Yes, it’s still September in McHenry. But it’s the end of September. On average, the first accumulation of snow for the season comes Nov. 18. That’s only about a month-and-a-half off. In 2006, the first accumulated snow came on Oct. 12. THAT’S ONLY TWO WEEKS AWAY!

Whether winter comes sooner or later, you want to be prepared. You wouldn’t want to find yourself out for a walk in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt or blouse when the temperature suddenly drops to the teens. Well, you wouldn’t want to discover that your car’s antifreeze can’t handle a sudden drop in temperature, either.

How cold will it get this winter in McHenry? Who knows. What can you do about it? You could winterize your car now.

You’re going to want to prepare your car for winter anyway. Why wait to the last minute, especially when you don’t know when the last minute will drop. Besides, the closer we get to winter, the more those who are late preparing their vehicles for the season ahead will rush in to have their cars winterized causing a busy stretch for auto repair shops.

If you bring your car in now, you’ll beat the rush. You’ll also put your mind at ease in terms of knowing that you and your car are ready.

Winterizing a car is absolutely necessary in this neck of the woods. Temperatures will drop below 0-degrees Fahrenheit around here. Sometimes, they’ll drop significantly below 0-degrees. And when you consider windchills, we’ve had temps of more than 75-degrees below 0.

Thankfully, that doesn’t happen often, and doesn’t tend to last long. But it does happen. Even a car that is winterized will be tested by those frigid temperatures. We don’t have to question long to think of what happens to those vehicles that aren’t winterized – that aren’t prepared for the cold, snow, ice and sleet.

Winterizing your vehicle is the effort to consider all that winter will throw at you and your car and to try to make sure that it’s ready for anything winter will throw at it.

The streets will get icy. You will drive through snow. A mix of salt, ice and slush will splatter on your windshield. Days will get shorter and nights will get longer, and vision will suffer along the way.

Winterizing your car means doing what it takes to ensure that your car will start when you want it to start, will run efficiently as long as you want it to run, will dig its way through snow, will have enough traction to get you moving on slippery roads, and enough traction to bring you to a stop on the same roads.

You’re gonna have to do it anyhow. Why wait to the last minute. Why wait until temperatures in McHenry fall and snow accumulates. Start thinking about winterizing your car now. You can still enjoy the warmer days ahead, and enjoy them more because you don’t have to worry about preparing your car for that time when the warmer days have passed.