How fast can that new car, truck or SUV turn to junk on a McHenry road?

There’s just nothing like a shiny new car, truck or SUV to make you feel like hitting the open road – heading out from McHenry to points unknown. Everything is clean. The engine purrs like a kitten. And then there’s that new-car smell. But, how does a car go from that to some of the junkers you see on the road?

Don’t just compare those junkers to new cars; compare them to some of the older cars – older cars that look as though they’re almost new. How can a car that’s 20 years old, or older, look better than a car that’s only a few years old? The answer is simple – someone didn’t care enough to keep that junker in better condition.

There are people who baby their cars. They pamper their automobiles on a daily basis. Oil changes are always done on schedule, as well as all other scheduled maintenance. They wash their cars with frequency. Some take the car through the carwash. Others are purest who would never stoop to allowing the rolling brushes and swaying rags of a carwash to touch their baby. They opt for the ‘touchless’ carwash or they wash the cars themselves (somewhat problematic in a McHenry winter).

They keep their cars clean an operating in tip-top condition at all times. But, there are others who hardly pay attention to their cars at all, at least not until their cars demand attention. You’ve seen them driving down Route 120 in McHenry. The car, truck or SUV they drive is filthy, loud and it runs rough while blowing clouds of smoke out the exhaust. Or, you may seem them on the side of the road with the hood up.

The truth is that these are opposite ends of the spectrum. Most people fall somewhere in between. They have the oil changed but they’re not as concerned about making sure that it’s done according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. They’re less scrupulous about other maintenance, too.

The better someone is about maintaining their car, truck or SUV, the longer it will take, assuming they don’t have an accident, before it turns to junk. And, remember, when a car, truck or SUV is turning to junk, it’s as though dollar bills are flaking off the side of the vehicle as it drives down the road, and as it sits in your McHenry driveway.

A car, truck or SUV can turn to junk almost before your eyes. Or, if you maintain it well, it can last, in nearly pristine condition for decades.

Comments

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...

Timely maintenance is even more important with your Johnsburg Electric Vehicle

Even if you have an electric vehicle in your Johnsburg driveway, maintenance is still critical. You pull out of your Johnsburg driveway and you watch the gas stations go by as you smile from behind the wheel of your EV – Electric Vehicle. Of course, at some point, you will have to stop and charge the battery but you still take some comfort that you’re not standing next to your car as the fuel pumps into your tank. One of the true comforts you take with your EV is that the mechanics of your vehicle are simplified. You don’t have to worry about the engine breaking down anymore, and we all know how costly that can be. But there’s more to your EV vehicle than you may have considered when you first parked it in your Johnsburg driveway. Many of the parts found on gasoline-driven vehicles are also present on your EV. These require the same maintenance as your gasoline-powered vehicle. For instance, you EV still has: Tires and Wheels Brakes Steering and Suspension Windshield Wipers and So...

Performance Unlimited Blog

Search This Blog