Performance Unlimited Blog

Winters in Richmond are challenging. The roads are frequently very slick – covered with everything from ice to snow to freezing rain and even black ice. Caution is essential for Richmond drivers in the winter. That caution means that drivers need to stay alert. That includes a clear view of the road and the surrounding area. We’ve all seen them – drivers who were in too much of a hurry to properly clean the snow, frost or ice off of their windshields and windows. In the most absurd instances, we’ve seen people who have cleared a little peephole in front of them and then started driving. Drivers, such as these, are virtually driving blind. In the process, they put themselves and other drivers at risk. Even pedestrians are in danger when these peep-hole drivers are coming down the street. Yes, it’s a pain. But, living in the Richmond area, it’s a pain we’re all familiar with; in the winter, we simply have to clean our windows before we drive. We have to dust off the snow and scra...

Are you waking the Richmond neighborhood where you live every time you start your car? What was once nice and quiet has grown increasingly loud as you find yourself progressively turning up the radio. The problem is that exhaust systems deteriorate. You may have a bad muffler. They rust and corrode. There’s not much you can do about it other than replacing them, or parts of them, when they get too loud. Actually, the exhaust system is designed to do more than quiet the engine. It’s also designed to safely carry exhaust fumes beyond the passenger compartment of your vehicle. Over the course of the last several decades, it’s been increasingly designed to filter harmful elements before they can escape into the atmosphere. If your exhaust is making more and more noise, if you have a bad muffler on your Richmond car, it is quite likely it’s not doing these other jobs as well either. The exhaust system is made up of several parts: the exhaust manifolds, exhaust pipes, mufflers and cata...

Does it seem as though your car just isn’t getting around as well during this McHenry winter? Why would that change? After all, it’s the same car, right? Actually, there is a very good reason that your car’s ability to negotiate the roads in the winter would change and you can trace the problem to where the rubber meets the road. It’s all about tire tread. With good tire tread, your tires have a better chance of gripping the road even when you’re dealing with rain, snow or ice on the pavement. As you drive your car, the tires slowly shed tread. The depth of the tread shrinks. The ability of the tires to provide adequate traction shrinks with the tread. As your tire tread shrinks you’ll want to increase the level of caution you apply when driving. This is particularly true when there are slippery conditions on the road. You’ll want to increase the distance you give the car ahead of you while driving. You’ll also want to increase your vigilance in watching for potential hazards whi...

“What’s the big deal, the car still runs? All this fuss about changing the oil – oil schmoil. I know a guy who drove his car for a year without changing the oil. It seemed alright to me.” So says the uniformed car owner. You won’t hear any mechanics saying anything remotely close to this. They know better. And, if somehow you do find a mechanic who believes changing the oil is not all that important, you really, really don’t want to bring your car to them. Have you ever considered that the cost of an oil change is actually saving you money? It’s true. Regularly scheduled oil changes aren’t like scams where you’re told you need to purchase a maintenance agreement for your toaster. Recommendations that you have your oil changed regularly are legitimate. They’re a good idea – a very, very good idea. If you go to buy a used car, if the car is in good shape, there’s a good chance that the owner also did a good job of changing the oil on schedule. They wanted to ensure that the car was...