Performance Unlimited Blog

There’s always the old fallback – flowers and chocolate. But what if you want to get something different – something really special – for your mother this year on Mother’s Day? Have you considered the Mother’s Day gift potential of her car, truck or SUV?  Mother’s Day is one of the most special days of the year. It’s a day when we make a point of sharing the appreciation we have for our mothers.  Think about all mom has done for you, from bringing you into this world, to nurturing you as an infant, to taking care of those scrapes and bruises as you were growing up. You’ve moved on from all of that, but mom is still there for you. Doesn’t she deserve more than some flowers that will last a few days and some chocolate may not last that long? Winter isn’t too far behind us. Has your mother had her car cleaned yet? Maybe she ran the car through the carwash. Is that good enough? Has that cleaned all the residue of winter away? Bringing her car in for a detailing will provide a clea...

A lot has changed in the automotive world since Performance Unlimited opened its first auto repair shop on the West side of McHenry in 1982. But, over the course of the last 40 years they’ve served the community, they’ve never lost sight of their commitment to, and appreciation for the people who have made this possible – their customers. To celebrate that 40th Year Anniversary, Performance Unlimited is giving away 40 free oil changes over the course of the remainder of 2022. They will draw names from their existing customers as a way of saying, “Thank you.” So, what are some of the things that have changed since Performance Unlimited opened its doors for business in 1982? While many things have changed in the automotive world since 1982, one thing that hasn’t changed is the name of the top-selling car, which actually isn’t a car. In 1982, and today, the top-selling car is the Ford F-Series pickup truck. One difference is that, Ford will introduce its electric F-Series this year, calle...

Now that we can pretty well count the Wonder Lake winter of 2021-22 as over, even if it does sneeze up another late snow, it may be time to replace your snow tires with your all-season tires. Snow tires are a great idea in this neck of the woods – Wonder Lake, that is. They give a boost of traction that is invaluable during the winter. They don’t ensure guarantee that you’ll never loose your grip on a slippery road, but they definitely make a difference. But, with winter ending, their job is done, for now. If you didn’t use snow tires this past winter, you might want to think about using them next winter. You don’t have to toss out the tires you replace. Rather, you simply put those properly into storage. Some auto repair shops will remove your all-season tires, store them, and mount the snow tires in time for winter. And when winter is over, again, they’ll take off your snow tires, remount your all-season tires, and store the snow tires until next winter. It’s not a big deal and the s...

To thank our customers, Performance Unlimited is giving away 40 free oil changes this year What does it take for a business to thrive? What does it take for a business to thrive for four decades? That is a question Denny Norton could answer. He’s done it. Norton’s father, the late Denny Norton Sr., started Performance Unlimited from his garage in 1981. He opened a shop on Route 120, on the West side of town in 1982. It is from the opening of that shop that Performance Unlimited begins counting the years of its success. But the Nortons have never lost sight of the fact that the years are a barometer of success; there are other ingredients that make success possible. “The two key ingredients of success for a business are quality and customer service,” said the younger Norton, who has run the auto repair shop now in Ringwood since 2000. Quality auto repair and maintenance service was a byproduct of the skills and experience Norton Sr. brought to his business when he left a new-car auto de...

Take a deep breath and remind yourself, this McHenry winter is over. Oh, we may catch a late winter storm yet but, officially, and in reality, winter isn’t going to hurt too much anymore. In fact, by now, we may have seen the last of it until next fall. If you were a wise McHenry car owner, you did a good job of preparing your vehicle for the winter ahead. You also did a proper job of maintaining your vehicle throughout the winter. Having done so, you probably didn’t have too many problems with your car over the course of the winter weather. Now that winter is over, you also have some maintenance to consider. For instance, winter is tough on your car’s suspension system. You’ll want to have that checked out and see how the shocks, struts, suspension and steering parts made it through the season of potholes. You may also want to have your wheels aligned. If you ran snow tires on your car, now is the time to replace them with your all-season tires and store the snow tires for next winter...

It could have something to do with driving your car, truck or SUV on rough roads after this McHenry winter Jarring! Jolting! Shocking! Those are some of the words to describe how the road may feel when you pull out of the driveway by your McHenry home. It’s springtime and it’s customary for us to experience the effects of winter on the roads. The question to ask is whether your car, truck or SUV’s shocks and struts survived the winter in reasonable condition or not. The effects of winter are hard on a vehicle’s suspension system. The cold of winter, with contraction, can create cracks in the road. As road salt melts ice and snow, the residual water drips down into those cracks. When it freezes again it further ruptures the pavement or concrete. In other words, once a crack is started, it tends to expand and grow. The worse a crack gets, the more likely it is to develop into a pothole. And once a pothole develops, the hole is liable to get bigger and deeper.  Potholes are the bane o...

You have an electric car in your McHenry garage, so you don’t need to bring it to the auto shop for maintenance or repairs anymore, right? WRONG!!! Electric cars have a different power source to move them down the road but there are, otherwise, quite similar to automobiles with internal combustion engines. Think about it. An electric car still has: Tires, Brakes and Wheels Shocks and Struts Frontend Suspension and Steering Parts Air Conditioning and Heating Elements Headlights, Taillights, Brake Lights, Turn Signals Power Windows, Power Seats And along with all of that, you still have an electric motor and battery to maintain. In other words, your electric car is not ‘maintenance free.’ And, from time to time, parts will break. If you don’t do a proper job of maintaining that electric car, you could experience dangerous situations, from time to time. For instance, if your brakes are worn, will they continue to safely bring you to a stop when the situation demands? If your tires are wor...