We'd all like a wee bit a luck as St. Patty's Day comes to McHenry. But don't expect it to keep your car on the road unless you take care of your car.

Cross your fingers. Put a 4-leaf clover in your lapel. Rub a rabbit’s foot in your pocket. Maybe those things will help to keep your car on the road as St. Patty’s Day rolls into McHenry. But I wouldn’t count on it.

We’ve all heard of the luck of the Irish. And we would never cast a shadow of doubt on the validity of Irish good fortune. But we still put our faith in reliable auto maintenance as the best way to ensure that your car doesn’t breakdown. 

The luck of the Irish suggests that there’s a pot-o-gold at the end of every rainbow. Leprechauns are said to bestow good luck upon those with Celtic roots. But will that really keep a tire from going flat (never mind the evil Leprechaun from the 1993 movie)?

It certainly won’t hurt to carry a lucky penny in your pocket when you pull out of your McHenry driveway. It shouldn’t hurt to keep a golden horseshoe adorned with shamrocks in the glove box. But don’t put all your faith in the luck of the Irish. 

Timely auto maintenance is still the best way to avoid breakdowns and costly repairs. If you maintain your car, it will probably prove lucky for you, though there really isn’t much luck about it.

Wisdom tops luck in the long run. And it’s wise to keep after your vehicle’s maintenance. Here are some lucky tips, if you prefer to count them as luck, that will keep your car safely and reliably on the road while saving you money in the long run:

• Change the oil on schedule
• Rotate the tires every 10,000 miles or so
• Have a full mechanical inspection annually
• Have your belts and hoses inspected with each oil change
• Have your brakes checked every 50,000 miles
• Have your shocks and struts checked in the spring
• Have your car aligned in the spring
• Have the transmission oil and filter changed on schedule
• Have your coolant/antifreeze checked seasonally
• Have your battery, starter and charging system checked regularly
• Have the AC inspected before the onset of summer
• Have your lights, brake lights, running lights and turn signals checked with each oil change

If you keep after the maintenance procedures listed above, you’ll probably find that you’re pretty lucky when it comes to safely, reliably and cost-effectively operating your car whenever you leave your McHenry home.

That’s not to say that the luck of the Irish won’t help. At the very least, it will give your good luck quite a boost.