Performance Unlimited Blog

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...