Performance Unlimited Blog

With sanitary pick-up and drop-off, the time is right These are difficult days we’re facing. There’s no getting around it. But if you want to make the best of the situation while you’re virtually trapped at home, you may have a chance to get some of those odd jobs done around the house. For that matter, this is also an opportune time to bring your car, truck or SUV in for repairs or maintenance. If you’re like most of us, things have piled up. Life is just too busy to put a check next to everything on your To-Do List. Now that we’ve all been grounded, so to speak, you can tackle that list. The To-Do List often includes taking the car, truck or SUV in for service or repairs. That’s because doing so needs to fit in with your schedule. It’s not just the time taking the vehicle in, it’s also the time it takes to complete repairs. Not that this is how we want these things to happen, but the current international crisis has ‘simplified’ the schedules of a lot of people. Now that we’r...

Performance Unlimited, a leading auto repair/maintenance shop in McHenry County since 1982, is offering to pick up and drop off customers’ cars, trucks and SUVs for whatever service or maintenance is required. “We realize that, with the coronavirus, a lot of drivers are concerned about taking their vehicle in to the shop while, at the same time, trying to maintain safe ‘social distancing,’” said Denny Norton, the owner/operator of the company. “For those people, we will pick up their vehicle, bring it to the shop, perform whatever service or maintenance is required, and return the vehicle to their home.” Norton said that, while in contact with the vehicle, employees will wear nitrile gloves and, when the car, truck or SUV is returned, the employee will use sanitary wipes on all contact surfaces. The pick-up/drop-off service is available no matter how big or small the project. In other words, if someone simply wants an oil change, or if the vehicle is making a sound they want che...

Installation of trailer hitch for boat is critical Rich from Woodstock had big plans this weekend. He was headed to the Greater Chicago Boat Show at Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. He wasn’t just going to the show. He planned to check out the boats with his eye on a purchase before the coming boating season. When the boating season hit, Rich planned to buy. But the show was cancelled because of the coronavirus. His scouting trip was cancelled with it. All the major manufacturers would be there: Lund, Avalon, Crest, Cobalt, Everglades, Rinker, Veranda, Lowe, G-3, Suncatcher, Princecraft, Bentley, Centurion, Supreme, Crestliner, Robalo and more and more. Having all the boats in one place, at one time, was a boat-buyer’s dream. But the event was cancelled so Rich would have to head out to marinas individually for multiple recon missions. Get a hitch for that boat Choosing and buying a boat was only part of the process. He would have to register the boat with the state...

The less fuel you use driving the more cash you’ll keep in your pocket. But can cruise control improve your gas mileage? The answer is debatable. If you ask the experts, many will tell you that, because cruise control maintains a steady speed, miles per gallon increases as fuel usage decreases. But other experts say that, because cruise control will fight to maintain that steady speed while going up hills, the advantages are negated. Still, if you’re not using cruise control, you’re probably not going to allow the vehicle to dramatically reduce speed while going up a hill. If you do, you’re liable to discover how many people can use ‘sign language’ as they roar past you on hills. The history of cruise control Of course, cruise control is a relatively new technology … Uhm, wait. That’s not true. According to Wikipedia, the first use of speed control was “as early as 1900 in the Wilson-Pilcher and also in the 1910s by Peerless” (as Abraham Lincoln once said, ‘Wikipedia is the mo...

Engine oil is essential to the operation and life of your car, truck or SUV engine. Run that engine without motor oil for a while and all those moving parts inside the engine are liable to fuse into a single block of metals. But using the right motor oil for you vehicle is also essential. The correct oil starts with the correct viscosity. Viscosity refers to the rate that the engine oil pours at different temperatures. It’s possible that you would use a different viscosity of oil at different times of year. Or you may use a mult-viscosity oil year round. Check your Owners Manual for the correct viscosity for your car, truck or SUV’s engine. It’s also vital that you change the oil in a timely manner. After a given period of time, engine oil breaks down. It loses its ability to protect your engine by reducing friction between moving parts and the heat that friction creates. Another important factor is checking your engine’s oil level. If there isn’t enough oil in the engine, the oi...