Performance Unlimited Blog

They're creepy and they're kooky Mysterious and spooky They're all together ooky … And they’ll be on the streets of Wonder Lake today ready to scare the pants off you … while filling their bags with those oh-so-sweet tributes. That’s right; today is Halloween: Trick or Treat, the annual festival celebrating the carving of pumpkins, the wearing of scary costumes, consumption of large sums of candy and all the spooks that go bump in the night. Children, from those experiencing their first All Hallows Eve as infants (carried in strollers or the arms of parents), through the adolescent years to those in their early teens, will don their favorite costumes and walk the neighborhoods knocking on doors accepting treats to forgo unspeakable-and-ghostly tricks. For young Trick-or-Treaters, this is a particularly exciting time of year. They’ve given great thought to their costumes. Some are ghosts. Others witches. Then you have your zombies, monsters, wild animals and fright...

Winter in McHenry is rough on your car’s engine, charging system and battery, tires, shocks, suspension, steering and brakes. It’s tough on every aspect of your car, truck or SUV, including one aspect not listed above: a McHenry winter is tough on your car, truck or SUV’s finish, too. You have all that snow and ice falling and spreading on your car, truck or SUV. Then it lays there on that fine finish. Spill some water on a table and let it sit there. After a while, you’ll have a spot that doesn’t want to come off. It’s the same thing with your car, truck or SUV though the paint on your vehicle has a resilient coating designed to protect the paint from the elements. If you sweep the snow off your car, truck or SUV, be sure to use a soft brush that won’t scratch the finish. In some cases, you may think the brush isn’t doing any damage. Then one day you’re looking at the vehicle in the sunlight and from just the right angle. Then you see it; sweeping scratches everywhere. Ice on t...

One way to ensure your car, truck or SUV will start this winter is to keep it in your McHenry garage. But, inevitably, you’ll have to go somewhere this winter. You’ll drive your vehicle to the store, to the office, to school, to your friend’s house, to a party. And your car, truck or SUV will wind up sitting out in the cold until you’re ready to return home. Starting your car in winter will take more than a warm garage. The cold thickens the oil in your engine’s crankcase. That makes it much harder for the starter to turn the engine over until the combustion cycle takes over. If the starter is old and draws too many amps, it will test the battery’s ability to provide the required amperage. If the battery is weak, even a healthy starter may not have the electrical support to start the engine. This brings up two key components in your car, truck or SUV to consider as another McHenry winter approaches: Is the battery healthy and strong enough to turn the engine over on those bitte...

Snow tires are a great idea, too When you want to go, you press the gas pedal and you go. When you want to stop, you press the brake and stop. At least, that’s the plan. Give the gas pedal too much sudden pressure and instead of ‘going’ your tires will spin and you won’t go much at all until you let off the gas. If you’re going too fast when you hit the brake, you may find that stopping in time is difficult. This condition is exasperated by road conditions, particularly road conditions during a Johnsburg winter. Winter in Johnsburg comes with periods of rain and snow. When that precipitation winds up on the surface of the road, the cold temperatures tend to turn it to ice. Ice is great to keep your drink cold. Ice is great if you want to go skating. But ice is a problem when you’re driving. If you don’t account for the ice when driving, you’ll get into trouble. Imagine if someone from the West coast came out to Johnsburg in the middle of winter. Let’s suppose this person has ...