THE COLORS ft OPTIONS YOU «^WANT!^s= GET THE MITCHELL PRICE I READY FOR DELIVERY! •CJ-5'* r II THl «O*CHER0KEES JB mm PICKUPS • I * WAGONEERS McHENRY COUNTY'S OLDEST JEEP DEALER! HERBAL HARVEST Bring • touch of spring into your kitchen, even in the depths of winter, with a window ucfu garden. .v. Basil, parsley and mint are three of the many herbs that flourish indoors--and which are guaranteed to add the flavor of spring to a mid-winter meal. ^ 1980 AMC'S vft, , ^ BUILT FOR TODAY. V 1 BUILT TO LAST TOMORROW NOW IN STOCK..; • EAGLES • PACERS • SPIRITS • CONCORDS WE HAVE LARGEST SELECTION OF AMCS ft JEEPS IN McHENRY COUNTY I j li i ^ wm. i WHAT TO EXPECT FROM A REPUTABLE CONTRACTOR Want to be sure your remod eling contractor is reputable? Then look for a member of the National Home Improvement Council. NH1C members are pledged to.a code of ethics which is designed to ensure that they observe -the highest standards of integrity, frankness and re sponsibility in dealing with the public. " How? \ • By encouraging only those home improvement projects which are structurally and eco nomically sound. • By making, in all advertis ing, only those statements which are accurate and free of the capacity to mislead or de ceive the consumer. J , . By requiring all salesmen to be accurate in their descrip tion of products and services. • By writing all contracts so that they are unambiguous and fair to all parties concerned. • By promptly fulfilling all contractual obligations. • By performing all work in a manner compatible with recog nized standards of public health, safety arid applicable tows. MITCHELL JEEP Sr/7 N . F R O N T S T . Q - 4 0 3 M c H E N R Y , I L . condensers and points, the items included in the average tune-up have not changed ap preciably in the five-year (1974-78) reporting period. The introduction of electronic -"ignition earlier in the decade caused the installation of points to drop from 65.1 percent in 1975 to 53.6 percent in 1978. Setting the timing (71.3 per cent) and installing new spark plugs (70.9 percent) are the most often performed portions of a tune-up, the survey re vealed. •• . 1 PICK-ME-UP FORiRUGS @>ls your wall-to-wall weary, your shag shabby, your rya rug rebelling against any more dirt? A soiled floor covering -- whether it shows a collection of spots in heavily-trafficked areas, or just a general overall greyness -- tends to downgrade the appearance of the room a notch or two. Your house just can't look its best when the car peting is spotty and soiled. Professional cleaning is pos sible, but .extremely expensive this year. Fortunately, it's a snap to do the job yourself. Researchers for Spray'N Vac have tested this product and found it effective for all types of colorfast rugs and carpets. All that's needed is to spray it on; then, one hour later, vacuum up ~ the dry foam along with dirt and grease. By carefully reading labels, one can select a good cleaner-- one which will not damage nap, and one which contains color brighteners to restore life to bold colors and warmth to pas tels. Another desirable feature is the presence of an anti-resoiling agent, so rugs will stay clean longer. Some cleaners can also be used for spot cleaning. Tuned engine increases miles per tankfid during fuel supply shortages If adversity truly does bring out the best in' Americans, then U.S. motorists will have a rare opportuhity/to show their mettle during the nionths to come. If thera&aoe factor in our lives that is predictable, it is that winter weather is unpredictable. How else can one explain a blizzard in nor mally hot and arid Palm Springs, Calif., or the weather that made Chicagoans almost envy residents of Fairbanks, Alaska. Now, added to the miserable weather most of us are certain to face, another somber shadow looms. It is the menacing fuel situation that offers at best ever-increasing (vices for petroleum products and possibly spot shortages of gasoline. The-dollar a gallon price at the gas pumps is becoming a reality. To flaunt a hoary cliche, "Everybody talks about the weather but no one ever does anything about it," the aver age motorist can take action to minimize the dual threat of fierce storms and expensive, scarce gasoline. By preparing the car adequately for winter one can minimize the incon veniences and maximize the fuel efficiency. . *** • _ ' ' ' ' . Yj* ' >., t . '• Take, for example, the pre-winter tune-up. It's a well established fact that a tuned engine goes more miles per tankful than the same engine in need of maintenance. The money you save at each fill-up is no small economy, nor is the contribution yon are making to fuel conserva tion efforts. But most people don't know the tuned en gine is additionally the best protection one can obtain against starting problems in bad weather. Protecting the engine against premature wear through proper lubrication and preventing damage through fresh antifreeze coolant levels are other basic services you need. Other components such as brakes, tires, exhaust sys-j tem, washers and wipers, lights all contribute to safe winter driving when they are in good working order. Conversely, when undermaintained, the automobile heaps addied misery on the woes winter weather inflicts. *** In the face of mounting evidence of an engine tune-up's effec tiveness as a gasoline saver and protector against starting trouble, a steady decline in the rate of tune-up purchases has been shown in a survey conducted by Champion Spark Plug Company. According to John C. Hoyt, Champion's manager of marketing research, there has been a drop of nearly seven percent in the nationwide tune-up rate between 1975 and 1978. In other words, over the period, 12 million tune-ups have not been performed due to the declining rate. The largest drop was recorded in die East North Central states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan, with nearly 12.5 percent fewer tune-ups purchased in 1978 than in 1975. Only in die West North Central area of Minnesota, Iowa, Mis souri, the Dakotas, Nebraska and Kansas did tune-up purchases remain constant. While newer cars equipped with electronic ignition systems lead the drop in tune-ups, the de cline was not limited to such vehicles. Vehicles older than eight years were tuned less reg ularly in 1978 than such vehi cles were in 1975. Less do-it-yourself For die first time in six years the rate of car owners doing their own tune-ups declined from the previous y^fir. In 1978, 33.4 percent of all tune- ups were performed by the owner. The figure in 1977 was 36.2 percent. Nevertheless, the do-it- yourself tune-up remains the most common form of service. New car dealerships, which perfprmed 23.2 percent of the tune-ups, were next highest with a 2.2 percentage point in crease over the previous year. Both service stations and garage and repair shops main tained their percentage share of tune-up business compared to die preceding year. The highest rate of do-it- yourself tune-ups was among motorists in the West South Central area (Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas), the Mountain and Pacific Coast states. New Eng land and Middle Atlantic states (New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania) had the lowest rate of do-it-yourselfers. High satisfaction rate Satisfaction with tune-up work done remained at its high level during the most recent survey. Ninety-one percent of the survey respondents called their tune-ups "Excellent" or "Good." A "Fair" rating was given by 7.4 percent, and only 1.5 percent complained of "Poor" service. The highest rate of satisfac tion was registered by the do- it-yourself group, where 97.3 percent of the respondents rated their work excellent or good. Less than one percent rated their own work poor. New car dealers had the low est level of satisfaction but still scored an 82.7 percent satisfac tion rate. Except for installing new PAGE 14 - PLAINDEALER - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12,1»7» Car owners overlook engine tune-up benefits