It’s comforting to know that, no matter how cold it is outside this McHenry winter, when you run out to your vehicle, your car, truck or SUV will start. When you have that kind of comfort, you don’t even think about it. It’s subliminal. But if you don’t have that confidence …If there is a weakness in your car, truck or SUV charging and starting system, a McHenry winter is likely to find it.

In our series on winterizing your car, truck or SUV for the McHenry winter of ’21-’22, this post is all about traction. But it’s not all about winter. We are not only on the cusp of winter, we are even closer to that moment in relation to Halloween. And with Halloween, traction may prove critical with all those little ghouls out and about in McHenry this coming Sunday.Traction is important

Ever seen that driver in McHenry who was in too much of hurry to take the time scraping the frost off their windshield before driving? That’s crazy, isn’t it? But it also highlights a point. Vision is critical when driving and never is it challenged more than in the winter.Several characteristics of winter driving conspire to make it difficult to see when driving in the winter. If you accept the

This is the first of several articles about winterizing your car for the cold McHenry season ahead. Today, we’re discussing coolant. Coolant is the liquid that flows between your radiator and engine to keep the latter from overheating. It’s still called upon to do so in the winter, but only after you get going.Once you’ve driven down the road a while, even if it’s a bitterly cold day or night

October has only just arrived here in Johnsburg and yet this blog wants you to start thinking about winterizing your car, truck or SUV? Kinda jumpin’ in the gun there, fella. Is it really too early to start thinking about winterizing your vehicle?Truth be told, according to one weather Website, we’ll see some snowfall in Johnsburg every three or four years, but no real accumulation. It’s not

On the same day in 2015, our hypothetical characters, George and Nancy, living on opposite sides of McHenry, each purchased the same car. As this is a representative story, let’s say that they both purchased a Chevy Malibu. It doesn’t matter, but let’s also say that George’s Malibu was beige and Nancy’s was blue. Otherwise, they were identical 4-door, LS sedans. As it happened, they

You can gaze out the windows of your McHenry home this fall to see the changing foliage as the autumnal transformation sweeps like a wave over the area. But if you really enjoy the fall colors, maybe you should get in the car and go somewhere to see the change in its full splendor.There are heavily wooded areas where autumn colors are more pronounced since all those trees have more leaves. Some areas

That sweet little lady down the street doesn’t drive much – once a week to one of the grocers in McHenry but not much more than that. She probably doesn’t put more than 100-miles a month on her car. The guy living across the street, however, does construction. He puts more than 100 miles on his car every workday, which usually includes Saturday.On Sunday, he usually goes somewhere, as well.

 You’ll wish you hadIt’s highly recommended that you change your car, truck or SUV’s oil according to the schedule in your owner’s manual. As we’ve written here before, this is one of the best things you can do maintain your McHenry vehicle for the long haul and to maintain the value. Some people don’t do a good job of changing their oil on schedule. But imagine if someone never did

Heading out for a drive? Wanna get some fresh air? You can roll those windows down and let the wind blow through the car as you drive. But how fresh is that air (hopefully, not bad here in Johnsburg)? Then again, if it’s cold or it’s raining, you may want the windows up.With the windows up, you have a choice what air you want to breath. You can adjust the vent so the air inside the cabin is recirculated.