Most of us aren’t driving nearly as much as we did before the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a virtual shutdown of the American economy – of the World economy. Living in McHenry County, your car, truck or SUV is an essential part of your life. It’s not like in Chicago where some people don’t even own cars – they walk or rely on public transportation.

With the governor’s ‘shelter-in-place’ order, it may seem that our vehicles are less essential than before. But is this really the case?

Most of us still rely on our cars, trucks or SUVs to run out for groceries. We might be able to have the food delivered but this isn’t always practical. Besides, in spite of the additional risk, we may look upon a trip to the grocery store as a welcome diversion from the isolation of our own homes.

We may find the same relief when running out to pick-up dinner from curbside at one of the restaurants open and providing such service in town. For most of us, it’s not practical to walk. We have to drive.

And if there’s an emergency, other than instances where you call an ambulance, God forbid, we need our car, truck or SUV to get us there. At times such as these, our vehicles are very, very essential. Even if it’s simply a doctor’s appointment, or picking up a prescription from the drugstore, we want our vehicles to run when we need them.

Auto repair and maintenance is critical even during a pandemic

To ensure that our vehicles are ready when needed, whether in response to an emergency or simply to run us to the grocery store, we need to stay on top of maintenance and service. Fortunately, many auto repair shops, understanding this vital nature of automobiles, are open for service.

Many, such as Performance Unlimited, are helping people to maintain their vehicles while also maintaining social distancing. To help keep us safe from the spread of coronavirus, some auto repair shops are offering sanitary pick-up and drop-off of your vehicle. In other words, they’ll come get the car, truck or SUV, they’ll perform the required service, then they’ll bring the vehicle back and drop it off at your home.

While performing this service, the driver and the technician working on your vehicle will wear nitrile gloves. They’ll wipe down any surfaces that they touch to avoid any risk of spreading the disease.