Skip to main content

Have your brakes checked before entering the McHenry road construction zones

You’re cruising down Route 120 in McHenry when, suddenly, you realize the car in front of you has come to an abrupt halt. Without even thinking, you slam on the brakes and hold your breath hoping you’ll stop in time.

If you hit that car, you and your passengers may be hurt, the person, or people, in the car you hit may suffer injuries and there is always the risk that you may drive that car into another car. With injuries, the cost of an accident is potentially astronomical. Even if no one is hurt, the cost to fix their car, and your car, will likely cost more than you want to spend. And then, your insurance will go up and you’ll probably receive a ticket from a McHenry Police Officer for failing to stop to add to the equation.

What does it cost to have your brakes checked? Almost nothing. So, why wouldn’t you have them checked unless you’re afraid of bad news? It’s simple – have your brakes checked. Make an appointment with your trusted auto repair shop to have them checked or simply have them checked the next time you bring the car in for an oil change.

Just think of all the cost and aggravation you can avoid simply by making sure your brakes are up to the task. As the scenario above describes, even if your reflexes are lightning fast, if your brakes aren’t equal to the task, you could have an unfortunate event.

If your brakes are fine, you can drive in peace knowing you have the best opportunity to stop in time and avoid an accident. If your car’s brakes do need work, once you have the work done, you’ll have the same level of confidence when you drive.

A number of quality auto repair shops are offering discounts on brake jobs this time of year. For instance, Performance Unlimited of Ringwood (815-728-0343), just north of McHenry, is offering up to $50 off on brake jobs with their Brake Out Savings discount. The program is good until June 30. But, whatever you do, don’t wait until you need your brakes to work to find out if they will.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Is your antifreeze safe from freezing this Richmond winter

You still have time to have it checked Well, there’s no denying it – winter tends to get chilly here in Richmond. We have to deal with snow and ice on the roads, scraping the same off our windows and windshield, and staying warm while we drive. Of course, you had your antifreeze checked before winter rolled into town. What?! You didn’t have your antifreeze checked before winter clamped down on Richmond? So, how’s your antifreeze doing?  If you haven’t had it checked, there’s really no way of knowing, is there? This car has overheated in the middle of a Richmond  winter. But, on the other end of the spectrum, the antifreeze can also freeze if it's not up to its job. Hopefully, you haven’t had a serious problem with your antifreeze already. If you did, you’d probably know. When antifreeze fails, it’s a potentially catastrophic condition for your vehicle’s engine. You could have hoses that have burst because of freezing antifreeze. Worse than that, your engine block may have crac...

Blocks of ice falling from cars in McHenry could cause accidents or damage

We’ve all seen those blocks of snow falling from behind the rear tires of a car when the snow rolls into McHenry . Fortunately, they’re just packed snow that will disintegrate under your vehicle’s tires as you simply drive right through them, right? Don’t count on it. Those blocks of snow are often packed so tight, condensed by the thaw-and-freeze cycle, that they’re anything but oversized snowballs . They’re often more like boulders.  Hit one of those blocks and the collision between the block and one of your tires could send you careening off the road or into oncoming traffic. In some cases, they’re so solid you could pound them with a sledgehammer with little effect. They truly can represent a serious road hazard. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell how solidly they’re packed when you see them on the road, left their unwittingly by another driver. Either way, your best bet is to try to avoid them. But you want to be careful dodging blocks of ice in the road, too. You need...

October 20 Hootenanny will benefit veterans with PTSD

Been to a Hootenanny lately? When you read that question did you ask, “What?” Well, if you have gone to a Hootenanny in a while, or if you don’t know what a hootenanny is, we have an event for Oct. 20 that will clear up either question. From 6 p.m. to Midnight, Saturday, Oct. 20, MC3, the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce business networking group, is helping to host an inaugural Veterans R&R Wild Horse Hootenanny at Beyond Stable Farm (11129 Rte. 176, Woodstock). The event will benefit Veterans R&R Operation Wild Horse. Operation Wild Horse serves veterans with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Working with the horses has proven to have an incredibly calming effect on the veterans. And, it’s good for the horses, too, rescued wild mustangs. This means that the hootenanny is for a very good cause. But, it’s also a lot of fun. So, what is a hootenanny? According to a Google search, a hootenanny is “an informal gathering with folk music and sometimes dancing.” The V...