Road IQ

10/30/2026

KNOW THE NUMBER, DAY 5: 1

One question. That is all that stands between a real employee pricing deal and a discount that evaporates at the finance desk. The question is, employee price, plus what?

The factory discount can be genuine. Then the bill of sale grows a protection package, an etching charge, a tire and rim plan, a documentation fee, and suddenly the big advertised saving is a rounding error. None of those add-ons are part of the factory program. They are store add-ons wearing the program's clothes.

Get the full bill of sale, every line, before you commit. The discount lives or dies in the lines under it.

What is the strangest add-on you have ever seen on a bill of sale?

The dealership has people who know every line on that contract. Now you've got us. Follow RoadIQ and share this with someone car shopping. Day 6 tomorrow morning is about the air in your tires, and it is mostly free. The best time to learn how a deal works is before you sign it, not after.

10/29/2026

Anyone ever work in auto sales? Have we got the song for you! https://suno.com/s/RrUm0cbMudyc2Zau

Listen and make your own on Suno.

10/29/2026

KNOW THE NUMBER, DAY 4: $699

That is a documentation fee, spotted on bills of sale all over this country. Dealers will tell you it covers processing your paperwork. The paperwork takes minutes. The fee runs from a couple hundred dollars to well past $800, because in most of Canada nothing caps it.

Here is what it is not. It is not a government charge. It is not mandatory. And in Ontario and Alberta, where advertised prices must be all-in by law, a doc fee cannot legally appear on top of the advertised price.

Your move is one sentence. Take it off, or take the same amount off the price. If they say the law requires it, ask them to show you the law.

What is the highest doc fee you have ever been quoted?

The dealership has people who know every line on that contract. Now you've got us. Follow RoadIQ and share this with someone car shopping. Day 5 tomorrow morning is the one question that protects a big discount. The best time to learn how a deal works is before you sign it, not after.

10/28/2026

THE FINANCE OFFICE FILES #1: The Rate You Got vs The Rate You Qualified For

The finance office won't volunteer this: the lender approves you at one rate, the dealer can offer you a higher one, and the difference goes to the dealership. It's called dealer reserve.

Say you're approved at 6% but contracted at 8%. On $30,000 over 60 months, that 2% costs you about $1,700 in extra interest. Never itemized. You just pay it.

Not automatically illegal. But "not illegal" and "good for you" are very different things.

Your defense is simple. Walk in with your own bank pre-approval. Now their rate has to beat something real.

Ever compared your bank's offer against the dealer's?

Don't buy the monthly payment. Buy the right deal. Follow RoadIQ and share this with anyone about to finance. The payment is a number, the deal is the whole story. You'll be glad you knew it when you're across from the finance manager.

10/28/2026

THE FINANCE OFFICE FILES #1: The Rate You Got vs The Rate You Qualified For

The finance office won't volunteer this: the lender approves you at one rate, the dealer can offer you a higher one, and the difference goes to the dealership. It's called dealer reserve.

Example: approved at 6%, contracted at 8%. On $30,000 over 60 months, that 2% costs you about $1,700 in extra interest. Never itemized. You just pay it.

Not automatically illegal. But "not illegal" and "good for you" are very different things.

The defense: walk in with your own bank pre-approval. Now their rate has to beat something real.

Ever compared your bank's offer against the dealer's?

Don't buy the monthly payment. Buy the right deal. Follow RoadIQ and share this with anyone about to finance. The payment is a number, the deal is the whole story. You'll be glad you knew it when you're across from the finance manager.

10/28/2026

Morning. Uncle Geoff here.

That little tire light loves a cold morning. Air shrinks in the cold, pressure drops, and the light comes on even when nothing is punctured.

Checking pressure and topping up is free at many gas stations if you have a gauge, and a shop will often check it for $0 to $25. A gauge for your glove box costs about $10 to $20 and pays for itself fast.

The fluff is paying for a full diagnostic before anyone has put a gauge on the tires.

Your move. Check all four tires cold, fill to the number on the driver door sticker, not the number on the tire, then drive a bit and see if the light clears.

Has that light ever sent you into a panic on your way to work?

Uncle Geoff
Follow RoadIQ for a tip like this every morning. Tomorrow, brakes and when pads alone are enough.

10/28/2026

KNOW THE NUMBER, DAY 3: $5,613

That is the extra interest you pay when a $40,000 loan at 7.99 percent stretches from 60 months to 96. The payment drops from about $811 a month to about $565, and it feels like relief. The interest climbs from $8,652 to $14,265. Same car. Same rate. Five thousand six hundred thirteen dollars more for the privilege of paying slower.

It gets worse. A 96-month loan shrinks slowly while the car wears out, so plenty of drivers owe more than it is worth for most of the term. Every repair and every trade starts underwater.

If the only way the deal works is 96 months, the honest answer is a cheaper car, not a longer loan.

What is the longest loan term you have ever signed, and would you do it again?

The dealership has people who know every line on that contract. Now you've got us. Follow RoadIQ and share this with someone car shopping. Day 4 tomorrow morning is the fee with the official-sounding name. The best time to learn how a deal works is before you sign it, not after.

10/27/2026

Morning. Uncle Geoff here.

Winter tires are not about the first big snow. They are about cold pavement. Once days sit near 7 degrees or colder, winter rubber stays soft and grips while all season rubber gets hard.

Booking the swap in late October beats the November rush. A swap on rims most shops charge about $60 to $120. Off rims with balancing is more like $120 to $200. Storage for a season often runs $75 to $150 if you need it.

The fluff is panic buying a premium set when a good mid range set fits most drivers fine.

Your move. Book the swap this week and check the age and tread before you pay to mount them again.

When do you usually get yours on, early, on time, or after the first scare?

Uncle Geoff
Follow RoadIQ for a tip like this every morning. Tomorrow, the tire pressure light on a cold morning.

10/27/2026

KNOW THE NUMBER, DAY 2: $0

That is what a second freight charge should cost you. Zero. Freight and PDI are already baked into the price on the window sticker of every new vehicle in Canada. The manufacturer sets that number and it ships on the sticker.

So when a freight line shows up again on your bill of sale, you are paying for the same truck ride twice. It usually hides as a delivery fee, a prep fee, or dealer services.

Before you sign, put the window sticker beside the bill of sale and compare the freight lines. One is real. The second one is a conversation you need to have.

Ever caught a charge on a bill of sale that was already in the sticker price?

The dealership has people who know every line on that contract. Now you've got us. Follow RoadIQ and share this with someone car shopping. Day 3 tomorrow morning is the five-figure habit hiding inside the long-term loan. The best time to learn how a deal works is before you sign it, not after.

10/26/2026

WHAT THE HELL IS THIS FEE? #1: The Documentation Fee

You talked them down $2,000. Felt like a win. Then the paperwork shows a $699 "documentation fee" and your win got smaller.

They'll tell you it covers processing your paperwork. That's fifteen minutes of typing your name into a computer.

What it really is? Profit with an official-sounding name. Doc fees run from a couple hundred bucks to over $800 in Canada, and they cost the dealer a fraction of that.

Not mandatory. Almost always negotiable. Here's your move. Say "Remove the doc fee, or take the same amount off the vehicle price." If they say it's required, ask to see the law. Enjoy the silence.

So ask yourself, what exactly am I paying for, and where is that written in the deal?

What's the highest doc fee you've ever been quoted?

The dealership has people who know every line on that contract. Now you've got us. Follow RoadIQ and share this with someone car shopping. The best time to learn how a deal works is before you sign it, not after.