Wouldn't it be nice if, the next time you went to the butcher shop, they gave you one steak for free – if the next time you went to a show, they didn't charge the last member of your party? Of course, what are the odds that would happen? You’ll turn a nice color of purple holding your breath until it does.

Well, take a deep breath because that’s exactly what can happen when you purchase and have four shocks or struts installed on your vehicle at McHenry County’s Performance Unlimited. If you purchase four shocks or struts, you get the fourth shock or strut free. To put it another way, you’ll receive four shocks or struts but only pay for three. Just to be clear, you’ll still get that fourth shock or strut, you just don’t have to pay for it.

That’s a crazy way to do business but it’s also a nice way to do business, especially since almost no one ever buys just three shocks or struts. In some cases, they may buy two shocks or struts, putting them either on the front or the rear of their vehicle, but they generally don’t buy three.

This means that it’s very unlikely someone will come in for shocks and struts and say, “I only want three. That fourth shock (or strut) doesn't do me any good at all.”

Now, if they do have two shocks or struts installed, this offer isn't for them. It only helps when someone wants four shocks or struts. This offer is tailor made for the latter group.

But, if that’s not crazy enough, Performance Unlimited is even willing to pay people to come in for a free shock or strut, assuming they pay for three. If they do take advantage of this offer, they’ll also receive a $50 money saving card to use the next time they bring their vehicle into Performance Unlimited.

Of course, that doesn't make a lot of sense. After all, who in their right mind would pay you to take something for free? Well, the search is over and it’s the folks just north of McHenry off of Route 31 at Performance Unlimited.

This is also a great offer because there’s a good chance that a lot of drivers do need new shocks and struts on their vehicles. All the road construction in process may, eventually, give us better roads to drive on. For now, the construction only seems to make the roads worse, and, where they’re not doing construction now, as often as not, the roads are badly deteriorated.

Bad roads beat the heck out of shocks and struts. If the roads were perfectly smooth everywhere, your shocks or struts might last almost forever. In fact, in a perfect world where your car never hit a bump or pothole, you wouldn't need shocks or struts at all. They’d mount those wheels and tires right to the chassis of your car.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case. So, if you need four shocks, not one, two or three, has Performance Unlimited ever got an offer for you.