If your daughter started to cough and wheeze, you’d probably check her temperature and look for other signs of an illness. Automobiles are much like children in that they usually give signs of their condition when something is wrong. Just as, when you take your daughter to the doctor, you’ll want to describe the symptoms that brought you into the doctor’s office, when you bring the car into the garage for a checkup or repairs, symptoms are vital tell-tale signs of any problems.

Here at Performance Unlimited, we’re very familiar with Murphy’s Law and its application to sounds made by automobiles: “It’s been making that sound for three days now and, as soon as I bring it into a repair shop, the sound goes away.”

Hopefully, your vehicle will produce the same cacophony of bumps, grinds and whistles for us as it’s done for you. That makes it easier to track down the malady at hand. But, even if your car hides the aural clues at the approach of a mechanical practitioner, sharing those sounds will go a long way to pointing your auto mechanic down the correct path in search of the problem.

Listen carefully to the sounds your car is making. We sometimes wish we had a video camera running as someone’s mouth contorts while they reprise the clunk-clunk-screeeeeeach-wala-wala sound their car has been making. But, beyond the obvious entertainment value, telling us about those sounds really can help us identify a problem.

In fact, you should use all your senses to monitor and record your vehicles condition. Does it shake or shimmy? Where do you feel the vibration? In the steering wheel? Do you see smoke coming out from under the hood or liquids on the ground? Do you smell something burning – maybe the smell of burning tires? The more clues you provide the easier it is to solve your car’s mechanical puzzle. OK, you may not find a use for your sense of taste in this realm but the principle holds true – more feedback is better.

At Performance Unlimited, we love the sounds of a vehicle that is operating at peak performance. But, we also appreciate the value of sounds when your car or truck is under the weather. As mechanical detectives, those sounds are the “Ah-ha” clues we live for.

For more information about Performance Unlimited, visit www.4performanceunlimited.comor call 815-728-0343.

The further we move away from an incident the fuzzier our memories become. Considering, there are few instances when a sharp recollection of what occurred is more vital than when we’re involved in a traffic accident. In fact, such events are generally not best left to memory. The wise driver will, at the first reasonable opportunity, write down a full description of the event. To do so effectively, a form that prompts them to answer all the important questions is helpful.

Performance Unlimited, 5415 Austin Ct., Ringwood, offers the attached accident report and recommends that you print a copy and keep it in your glove box just in case such an incident occurs in your life.

Remember, in case of an accident, remain calm, move to a safe location, check all involved for injuries and call the police/EMT.

At Performance Unlimited, we wish you safe and happy driving experiences. However, accidents do happen and it is best to be prepared.

For more information about Performance Unlimited, visit www.4performanceunlimited.comor call 815-728-0343.

Winter time in the Midwest is, for many who are not fans of skiing, snowmobiling and other outdoor activities of the season, a good time to be somewhere else.  Autumn, however, offers a last blush of outdoor splendor for those who wish to mingle with nature without fear of frostbite. In particular, Autumn is an excellent time to witness the outdoors in an unsurpassed panoramic multitude of colors.

A glimpse in the rearview mirror of time quickly demonstrates one of the advantages of the automobile. A horse-drawn excursion to view Fall colors was restricted by an equation based on time available and the average speed possible by your equestrian transportation system. Therefore, if you didn’t live close to an optimal spot to watch the leaves turn, you might not have the opportunity.

The automobile and hardened roadways have changed all that. Distance is now almost an inconsequential consideration modified more by the cost of gasoline than anything. Of course, a well tuned car with proper air pressure in the tires will help to mitigate that problem, too.

Today, viewing Fall colors brings up two primary issues: Where to go and when to go? A useful modern tool is available to resolve these questions – the Internet.

Here at Performance Unlimited, 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood, our goal is to ensure that your car operates safely, reliably and efficiently. Once those bases are covered, you have our automotive-physician’s approval to take to the wood-covered hills to explore the wonders of Autumn at its most extraordinary.  In fact, we’d like to help with that, too. So, below, we’ve put together some Web sites you can check to track the southward path of leaves changing from green to shades of red, orange, yellow and browns:

If you do need any assistance with your vehicle before hitting the road, please, keep Performance Unlimited in mind where service and quality are guaranteed. To learn more about Performance Unlimited, visit: www.4performanceunlimited.com. Or, call: 815-728-0343.

We’ve all heard the stories about accidents caused because someone was texting while driving. With modern communication devices, we’ve become accustomed to a world where we are always accessible by phone. The problem is that we need to remind ourselves that, just because our phone has beeped, whistled or played the theme song from “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” doesn’t mean we have to answer immediately.

But safe driving really goes beyond letting the phone buzz that you have an incoming call or text message. Safe driving means paying attention.

Motorcycle riders often make better drivers because they learn to pay attention while they ride. It becomes habit forming and carries into their driving when they get behind the wheel of a car. Even motorcycle safety courses emphasize the need to scan the road ahead, with your eyes on a constantly moving swivel, not just to see what’s happening but to anticipate what might happen.

A motorcycle rider is more apt to notice the kids playing ball near the street and think, “If that boy misses a throw, will he run into the street without looking?” They observe the lady rushing out to her car and realize, there’s always a chance, she’ll back out of the driveway at the wrong time.

Anticipating potential accident-causing situations allows time for adjustments to avoid the accident. The driver can slow down a little bit or move his or her vehicle away from a possible problem.

The reality is that it’s almost impossible to anticipate an accident while texting. Almost all accidents occur unexpectedly.  Preparing for the unexpected and texting just don’t go together.

Here at Performance Unlimited, we wish you all safe and happy travels. For more information about Performance Unlimited, visit: www.4performanceunlimited.com.

OK, so you’ve heard of this great auto repair shop – Performance Unlimited – where friends or neighbors have told you about the high quality of service and strong reputation. You may even have heard that it’s in Ringwood. But, where in the heck is Ringwood? Not to worry.

Where did you say you’re coming from? Crystal Lake? McHenry?

Simple: take Route 31 north. Continue past the jog on Route 120, past Johnsburg Road and past Ringwood Road. After Ringwood Road, you’ll turn Left on Dakota Drive. A short block and you’ll reach the intersection of Dakota and Austin Court. Performance Unlimited is the large, white building, with the purple sign, across Austin Court to your left.

Oh, I’m sorry. Did you say you were coming from Antioch?

Just as easy: take Route 173 to Route 31 and turn left. Continue south three miles and turn right onto Dakota Drive.

Did you say you want to tell your friend in Woodstock about Performance Unlimited?

Usually, I would suggest sending them up Greenwood Road to right on Howe Road and right onto Barnard Mill Road. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if the bridge construction is done just past that intersection.

In any case, until the bridge is completed, maybe you should tell your friend to take Route 120 to Ringwood Road and turn left. Tell them to continue on Ringwood Road past the 4-way stop signs at McCullom Lake Road and at Barnard Mill Road until they reach Route 31. Then they should turn left.

From the intersection of Ringwood Road and Route 31, it’s less than a mile to Dakota Drive.

Of course, with a GPS, maybe all they need is an address: 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood, IL. If they don’t have a GPS they can look it up on Mapquest.com. To make it simple for them, just send them this link: http://mapq.st/p0oj8P. It’ll take them to Performance Unlimited as sure as Performance Unlimited will keep their car in safe and reliable operating condition.

To learn more about Performance Unlimited, visit: www.4performanceunlimited.comor call 815-728-0343. And if you have any trouble finding the place, give me a call; I’ll give you directions or send up a flare, or something.

It seems they’ve got a month for almost everything – Bring Your Dog to Work Month; Eat Plenty of Hummus Month, Brush Your Teeth Month. Well, now someone has gone and named August Road Safety Month. Well, that’s the case according to CarParts.com, which has piggybacked onto the occasion to promote the sale of car parts.

A Web search to find out more about the ‘holiday’ found that CarParts is right, there are announcements of Road Safety Month – in the Philippines, Jamaica and Uzbekistan, though not necessarily last month.

In a way, every month is road safety month. Who would wish it to be otherwise?

Having a road safety month is a good way to remind people that the rote process of operating a vehicle becomes decidedly less mundane when involved in an accident. It’s a way of suggesting that, as you get in your car, it wouldn’t hurt to reflect on the importance of good driving habits. And CarParts.com isn’t too far off either.

Is your vehicle ready to operate on the roads safely? Bad tires and alignment, worn steering and suspension components, brakes that don’t brake – these are all potentially hazardous conditions that can take safe driving out of the hands of the driver.

Here at Performance Unlimited, we hope everyone had a safe and happy summer and we hope that level of safety continues throughout the year.

To learn more about Performance Unlimited, visit www.4performanceunlimited.com or call 815-728-0343.

So, you’ve decided to make the best of the situation: “Yes, kids, this is what it was like when I was a child and most cars didn’t have air conditioning.”

Then again, maybe you’re trying to think of a game to play with your offspring while you wait for a tow truck to arrive while smoke pours out of your hood. Another scenario has the entire family loaded into the car, along with luggage and other necessaries for your vacation. Everyone is excited to hit the highway and you’re singing like Clark Griswold. Then, you turn the key and the car won’t start.

“OK, everybody out.”

With that, they all go inside and watch television while you fiddle under the hood hoping there is a simple explanation. This is no time for your otherwise reliable car to not start – not on the day you want to start a vacation.

All of these scenarios, and more, can largely be avoided with a little maintenance and a pre-trip inspection. You wouldn’t lie in the sun without your sunblock and you don’t want to hit the highway on 95-degree day without a radiator full of coolant that actually has the capacity to cool.

Is the cooling fan working and working when it’s supposed to? Is the thermostat, that little doohickey inside the cooling system that allows the coolant to flow when it’s hot and stops it when it’s cool, operating correctly? Is the battery up to snuff and the charging system charging? Do you have tires that about to lose that essential ability to hold air?

There’s nothing worse than driving down the highway on a hot summer day, with a vacation destination a couple-hundred ahead of you, and a carload of kids asking, “Are we there yet,” when you begin to realize the air coming out of the vents is actually pumping more heat into the car instead of the expected cool air.

What can you do on your own? Depending on your personal level of mechanical ability, there are several things you can do.

Inspect the tires, starting with air pressure and including a visual inspection for tire wear and/or damage. Does the coolant reservoir have coolant in it? Pick up a gauge to check the specific gravity of the coolant to see if it still cools.

Do you have enough oil in the engine? Better yet, is it time for an oil change. If you know anything about cars you know that the best time to have a fresh and full batch of oil in the engine is when you’re sitting still on a highway under the baking sun because of an accident or road construction ahead.

The best bet, as vacation approaches, even if everything seems fine, is to bring you vehicle in to a auto technician you know you can trust and have the car looked over. There are a lot of critical parts on your car and, generally, it’s not good to find out one or more of them require attention when you’re miles and miles from home.

It’s also a good idea to make sure you’re ready for the road in other ways, too. Do you have road reflectors to put out if the car does breakdown, especially if you aren’t able to get off the road? Do you have water to put in the radiator if it does overheat (remember to be very cautious about opening a hot radiator)? How about a flashlight in case you breakdown at night? How does the spare tire look?

Some optional items might include games you can play with the kids – you can even use these when you reach your destination, and a good GPS. You might even find a GPS that will steer you around the traffic jam mentioned earlier.

The point is this – a little forethought goes a long way when you take to the road. Check your route ahead of time and make sure your vehicle is up to the task. Think about these things ahead of time and you can relax and focus on your vacation once you leave the house.

To learn more, visit: www.4performanceunlimited.com, or call: 815-728-0343. Performance Unlimited is located at 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood.