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How Paint Protection, Hybrids, And Boat Care Converge At A Houston Car Hub · In Wheel Time Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to another In-Wheel Time podcast.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_02: From the Gulf Coast Auto Shield Car Social.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome to the In-Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_02: Coming up, we have uh Jeff's cruise in and events calendars.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_02: We'll have some headlines for you.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_02: We'll also got some recalls.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_02: And uh if we need to spend a little time, then we can do uh Heming Sold Car Roundup.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_02: We can all play.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_03: And we've got uh a couple of us.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_03: John's coming back on.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_02: That's good to know.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_02: So uh John Gray is a longtime friend of the show and me, and um he is the owner, proprietor, and uh the guy that runs all of this mess, and um good guy.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_02: And we were talking earlier when we first went on the air this morning at 10 o'clock, that um we've got um quite an array of things that he offers here at Gulf Coast Auto Shield.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_02: I'd like to kind of expand on that if I may.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_02: And um what have you been doing?
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_04: Talking.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_04: Have you nonstop talking, shaking shaking babies, kissing hands?
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_04: There you go.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_03: There you go.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_03: Shaking babies and kissing hands.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_03: How big is this shop?
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_03: This shop is seven, seventy, five hundred square feet.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, and you said you had two more, West and then Sugarland.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_03: Are they about the same size?
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_04: We have a the Sugarland shop is quite a bit bigger, it's 17,000.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_04: And then the the West Houston shop is around 5,500, 6,000.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but we we're doing some different things in the Sugarland shop in addition to uh so I've subleased part of the shop to one of the really, really great mechanics.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_04: Uh he's running his business in there, and all he works on is Porsche.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_04: So there's a lot of synergy there between our two businesses.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_04: Um once now that they know that we're there or he's there with us, you know, some of the cars will come to us after he works on them.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_04: Kind of like the way you got started.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_04: Similar to that, yes.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_04: So um he's really, really good.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_04: Uh our marine side will run out of there um doing boats and uh things of that nature.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_04: And what do you do with boats?
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_04: You know, we can do paint protection film on a boat, yeah.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_04: Marine paint protection film, marine ceramic coatings.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um we're even going to start uh bring it being the distributor for a product called F2 Ecomarine.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_04: That goes on the bottom of bigger boats that sit in the water all the time.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_04: Those boats will you leave you put a boat in the water, and it will absolutely start to get just marine.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_04: Barnacled up.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_04: Barnacled up.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_04: Not down here so much, you will get this this moss, this green coating all over the bottom.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_04: Mars, you know about that.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_04: You're bringing things out of the water every year.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_04: You're doing bottom jobs.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_04: Well, these bottom jobs have use a product that has zinc, they have copper in them.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_04: Okay.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway, um different than a top job.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_04: That's a different that's a different type of bottom job that you can get in Needville or Need, whatever it is.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_04: Neederville.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um Spit it out.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_04: Anyway, so the thing is they're bringing these boats out of the water every single year, and they're putting a product on them that has copper and and or zinc in it, and it's made to basically leach itself off and remove those products, it's terrible for the environment.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_04: We have a four to five year product called F2 Eagle Marine that is absolutely going to change the m change the market all the way around.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_04: Tough part is getting some of these guys these guys to do it uh to change products because they're basically taking a product they do every year, and now they're doing it four to five every five, four to five years.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: Dude, so how much does it cost to have a guy get underneath there and scrape all those barnacles off and clean it while it's in the water?
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_02: Oh it's a lot.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_04: They call it swimming.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_04: They're swimming the boat.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_04: So you have to do it frequently because if not, you're gonna have to pull it out to do it because there's only so much they can do when they're diving, when they're under the water.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_04: So this product you may want to bring it out every year, and basically you're gonna take a this power wash it, and it's done.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_03: You're you're a national distributor for Xpel, aren't you?
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_03: Not no.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_03: Is it Xpel or what's the other one?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_04: Xpel is the is the product that we use for paint protection film and window tents.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_04: Um we are we're just the last year we're the biggest distributor, biggest installer in the country.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_04: That's what I was thinking of, yeah.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and so um, yeah, we're pretty we're fairly popular up there with them in San Antonio.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_02: Very good.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_04: Because that's where they're out of.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: Well, while you guys are up there, give them a pat on the back.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, look at us.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_04: It's a it's a it's a good company.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_04: There's not a lot of there's between my sales rep, who I absolutely love, who's done so much for us, there's not a lot of stops between him and the CEO.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_04: And even though that company's grown exponentially since I was involved with them, they're just good good guys, all of them.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_04: And they're so supportive of us.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_02: And they and they continually come out with uh other products throughout the year, don't they?
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_02: They do.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, they do.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_04: We we have our windshield production film from 'em, color PPF.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_04: Um they're always looking for something next, what to do, and as a company you have to do that, or you will absolutely become stagnant and die.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_04: You know, and that's one reason why we got to the Marine Game.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_02: What is the biggest uh product that you install here?
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_02: Film.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_02: Paint protection film.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_02: And how you know, back in my day there wasn't anything like this.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_02: How do these guys know about paint protection film?
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it keeps becoming more popular.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_04: Back in the day, you would p there was a lot of people that that you know, ten years ago they absolutely didn't know about it.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_04: Um and some of them are still just learning about it when they come through a dealership and whatnot, and maybe the the in the finance office they um they're trying to sell it to them, or you know, these dealerships may simply just have protection on the door edges and maybe the door cups.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_04: And that's where they they typically learn about them.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_04: Some people still have a bad taste in their mouth over, you know, some of these old Lexuses and whatnot, when they put this cheap film on them, it cracked.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_04: Or yellowed.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_04: Or yellowed big time, and then underneath it, if they crack, sometimes the paint would crack with it.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_04: Oh Lord, I'm crazy.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_04: It would separate.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_04: It is crazy.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_04: I've seen it more than once.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_03: Now you can have that what you're talking about, the Lexus, because now Kathy's got her car, she's got a Lexus that has on the front.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_03: Uh I don't know if they applied that at the dealer or if they sent it out.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_03: So I think it was a dealer application that they put it on.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_04: Gulf State's Toyota does it.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_04: You're right.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, okay.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_04: And and they're only doing like the the very front of the hood.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_04: The flat.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_04: They don't do the bumper.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_04: No.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_04: They don't have the they just don't have the technology to do it.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_04: They don't have the people to do it.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_04: It's very difficult.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: And and that's one of those things you don't get an option on.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: Nah.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: When it comes through their shop, they put all kinds of things on them.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, yeah.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: That you're gonna buy it, or you're not buying a car.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, uh and a lot of dealerships look these dealers.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_04: Look at look at look at the price of these cars.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_04: Obviously, it's gone up, but you're now starting to see a lot of discounts on a lot of cars out there.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_04: Well, uh, so that's that's decreasing the margin that these dealers have.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_04: So anyway, they're doing now they're starting to really become dependent on aftermarket accessories to try to make their money, and which is not a bad thing for us.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_04: So as long as we're dealing with a dealership that that is willing to pay for good work, you know, and there are some out there still, right?
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_02: So um can you can you go to a dealership, buy a car, and say, I want to put his John Gray's Gulf Coast Auto Shield stuff on this car before I take delivery on it.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_02: So the price of that will goes into your monthly payment.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_04: A lot of times you can.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_03: Or can they can they just do it separately?
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_03: Take my car over there and I'll pay John separate.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, well, sure, yes.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, there are some dealerships that just don't do it.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_04: A lot like a lot a lot of your domestics um don't do it other than maybe door edge door edges and door cups.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um but you know, your Audis, the they'll have a lot of cars on the showroom that are in Porsche.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_04: Uh, you know, every 9-11, you can count on having a full front on it at a couple of the dealerships in town.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_04: And we're happy to help them put those front on fronts on there.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: So basically say, okay, I'll buy the car, but I want you guys to take it over to Gulf Coast Auto Shield and wrap it up into the monthly payment on my roll on my loan.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, depending on the dealership, they can do that.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_04: Cool.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_04: Some of them just don't want to mess with it.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_04: Uh some dealerships don't want to mess with it because it increases the amount of time between the the you know the that they would take delivery of the car, they can put it on their books and whatnot.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_04: So but yeah, we do it and we will do it.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_04: But if it's a dealership that doesn't offer it, just bring it here.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_04: Don't go to the dealership unless you really, really want to.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: Well, the the only advantage, like you say, would be the financing portion of it if you were getting a good rate, like point one percent or something on the finances.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_03: That is true.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_03: So as an example at a dealership, you go to ABC dealership for a new car, do they have any of your literature?
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_03: The ones that the marketing side of it.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, they do.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_04: If if they're doing um if they're using us on a regular basis, they will have we'll give them sales tools and whatnot.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_04: Gotcha uh description sheets with pictures of what different levels of coverage is are are available for them that we sell through that dealership.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_04: And um thankfully our retail warp business is is still very, very strong, but it's nice to supplement with the dealership stuff.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_03: We used to do uh when I was in the tire business, we used to do car clinics at dealerships, uh classic as an example.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_03: They would bring in the folks that bought a car for the past thirty days, and they would have guys like me to talk about tires, somebody talk about oil change.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_03: Do they have you out as a as an invited guest to talk about that?
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_04: We do that from time to time with different car clubs.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_04: And what we'll do, we don't make it a sales thing whatsoever.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_04: We bring them in The pros and cons.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_04: Teach them how to teach them how to take care of their car, show them the right tools, show them the right techniques, the best practices and whatnot.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_04: That makes the biggest difference in the world.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_04: Because a lot of these guys buying these cars, uh, these sports cars, that they they want to enjoy taking care of it as well as owning it.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_04: You would think so.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_04: And and um that has been um a really great uh outreach type thing.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_04: Um and we actually have the the Lone Star Region Porsche Club of America has their third weekend get together every m every month at our sugar land shop.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_04: And that's something that we're gonna implement there.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I think in starting in January, either have a guest speaker of some kind, we have some really interesting clients, or do car care clinics after the after the meet and greet for the ones that don't want to be part of it, they can leave.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_04: And I think it's gonna be incredibly popular.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_04: I think it's people are really, really gonna like it.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_03: You're you're right on the street from Live Oak Sugarland.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_04: I can I can maybe hit it with a if I do a baseball if it rolled real good.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_04: It's like where the wall is.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_04: Like right there.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_04: So right behind us, our front door.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, that's a nice place over there.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_04: And good food there too.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_04: Not bad.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_04: That's popular, man.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_04: Really, really popular b uh restaurant.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_04: I can't believe how busy they are at lunch.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_04: Of course, there's not a lot of game out there either.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_04: Uh if you want to eat fast food, there's a couple of things.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_03: Family sit down, yeah, nice.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_03: None of this fast food where you've got riffraff in there.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_03: That's a word for you, David, Riffraff.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_02: And you look at me as he says that.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_02: Well, um so what if I obviously you've got several projects going on in here today.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_02: I want to know about the is that a skyline?
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_04: I guess that's a Skyline.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_04: That's a that's a GTR, and it is uh based it's loosely based off of the old Skyline, so all-wheel drive, super, super fast supercar type situation there.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_02: And um what's the fastest car you've got in here?
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Buick.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_04: Can't be it's gotta be a Buick.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_04: Is it the GT over there?
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_04: No, it's gotta be that.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_04: It's gotta be that F-12.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_04: Or the 296 is probably the fastest accelerating car.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_04: That Ferrari 296.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_03: Uh probably about a million and a half dollars, just we're looking at here.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_04: Oh, at least.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_04: At least.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_04: At least.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_04: So yeah, that's uh that 296 is I've never driven one, but from what I understand, it they they will hurt you.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, they're hurt, they'll hurt you fast.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_04: And that's hybrid technology.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_04: Look, look at all these man, uh the hybrid is where it's at.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_04: I could absolutely see myself owning a hybrid sports uh car.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_04: Look at the new for the the 911 GTS.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um that car is fast.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, unbelievably fast.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_04: And the new Turbo S coming out for 2026 is is uh is a hybrid as well.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_04: And instead of having one electric turbocharger, it's got two smaller ones, um, two smaller uh electric turbochargers that uh give it so much boost that it's a 0 to 60 and 1.9.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_04: It's well it's Tesla plaid fast.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_04: Let me tell you something.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_04: I And you look better doing it.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, exactly.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um I've been a big uh these guys will tell you, a big promoter of the hybrid thing.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: Uh because not only do you get the gas mileage, you also get the acceleration, the performance, and everything.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_02: And I would have never thought of that.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_02: No.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_02: Never in a million years.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_02: And now that I've been immersed into some of that, of course, my immersion is basically driver's cars, but it's truly amazing because cars that got, you know, 12 miles per gallon, now getting 25 miles per gallon and twice the horsepower, twice the acceleration.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: And for the most part, they're pretty reliable.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yep, they really are.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_02: As opposed to a plug-in hybrid or a full electric.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_04: I picked up a new Maverick truck, hybrid truck from a customer a couple days yesterday, and I was astounded.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_04: It was getting 30 average was 34 miles per gallon.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yep.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_04: And that truck's gotten really, really good reviews.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_04: It drove so good.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_04: I was like, dude, this truck is is like my raptor, except for it's burning half the gas.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_04: I mean, it was an amazing truck.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_04: I really like that truck.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_04: I couldn't tell the difference.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_04: I couldn't tell when it switched from battery power to unreal how good that car, that truck is.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_04: And um Toyota got it right.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_04: Toyota got it right, man, when they they didn't jump.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_04: With the Prius.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_04: Jump on the electric bandwagon.
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_04: They didn't do it.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_02: The whole Prius thing, it's it's truly amazing.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_02: And we never thought about it when that Prius came out.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_02: Because it was so ugly.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_02: Are you kidding me?
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_02: And it it's no.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_02: And that that technology has continued through the entire industry, not just Toyota, but Toyota has got it perfected.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_02: Matter of fact, there are manufacturers that have bought the the rights to use the technology, it's so good.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: Wow.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_04: It's it's the best hybrid on the market, from what I understand.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_03: Do you have a lot of ladies coming in and approaching you for the some of the the products that you have, or is it mainly just guys?
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's a mix.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_03: A mix.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_04: You know, maybe 30, 30, 70 uh ladies and and and guys, a lot of couples.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um a lot of guys.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_04: Well the the guys that are coming in, they're not just getting their cars done, though, they're getting their their spouses' cars done or girlfriend's cars done as well.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_04: So we see you know, we see everybody, especially on the window tent side, you know.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um you talked about windshield protection.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_04: Is that I mean, it's just a clear coat on it or clear outside.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_04: It's a it's a it's a urethane film that goes on the outside.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_04: We've got a couple different versions uh of it.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_04: Um you know, it's it's so difficult to make something so clear you put it on a windshield and you don't know it's on there.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_04: Um and they also it's also difficult to make something because it's gonna get pounded for sure, driving in Houston.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_04: But when it does get hit, how is it gonna react?
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_04: Is it gonna make something so ugly that when you're looking through it, you don't want it on there anymore?
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_04: Or is it gonna be something that can absorb the hit and not become something that you want to look at?
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_04: So um they're getting better.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_04: They're getting better.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_04: I'm not gonna tell you the technology is perfect, but you know, it sure beats the heck out of uh you know a windshield that's sand pitted.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_04: Yes.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_04: Hey, get you a G-Wagon.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_04: Look at that G Wagon windshield there, flat up and down, thirty three hundred bucks for the windshield piece of glass.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_04: Because now you're doing sensors.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, you're Dale Hullquist explained all that to us in an interview that we had.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_02: He says, Don, the new actual factory windshields, like you said,$3,500 because of all the technology that's now built onto the windshield.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: You can't change that.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_02: And uh you got to buy it all new.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_02: And it's it's it's unbelievable the amount of money.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_04: Almost everything now has heads-up display too.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_04: That's a coating that has to go on the windshield on the inside of the windshield when it's manufactured and it just adds cost.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: See, I've got heads up in my Buick, but I don't notice anything on the windshield.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_03: You really have a Buick?
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_03: I do.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_03: It should be parked right next to that$200,000 portion.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_03: It should.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_03: It should.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_03: I was I was uh There's a cat in there.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, there is.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_02: It's a cat in a box.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_04: A cat and a hat.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_04: She brings those cats with her everywhere she goes.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_04: Why not?
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_04: Why wouldn't she?
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_04: And that's not the first time I've seen it.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_04: Oh boy.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_04: That's not the first time I've seen it.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_04: A customer come in with a cat in a bag.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_04: Cat in the bag.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_04: Don't let the cat out of the bag.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_04: Don't do it.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_04: Nice.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_04: Don't do it, Don.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_04: Nope.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_04: You know where I'm going with that.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_04: I do.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm not doing it.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_04: I'm not doing it.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_03: I I was thinking about getting uh you've got a uh camera uh in your car, don't you?
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_03: In your Corvette?
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, yeah.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_03: Put it in.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, so let's think about the camera thing is another uh look you were mentioned the the when the custom car stereo to 12 volt market.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_04: The 12-volt market has certainly changed over the last ten years.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_04: You just you it's hard to put any sort of aftermarket stereo stuff in a car.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_04: It can be done, but it's very expensive.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_04: So a lot of these 12-volt guys that didn't evolve to doing the different things uh that are are that you can do now, like cameras and radar and laser jamming and whatnot, and they're gone.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_04: They're dead.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_04: You don't find a lot of 12-volt installers anymore because you can't.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_04: You know, it's so difficult to change anything on these vehicles.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_02: Kenwood's still in business?
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they are.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_04: They are.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_02: Remember, they used to sell those at at Kmart or Creske for$29.95.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_02: What about Craig?
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_02: Craig.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_02: There's another boss.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_04: Craco Kraco.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_04: That's exactly right.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_03: That was uh a Radio Shack.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_03: Was Craco Radio Shack?
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_03: Uh that may have been.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_03: Something like that.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_03: Because I uh my dad, General Motors, uh, I had my Nova, and we took the factory radio out of it, just a little AMD.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_03: Everybody did.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_03: And he put the Cadillac radio, which had the 8-track built in.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_03: Now that radio was about that tall and about that wide.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_03: It was huge.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_03: You had to do a lot of modifications under the dash and everything, and make sure it didn't, when you put it in, it didn't crack the dash.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_03: Well, I had it for almost a year and somebody broke in and stole it.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they took it.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_03: So I had to get another one.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_02: That darn sawzall installed.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's another thing.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_04: So what about the amplifier slash equalizer that used to hang underneath where your legs, you know, where your knees were, because it gave you amplified sound and you could control the sound.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_02: I go back even further than that.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_04: Go ahead.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_04: We had reverb in the glove box.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_04: No, you did not.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_04: My girlfriend's brother did.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_04: I want to come out with a reel to reel for a car.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_04: Well, why not?
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_04: Step it up.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_04: Step up.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_04: That sound good.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_04: Take out the backseat.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you so much for joining us today.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_04: We appreciate you.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you for coming out.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_04: I appreciate y'all.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_04: Y'all are family.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_02: Appreciate it.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_02: We thank you.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_02: All right, be sure and join us for our live show every week.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_02: In Wheel Time Airs Saturdays, 10 to noon on Facebook, YouTube, and InWheeltime.com.
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_02: Next week.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_02: We'll be at the Tailpipes and Tacos Cruise In, the Loopy Tortilla out there in Katy.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you for joining us today.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_02: We've got more coming up right after this quick break.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_02: The Tailpipes and Tacos Christmas Edition 2025 happens Saturday, December 13th, from 8 to 11 a.m.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_02: and you want to be a part of it.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: Tailpipes and Tacos is the cruise in everyone wants to attend.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_02: And the Christmas edition is extra special.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_02: Donate an unwrapped new toy and help yourself to a free Luffy Tortilla Breakfast Taco.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_02: Velvey Adult Beverage is available for purchase too.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_02: And don't forget your ride.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_02: Just cruise in and you're automatically registered to compete for one of three famous chili pepper trophies.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_02: Best Hot Rod, Best Classic, and Best Modern Classic.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_02: Tail Pipes and Tacos Christmas Edition will be held Saturday, December 13th, 8 to 11 a.m.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_02: at the Lupi Tortilla Tex-Mex, located at 703 West Grand Parkway, just south of the Katy Freeway in Katy.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, and don't forget to bring the kids.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_02: There'll be special trophies and goodie bags for them too.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_02: It's the Tailpipes and Tacos Christmas Edition 25, Saturday, December 13th, 8 to 11 a.m.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_02: at the Lupi Tortilla Tex-Mex at 703 West Grand Parkway in Katy.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_02: Bring a toy, get a free breakfast taco, and enjoy the camaraderie.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_02: In Wheel Time will be there too.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: Apple or Android Inwheel Time Podcast can be found everywhere, on the stream and through downloads.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: Whether you're on the road or at home and Jones in for a different kind of car talk show, give InWheel Time a try.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: Honest new car reviews, fun, informative interviews with real car people, weekly automotive news, features like Jeff's car culture and Mike's driving destinations, all on In Wheel Time.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_02: Check us out on Sirius XM Podcasts, iHeartRadio, or while you're shopping on Amazon through Amazon Music.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_02: Mm-hmm.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_02: In Wheeltime.com has a list, and we know you love lists.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: Let's do the recalls, shall we?
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_02: Windshield air bubbles can obscure visibility in the Nissan Central for 2025.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_02: That's a recall.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_02: Another one, Hyundai Santa Fe and Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 2425.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_02: Rear view camera image may not display.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_02: Side curtain airbags may not deploy properly.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_02: OW! Right the kisser.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_02: Genesis G V 70, Hyundai Santa Cruz, Hyundai Santa Fe, Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid 25 to 26 model years, along with the Hyundai Tucson for 2025.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_02: We're going to do the Sold Cars Roundup next week.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_02: I promise.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_02: We'll have a three-hour show and uh we'll do it then, okay?
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I have a couple of uh news stories I wanted to pass along.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_02: President Trump apparently enamored by the pint-sized K cars.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: Now, not the K cars that we're familiar with.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_02: This is spelled K.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_02: K-E-I, that he saw during his recent trip to Japan has paved the way for them to be made and sold in the United States of America, despite concerns they are too small and slow to be driven safely on American roads.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_02: He knows nothing about cars other than riding in them.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: He's never driven them.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_02: I don't think.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_02: If he has, I'd be surprised.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_02: While the ultra-compact cars are highly popular in Asia, they currently don't meet federal standards for new vehicles here in the U.S.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_02: Secretary Duffy said December 4th, he's working with the NHTSA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to clear the deck for domestic manufacturing of mini cars.
• 23:44
  SPEAKER_02: Oh they're gonna work on the freeways?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_02: No, probably not, Duffy said in an interview on CNBC.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_02: Are they gonna work on the freeways?
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_02: No, no, no.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um, adding that the tiny vehicles may be better fit for urban settings, and noting that they're much more affordable than the other options that are on the market today.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_02: Now you and I both know that there is going to be people that are gonna try to put those on the freeway, and it will be an absolute nightmare trying to get it up to fifty miles an hour.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_02: We got smart cars out there that really are kind of hazardous.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: They are hazard and they will not do 60 miles an hour.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my god.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_02: Have you seen one?
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_02: Have you remember when they first came out and we got them in the press fleet?
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_02: Scary.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_02: You have it nailed to the floor, nailed to the floor for five minutes and it'll barely hit 70.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: I never could get one over fifty-five.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_02: Well, of course, you know.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_02: I wouldn't I wouldn't be surprised at that.
• 24:41
  SPEAKER_02: No, no, it it it it it it it his pedal efficiency.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_03: Oh this pedal.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_02: That kind of thing.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_02: Toyota will revive the legendary Lexus LFA as an all-electric speed demon and launch its GR performance brand around 2027 with 641 horsepower uh and the gasoline-powered GT supercar as top gearhead Akcio Toyota rejuvenates the company's motorsports DNA and prepares to pass down his master driver role.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_02: Remember when we went to them and said, Hey, uh, you know, we'd like to do another sponsorship out at the racetrack.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_02: Well, we're not doing that anymore.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_02: And now they've said we're not doing any of the drag strip stuff anymore, right?
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_02: Well, now we know why.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_02: Because they've got all these supercars coming out.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, they've got three new hot rod vehicles coming out, and that's gonna rejuvenate the whole thing.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_02: So there's something to look forward to.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_02: There's a picture of the LFA reborn.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_02: Three hundred and seventy-five thousand was the original LFA hello halo car, which they sold all five hundred hand built cars before they even started manufacturing them.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_03: I think Jason had one in his shop uh not too long ago.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_03: Really?
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there it is.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um they listen, th there isn't much that they they don't like to do.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_02: Uh of the GR variants, the GT is positioned as a street legal sports car with the GT3 pitched as a track-ready racer set for terms teams to deploy in GT3 series competition.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_02: Automaker said a newly developed twin-trible four-liter V8 would power the GT.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_02: Uh paired with a single electric motor and a newly developed eight-speed automatic transmission together.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, the powertrain components are expected to generate six hundred and forty-one horsepower, six hundred twenty-seven pound feet of torque, and power tra the maximum output.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_02: The vehicles are expected to achieve a blistering top speed of two hundred miles an hour.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_02: Not quite enough for you, Mike.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_03: No, not quite, but it's getting close.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um it won't be long now.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_03: 200 miles an hour.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_02: All right.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_02: We're going to take a quick break and we are going to wrap up today's show after this.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_02: We'd love to hear from you.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_02: Shoot us an email.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_02: The address is info at n wheeltime.com.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_02: We'll be right back.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_02: You own a car you love.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_02: Well, why not let Gulf Coast Auto Shield protect it?
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_02: Houstonian John Gray invites you to his state-of-the-art facility to introduce you to his specialist team of auto enthusiasts.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_02: We promise you'll be impressed.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_02: Whether you're looking to massage your original paint to a like new appearance, apply a ceramic coating, install a paint protection film, nano ceramic window tent, or new windshield protection called ExoShield, Gulf Coast Auto Shield is where Houston's car people go.
• 27:35
  SPEAKER_02: Curbed your wheels?
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_02: Instead of buying new, why not have them repaired?
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_02: How about a professionally installed radar detector?
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_02: Gulf Coast Auto Shield does that too.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_02: Get a peek inside the shop and look at the services offered by getting online and heading to GCAutoShield.com.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_02: Better yet, stop by their facility at 11275 South Sam Houston Tollway, just south of the Southwest Freeway, and get a personal tour.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_02: Gulf Coast Auto Shield is your place to go for all things exterior.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_02: Call them today, 832-930-5655 or gcautoShield.com.
• 28:06
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• 28:11
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• 28:21
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• 28:32
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• 28:34
  SPEAKER_02: Join us.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_02: Holy Toledo.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_02: That's all for this week's In Wheel Time Car Talk Show.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_02: Be sure to check us out online at InWheeltime.com.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_02: We're always looking for new, informative, and great automotive things to bring to our global audience.
• 28:50
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• 28:55
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• 29:00
  SPEAKER_02: His phone number is at the bottom of our website.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's free too.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, when you're looking for to award-winning car talk, you can always find the In Wheel Time Car Talk Show 24-7 on the In Wheel Time app and website.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_02: Grab a podcast from your favorite podcast store.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_02: We live video stream our live show every Saturday, 10 to noon, on Facebook, YouTube, and InWheel Time.com.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_02: The In Wheel Time Video Button Pusher is We Need More, Jeff Zeken.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_02: For booking agent, video editor, and president of Neederville, Texas, Michael Out of This World Mars, and Chief Engineer David Ainsley.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Nod Nortzra.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks to our weekly show contributors, George Skelton and Jeff Heitzman.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_02: You're invited to join us at Tail Pipes and Tacos at the Loopy Tortilla in Katy next Saturday, December 13th, for another live broadcast, 9 to noon next Saturday.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_02: Check out our posts on InWheeltime.com, Facebook, and YouTube.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_02: So long for now.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_02: That's it for this podcast episode of the In Wheeltime Car Show.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Don Armstrong, inviting you to join us for our live show every Saturday morning, 8 to 11 AM Central on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and our InWheeltime.com website.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_02: Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartPodcast, Podcast Addict, TuneIn, Pandora, and Amazon Music.
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_02: Keep listening, and we'll see you soon.