Free Inspections Offered Entire Month of October at AAA Approved Facilities
AURORA, Ill., Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ — Cars should be inspected for efficiency and durability during winter before the cold weather arrives. This is why for 26 years running, AAA has designated October as Winter Car Care month. During the entire month, motorists can bring their vehicles to any AAA Approved Auto Repair (AAR) facility for a free 10-minute, 12-point winter- preparedness inspection.
“Breakdowns are most often preventable by simply ensuring that your vehicle is regularly maintained,” says Robert Kaczor, Assistant Vice President of AAA automotive services. “The state of health and durability of things like batteries, fluid levels and tire conditions all come into question especially during the winter season when extremely cold temperatures can put even the most reliable devices to the test.”
The good news is that the Federal Highway Administration has issued extensive research that shows that most passenger cars are living longer. Over the past three decades, increased durability has pushed the average age of a car from 5.6 years to 9 years. The longer a vehicle stays in use, however, the more likely its critical components — such as belts, hoses and batteries — will fail under the stress of winter driving conditions.
During Winter Car Care month, AAA promotes the importance of preventive maintenance. The most common vehicle deficiencies include weak batteries, worn or damaged wiper blades, clogged air filters, low washer fluid, dirty or low motor oil, and low anti-freeze levels.
A pre-winter inspection can also help improve fuel economy. According to the U.S. Department of energy, replacing a clogged air filter can improve fuel economy by as much as 10 percent. Properly inflated tires with good tread depth can add another 3 percent to the fuel savings tally — about 5 cents per gallon.
The Winter Car Care 12-point inspection includes:
— Battery check for loose cables and corroded terminals
— Anti-freeze check for strength in the radiator overflow reservoir
— Oil level check with the vehicle’s dipstick
— Brake fluid level check
— Power steering fluid level check
— Automatic transmission fluid level check
— Inspection of all belts and hoses
— Inspection of the air filter
— Windshield washer fluid level check
— Inspection of windshield wipers
— Light and turn signal inspection
— Inspection of tire tread wear and inflation if necessary
Motorists can obtain a Winter Car Care inspection at any one of the more than 70 Approved Auto Repair facilities located in Illinois and northern Indiana. Each facility is regularly inspected by AAA to meet stringent standards for customer satisfaction, staff qualifications, and scope of services. AAA Chicago recommends its network of AARs to motorists for their automotive maintenance and repair needs. A complete list of AAA’s AARs follows. For more information on locations near you, please log on to http://www.aaa.com/ and click Autos & Driving, or call 1-866-YOUR-AAA (968-7222).
For more than 100 years, AAA has represented the interests of the nation’s motorists and served as an advocate for various traffic safety and travel related issues. AAA Chicago, which celebrates its Centennial anniversary next year, has served in that role in Illinois and Northern Indiana since its founding in 1906.
AAA Chicago offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial services. It is part of The Auto Club Group (ACG), the largest affiliation of AAA clubs in the Midwest, with 4.1 million members in eight states. ACG clubs belong to the national AAA federation, a not-for-profit organization, with more than 48 million members in the United States and Canada.
Approved Auto Repair Facilities in Illinois and northern Indiana include:
Addison
Great Lakes Automotive
562 S. Vista Ave.
(630) 543-1804
Arlington Heights
Barnes Automotive
1203 Rand Rd.
(847) 788-0800
Aurora
Lens’s Automotive & Tire
989 S. Eola Rd.
(630) 499-1980
Bartlett
Midas
1804 W. Army Trail Rd.
(630) 372-9811
Bloomington
Clay Dooley Tire & Auto
1507 Vernon
(309) 662-2886
Bolingbrook
GTM Automotive
495 W. Boughton Rd.
(630) 759-7300
Buffalo Grove
BP Automotive
65 Buffalo Grove Rd.
(847) 520-5355
Carol Stream
Brandy’s Automotive
565 Fullerton Ave.
(630) 653-8485
Carpentersville
Midas
20 S. Western Ave.
(847) 426-3330
Channahon
McCoys Tire & Auto
25360 W. Eames St.
(815) 467-2258
Chicago
Car X
10157 S. Western Ave.
(773) 233-3178
Davila Auto Repair
2114 S. Ashland Ave.
(312) 226-7393
EK Auto
6600 N. Ogallah
(773) 774.7680
Midas
158 W. Grand
(312) 670-2505
Midas
510 W. Roosevelt
(312) 922-5075
Cicero
Roosevelt & Laramie Service
5147 W. Roosevelt
(708) 652-6555
Crest Hill
Car Care Center Mechanical & Towing
1808 N. Larkin Ave.
(815) 741-4800
Crystal Lake
The Shop
90 East St.
(815) 459-2886
Danville
Auto Mobile Diagnostics
410 W. Harrison
(217) 443-6161
Decatur
Paceley’s Garage
3109 N. 22nd St.
(217) 875-9229
DeKalb
Bockman’s Amoco
705 E. Lincoln Hwy.
(815) 756-7413
Des Plaines
Busse Marathon
10 W. Golf Rd.
(847) 824-6653
Downers Grove
Lang Auto
4947 Main St.
(630) 968-4626
Joe Madden Ford
2150 W. Ogden Ave.
(630) 968-0488
Elgin
McLean Marathon
965 N. McLean Blvd.
(847) 741-9576
Elk Grove Village
Complete Car Care
1704 Oakton
(847) 437-9600
Elmhurst
Mehta Motors
463 Spring Rd.
(630) 279-0566
Evanston
Auto Doctor
1600 Foster St.
(847) 491-9600
Franklin Park
Gary Automotive
1000 E. Green St.
(630) 860-2996
Galesburg
Bolin’s 24 Hour Tow & Repair
2356 Grand Ave.
(309) 343-1558
Glen Ellyn
Village Garage
841 N. Main St.
(630) 469-9700
Glenview
Cars of America
1727 Chestnut Ave.
(847) 724-6724
Hanover Park
Midas
1505 W. Irving Park Rd.
(630) 830-0500
Highland Park
D & R Automotive
2366 Skokie Valley Rd.
(847) 433-4343
Hoffman Estates
Higgins Marathon
1300 W. Higgins Rd.
(847) 519-0970
Joliet
Auto Care Center
714 W. Jefferson St.
(815) 722-7766
Lake in the Hills
Hitch Automotive
9242 Trinity Rd.
(847) 854-1600
Lisle
Brandy’s Automotive
2955 Ogden Ave.
(630) 527-1300
Lombard
DuPage Tire & Auto
1200 E. Roosevelt Rd
(630) 629-8473
McHenry
Northtown Automotive
3800 McCullom Lake
(815) 363-2886
Midlothian
Potenzo Auto Repair
4558 W. 147th St.
(708) 396-0501
Moline
MC Tire & Automotive
2119 53rd St.
(309) 762-2886
Morton Grove
(Also serves Niles)
P&E Services
8801 Waukegan Rd.
(847) 966-4448
Mount Prospect
Busse Automotive
113 E. Prospect Ave.
(847) 253-1634
Mundelein
B & R Auto Care
313 Townline Rd.
(847) 837-0553
Naperville
Sparks Car Care
24125 W. 111th St.
(630) 904-4115
Certified Auto
425 Industrial Dr.
(630) 637-9480
Davis Automotive Services
(Also serves Wheaton)
915 E. Ogden Ave
(630) 357-5000
Normal
Team Auto
1223 S. Adelaide
(309) 454-5454
Oak Lawn
Spitfire Automotive
10711 S. Cicero Ave.
(708) 425-2500
Oak Park
Car X
700 Madison
(708) 383-8706
Orland Park
Sparks
9276 W. 159th St.
(708) 460-0460
Palatine
Sparks Car Care
1440 N. Rand Rd.
(847) 934-1133
Park Ridge
McGarry’s Auto
300 Busse Hwy.
(847) 698-2527
Peoria
Beachlers Service
3623 University
(309) 688-2488
Rockdale
Rockdale Automotive
22 Graham Dr. #A
(815) 725-5039
Rockford
Rockford Radiator
2429 S. Alpine Rd.
(815) 398-9871
Rolling Meadows
Brandy’s Automotive
2785 Algonquin Rd.
(847) 222-1234
Roscoe
Vettores Auto care
5335 Swanson Rd.
(815) 633-4407
Round Lake Beach
Pro Autoworks
107 W. Rollins Rd.
(847) 740-1600
Schaumburg
Schaumburg Automedics
503 Lunt Ave.
847-352-2886
Skokie
McCormick Auto
8250 N. McCormick Blvd.
(847) 679-7755
Springfield
Wilkerson’s Shell
2000 W. Monroe
(217) 787-2296
Streamwood
Casey Auto
44 N. Barrington Rd.
(630) 213-8600
Tinley Park
Herman’s Auto Service
7250 W. Devon Dr.
(708) 429-0990
Urbana
P.D.R. Automotive Inc.
1008 N. Cunningham
(217) 367-9481
Vernon Hills
C&M Auto
600 Lakeview Pkwy.
(847) 816-0011
Waukegan
Whitmore’s Service Inc.
600 Greenwood Ave.
(847) 623-7080
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Hire’s Auto
5809 Illinois Rd.
(260) 432-5111
Gas City, Ind.
Bo’s Twin City Auto Service
621 W. Main St.
(765) 674-9664
Hammond, Ind.
Auto Masters
6817 Calumet Ave.
(219) 931-2702
Lake Station, Ind.
Marathon Towing &
Recovery
2220 Ripley St.
(219) 962-4240
Merrillville, Ind.
Exhaust Masters Car Care
7913 Taft St.
(219) 738-1234
Michigan City, Ind.
Ace Auto Service
8707 W. U.S. Hwy. 20
(219) 874-5655
Portage, Ind.
Jim’s Amoco
6090 Central Ave.
(219) 762-4282
South Bend, Ind.
Veldman’s Service Center
5222 Western Ave.
(574) 287-7236
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