Most consumers agree – independent auto repair shops are bestWhen you go to the doctor, you want a doctor you can trust. When you call in a furnace repairman, you want to know they won’t take advantage of your trust. After all, you’re counting on the doctor to help you get well, if you’re sick, or stay well otherwise. You’re counting on your furnace repairman to keep your furnace safe

Is there ever a good time to find yourself stuck on the side of the road miles away from your Wonder Lake home? If there is, it certainly isn’t in the middle of winter. Of course, cell phones help. But what if you’re too far away for a family member or friend to come to the rescue? What if it’s late at night and no auto repair shops are open to respond to your emergency?For that matter, what

It’s late and you’re in a hurry as you cruise north on Route 31 out of McHenry. That wintery day has morphed into a hard, cold night. Clouds are blocking the moon so that there’s no way to detect the sheet of black ice up ahead. Your mind is wrapped up in things you have to do when you get where you’re going. You’re not thinking about that 8-point buck that is stepping out into the road.As

The lights on your car, truck or SUV are more important now than ever. The days of winter in McHenry are shorter. The nights are longer. Cloudy days are more frequent. The net effect of all this is that you’ll spend more time driving in darkened conditions during the winter.Additionally, the spray of road salt on your car, truck or SUV tends to spread a blanket over the vehicle that blends in with

Well, it happened. The snow has finally come to McHenry. It was unlikely we’d go through this entire winter without it but still, somehow, after dodging the flaky-white bullet as long as we have, somehow we were surprised when it did come. Now the question is how to safely remove the snow from your walkways and driveway.The sobering truth is that safely removing snow from surfaces around your McHenry

No, you probably won’t see the big-bash New Year’s Eve parties this year as you have in years past. But that doesn’t mean we won’t want to kick up our heals and welcome in 2021 with a bang.We’re due. You’re due. This has been a long year. Hope for a better year ahead is almost assuredly in all of our hearts. And there’s good reason to believe 2021 will prove superior for most compared

More folks from Richmond will probably stay home for Christmas this year what with the coronavirus and all. Not everyone, however. Some people will fly somewhere to spend the holiday with family and friends. Others will pack up the car and drive to mom and dads, or a sibling. No doubt, they’ll observe social distancing and will wear masks, but they will recognize Christmas as a time to spend with

It’s cold, the snow is wet and the last thing you want to do is to walk around your car, truck or SUV, the frigid wind in your face, as you brush the snow from you car in your McHenry driveway. But this is Illinois. If you don’t clear your windows, you can get a ticket. If you drive over the border into Wisconsin, you can even get an ‘Ice Missile Law’ ticket – a law designed to ensure pieces

Don’t you just hate coming out to a cold car, truck or SUV in the middle of a Johnsburg winter? You have to sit and wait for the car to warm up before you feel the comforting heat blowing out of the vents. Until then, you hunker down and shiver for as long as it takes.Winter in Johnsburg gets cold, darn cold. Some winters are colder than others but there’s no mistaking this for a tropical paradise

When you get in the car, truck or SUV and back out of your McHenry driveway, the condition of your tires is probably not top of mind. They’re round. They’re made of rubber. They roll on the road to make your vehicle move. But, otherwise, what’s there to know or consider?Let’s picture you driving down Eastbound on Route 120 near the intersection where Route 31 turns South. It’s January and