" The System is Stacked...But Not The Way You Think"
Car Connection Workshop
Car Connection WorkshopMay 6, 2026
" The System is Stacked...But Not The Way You Think"
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55:14
Topic
this system is stacked
They’re setting up a theme for the show: “the system is stacked.” It’s basically a promise that the car-related explanation will connect several things together in a surprising way.
I can’t identify a specific Subaru model called “Uncharted.” In the podcast, it may be used as a general phrase about dealing with difficult situations, not a particular car. If you can share more context or the exact model name, I can explain that vehicle.
Pre-owned automobiles are used cars that have been owned before and are being sold again. The host is saying the dealership focuses on nicer, lower-mileage examples.
Aftermarket parts are replacement parts made by other companies, not the car brand itself. People use them to fix or upgrade cars—often for better availability or cost than dealer parts.
Genuine parts (often called OEM parts) are made by the original manufacturer or its approved suppliers. The host claims they prefer genuine parts on certain vehicles—especially European cars—because fitment or compatibility can be better than with some aftermarket options.
A pattern failure is when the same problem keeps happening again and again. Here, the idea is that aftermarket companies notice the repeating issue and build a fix.
Planned obsolescence means the product is designed so it won’t last as long as it could. The goal (according to the theory) is to push you to buy or repair sooner.
They’re talking about cars that aren’t being fixed or maintained for a long time. When you wait to do repairs, the problem can grow and become more expensive later.
Concept
service backlog
They’re saying there aren’t enough mechanics, so repairs can’t happen fast. That causes a pile-up of cars waiting to be fixed.
Concept
lemon problem (repeated defects)
They’re describing cars that keep having the same problem over and over, even after repairs. That’s often what people mean by a “lemon” car.
They’re saying sometimes the shop can’t fix the problem right now and has to wait for a better solution—like new software or updated parts. So the car stays broken longer.
They bring up Toyota as an example of a big car brand that can still get hurt by bad parts from suppliers. If those parts don’t work, the car ends up needing attention.
They mean outside companies that make parts for the car maker. If those parts are wrong or low quality, the car maker has to deal with the fallout.
Term
debris metal particles filings
The speaker is describing contamination—debris such as metal particles, filings, and other particulate matter. In cars, that kind of material often indicates internal wear or a failure that sheds particles into a system (commonly in lubricated components), which can then accelerate damage.
The differential is part of the drivetrain that helps the wheels turn at different speeds, especially in corners. If you see metal bits in the fluid, it can mean the inside is wearing out and could lead to bigger damage.
Gear oil is the fluid that lubricates the rear drivetrain parts. If it has metal shavings, that usually means something inside is wearing badly and needs attention.
The 1972 Toyota Celica is an older Celica from the early 1970s. The host is saying they helped put together a five-speed manual setup, which is a common enthusiast upgrade for older cars.
“Five-speed” means the car has a manual gearbox with five forward gears. That usually helps the engine stay in the right range as you drive at different speeds.
SR5 is a Toyota trim name, meaning a particular version of the car with certain features. Here it’s mentioned as part of the host’s description of a specific older Celica.
“Prosumer” means a consumer who doesn’t just buy things and move on—they pay attention, speak up, and influence what happens next. The host is using it as a mindset for being more active about car quality.
General Motors is a big car company that makes cars under several different brand names. The host is talking about their experience with GM cars and how they felt about the different brands.
The Toyota Supra is a sporty Toyota car made for performance and driving enjoyment. People talk about it a lot because it’s a well-known model with a strong fan base. In the podcast, it’s brought up as a classic car the speaker owned.
The Cadillac Fleetwood is a large luxury car designed to feel comfortable and upscale. The podcast mentions a limo-style version, which is often used for events because it has extra space. People talk about it as a classic, big comfort car.
Oldsmobile was GM’s brand that, according to the host’s engineer source, received the better parts and testing outcomes from Cadillac programs. The segment frames Oldsmobile as the “better buy” within GM’s family of brands, based on where the engineering and test results supposedly ended up.
At a car auction, the auction lane is the path where cars are driven through so they can be sold. It’s basically the “official” line for the bidding process.
The service light is a warning on the dashboard that something is wrong. If it comes on and the car won’t drive normally, it usually means the engine computer found a fault.
Black smoke usually means the engine is running “rich,” burning too much fuel for the amount of air. It often shows there’s a problem that should be checked.
Term
ignition off
The speaker turns the ignition off, waits, and then restarts the car. This can sometimes clear a temporary warning or glitch so the engine runs better again.
To “crank and start” means the starter spins the engine and then the engine actually fires up and runs. A quick restart after turning things off can mean the problem wasn’t fully permanent.
Cylinders are the engine’s combustion chambers. If some aren’t firing, the car can run rough or lose power—so “all the cylinders came back on” means the engine started running normally again.
Part
motor and transmission
The motor is the engine, and the transmission is what sends power to the wheels. Putting both on the floor usually means the car needed more than a simple repair.
Term
four and a quarter transmission
This sounds like the host is talking about the car’s gearing—how the drivetrain multiplies engine power. Different gear ratios can make the car feel much quicker off the line.
The “computer system” is the car’s factory electronics that help manage the engine. The host is saying he removed that setup while doing his engine/transmission swap.
“Abandon ship” is a figure of speech meaning “give up.” In this context, it means people get fed up and stop repairing their car.
Concept
warranty-driven failure timing
The idea here is that something might break right after the warranty runs out, so you end up paying for the repair yourself. The host is arguing that this pattern is showing up more often.
Term
warranty perimeter
A warranty has a cutoff—usually a certain time or mileage. The speaker is saying the problem is designed to show up after that cutoff so the owner pays.
In an automatic transmission, the valve body is like the control center for sending fluid to the right parts. If it’s defective, the transmission can shift wrong or fail repeatedly.
An automatic transmission shifts gears for you. It uses controls inside the transmission to decide when to change gears, and that’s what the host is talking about.
A check ball is a tiny piece inside a fluid system that helps control which way fluid can go. If it doesn’t seal or move correctly, the transmission can act up.
The Toyota T100 is a pickup truck made for everyday driving and work tasks. The podcast mentions one with close to 400,000 kilometers, which suggests it can last a long time. People talk about it because it’s known for being tough and practical.
The GMC Safari is a van made to carry passengers and cargo. The podcast talks about it in the context of ownership costs, meaning it may have needed more money spent on it than expected. It’s a vehicle people choose when they need lots of space.
The Dodge Grand Caravan is a minivan, which is a family-focused vehicle with lots of seats. It’s meant to carry people and everyday stuff easily. The podcast brings it up as a practical vehicle choice.
Concept
consumer becomes a consumer
They’re saying the company’s strategy is designed so the buyer ends up paying anyway. The host believes the manufacturer still makes money even if some cars have problems.
The host is talking about a “never-ending” cycle where the car (or the deal around it) pushes you to replace it soon. The goal, as they frame it, is that you keep buying the next one instead of sticking with the same vehicle.
“Wear and tear” means the normal stuff that gets worn out as you drive—like tires and brake components. It’s different from major problems that show up unexpectedly.
Concept
insurance paid to fix it
They’re saying the car was damaged by hail and the insurance company covered the repair costs. That’s why the car could look good again after the damage.
A “limo roof” is an extended roof section used on limousine-style conversions. The speaker is saying the hail damage was bad enough to ruin that extended roof.
Concept
Stratford auto auction
An auto auction is a marketplace where vehicles are sold to dealers or buyers through bidding lanes. The speaker references the Stratford auto auction as the place where they sold the hail-damaged Cadillac for $1,800.
Market share means how much of the total car sales a company gets compared to competitors. The speaker is saying Toyota has been trying to grow that share, and that may push them to change.
LIVE
good morning Niagara you're tuned in a car connection where the coffee's hot
tools are ready the talk is always tuned up and I'm your host Nile motormouth
Jenkins coming to you straight from the car connection workshop this morning
where we mix a little humor a little know-how and a whole lot of horsepower
here it's not just about fixing cars it's about keeping you rolling saving you
money giving you the confidence to understand what's under that hood so from
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got you covered so grab your coffee sit back and join the crew because this is
car connection your Monday through Saturday morning pit stop for stories
smarts a few good laughs and I'm Nile motormouth Jenkins we are shifting into
drive on this rainy Wednesday morning yes it's hump day and it is pouring cats
dogs and hamsters this morning on the south shores of Lake Erie well welcome
aboard this morning if you're just scooting through the drive-thru we'll
have our swiggy together in just a few moments so hang in there make sure you
it is middle of the week people start to wind down so double check your order and
be respectful if they mess it up yeah no throwing it back through the window or
anything stupid like that just say yo take a look yeah figure it out anyhow lock
it down in your cup holder and wake up your cope co-pilot if you've got one
with you and hand them the 16 pack of crayola crayons and a freshly squeezed
leaf bag that's the car connection laptop works perfect every time yeah not a
problem no black screen of death there not a chance well we've gotten so much
to talk about but a short time to get there this morning's program I've
entitled this system the system is stacked okay now what we're gonna jump
into that in just a few moments so hang in there we have our daily weather
report coming up this morning brought to you by Niagara block at 5,000
Montrose Road in Niagara Falls building Canada since 1931 with building supplies
metal rebar all those things and bricks or actually blocks you know the big
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because they're pretty teeny weeny but if you need the big stuff then you want
fancy blocks they make every block known to mankind except Legos I didn't ask
about that I will next time I see David Greenwell say are you guys making Legos
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Niagara Falls building Canada since 1931 well let's jump into our morning
swiggy while it's still hot and fresh all right are you ready can I hear
somebody say I'm ready I think I heard it 3 2 1 I think that's the hottest one
I've had in two seasons here we're almost wrapping up season 2 that is so good man
I love that local honey it's just absolutely earth shattering I'm telling
you earth shattering well our daily weather brought to us by our certified
financial planning professionals Tony Mele and Larry T troll 50 years experience as
fiduciaries they are my personal financial planners and financial planners to
some of my friends as well and many of our former listeners also they're with
IG wealth management I just want to say this right from my heart is you know if
you are feeling crushed discouraged you're carrying a debt load and you just
can't seem to see a way out book that hour in a coffee that discovery meeting
just get it done sit down and get all the issues off your chest if you have an
investment portfolio with the bank you you really need to let them have a look
at that and get that moved so that it's making you money you know the banks make
enough disgusting money that's all I can say I'll leave it parked there their
profitability is you can see it it's public information you look at it and
you go and they're charging me what bank fees are you kidding me yeah exactly so
you need to get that portfolio out there if you're carrying debt and you think
there's no way out again the reason for the hour in a coffee estate planning you
have kids you have a checkbook you have bank count you have vehicles you have
stuff that all needs to be planned for if you have kids 18 years of age or older
are you their health proxy this is not something fellas that you say look what
I did honey I went to you know the big W store and I got a will in power of
attorney package for like 25 30 bucks but on the back page it says you should
have an attorney check at all because the government will have a field day with
that absolutely that's not something you take care of yourself if you need a
mortgage their rates I can tell you I've been with them for quite a while now
over a decade I'm not going back to the bank first of all the ladies out in the
the Winnipeg branch where the mortgage department is are amazing to work with
and the rates very very comparable so life insurance critical illness
insurance all these things you need to sit down and talk about even though it
feels uncomfortable so do that so thank you to Tony and Larry for being amazing
humble certified financial planners that can help us navigate through some of
those tough uncharted waters and you need people in those areas of life just like
a mechanic it's like a doctor a dentist you need those peeps that you know they're
watching out for you and that you count can count on them that's what you need
because why it relieves a lot of stress I love getting a referral going to
someone and saying you know so-and-so sent me so now they know they got to be
on their a plus game and they usually are and they say oh you know so-and-so
and I go yeah yeah they told me to come over here and you know you build a new
relationship just like with the weather I don't know if we can so here it is look
don't shoot them the messenger I'm not the message I'm just the messenger here's
what we had yesterday point eight five of an inch call it a one-inch deal of rain
yesterday in the last 24 in the next 24 we're gonna see like point one five it's
presently raining here in the South Shores of Lake Erie 46 degrees right now
and raining wind is making it feel cooler I've been out there it's curb day
today been to the coibb saw the ginormous skunk this morning to he's he needs
Jenny Craig like he's like over the top he's waddling you know you got to do
something about that I said to him buddy you know you can live in the manhole
there next to the driveway but pretty soon you're either not gonna get in or
you're not coming out Jenny Craig buddy yeah he can hardly walk he's huge it's
about 44 degrees right now whether you like it or not cloudy conditions
expected around 11 a.m. and today's temperature range will be from 43 to 51
grateful it's not snow it's gonna feel more like 41 to 51 so grab your Nelly
you're gonna need it maybe hip-waiters not sure on that one but it might you
know it's best to have the gear so you can put it on if you need it but if you
don't have it you can't put it on make sense to me it's like sunscreen you know
if you wait till you're burnt and then you put it on you probably should have
put it on before you burnt and now you're burnt and it's just not feeling good
that's me I always forget anyhow let's jump into our topic this morning thank
you to the City Auto Sales and Leasing or Louise Grant doing a great job out
there in the Greater Toronto area providing premier pre-owned automobiles
low mileage quality vehicles at fair prices let me tell you keep their phone
buzzing and get out there and find yourself an older vehicle that you can
love and care for and take care of it and when I say older you want to be
somewhere around mid-2000s yeah I mean at the very high at high end of things
2020 but if you want to push it push the envelope go to 21 but for me the buzzword
right now all across YouTube channels that I watch that I count on to get
reliable information the buzzword is get something older that's in great shape
keep really good care of it and keep it going with aftermarket parts because you
won't need to go to the dealer for the parts and I can attest to that very much
so there's certain things on certain vehicles that I will buy the genuine
parts especially on European cars they don't like aftermarket parts they will
bite you when you try to put it on but as for the other things there's so many
really good aftermarket parts right now where they correct faults with the
factory parts in the aftermarket isn't that interesting but the manufacturers
that are building these things are building them with the same parts that
are defective but the aftermarket parts development make correction to their
pattern failures and produce an aftermarket part with correction already
made so in other words better than OEM original equipment manufacturer is that
the way it's supposed to be well here's what I say you know what live it learn it
fellas people are waking up to the fact that there is planned obsolescence and I
have I'm not just the I'm not just saying it I've been hearing it for weeks now
and it is accelerating across other platforms people are figuring them out
finally amen they don't want the vehicle to last anymore and this is words I have
heard from people who have worked in the manufacturing they don't want the
vehicle to last beyond 60,000 kilometers they want you to be just out they want
that thing to be a big pain in your backside that it's constantly back to
the dealer it's constantly needing parts it's constantly got a problem you know
why I'm gonna sell this to you right now they want you to get fed up with it an
abandon ship is God that's it I'm just gonna go get another one so you're gonna
buy another piece of junk that you just suffered through and guess what's
happening in the next one because the system is stacked folks that's why I
know how to play the car game I've been seeing them watching this since 1992
develop and along with some of my tech buddies and many of my tech buddies
aren't even in the in the the the business anymore they quit they quit
being a service tech and that's happening all over North America right now is
we have such a shortage of automotive service techs it's gonna be a tough
next five years I'll tell you that getting your vehicle fixed just ask
Ford Motor Company they they don't have any techs right now yeah they're they're
just a handful short if you have a chance to Google that Google it this Ford
need automotive service techs yes how many lots they got vehicles sitting and
vehicles that'll be sitting for probably the next six to twelve months people are
making payments on they have no technicians to fix them there you go
that's the direction things are going the trades are the automotive trade is
dying and kids are not wanting to get into it they're you know wanting to be
able to text all day and play games and get paid for it I'm not sure how that's
gonna work out but seems to be the norm from all the business owners I get to
meet and greet and talk to they say do you know anybody well if you come across
somebody you know and we hire them and they're good we'll take you out to lunch
and I go well okay I'll see what you know I'll keep my ear into the ground for
you so now that we know the car creation system is stacked for you to fail yeah
there's said there you know now that we know that what are we gonna do from here
on forward well we can sit and we can whine and cry and everything else about
it but it's been going on for years that's why I'm laughing it's finally
coming to come to the surface and I'm really happy to see conversations coming
out and spilling the beans so when you hear this stuff if you sit back and go
no well why would they do that hmm well they make a lot of money and you know
they plan that you know about 10% of all the vehicles that they make out of the
millions of vehicles they put out there and pump out like chicklets that 10%
are probably going to be problematic right out of the gate one thing after
another let me know if you've had one of those vehicles right from the factory
where it's been this thing that thing back to this thing oh we're back to that
thing again all that that didn't fix it now they got to do something else oh they
don't know how to fix it they're waiting for technology to change it but in the
meantime you don't have a vehicle but you're making payments and interest
payments and insurance to keep a vehicle that you have a loan on to keep your
finances in good standing they don't care they don't because who gets to pay for
the 10% of vehicles that are problematic they factor that into the price of every
vehicle so they lose money of course they don't they don't lose a stinking penny
they'll whine and cry like babies but they don't they've got it all factored
in and now that some engineers are speaking up now that they've left the
establishment they're letting the public know and you know what I tip my hat to
them because it takes stones to do that is to step up and say you know what I'm
gonna let people know this is the way it is and the one engineer that I've I
listened to the last couple of days he said there were certain engineers in the
room that were just not willing to make a inferior product that they were not
asked back to the boardroom for those meetings in fact if if they could get
rid of them at a decent price they would he said they would have been gone but
what they decided to do because they're really good engineers is they're just not
allowed into those meetings where the request of the engineers was to build
inferior products design inferior products to go on their automobiles so
that you the consumer pick up the tab in two ways first of all you're gonna get
fed up disgusted and bored of having your vehicle in the shop at the dealership
more than it's in your driveway so this is all stacked against you so where do
we go from here this is where we got to turn a negative into a positive and and
this is where I go oh okay you're going to continue to do that to me no we're
gonna change it and this is what's happening people are walking away that
have been loyal to the brands and you know Toyota's in this one too they got
they've got some issues with vendors creating products for them that are just
not working they're not working so Toyota has its own problems they've got
debris debris metal particles filings and I've seen it actually just yesterday I
watched the car care not who is a Toyota enthusiast and a Toyota technician for
many many years and he was walking you through his own Tacoma or Tundra that he
bought and he finds you know steel shavings in the differential in the
gear oil in the rear end you can if he hadn't found that that's gonna chew up
definitely and cause problems in the differential housing so you know that's
will that happen while it's still in warranty who knows will it happen when
it's out of warranty it could and if it does then it's your time so these are
things that we haven't been dealing with in the past but they're happening now so
those things need to be tidied up I mean for the domestics they just keep doing
the insanity part keep putting out the same lousy product with the same pattern
failures and continue to do it over and over again why would you want to why
would you not want to fix that so that your customers are happy with your
product I don't know I don't have the answer it all has to come down to
something my electrical teacher said back in high school that the path of
least resistance is the pocketbook and that my friends is so true they're
making money basically sabotaging the cars the vehicles they're putting out and
I think that's sick but you know what it looks good on them that people are
walking away from the brand they're taking a look at other brands out there
and going you know like myself I could be a great example my neighbor has an
07 Toyota FJ Cruiser on the back door of 400,000 kilometers hello did I get a
good one maybe so you know I couldn't tell you because you'd have to have
something to compare it to but I've never I've been buying Toyota's since I was
16 years old and I was you know that's how old I am now did you get that yeah
and I've never had a bad one in fact I sent a comment to that car care nut I've
been watching him since he's been shooting videos in his garage and a black
and decker work table in the freezing cold yeah he was an encouragement to me
yeah if he can do it I can do it but you know he's he's a little disappointed
with Toyota as well in seeing some things and the fit and the finish and the
paint quality is sliding so you know as consumers we need to speak up and how
do you speak up you can keep your junk I'm going to try something else so I've
probably had over 20 Toyotas in my life so far and I can honestly tell you
straight in your eyes I never had a bad one not one no engine damage no
transmission damage no stupid things falling off and I've owned probably
almost every year of Toyota Celica starting with 1972 and I made the first
five-speed set 1972 Toyota Celica on the face of the planet I did I got a
transmission out of a Toyota Corona and there's a name you don't hear anymore I
wish they'd bring back the Corona that was a nice car that was a really nice
car the SR5 two-door 22R engine you couldn't kill those things so you know
what's going on well we've we've it's been determined and I took this buzzword
from all the research I've been doing for the last few weeks and it comes down
to the system is stacked it's stacked against the consumer so that's where I
like to talk about you've got to become a prosumer not a conned consumer you got
to stick your head up like a marmoset and look around and you know be wise as a
serpent but gentle as a dove we don't have to go bulldozing or like a bull in a
china shop all we have to do is consumers is go okay I'm gonna become a
professional consumer move away from the product line watch what happens we
control this planet the consumer controls the planet and we've forgotten
that we've honestly forgotten it there's a lot of product I've stepped away from
and do the do they care I don't care if they don't care but what I care is you
know what I'm a professional consumer I stay away from products that say they
work that they don't and if I'm intrigued I may try it one time just to see what
if that works what if it doesn't I miss out so I'll give it a shot and if it
doesn't work it's off my list I'm not gonna endorse anything that I don't use
myself period and I've walked away from some really big deals that I could have
had over the years because of that honesty and integrity once you lose it
it's very difficult to get back and I wasn't willing to sell myself out for a
buck period if I don't believe in your product I'm not gonna use it so if you
came to my driveway right now you would not see a single domestic vehicle in the
driveway why is that you have to ask yourself why is that what does he know
that I don't know that the system is stacked that's why there was a time when
I drove General Motors products all the time I got sick of it it was caught I
was the last one in the shop every night what am I working on my own General
Motors product the worst vehicle I ever had and I still bang my head against the
cinder block I sold my 1982 silica Supra black-on-black she was a beauty I sold
that to buy a 1982 Floridian Fleetwood Brom limo style Cadillac it was the car
from hell I'll tell you that and I wasn't listening to an engineer in the tech
that told me many years before who was a listener to one of our broadcasts he
said you know what if you're gonna drive those you got to get rid of them in
every three years because they're the test pilot and at that time we still had
Oldsmobile and here's what he told me again I'm not the the message I'm just
the messenger don't buy the Cadillacs you buy the Oldsmobile's because all the
stuff that they test they put on Cadillacs and the stuff that's good goes
into building the Oldsmobile so he said you want a better car you buy the
Oldsmobile stay away from the Cadillac that's what he told me but I didn't
listen but he was right that thing kept me working on it night after night after
night it was the biggest pile of hoopty I ever owned and I was glad to see it
go through the auction lane in Stratford and say goodbye and I lost my stinking
shirt on it when it went through the lanes it went through the lanes three
times and even the the fella on the block knew me and he's waving it off he's
going don't let it go he's telling me by waving it he's saying don't take that
money for it and he really pushed it he said look at you guys you can't even see
the car that's how many of you are looking at it it's rust free they were
looking underneath and they knew the vehicle with it was mint it was mint
and I fixed it and here's how I fixed it I turned it into an Oldsmobile I barely
made it back from Cleveland without getting hijacked by a car full of nice
fellas that were chasing me down the turnpike and the service light came on
and the thing wouldn't even go over 40 kilometers an hour and it's belching
black smoke the service lights on and my passengers are screaming we're gonna die
yeah sounds like a movie right it really happened and then I said I got to do
something really stupid here but be with me may the fourth be with me so what
are you gonna do I got to shut the car off count to 30 seconds and then restart
and the light goes out and I can hammer it and that's exactly what I did I turned
the car off we're doing about 40 kilometers an hour like we're just kind
of almost coasting and this thing's belching black smoke I turned the
ignition off counted out 30 seconds turn just went right to crank and start and
put my foot to the floor the light went out and all the cylinders came back on
and that night when I got home from Cleveland I changed out of my business
clothes put my coveralls on and I had the motor and transmission on the floor by
morning my guys come in and go oh you're here early I said you give me a hand to
push this thing out I got to bring that Oldsmobile in here my friend sent me a
Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale with a 350 Olds rocket engine and a four and a
quarter transmission in there and I pulled all the computer system out of
this thing and stuff that motor and transmission in the next night and by the
weekend you could lay a patch of rubber until there was no tires left I fixed it
and then I sold it I took it up to the Stratford Auto auction and it went
through the lanes three times and here's what I got for it 1,800 bucks the car
was pristine I just wanted to get rid of it and I I got a ride home and that was
it never again that was the last time all the way home I just kept saying to
myself never again in my life will I touch that product line no and I have it
I have it I have some vintage stuff that we take to fundraisers and car shows but
you know what you can hop in those turn the key and you can go all the way
1600 miles to Florida if you want reliable so what's happening the system
stacked so now what do we abandon ship that's what they want us to do that's
exactly what they want you to do this one engineer I listened to yesterday he
said what they want you to do is a they're making the prices on parts so
absorbent that it turns you off of fixing your own car so you get fed up
with it you abandon ship and what do you do here's what the engineer says I
can't figure this one out but they'll go on by the same thing they'll just go and
get another one of the same brand after going through all that you know that's
like banging your head against a cinder block two things are gonna happen my
professor would say I don't know how he knew this he said you know that's where
just go and bang your head against a cinder block two things are gonna happen
you're gonna get a really big headache and your ears are gonna pop out and I'm
thinking well why would they go and do that why would you go and after all the
headaches you've been through the things been in the shop more than in your
driveway and it's just one thing after another and then it just seems to start
all over again they want that vehicle the if they got to put more warranty in
into it this is their idea for the consumer that it the fix under warranty
lasts just long enough to get you outside the warranty perimeter because when
it goes down again it becomes your dime this is what's been going on for a long
time but now it's coming to the surface and they're losing sales now whether or
not it's enough sales to for them to go what they figured it out yeah don't get
me started on transmission valve bodies because the engineers built them we're
told to build them to have a very cheap part inside the valve body on the
automatic transmission that's like dollars dollars so that the transmission
will fail it's not actually a transmission itself it's the valve body
that controls the transmission inside and they're all built the same to do the
same thing tiny little check ball that's it in a seal tiny little check ball in a
seal causes the transmission problem but then they put another valve body in
that's exactly the same as the one that came out so it's gonna what fail again
that's what they want they want you to get fed up with it that you go see the
salesman say I'm just gonna get rid of it and you're gonna stay loyal to the
brand not me so do we surrender to this or do you send a signal to the
manufacturer because as I've already said we are in control of the ship we are the
rudder when it comes to purchasing anything including an automobile we are
the rudder if we want to stand up and say you know what we're not gonna take
this this crap you got to walk away from the product you got to walk away from
buying new cars right now and send them a message that will definitely get their
attention and it will send them a message but if you just go oh what the
heck you know here's the the the usual phrase what are you gonna do well you
know what I did I got rid of my stupid Cadillac took a bath on it and I moved
off and I I went back to Toyota 100% that's what I did and 400,000 almost
400,000 kilometers later here we are yeah and it's still going and you can
watch the mini series we just shot on that too you can see it you get to see
the 07 FJ Cruiser that's the first model year of production here of the Toyota
FJ yeah you'll you get to see it on our YouTube so if you haven't signed up for
YouTube I know that if you wouldn't mind helping us out 93 we're down from 95 93%
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thank you and I am truly grateful for everyone who is subscribed Skippy and I
work our tail off to put together great content for you and we can do better
even better yet if we have you backing us so thank you everything we talk about is
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all proceeds go to total freedom addiction campuses candidate in usa where they intake
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them there that's what they do it's not a program it is a life change so take a moment to check out
total freedom addiction campuses just click on their logo on our homepage and find out more
about them and perhaps maybe you want to get involved in that so how do i wrap this up today
in a great big large sexy red bow how do i do that well i'm gonna give it my best
is no we're not going to take that no we're not going to purchase your product anymore
it's obviously got problems and it's uh it's not worthy of my time the depreciation the cost
so and you know you're you're setting us up for failure right from the get go and you know it
so knowing all that should be enough to say i'm moving on i'm getting out i'm getting away from
this and i watch my own pops do it my pops went from buying the uh the astro safari van disasters
those things ate money like smarties or skittles depends on where you're listening from um it was
true put a ton of money but he went through two of them he enjoyed it so much first time he did his
second time i didn't say anything it has nothing to do with me that's you know that's if that's your
choice that's your gig i'll just watch you do it because a man convinced against his will is
of his own opinion still that's the way i live my life i'm not here to change you i'm not here to
scold you you'll do what you want so i just let you do it just like my instructors when i was
an apprentice they would watch and watch you screw it up and then stand over your shoulder and say
stop i'll be back in five minutes i want you to tell me what you screwed up there
because there's something wrong seriously wrong but you're going to tell me what it is in five minutes
so then i watched my pops go over to christler yet a dodge grand caravan i think they call it grand
for reason i'm not sure yet we're going to turn that into a t-shirt the grand caravan yeah there's
something behind that just watch the series on our youtube channel you know i even asked ai if that
would make a good t-shirt they actually gave me a thumbs up on that that's a great one yeah i think
sad i thought it was grand caravan yeah so he went uh i think we only had one he went through one of
those one of those he really liked it it actually wasn't bad at all and the engine was good didn't
have any serious issues with it just went through brakes a lot but i think it's driving habits
not the vehicle itself and then he jumps into uh a santa fey and then he had that for a couple of
years and now he drives a lexus turbified suv he saw it for sale and traded off santa fey
and bought the lexus i said why why would you do that he goes i liked it there you go
so that way he's driving a toyota product he really really really really likes it he really likes it
my neighbor across the street saw that i'm driving toyotas all the time and then one day i see
a toyota filled driveway across the street he comes running across one day as i'm pulling out
and he says now i know i go what because now i know why you're driving toyotas i love these things
his words totally jumped from a product loyal customer right over to toyota and the driveway
is filled with toyotas the daughter the wife and himself that's all they have in the driveway now
no domestics nothing outside just toyotas and they're loving it so i'm not pushing toyota i'm just saying
if that's the game they're going to continue to play as consumers we need to we we don't need
to throw in the towel or surrender or abandon ship and go on by the same thing because that's
when they win that's when you the consumer become a consumer and you allow them to win
as long as they're making stuff and we're buying their stuff they're happy because the price of
every vehicle covers all the boo boo's you and everyone else get to share the price of the
boo boo cars that's all factored in to every single vehicle that's leaving the lot you're paying for
the 10 percent of what they create that they know are going to be problematic vehicles
it's all factored in to the next vehicle with the sticker price on it so are they losing a dime
nope did they care nope they're not losing any money this is where the consumer has to say
enough is enough and stop buying that product whatever it is move on to something else that's
what speaks louder than words because you then affect their bottom line and that's when you'll
get their attention that's when all of us will get their attention period there's nothing out
there I can say right now on any of the domestic product lines that I have to have nope not one
because why I got peace of mind with what I have I'm satisfied with the older vehicles they're
proving themselves to be good once in a while we got to throw some parts on there just to upgrade
and keep the things going but it's far cheaper than paying interest and payments because when you
surrender to the manufacturer that continues to put out the same problem product here's what happens
you sign up for the never never plan and this is what they want you to do and this is what I heard
this week that's why I'm sharing this I heard it yesterday and I go we got to talk about this
they want you to abandon ship and just get out of it and get into another one of their products
and drive it for three years 30 they would much rather the vehicle is a problem
and gets you fed up at 30,000 kilometers that's what they're that's what they want
is that you're out of the vehicle at 30,000 kilometers and buying another one and that one's
going down the road wherever they get rid of it that's what they want and when I heard that it
reminded me of the time when I walked into one of the most popular banks and the bank managers
looks at me and says Nile I hate small business and I've been in business for myself for decades
and I just said oh oh Frank yeah that's uh yeah hey thanks for sharing that's what I said to him
thanks for sharing then he said well you know look at these people here this is him speaking
look at these people lining up here there are best customers
you go oh you should take him out for lunch he goes every single one of them is indebted to the bank
and they're paying us hordes of interest they're our best customer
and I went oh hey Frank thanks for sharing it's been a great day I hope you have a great week
I walked over to the Meridian credit union in the same plaza and I said I would like to move
all my banking back to the credit union where I started as a kid
and that's what I did I got the heck out of dodge boom and for quite a while there I'd run into
some of the people at that branch and they go Nile and we haven't seen you for a long time
we're we're we're where are you now are you still banking with us at a different branch and go no
I'm done I went back to a credit union where I started when I was 16 years old
oh oh sorry to hear that I go no I'm very happy about it because I don't have the stresses anymore
of doing banking with you folks yeah it wasn't pleasant oh it wasn't I go no not for small business
wasn't pleasant so that's where we as consumers when you rise up and you say I'm not buying that
product anymore and then move on that's when they'll pay attention that's when change will come
and in the auto industry it is a dog eat dog world I can tell you that over 44 years of this
and I've been watching this develop since 1992 and here we are in 2026
and they can't provide you with a decent vehicle like my old 7 fj cruiser with almost 400 000 k
just on basic maintenance that's it nothing hairy scary just basic maintenance wear and
tear items things that are going to wear out and you got to replace them because of time and mileage
the pieces don't last forever but I'll tell you what else they last a long time before you got to
change them period that's money in your pocket that's moving from a consumer to a prosumer
and that's making a statement because you know what how much of that do you want to take before
enough is enough that's what everyone has to answer how long do you want to be loyal to them
when you know that this is the game and this is the game that they've been playing all along
and they're getting cocky now with it and so now people are saying hey oh you think it's funny
oh you think we're dumber than a willow branch oh yeah well watch this
pitching the keys and go see you later man that's what I did was I stepped away from the product
line and said enough is enough I lost my shirt on that Cadillac letting it go through the lanes for
$1800 even the guys I knew that bang the hammers just said to me afterwards you know what we tried
our best but man oh man people they were not willing to pony up that car was worth to me
probably five six thousand dollars as it stood it didn't need a dime of money spent on it for any
repairs period and a car got damaged in hail a big hail storm that came through and I had it
outside my shop at home and that was real sheet metal then 22 gauge in it it dented the car and
it shredded the limo roof and the insurance paid to fix it and it looked amazing the car looked
amazing the original paint was faded blue it was like a baby blue the car was really really nice
looking it was a nice looking car and it rode like a you know a Chesterfield but uh it was just
lousy it was lousy and then I turned it into an Osobel and I get $1800 for it and take a bus home
from the Stratford auto auction so anyhow that's where we'll leave this
is you're either gonna abandon ship move into the same product line and start the same
thing all over again and let them do it to you or you're gonna and you're gonna surrender to that
and continue to sign up for the never never plan paying for the product over and over and over
and over again and it's not going to change until the consumer says change it by moving away
from the product line and with regards to Toyota they're learning their lesson right now and uh
you know what I think they're they they're gonna they're gonna fix their end of things because
you know they've worked hard to get market share and these stupid things that have been going on
need to go away and I think they'll come to that realization long before the domestics do
and uh change it up and fix it and apologize to to the consumer and continue with what they've
done for many years and that is to put out a quality vehicle at a fair price and stand behind it
so till tomorrow morning will be Thursday we're getting closer to the weekend and fun Friday
hope you have a fabulous Wednesday and it's hump day let's get through that we're heading
on to the weekend just a reminder that uh Saturdays are q and a questions and answers
have your questions into me by noon on Friday to get into the selection because I only have
time in an hour to break down about three questions the times are uh you know sometimes I can squeak
in a fourth one but most of the time the questions that I I pick out of the pile of emails that come
in um are more than enough to cover an hour so by Friday noon that is cut off to get your questions
in send them to motormouth dot jankins at gmail dot com or nile at ccbusnet dot com and all that
information and everything that we talk about is on our youtube videos in the description box and I
always put a lot of nuggets there as well as our podcasts which are not a mirror image of what
the youtube videos are about so if you listen to the podcast you're not going to see the same thing
on the videos and vice versa so that's two separate areas for you to connect with us
and we give you more ways to connect and join us so till tomorrow morning make it a great day
keep dry if you can happy healthy motoring peace patience and kindness always and we'll see you
in the next one 8 a.m tomorrow morning for another edition of motormouth's morning drive bye for now
About this episode
The host starts with local weather and rain totals before shifting into a blunt critique of how the auto industry treats buyers. He argues that planned obsolescence, weak parts, and a shortage of technicians push people toward shorter ownership cycles and expensive repairs. Personal stories about GM, Cadillac, Toyota, and older vehicles reinforce his case for buying selectively, keeping cars longer, and using consumer choice to push back.
Today's conversation dives into a topic that's been gaining traction online-vehicle quality, long-term reliability, and whether the system is truly working in the consumer's favour.
After hearing from multiple engineers who stepped away from major manufacturers, one phrase stood out: " the system is stacked." Not necessarily through conspiracy, but through design priorities, cost constraints, and business models that don't always align with long- term ownership.
So where does that leave you as a driver?
Do you stay loyal to a product that keeps letting you down...or do you step back, reassess, and make a change?
In this episode, we break down:
1) Why some vehicles struggle with long - term reliability
2) How manufacturers priorities can influence what you experience as an owner.
3) The real cost of constantly cycling through vehicles
4) And why switching brands might be the smartest move you make
If a product consistently doesn't deliver, it may not be about fixing it anymore - it may be about moving on.
Because at the end of the day, your vehicle should work for you....not the other way around.
#CaReliability #AutoIndustry #VehicleOwnership.
Merch Available:: in our online store @ccbusnet.com order safely online with proceed from goods sold go directly to Total Freedom Addiction Campuses Canada & USA, Helping those ready to receive a New Life.. Thank You Friends❤️ Skippy & Motormouth.
More Episodes and .....project Details & Links are available at Car Connection Business Network.com (ccbusnet.com) you'll find everything on our home page if you'd like to follow the build & Repair work & connect our program partners, click their logo to meet them, Thank You for supporting them👍 Nile Motormouth Jenkins.
Like, Share, Subscribe, Comment your thoughts below, and ring the bell so you don't miss the next rescue project, maintenance tips, and real-world car ownership advice. Thank You Friends, Skippy❤️
