Winter Road Readiness: Tire Pressures, Fluids, and Exhaust = Stay Safe Before the Cold Hits

Good morning friends. You're tuned into car connection where the coffee's strong,

the stories are real, and the wrenches never stop turning. I'm your host Niall

Motormouth Jenkins coming to you from the car connection workshop where the

smell of fresh oil and little elbow grease is all part of a balanced

breakfast here in the workshop. Around here we don't just talk cars, we live

them. Whether it's a 25 year old Jeep Wrangler getting a second chance at life

or a Nissan Rogue getting its brakes back in order, or a mystery leak that's got all

of us scratching our heads. This is where we roll up our sleeves and we get it done

with a little wit, a little wisdom, and a whole lot of fun. The car connection

workshop isn't just about nuts, bolts, and diagnostics, it's about connection.

Connection to our vehicles, to the people who drive them, and to the community that keeps

Niagara rolling. Because when you fix a car, you're not just turning a wrench,

you're restoring someone's confidence, freedom, and maybe even their sanity.

We're here every Monday through Saturday. So here we are, we are diving deep into

the week so far together, and I've got a bunch of things to share with you today.

We're going to talk fluids and exhaust. Things that you need to understand a little better

as we head into some of the nastiest weather throughout the entire year. And we all really

don't know just how rough and tough winter is going to be 2025-26. We can write the last chapter

when we get to the end, right, when we see the end of March into April. But for now,

the best thing to do is to expect the worst. And if it's not as bad as we thought, then we did okay.

But if we don't prepare, that is when things go seriously wrong. And stress, and people,

I've seen people stressed right out in my waiting area when we had Jenkins Automotive

repairs on the Hamilton Mountain for a number of years, a little over a decade, people getting

stressed, chaos, the vehicle's not running right, it's broken, the battery's dead, coolant leaks,

and the list goes on and on and on. So making sure that we're prepared ahead of time to reduce

that stress and enjoy the winter the best way we can, right? I used to be a snow bunny, but not

anymore. You know, I do like getting out there and getting into the bush and everything else,

but you know what? I really like putting another log on the fireplace and watching the snow come

down from inside the house. Well, let's jump right in. Tune into our website, CarConnection

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City auto sales and leasing. GTA's, premier, pre-owned auto store. They sell no junk folks.

Low mileage, quality vehicles at fair prices and I'll tell you this, it's worth to drive there.

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Total Freedom Darien Center, New York and Total Freedom Sydney, Manitoba, Canada,

a men only campus. Your new life awaits you. So let's jump right in. Always want to say thank

you to those who are supporting us and helping us and encouraging us to grow. So why don't we

start with having a swiggy this morning. Yep, got to start out with some high octane. That's how

we work here in the car connection workshop. Here's how we do it. We count it down on three, two,

one. If you're driving, please keep an eye on the road. And the other guy, you know who he is.

And when you're done, make sure your cup is secured in the cup holder. Never spill a beverage

on your automatic shift lever. Not a good idea. Three, two, one.

That was so refreshing. Well, I have another motor mouth tech tip for you.

So if you got your crayons and a brown paper bag, you might want to write this down.

Is my, do you remember punch cards, computer punch cards, anybody? I know I'm dating myself.

I am a licensed technician and fully qualified up to date as a light truck passenger vehicle

mechanic technician and also heavy truck diesels and coaches. So it's all good. I've been licensed

since 1988. Not as old as dirt, but maybe as old as a worm. I'm not sure. I don't know what the

lifespan is of a worm. Might have to Google that. Well, here's what I got for you this morning.

We did number 19. We are now on number 20. That's right. Low tire pressure light.

So that's what we call TPMS. If you, if your vehicle is equipped with that, I think it's a

great thing because, you know, just the other day, I'm outside. It was on the weekend. That was

Saturday. Was that Saturday? Yes, it was Saturday. Taking care of, you know, stuff that has to get

done around the homestead. And I had a list in my mind. It was like, if it's nice Saturday, I've

got to tear this off before I head out to steak night with the outdoor adventurer. It was really

good. It is every year. It's a fundraiser. And it was super. The weather was fabulous. I hear this

noise coming. And it's getting louder. And I stopped what I was doing. I'm going,

is somebody driving on a flat tire? That's what that sounds like. Then off in the distance,

I see a Cadillac SUV coming towards me down my street. We live in a quiet neighborhood.

I'm going, what is he doing? And I stood there with, I think my mouth was open. I needed a chin

plate because I'm going, then I'm thinking even louder in my head. What are you doing? The dude

is driving this vehicle on a completely flat tire. It's shredding and it's starting to tear the fender

away. And it's a Cadillac with these Cadillac polished aluminum wheels. And I'm going, that rim

is got to be worth about two grand. And now the rim is riding on the road. I know for sure,

beyond the shadow of a doubt, that that Cadillac SUV has TPMS, tire pressure monitoring system.

He had to have known the tire at some point was under inflated.

Why would you drive down the road? I don't know where he even lives in the neighborhood.

But I'm standing there going, he's going to keep going. And I'm looking at this tire,

it's starting to rip the inner fender liner out. It's shredding. And the rim is on the road. And

I'm going, dude, is going to be the tires done. The rim is going to be finished by the time he gets

to where he's going. And how does that make any sense? And it's starting to rip the car apart

because the steel belts are coming out of the radio tire that's all shredded, the whole

sidewall and tire was crumbling away. And I'm going, I wonder how far he drove on this thing.

Why would you not stop? Maybe ask somebody to give you a hand to put the spare on if you don't know.

But continue to where? Where are you going? You're going to drive home?

He gads, man. So that's what I'm thinking. I guess in that particular case, the tire pressure

monitoring system didn't whack him in the side of the head hard enough with a two by four and say,

buddy, stop, just stop. That's going to cost thousands. Anyhow, I wanted to share that with

you because that was for me as a service tech, I'm going, that's over the top. That's why I always

talk about our YouTube videos in here on our car connection workshop. I heart podcast radio.

You got to understand the five things. What is it? Where is it located?

What does it do? What does it matter? Or how does it break? Why does why does it matter?

And what could you have learned and understood a little more about your vehicle to prevent that

kind of thing? Does he know that there's wire harnesses in behind the wheel and that tire is

probably going to grab the wheel speed sensor cable and rip it right out of the hub?

So then he's going to need a bearing and a hub, like it just keeps going. If you don't understand

the component, what it is, where it is, and what happens when it breaks and why does it matter?

If you knew what I just told you about driving on a flat tire, would that not teach you to do what?

The tires flat, stop, stop. Figure out how you're going to get it home,

where, what shop you're going to send it to, should I put the spare on, but don't keep driving.

That's a perfect example of how could he have done what he did better and not cost him. That's

probably going to cost a few thousand dollars. Absolutely. The rims destroyed, tires destroyed,

fender liners destroyed. It was starting to hack up the steel belts. We're starting to scratch the

outside of the fender and take the paint off. That's one of those cases, the five things.

Just stop. You hear a sound and it doesn't sound right. The car doesn't feel right. Stop.

You smell something that doesn't smell right and you think you see a little steam coming out from

under the hood. Just stop and get some help and check it before you do some serious, serious

damage. That guy, that's going to be a big pill to swallow. Let me tell you, he's going to be one

of these. What exactly? So I say that to say this, low tire pressure light comes on every cold snap.

We lose the air molecules through the sidewall of the tire, all of us, because that's what happens.

That is a porous section of the tire and it's the weakest section of the tire, the sidewall.

Air naturally pass, the molecules pass through the sidewall in the winter a lot and the tire

pressures drop. That's what happens. So in the wintertime, you need to pay attention to your

TPMS if your vehicle is equipped. Tire pressure monitoring system. Don't do what that guy does.

You drive on a tire that's low, really low on air. It's destroyed. The sidewall is the weakest point.

The tires bulging out like a jelly donut that's been sat on before a bite's been taken out

and the goo is all over your trousers or your skirt ladies, you know, that kind of thing.

You've got to stop, pump the tire up, get to an air pump, get it pumped up before you wreck

and destroy a perfectly good tire that could have been saved. Because now you got to buy a pair

so you have the same tread, same tire on both sides of the car. So it's not just, oh, I need one tire.

You can never match these tires. Very seldom, because they're always changing different models

of tires. They change them up all the time. So if you don't match the tread, that causes,

causes, if you have, if you have a dress shoe on one foot and a high heel on the others ladies,

so you have a flatty, a granny flatty on your left foot and a high heel, a stiletto on the

right side of your foot, is it comfortable? No. Do you think you can walk right? No. That's how a

car works. You blow out one tire on the front, you're going to need to change up the left,

the opposite side to match so the vehicle tracks right. So low tire pressure light comes on,

every cold snap. Don't panic. Just add a few psi to your tires before

the tires shrink like your jeans after Thanksgiving. Yeah. Okay, we, we move on from that.

I wanted to talk to you about in the last half of the program here,

just some other items that will save you a lot of headache and a lot of heartache and your heart

cash. That's what I'm all about. I'm not here to be the big shot. I'm just a little shot that

just keeps shooting. I just come off of 31 years on radio with our car connection live automotive

calling program. And I'm not done yet. I thought I can reach a lot more people on podcast north,

south, east and west around the globe and help you help you to get a better understanding of your

automobile. Whether you, you don't know anything about cars or you think you know something.

I'm talking to the ladies and the fellows that are not mechanically inclined. The more you

understand the components on your car, the less chance you get ripped off at the service department.

That's why I'm here. I have heard so many freak show horror stories out there that I just want

to cry right alongside with you that you've been absolutely taken advantage of. So fluids,

power steering, brake fluid, transmission oil, motor oil, all these fluids, coolant, antifreeze,

in other words, they're all inexpensive as compared to the components they're protecting.

And especially this time of year, we want to make sure that every single one of those fluids,

don't forget the washer fluid minus 45. If you haven't listened to that podcast yet,

or been on our YouTube channel, there's videos for all these things I'm talking about so you

can actually see and listen at the same time and learn those five things.

Here's the deal. If we had as soon as we head into a cold snap, that's when if the fluids in

under the hood of your vehicle are dirty and worn out, there are no sensors on the fluids

to let you know, oh, your transmission oil is contaminated. Oh, your power steering fluid is

just nasty mama. Or your brake fluid reservoir sends a message to your dash. What are you an

idiot? You know, would that get your attention? Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh. Not really.

These fluids can all be tested. We have the ability as a service tech to test every single

fluid under the hood to actually tell you the real condition. And this time of year,

before we get a cold snap, you want to make sure you get that done. Because in the cold weather,

that's when you need all the fluids, power steering, brake fluid, automatic transmission fluid,

radiator fluid, antifreeze, you want to make sure that they're all in 100%

good solid working order and they're clean, clean, clean, clean. Because in the minuses,

fluids tend to misbehave because they're they've lost their vitality. That's right.

They're pooped puppies. Or is it popped poopies? I don't know. They're done. Fluids don't last a

lifetime. And if somebody tells you that that's a load of baloney. It's alive from the pit of hell

and it smells like smoke. They are not lifetime. Period.com. They aren't.

Brake fluid should be changed every two years. And the whole brake system flushed and cleaned.

And we can look I can look for 30 seconds at somebody's brake reservoir and go that's got to

come out. Why? If it doesn't look like apple juice, then it's dirty. It's contaminated power steering

fluid. I can pull the dipstick out and not even have to get a test strip and look at it and go

there is a lot of debris in the oil just by having it on my fingers and looking at it and going,

this is done. This was done a long time ago. So get all the fluids under the hood, checked,

tested and verified their absolute condition. Number two, something we don't talk about much.

Stale donuts. Yeah, we don't we don't talk about that the car connection workshop. That's

that's a yeah, it's uncomfortable. We like fresh donuts. Fresh. Yeah, so fresh,

they pinch you back. If you know what I mean. Yeah, and muffins, we're not bad with muffins,

but our killer is donuts all in right measure, right? Yeah, everything in moderation. Exhaust

system. We always wait until our car sounds like the pizza delivery guy before we do something.

Am I right? How many people have a pizza delivery guy? You can hear him coming a

mile and a quarter from the pizza shack, right? You order it. Hey, hey, honey, get the money ready.

Yeah, yeah, I hear him. He's coming. Just like the ice cream truck in the summer, you know,

it plays that little ditty, ditty, ditty, ditty. Never mind. I don't want to digress that much.

The neighbors know I chased that truck. One times I chased the ice cream truck on the Hamilton

Mount when I lived there for almost two locks in a Cadillac sliding sideways around the corners.

I was just really I had a problem with soft ice cream. Okay, I'm over it. Counseling. It worked.

It's good. We're all good. Exhaust systems. You don't want to sound like the pizza delivery guy.

I don't know what it is, but most pizza delivery guys and gals in our neighborhood,

you can hear them coming from quite a ways because they have exhaust leaks. Well, in the winter time,

having exhaust leaks is a deadly game. Carbon monoxide can't smell or to taste it. And if you're

sitting there in the snow or on cold ground, the carbon monoxide leaking from your exhaust,

it gathers underneath the car. And you know what, I don't want to hear of anybody getting,

you know, suffocated from your carbon monoxide poisoning. That's just not a good deal for anybody.

So I say this, get your exhaust system checked before you lose three quarters of the exhaust

system in the first snow drift you hit on the roadway. And then all of a sudden the car goes from

it's quiet, you can have a conversation with your partner on the other side of the car to

you. I can tell you a story about that. I will I got I got a minute or two. So I'm driving

by 1999 Honda Civic two door five speed air. We call it the red rocket. It is the rocket.

I'm driving and it was about this time of year. It actually was. It was just for Christmas.

I was riding to the Penn Center in St. Catharines do a little Christmas shopping.

We're just getting ready to come off the off ramp because the Penn Center is like it's within

a stone throw. And I don't know what it was, but I looked at my best friend Dale and I said,

uh, yeah, I think I think I hear something on the exhaust and it wasn't a minute later.

It went as loud as you wouldn't believe and there's scraping going on. The pipe broke off

right under the floor just behind the catalytic converter. I'm I'm in Penn Center and we live

in Fort Erie. Yeah. So I take I take my best friend over to Penn Center rumble in there.

Everybody's looking at you like, are you the pizza guy? Are you the pizza guy in my neighborhood?

And I'm like, no, I'm not the pizza guy. Guy stops me in the Penn Center. He's going,

do you know your exhaust is dragging on the ground?

Uh, well, thanks. Thanks for letting me know. I really appreciate that. And yeah,

put your head down and go, I just feel so embarrassed right now.

I'm glad they don't know I'm a mechanic. This would be even worse. So then I pull off and get

myself circled around and another guy taps on my window. I'm sitting there and making a phone

call to a couple of shops. I know in St. Catharines. See if I could get it on the lift and have a look

at it and then I'll go back and collect my friend Dale from the from the mall. No answers.

Guys tapping on my window. Do you know your exhaust is hanging on the ground under your car?

I go, yeah, I'm just trying to connect with somebody to see if I can't get this taken care of

on from out of town. So I go over, I go, wow, there's a one of those stores with a little

red triangle on. And so I head over there, rumble, rumble, rumble. And I go in and I

go to the service desk. I said, could you could I just get my car up on the lift? Can you take

the exhaust off that's just broke off and it's dangling? Could you just take it off for me,

unhook it and take it off? Yeah, sure. No problem. So the young chap goes out, brings it in.

And there's like six young guys all over the rocket. And the one comes in and goes,

do you want to sell that car, buddy? I go, no, I just want to kind of go to the mall,

do a little Christmas shopping and go home. Oh, I'm gonna, can I leave you my number if

you're interested in selling it? And I'm like, I just want to get the exhaust taken care of.

I said, okay, leave me your number if I, you know, I think about it. One day when I'm out of my

mind, I'll call you. And so I see them take the exhaust off, took all of about seven minutes.

And now they're going to stuff it inside the car. And I go running out there. I go, no, no, no, no,

I don't need to take those yucky rusted, cheesed up exhaust pipes home with me. And I certainly

don't want them in the car. Okay. Yeah, a bit of a clean freak. Okay, so I admit it. Yeah, some

people call me anal retentive. But that's not nice. So I get out of there $37 later for seven

minutes of just on hooking the rubbers and taking the exhaust down. Don't let that be you. Here's

how you can avoid that. Get your car on the lift. While it's having a nice fresh oil change for

the winter because oil is another fluid that should be changed right now. Start the winter

with a top quality oil filter and a fresh oil change and all your fluids checked, tested,

and replaced as necessary. Engineer filter, same thing. Check it. If it's questionable,

I say if it's not a yes, it can stay in service. Then it's a no. We put a new one in. Get that all

done. But also have them check your exhaust from front to back. If there's any areas of weakness,

flanges, I call them flange rotties, they rot off the pipes, the bolts that hold them on,

rot off, and they get weak. First snowfall heavy snowfall with a snow drift, you'll rip it right

off the car. Just like mine did. It just fell right down and got loud and scraping. Don't let

that be you. Get them to check it. Any exhaust hangers, any pipes that have some heavy corrosion on

what I do is I whack them with a hammer just to make sure if the pipe soft, it's going to tell me.

The hammer is going to make a really quick dent in that pipe right away. It's going to dent. And

that means the pipe is just about ready to break. I'm going to check all your flanges, all your

exhaust hardware, all the exhaust hangers, condition of the pipes from the front of the engine,

all the way to the catalytic converter, the muffler, if it's got a resonator system,

I'm going to check it front to back. And if I see areas of weakness, I'm going to make you aware of

that because it should be replaced because when is it going to happen? Right in the dead of winter.

Every single time. I'll tell you this, when we had the shop on the Hamilton mountain,

I did a lot of exhaust systems there in the winter. And I loved it. Big ice ball slushies down the

color of my coveralls right down to my, you know what? Yeah, I loved it. Not really. I didn't really

love it. We called them slush bombs. Because your cars all clotted up underneath with slush bombs.

And when do they fall off? Well, the cars up on the hoist and the ceiling heaters running

and melting things off, and they're falling and slapping the floor, nail you in the head,

go down your back of your coveralls, not a pretty sight. Yeah, you kind of invent

a unique kind of slush ball dance as it trickles down to areas we can't talk about,

as you know. So let that not be you. So a quick recap before we say see you later.

Bye for now. From the car connection workshop, all fluids, get them all checked, tested if

they're questionable, get them replaced. Number two, and the engineer filter. If it's not clean,

then it's dirty. Replace it. Engine oil, change it, get a fresh oil change, quality oil change

with quality products. Because what happens, dirty motor oil at minus 22, it gets thick.

And one year on the Hamilton Mountain, we had a deep freeze that went on for like six weeks,

minus 22, minus 27. It was, it was cold. We had vehicles towed in by CAA. We couldn't even take

another one. They were, would not start. Hard to crank over. And most of them,

the fluids, motor oil was like driveway sealer. No, don't let that be you. So I'm giving you

some tips to prevent that from happening. Because you know what comes along with that,

the roadside issue, a lot of car problems that are going to cost you a lot of money.

So don't be there. You're exhaust. If it's showing weakness before the snowfall hits,

fix it now. Because it's not a matter of if. It's a matter of when and when it breaks off,

it can cause more damage underneath the vehicle to the structure of the vehicle as well.

I've seen exhaust pipes buckle and push the floor up and tear a hole in the floor. Why go there?

Why go there? So until next time, visit us on our website at carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com,

ccbusnet.com, all the links, including our car connection merch is in the top right hand corner

of our homepage. Check out our family run businesses that have been a part of car connection and make

this podcast happen. And be sure to email if you have a topic you'd love for me to cover,

I'd love to do it just for you. One person makes a difference. So send me an email through our

website form, jump on Stevensvilleontheweb.ca, click on the businesses tab, our profile will

come up and you can also email me through there. You can also put a comment in one of our YouTube

videos for an episode that you would like to see. We just shot one today. I had a number of emails

come in requesting, what's all the writing on the sidewall of a tire? How do I know how old my tire

is? How do I know what tire pressure really needs to be set to? I'm confused. We just shot that video

today. It will upload to our YouTube channel Niall Motormouth Jenkins on Friday, the 5th of December.

So until next time, I hope I leave you with something. Thank you, friends. Appreciate all of you

and drive safe out there. Watch out for the other guy. Happy motoring and put the coffee on. I think

we're going to come to your house.

Winter Road Readiness: Tire Pressures, Fluids, and Exhaust = Stay Safe Before the Cold Hits

About this episode

Jeep Wrangler

Nissan Rogue

City Auto Sales and Leasing

Land Rover Discovery

TPMS

flat tire

tire pressure monitoring system

wire harness

wheel speed sensor

hub

bearing

spare tire

fender liners

low tire pressure light

sidewall

power steering fluid

brake fluid

transmission oil

motor oil

coolant

washer fluid

brake reservoir

dipstick

fluids under the hood

exhaust systems

Honda Civic

catalytic converter

lift

oil change

oil filter

flanges

engine oil

Request an Explanation

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