The Land Rover Discovery is a big, fancy SUV that can handle tough roads and off-road adventures. It's great for families because it has lots of space and is comfortable, making it a popular choice for people who like to explore.
The Porsche 356 is a famous sports car made by the German company Porsche, and it was one of the first cars they ever built. It's known for being stylish and fun to drive, and many car enthusiasts love it because of its history and design.
A battery in a car is like a big rechargeable battery that helps start the engine and run things like lights and radio. When it's really cold, the battery can struggle to work properly.
The Jeep TJ Wrangler is a tough, off-road vehicle that's great for adventures. The 1997 version is known for being reliable and has a more comfortable interior than earlier models.
Repairs and maintenance are the things you do to keep a car running well. This can mean fixing things that are broken or doing regular check-ups to make sure everything is working properly.
A warranty is like a promise from the car maker that they will fix certain problems for free if they happen within a certain time or distance you drive. It's important because it protects you from unexpected repair costs.
Rust proofing is a way to protect your car from rust, which can happen when metal gets wet and starts to break down. It's especially useful if you live in places with a lot of rain or snow.
The Honda Civic is a small car that many people drive because it's dependable and gets good gas mileage. The 1999 version is known for lasting a long time if taken care of properly.
The Toyota FJ Cruiser is a tough SUV designed for off-roading. It has a unique look and is built to handle rough terrain, making it a favorite for adventure seekers.
'Maintenance free' means that something doesn't need regular care or checks. But in cars, this isn't true; all parts need some attention to keep them working well.
LIVE
Good morning Niagara and car connection friends you're tuned to car
connection where the coffee is hot the tools are ready and the talk is always
tuned up and I'm your host Niall Motormouth Jenkins coming to you
straight from the car connection workshop where we mix a little humor a
little know-how and a whole lot of horsepower here it's not just about
fixing cars it's about keeping you rolling and saving you money and giving
you the confidence to understand what's under that hood from the classics to the
commuters to the weird noises to the what the heck moments we've got you
covered so grab your coffee sit back don't get too relaxed if you're driving
this morning it is this is Motormouth in the morning drive time keep an eye on
the other guy secure your beverage and always always always remember check your
order before you get too far away from the takeout window I'm just saying that's
got to be part of the plan so grab your coffee your cup of Joe sit back join the
crew because this is car connection your weekly daily morning drive including
Saturday's pit stop stories smarts and good some good laughs yeah so make sure
lids on tight on your beverage we don't want anyone getting hurt during this
recording of the morning drive so a few good laughs and I'm in the house and
we're shifting into the drives you ready to go right here in the car
connection workshop we got a ton of stuff to get through this morning but
first and foremost it's always very important to make sure we say thank you
to our program partners coming off 31 years of being on the radio and we have
program partners seeing car connection into the next gen 2.0 and you're a part
of that and you play a very big part of that so we have a lot of time together
to catch up so we got to do 32 years on podcast are you in are you in it to win
it fabulous well thank you to Crystal Ridge Dream Center serving men women
children meals love hope and changing lives one at a time in the Niagara
region there have been our nonprofit faith-based organization for 2025 and
heading into 2026 and we can all come alongside be part of that community very
very simple safe and easy just visit any one of our recommended businesses on our
website at carconnectionbusinessnetwork.com their logos are made available to
you on our homepage so we keep it simple click on the logo it will open the
profile page so you can connect with some fan-tastic people thank you to
Earl Louise Grant at City Auto Sales and Leasing been a part of car
connection for quite some time now we appreciate them because when you're car
shopping you want someone that you know you can go to to trust that you can buy
with confidence and be traded treated with nothing less than honesty and
auto store Earl Louise Grant their car guys their car guys that's right they
are for 25 plus years and they have the resources to find that specific vehicle
you're looking for they do carry a pretty decent inventory I might say but if
there's you need something specific let them know let them do the legwork for
you city auto sales and leasing GTA's premier pre-owned auto store rainbow
motors and garage sales and service you can always trust up in Scarborough
read and remiss Shenouda brothers up there they have a car lot they carry a
little inventory as well and they also have resources to find that specific
vehicle you're looking for so you not only can purchase there you can have its
service there they service all years makes and models up to light commercial
vehicles sales and service you can trust to our certified financial planners
Tony Miele and Larry Tito 50 years experience as fiduciaries combined they
are my personal financial planners I've been with them well over 20 years and
when I say these guys you need to grab their coattails get your questions
answered get that one-hour discovery meeting which we call the hour in the
coffee there's no charge for that that's complimentary but do me a favor don't
waste their time if you're not interested in change you're not interested in
moving forward you're not interested in getting the right answers from those who
have the fruit on the tree these guys they don't need any more customers they
have promised me many years ago now that our radio listeners they would give
them one hour of their time to see how they can help you answer your questions
help you along so they do portfolios debt retirement estate planning mortgages
life insurance critical illness insurance and I have all of that with them I
wouldn't even think of getting a mortgage anywhere else fantastic company to
deal with and they're not going to give you any sales pitch whatsoever in fact
you'll probably be doing the most talking and they'll be doing the most
listening so connect with either Tony mele or Larry T tro and sit down and
get that discovery meeting and get that weight off your shoulders Niagara block
5000 Montrose road Niagara Falls building Canada since 1931 building supplies and
hardscape landscaping materials and design they will help you create that
amazing oasis that you can escape to in summer 2026 now's the time to actually
start putting the plans together because I know when we did our backyard here in
2012 it took two years to complete everything leveling the leveling the
property putting in drainage what kind of materials are we building a deck are
we doing that are we making a patio and lining up the workers to get it done it
takes time it takes time so Niagara block 5000 Montrose road Niagara Falls
905 356 2221 and total freedom Darian Center in New York total freedom Sydney
Manitoba Canada that's a men only campus with Rick and Robin the facilitators
there and boy do they have a story to tell they know what addiction is like so
if you or someone you know someone you love someone in your circle of friends
it may even be yourself hiding that addiction trying to but people know
something's going on there's a new life waiting for you at total freedom
Darian Center New York or Sydney Manitoba for men it's a campus and it's a
lifestyle change so if you're ready you can connect with them all our
recommended businesses and program partners because simply put we wouldn't
have a new YouTube channel and we would not be podcasting if it weren't for them
so take a moment do me a favor send them an email through our website and let
them know that you you're thanking them for the program so let's move on this
morning we never want to forget those who help us to accomplish the things that
we want to do and I'm not a big shot I'm just a little shot that just keeps
shooting I'm here to help you I have decades of experience and I'm a licensed
automotive service tech and a truck technician as well big trucks heavy stuff
and there's a lot of stuff going on now great going on out there right now a
lot of but you know I thought my eyes my lashes fluttered before but when I what
I'm hearing lately it's like even the fur on the top of my feet stands up
straight it's like what are you stinking kidding me so let's get started this
morning and kick it off with another motor mouth winter tech tip number 26
you ready for this one well I took a look outside this morning at 4 30 a.m. and
I'm going wow it's look kind of starting to look like winter here on the
south shores of Lake Erie where the car connection studios are cold mornings and
weak batteries go together like pumpkin spice and regret if your car cranks
slower than a teenager getting out of bed check that battery before you're
stranded and you're sipping your coffee in your driveway yeah because that's
exactly what happens there'll be a few people this morning with a click click
clickard or denied no keyless entry what's going on I can't get in the lights
aren't flashing dead battery yet so if you haven't listened to that program or
watched our battery testing video on our YouTube channel at Nile Motormouth
Jenkins and just a reminder if you're joining us for the first time brown
paper bag crayons co-pilot if not you can re-listen and listen again and also
grab the podcast off our car connection business network comm website in the
archive broadcast section that's right and on the top right hand corner of our
home page is where our amazing webmaster Mike has put all the links to
everything that you can use to connect with us and be a part of our car
connection motormouth crew so top right hand corner you'll see YouTube
Instagram Facebook Stevensville on the web.ca click on the businesses tab on
that one opens a profile page you can email me through that profile page at
Stevensville on the web.ca our merch store is also there and the icon for
iHeartRadio as well so you can just go to our homepage or our website the short
version is ccbusnet.com BUS is in Sam NET.com and click away in the top
right hand corner I always make reference to the links and the importance
of them in our description of our podcast and also in every single video we
shoot which are teaching videos we shot four videos yesterday they'll be
coming up next week so might want to tune into that and be a part of our
YouTube channel like share follow and put your comments down below we got some
amazing Christmas stuff going on right now some reels and bloopers and
outtakes getting posted we shot some of those yesterday as well Santa cars is
coming as usual to the car connection workshop and you never know what he's
going to bring but I put my I put my sock it's it's posted there on the 1997
Jeep TJ Wrangler rescue if you don't know anything about that you've got to
catch up because that that thing is coming together now as we speak we have
gone through all the repairs and maintenance that was neglected that put
that little baby into the wrecking yard and it was given to us to bring it back
to life and we've been doing that one stitch at a time and I'll tell you that's
what brings me to the topic we started this yesterday on the Monday morning
drive so hey everybody happy happy Tuesday morning and we are into a brand
new month and we're only days away from Christmas Day can you believe that we're
this is day two we're two days in my topic this morning kind of ties in with
what we talked about yesterday because it's a heavy-duty topic and that is you
want to keep it what's your game plan when it comes to your automobile what's
your game plan do you wait until and you know send me a comment go through our
YouTube channel and put a comment in one of the videos we posted we got two
videos coming out today fresh ones we do two for Tuesday one every Friday every
single week and come and be a part of that and learn five things every time
what it is where it is how it breaks why it matters and number five what could you
have learned or understood better about components on your automobile that would
save you a ton of money thousands and thousands of dollars and I got to ask
for your to cut me some slack because I'm still fighting this cold thing how
many of you out there got whatever this is and it's just kind of beat me up it
kind of goes away and then it comes back and then I feel like I'm coughing up
half a lung sometimes and my eyeballs are gonna be half a half way across the
room well I'm still drinking morning tea so let's take a second or two just to
have a little swiggy together keep your eye on the road and the other guy will
count it down that's how we do it three two one have a swiggy together you're
ready three two one hmm I'd like to say that's really good but it's not coffee
this is a concoction it doesn't taste bad but it's not coffee that's what we
drink here in the car connection workshop is coffee I octane not a penny less so
let's crack this open I'd like to hear some comments from you you can email me
through ccbusnet.com you can comment through any one of our YouTube YouTube
videos you want to keep it longer your car but what's your game plan how have
we cracked open the idea that what if what if you subscribe what if you had a
serious mindset change and started to implement preventative vehicle maintenance
what would that look like I can tell you this all the customers we had we opened
our shop in 1992 on the Hamilton mountain it took us a couple of years we
had 500 steady clients that's all we needed really I really couldn't take on
any more for the size of the shop and the number of texts why because we had
500 steady clients that bought into the idea and when they realized they saved
money by making sure that they had an appointment from the appointment it's
called BAM BAM book a meeting from a meeting they had an appointment to have
the car into the auto salon that's what we used to call it well the customers
used to call it the car Jenkins automotive auto salon because every vehicle
we washed every vehicle before it left no matter whether it was an oil change or
flat repair we washed your car for you and parked it outside nice and clean
ready for you to take it home or go to work and they bought into the idea of
booking an appointment before they left the salon just like ladies or fellas
you get a haircut or an updo about every five weeks right maybe sooner for some
you may be a little longer but you book an appointment your next appointment when
you're finished the appointment you're at today so we started that with our
clients and it took off like gangbusters and their vehicles were very well
maintained we hardly ever had one of them towed in on a flatbed that was our
goal we had a less than 1% comeback rate which we worked very very hard on
to make sure that we covered the four things that should be written down on a
work order the concern the cause the correction and then most of all the the
road test to confirm yeah it's fixed this thing is right on and then we're
ready to pass it back to you so that's what started the preventative maintenance
program where my customers knew before they left they booked their next
appointment so that they weren't disappointed so they knew for sure just
like the the next appointment for the dentist and I'm in the chair late today
please pray for me yeah finally getting this if you haven't been following along
yeah I got like the full package going I got this winter cold happening it's
drifting out oh I'm good and then boom it comes back and I've been dealing with
a toothache big enough to bust the top of your cranium out if you know what I'm
saying you ever had one of those I've been dealing with this three weeks I had
an appointment to have it taken out I had an exam and all of that I get there
last Tuesday Dennis can't do it is tied up with another patient and then another
week of eating Advil just so I can try and sleep for a few hours well today's
the day that suckers coming out and I say that to say this you know when they
see 19 campaign hit I wasn't able to stay with my routine with my dentist so my
teeth have gotten behind and last year fall time about this time I know you're
gonna say why'd you wait so long because I love the dental chair no because I
needed to find a dentist that like I had that I could count on who supported his
work stood behind at 100% and I kind of got into that rut or put it off and put
it off so anyways this $3,700 crowned tooth fell apart eating an egg cell at
sandwich and I go oh what's that oh my gosh it's the entire top of my tooth and
it's done I mean it's done for it's a train wreck so today supposedly four
o'clock today it's out time and there goes a $3,700 bill right into the
garbage can right just like that but anyways cars are just the same you need
to have that game plan so I'm asking you today to share with me send me an email
through our YouTube channel or through ccbustett.com we have an email form a
website form there you can send me an email what is your game plan in 2026 to
work towards keeping your automobile longer a lot longer not the two to five
years when I hear a vehicle brand spanking new off the assembly line is
only covered for warranty for you know two years 60,000 kilometers or four
years 60,000 K I go what that's all you're willing to give me on something
that's that expensive what does that tell me it tells me you don't believe in
your product I mean Hyundai has been one of the best ones out there for warranty
for many years seven year hundred thousand they were the first ones that
came out with that and I've watched the product line grow and I have to tell you
it's decent it is very very decent you get your money's worth I have a 09
Hyundai puddle jumper accent we call the jelly bean the J bean for short it's
just reaching 85,000 K now but brand new five speed no air conditioning no power
door locks just stripped down thing that car will take you to the end of the
planet and back without any issue just regular maintenance it just got rust
proof last week got its annual rust proofing so that's all taken care of
and it's pretty gooey under there and that's what you want so let's tear this
thing down a little bit further today your game plan here I'll tell you what
the game plan should be and then you share with me what your game plan is
and let me see if I can guess it we don't spend any money on the vehicle
until a the service light comes on the money light is what I like to call it
people panic when the service light comes on but you don't think we now have
vehicles that communicate with us so that we can stay ahead of the curve right
if there's a problem coming something we need to be made aware of and I
remember this conversation back in the early 90s in the shop floor only if our
cars could tell us what's going on and here we are yeah they got more
electronics on than what powers the space shuttle and that's not a joke we got
processors we got ECMs PCMs modules computers galore wiring in wiring
harnesses inside our transmission which we never had there's there's so much
wiring and solenoids and do dads inside an automatic transmission if you ever
get a chance to see one and we'll see if we can put that together for you I know
a couple of fellas will let us shoot a video in their shop that rebuilds
transmissions and just really take a look at what's in there you'd be shocked
we're going what is that that's what makes the car go and shift exactly on time
every shift is timed it's accurate it's deadly accurate so neglect do you
neglect the vehicle until the service light comes on or it's giving you a
hard time starting it or it's running poorly it shuts off at you know when
you come to a traffic light or a stop light stop sign the thing idle is rough
or it doesn't really take off very well are these things that you wait until
you're experiencing it before it goes to the shop that's my question but that
that method it might work for a while but that's why you have humongous
repair bills and some of the repair bills I've been made aware of lately it's
like dear god in heaven thirty eight hundred dollars what come on you know
back in the day man if I presented something like that to a customer I
wouldn't be talking to you today I'd be six feet under you know five hundred
dollar bills a five hundred dollar service order back in the 90s was like
what yeah crazy crazy bad so let's take a look at that that method is what's
costing many of you thousands and thousands of dollars you could slice
that down to a fraction of that repair order instead of waiting till you bring
it in you go this thing ain't right dude you got can you check it over it needs
a good go over and when we get into the car and start looking at things there's
like well which problem did you want me to look after first you know it'd be
nothing to look look a vehicle over and go really have a dozen problems here and
some more in the works so then we got to get on the phone bring you up to speed
and go hey this thing's got like a list of problems as long as your left leg and
then some with extras coming so what would you like me to do if I just fix
the thing that brought it finally was the straw that broke the camel's back so
to speak that's leaving a lot more opportunity to leave you on the side of
the road so how would you like me to proceed that's why I thought we should
talk about if that's your game plan I don't know I don't know you connect if
that's your game plan we wait honey until it won't even go anymore but we
don't have the money to replace it and we don't have extra money laying around
to get a substitute or I'm not taking the bus or taxi then what's the game
plan at that point and that is the reason why right there that in 2007 I
designed a segment in our radio broadcast called the planners I asked Tony
Miele and we sat down and we had a breakfast meeting I said what do you
think about this we do a segment once a month and kind of help people with their
finances and guide them along to help them to take care of their automobile but
also prepare should the opportunity be forced upon you to have to replace that
vehicle at a moment's notice something catastrophic goes wrong with it and it
can happen it can absolutely happen so that's how we did we designed that
portion of our radio broadcast for decades since July of 2007 was to spend
one 15-minute segment once a month just to talk about finances and what you need
to do to get yourself in a position so you don't get back into the corner like
we would see many times in our waiting area intense moments of fellowship
between husband and wife blaming each other for the state and condition of the
car and how they were going to come up with the funding to get it back on the
road because a they didn't have the money for the repairs that need are needed
just to get it back out on the road and limp it along number two they couldn't
walk away from it they didn't have the money to buy a replacement vehicle what
do you do that's why I'm asking you what's your game plan drive it till you
kill it for some people maybe you got really deep pockets and you can do that
but as for me in my house hey my oldest car that's on the road and it's on the
road every day is 1999 that's right 1999 Honda Civic heading for 400,000 K it
didn't get there without maintenance I can tell you that for sure it's made it
that far and it's still solid it's not rotted out and it can keep going how did
it do that a different game plan than what you have perhaps my 07 Toyota FJ
Cruiser I can't even remember how many years I've had that now 17 I'm not sure
but we're on the back door 400,000 K on that one and it's still going strong
does it need stuff periodically yeah I stay ahead of the curve because I like
you I don't want to go I got to spend 1500 bucks on this or two grand on that
excuse me and I'm back it's just a good morning hack that's what I call it I
needed to clear my exhaust yeah so it's not that you get that specific vehicle
off the line and it doesn't need any service doesn't need any parts that's
not true I've talked about this a million times over 31 years on the
radio there's nothing on a car that is maintenance free nothing if it if it's
made it can break it's that simple every single component on a car has the
capability of breaking so that's why we have parts departments you know I have
to visit the parts department just like you guys so if I can help you to change
that mindset to take a bite out of your vehicle maintenance because here's the
here's the deal how many of you out there could do without your car for 30
days four weeks how about two months how about 90 days could you do without your
car 90 days till you come up with the money to fix it completely no keys no
car it's car down situation well I'm gonna tell you what I've learned over the
years people can't even deal without having their phone for five minutes let
alone having a car down situation for more than a couple of days so in the
economy that we're in in the circumstances that we're under right now
finding parts getting parts and sourcing parts has become a daily routine
like almost Sherlock Holmes to find the pieces we need to get your car back
together and get it back to you in a timely fashion because production has
changed because of tariffs things have changed it's not the world that we were
in in the automotive repair and service industry back in 1992 when we opened our
shop doors for the very first time things were different back then but now
we're in a different world so having a car down situation the average commute
time is way up I mean many people are still working from home and they've
discovered hey we don't all have to drive an hour and a half to get to a
cubicle to sit there and get work done for the company that I'm employed with
hey we can save a lot of money on office space people can work from home but not
everyone has that opportunity so there's those who have to commute and the
average commute time is way up it can be anywhere from a half an hour to an hour
to 90 minutes so the car is working hard every day and I know what that drives
like because I did that for four years I drove 90 minutes one way to get to a
position my post and 90 minutes back home regardless what the weather was like
so over the next little bit I would like to hear some comments from you and as I
mentioned already if you're just tuning in what is your game plan to keep your
car longer in 2026 or are you in a position where every couple of years
you're you're able to just change it out change it up send your car in to be
sold to another caregiver and they're going to take care of it I don't know
I'd like to hear your thoughts so put some comments down either on one of my
YouTube videos at Nile motor model Jenkins or send me an email through
Stevensville on the web.ca click on the businesses tab open our profile there
send me an email or better yet go to our car connection business network.com
website CC BUS is in Sam net.com and click on the website form send me an
email what is your mindset what is your game plan for 2026 to get to that
desired outcome of keeping your vehicles longer but healthy how are you
going to do it are you gonna wait till a pile of issues come up on your vehicle
and then face a ginormous repair bill or how about kind of taking a slice out of
that and making sure that you have just like in your next hair appointment
ladies you know what I'm talking about you book your hairstylist before you
leave so you know you can get yourself fixed up again in that timeframe and I'm
always set me appointment he said you need an updo about every five weeks so I
go okay you know book me my next appointment and that way I knew I had
that coming up so I could take care of my head Fred and that's important you
got to look stylish once in a while that's what hats are for so let's let's
drop it there and I'm gonna be watching for your comments and we're gonna
continue this conversation and unpacking on do you want to keep your
vehicle longer how are you going to do it heading into a brand new year 2026
we're only days away now four month maintenance checkups I call them MPIs
and you'll find out what that is creating a habit with you and your
vehicle you know that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit yeah in what's
it called the 21 day focus irrefutable laws of leadership some great
information that help will help you to understand that takes 21 days to make or
break a habit Dan Sullivan that's I've got a great CD by Dan Sullivan and he
talks about that freedom days focus days buffer days very very accurate that's
kind of what we need to create with our cars but I'm looking forward to hearing
from you what's your game plan if you want to keep it that's your car we're
talking about what's your game plan I'm curious to see your strategy and maybe
perhaps you could shed some light on it for me as well so until next time have
fun keep it on our hundred happy mortaring my friends and we'll see you
for more of the motormouth morning drive Wednesday morning at 8 a.m. bye for now
About this episode
Exploring the importance of preventative maintenance, this episode encourages listeners to shift their mindset towards proactive vehicle care. Host Niall Jenkins shares personal anecdotes and practical tips on how to extend the life of your car, emphasizing the financial benefits of regular check-ups. He discusses the consequences of neglecting maintenance and invites listeners to share their own game plans for 2026. With a blend of humor and expertise, Jenkins aims to empower car owners to take control of their vehicle's health and avoid costly repairs.
This morning on the Motormouth 8AM drive, we're looking ahead with one simple challenge:
What's your game plan for 2026? Today we break down how fresh mindset toward regular preventative maintenance can save you massive stress, time, and money in the new year. From scheduling your services on purpose to preventing breakdowns before they happen, this episode shows how small habits protect your wallet - and keep you far from the road side waiting in the cold. If you're ready to roll into 2026 with fewer surprises and a whole lot more confidence behind the wheel, this is the episode for you. Let's build smarter routines, protect your investment, and keep you driving instead of stranded. CALL TO ACTION- DECEMBER DRIVE TIME EDITION: Like, subscribe, and drop a comment sharing your 2026 car maintenance goal or questions. Follow us on Facebook @ Nile Motormouth Jenkins for reels, behind - the - scenes clips, and winter tech tips you don't want to miss. Catch us locally on StevensvilleOnThe Web.ca under the Businesses tab for exclusive outtakes and community content. Don't forget to grab your Car Connection Merch - link in the description - and wear it proud this holiday season! Thanks for tuning in. Let's keep those wheels turning and those engines earning! Visit us anytime at ccbusnet.com all our links are on the home page top right corner, Please support our amazing program partners and recommended businesses, all have my seal of approval! merch: https://shop.freedomexpressions.net/carconnection Happy Motoring Friends, Love Y'all very much Tnx a Bunch!