"Three Frogs on a Log: Why Most Drivers Never Fix the $20.000 Car Mistake"
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Term
cooling system flush
Flushing the cooling system means cleaning out the old liquid that keeps the engine cool and putting in new clean liquid. This helps the engine from getting too hot or rusty inside.
Car
Jeep Wrangler
The Jeep TJ Wrangler is a type of Jeep made from 1997 to 2006. It's popular for driving off-road and has round headlights that make it easy to recognize.
Car
Subaru Uncharted
The Subaru Uncharted is a new electric car made by Subaru. It is a type of SUV that can drive well on rough roads and is powered by electricity instead of gas.
Term
DIYer
A DIYer is a person who fixes or works on their car by themselves instead of paying a mechanic.
Term
vintage car
A vintage car is an old car, usually over 25 years old, that people often collect or keep because it's special or rare.
Concept
automotive service technician shortage
There aren't enough car mechanics to fix all the cars because fewer people are training to be technicians, which makes it harder to get your car fixed quickly.
Term
diagnostician
A diagnostician is someone who figures out what is wrong with a car. They use special tools and knowledge to find the problem so it can be fixed.
Concept
apprenticeship
An apprenticeship is when someone learns a job by working with an experienced person and practicing the skills needed.
Brand
Blue Line Taxi
Blue Line Taxi is a company that runs taxis, and the speaker worked there fixing cars fast.
Term
310T
The 310T is a test that mechanics in Ontario take after training to show they know how to fix cars properly.
Term
diesel endorsement
A diesel endorsement means a mechanic has extra training to fix diesel engines, which are different from regular gas engines.
Concept
heavy trucks and equipment
Heavy trucks and equipment are big machines like dump trucks and bulldozers that need special care and fixing skills.
Concept
diesel license
A diesel license means a mechanic is officially allowed to work on big diesel engines, like trucks and heavy machines.
Brand
Mac Trucks of Canada
Mac Trucks of Canada is a place that sells and fixes big trucks made by Mack.
Concept
union company
A union company is a place where workers have a group that helps them get fair pay and good working rules. This group talks to the bosses for the workers.
Brand
Peterbilt
Peterbilt is a company that makes big trucks used for carrying heavy loads. Many truck drivers use Peterbilt trucks because they are strong and reliable.
Term
interprovincial license
An interprovincial license is a special kind of driver's license that lets you drive trucks in different provinces, not just where you live. You have to pass a test to get it.
Car
Ford Bronco
The Ford Bronco is a type of big car made by Ford that can drive well on rough roads and trails. People like it because it is tough and good for outdoor adventures.
Concept
fleet maintenance
Fleet maintenance means taking care of many vehicles that a company owns, making sure they run well and don't break down. This helps save money and keeps the vehicles ready to use.
Brand
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a big car company from Germany that makes many different types of cars, from small ones to fancy ones. Lots of people around the world drive Volkswagens.
Part
carburetor
A carburetor is a part in older cars that mixes air and gas so the engine can run. Newer cars use different parts to do this job better.
Car
Chevrolet Chevelle SS
The Chevrolet Chevelle SS is a fast and strong car made a long time ago. It was built to go really fast and is famous among car fans.
LIVE
Good morning folks! You're tuned to Car Connection where the coffee's hot, the
tools are ready, and the talk is always tuned up. I'm your host, Nile Motor
Mouth Jenkins, coming to you straight from the Car Connection workshop, where
we mix a little humor, a little know-how, and a whole lot of horsepower. Here it's
not just about fixing cars, it's about keeping you rolling and saving you money
and giving you the confidence to understand what's under that hood. From
the classics, to the commuters, the weird noises, to the what the heck moments we've
got you covered. So grab your coffee, sit back, join the crew because this is
Car Connection, your Monday through Saturday morning pit stop for stories,
smarts, a few good laughs, and I'm Nile Motor Mouth Jenkins and we are shifting
into drive this morning. Well, we've made it to the weekend. Yep, we've done it. We
pulled it off and I can't believe how fast spring break has chugged along and
it's wrapping up after this weekend and it's everybody back to business as
normal and all the crazies back on the road. Yeah, it's been really quiet out
there. I've actually been able to run some errands and get back the same day and
not have to take my jammies and my toothbrush on the road, but I will say
you know, I know where they are. You ask, Costco. Yep, I won't do that again. Went
in there and it was like pulling a shopping cart onto the 401 West. It was
full body contact and I had no gear whatsoever. And I'll tell you, those
seniors in there, they weren't taking any prisoners either. Yep, if they got their
cart kind of sort of in front of yours, they wouldn't move. They were on it. They
were like holding their ground. It took me forever to get a half a dozen
thingies and get the heck out of Dodge. Just take a breath. It'll be okay,
motor off. It's going to be all right. Well, good morning to you. If you're just
scooting through the drive-thru, double check your order. It is Friday. It has
been vacation week for many and you know, people make mistakes. It just happens.
Poo poo happens even while you're watching. You ever notice that? So double
check, lock her down because we got a lot to get through today and we're going to
just sit back. We're going to have some fun. What do you think about that? Are
you good with that? Because have some fun. Why? Because here in the car
connection workshop, we work hard six days a week, Monday through Friday, putting
out material for you, shooting videos, getting videos lined up, getting them
added, getting them in order on the schedule. If you saw my schedule board,
you'd go, I quit. Yeah, you probably would. You go, there isn't a blank space
anywhere. Like, where do you breathe? No, you don't. Yeah, go ahead. Take a
breath now. Okay, you're done for the month. Move on. Yeah, lots of things,
moving pieces with car connection all the time and you know what? You got to
keep a schedule. Everything's got to run on time and sometimes you might just
screw it up and it's okay. You can laugh. You can laugh at yourself. In fact,
you know, we had a shot of video on Monday and I'm, what was I doing on that? I
was gushing, flushing the cooling system and then the holes blew off and I got
like the ultimate anti-free shower. You got to watch that one. That's going to
come out next week. Next week and I'll do a wrap up to that one this morning.
Skippy's not around but I'm still trying to get all the crud out of the engine
block on this 97 Jeep TJ Wrangler Rescue and once I get that done, then it's out
until I have to do the welding on the floor, which won't be until the summer.
Anyhow, I laugh at myself and that's what I'm saying. So, car connection in the
car connection workshops brought to you by Earl Louise Grant at City Auto Sales
and Leasing, Greater Toronto Area's pre-owned, Premier Auto Store, low mileage
quality vehicles at fair prices, in-house leasing and financing available. They
don't sell any junk folks. That's why they made it to be in partnership and part
of our community with car connection is you can buy with confidence and be
treated with nothing less than honesty and integrity. If you're looking for
something specific, they do carry a pretty decent inventory under roof and outside.
Let Earl Louise Grant know exactly what you're looking for. They have over 20 plus
years and that means they've created the resources to find that specific vehicle
you're looking for. That's City Auto Sales and Leasing. You know, in times of community
support is very, very crucial right now. Absolutely. The Crystal Ridge Dream Center
shines as a beacon of compassion and transformation. They're located at 385
Derby Road, right in the heart of Crystal Beach. If you know that area,
that's where they're located. There's a lot of low-income families in that area as well as
Fort Erie and surrounding. Crystal Ridge Dream Center is serving men, women, children,
meals, love, hope, and changing lives one at a time in the Niagara region. They feed out the door
on a side door Tuesdays and Fridays. They put hot meals out and now they're between 260 and 300
meals twice a week and they don't get any government funding so whatever we can throw at them
and support them is well received. Anything over $25 you get a tax receipt. They are a
non-profit faith-based organization changing lives one at a time. All the programs they have
running for seniors, young adults, the children, single moms, widows, orphans are all available to
you including if you need a hot meal. It's Tuesday and Friday. They'll serve you a beautiful meal
all at no cost. So let's dig in deep. Take a look at them online. Click on their link
below their logo for all our program partners and check them out. These are people that have been
a part of Car Connection for a long time and when we were looking at switching out of radio onto
digital platforms which give you now more ways to watch, listen, and engage with us.
That's it exactly. Thank you to our certified financial planning professionals Tony Miele,
Larry Tietro, my brothers from other mothers. They have combined over 50 years experience
as fiduciaries. You are not going to share anything with them honestly folks that they
have not seen or heard before or dealt with. So don't let that be an excuse. I wouldn't be sitting
talking to you right here if it weren't for those two fellas. Certified financial planning
professionals. I have lost my shirt and my lunch money and milk money three times. Wiped out.
I mean wiped out. When you're sitting on the floor in your living room
rolling pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters to keep the lights, the water and everything rolling
then you know you're at the bottom and not all by my choice I might add. Just stuff
happens. When I say poo poo happens it does doesn't it? So these guys will help dig you out of what
seems to be a very dark deep cavern. But you've got to be willing to open up and share share with
them. So here's what you get being a part of car connection and these fellas I've known them for
over 20 years. They are my brothers from other mothers. They know exactly what to do and how to
do it. You get an hour and a coffee discovery meeting and you can leave your wallets leave
your purses at home. Nobody's giving you a bill. Take that time to get your questions answered on
investments. An investment portfolio if it's with the bank they're going to tell you what you need
to do with that. If you're in over your head over your eyeballs with debt they're going to work that
out for you and see how they can get that pressure off of you and what the game plan is. Estate
planning. If you have a checkbook, a bank account, and children it's not a do it yourself program
folks. Don't go there. The CRA will love you. Yeah they will absolutely eat your estate raw.
So estate planning needs to be done properly and anchored well anchored. They can do mortgages for
you. I haven't had a mortgage with a bank for 15 plus years and I'm never going back to the bank.
They have an amazing mortgage team out Winnipeg and the rates are fabulous and they're willing to
work with you and there's more. You have more services than I can mention. So thank you guys
our certified financial planning professionals for being there for us to help us
we navigate some of the most uncharted dangerous waters we can think of and that's the economy
and our household. Tony Miali, Larry Tetrell connect with either one of them and just sit down and
have that discovery meeting. Get your questions answered by those who have the fruit on the tree.
That's what my professor taught me and I'll tell you what it's true. Everyone else will try and solve
your life's problems but their own life is a mess. Exactly. They mean well don't disrespect smile and
nod but if their feet aren't standing where you want to be then you should not be taking any
kind of advice from them whatsoever. There you go. I give you a nugget this morning.
It's absolutely true. Thank you to the Greenville family at Niagara Block. 5,000 Montrose Road,
Niagara Falls. They've been busy building Canada since 1931 with building supplies,
hardscape landscaping materials. Why not get into that idea of having your very own outdoor
backyard space. You're a little oasis where you can just hang out and be. It's very good for the
mind. Trust me. I have that space and I can't wait to get out there and sit at my my table
and read my book or just sit and listen to some quiet music or just listen to the birds.
It's absolutely therapeutic. So get on that. They can help you line you up with contractors that
can start, estimate and do the job and do the job well and build that hardscape landscaping
project for you with the best products on the face of the planet. Into Total Freedom,
Darien Center, New York and Sidney Manitoba. They are a addiction campus. That's what they do.
All age groups, men, women, young adults, wherever you're at. If you've made that decision, you're
sick and tired, fed up, disgusted and bored of being another lap around the mountain stuck
in your very own addiction. You got to bring it into the light. Take it out of the darkness,
bring it into the light, get to a Total Freedom Addiction Campus Canada USA. And there is a
brand new life that's waiting for you there because you can't fix what you can't see.
They're an alternative addiction program bringing a Christ centered healing and restoration to
individuals and families that have been enslaved by cycles of addiction and destructive behavior.
And I've worked alongside them for a long time and I'll tell you, I've seen people come through
there. It's not a program. I'll tell you that right now. It is not a program. It is a life change.
So thank you for when you when you purchase merchandise from our website, which is the
biggest drawer in our toolbox, everything we talk about lives on our website so that it's easy
through you don't have all these mega choices to connect with us. Go to our website, carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com.
All our program partners are there. Their logos are on the homepage. Click and you're in. All the pages
are set up the same. So navigation from one program partner recommended business to the next
are set up exactly the same. No confusion and you can meet them. Thank you in advance for giving
them your business. In the top right hand corner of our homepage, you will find all the links for
all the platforms. We're working our tails off to grow and we ask for your help in doing so
by doing all those little things like share, follow your comments down below on our videos,
ring the bell notification bell so you know when the three videos come out each and every week.
New videos two for Tuesday, one every Friday, and we've been doing that for well over a year.
We're almost over the top of 200 videos. There's Facebook, Instagram, Stevensville on the web.ca.
We're tied in with the businesses there and the community. Just click on the businesses tab to
find us. Our iHeart radio icon is there and our online car connection motormouth merchandise store
is there. Grab some gear. I always say grab some gear. Join the crew in the battle and the fight
against addiction to help those who've made that decision. Today's the day to get to a total freedom
addiction campus and get that new life that waits for them there. Well it is fun Friday. What are
we going to be talking about today? Well some interesting things. I'm going to give you a
little bit of my background. If you have questions, tomorrow is Saturday Q&A, one hour, nine to eight
till nine. I answer questions and the questions have been coming in and if you haven't sent your
question in I don't know why not. Where else do you have access to an automotive service
technician with 44 years plus experience for free? For free and I'm not just a DIYer. I have my
licenses. I just paid for them for another year and I'm up to date. Current with all the new stuff
and the old stuff and I'll tell you what. I like the older stuff and we're not talking vintage.
10 years, 15 years old. You know why? Because that stuff we can get decent parts for them
at a decent price and you can keep that older car rolling as long as you want and they're much
better to work on. The quality, I have to say the quality is superior to what we see today.
Too much plastic. Honest to goodness. Plastic is cheap. It is. It's cheap and everything we see
today here's what you got to know. It's built by the lowest bidder. That's right. Every single
thing around us is built by the lowest bidder. That's what we got to know. So let's jump in this
morning. I have a question for you. So if you have questions, today would be the day to email them
into me and reminder in the description box for all the YouTube videos which will teach you all
the basic fundamentals of automotive repairs and service and maintenance. I teach you the five things,
what it is, where it is, how it works, how it breaks and how you could have understood that
component a little bit better may have saved you a lot of money. So those are the items that you
will learn in every video and you'll probably laugh at me as well at the same time and it is okay.
It's absolutely okay because I know you're laughing with me, not at me, right? Okay. So remember to do
all those little things like share, follow, subscribe. If you're enjoying the videos like I
know you are, 93% of you have not subscribed. I don't know why but you're watching the videos
and you're not subscribed. That really helps us and the whole purpose of everything we've been doing
for 32 years is to be able to reach out and help others just like you and me, maybe down on their
luck or maybe a single mom trying to keep afloat raising two, three kids could be a widow, a fellow
or a woman that husband passed away and they're lost. They don't know what to do and the car is
just one of those things that just stresses them right out and last summer we were able to help
a couple of widows and get vehicles back out on the road but unfortunately because we're not
monetized yet we couldn't buy parts for them but we could supply the labor and in lieu take some
videos and show you what we're working on, why we're working on it and so the five things. Again
what it is, where it is, how it works, how it breaks and what you could learn as basic automotive
service and repair fundamentals that would save you not hundreds, thousands of dollars and we are
going to run the 30-day fuel savings challenge and as soon as we have some stable weather out there
that's going to make a huge difference to the outcome of that challenge. It certainly will so
let's get started with things. We have our Fun Friday on deck today. Again if you've got automotive
questions I need to get them into my mailbox today so I can answer them on the air tomorrow
and thank you to all those who have been participating and sending their questions in.
Really appreciate it. It makes for great conversation and when you share a question
somebody else may be thinking the exact same thing but they're just a little shy
or nervous to send me an email. I don't bite too hard anymore. Treatment therapy has been
really good for that. I'm not much of a biter anymore so let's have our morning swiggy together
brought to us by all our program partners because without them we can't keep the lights on and can't
keep the ignition on and the engine running smoothly folks and Skippy and I we do like a really hot cup
of coffee in the morning and a snack so we need a few bucks to do that and we appreciate our program
partners for being able to do that so let's count it down whatever your morning beverage is
keep an eye on the road if you're driving this morning if you're just kind of hanging out that's
good that's really good have a second cup on three two one ready three two one
that's right on I got that one down to a science
question for you this morning and your answer you got email to me okay ready listen closely
this is important you know you can hear but how's it work you're listening but you're not
really hearing or are you hearing but you're not really listening so that's what's important
and when you read an email or somebody's text read the whole thing and that brings me to our
descriptions for the videos and for the podcast I write them myself and I put a lot of details in
there a lot of nuggets in every description that will help you even more beyond the videos beyond
the podcast I do it with specific intent I put information there that if you're willing to come
and get it it's there for you for free so don't just skim the description box and click on the video
because if you do you are missing out on a ton of valuable information that you could take
to have as your own I got 44 years experience and I'm not patting myself on the back or saying
that I'm a big shot I'm a little shot that just keeps shooting I'm here in your corner I'm not for
the manufacturer I'm not for the sales dudes I'm here for you to teach you the car game
because it is it is a car game and I stay ahead of what's coming and what's going on
so that I can bring the truth to the table for you to save you not hundreds but thousands
of dollars you know having a solid gold mechanic they don't wait for your car to break they
help you to stop it from breaking in the first place that's the technician you want to grab hold
of and hang on because that's the fella or felette there are a lot of women
young ladies getting into the trade the trade is dying there is a shortage of technicians
North America wide it's huge it's a tsunami and we were talking about that back in 1992
97 2000 into the early 2000s up to 2007 that there was going to be a shortage of automotive
service technicians North America wide not just in automotive all platforms and it's here it has
arrived and it's scary I got honestly I get a call you see once once or twice a year wanting
to put me back out in the grunt field but you know what your body takes an absolute beating
and automotive it absolutely does it is not for the squeamish it will challenge you mentally
physically and emotionally all the time it really is a challenging career I'm not saying that to be
negative but I remember when I was talking to um I went to see a fella in a little town called
Smithville that's where I grew up for most of my life then moved on to St. Anne's another small town
which was close to Smithville so I grew up in Sodbusterville and I worked on farms when I was
13 I was driving tractor and Bailing Hay picking 150,000 eggs a day feeding beef cattle milking
cows every day was fun was a fun day and hauling out you know their trash um that's where I grew up
and I went into a Texaco station and I talked to a fella Chris Hadler I remember his name
was very good to me he was hard on me when I needed that discipline to push myself and he
didn't hire me to do oil changes and I remember going in and I said to him and yeah I'm getting
there with this I went in and I said I'd like an apprenticeship and he looked at me and he said
oh so you want to be one of us then I go yeah well you got to be an idiot but I'll sign you up
that's what he said to me and here I am you know 44 plus years still in the trade
and I say thank you to Chris Hadler for giving me a chance and he worked me hard and that's okay
I didn't just get hired to be skippy in the shop change in tires change in oil and he said I'm not
having you here just to do that stuff he says I can do that myself no get under the hood of that
you're going to take the cylinder heads off and get under there you're going to take the transmission
now we got to change the clutch he put me on the hard stuff right away and that's how you learn so
if you've got kids at home they're wondering what to do I would say you know what you want to become
a really good solid person that looks at things totally different than anyone else go get trained
to be a top drawer automotive service tech because you'll use your computer theory you'll use it all
your brain your hands your brawn your smarts it will challenge you all the time to get better
to be better to become a diagnostician to not only be able to diagnose properly and repair properly
but also learn to communicate with people it covers every angle of life becoming an automotive
service tech is not for the squeamish and we have a major shortage of techs in the U.S. Ford is having
a problem they got all kinds of dealerships open and no service techs in the service space
a short over 7,000 automotive service techs and you don't build a service technician overnight
you can know it at all on paper but i'll tell you what forget about it because when you're in the
service space a man with a theory will always be at the mercy of a man with experience period.com.org.ca.net
that's it weather for today you ready for it heading into the weekend what's a weekend anyway
today bringing it up here whoa here we go feels like no that's not right what's the
matter with you folks you on medication maybe you should be 30 degrees right now and cloudy
rainy conditions expected around 10 a.m today's temperature range 28 to 46 Fahrenheit and it
will feel more like 27 to 42 degrees Fahrenheit so today the high for today is 46 degrees the
overnight low is going to be 28 28 that's the answer to any question so many asked for your
question you don't have the answer it's always 28 that's official so don't see any snows or ice
rain or anything like that out there so that's fantastic on a friday drive safe people tend to
shut things down if you know what i mean on a friday and stop thinking keep an eye out for
them remember peace patience kindness always pays off at the end so i have a question for you
and i'm going to rattle it off so here you go it's fun friday you have to send me your answer
you have to email me your answer we are working for the month hard for the month of april
my service tech friend is coming back from his snowbird vacation
yeah he sends me pictures and stuff it's crazy good living down in the the keys all winter
yeah baby eat some gator anyhow um yeah he's coming back and i just need him to help me to
how we're going to connect our ip over internet phone system so that we can take calls during the
program on saturdays so once a week so we can have a live call in automotive program on saturdays
but right now it's q and a so you send in a question and i'll read it out on the air and
give you the answer on saturday so from eight till nine you can be with us and have your question
answered live on the air just by tuning in so here's my question to you and you have to email me
your answer ready three frogs on a log one deciding to jump off how many frogs on the log
got it that's when i want you to answer i'll read out one more time from my memory three frogs on a
log one deciding to jump off how many frogs are on the log send in your answer nile at ccbusnet.com
or motormouth.jankins at gmail.com and all that information is always included in the description
on our videos and in the description on our podcast and again if you're skimming you're losing a ton
of nuggets i put with specific intent in the description box for our youtube videos
and our podcasts that you will not hear or see anywhere else so if you're a skimmer you're doing
you're not doing yourself justice i'm teaching you in the description box that's what i'm doing
i'm teaching you in the description box so no matter what age group you are size build color
culture one leg one eye one arm it doesn't matter you'll get something out of it absolutely
because knowledge is power it absolutely is i started in the trade
i got the bug at about age 13 and my pops who's still around yep he's got all his faculties
sometimes um most of the time he's a good pops yeah we love him he's 89 and he texts he uses his
cell phone he a t moves not as much anymore but uh he's a mill right by trade and brought us all
to canada from england except for my sister she's a foreigner in the family she was born
in 1967 yeah she's true canadian with some english we came over on the atlantic
that's all i remember i remember hanging on to my uncle john's neck and i apparently i kind of
embedded my fingernails into the side of his neck but we came we were boat people we arrived
crossed the atlantic into canada and my pops is a mill right got a job with uh
westinghouse on uh i think it was sanford avenue at that time something like that but anyways
i'm not going to start off with it all happened because i didn't go to the zoo no that's not true
went to the buffalo zoo i think i was 12 saw the monkeys so i think i know that one
anyways yeah that was the only time i went to no i went to the uh toronto zoo i really enjoyed that
anyhow before i get down a rabbit hole so at age 13 i was changing it helping my pops change an
engine on an old mercury pickup truck in a barn in bimbrook ontario which is now like a metropolis
i'm told uh there was nothing there i think there was a post office in a corner store
and we were in a barn that had more holes in it than the titanic in the middle of winter
changing an engine out and i remember getting paint all over my face because i was painting
something then my pops wipes it all off with gasoline on a rag and we drove home that way
in the whole time i'm thinking i could light on fire yeah but anyways that's how i got my start
i loved it i loved the pulling the engine out putting another one in and we got it running
and we drove it and um that's when i got the bug i knew what i wanted to to do i enjoyed farming
very much as a kid and picking fruit all that i really really enjoyed it i absolutely did i made
a lot of money picking fruit i was a good fruit picker i was easy on the product and understood
the you know people this stuff's going to people's tables don't be a wiener about it
do some really good picking and then farmers would call me and say hey can you come pick for us
so i picked everything from strawberries raspberries cherries and then apples in the end of the
season and you know what i was only a little gaffer built like a toothpick or a pencil with
an eraser on the top and i was making good money back then i was i was clearing 150 bucks a day
picking fruit do the math i was like 12 13 years old climbing the ladders hauling in the goods
and i worked on a farm i worked on the farm one one whole summer i was just a little guy let me
tell you i was a tiny little feller and uh you know the wind would blow me away and my clothes hung on
me like like a clothesline pretty much i look like i've been dressed by somebody else uh in their
clothes and they're bigger than me but i i i went to a farm and uh that was when we moved in saint
anz and i said i i want to work on the farm for the summer and i'll work for free i said so give me
a chance so i did and i pops wasn't too happy about that but the next year they called me back
and they wanted me to come back and um i was milking cows as well and going to school getting
up at like three three fifteen in the morning riding my bike up to the farm rain snow sleet
whatever and milking cows and i still remember it those are days i remember they were they were
great they were great days you worked hard and you put in an awesome day and you got a lot of
stuff done and you did different things every day and some the same but it was interesting
so the following year they called me back and they said we're going to pay you
now i'm 13 for sure at this point i'm 13 no driver's license and they taught me how to drive this
little david brown tractor and that was my tractor because i knew how to work it and i could pull
things and whatnot so they were paying me seven dollars an hour then there was a government
program that came out with the government and they told me this government's going to
pay us half your wage so we're going to give you that as well so i was making like 11 bucks an hour
and i was 13 pretty cool huh yeah i had some dough and uh yeah so it was good that's how i
even got into automotive even more because we would have to fix machinery and service it
i learned how to weld there stick weld a lot of things to picking up the trade
and uh you know when i was turned 16 i left home i've been back home since 16 just for visits but
i haven't lived back home since age 16 got my own place to live i lived just down from the high school
and i got a full-time night job at a chicken processing plant cleaning the plant all night
and so i was able to put myself through school i had my own car paid my own insurance my gas
repairs and i went to school during the day and i got some special treatment because
i got a letter from my employer saying you know i start work at four o'clock and i'm out of work
at seven in the morning so i worked at a 38 000 square foot chicken plant my friend john got me a
job there and uh we cleaned 38 000 square feet of blood guts and gore every single night so that
150 people or 150 thousand birds would be processed the next day and almost 100 employees so we had
to make sure the plant was spotless for when the inspectors come in they do swabs and check and
make sure everything is properly cleaned that was our job and that was monday through friday
and then we went back in if they if they did a slaughter on saturdays we'd have to go in sunday
night and so fridays i would be off school and i slept until my shift at the chicken plant that's
why i put myself through trade school as well and uh paid my way i paid my way learn how to cook
learn how to clean learn how to do my own laundry make my own bed take care of my place and pay my
bills and be responsible for my very own actions no one else to point the finger at so that's my
background and i got in the automotive when i walked into the texical station downtown smithville
ontario canada and chris hadler signed me up as uh apprentice and he waited a whole year i wanted
to finish my grade 11 and that was my own choice at that time we only needed grade 10 to get into
auto mechanics he waited a whole year and then he used to call me dripper he'd say dripper
you got to get in here now i i can't run this show on my own i need you full time like i can't
just take you after school anymore can you do it and i said well i just got to write my exams
for grade 11 and accomplished my grade 11 never got my grade 12 i didn't need it i knew what i wanted
and that was to become a service tech so it was more important i had somebody there ready to sign
me up so i could become a service tech and work on it and he was a great teacher he had a bad temper
but uh it was good yeah when hammers are flying somebody's not happy yeah that's what i know someone's
not happy anyhow i was there for a couple years and then uh he sold out half his business to a
partner and i lost my job so i was still in my first year so that's when i headed into the big
smoke hamilton ontario canada that's where i could get back into the trade and keep going find a
transfer my apprenticeship so i where did i end up there i'm not sure exactly well that was back
we were into the 80s yeah you know the deal you you that are the same age as me the 80s yeah long
hair spandex pants you know the thing yeah and um mullets i think mullets were around then i never
had a mullet just so you know in the trade it was best to have short hair because you were working
under trucks and equipment and stuff and you were getting filthy dirty working out in the field side
of the road on service calls so i went to from the texaco i went to cosmos garage fridt street
west end of hamilton close to the old spectator building i was there for a number of years i think
i almost i was in my second year when cosmos sold me off the team and i went to work for the
resudo family that owned blue line taxi and i learned a lot there how to work fast how to get
stuff done in a hurry and we did repairs i worked on john street south the shop there so we did some
cab work but mostly vehicles off the street but i did both and i would work at night time get paid
extra to fix a cab pull a transmission out get another one back in get it back out on the road
you learn how to work fast and efficient and on your own then from there i stayed there quite a
while i was in my third my third year in my apprenticeship at that time and ready to almost
yeah i was ready to write i had written my 310 t at that time and then i wanted to get my diesel
endorsement so i said to uh tony resudo at the time they were great to me great people
taught me a lot of things helped me have my own cab and which was making me money to buy a house
and other things you know take a vacation and they taught me how to do that from scratch and
helped me do the whole thing and i had to leave there to go into heavy trucks and equipment full
time for 1670 man hours to be able to write my diesel license at that time so i had to do
1670 straight hours on diesel so i got a job with peter build of ontario until and that was on
uh nash road i think nash road yeah nash barton and nash and the dealership closed so my buddy
boner and i we got out of there and i got us a job up in um mill grove working for some people
up there i won't say who that was that was a bad deal yeah there was some funny stuff going on there
we stayed about a year and got out of there and then i got picked up by mac trucks of canada so i
worked for mac trucks big dealership queensway and kippling there was a 91 of us mechanics we worked
days and extended afternoons there that was uh that was a hard working job it was the first
time i worked for a union company which was interesting uh very and i was driving from
the hamilton mountain to uh queensway and kippling every day and on the swing shift we did one month
of days one month of steady like extended afternoons we'd work from like 330 overlap with the day shift
and we'd work until 130 in the morning and then fridays we got off at 11 and i fell asleep on
the highway coming home a couple times and it was a close call babies uh twice and that's when i i i
didn't like the union shop uh i love the work i enjoyed working on the max and learned a lot there
but i had to get out i couldn't do the drive so i called uh at that time my brother in law at
peterbilt von terrio and i said can you guys help me out and like in 10 minutes i had another
job with peterbilt so i went to peterbilt and that's where i put in i put enough hours in
mac trucks of canada that i was able to take an afternoon off go downtown sit and write the
uh four and a half hour exam and i came out with my diesel endorsement and my diesel license so i
could go anywhere in ontario and out of ontario as well so i got at that time you could earn your
interprovincial if you were 80 80 percent or more so i passed with 86 which i never got those
marks ever in my entire school life yeah i was a b plus guy or c plus or c minus so that's that
that's pretty much my career and then uh my own shop i worked for uh mill grove garage i think that's
what it was called no edgewood garage with uh jim newman great teacher as well and i love working
for the family there it was family owned business then from there i was doing contractor work i would
had a bronco put my toolbox in the back and i would drift around and work a day here two days
there go in do the jobs and get paid and move on to the next shop and i had a good routine going
there we're at three shops that were taking me in and enjoyed having another tech when things were
busy and i did that's how i got into business for myself opened my shop on the hamilton mountain
in 1991 just coming out of a ugly recession and we closed it in 2000 late 2000 early 2001 i believe
yes yes i blew my back out and that toasted me i was uh almost in a wheelchair that's how bad it was
it was bad my chiropractor closes the door and goes you keep doing this you're going in a wheelchair
and if you let them operate on your life is not going to be good so don't do it so that changed
my course quite a bit actually at that point but i uh i posted my resume and got snatched up in about
11 hours on the internet by Volkswagen Canada and then i spent the next four and a half years
fixing a dealership in the cambridge area i'm working with a great team of people there
and we made that dealership go from the bottom out of 12 in the district so it was the bottom
didn't mean you were doing good that meant you were doing really bad it was about ready to lose
his dealership license third warning from vwc Volkswagen Canada got there i assessed the
dealership and i never worked in a dealership in my life and i was hired as the service mangler
and wearing slacks and ties and shirts which was really weird for me really weird but it gave me
an opportunity to learn stuff i know today that i wouldn't have learned about how a dealership runs
in the politicking in behind the behind the curtain which helps me help you so the all the
experiences and the people i've worked for were great people and i came away and learned a lot of
things that i can share with you and i know what's going on it's not i'm guessing i know it because
i've been there and i learned in four and a half years working 80 plus hours a week at the Volkswagen
dealer i learned a lot and i knew all the paperwork warranty work all of it how the whole system
behind a dealership works and that helped me to be able to help our listeners at the time because
i was on the air at that time and went on the air in 1996 with car connection that's how it came about
during the period we had our own shop so we started in 91 we went on the air to help people
and that brought in that filled our bay doors and we never ran one commercial it was always hey if
you missed dial today give give them a call at the shop uh 5715344 that was our phone number
and we had people coming as far as pennsylvania dropping cars off for a week vacationing in
canada it was crazy but it was all good at the end of the day it was all good and that's how
i got into this full time and it still put me back on the shop floor being able to fix cars for people
and get you out there and use my knowledge to help you to be able to navigate this thing we called
the car game and automotive service maintenance and repairs and help you keep an older vehicle
going as many miles as you want and putting thousands of dollars back in your pocket that's
what i know how to do and i learned it through fleet maintenance doing lots of fleet maintenance
when i work for cosmos garage and roadside repairs and going out into the wherever land
to get a piece of equipment going to get it out of there to get it to the shop so i had lots of
experiences so from the dealership in cambridge anyways the short story there was in 18 months
we all worked together i was the captain and the coach i was always first one there last one
to leave had the respect of my team and we were a family we brought that dealership up out of the
muck we went from the bottom number 12 to number one in ontario and canada for parts sales and
service in 18 months we got tons of accolades and when i first started there and i went to
to management meetings in toronto and ajax all over the place pickering other
service manglers wouldn't even sit with me that's right i was the disease at cambridge
volkswagen maybe we're laughing stock of the district 18 months later can i sit with you
and i don't know i go no you wouldn't before so guess what you don't know and no i'm not
going to tell you how we did it so get lost that's how you fix it you know what my professor would
say you want to make you want to make your those who don't like you mad become successful
that's it be successful do it for you not for anyone else so that's a little bit of my history
on fun friday and i am grateful to all those who touched my life there's a lot of businesses i
worked for in between i worked at a business at top of sherman cutton hamilton um was that
personal auto service i think it was the the boss was he was a weiner but uh i i worked with a couple
of really good guys there tex that were there and uh what's his name bill he looked like the guy
alpha dick tracy he really did billy walker yeah i don't know if he's still around but he taught
me how to rebuild carburetors and he would have he'd be smoking a cigarette 12 to 18 inches long
rebuilding a carburetor smokes going his eyes and he let me sit at the workbench after hours
for free i wasn't on the clock so i could learn how to do carburetors because he knew how to do
them he could do them in his sleep and i really wanted to learn that that uh tech service i really
wanted to have that under my belt and if it wasn't for billy walker i wouldn't i wouldn't know how to
do it and i wouldn't have learned how to do it and he'd say to me i remember he said one thing
he never he never spoke much hardly ever at all he always had this great big eight i called it the
18 inch cigarette it never seemed to burn out to a nub ever and he'd say you read every magazine
every article everything automotive you can get your hands on you read it and learn it and you'll
be miles ahead of the other guy miles ahead of the other guy and he was a fantastic alignment guy
too oh my gosh i learned so much from him it was crazy good and those were the days and big gym
big gym was a man he had hands the size of boxing gloves bigger than that even
and uh he could he could pick me up with his bare hand by my head just like a suction cup
he was built like a brick poo house let me tell you but nice guy and man could he throw a bowling
i don't think the thing even touched the lane we used to go bowling together
and had a great time with him and his wife and my wife at the time
but jim knew how to take stuff apart he really did he could get things apart very quickly he
was a vietnam vet he got sprayed with uh age and orange so he had some health issues but i'll tell
you what what a great guy he had a chavelle ss a true ss stick and man he knew how to drive that car
too let me tell you so that's just some of my life i thought i'd share that with you today
remember you have that question three frogs on a log one deciding jump off how many frogs on the
log send me an email with your questions today and have yourself a wonderful wonderful weekend
and the last few days of the spring break and i think uh the us side has their spring break
next week so to our american counterparts wherever you're listening from you can grab our podcast
off of any platform anywhere and we are working on moving our 116 episodes of our podcast over to
our youtube channel so be um be keeping an eye out for that as well so we're trying to make things
as easy for you as possible so you can grab the content so share with me your story send me an
email tell me your story a little bit of your story i love to know um what you're doing where you live
not exactly street address and everything where you're listening from what's your job what was
your best job what was the worst job you ever had and answer the frog question and if you have
automotive questions or you'd like a topic for me to cover i will do that for you that's what i'm
here for i'm in your corner your corner i'm your automotive service technician that's only an email
a youtube video facebook instagram stevensville on the web i heart radio and just a minute away
from you so send me your questions answer the frog question i'm very interested in what people
will answer on that and then when we're back together on monday well we'll be on the air
tomorrow answering questions so it's a very busy one hour program eight till nine q and a saturdays
and uh fun fridays hey if you've got some ideas for a fun friday topic let's roll it out yeah
bring it to the table let's roll it out don't be shy folks you know what i won't uh if you
don't want me to mention first names that's fine you can change your name to george ed or georgina
whatever or um yeah um well we had a name for the fella too um i can't remember at the moment
when it was it was kind of like uh no it wasn't like that anyhow yeah i can't remember that we had a
name for the guys just make one up call yourself joe bill bob doesn't matter so if you don't want
to be known by your first name it's okay i'm totally okay with that but we had a name like uh
bueller you know bueller bueller yeah it worked really good when i remember it i'll share it with
you because we always wrote it on the um when the teacher was away and we had a sub we'd write that
name down on the uh the sign in list and then it was just screaming hilarious that the substitute
teacher would read it out and we'd just be just about wetting our pants at the back of the class
yeah i'll let you know what that is when i remember it so have yourself a fantastic friday
go ahead have an extra minute at break time and at lunch that's not too bad and enjoy
your day whatever it is you're doing happy healthy motoring thank you to all our program
partners for making the program available to you we'll see you tomorrow morning for q and a saturday
eight a.m another morning motor mouth morning drive so if you work saturdays tune in if you don't
get up and join us for eight eight a.m and we'll see if not we if we don't see you on saturday
we'll see you monday monday morning bright and early eight a.m for another car connection
motor mouth morning drive come join us bye for now
About this episode
Nile Motor Mouth Jenkins shares his extensive 44-year journey in automotive repair, from farm work and early apprenticeships to managing a Volkswagen dealership and running his own shop. He discusses the challenges and rewards of being a service technician, the current shortage of skilled techs, and the importance of learning the fundamentals of car maintenance. The episode also highlights community support initiatives, offers financial planning resources, and invites listeners to engage with live Q&A sessions. A fun riddle about frogs on a log adds a playful touch to this informative and personal automotive talk.
Original notes
Fun Friday-but there's a lesson here most drivers miss. Three frogs sitting on a log. One decides to jump......how many are left. That simple question explains why so many people stay stuck overpaying for vehicles that don't deliver real value.
In this. episode, I share my story-44 years in the automotive trade, the mentors who shaped me and why I've made it my mission to help drivers stop losing money on cars.
We break down:
1) Why "deciding " isn't the same as taking action
2) The real cost behind today's $20,000 vehicles.
3) Why older, well maintained cars often outperform newer ones.
4) How to start playing the car game smarter
I'm not in the dealer's corner. I', not in the manufacturer's corner. I'm in yours.
Fun Friday Challenge:
Send in your answerto the frog question-and include an automotive question for tomorrow's Q&A
Merchandise available in our online store, grab some Motormouth merch join the crew in helping those struggling with addiction get to a Total Freedom Addiction Campus Canada & USA where a New life awaits them there! Means a lot to us friends, Motormouth & Skippy.
More Episodes and ...project Details & Links are available at Car Connection Business Network.com (ccbusnet.com) you'll find everything on our homepage if you'd like to follow the build & repair work we do & connect with our program partners click their logo to meet them, Thank you for giving them your business folks! NMJ
Like, Subscribe, Share, Follow, Your comments below, Ring the bell be notified of New videos, Watch , Listen, all these little things are what helps us grow on all platforms, enabling u to reach more and help more people just like you and me! Your support is deeply valued, Love Y'all very much! Nile & Skippy.
Happy Healthy Motoring Friends, Peace Patience Kindness Always. NMJ
Keep that ignition on, engine running smoothly!
#CarOwnership #AutoRepair #SaveMoney
Car Connection Workshop
Nile Jenkins
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