Performance Unlimited Blog

Spring made an appearance a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, winter made a repeat performance and beat spring back for a while. For many of us here in McHenry County, that was discouraging news. We were ready for spring. We were even eager for spring. Many mothers and fathers here in McHenry County have a very good reason for welcoming the arrival of spring; they’ve noticed that their children are exhibiting signs of cabin fever. Rest assured, spring will push winter out of the way, eventually. But, maybe this winter interlude is an opportunity. With the full arrival of spring, mothers and fathers throughout McHenry County will suddenly find their schedules compacted with additional responsibilities, such as driving the children to soccer and baseball practices and games. This winter interlude may be just the ticket providing a space in time for having the car checked out for the spring and summer ahead. The summer will almost certainly include day trips, maybe a vacation or two and...

Have you ever taken a good look at the roads down South? They’re like silken asphalt carpets. Cars don’t so much as drive on them as they seem to glide on them. That’s hardly the case here in McHenry County. Here, we bounce and jolt from one pothole to another. If our roads are asphalt carpets, they’re more like torn and tattered rugs. The winters badly abuse our roads in McHenry County. And, once the roads are filled with cracks and potholes, the roads then beat the heck out of our cars. In particular, our battered highways tend to throw a car’s alignment out of whack. At the same time, pockmarked roadways shorten the lives of our shocks, struts and steering parts. In the spring, the road crews come out and start filling the potholes. By early summer, many of the roads in McHenry County are fairly presentable again. But, just fixing the road doesn’t do anything about the damage done to a car’s alignment, shocks, struts or steering. Unless the damage is addressed, it persists. Problems...

There are some in the auto repair industry who are cut from an older bolt of cloth. They’re gruff and short on patience. Their customer service skills are almost nonexistent. It often seems they’re a little annoyed when asked to explain the technical problems with a customer’s car in layman terms. Today, there’s no good reason that someone would have to put up with that kind of treatment. Most auto repair shops have evolved with the times. They know that the customers are not coming to them because those customers like to hang out in a dirty auto repair shop waiting area and pay for the privilege. When a customer comes in the door of an auto repair shop, they’re either looking for help with maintaining their vehicle, or they’re looking for help with a problem. In either case, they’ve come to a particular auto repair shop because they’re counting on the repair shop to take good care of them and their vehicle. There are several key factors they’re counting on: They want to know what is b...

Is that a whistle from under the hood? Maybe it’s more of a grinding noise? Whatever it is, it’s annoying, isn’t it? What if it’s more than annoying? Well, maybe it will go away. It’s never a good idea to ignore unusual sounds coming from your vehicle. A car is designed with the expectation that it will make certain noises. When unusual noises are heard, they’re clues to something mechanical. Unexpected thumps, whistles, hums and grinds can indicate all kinds of problems. A sound that is not customary could indicate a mechanical problem with your ca that could leave you stranded on the side of the road. Worse yet, the sound could come from something more critical than that – something that would put you and your family at serious risk. For instance, what if you hear a slight clanking noise? It’s not that loud so you ignore it. One day, you approach an intersection and apply the brakes almost without thinking about it. You assume the car will stop, as usual. Instead, your foot pushes th...

He was thrilled with the used truck he had just bought. The lift kit, the big-beefy tires: it was a monster rolling down the highway. And, when he took it off road, as he planned to do this coming weekend, he expected it to take the roughest terrain in stride. While imagining the truck clawing through mud and over hills, he hit a minor bump on the highway. Though he revved the engine, the truck just slowly rolled to a stop. Climbing out, he looked under the truck to discover his driveshaft had falled out of the back of the transmission. His reaction was a bit stronger than, “Darn it.” A lift kit will give a vehicle extra ground clearance. It will make room for those honkin’ tires you want. It will help make your Jeep, truck or SUV off-road capable. But, the lift kit installation has to be done correctly. In the case of the truck above, the lift kit was installed by the previous owner – a teenager. The installation was, apparently, fine – except for one thing. When you install a lift ki...