On this episode of Drive Radio, John Rush is joined by Roy and Dietze from ProTech Auto Shield for a jam-packed show all about protecting your vehicle—and yourself. From peeling clear coats and costly paint jobs to ceramic coatings and proper car wash habits, the crew breaks down what really ruins your finish and how to preserve your investment. Spoiler alert: that free gas station car wash might be your worst enemy. Callers bring real-world questions, including how to handle aging tire sensors, what to do with faded paint on hand-me-down cars, and how to shop smart for a
SPEAKER 12 :
It’s a mighty fancy automobile. Oh, she’s a real road king, all right. Zero to 60 in 7.5. She’ll do a quarter mile, 13.40. 390 horsepower, 500 foot-pounds of torque. Whatever that is. Performance and image, that’s what it’s all about.
SPEAKER 16 :
There’s no such thing as a stupid question. This is Drive Radio. All of your automotive questions are just one phone call away. 303-477-5600. Drive Radio is made possible by the member shops of Colorado Select Auto Care Centers. To find one near you, go to drive-radio.com. Now, Drive Radio on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right, we are back. Drive Radio, KLZ 560. And again, Roy and Dietze both from ProTech Auto Shield with me today. And Jeff in Arvada, you are next. Go ahead.
SPEAKER 08 :
Good morning. I have a 2000 Chevy Malibu, 2011 Chevy Malibu. Oop, I lost you, Jeff. Are you still there?
SPEAKER 05 :
Hello, Jeff. Jeff, we lost you. Say that all over again, would you?
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay. I have a 2000 Chevy Malibu.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 08 :
And on the paint, the clear coat on the roof and the hood is starting to peel. Okay. It’s peeling off. It looks kind of blotchy, kind of ugly. And is there anything that can spruce that up or make it look halfway decent, or are you looking for a new paint job?
SPEAKER 05 :
I wish. Most likely. Yeah, and this is a question. Actually, it’s funny you just said this because Charlie was asking during the break, you know, when you see a vehicle around where it could be a really nice-looking vehicle, all the body’s nice and straight, it’s not all dinged up, but you see the paint is looking like what you’re talking about, Jeff, when it comes to, you know, the clear could be flaking, could be cloudy, and so on. Now, several things could be causing that. For a lot of you listening, let’s talk about this because in some cases – There were just some paints that did that. Some models of cars had some of those issues, and it was inherent to the type of car that it was. In other cases, though, Jeff, some of this is coming from the type of car wash you use, not waxing the paint, keeping it fresh, things along those lines. Even keeping it clean can cause some of this. But when it gets to that point, it’s a repaint. There’s nothing you’re going to do. No matter what TV commercial tells you out there, you can reliven up that clear coat. It’s not possible. It’s not going to happen. you
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay. And I think one time you were saying paint jobs, a good paint job is going to be pretty pricey.
SPEAKER 05 :
In most cars today, there’s but rare exceptions, Jeff, to where you can actually repaint a car and have it economically make sense at the end of the day because to get a really good paint job similar to what you would have from factory, you’re a minimum. Minimum. And it depends on the car and the size and the color and all of that, but it’s a minimum $10,000. Minimum.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay. All right.
SPEAKER 05 :
And in some cases, 15 or 20, depending upon what you’re looking to have done and what kind of car it is. You take like a higher end, you know, exotic car, Porsche, something along those lines, you’re 20K plus to get it done correctly.
SPEAKER 17 :
You could potentially do a wrap.
SPEAKER 05 :
You could wrap it. Thank you. I was going to ask Dietze that. So this is one of those examples of where, Jeff, you could actually take, instead of painting the car, wrap it for significantly less money than you could painting it.
SPEAKER 11 :
probably is not the right thing to do but the problem yeah the quick fix i mean the you can wrap it in uh but the problem like she’s saying i mean the problem is going to still there the underlying paint is still there is the point yeah okay all right and uh one other question uh
SPEAKER 08 :
I have a 2012 Dodge Ram, and the tire light is on. But the dash readout gives you a readout of all four tires on the dashboard. And it’s indicating equal tire pressure. It reads 38 pounds. Now, there may be 39, 37, but in most cases, it’s 38 pounds, all four tires. Now, if the If one of the sensors was bad, would the tire readout indicate zero, or how does that work?
SPEAKER 05 :
Usually they don’t read at all. I will tell you that a 2012, unless you’ve put sensors in it, they’re 13 years old. They’re getting to where the batteries are probably going bad in those sensors, if not bad right now.
SPEAKER 08 :
Oh, okay.
SPEAKER 05 :
You’re getting close enough on age. Typically, about 10 years is kind of, and some don’t even last that long, Jeff, depending upon the vehicle. Some will run, you know, eight or so. But you’re at now 13 years of age. Actually, 2026 will be coming out here in the fall. So you’re almost, you know, you’re almost at that age. Well, you are at that age to where if they’ve not been replaced, they’re needed.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay. Well, that’s good to know. Yeah. I’ve got to get any tires pretty soon, so I think I’ll just go ahead and get that done then.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, if you’re getting to that point, yeah, absolutely. At that point in time, put sensors on it and go. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 08 :
Okay. Okay. Well, thanks for all the info.
SPEAKER 05 :
No, thank you, Jeff. I appreciate it very much. Now, one quick thing, too, on what can cause some of that cloudiness on clear coats and so on. And this is something that isn’t well known, but it is something that’s out there. Now, is it across the board happening in every single area? car wash i’m going to mention no but can it happen yes and that is a lot of the i’m sorry to say but a lot of the gas station car washes unless it’s an upper end gas station where they’ve got an actual car wash where there’s some attendance and things like that but typically Gas station car washes are using more caustic soaps. In some cases, they’re running muriatic acid in the soap itself. I’m not exaggerating when I say this. That’s how they’re cleaning the car because the equipment is subpar. In a lot of cases, these gas station car washes have equipment that’s probably decades old. They’re continuing to make money with that wash because you fill up, you want to wash. Yes, it’s an extra whatever. and or you’re getting it free with the full tank of gas or whatever the case. That’s the gimmick of you buying gas there, whatever the case. But in a lot of cases, they’re running a very caustic and or acid soap to help get the car clean, in turn doing damage to aluminum parts and the paint on the car every time you roll through. So I would highly suggest that if you’re using an automatic wash, you know the wash properly. You know the brand. You know what they’re doing. You can typically see by looking at the wash, hey, this is a high-end place. They’re going to be using the right soaps and so on and all of that. And I’m not a big fan of using them, especially on exotic cars. I don’t think I would on an exotic car. But on your regular daily driver, you want to go use an automatic wash, be my guest. Get it ceramic coated. Go use an automatic wash. Have fun. Recoat it every now and again. Save some time and energy and so on by not washing it yourself. You’re fine. Go for it. But just remember that some of the more neglected car washes, and you can typically tell by looking at them that they are, are typically going to have a more caustic soap, not helping, in fact, in some cases, damaging the paint on your car at the same time. Mike, go ahead.
SPEAKER 07 :
Boy, John, this is a great subject, and that’s why I called in. You couldn’t be more correct, and not that I would think that you’re not knowing this subject, but once again, along the same lines that you have always advocated, and that is maintain your vehicle and you won’t have to go through this cost. And I couldn’t agree with you more. Gas station, car washes, you don’t know what the brushes have washed off. the diesel fuel, the spilt gas, whatever’s already on those. And the soaps are absolutely designed to…
SPEAKER 05 :
I lost that end part, Mike. I think what you said is the soaps are definitely designed to be more caustic and cleaning. Is that what you said? I think that’s what you were saying.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yes, yes. That’s exactly correct, John. I mean, you know, they’re designed so that you come out going, oh, my car looks great. But the bottom line is the soap didn’t do your finish any good. And you’re correct along the lines of your earlier guess. Get some ceramic coating and find a car wash that you can run it through that looks good and ask them about their soap.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right.
SPEAKER 07 :
And ask them what’s in it. I need to see what’s in it. Absolutely. I wouldn’t, and, you know, if they don’t want to tell you, you know, I would run the other direction.
SPEAKER 05 :
I would, too. I would, too. Well, and for everybody listening, I was talking to Charlie about some of this during the top of the hour break, Mike, and some would say, well, John, how do you know all of this? Well, keep in mind, folks, for a reminder, I owned, you know, auto shops for, you know, 30 years and a lot of what I did was customizing of especially trucks and four-wheel drives but even some cars and things like that and Mike there was one particular situation and this was at a time where I was thinking about building a car wash so I did a lot of research on car washes all the different types tunnel washes to standalone washes to automatic washes and so on so I learned a lot about car washes at one time because that’s what I was thinking of doing didn’t end up going down that route but I learned a lot about car washes in that process and at the same time I had sold a guy with a truck a brand-new DZ high-polish aluminum toolbox that looked awesome. I cannot tell you how good it looked. And he leaves. Everything’s great. And it had an F-250. He comes back about two weeks later, and it’s got all these streaks in this really nice aluminum toolbox. And he’s like, I want a refund. I want a new toolbox. Look at this thing. And I looked at him like, well, it definitely doesn’t look very good. It doesn’t look like the day it left here. That’s for sure. So my first question was, I said, can I ask you a question? He says, sure. I said, what car wash do you use? And he looks at me kind of funny. He’s like, well, what are you talking about? I said, I can tell you from looking at this, you’re probably using a quote unquote gas station car wash. I said, I can pretty much guarantee you that you’re running through an automatic wash somewhere in town. Am I right? And he says, well, yeah. How did you know? I said, I can tell you from looking at your toolbox, they’re using muriatic acid. They’re using an acid wash in the soap, and that’s why it looks this way. And he’s like, you’re kidding me. And I’m like, no. I said, here’s what I’m going to do. I said, I’m going to warranty the box. I can get one of them warrantied, no problem, because I’ve got a good relationship with the manufacturer. I’ll warranty this box, but only one. You run through that wash again and do this a second time, it’s on you. And let’s just say this, Mike, he never went to that car wash again.
SPEAKER 07 :
Absolutely. And I know you’ve got to take a break.
SPEAKER 05 :
You’re fine.
SPEAKER 07 :
Take your time. There’s a point here where you can step over a dollar to save a dime, even on washing your car. Go get ceramic coated. Use the people that you recommend on that. You know, they’re great. They’re good, and I guess, you know, this is an ad. You know, I’m not trying to be an ad for you guys.
SPEAKER 05 :
No, you know, you’re fine, Mike. Keep on. You’re perfect. This is exactly what it’s all about.
SPEAKER 07 :
Yeah, no, and it will save money in the long run, and I feel bad for that guy’s finish. It’s horrible, and some manufacturers paint and clear coat. I get it. But with today’s cars, with three-stage paint jobs, etc., etc., etc., you’re going to be money ahead to go get it ceramic coated, keep it clean, either by, you know, doing it yourself, which I understand. I’m getting to the point in age where that’s problematic for me. But, you know, even with my, I won’t run my exotics through a car wash.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right. Yeah, that’s a no-go period.
SPEAKER 07 :
That’s a no-go period. But, you know, but you’ve got to, You’ve got to keep them clean, and you need to keep a coat of protectant on them.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 07 :
I.e., ceramic and et cetera. And this is real simple. Find a good car wash. Ask them what they’re doing. This boils down to what you preach all the time, and I’m going to reiterate it, and that is do your due diligence first. Take care of your vehicle, and you’ll save money in the long run, even on your paint job.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yep, yep, absolutely, absolutely. So anyway, great show, my friend. Thanks, Mike. Appreciate you, man, very much. I mean that sincerely. Okay, one other thing I’ve got to throw out, just because it comes up far too often. I’m sorry, and it does. I’ve had several text messages even along these lines here in the past couple of weeks, and this is an article right now, just popped up. It came out yesterday, by the way, 9 News. A week after, 52-year-old Carlos Mercado was killed by a hit-and-run driver. His wife and children are trying to get his remains back to Mexico for a funeral. So here’s the key, folks. Here’s how he died. Changing a flat tire on the side of a road. Oh. which I tell you guys all of the time, and I can’t preach it enough, get completely off the road. A life is not worth what you would ruin even in a tire in a wheel by driving to the next exit. For the love of God, stop changing tires on the sides of roads. It is the most dangerous thing I think you could ever do. Now, in this case, he was killed by a drunk driver, but here’s the problem, especially at night. People that have been drinking and are drunk, they are naturally attracted to things that are blinking or there’s light or whatever. It’s why I’m so fearful of even people that are on the sides of the road with hazards on at night because you’ve now become a target for those types of people that might be out on the road. Even distracted drivers, they’re going to be attracted to those particular things. and you on the side of the road with your flashers on have now become a target so please stop doing that every time i read one of these my heart breaks because this is avoidable drive to the next exit get off the road completely the car will go that far on a flat tire turn your hazards on get over to the shoulder drive to the next exit then do your tire change a tire is Cheaper than a life. Oh, my word. Thank you, Roy. Yes, there is no replacement for a life, folks. A tire can be replaced.
SPEAKER 17 :
I once drove my car for 20 minutes until I got home in a flat tire.
SPEAKER 05 :
You’re way better off doing that. then having an injury, an accident, somebody else having an accident, whatever the case may be, there’s nothing more dangerous than working on your car on the side of the road, period. So please stop doing that, and these things will be avoided. We’ll be right back. Drive Radio, KLZ 560.
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SPEAKER 05 :
All right, we are back. Drive Radio KLZ 560. Really quick, back to that story I said a moment ago about somebody dying by changing the tire. Keep in mind, folks, too, this was 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Yes, it was still a drunk driver, but it was 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning. This wasn’t 2 a.m., midnight, 10 p.m. This was still 7 a.m. in the morning. Still proving my point. Don’t do that. You are now a target for people to run into you. Jim and Centennial, go ahead.
SPEAKER 10 :
Hi, everyone. I am in the process of getting a new car.
SPEAKER 05 :
Great. Good for you.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. My current one is 22 years old. I’m going to be passing that over to a grandson.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay.
SPEAKER 10 :
And so my question has to do with paint. I’m thinking about ceramic coating. And my 23-year-old, I had the PPF film, I believe that’s called, on the front of the vehicle. So my question is, do I need to do that today with the products that are out there still?
SPEAKER 05 :
put the ppf on if i do do i do that first and then the ceramic yes first nope you’re thinking you’re thinking exactly correct and and now let me let me say this jim it you know as far as ppf goes that’s a yes providing you’re really trying to keep the vehicle to look as new as long as you can meaning that ppf is keeping all of the paint chips down if something you know it’s not completely rock-proof or ding-proof, as you know, but it gives you an extra layer of protection on the vehicle that you’re not going to get any other way. And it’s the reason why, again, in a lot of exotics, they’re PPFing the entire car. Guys that are working out of the beds of the trucks are PPFing the sides of the bed and things like that because the paint and everything on the car just lasts that much longer by doing so.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. My vehicle, my 22-year-old Toyota, I had the hood with the PPF And we did a lot of long distance trips and driving around and we haven’t done much in distance with that vehicle in a while. Anyway, it’s pretty much rock free. I mean, there are some chips, but not major. And so that was another thought is. And we’re getting close to retirement, so I don’t see us doing as much driving as we did when we had kids.
SPEAKER 05 :
Either way, Jim, I think personally the way I look at it is, does it cost some money on the front side to do this? Yes, it does. PPF isn’t free, as you know, so there’s an investment there. But what I’ve learned through the years is, and just did some swapping around with some cars here recently. And what I will tell you is your resale and what you’re getting out of the car down the road by doing this, there’s nothing else you can do to make it that way. I mean, you’ll get more money. You basically get your money back down the road when you go to get rid of the car. Now, in your case where you may not be doing it, it’s the last car you own, I don’t know. I’m still particular, Jim. I just want it looking new all the time. I don’t want it looking old.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s going to help.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s just me.
SPEAKER 11 :
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Okay. So now to my next question, if there’s time, my 22-year-old Toyota, it’s been sitting outside for 11 years now while my newer car was in the garage. Okay. And it’s weathered. So is there an easy way to take that off or just? forget it. I was just trying to make it look a little nicer for my grandchild.
SPEAKER 05 :
So it’s got some older PPF that’s getting a little weathered, is what you’re saying?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, it’s 2004. It’s 22 years old, that vehicle.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, that can be, now, like we said earlier, because there’s an age on, I mean, that PPF has been on about twice as long as it probably should have been, so it can come off, but it will take some work to get the adhesive and everything else out. Here would be my suggestion, Jim, is… Unless it’s really, really, really bad and it’s something to where it just detracts from the look of the car and so on, I probably would leave it on, let him start driving it, see how things go. Unfortunately, young kids are prone for accidents and things along those lines, so I would make sure that maybe he gets through a few months before you really worry about doing anything. But, yes, that could be renewed.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. Okay. Good idea. Yeah, I think my grandkids aren’t as particular about cars as I was when I was 16.
SPEAKER 05 :
Most are not. I mean, some of that I think, Jim, is not to be, you know, not to attack the next generation’s plural or anything along those lines. But, yeah, every generation’s a little different when it comes to, you know, how they keep their car. And, by the way, all kids are a little different. You know, I had some where it was very important as to how the car looked at that age, and I had others that could care less.
SPEAKER 10 :
Right.
SPEAKER 05 :
Just depends on the person. Okay.
SPEAKER 10 :
Okay. Well, I appreciate the information.
SPEAKER 05 :
And when it comes to the new car, go see these guys at ProTech, and they’ll take care of you on the new car just fine.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I’ll be contacting them.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay. Awesome, Jim. Appreciate you very much.
SPEAKER 10 :
Thank you.
SPEAKER 05 :
You’re very welcome. Lucy, let’s get you in before we go to break. Go ahead, Lucy.
SPEAKER 06 :
Hi, John.
SPEAKER 05 :
How are you, Lucy?
SPEAKER 06 :
I’m great.
SPEAKER 05 :
Good to hear from you, as always.
SPEAKER 06 :
I have called you several times about the 2003 RX300 that I bought new. Right. And when the transmission went out, I bought that Subaru Outback, which was a fine car, but it just didn’t feel beefy to me. I don’t know how to explain it.
SPEAKER 05 :
No, that’s a good way of explaining it. It just doesn’t fit you either. I mean, that’s the thing, too, about some cars is while they’re great cars and not taking anything away from the car itself, every car is not for every person.
SPEAKER 06 :
So that brings me to my question. I’ve finally come up with a car I think would work for me. Okay. A 2024 or 2025 gently used Toyota Highlander, and I like the platinum package. Okay. It feels substantial. I think it would be reliable. It’s practical for gas mileage. What are your thoughts safety-wise and reliability-wise on that vehicle?
SPEAKER 05 :
They’re great cars. The only thing that I would have a concern with you personally, just knowing you now and knowing enough of the history of the car you bought and what you still own and so on, just remember it’s a much larger car than what you’ve been driving. The only concern I would have, Lucy, is it’s larger. That’s all.
SPEAKER 06 :
So perhaps I could look at maybe a RAV4.
SPEAKER 05 :
RAV4, I think you’re going to find it being similar to the Subaru in the fit and finish inside, not being anywhere as close to your RX. That’s my opinion.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, I understand, and that’s why I’m calling. Any thoughts on what you could throw out there as being something?
SPEAKER 05 :
Why don’t you just go buy another RX? I’m serious. I mean, I’m being serious. Why did I just buy another? Now, the newer RXs, as you know, are also larger in size than what you’re driving right now because they scaled up some from 03, so it’s not quite exactly the same car. Now, a car that I would tell you that I think would have the fit and finish and be similar to your size, it’s a little smaller, but that’s the Lexus NX.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, I’ve looked at the NX, and I do like it.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s a fancy RAV4 is really what it is, Lucy.
SPEAKER 06 :
Gotcha. Okay, I appreciate that. By the way, on car washes, my brother bought brand new a 2002 Toyota Solera. He hand-washed it in his driveway all these years with nothing but water. Wow. And it looks showroom new.
SPEAKER 05 :
Good for him. Proving the point of all of what we’ve talked about for the past 30 to 40 minutes or so.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, exactly, exactly. For those of us who take good care of our cars and our cars, you know, are important to us, it’s just good to hear that people still do that. So I appreciate your feedback.
SPEAKER 05 :
And I really feel, we just drove an NX not that long ago, Lucy, and they’ve got several versions of the NX, the hybrid and so on. So I would, if it were me knowing you like I do now after, you know, a year or so of talking to you, I would go look at an NX.
SPEAKER 06 :
Okay, I prefer a gas vehicle.
SPEAKER 05 :
Which those all are. They have a hybrid version of the NX, which works very well, by the way.
SPEAKER 06 :
It does. Okay, good to hear. Thank you, John.
SPEAKER 05 :
You take care. Good to talk with you. You too. Thank you very much. So weird. I was actually thinking of Lucy earlier this week, thinking I hadn’t talked to her on a Saturday, and I was going to do a shout-out this week to see if she was still listening. So, Lucy, thank you for calling, and I’m serious about that. I was thinking about you. My wife and I both were talking about you earlier this week. So it’s amazing I was talking about you, and now you called in. So we’ll be back here in a moment. Folks, don’t go anywhere. Drive Radio, KLZ 560.
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SPEAKER 19 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
All right, we are back. Drive Radio, KLZ 560. Roy and Dietze both from Pro-Tech Auto Shield with us today. And by the way, you can find all of our sponsors, including Pro-Tech. Just go to our website, drive-radio.com, and you’ll find them all listed there as well. Mark and Wiggins, you are next. Go ahead.
SPEAKER 09 :
Hey, good afternoon, guys. Good show.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thank you, sir.
SPEAKER 09 :
So my question is, Kind of based off of the question of the day, which your question was, what’s your spouse’s favorite vehicle? But my question is, how do you get a spouse to shop for a vehicle?
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s tough because personally, I don’t like shopping for vehicles, and I’m unique. I’m at a point where I’ve got enough relationships and fleet deals and so on to where, knock on wood, I don’t necessarily shop because it can be, for a lot of people, a very intimidating, miserable experience for some people. And even Dietz is over here nodding. And especially, I think, Mark, for ladies, it can be a very intimidating, miserable experience.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, my wife has no interest in shopping for a new vehicle. She likes what she drives. It’s a 2019 Subaru Ascent, which we’ve had since brand new. But here’s the thing. A couple years ago, we got a notice for a class action lawsuit on the CVT transmission. And we thought, well, okay, so we’ve been servicing it, keeping up with the maintenance, and haven’t had any issues. But… Just a couple days ago, we got another letter in the mail, and it said from Subaru of America that they were extending the warranty for the transmission to 100,000 miles, which she’s now at almost 93,000. That means we’re 7,000 miles away from the warranty on that thing going out. My concern is, are we going to get to 101,000 and then the transmission die?
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s the risk you run.
SPEAKER 09 :
I mean, that’s the risk.
SPEAKER 05 :
And really quick, Mark, as you know, too, just to jump in, as you know, that’s not one of their better cars. Yeah. Unfortunately. Not one of Subaru’s best cars, I guess is what I should say.
SPEAKER 09 :
So I’ve been researching vehicles, but a lot of vehicles have CVTs. So I’m wondering, you know, and I’ve looked for, you know, automatic-type vehicles, you know, standard automatic, and there’s not as many as there used to be. A lot of them are CVTs. So I’m wondering, you know, is there a lesser evil? Like, you know, should we go to a different brand? You know, I heard, I think it was Lucy talking about, like, the RAV4. I think they have a CVT. You know, I just don’t know what… The Hondas do the…
SPEAKER 05 :
The Toyotas do not. So that one, as you know, Mark, as you were saying, for all of you listening, that’s one of those where you really have to dive into the actual vehicle itself and start looking specifically at that vehicle year and so on because it can jump around even on CVTs on some of those, to your point.
SPEAKER 09 :
So there’s no real overall ruling on whether to stick with or without a CVT versus an automatic? No.
SPEAKER 05 :
I am not a CVT fan. If I could avoid, other than a hybrid, if I could avoid the CVT transmission and buying something with a real, quote-unquote, automatic transmission, not that a CVT is not, but there’s a CVT and then there’s automatics, I would buy an automatic transmission car. I would do my best not to buy a CVT, Mark.
SPEAKER 09 :
Got it. Okay, so the hybrid’s the exception. Is that Lexus that you guys were talking about? Is that an automatic?
SPEAKER 05 :
The NX, let me look here. It should be an automatic, unless you buy the hybrid. Now, if you buy the hybrid version, it’ll have a CVT. But the reason why the… The hybrids with the CVTs don’t bother me as much because the entire apparatus and how everything works is completely different, and it’s synonymous with each other, and they work extremely well. So I’m not going to ditz the CVTs in the hybrids because the whole drivetrain is different. I don’t know how else to say it, Mark, other than that. It’s just a different way of doing it, which works very well, especially on the Toyota end of things. They work fabulous. They’re the leader in that world.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, I’m curious about that. So thank you for…
SPEAKER 05 :
for clarifying so that kind of gives me a little bit of guidance to to talk to her about in the future but uh yeah she’s she’s really now now really quick to go back to your question how do you get your wife to shop for a car in colorado you guys in other states this doesn’t affect you because you’re different but in colorado mark how do you get her to shop on a sunday when no one’s around i’m being very honest literally if you want to if you want to shop for a car go on a sunday
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, that’s probably right. You probably got the answer. So thank you for saying that.
SPEAKER 05 :
Then you can go on the lot. You can park out. A lot of them are locked, but you can still park on an edge and cross the fence. And they don’t care, by the way. They only do that just to keep the riffraff down and cars from getting stolen. But they don’t care that you’re shopping on a Sunday. They’re not allowed to be there by law. Trust me, if they were, they would be. But they’re not. So the reality is you can walk that lot on a Sunday and take notes and take pictures and look at each car. Now, you can’t drive a car, of course, and that’s where it gets a little bit – a little bit weird but you can really narrow down and you can you can look inside the car and you know here’s my suggestion as well is you know bring a flashlight because some of the cars get tinted windows and it’s hard to see inside so bring a flashlight where you can actually look inside the interior a little bit better so you can kind of see what’s my legroom look like in the back and all of that and you get an idea on the window sticker what cars cost and so on you can do a lot of shopping that way so you guys had talked about like pre-purchase inspections which i’ve done in the past and unfortunately in
SPEAKER 09 :
Didn’t do on one vehicle, and I really kicked myself for it. But that was a used vehicle on a used lot. Would that rule still apply for a used vehicle on a dealer lot?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yes. Unless it’s, you know, there are exceptions to that, Mark. Let’s say you find a vehicle that’s a, you know, it’s a low-mile vehicle. It’s got, you know, 1,000 miles on it. You can pretty much tell from looking at it, it’s darn near brand new vehicle. It’s a year old or it’s two years old or whatever the case may be. That’s probably an exception to the pre-purchase rule, especially from a dealer, because, again, it’s got 1,000 miles on it. What’s going to go wrong? Nothing. I mean, even if it’s got the original oil in it from 1,000 miles, change the oil and go. At the end of the day, that’s a no-brainer. That’s the exception to that rule.
SPEAKER 09 :
Okay, but like 10,000 and above.
SPEAKER 05 :
I would have them looked at.
SPEAKER 09 :
Got it. Okay, perfect. Awesome. Thank you, John.
SPEAKER 05 :
You’re very welcome, Mark. No, appreciate it. That was a great question. All right, this will be our last segment for ads. We’ll come right back after this, finish things out. Again, ProTech Autoshield with us today. Roy and Dietz, I’ve got a couple things we’ll cover with them as soon as we come back as well. But don’t go anywhere. This is Drive Radio, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 04 :
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SPEAKER 18 :
You listen to Drive Radio because you have a lot of questions about your car. You have questions about what kind of oil to use, what the best tires are, where to get the best parts. But have you ever asked what will happen to your car after you die? Did you know that if you don’t have a will that specifically states what will happen, a probate judge will order your family to split your car evenly. And because you can’t cut up a car into pieces, your family will be forced to sell it and just split the money. According to Michael Bailey, the mobile estate planner, it is estimated that two out of three people don’t have a proper will in place. And oftentimes, things like your favorite classic car are accidentally forgotten completely. Michael understands that the only way to be absolutely certain that all of your final wishes will be honored is to take a small amount of time to talk about it. 720-394-6887. 720-394-6887. Call Michael Bailey, the mobile estate planner, right now to set up a free consultation and make absolutely sure that you don’t leave anything to chance.
SPEAKER 20 :
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SPEAKER 13 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
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SPEAKER 11 :
Or you can do it before, I mean, buying the car. You can start calling them because you’re thinking about protecting the vehicle. What’s that look like? Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER 05 :
What’s the cost look like?
SPEAKER 11 :
What’s the cost?
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s right.
SPEAKER 11 :
So you start shopping around, you know what I mean? Calling shops before buying the vehicle. I want to do this. I’m buying a new car and I want to do some clear bra, PPF, some window tint, ceramic coating. How much is the cost?
SPEAKER 05 :
And call you guys, and you guys can tell. Roy and Dietze can tell you what those costs are like so that as you’re going in shopping now, you’re not going to get taken advantage of in, A, spending too much money for a less-than-quality product like we’ve been talking about today. So somebody else called in off-air and said, My recommendation on a new truck, no towing, just a third-vehicle four-wheel drive. That is a… A big question, by the way, because this one also comes down to we buying new or we buying used. So let me start there. If you’re buying new, really, this one comes down to, I’m just going to be straight up honest. I know there’s guys out there that hate Chevys. There’s guys that hate Fords. There’s guys that hate Rams. There’s guys that hate Toyotas. There’s guys that hate Nissans. Folks, let me tell you, they’re all comparable. And every one of them has their own problems. There’s no such thing as a problem-free car, period. So here’s my advice when it comes to on the news site. Go drive each one. determine which one do you like best, which interior do you like best, which seats do you like best, which dash layout do you like best, how does it drive, how does it drive for you, what’s the comfortability like and all of that. To me, it comes down as much to that as it does to anything else. What powertrain do you want in the vehicle? Do you want something that’s got a turbo or not? I mean, these are all things, to Roy’s point earlier, do some research on the front side to know exactly what it is you want. Now, that’s on new. Because they’ve all got very similar warranties and all of that, so that’s not that big of a deal. On the used side, it is a bigger deal because now it comes down to what vehicle did we find, what mileage is on it. How was it taken care of and maintained? Who was its previous owner? Because to me, it now comes down to more of who owned the car, not who made the car. In other words, it could be a Ford, Chevy, Ram, Toyota. I want to know more about who owned it prior and how well did they maintain it. versus is it a ford chevy ram toyota all of that because at that at that point at that stage it’s more about who owned and maintained the vehicle as opposed to who made it so that one as a question is harder because it all depends on are you buying new or used because the rest of it’s all pretty as far as the rest of it not towing and so on it’s all pretty equal it really comes down to the vehicle that you find And I’m going to tell you that I’m not as brand loyal as I once was. Even though I grew up in a GM dealership, I’m just not as brand loyal as I once was because, again, folks, as we do this show weekly, they all have issues. You guys see this on a regular basis. There’s no perfect car. Every one of them has their own little idiosyncrasies. It just depends on what you’re looking to do. And I’m – how should I say this? I don’t care. I have no skin in the game. I don’t work for any of the manufacturers. Nobody’s paying me to say anything about any particular vehicle, so this really comes down to you and what you want. Now, we talked during the break for a moment, and it is very true. Shopping for cars, I think for a lot of people, not just for ladies, but I think for a lot of people, can be very intimidating. you walk in there’s all these cars there’s typically a couple of people that have now come up to you asking you you know do you need some help can i help you with this can i help you with that in a lot of cases you pull on the lot and they may be right out the door to meet you from you know even leaving your door before you even go anywhere they’re they’re that in some cases that aggressive and all i can say is like roy was saying earlier do your homework know what you’re trying to buy know what your budgets are and last but not least for the love of god don’t buy a car on payments Buy a car for what the car costs. Payments are secondary. Because the first thing they’re going to do when you get on that lot is, what kind of payment are you looking for today? I’m not joking. That’s typically the first thing that comes out of their mouth is, what kind of payment are you looking for today? Because here’s what they can do. They can manipulate things to where you can have an 84-month loan because you want a $700 a month payment, which, by the way, use that because that’s the average right now of what new car payments are coast to coast. That information just came out this past week with, by the way, a lot of people having over $1,000 a month car payments. So $700 right now in America is average for a car payment. So you get out of the car and you say, well, I can afford about $700 a month. Well, they’re going to work whatever type of a car you’re looking for into that $700 a month. And the actual price of the car is like secondary. For me, that’s primary. What’s the car cost? If I have a trade, what’s my trade? Here’s another little tip on buying a car. The trade gets mentioned last. What’s the price of the car? Oh, by the way, I’ve got a trade. You just threw a monkey wrench in. I know. And dealers hate me saying this because they want to know what your trade is first because they’re going to work that into the deal. But no, no, no. I want to know what’s this car going to cost me on the front side. And by the way, always buy on credit. People think, well, I’m going to bid or deal. They pay cash. No, you don’t. Actually, no, you don’t. You’re better off buying the car on credit even if you have cash and paying it off the first month the payments due. Pay it off. You’re better off doing that. You’ll get a better deal from the dealer than you will paying cash. Dealers make money on the financing, so they’re going to give you a better deal if you finance it than if you pay cash. So the last thing you want to do is walk in and say, I’ll pay cash. Even if you’ve got the cash, you can write the check. Don’t tell them that. Now, you can get all the way down to the final deal and pay cash. Nothing says you can’t. You can be in the F&I department saying, you know what, on second thought, I’m just going to write you a check. There’s no law that says you can’t do that because at that point, you’ve got the price of the car. You know what they’re going to sell it to you for. You can literally say, you know what, on second thought, I think I’ve got enough money. I’m just going to pay cash. I’ll just write you a check. What’s it going to be? I’ll do a bank transfer. I’ll get that handled. I’ll get that done right now. Give me the deal, and I’ll make it work. You can always do that, but that way you’re working the deal on the car first. Everything else is ancillary, the trade, the financing, and so on. So find out what’s the car going to cost you, period, and then start working your way into the rest of it. And by the way, what I just said most dealers hate because that’s not how they’re taught how to sell you a car and make things work. They’re going to ask you, number one, what kind of payment can you afford? And they’re going to work into the deal from that, not the other way around. So something to remember when you’re out shopping for cars. And as Roy said earlier, too, do as much research on the front side as you can. Now, the other thing that’s happened today in this world that we didn’t have even a decade or more ago is we had the Internet, but. The shopping tools on the Internet are so much better now than what they even were once before. What I mean by that is you can look at a car, the color, the wheel and tire options, so many things that you can lay out on the car on the front side that literally even a decade ago, the technology wasn’t as good as it is now. The other thing that you can actually use in today’s world, by the way, is you can use AI to tell you what’s the average price of that car selling for in your area. So we’re looking at the NX. Let’s use Lucy as an example. So you’re looking at an NX whatever. You can literally plug into AI, ChatGPT, and say, I’m looking to buy an NX whatever. I want to know what the average price in my area, this zip code, is. What are people paying for this car? And it’ll tell you. It’ll do all of that homework for you to where you then know, okay, if this is the average that people are paying, why would I pay any more? So, again, you’ve got tools today that you didn’t have even a decade ago to help you shop better for cars. All right, before we get going here, guys, one last time, what’s the best phone number for folks to call you guys? 720-382-8481. And I should have asked this. What’s our schedule look like? If folks go buy a new car and they want stuff done, what’s our schedule like in getting things done?
SPEAKER 17 :
So I actually recommend calling us before they buy the car so that when they have like a, hey, we’re going to get it about this weekend, I already have an appointment ready for them.
SPEAKER 05 :
You’re all dialed in.
SPEAKER 17 :
Yep, so they can bring it right from the dealership.
SPEAKER 05 :
What if we’ve been in a hailstorm and we need some paintless dent removal? What’s our schedule like for that right now?
SPEAKER 17 :
For an estimate, you can come in pretty much whenever. And then you can schedule it after that. Yeah, you’re just going to leave it there for at least a day.
SPEAKER 05 :
And you guys will handle the insurance if there is any and all of that as well, right? You can work with all that. We can, yes. Okay, so whatever you guys need, ProTech AutoShield is the place to go. As always, guys, thank you. Thank you, John. Always a lot of fun.
SPEAKER 01 :
Appreciate you very much.
SPEAKER 05 :
Thanks for all your hard work as well. Thank you. All right, Larry, Charlie, both as well, thank you guys very much. You guys all have a fabulous rest of your weekend. This is Drive Radio, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 16 :
Still haven’t had enough? Go to drive-radio.com, email your questions and comments, download previous programs, and find lots of useful information, including your nearest Colorado Select Auto Care Center. That’s drive-radio.com. Thanks for listening to Drive Radio, sponsored by the member shops of Colorado Select Auto Care Centers. On KLZ 560.
