Not to worry – you can have your car picked up and dropped off for service

It happens this way about this time every year, and the coronavirus can’t stop it; weather in McHenry begins to warm and AC in your car becomes essential. Meteorologists have indicated that we will see evidence of the coming summer will start building up this week. The temperatures will build from a high of 56 degrees on Monday to 78 degrees on Saturday. Next Sunday, the mercury should top out at 81 degrees.

Though most of us are ‘sheltering in place’ we still have need to get out in our cars – for trips to the grocery store, for gasoline, to just get away for a little while with a ride into the McHenry area countryside. Air-conditioning makes such excursions much more bearable.

For older folks in the area, and those with other conditions that make them more susceptible to COVID-19, the trips are often essential, and the AC is more so. Enduring a hot ride in the car can put a strain on someone who is aged or infirm. Air-conditioning, when driving on a hot day, can go a long way to alleviating that physical and emotional stress.

Yes, your car, almost assuredly, came from the factory equipped with air-conditioning. But is the AC in your vehicle operating at peak performance?

• Is the AC still fully charged with coolant? 
• Is the compressor leaking? 
• Is the belt adjusted properly?
•  Has the blower motor failed?
• Has mold or mildew accumulated on the evaporator? 
• Is the ventilation fan operating correctly?
• Are any of the seals compromised?

Any one of these issues could make your car’s air-conditioning inoperative or inefficient. The latter of these – inefficient – means that, even if you turn on the AC and feel cool air blowing, your system may not work as well as it was designed to work. As the weather continues getting hotter and hotter, you may find that your car’s air-conditioning is not up to the task of a McHenry summer.

Sanitary pick-up and drop-off service available

Many of the more qualified auto repair shops, recognizing the challenges people are facing with COVID-19, are offering sanitary pick-up and drop-off service. They will come out to your home or office, pick-up your vehicle, bring it to the shop for repair or service, and then drop it off again. They’ll bring it back to you with the work completed and sanitized.