Performance Unlimited Blog

Here at Performance Unlimited, we wish you the happiest and safest New Year. Of course, the new year will be off to a rough start if it begins with an accident or a DUI. Please, rely on a trusted designated driver. To make your designated driver experience all the more special, we suggest that you call McHenry Limousine for a ride to and from your holiday party. We use McHenry Limousine and can’t say enough about the luxurious and opulently refined new vehicles or the exemplary service. To contact McHenry Limousine for a ride, call: 815-344-4466 or visit: McHenry Limousine Service. To keep your car in tip-top shape in 2014, you can call Performance Unlimited at 815-728-0343 or visit www.4performanceunlimited.com.

With a hot cup of cocoa, Jan slipped into the recliner and smiled. This seemed her first opportunity to relax in several weeks. All that hustle and bustle served to set the stage for a climactic moment several-hours hence when the children would bound from their beds eager to find what Santa had left under the tree the night before. Bob came in the room behind her and, for a fleeting moment, gently placed his hand on her shoulder before he sat on the sofa beside her. The smile he offered said volumes. It was a smile of appreciation, acknowledging all she had done and all she yet to do when next they woke on Christmas Day. You’re amazing,” said Bob. Jan blushed ever so slightly while feeling a warm glow inside knowing that she was equally amazed at all she had accomplished the last several weeks. The Christmas shopping, baking cookies, putting up the tree and decorating the house, planning a meal for an extended family of 33 tomorrow, sending out nearly 200 Christmas cards and al...

That last-minute shopping for the holidays can run a bit hectic. The malls are packed, the roads are busy and, to add to the mix, the roads are often slick and dangerous this time of year, too. For shoppers, with their focus on making their final purchases before December 25th, keeping their attention on driving is a challenge. Since other drivers are facing the same dilemma, the potential for fender benders or more serious accidents is real. To make matters worse, the risk that the ‘other’ driver was reveling in the season and imbibed a little too much liquor is another possibility. In other words, even if you’re not distracted by the shopping season, extra attention when driving is an excellent idea. According to a 2011 study by the Illinois Department of Transportation, average daily traffic fatalities are as high during the Christmas holiday as they are for Memorial Day and the 4th of July. But, many holiday shopping accidents are of the parking-lot variety – low speed fender ...

Ice cakes on the wiper blades leaving wide swipes of slush in the center of their reciprocal path. The headlights reflect back off the large and heavy flakes of snow falling in your path further reducing visibility to a matter of yards and the safe speed of travel proportionately. A drive that normally takes a little more than an hour has already taken three – and home is still several communities down the road. Ahead is one of the bottlenecks though, from your position back in a long line of cars, it’s hard to see what the holdup is all about. What you know is that the slick road rides up to an intersection with a traffic light at the top of a hill. Forty minutes later, as you approach the launching point at the bottom of the hill, you realize that a car failed to make it up the hill on the right thereby reducing traffic to one lane headed west. The trick is to get up some speed before you hit the upgrade. Then keep going. If you let off the gas pedal, you could lose your momentu...

The holidays are, for many, a wonderful time of the year. Parties, great food, fun with family and friends, parties, gifts, holiday decorations and, of course, parties. Parties are great the way airplane rides are great; you love them as long as the landing comes off without a hitch. Unfortunately, parties gone bad is less of a concern when the party is a dud. The real problem is when other negative factors attach themselves to the experience – such as when your vehicle gives you trouble or you run afoul of the law. To avoid either problem requires a little preparation before hand and a little common sense during and after. No one wants to top off a party with a car that won’t start. At the same time, if the car breaks down to or from the party, it’s a downer. All these issues assume the driver isn’t so full of revelry as to make driving a bad idea to begin with. Making sure the car will start and run reliably to and from a party, or any other outing this time of year, starts ...

Most days of the year, businesses focus on providing quality products and services for their customers. Those customers are thankful for that philosophy and what it means to them in terms of savings, convenience and peace of mind. Still, when they discussed that which they’re thankful for over Thanksgiving dinner that doesn’t mean they included quality products and services in that list. Most are more likely to remember when they don’t receive quality products or services or if they pay too much. This is, at least, equally true in the automotive industry. Having an auto repair shop they can trust is a big part of life for many drivers. Those times when they received inferior workmanship tend to stand out in their minds. Few are inclined to thank an auto repair shop for poor service. “Here at Performance Unlimited, we’re thankful throughout the year that our customers trust us with their cars,” said owner Denny Norton. “Our first priority is to earn that trust.” Norton went on ...

Most people know Denny Norton as the owner of Performance Unlimited in Ringwood. They’re used to seeing him behind the counter responding to questions about their cars. They’ll see Norton interacting with the mechanics in the shop as they team up to ensure that cars are repaired and maintained to the highest possible standards. This Thursday, however, folks will see Norton in a different setting. Norton is also vice president of MC3, a McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce marketing connection group. It’s in that capacity he’ll be found at 31 North Banquet & Conference Center from 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 21. Instead of operating one of the premier auto repair shops in Northern Illinois, Norton will be having a good time for a good cause at the 7th Annual Shop With A Cop party and fundraiser. “This is a great party and a great event,” said Norton. “We’ve got just a boatload of raffle and auction items. We’ve got food, a cash bar and live music.” The live music includes a sing...

I know, you’ve probably got something important to do next week Thursday, Nov. 21. You might want to rotate the socks in your sock drawer or play another game of solitaire on the computer. But, if you think you can get away from all that for a little while, is there ever a party waiting for you. For the seventh year in a row, MC3, a McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce business networking group, is holding its Shop With A Cop Networking Fundraiser. Don’t let those last two words fool you though; it’s really a party. And what a party. While raising money so police officers with McHenry County Police Charities can take deserving children holiday shopping, everyone has a great time. The event is at 31 North Banquet & Conference Center , 217 N. Front Street, McHenry, and starts at 5 p.m. It runs until 8 p.m. but, in those three hours, there is food, a cash bar, raffles, a silent auction and a live auction. The event is also spiced up with some awesome live music. Live music inclu...

There are several parts on cars that are made of rubber including the tires, windshield wipers and the seals around doors and windows. These rubber items play a vital role in the summer keeping the car on the road, the windshield clear and water from running inside the car’s body. In the winter, their roles are even more essential. Windshield Wipers Windshield wipers only have to wipe the rain away in the summer. Here in Northern Illinois, that rain turns to snow and ice when the temperature falls. Now you’re trying to wipe away a mix of snow, rain, ice and salt. Inadequate wipers will streak and smear the windshield rather than clear it for an uninhibited view while driving. If you haven’t changed the wipers in a while, you might want to do something about that before you find yourself twisting your neck here and there trying to see through a salt-smeared windshield. Rubber Molding The rubbers around your doors and windows help keep the cold air out and make your ride quiet...

You see that car sitting on the side of the road on a cold winter night. There’s a good chance, whatever caused that car to pull over it wasn’t something the driver planned for. No one plans for their car to breakdown, especially not in the middle of winter. But, if it happens, the trick is to have a plan. If you have a plan for such an occasion, you’ll know what to do. You’ll be prepared. Preparation means having the knowledge and implements to deal with such a situation. A plan is especially essential when temperatures dip dangerously low. The first part of a plan is to have an emergency kit in your car. Unlike an emergency medical kit, which isn’t a bad idea either, your roadside, winter emergency kit should include the following: • One or more blankets • Gloves, hat, boots, scarf and dry socks • A small snow shovel • A flashlight with fresh batteries • Emergency reflectors • A charged cell phone • Jumper cables • A bottle of water If you have these items in ...

Tic, tic, tic, tic, tic – no, that’s not the sound of a clock; that’s the sound of someone trying to start a car with an almost-dead battery. Instead of turning the engine over and initiating the chain reaction known as internal combustion, a nearly dead battery falls short and, when this happens, all you’ll often hear is a discouraging tic, tic, tic sound. Imagine you were out doing holiday shopping at the mall. It’s closing time and the parking lot is almost empty. It’s also frigid outside. This is no time to discover you can’t start the car. Earlier, you might have asked someone if they had jumper cables but, now, there’s no one around to ask. Assuming your cell phone is charged, you can call someone to come help – a friend, family member of a motor club. And then you can sit and wait – alone – in the dark – in the cold. Rather than chance the scenario above, or some similar outcome, you can be proactive now and all but avoid that as a possible outcome. The key is to make sur...

Winter can reach bitterly cold temperatures here in McHenry County. With wind chills, winter carries potentially fatal consequences across the barren landscape. Traveling on such days is a challenge – a challenge to safe and warm even in your car. But, when you turn on the heat in your car the heated air pours out of the vents and warms you to the bone, right? It all depends on whether your car’s heater works. The heat in the inside of the car is provided, ironically enough, by the car’s cooling system. We call the fluid inside that system coolant in the summer and anti-freeze in the winter. But, whatever season, it still fulfills a crucial role in an automobile. Coolant keeps the engine from overheating. Even in the coldest weather, without adequate coolant, your car will quickly overheat. On the other hand, in the winter, when the car isn’t running, the anti-freeze has the capacity to remain in a liquid, non-frozen state even when temperatures are terribly cold. When the cooli...

In the summer, it’s not a big deal if fueling the car is an afterthought, as long as you don’t run out of gas. Here in Northern Illinois, however, it’s not such a good idea to let the gas tank run low in the winter time. Gasoline won’t freeze until it hits 97-degrees below zero. However, that big cavity above the gasoline in a near-empty tank is an invitation to humidity laden air. Water freezes at 32-degrees above zero. If that humid air works its way into your fuel lines, when the moisture freezes, the lines are clogged. Along with keeping the fuel level from going to low, you can also improve your odds in the winter time by occasionally using a fuel additive that removes moisture. Some additives are designed to clean a car’s fuel lines and carburetor or fuel injectors. Others are specifically designed to get the moisture out of your fuel system. While many of the manufacturers of these additives like to claim that their products will make your car run better and improve gasoli...

Have you ever seen someone trying to drive while looking through a small patch of window they’ve scraped clean of snow and frost? You watch them cautiously trying to drive by touch and you shake your head at the insanity. You want to shake them and tell them to just take the time and clear their windows properly. Not only can they receive a ticket driving that way, they also are at risk of having an accident. If their semi-blind driving leads to an accident, they may hit a tree or a parked car. Unfortunately, they could also hit your car or a child running to the bus stop in the morning. Driving with clear, clean windows is a great way to decrease your odds of an accident. It’s also far less frustrating. Certainly, that driver leaning down and squinting through the window isn’t enjoying the process of driving that way. At the very least, that driver will probably wind up with a major headache for the effort. To ensure your windows are ready, a little preparation is recommended. ...

This WWII B-17 landing at Chicago Executive Airport has four air-cooled engines. The cars on the road below, however, must have quality coolant and cooling systems. Some piston-engine aircraft are air cooled. The engines have oil to reduce friction within but no coolant. That’s not a problem for the aircraft as aircraft don’t get caught in stop-and-go traffic while flying. The air is constantly rushing in and around the engine. Even the propeller helps to pull the air through. As the air goes by it carries much of the heat with it. Your car, on the other hand, can’t get away with an air-cooled engine. Your car engine is water cooled. A car engine produces a lot of heat. Even though your engine has oil to reduce heat-inducing friction, the moving parts moving rapidly against each other produce tremendous amounts of heat. Without the coolant, an engine will rapidly overheat and the parts could fuse together. When you stop at a red light, go through the drive-up window of a ...

What kind of winter will we have here in Northern Illinois and McHenry County? Some are predicting a harsh winter this year – bitter cold and lots of snow. Hopefully, they’re wrong. But, what if they’re right? Are you prepared? Is your vehicle prepared? Preparation starts with having the right clothes and making arrangements for snow removal – either a good shovel and strong back, a snow blower or a contract for snow removal. Preparation, in terms of your automobile, is at least as important and probably more. Some auto repair shops are aware of these concerns and are doing what they can to help car owners get ready for the winter ahead. Recently, Denny Norton, owner of Performance Unlimited, an auto repair shop in Ringwood, announced a Free Fall Charging System Check. He knows how important it is, on a bitterly cold day or night, to know that they car will start. But, there’s more to winterizing a car than just checking the charging system. Car owners are also wise to check the ...

It’s comforting to know your car is ready for winter, assuming it is. Sure, we have a little while yet before we have to seriously worry about sub-zero temperatures and falling snow. But, if your car isn’t ready to start when that time comes, on a frigid day only a few months away, you don’t have to stand in a walk-in freezer wearing shorts and an Hawaiian shirt to know it will be cold. When the car won’t start there are several likely offenders – the car battery, alternator and/or starter. All three are critical elements when it comes to starting your car. Maybe they’re doing fine starting your car now. Of course, it’s in the 80s out there, the oil is nice and thin and the engine is easy to start but, when the temperature is North-Pole cold, that oil will thicken some. If there is a weak link in your charging/starting system, the cold will help you find it. And that’s one way to find it. You can wait until you have to be somewhere on a mid-January morning and discover, “Well, I gu...

You’re driving down the highway thinking about work, those cute shoes you’ve finally decided to buy at the store or, maybe, that it would be nice to go out for dinner tonight. The last thing on your mind is the variance between your speed and the speed limit. Just then, you notice the nose of a white car off the side of the road behind a large clump of bushes. As you draw closer, you see the lights on top and the uniformed officer inside. In a millisecond, your mind shifts gears as you simultaneously lighten the pressure on the accelerator. The previously neglected speedometer now becomes the focus of your attention. You feel a sense of relief, assuming your speed is within the posted limit. If not, your pulse begins to quicken as your eyes shift to the rearview mirror. Gazing in the mirror you utter a little prayer: “Please don’t pull me over. Please don’t pull me over.” Maybe the officer was busy writing reports and didn’t notice you speeding by, even if only slightly over the limit....

Good vision is a nice thing to have when you drive. It’s extremely helpful in avoiding accidents. With good vision, it’s easier to notice potential problems while you drive. With impaired vision, your awareness is diminished. A child runs into the road after a ball. Do you see the child in time to stop or swerve away? A truck at an intersection runs a red light into your path. Will you recognize the danger in time? If you’re having trouble seeing the odds start to build against you. Vision starts with a clean and clear windshield. Proper lighting and wiper blades are also imperative in dark and/or rainy conditions and at night. And this is not a 50/50 proposition. If your headlights work but your wipers only streak the window, your vision still suffers. And, if your wipers are great but you’re missing a headlight, you still have a problem. Newer cars are sealed tighter than older cars. This may create a problem with moisture or frost building up on the inside of the windshield. To ...

Not too many years ago, car owners expected to get about 30,000 miles out of a set of spark plugs. Today, with advances in automotive design, 100,000 miles or more is not uncommon. Spark plugs are an essential part of a combustion engine found in most automobiles. They are designed to fire an arc of electricity across two contact points. That arc initiates an explosion of compacted air and fuel particles. The explosion forces the piston down from its high point in the cylinder causing the crankshaft to turn. That motion is transferred, through the transmission and other parts to the wheels. When operating under optimal conditions, spark plugs are relatively durable. When a vehicle is not operating at peak performance, often, the lifespan of the spark plugs are shortened. Of course, the shortened lifespan of spark plugs is not the only problem with a poorly operating engine. There is a long list of problems that could cause a car’s engine to run poorly. These include problems with sens...

“Hey, Hey!!” yells Jack Brickhouse over the car radio as Willie Smith slaps a three-run, 3rd-inning homer to help propel the Cubs to another division-leading victory. It’s July 12, 1969, and the temperature is nearing 90-degrees here in the Chicago area. Of course, you have your car windows down. Rolling the windows up on a day such as this is just crazy. Inside the car would quickly turn into a sauna. There are some folks driving around with their windows up. At one time, that was the Lincoln and Cadillac crowd. On this hot day in July, 1969, however, more than half the people with new cars have paid extra for the optional auto air conditioning. A few others have gone to Sears to install an after-market auto air conditioning unit that fits under the dashboard. Still, many folks simply roll the windows down and sweat it out. Today, in 2013, auto air conditioning is standard equipment on virtually every car. We don’t have to roll the windows down and dab at our sweaty necks with a h...

With some exceptions, motorcycle riders make better drivers. The skills they develop and refine to stay safe on motorcycles translate to behind-the-wheel driving, too. In a sense, those skills are the antithesis of the level of attention drivers have while texting. To put it simply, qualified motorcycle riders are hyper attentive when compared to many drivers of automobiles. Hyper-attentive driving means that they are actively trying to see everything that is going on while they ride or drive. At an intersection, they’re watching to see if someone will run a red light in their path. After all, the price of an automobile-vs.-motorcycle collision is fairly obvious. The motorcycle rider is going to lose that battle with a two-ton vehicle. Someone in a car may not have the same sense of vulnerability in terms of potential accidents. After all, they’re protected by metal on all sides. Unfortunately, that sense of security is largely illusionary. If that weren’t true, states wouldn’t compile...

What do you have planned for this summer? Are you going somewhere on vacation? Will you drive there? Maybe you’re not taking an extended trip but still planning to make same day-long excursions. In either case, you’re certainly expecting to have a good time at your destination. You may even expect to enjoy the drive. The last thing you want to deal with while driving to the Milwaukee Zoo, fishing in Northern Wisconsin or even doing something closer to home in the McHenry County or Northern Illinois region is to have your trip interrupted by car trouble. Who wants to sit on the side of the road with the flashers on watching the other cars go by while you wait for a tow truck? There are a number of automotive problems that could cause a costly inconvenience during your trip. For instance, you could have … •    A flat tire •    A car that overheats •    Engine belts that break •    Radiator hoses that burst (this could also lead...

You missed McHenry’s Green Street Cruise Night last week? That’s a shame. After all, a good time was had by all – hot cars, entertainment, good food. If you’ve attended Green Street Cruise Night before, which means that you’ve attended the annual summer event last year, or a previous year, you know what that means. Green Street Cruise Night is the equivalent, for automotive enthusiasts, of a kid in a candy store. The city parking lots south of Route 120 and west of Green Street have been repeatedly filled, Monday nights in the summer, with an incredible array of custom and classic cars. So, if you did miss Green Street Cruise Night last Monday – not to worry – you’ll have another chance tonight. Tonight, as you stroll through the parking lots, among the best Ford, GM, Chrysler, AMC and other foreign and domestic car manufacturers have offered over the years, you’ll appreciate the craftsmanship and ingenuity auto makers bring to the process. You’ll witness vehicles that were at the pe...

Are you one of those people who have a love affair with the automobile? Do your eyes widen at the sight of chrome and lacquered layers of custom paint? Does your pulse quicken at a hint of extra horsepower? If you have these symptoms you may have the custom-car virus. If so, you’re probably not looking for a cure but you might appreciate a treatment that addresses your symptoms. An extra dose of car-lover’s penicillin is offered each Monday night, starting tomorrow, June 10, at McHenry’s Green Street Cruise Night. The excitement takes place in the city parking lots south of Route 120 and west of Green Street. “If you have a thing for hotrods, classic cars and other fine automobiles, this is definitely the place to be Monday nights,” said Denny Norton, owner of Ringwood based Performance Unlimited and a perennial vendor at the event. “You’ll see some really sweet cars at the Green Street Cruise Night, and you’ll meet some great people.” The event runs Mondays through September 30. Eac...

Early autos required auto maintenance, too. The automobile has played a significant role in American society. With Henry Ford’s development of the assembly line, even someone with a moderate income could afford to purchase a car. With their new car, they had new options. For starters, they didn’t have to live within walking distance of their place of employment. Imagine if you didn’t have a car. Suddenly, you’re very conscious of the schedules and routes of train lines. You can always saddle the horse, or hitch it to a buggy, but a trip from McHenry County to Chicago was a major undertaking even with a horse. Deciding to visit New York City or Miami Beach was a long train ride or a much longer horse ride with or without the buggy.  The automobile has played a significant role in American society. With Henry Ford’s development of the assembly line, even someone with a moderate income could afford to purchase a car. With their new car, they had new options. For s...