Last week, this blog focused on the importance of maintaining fresh coolant/antifreeze in your car, truck or SUV with the approach of winter. Yes, we have some time yet, but it is coming. This week, this blog will focus on the other essential fluids you need to maintain your vehicle with the approach of another blustery McHenry County winter. What ‘other’ fluids are we discussing? There are several

Remember that Polar Vortex that crept through the Midwest and McHenry last January? Of course, you’d rather forget that experience, especially with another winter in the offing. Few of us enjoyed the blast of cold that wrapped the region in a deep, bone-chilling freeze particularly since the cold was extremely hard on our cars, trucks and SUVs. Extreme cold tends to illuminate the weaknesses in

There was a time when power-assisted brakes were an accessory you paid extra for when buying a new car. Today, they’re pretty much standard equipment. But automotive technology has gone far beyond those earlier technologies. Consider that power-assisted brakes date back to the early 1920s when the technology was first installed on the Pierce-Arrow. Today, brakes come with ABS (Anti-lock Brake Systems)

Next to your home, or even the cost of rent, your automobile is probably your largest investment. You depend on your vehicle. You need it to get to and from work, or to and from the train station, if that’s how you get from McHenry to downtown. You depend on your car to drop the kids off at school, for doctor’s appointments, to run to the store for groceries and more. Try to imagine your life

They're back! Yes, school is open andthe school buses are back on McHenryCounty roads. In some communities of McHenry County, the buses have already started rolling. And when the buses roll, the children are in the area. Often, children are running and playing, or running to catch a bus at the last minute. In either case, they may not pay attention to traffic the way that they should. Hitting a

With school is approaching get out there for that mini-vacation now Hopefully, you and your loved ones have made the most of summer. Oh, it’s not over yet but that time is drawing close. McHenry high schools open this week and McHenry grammar and middle schools open next week. So, if you had hopes of getting away this summer before the kids had to go back to school, the time to act may have passed. With

A nasty mix of nitric oxide, carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons drifts out of your car, truck or SUV’s tailpipe as you cruise down Route 120 in McHenry on a weekend evening. Unless you have an electric car (and it’s important to remember that the electricity used by your electric vehicle requires the generation of electricity at some kind of an electric plant somewhere), you can’t drive

It’s hot out these days in McHenry and that could pose a threat to your car, truck or SUV tires. But Joe hasn’t given this much consideration. He does check the tire pressure at the four corners of his 2014 Audi. But, unless his toe is more proficient in the process, his method leaves something to be desired. Joe kicks the tires to ensure they have proper air pressure. Whether by feel or sound,

Not so crazy when you hear what Ford is using to make cars these days They say you are what you eat. According to Alyson Penn, of Business Insider magazine, “… we may be driving what we eat,” too. In particular, she indicates that Ford Motor Company is partnering with Heinz, the makers of that oh-so-slow ketchup marketed with “Anticipation” back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, to build car parts

Summer has come to Wonder Lake and with it the heat is here to challenge the ability of your car, truck or SUV’s coolant system to keep your engine cool and keep you from sweating on the side of the road with the hood up and steam rising. An engine can overheat on one of Wonder Lake’s coldest of days. If you’re vehicle’s coolant isn’t up to par, you could overheat on a 28-degrees-below January