Performance Unlimited Blog

New Year’s Eve is approaching – potentially one of the best parties of the year. Lights, party hats, paper-and-colored-foil horns, glittering banners with “2015” splashed across the front, the dancing, the countdown and the kiss at the stroke of midnight: it’s all part of a great, big, wonderful celebration. And what would New Year’s be without a little bubbly? Of course, the fun is dampened a bit if it ends with a breathalyzer, handcuffs or a ambulance gurney. In 2012 (the last year the Secretary of State has records for DUIs available), there were 892 DUI arrests. The penalties related to a suspicion of DUI stop have increased, with additional penalties all but three of the last 30 years. In several years, the state has passed numerous increases in the penalties for a DUI. Driver’s licenses that are suspended or revoked, potential jail time, community service, fines and more fines, bail, higher insurance premiums (when you can drive again), lawyer’s fees – these are all some of the p...

Mother surveyed the boxes of presents on the table, as well as a basket with cookies and pie. Out the window, as the darkness gave way to early morning light, she could see Father leading Sunshine, their Arabian mare, from the stable as the white-and-speckled horse pulled the buggy behind her. Mother worried the buggy was too small for the presents, the food, Father and herself. But, with the snow, Father assured her that, since the buggy is lighter than the wagon, the three-hour trip from McHenry to Crystal Lake would be easier on Sunshine, all the more so if they had more snow. As Mother contemplated the ride to visit her daughter, son-in-law and, above all, their new granddaughter, she sighed and smiled. Usually, Virginia and Bob would come to McHenry for Christmas. But, Mother and Father had insisted they didn’t want their three-week-old granddaughter making that trip in the cold. At that moment, a blast of cold air filled the kitchen as father came in the back door, stomped his fe...

When was the first auto accident? Arguably, the first auto accident was in 1771 when Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is said to have driven his steam-powered car into a wall. However, others claim it didn't happen. Another accident involving a steam-powered car occurred in Ireland in 1869. Mary Ward was thrown from the vehicle and then run over making her the first fatality from an auto accident. The first auto accident in the U.S. is recorded as having occurred in Ohio in 1891. John William Lambert's single-cylinder car hit a tree root causing him to lose control. He then ran into a hitching post. Bridget Driscoll was the first person recorded to have died in an auto accident involving a gasoline-powered car. The accident occurred in 1896 in the United Kingdom. She was also the first pedestrian killed by an automobile. In 1899, Henry Bliss was the first person killed by an auto accident in America. On a cheerier note, we'll next discuss the history of auto racing. (The resource for ...

An accident, once it happens, is something you can’t take back. You can’t say to yourself, “I should have stopped at the stop sign I missed,” and then roll time backwards until the accident didn’t happen. Once it happens, the damage is done, whether to the vehicles, to passengers or both. There are no Mulligans or Do-Overs. During the holiday season, our normally stressful lives are all the more so. We’re driving to the store for groceries or to the mall for Christmas shopping. Then, of course, there’s all the normal driving we do that continues – to and from work, dropping off the kids for sports and activities, and then picking them up again. In the meantime, coordinating all these activities has our minds within an amp or two of a short circuit. Our minds are full and it’s hard to keep them on the task of driving. This is a challenge on any given day. With the holidays approaching, that challenge is dramatically increased. This is often how accidents happen. Many states, including I...

At Performance Unlimited, we help our customers to stay on top of their auto maintenance. We send out postcard reminders when service is due. These cards are based on auto manufacturer recommendations. One service we’re especially diligent about, when it comes to reminding our customers, is when it’s time to have their brakes checked. As part of that process, we check the brake lines. We also check the emergency brake cables. Many people don’t think much about their emergency brake cables. With an automatic transmission, you don’t usually need to engage the emergency brake to keep it from rolling down a hill. Even with a standard transmission, many drivers merely set the car in reverse and trust the transmission to keep the car from rolling away. For those purposes, some people call it the ‘parking brake.’ Its actual name is the emergency brake. It’s not just there for parking. It’s also there for emergencies. Brakes on cars, if they’re properly maintained, are pretty reliabl...

This is a hectic time of year – shopping, cooking, wrapping presents, spending time with family and friends. The last thing you need to worry about now is maintenance and repairs for your vehicle. If you’ve done a good job of staying up on your car’s maintenance there’s a very good chance you won’t have to worry about repairs now; you won’t have to worry your car won’t start in the parking lot at the mall, a muffler will fall off while driving to the grocery store or your brakes will fail when you’re out buying a Christmas tree. You won’t have to worry about being stuck on the side of the road somewhere. That’s a wonderful thing about automotive maintenance – not only does proper maintenance reduce the likelihood of unexpected breakdowns because of proper upkeep, it also provides your qualified auto repair technician with timely opportunities to look your car over. If there is something wrong, there’s a good chance they’ll see it. If they don’t see the car, there’s no chance. I...