N PAGE 2 - PLAINDEALER - FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15,1M2 Winter tune-up^.. Your best bet for worry-free winter driving @lt's the same scenario winter after winter. At the first snowfall, hundreds of motorists slip-slide to their local garage and wait in line for snow tires to be mounted. And. as the thermometer refuses to inch up in the morning, you snug gle deeper into the covers. After all. the car's not going to start anyway -- it's too cold. Tune-up time If this winter is similar to others, as many as 30# of America s driving population will have problems starting their cars. They II blame the cold or a faulty car battery. But. the fact is. the major ity of all winter car problems can be avoided through a simple winter tune-up. Now is the time to winterize your car. To be sure you 're ready for those sub-zero temperatures, the blowing snow, and the other wraths of winter. The Gates Rubber Company, a leading manu facturer of automotive belts and hoses, suggests a pre-winter tune-up is vital to your car's winter efficiency. In fact, a complete tune-up is more than twice as effective against winter starting difficulties as is battery service alone. The- importance of a thorough pre-winter tune-up doesn't just apply to snowy, cold and blowing areas of the country .It's just as important in warmer climates which generally experience wet, humid and damp conditions. Such weather also affects a car s starting abilities. Before the season changes, be sure your service station gives your car a thorough check of all systems. The en tire cooling system should also be checked. Your serviceman should look for leaks, rusty | coolant, and worn belts, hoses or clamps. If your hoses are more than four years old, have them re placed, regardless of visual condition, suggests Gates. Fresh antifreeze should be in stalled for maximum protec tion against the elements and a rust-clogged radiator. Have your oil and oil filter changed, if necessary. Pre-winter check-up A pre-winter check-up should include a battery serv ice check. The voltage needed to start a car increases when the engine has broken or cracked ignition cables, worn spark plugs or plugs with wide gaps, a worn distributor cap or rotor, or a corroded distributor cap. Wet or cold weather com pounds these battery prob lems. Worn spark plugs will also increase the electrical re quirement; they may require up to twice the electric energy as new plugs. The voltage available to start a car decreases when there are worn breaker points or a faulty condenser, coil or primary dropping resistor. In addition, problems in the igni tion system can drain the volt age available for starting, of ten without having anything to do with the battery. McHENRY SAYINGS & LOAN asks... Are you driving a headache? \ We can remedy your headache-on-four-wheels"! Our personalized auto loans can have you up and around in no time, in a new or used car! Choose an extended payment plan...with lower per-month payments! And talk aboit speedy relief! Apply now, and yow loan just may be approved tomorrow! McHENRY S A V I N G S McHenry Savings ® 1209 North Green Street, McHenry 385-3000 WE'VE GOTH McHENRY COLO In addition to having an en gine tune-up, be sure that your overall car is safe and ready for winter. Snow tires This includes having snow tires mourned. Contrary to the common belief that acar doesn't need snow tires if t has radials, experts in the field are now say ing that snow tires (radial, bias or bias belted) provide up to 50% more traction in soft snow than conventional radials alone. I Have the service station check your car brakes, lights, ; and windshield wipers. Have your exhaust system checked to be sure lethal carbon mon oxide fumes do not leak into the passenger section. This is especially important during the winter season *s "windows closed" driving weather. Emissions efficiency is also particularly important during the winter months. Since win ter conditions confine most cars to heavily populated ar eas, the potential for saturating the air with pollutants is greater. So, have your service man also examine your emis sions accessories. Once the bad weather hits, keep your car's body free of salt deposits. Salt contributes to early body deterioration. Following these simple winterizing hints can help your car's winter operating effi ciency. With proper care and a simple pre-winter tune-up and maintenance program you can be on the road in snow and cold --while others arc wishing they were. : V ' ' V : : - ; TODAY'S CARS HAVE SMALLER ENGINE COMPARTMENTS and use more Kophiati- cated electronics. To some extent, this means the do-it-yourself mechanic faces a tougher time working on his or her own car. Rather than ignore or delay maintenance, motorists should be sure to make scheduled maintenance visits to a service Station. This should be in addition to a pre-winter examination to check the car's battery, cooling system, belts, hoses, and engine efficiency. When you need tires, save oil, money by purchasing retreads You can save one-half to two-thirds on the purchase of your next set of tires and at the same time help reduce our de pendency on foreign oil. Simply by buying retreads, says the Automotive Informa tion Council (A1C). Retreads are virtually indis tinguishable from new tires because only carefully in spected casings are used and the modern retreading process firmly attachs and blends the new tread with the body of the tire. The casing represents from SO to 70 percent of the total cost of a tire and that's why re using it can keep the price of a retread so much below that of a new tire, says AIC. The petroleum savings ac crues because only about three gallons of crude are required to produce the rubber for a pas senger-car retread, compared with eight to nine gallons to make anew tire. It is expected that more than 26 million passenger retreads will be sold in 1981 --or about one-fourth of the replacement car-tire sales total -- and that will result in a savings of 143 million gallons of oil. Almost all of the world's airlines use retreads, as do trucking cofnpanies, some po lice departments and even race cars. One police chief stated: "We've found that retread tires offer good mileage, con siderable cost savings and the kind of performance we can depend on to catch the crimi nal at minimum danger to our- selves." Airlines retread the same casings as many as five times. Trucking lines, which roll along 24 hours a day with heavy cargoes, also retread them about five times. One- third of all truck tires sold are retreads. The great popularity of retreaded tires with airlines and truckers is convincing motorists that they should con sider them, says AIC. The retreading industry also helps eliminate an additional environmental headache by keeping millions of tire cas ings from the scrap piles, al leys and vacant lots, it added. FALL SERVICE COUPON GOOD OCT. 15 THRU OCT. 30 $ WHEEL BALANQNG 6 ALIGNMENT! ̂ Two Front Wheels Balanced & Front Wheel Alignment COUPON SPECIAL! 19" (Good with coupon only) Call For Appointment MOST AMERICAN CARS DEAL WITH THE PRO'S' McHENRY INC. 1301 N. Front St. McHmry 385-2323