This design and he refused
To do so
Now he refused
As a businessman
And he said
Basically there's an acceptable
Loss tolerance
Within my operations
And the ugly sided
Head
Of capitalism
Is that
If I sell a hundred units
And three of them
Are bad and seven have a
Potentiality of bad
That's only three percent bad
With a potential of ten percent
Now the percentage are actually even
Smaller than that when it comes
To these things and yes that one
Or two people who could be
Affected in that
That
Base
Of potential
Problems can be very
Loud very frustrated
But then the challenges
They shout that into the abyss and these
Four or five or ten other people over here go
Honestly
I'm not having that problem like me
With my keys and my impala
Absolutely
That wasn't actually anything for me to worry about
Well and real quick too
I feel we need to kind of educate as well
There is a way
You don't always get a letter
You don't always get notified
Say you got that
Twenty year old jeep
And you
It's been through ten different owners
They're not going to search down
Every ten, all those ten owners
And send a letter
So you can take your VIN number
You can go on the interwebs
And you can go to the search recalls
And you'll find a website
You can type your VIN number in there
And it will tell you any recalls
That are there for your vehicle
If they've been completed
If so when
So that you can kind of have a peace of mind
If you are concerned about this
Well and within reason when that vehicle
Is
Transacted
It'll typically recalls will appear in car facts
Not that I'm a big believer in car facts
But if you are buying through the dealer network
That will appear in the car facts
Make sure you look for that
And upstanding dealerships
Have to fix these
Before they can then sell them
They are supposed to fix
Certainly the mandatory reporting ones
They have to
With
An exception to that
And I feel like we have to mention
The clutch issue
Of the JL Wranglers
That they still don't have a fix for
They still don't have a fix for
And so I need to jump over
Finish my head thought to say
We actually have access to the recalls
Through
A series of
Software
And
You know and so we can see it
So a well intentioned garage
With appropriate
Pay for
Provisions meaning the computer
Program and system that we pay for
The repair diagnostics
Book
Which is not a book anymore but software
Those will all tell us if there's recalls available
And that brings up an important point
There is also another layer to this
Called
TSP or technical service bulletin
And this is when we haven't
Deemed this
Enough of a safety issue that it is a recall
But it is
Some trend that they are seeing
And they want the technician to be aware of it
Case in point
WJ's
Specifically had seat frames
That would crack and break
Don't know how in the heck that wasn't a recall
But it wasn't
And there was a TSP
Saying hey we're noticing
A trend these seats frames are cracking
And this is
What you need to do to do something about it
So
At least in today's world
We have a bunch of information
That allows you to
A, find out
What your vehicle has or has not
And B, the technician
Should have available to them
To find out issues and concerns
And
It is challenging because we can go as far as like
This light bulb
You know there could be a TSP on a light bulb
Going out
To all the way like I said
A seat frame breaking
Well and I think that it's valuable
And we probably should have unpacked TSP's earlier
To say that we have
Mandatory recalls, we have voluntary recalls
We have technical service bulletins
And then we have warranties
And that
Those are
Four separate entities
And that probably would have been a good
Clarification in the very beginning
But what helps
The manufacturer and this is kind of a
Personal antidote that I want to share with people
Because this is that
This is what makes us uniquely us
And why you tune in to
You know prioritize us for infotainments
In the automotive industry
We are actually personally acquainted with
An individual
Who when we first met
Them they said
That they had worked for
Chrysler
Daimler, Chrysler
And this was before Stellantis was a thing
That conglomerate
To understand that Stellantis exists
But they were always friends
There was always this buying and selling
And horse trading and hand
Hand shaking going on
So that he was an employee of
There, he had been there for so long
And he saw the writing on the wall
And he decided to get out
In that regard
I had assumed
That he was a
Pay for employee
Of
Chrysler corporate
And that what I mean by that is that
His paycheck had
Chrysler stamped on it
So as
Time progressed and I got to know him
A little better, the story started on
Pack that he did not actually
Report to
A
Chrysler factory, did not report to
Headquarters, he was down the street
That's what he would say, I was down the street
I was at my shop, down the street
I mean you're down the street at your shop
You know like what is that
But he knew
Intimately
The inner workings both
Of
The corporate
Agenda
And the physical
Components of the vehicles themselves
And he was able to give us insight
Unlike anybody else was able to
His knowledge was intimate
Because he was ground zero for any issues
That happened before they were shipped
To the dealership network
Or after
If it got really up the
Chain. So one of the things
That he was responsible for doing
Was test betting some of these vehicles
If there was
A complaint or specifically
If there was a lawsuit
Or if there was even worse
A death in question
Regarding
One of
Chrysler's vehicles
I'm not just because I remember
Seeing it growing up
It's a little bit excessive but it kind of gives
The idea I think of this
As when something happened
With the aircraft and we would see pictures
Of this like
Huge area
Warehouse and they had the plane laid out
In all of its little pieces
And they're like hey
We're doing this
Reassembly so that we can see the failure
Point we can figure out where
The catalyst of this crash
Happened. He was kind of doing that with vehicles
That's exactly right
And his job was to
Recreate the symptoms
Or tear into that vehicle
In such a way to
Evaluate based if maybe if it was
On some of the R&D or
The
Road testing or the torture testing that they do
They started to see some failures
And they want to find the problem before
You find the problem
That is their intent
Now I tell people all the time
We cannot drive your vehicle
Like you can drive your vehicle
We just cannot put as many miles
Or time behind the wheel as you can
And it's no different with that
They only have so many hours in a day
And us as public
With our vehicles we do
A crazy amount of
R&D testing
Our expectations are different than
The dealership, right?
They cannot possibly fathom
If they sell a million vehicles
How that million vehicles
Owners are going to treat that vehicle
They cannot possibly plan
And build for every situation
For every situation
But when those situations do arise
This individual's job
Was to both
Recreate and unpack it
In such a way to help
The mothership
By proxy
Determined whether or not it was going to fall into
That
Re-equal, TSB, warranty conversation
And
Funny thing is
He purposely was not on payroll
Because of that
He was meant to be this
Isolated
Contracted employee
So that he was outside the realm
Of their
In-house
The other important part of this
Is he was able to see some markers
Early on and was actually able to tell us
Like, hey, I can see
Into the future and you're going to have
Problems, blah
And here and there
With these current model vehicles
That no one right now even has a clue about
Well, and I think I'm going to go ahead and reveal
And say his biggest
Advice to us was regarding the electrical
Systems of the TJ
Into the JK
It is a good segue because I think we need
To kind of talk about
How technology
Has changed this process
And yes, wiring
Issues
Is something that we're going to see an uptick
With
Be more and more of a problem
All the way from mice chewing on
Wiring
To Joe and Linda
We know
For our listeners, we've literally just
Watched this happen and they were fortunate enough
To go into the dealership before they were there
And again, we can have blame
From the insulation is mouse
Friendly and they like it
All the way up to, you know, just a design flaw
To the fact that now we can have
Tesla
Is kind of pushing the forefront of this
And we've seen it more and more where they can
Update your vehicle
And it's something like
You know, on a computer back in the day
You'd have to go in, select updates
Press the button
It would search and it would update it
Now cars are getting more like
Your cell phone where you wake up in the morning
And hey, your phone has
A new operating system
It has a new iOS and you didn't
Select the do this
You didn't ask it to do that
And now suddenly all your
Icons are different the way your phone
Starts up is different and
We're having this situation with vehicles
And
We have some people that are upset
That now my vehicle
Is not working correctly
Or is different
And we're finding
Double sides
Some the vehicles are not operating
Correctly because they don't have the update
And B sometimes
The vehicle now is bricked
Or problematic because it got the update
Or you said yes
Right and that was a big problem
As we crest this conversation
We don't want to spend a ton of time on it
But we crest this conversation into the
4 by e territory
Which is a huge
Portion or motivation
Of
This particular conversation about
Recalls and
I was privy to
An individual over the
Weekend
Who was petitioning
Chrysler
To buy back his 4 by e
Could you imagine
Chrysler being like
I'm sorry you're not happy
We're going to buy them all back
It's happened
But it's not going to happen in mass
Right?
It's going to happen in an isolated capacity
And I'm with you
More often
In the form of the 4 by e's
They sent out a number of $100 gift cards
For people
We're sorry that things aren't quite right
Because
4 by e's are
Spontaneously combusting
And there's also
I'm sure with that gift card
By accepting the gift card or using the gift card
You are also releasing
Releasing them of liability
And that might be
I don't know
The exception I had with the individual
That I read over the weekend was
He's just
Troubled by the safety and reliability
Of the vehicle
On a theoretical level
His vehicle actually hasn't had any problems yet
He just doesn't like the fact that
They've had multiple recalls
Or TSB's
Associated with the potentiality
For his Jeep to burn down
He bought it because
It's supposed to be a hybrid
Or a plug-in hybrid
Electric vehicle
And now he can't run it in hybrid
Because he can't charge it
Yeah
He can't run it on an EV
He has to run it in a hybrid capacity
Because he can't charge it
And you know, that's a sticky wicket
Because he doesn't have anything wrong with his vehicle
He just doesn't feel comfortable
He doesn't have the consumer confidence
So where does that
Translate into this conversation
Regarding recalls
Now it goes back to the initial
Part of our conversation
It used to be
Relational
You knew the owner of the dealership
And you had purchased the vehicle
And
And you were all jazzed up
And then you just didn't like how it handled
On the road
Perfect examples, you bought a vehicle
And the wife's like, nope, not doing it
Hey, go back
I was trying to avoid that story
But that was a classic automotive story
And you go back and say, hey Jim
I bought it
She doesn't like it, now what I do
And he would then take the vehicle back
He would not give you all your money back
Typically, but he would work with you
He'd work with you
He would get you into something else
But that was a very
That was a normal thing
That was a normal automotive story that we would hear
Dealerships based thing
Correct
And honestly in this situation
If I was this guy
Hey, go trade it in
Buy something else
Of course, the problem with that
And hopefully
I'm not totally stealing your thunder here
Your sentiment, but I just did that video
On
The value of those vehicles
Are in the tank
It sucks because now you go back in
And you're like, hey, I don't have
Consumer confidence and they're like, cool
We'll give you a quarter of what you paid for
Because that's what it's worth now
I just saw a little
Short and the guy had paid
Like 80k for a Tesla
And he decided he
Actually wants a pickup truck
So he wanted to go get an F-150
And it was only a couple years old
Nothing wrong with the vehicle
And they're like, we can give you like
22.5
And he's like, well, I just paid
75 for it like
A year and a half ago
And they're like, sorry, the market for EVs
Is in the toilet
The resale value
Has just dropped
And that's just kind of
The risk you take
And you can't foresee some of that
100%
And again, it's consumer confidence
And where does that consumer
Responsibility lie
For that, you know what I mean
Like, I'm sorry that you bought
The burger before we offered the two
For one sale
That we accept
Oh, well, I bought that burger on Tuesday
And now it's Wednesday and now you're doing two for one
Why didn't I get that deal? It's like
There has to be
Some line in the sand
You think, I mean
I feel that way
I have a hard time understanding how we
We would be so loosey-goosey in the process
I mean, it's challenging just like
A good example
I just want the Harbor Freight
And I need a certain
Tap for it working on the Model T
And they had an open box
And I was like, sweet
It's cheaper, it was missing one tap
I didn't really need that tap
And you know what, I'm just going to go ahead
And buy this
And it lucked out the very next
Sales flyer
Released on that item
And sold the brand new
With all the taps
For the same price I paid for the open box
Now
I could have gone back in
Raise heck
Made a stank
They probably would have given me
An exchange or something like that
I don't know that situation, I went
You know what? Whatever
Yeah, I was going to say
I know when you buy the open box, the scratch and dent
They go, hey, all sales are final
You're just boned
I ran into that with the generator that I bought
Pre-holiday
For our show trailer eventually
I thought, well, it would be nice to have this
Before the bad weather season
They were like, you got five days
To fire it up and make sure it works
Of course, in my infinite wisdom
I did not do that in the first five days
It sat for a few weeks
Before I was like, oh, I should really get around
To figuring that out
I went to figure it out and there was nothing to figure out
Darn things just flat out wouldn't run
I got pretty frustrated
And I walked away from it, I accepted
My responsibility as a consumer
Now, I circle
Back to it a week or two later
You figured it out
And I troubleshot it
And I got it to run
For our listeners
But not everybody's going to do that
They're going to go, well
I've been wronged
I've been wronged
And it's a hard thing
Everyone has to figure out where
They sit on this level
I'm less confrontational
So I'm not going to
Do more often than not
Go after it
I'm just going to be like, take it on the chin
And move on
I think the bell curve of people are still there
I agree, but of course
It would be different if
Your loved one got into an accident
And a Takata airbag discharged
And killed them
So really, really challenging
Social construct
That surrounds this
And as we try to
To standardize things
It kind of dehumanizes it
Which of course, as humans
We don't want to get away from
I know this guy down with the dealership
I know that I can
Air quotes, trust him to sell me a good vehicle
You know what I mean? We still long for that
The best it is ability
And so I think that
The recalls
Specifically
Are
The best possible way
For the dealer to just be like
I see you and we still want
To take care of you
I still think we're in a better spot
Than we were back in the day
Yes, you probably got a better personal experience
When you were buddies with the owner
Of the dealership
But that was a one-to-one interaction
And if your neighbor wasn't friends with the owner
He didn't get that experience
I agree entirely
So I think we're in the best place
We can be, we've never again
We're in the best we've ever been
Yes, it sucks
When you have these
Kind of situations happen
And anytime you lose life
That is a terrible event
But the amount of miles
That we
Accure a year
Globally
And how much vehicles are on the road
The volume of vehicle sales
Is amazing
In use
28 people
While it's terrible
Compared to how many people are on the road every day
That's still pretty good
And that's what the manufacturer is going to hone in on
In that process
That's a very delicate and unfortunate
Balancing act for us to make
As automotive enthusiasts
It's been a really interesting
Conversation
We really apologize for our live audience members
We hope that
You have come back and maybe
Watched the video
We hope that the video is taking
And certainly the streaming
I know that the sound board is working
So I am
Banking on one of our
One of our plans to work effectively
For us so if you're listening
To this at a future day we do apologize
For the technical difficulties
As it was
For roughly the full five years
That Jeff worked here
This is a DJ
And it is a Darnit Jeff
Because this is 100%
Jeff's fault
Cosmically
Physically
Literally and figuratively
This is Jeff's fault and I stand by that
We got Jeeps to work on
If you're interested to hear about our weekend updates
Stay tuned through the outro credits
And
Until next time, Jeep on
Jeep on
And of course
There's nothing there so
Weekend update
So
For myself
I did update
On all my socials
Progress on the car I made
The pasture side part of the cow
From scratch and I realized
Doing this that again
Yet again people are not
I have to interrupt you
I have to interrupt you
Because I feel like
You say this
And I think for the people at home
I need to bring them up to speed to be like
As an automotive enthusiast
When I looked at your pictures online
You just had a crusty piece
Of flat metal
That is what your picture
Looked like
When I said to you this morning
My wife and I watching the Winter Olympics
We need to have a household
Individual alongside you
Yes
Doing the thing
Or producing or showing
What the average
Product or what the average
Curling experience is
For us at home to get reference
To what you did
Because while I just
Am willing to accept that you were like
Hey this really was tough
And I did it
And I saw you posting in your
In the specific social groups
I saw you
And that was something else
I saw that go down
I was like my neck
Tightened up and I was like
Have at it, do you
This is going to be awesome
But I think that the viewers at home
Do not have the full appreciation
For what you're about to share with us
I'm going to share it because of that
But the panel is curved
Three different directions at once
Wow
So that is in itself
The challenge and the curve was not equal
Front to back
So the front was a different curve than the back
We had
We had a bead
On the front that had to go against
The firewall and we had a bead
That had to follow a curved
A pillar on the back
And not only that I had pitting
So far up on the cow
That it had actually gone into a transition
That it started
One curve on the front
By the firewall and went up
And the curve changed
Gradually as it went up
Towards the windshield
So is it honestly the hardest panel
I've ever had to make
I started
I made the bottom actually pretty easily
Surprised myself
The top was completely food barred
And I showed all that
Trying to get people to understand
Like hey this is kicking my tail
Sure
And I almost threw the panel away
And started over
Yikes
For those that haven't done sheet metal work
You can actually take a piece of paper
And you can put it over top of your old panel
And the nice thing about paper is it will gather
Or want to tear where
As you stretch it out
And that allows you to know where you need to shrink
Or stretch the panel to get that curve
Interesting
So I had done that
And kind of got an idea that it needed to shrink
A bunch on the top
And I said you know what
Before I throw this away
And just eat
That this piece of material is gone
I'm going to go over and screw with it
And I was able to flatten it out
And kind of start over
And actually was starting to get
The shapes where I wanted it to get
And it was not
The metal was not happy to do this process
But long story short
I was able to get it to fit
Well
And I was able to weld it in last night
It's not perfect
But all intents and purposes it's going to be fine
The thing that really
Blew my mind
And this was on
I had referenced
I posted on a Model T group
And it was a buy sale trade
And I was like hey
Has anybody got a cal side
You know other sides rusted out
Damaged
Don't care
I will purchase a side of it
From you just to do that
And I posted a picture of the part
Because I know how it is
To try to understand what somebody is trying to look for
And all these people were like
Don't throw that panel away
You just need to all metal fill the holes
And bond to it and paint it
And I'm like
I'm not buying anything you restored
Like
That's your level of repair
That blew my
Blew me away
And we had a listener
Reach out one time
We've actually had quite a few people talk about
Who are within the industry
Who see us
And they respect what we're doing
And the one guy reached out to me
I told him I was going to steal it
And I knew a better job of giving him credit
But the lean over restoration
Basically
Whatever I can kind of see in a superficial level
If that looks good enough
And his contention was
He hates that
He follows suit exactly with our mantra
To be like it's still not right
Filling it with all metal
And bonding the heck out of it
Doesn't make it right
Now is there a time and a place
Do I actually want to spend
14 hours on
Creating a replica panel
What is my expectation
What is my longevity
Our average customer
Does want that experience
But not everybody does
And I look at
I literally had to eat my
Own words and I said
I bought this potty of this car
To push
My skills as a metal worker
And to learn
More learning is doing
So
I just had to shut up
Buck up and do it
I don't know
Why I have to go out to the world
And be like hey does everybody have this
Before I take all this time and do this
It never turns out where I actually can
I just need to not do
That and just start building the panel
But I am happy
That I was able to
Get it done
It will take a little bit of bond which makes me
Sad but I know a lot of people are like
What? That's unrealistic
And I literally told my wife that
I was going to say I think it's unrealistic to think that
Something like that isn't going to take a little bit
I mean that's why a product
Exists the problem is when we
Seek to abuse it
And I just want to give you
Accolades in the sense that
As I was talking about
Olympians
And what it takes to be on
That level and I think that
In a challenge
Because I am a
Automotive nerd
I remember watching
The wind fields and the big daddy
Ross and
George Barris and these old
School hot rod
Builders and they would be over at the
English wheel and they'd have these coke bottle
Glasses and their hands would be all kind of
Narrow so obviously by the time that we
You and I would have been familiar
They were old and they just
They just
Worked magic with this metal
And I
Am just so proud of you
Because you're following
Exactly in that experience
Versus the
Just all metal and
Bondo it and run away
Or awkward patches
Where you can clearly see
Where it was patchworked in there or something
Because you're trying to reuse the
Previous panel and now we have this
You know yeah
Skyline looking piece
Scabbed in place and I just think
It's so cool because the challenge is
I remember watching those guys on
The you know TNN
And other related channels
And programs and they
They made it look flawless as well
You know what I mean and it's not
It is so hard and
Other people choose the path of
Least resistance with some of these cheater
Products and that's just not what you're doing
Yes, kudos to you
And the last nerd out thing
That no one will care about but I think is cool
Is my car
Actually would have had a gas filler
In the center of the cowl
You would have a little door, you would have picked up
There would have been a gas cap there, you would have filled up your gas tank
That was in the cowl
Like a tractor and then you put your little door
Back down. Where's the tank at?
It was actually underneath the cowl
Strapped in with two
Straps and behind the
Dash. That's perfect so that when you had
A full head-on collision
With the vehicle
That it went through the engine
Through your firewall and your gas tank
Sprayed you in the process
Through that metal dashboard. But so you didn't need
A fuel pump because now you have a gravity feed
Like a tractor. Makes perfect sense to me
You die like a man
Thank you Henry Ford. So obviously
I'm not putting the gas tank
Back there and
Previous model years
So mine's a 26
25 and 24
They had the gas tank underneath the seat
And I don't know how they got the gas there
Because I still don't think they had a fuel pump
But any which way, those actually
Had a cowl vent
And I was able to procure
A 24-25 cowl vent
And my
Cowl someone had already muts with it
And it was really weak. Well I had a bracket
Off the 24-25
That the cowl vent hinges on
So I was able to spot weld that in
Stiffen the cowl right up
Sadly the door is a little bit short
From my opening
So I will have to fill in the front part
But it is also a little bit weak so I'll take
The chance to opportunity
To reinforce that as well
But now I'm going to have
As far as I know the only
24 or 26-27
That has a working cowl vent
Like an earlier model
So again that's a Scottism
It's a nerdy that thing
Nobody else is going to care or know
But I think it's cool
You're going to appreciate it
To sum up my weekend
In a sense
That's a lot of what I
Live through as well
As I've kind of openly
Shared with a number of people
I'm very thoroughly enjoying
My extended six weeks
Of reinvestment into
My sports
Interest
Sportsballs
And I had the opportunity to
Further my knowledge base
As we go to
The Simas
And other related
Specialty shows
You know
Toledo, Bantam, Pigeon Forge
Jeep Beach
And beyond
I got to do an event for
Coaching football and I had
The most spectacular experience
And I think
The guys here, especially with
Being down a man
For being able to allow me to do that
Because I was so fulfilled in that process
With that said
I was also
Kind of this is the most quirky
Ridiculous piece and it's just an insight
To how frugal I am
And how willing to subject myself to
Ridiculous
Things that other people are not
This is
I can confidently say
Within reason
The first time that I ever had
A Jeep that I could cruise
Many hours away
On cruise control
I have gone sans
Cruise control the majority
Of my life
All of my life basically
And my
Jeeps have always been
More robustly built
Or inclined. Now I was trying to think of the unlimited
Chuck
Had cruise when I inherited it from you
And I kind of remember
Having cruise on it
Because that's why I lambasted you
The AC worked, the cruise worked
And immediately tore it apart and made it out of
Any of those things functional
I remember that moment
Because I think I remember this
I feel like I remember this moment years ago
Where I was like I made it
Because I've got cruise control
And I was like 30
You know what I mean?
And then I quickly took it apart
For reference this is an 08
Right? Yeah it's an 08
JKU
And he's talking himself into
Trying to sell this thing because
It's too nice for him
And I'm trying to whip him and go
No, just enjoy it
Most people look at it as
Just an old Jeep at this point
And I'm like it's too nice
For me, that's exactly
And with that said
I then had the opportunity
Honestly
My wife was incredibly supportive in the fact that
It was Valentine's Day
I did a football conference
And then I came and worked on my Jeep
Those were my pseudo Valentine's presents
For my wife, she fully
Embodied me to do these things
You know? Yep
Super, super funny
And I patched a cow on an old
Car over the weekends
My wife was at work
So it is what it is
I love it, I saw all the memes and reels
It was like Valentine's Day when you're first dating
And it was like Valentine's Day
After 15 years
Yes, they were
Like interacting and they kind of like
You're in my way
I'll give you a peck and now can you just
Get out of my way and let me go about my life
Everyday
What we like to say in our household is
Everyday is Valentine's Day
Absolutely
Alright folks, we got a ton of jeeps
We're going to be very busy
Especially because
Besides technical difficulties
We are trying to
You know, step gingerly
Into this transitional period where
A very valuable team member
Is not available currently
So if you're having trouble getting a hold of us
Don't fret
Be patient
We will get back to you expeditiously
And we'll be looking to
Expand our team
Potentially in the near future
We just want to give some time for that transitional process
To take place
Until next time, jeep on
Jeep on
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