I remember when I was young. Our family car was a station wagon. As far as my brother, sister and I were concerned, that was just great. We were free to roam throughout the back of the car at our leisure.  We’d climb over the seat and back again playing games of tag and who knows what else. No seatbelts – nothing.Today, that’s not allowed. By law, all children in Illinois must be securely

Drivers with tachometers in their cars know that, give or take a little, their car’s engines spend a lot of their time running at about 2,000 rpm. That’s 2,000 revolutions per minute. That’s a lot of revolutions.To better understand that number, let’s break it down to revolutions per second. That works out to more than 33 revolutions per second. Count one-one-thousand and, by the time the

Technology is a wonderful thing or, at least, it can be wonderful. The key to technology is to use it the right way – to use it safely.The microwave is quite a convenience when we want to heat a meal quickly. We all know, however, that it tends to backfire if we try to cook that meal in a metal pan. The same principle holds true with cellular phones.Auto manufacturers have spent untold hours and

Mike is mechanically inclined. He’s worked in the trades for years. You could say he has turned a wrench or two in his time. So, when his car began acting up while he was on vacation in the rolling hills and mountains out West last week, Mike was fairly confident he had correctly identified the root of the problem.Considering all the steep inclines he and his wife had traveled on their trip, Mike

At long last, the rain has come to the Midwest again. While it may be too late for the corn crop, most, if not all, of us in these parts welcome the rain with open arms. It’s been a long, hot, dry summer.With the return of the rain, it’s also time to adjust our driving a bit. It’s not just that the rain offers less friction on the pavement for braking and control, it’s also the oil that rises

How often do you conduct a safety walk around on your vehicle? You may recall that, when you studied The Rules of the Road in preparation for that first driver’s license exam, in days gone by, you were told to check your lights and turn signals every time you went for a drive. Today, the booklet merely states that each car must have this equipment and that it must work properly. Let’s see a show

When a company stands behind its products and services everybody wins. When that reputation for quality is matched by a written warranty customers have a sense of security and confidence.People who bring their cars in to Ringwood based Performance Unlimited have come to realize that the word of owner Denny Norton has value. When Norton returns the keys to a customer after work is completed, his reputation

That tune up really did the trick, didn’t it? Gas mileage is up and the engine even seems to have a little more power now that it’s running smoothly. You may feel tempted to give it a little extra gas now and then. But, if you have too much fun with that extra power, it may not save you any money at all. It might even wind up costing you money.How? Well, first of all, those jack-rabbit starts

It’s summer: sunny days, communing with nature, road trips. It’s a splendid season and, here in the Midwest, it’s our reward for enduring another winter. It’s also the season when birds and other animals have completed their migrations and hibernations. They rise from their slumber and frolic in the woods and meadows, and, occasionally, across the roadways.One such critter, known to many in

Extreme weather will test our vehicles. If there is a weakness, excessively hot or cold weather may bring that weakness to the forefront. Belts and hoses that are on the brink, radiators and coolant/antifreeze that are no longer operating at their peak performance, engine thermostats that are stuck: these are just a few of the issues that may float below the surface on days when the weather is mild.