Performance Unlimited Blog

Where should you bring your vehicle for auto repair services? If you want the greatest satisfaction, bring it to an independent auto repair shop. This is the finding of a Consumer Reports Member Survey (based on non-warranty repairs and service). Some would find it surprising to discover that, according to the survey, bringing a vehicle to an auto dealership for repairs and service is the least likely place to go for satisfaction. Some of the big box stores and chains do better than the dealerships but even they fall significantly short of the satisfaction expressed by vehicle owners who bring their car, truck or SUV to an independent auto repair shop. In particular, the new-car dealerships performed poorly in the survey in relation to the price of service. But independent auto repair shops also outperformed new-car dealerships, box stores and chains in the other categories that were included in the survey: Quality of the Work Performed Timeliness Courtesy of Staff Price Char...

This photo, taken from Ethereal Confections Sunday, shows the blizzard that hit Woodstock in full bloom. It’s good to be prepared. Some people in Woodstock had put their scraper and snow brush away already when Sunday’s blizzard hit. They may have discovered that they were premature to do so. It’s difficult to be prepared for any situation but it’s worth the effort to try. Having the means to clear the windows was crucial Sunday. In fact, the snow in Woodstock was so heavy that by 1 p.m. some people had 8 inches of snow built up on their cars; they needed to clear the snow off the rest of the car, not just the windows. The good news is that by Monday, the snow will have stopped, if you can trust the weather reports, and the temperature will reach 45 degrees. By Tuesday, they’re calling for temperatures of 64 degrees. Weather that warm is inhospitable for snow. With a high degree of confidence, we can expect the snow to melt. Will you put away the scraper and snow brush then? ...

The headlines say it all: “Senate bill would double Illinois state gas tax” and “Proposal (from Illinois Senate) bill would double Illinois state gas tax.” These are ominous indications of what you may be paying at the pump in McHenry in the near future. And there isn’t much you can do about it. Well … there is one thing you can do. The more you pay at the pump the more imperative it is that your car operates efficiently – that it gets the most possible mpg. You may have to pay more for gasoline but it won’t hurt as bad if you don’t use as much gas. Of course, you can commit yourself to driving less. But there are places in and around McHenry you want to go and people you want to see. There are things you want to do. With the arrival of Spring, getting out to go places, see people and do things is a better idea than ever. This, therefore, brings us back to the idea of improving gas mileage. One way to improve your vehicle’s is to adjust the way you drive. A good place to start is...