Performance Unlimited Blog

There is plenty to celebrate as we bid 2017 adieu and welcome in 2018. What are your plans for New Year’s Eve? What a great night to join some friends and party. Just think of the letdown, however, if the night ends in handcuffs or on an ambulance gurney. Why should you wind up in handcuffs or on an ambulance gurney? A little too much party, mixed with an unwise decision to drive is a roll of the dice, at best. Maybe you’ve ‘proven’ that you can have a few drinks and make it home alright, the other times when you rolled the dice. But, you never know when those dice are going to come up snake eyes. What does a DUI defense cost these days? Talk about a ‘loaded’ question. Here are some estimates of how much you could expect to pay related to a DUI: $200: Towing and impounding your car (the police have a nasty habit of not letting you drive the car after they arrest you for drunk driving) $25,000: legal fees $4,000: DUI fines and fees $500: DUI classes (10 - $50 per class) $20...

All Virginia wanted to do was get home. After all, who really wants to work Christmas Eve. With two young children at home, she had struggled to keep her mind on her work all day. Now, with the sun setting over the McHenry horizon, she rushed out to the car driven by the anticipation of the joyful greeting she would receive when she came in the door back at home. That hour of Christmas Eve the roads were fairly empty, save for a few last-minute shoppers or those heading to the occasional party. But Virginia hardly noticed them; her focus was on getting home to spend some time with her son and daughter, witnessing their youthful exuberance with thoughts of Santa Claus bringing presents down the chimney. She was so focused, in fact, that she drove several miles before she noticed that one of the lights in her dashboard was brightly burning a warning. Virginia actually didn’t notice the light until the car started to act up. The engine started to run rough. Then, it started to los...

There is a good reason you can count on your car to start throughout the Wonder Lake winter that is swiftly approaching. You have an integrated charging/starting system under your hood with parts and mechanisms that work together to ensure your car will start when you want it to. There is one primary reason that system might fail you sometime this winter. The system generally fails because someone has attended to the charging/starting system as diligently as they should have. We all know that winter rolls around in Wonder Lake this time of year. Due diligence means that you’ll have your charging/starting system checked before the worst of winter arrives. But, some of us put it off. Some even neglect to check their charging/starting system altogether. If you go out and start the car today, the car starts. So, what’s the problem? Better to ask ‘What could possibly go wrong?’ The answer is plenty, and you really could find yourself stranded on a Wonder Lake road, or worse, a road some...

The coolant/antifreeze that flows through the veins and arteries of your car’s engine and radiator are essential to the vitality, endurance and efficient operation of your car. As a coolant, it carries away heat caused by friction between moving engine parts. As antifreeze, it avoids the risk of freezing so it can’t flow when you start the car. It’s amazing that something as vital as coolant/antifreeze depends on something so simple as rubber hoses to transfer the coolant/antifreeze from engine block to radiator, as well as the heater core. If, in its coolant function, it was not able to literally take the heat, your coolant/antifreeze would let your car down. At the minimum, your car will overheat. Far worse is the possibility that you could do serious damage to your engine. If, in its antifreeze role, it froze at low temperatures, your coolant/antifreeze would also let your car down. What if you don’t have enough coolant/antifreeze in your car? Coolant that isn’t there can’t ca...

They can also make your car more comfortable In recent weeks, this blog has focused on coolant/antifreeze, freeze plugs and radiator hoses – all integral parts of a car’s cooling system. There is another part of the cooling system that plays a vital role in its efficient operation that we have not discussed – the thermostat. In your home, you have a thermostat on the wall that you can adjust to operate your furnace so the house stays at a desired temperature. The thermostat in the house is an apparatus that often leads to battles between husbands and wives. Some like it hotter, some like it cooler and never the twain shall meet. Your car’s thermostat also adjusts the temperature. But, once it’s installed, there are no adjustments to make and nothing for a husband and wife to argue about. A car’s thermostat operates a valve that opens and closes. Closed, it blocks the flow of cooled coolant out of the radiator and into the engine. Why would you want to stop the flow of coolant in...

You probably don’t think about them. You may never have heard of them. But, you can better your car’s warranty its engine has freeze plugs. Freeze plugs are one of those things you hope never to use since you’ll only use them in a desperate situation. In particular, a freeze plug is used when the antifreeze does what it’s designed not to do – it freezes. And it all comes down to the power of water. Water carves rivers. Blown up into a typhoon, water can swamp even the biggest ship. Water is sometimes used in manufacturing to cut heavy-gauge steel. Water is powerful. It’s also powerful when it freezes. This is why we use antifreeze in our cars. Antifreeze is designed to remain in its liquid state even when the temperature outside is precipitously cold. For one thing, with frozen antifreeze, you may have trouble getting the car to start. But, even worse, if the antifreeze in your car’s engine does freeze it’s going to press at its walls. Have you ever seen what happens when a gal...

What are your plans Saturday night? If you have the chance, you might want to put the Shop With A Cop Fundraiser on your calendar. From 6 p.m. to Midnight, at the McHenry VFW (3002 IL-Rte 120, McHenry - just a little east of the Fox River) the house will be rockin' as a couple hundred partygoers prove that you can have a wonderful time while doing something selfless to help deserving children. This is the 11th year that MC3, the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce business networking group Performance Unlimited belongs to, will host this bash. It is traditionally one of the best parties of the year in the McHenry area. This year, the live music is provided by 'Holy Smoke.' The food, as always, is buffet style from some of the better eateries in the area. Between groovin' and dining, you'll have a chance to win some prizes - lots of prizes. There are raffles, silent auctions, and live auctions. We're not talking about one or two auction and raffle items; we...

But, there's no need to worry if you're careful You purchased your hybrid car for the fuel efficiency. You purchased to reduce the emissions that your driving added to the atmosphere. You purchased your hybrid car because you felt it was a wise and economical decision. There’s a good chance that it was but there is also a warning you need to hear and take seriously about your hybrid car. If you lift the hood on your hybrid car, you’ll find plastic pieces colored orange. These plastic pieces are insulators covering electrical parts. All cars have electrical parts. Hybrid cars, however, have electrical connections that can seriously hurt you, if you touch them wrong. This is why these parts are covered with orange insulators. Under those orange insulators are electrical parts that are transmitting high voltage. Electrocution is actually a serious risk if you touch these parts. The orange insulators should protect you but why tempt fate? It’s good to know, however, that th...

Oil change is engine insurance OK, the title has kind of let the topic out of the bag, hasn’t it? You have auto insurance – the kind of insurance you need if you have an accident or someone steals your car, truck or SUV. You have homeowners insurance or renters insurance. You may have insurance for your business. But, do you have insurance for your engine. Yes, there are companies out there offering auto repair insurance but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about oil changes as insurance for your engine. Engine oil is the lifeblood of your car, truck or SUV’s engine. It reduces friction, which reduces heat, and it carries away heat. It also gathers up little bits of dirt and metal fibers and carries them away so that your oil filter will remove them from the engine’s lifeblood – engine oil. Considering how important engine oil is to the vitality and durability of your engine, the only question is the cost of this form of engine insurance. That’s another gr...

Imagine you’re a Blackhawks fan and you’ve scored a couple tickets to a Hawk’s game this coming January. As it happens, this day in January is bitterly cold – so cold you contemplate not going to the game. But, your love of the Blackhawks is enough that you and your spouse brave the elements to drive from McHenry down to the United Center. It’s a great game where the Hawks pull out a victory on a short-handed goal by Marian Hossa in the second period of OT. You’ve really enjoyed the game, even if you did spend the game in the nosebleed section. Now, as you’re leaving, your spouse insists they have to get a T-shirt and you need to find a bathroom. By the time your spouse gives up on the T-shirt, and you finish in the bathroom, the crowd has dissipated. In fact, by the time you get out, and back to the parking lot where you left your car, the lot is almost empty and the attendant is long gone. It’s also very cold as that bitterly cold day has turned into a dangerously cold night. Y...

Here are some tips to get your windshield clear and keep it clear Now that the weather is beginning to cool off a little, those who were holding out hope to the contrary, are probably coming around to admit that another McHenry winter is approaching. That means cold, snow and ice. It means you’ll need to spend time sweeping snow, and scraping ice and frost from the windows of your car. Actually, we are probably only weeks, or days, away from that first morning when you’ll need to break out your window scrapper. YOU DO HAVE A WINDOW SCRAPPER IN YOUR CAR?!!! We apologize if we panicked but the thought that you might not have a window scraper ready for that first frosted-windshield morning is disconcerting. It’s not the end of the world. This time of year, you probably won’t have to heat the car too long before the defrosters have a chance to soften the frost so the wipers can sweep them away. But, until you warm up the windshield enough, you won’t get too far clearing the frost fro...

The lense of this headlight is all foggy. Vision is not overrated, especially when driving on a Wonder Lake road at night. If you can’t see well, you’ll have a harder time reacting to an emergency. For instance, if a dog runs across the street in front of your car, and you’re doing 55 on East Wonder Lake Road (we won’t tell the police you were speeding), will you have time to avoid hitting the dog? Or, at the last minute, will you try to avoid the dog and spin out and into a tree? Obviously, headlights are essential to good vision at night. If your headlight bulbs burn out, obviously, you want to replace them. But with what? Chances are, you’ll be in good shape if you replace a burned-out headlight bulb with the OEM option. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer. This is the bulb that is recommended for your vehicle. If you go into a dealership’s parts department, or an auto parts store, they can look up the OEM bulb, or provide you with an aftermarket version that is a...

It’s one of the best parties of the year – the Shop With A Cop party at McHenry VFW, this year scheduled for 6 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 18th. But it takes a lot of heart to make the party such a success. That party starts with all the people who make contributions before the event. What do they contribute? You name it. In the past, they’ve contributed everything from dog training lessons to African safaris. Yes, you read that right – African safaris were auctioned off in the Live Auction at the event. Prizes, such as certificates for dog training, are usually found in the silent auction or raffle sections of the events. By sections, this refers to the table-after-table assortment of prizes that attendees have a chance to win. The raffle items are won by purchasing raffle tickets and dropping them, individually, into cups by each prize. The silent auction, well, you know how that works. The point is that there are so many prizes that it’s difficult to walk away without winning some...

Don’t allow warm weather to lull you into a false sense of security Last weekend, the thermometer hit 92 degrees. So far this week, it’s felt more like August than September and we’re almost in October. Don’t let the warm weather fool you – another McHenry winter is coming and you’ll want your car ready for the cold and snow and ice and – Brrrrrrr! As warm as it has been lately, it’s likely we’ll see the temperatures as close to the opposite end of the thermometer in December, January, February and … well, that’s not a thought to dwell on right now. The point is that this warm spell has the potential to lull us into a false sense of security. What guarantee do we have that temperatures won’t plunge below freezing next week (not to worry, the forecast for McHenry calls for night-time lows of 44 degrees, at the lowest, through Oct. 6)? The point is, a precipitous drop in the temperature could happen at any time. Or, we could have weather remain unseasonably warm into early December...

Maybe it won’t snow this winter and maybe the White Sox still have a shot at the playoffs (if you haven’t been paying attention, the White Sox are in last place in the American League Central Division 31.5 games out of first place, as of Sept. 16, and, with 15 games to play, that’s a mathematical impossibility). So, let’s accept the inevitable; it will snow in McHenry this winter and you will drive in the snow … and ice. There are things you can and should do to adjust to winter driving that includes snow. If you have a pickup, SUV or a car, with rear-wheel drive, you can put some bags of salt in the back so the weight will help give you more traction. Most importantly, you can adjust the way you drive. Another option to consider, if you’re determined to lessen the hazards of driving in the snow, is to put some snow tires on your car, SUV or pickup. Driving with snow tires doesn’t mean you can ignore the snow: that your car will tame the roads as though it’s the middle of summer. ...

Reggie’s attitude is ‘If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.’ In terms of how he applies this principle to his 2003 Honda Accord, this means that, if the car starts, goes into gear, has some air in the tires and will eventually stop before he runs into the intersection at Route 31, not far from his McHenry home, he figures everything is just fine. Of course, even with Reggie’s overly optimistic approach, from time to time, his car has broken. Take, for instance, the time his car overheated on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago this summer. Had Reggie checked the coolant more frequently, he might have noticed that it was getting dangerously low. He might have been inspired to take a look to see where the coolant was going. The leak that Reggie didn’t notice wound up costing Reggie more than the simple replacement of his lower radiator hose; when he broke down in traffic, he paid the price of receiving the scorn of drivers who had to go around him for the hour and a half that he waited in the su...

When you purchase a new car, whether a new car from one of the new-car dealerships in McHenry, or a used car from a used-car lot or private owner, there is an acclimation period. You have to get used to the car. This doesn’t mean you have to learn how to drive the car, though there are areas where this applies. What it does mean is that, for instance, the nobs and controls are in different locations compared to your previous car, unless you’ve bought the same car. Even when you buy the same make and model of car, you may find significant changes in where the controls are in the new car based on differences in the years the cars were made. In your previous car, when it rained in McHenry, you found the wiper control arm mounted on the left side of the steering column. In the new car, you may find it’s on the right side of the steering column. And, where you would move the lever up to turn the wipers on before, now you have to pull the lever down. And, how does the intermittent wiper...

That new car finish on your car isn’t so new anymore, is it. Oh, from a distance, it looks good enough. But, if you get close, you’ll find the spot where a truck on Route 31 in McHenry kicked up a stone that nicked the hood. You’ll see the scratch on the fender where a run-away shopping cart in the Meijer’s parking lot slammed into your car. You might even notice where you scratched the paint on the door yourself when you dropped a can of cream corn trying to close the door with your arms full of groceries. Scratches will happen to your car; there’s no way to avoid them. But, alas, C’est la vie (such is life), into each car’s life, a few scratches must fall. You grudgingly accept them. You try to shrug them off. But, they still bother you. You’re perfect car isn’t perfect anymore – not the way you brought it home from one of the auto dealerships in McHenry. It’s a positive trait when you can allow a nick here, a scratch there and a little dent elsewhere to roll off your back. You...

So, you’ve decided it’s time to put a lift kit on your Jeep or truck. Maybe you want to take your Jeep or truck offroad where ground clearance is a critical factor. Maybe you just like the way it looks, not to mention the improved vision from sitting higher from the road. Whatever your motivation, a lift kit can make a significant change to your Jeep or Truck. It’s even safe to say that a lift kit is transformative. When you’re done, your truck just won’t look the same. It will be like an entirely different Jeep or Truck. But, if you’re going to add a lift kit, you want to go all the way. That means that you want to do the job right. The first issue presented by adding a lift kit to your Jeep or Truck is that it will move the rear differential away from the back of the transmission. This means that the length of the driveshaft needs to increase to compensate for the change. If you don’t make this critical adjustment, you may find yourself on the side of the road when your driveshaf...

We’ve all heard about people driving their cars for years while a red “Check Engine” light glows in the dashboard. They’re not sure what the light means but, well, the car is still running. They ignore it and nothing seems to happen or, at least, they don’t notice how some problem may be decreasing the engine’s performance and/or mileage. And, there is another indicator that may come on in the dashboard that they may ignore – the “SRS” warning light. SRS stands for Supplemental Restraint System. That may sound unfamiliar. How about this – the Airbags. The warning light is often displayed as a stick person sitting in a seat with a circle, representing a deployed airbag, in front of them. The airbags are parts of your car you hope never to use. But, if you do need them, the airbags could make the difference between life and death – between serious injury and the possibility that you would walk away from a crash. Why would the SRS – Supplemental Restraint System – warning light com...

For some, it’s an annoyance. They don’t like the sound. They don’t like the smell. They cast a bothered glance at anyone who creates one. They just don’t see the point. For others, however, it’s almost an intravenous infusion of adrenaline. Their hearts beat faster, they start tapping their feet and they feel a little sweaty in the palms. It’s called a burnout and, for sports- and muscle-car enthusiasts, it’s the equivalent of giving a jet fighter just a touch of its afterburners. Of course, a driver can do a burnout in their car for more than the adrenaline rush. For NASCAR drivers, it’s a way to celebrate after winning a race. But, for drag racers, it’s a way to heat up the tires before racing – before the light comes down to green on the Christmas tree. Drag racers want their tires hot and sticky so that they’ll grab when it’s time to hit the gas (and let out the clutch, if they have a stick). They want to take off in a hurry and hot-sticky tires help. Ford Motor Company must ap...

It’s almost back-to-school time here in McHenry. Are you ready? Is your car, truck or SUV ready? Getting the kids ready for the opening of another McHenry school year is fairly straightforward. You’ll need the standard school supplies, which you can find by looking up the school supply list for your child or children. You’ll find the appropriate list, for each child, by going to their school district’s website, looking up school supply list and clicking on the correct school. The results are then broken down by the grade and the applicable subject. Of course, you realize that this isn’t the entire list; this isn’t all you need to prepare your child, or children for school. You’ll also need to make an excursion or two, or three, to peruse the latest fashions, making purchases that will allow them to attend school in the peak of … how do the cool kids put it these days? They’ll be so ‘swag’ when they go back to school this year. They’ll also need supplies for all those ‘other’ act...

You drive a pickup because it’s who you are and your Genoa City neighbors know what you mean. As someone who drives a pickup, you’re probably more in tune with how your pickup truck runs than most people are with how their cars or SUVs run. This means that you use your senses to monitor how your pickup is running. You nose is aware if there’s an unusual odor. For instance, you can recognize the smell if your pickup is running to rich of a fuel mixture. You also know that sickly sweet smell if your pickup has a cooling system leak. Your ears are also actively monitoring the condition of your pickup. You listen to how the motor sounds. If you hear a tapping noise, you know to check the oil before jumping to more serious considerations. Your ears pickup sounds of brakes that are squeaking or a belt that is loose or worn. You use your sense of feel to gauge if the engine is running rough, even if you can’t hear it. Your sense of feel can notice if the pickup is pulling to the left wh...

It doesn’t matter where you’re going, if you’re taking the car on a road trip this summer, you don’t want to breakdown along the way. You drive the car day in and day out, why would the car breakdown just because you’re going farther? First of all, driving farther means that the car will have more time to heat up and for parts to vibrate loose. It’s not inevitable, unless you’re a firm believer in Murphy’s Law, but it is possible. But, why worry about it before you take a trip? The answer is simple – it’s a question of what you’ll do when it breaks down. If you’re close to home, you may have to call a tow truck to pick up your car. If you can’t find someone you know to pick you up, there’s a good chance that the tow-truck driver can drop you off at your house or office. If not, you can always call a cab to pick you up. But, if your car breaks down in Wyoming, now that’s a cab ride to McHenry you never want to pay. If your car does breakdown in Wyoming, or even in Indiana, what ...

At 6:38 p.m. Wednesday, July 5, the McHenry County Sheriff's office released an advisory that Frontier, a provider of communication services in 29 states, has had an outage of service. "... subscribers with land lines are unable to call 911." But, it's not just 911 they can't call; they can't make calls at all and, while this is a headache for residential customers, it's a catastrophe for business owners in the coverage area. Performance Unlimited asks, 'Please, call 815-790-3186' "They're system has had such a meltdown that I can't even forward my Frontier number to my cell phone," said Denny Norton, the owner of Performance Unlimited. "We're trying to get the word out to customers and associates now so they can call my cell (815-790-3186) until the phone is back up. And, Frontier is telling us the service won't be back on until July 11." For Performance Unlimited, which has been in busines...

So, you’ve decided it’s time to put a lift kit on your Jeep or truck. Maybe you want to take your Jeep or truck offroad where ground clearance is a critical factor. Maybe you just like the way it looks, not to mention the improved vision from sitting higher from the road. Whatever your motivation, a lift kit can make a significant change to your Jeep or Truck. It’s even safe to say that a lift kit is transformative. When you’re done, your truck just won’t look the same. It will be like an entirely different Jeep or Truck. But, if you’re going to add a lift kit, you want to go all the way. That means that you want to do the job right. The first issue presented by adding a lift kit to your Jeep or Truck is that it will move the rear differential away from the back of the transmission. This means that the length of the driveshaft needs to increase to compensate for the change. If you don’t make this critical adjustment, you may find yourself on the side of the road when your driveshaf...

Is your car, truck or SUV up to snuff? This isn’t necessarily a subjective question. It’s not about whether you think it’s a fine automobile, whether you look really good cruising down Route 120 in McHenry. It’s about whether the state of Illinois approves your vehicle. And, for McHenry residents, every two years you’re required to prove it. That’s right; every two years, you’re required to take your car, truck or SUV to an Illinois EPA Testing Station to have your car tested. The test center will inspect your vehicle and its emissions. If it passes the test, you can breath a big sigh of relief, pay your $20-inspection fee and roll back out onto the road. But, if it fails the test, you’ll need to fix the problem or junk the car, truck or SUV. If your vehicle fails, you’ll receive a Vehicle Inspection Report and Certificate. You’ll also receive a Required Vehicle Repair Data document and a Repair Shop Report Card. You probably thought you were done with report cards. If your car, tr...

Auto manufacturers have made strides to improve the horsepower and gas mileage you can expect from a new car, truck or SUV that you bring home to your Johnsburg driveway. They’ve also made improvements to the painted finish of new cars, trucks and SUVs. In terms of improving the finish of a car, truck or SUV, as well as its durability, they’ve developed new methods for treating and cleaning the metal before the application of coats of paint. They’ve scientifically adjusted the layers, and thickness of layers, applied to a car, truck and SUV. They’ve improved the methods of applying the layers of paint to vehicles. They’ve adjusted the process of baking and rinsing the painted vehicle to increase the luster of the painted finish. They use methods, such as Electrocoating, to apply paint the most effectively. They also adjust the thickness of the layers, and the materials used, based on which part of the car, truck or SUV they’re painting. For instance, they may use PVC or urethanes i...

It’s important, when you have parts replaced on your car that you use good, quality parts. It’s also important, whoever is installing those parts, that they know what they’re doing. To ensure that they have the proper knowledge to go with the right parts, it’s vital that they have the training that will keep them ‘up to date.’ Once, the back-yard mechanic could get away with working on a car, to a point. Those days are over. Now, new cars are more complex than ever. Just as a hammer, a screw driver and some wrenches are only the beginning of the necessary tool list when working on a new car – computerized equipment is also essential to auto repair today – the extent of knowledge required of auto repair technicians has increased exponentially. Experience is vital for an auto repair technician today. But, training is equally vital, if not more so. That’s because things keep changing. Auto manufacturers keep advancing the systems that control the operation of your car. This requires a...

It doesn’t matter where you’re going, if you’re taking the car on a road trip this summer, you don’t want to breakdown along the way. You drive the car day in and day out, why would the car breakdown just because you’re going farther? First of all, driving farther means that the car will have more time to heat up and for parts to vibrate loose. It’s not inevitable, unless you’re a firm believer in Murphy’s Law, but it is possible. But, why worry about it before you take a trip? The answer is simple – it’s a question of what you’ll do when it breaks down. If you’re close to home, you may have to call a tow truck to pick up your car. If you can’t find someone you know to pick you up, there’s a good chance that the tow-truck driver can drop you off at your house or office. If not, you can always call a cab to pick you up. But, if your car breaks down in Wyoming, now that’s a cab ride to McHenry you never want to pay. If your car does breakdown in Wyoming, or even in Indiana, what ...

In anticipation of the summer days ahead in Wonder Lake, you may have turned on your car’s AC to make sure it works before you need it. You don’t need it now but you will. The problem is that, when you check your car’s AC on a cooler day, you can’t make an accurate assessment of how well your car’s air conditioning works. The cooler weather in Wonder Lake doesn’t challenge your car’s ability to cool the air in your vehicle. So, even though you’re pleased by the cold air that comes out of the vents, you can swear by the idea that it will come out of the vents that cold when you really need it. In reality, your car’s AC doesn’t cool the air; it removes the heat. A fan cycles the car’s interior air through a coil filled with coolant. According to the laws of physics, heat moves towards the cold. The coolant in the coil is cold. The air in your car is, presumably, hot. As the coolant passes through the pipes inside the coil it picks up the heat from the air passing through the coil’...