It’s almost back-to-school time here in McHenry. Are you ready? Is your car, truck or SUV ready?

Getting the kids ready for the opening of another McHenry school year is fairly straightforward. You’ll need the standard school supplies, which you can find by looking up the school supply list for your child or children. You’ll find the appropriate list, for each child, by going to their school district’s website, looking up school supply list and clicking on the correct school. The results are then broken down by the grade and the applicable subject.

Of course, you realize that this isn’t the entire list; this isn’t all you need to prepare your child, or children for school. You’ll also need to make an excursion or two, or three, to peruse the latest fashions, making purchases that will allow them to attend school in the peak of … how do the cool kids put it these days? They’ll be so ‘swag’ when they go back to school this year.

They’ll also need supplies for all those ‘other’ activities. You know what I mean by ‘other’ activities, don’t you? Is your child in sports this fall? They will probably need the proper footwear, uniform and other equipment. Or, maybe your child is in dance or theater or, well, this list can go on and on. Whatever the activity, there are almost certainly supplies you’ll need to buy.

Taking the children to the store to get these supplies (they’ll, at least, want to go with you to the store for the fashions), you’ll need to load them in the car, truck or SUV. What if everybody gets in and the car, truck or SUV won’t start? What if it starts when you drive to the store but won’t start when you want to come home?

Worse than a car, truck or SUV that won’t start, what if the turn signal doesn’t work and you get a ticket? Even worse than that, what if the brakes fail?

You’re going to probably be chauffeuring the children around McHenry from August until next June; they may get on your nerves, from time to time, but they are still your most precious cargo. You want to make sure they’ll arrive for games, events and performances on time. You want to make sure they arrive safely.

If you haven’t done so yet, this is an excellent time to make sure the car, truck or SUV is ready for the school year ahead. Make sure that the battery and charging system will start the car all through the year. Have the cooling system checked, the lights and signals, the wheels, tires and alignment. Inspect the steering, suspension, shocks and struts. Look at the exhaust system. Inspect the wipers and make sure you have enough windshield washer solvent in the reservoir. And, change the oil, while you’re at it.

Of course, if you’re too busy to do this yourself, or it’s not your forte, bring your car, truck or SUV into a qualified McHenry area auto repair shop you can trust. Have them change the oil and give your vehicle a thorough inspection. If they find something that needs attention, you may think that’s bad news. But, it’s not nearly as bad as when something on your car, truck or SUV let’s you know it needs attention while you’re on your way to soccer practice with your child.