AAA Chicago Urges Motorists to Prepare Cars for Winter
Offers Free Car Inspections at AAA Approved Auto Repair Facilities as Incentive
AURORA, Ill., Sept. 29 -- AAA Chicago forecasts that more than 150,000 Illinois and northern Indiana motorists are likely to experience a vehicle breakdown this winter.
Between November 2003 and March 2004, AAA-affiliated automotive personnel provided service to nearly 170,000 AAA members in Illinois and northern Indiana.
"A large majority of the breaksdowns are preventable," said AAA Chicago spokesperson Kris Lathan. "The time to get vehicles inspected for winter is now."
Throughout October, AAA Chicago offers its free Winter Car Care inspections at more than 70 AAA-Approved Auto Repair (AAR) facilities throughout Illinois and northern Indiana.
The most common vehicle deficiencies found during a Winter Car Care inspection include weak batteries, worn or damaged wiper blades, clogged air filters, low washer fluid, dirty or low motor oil, and low anti-freeze levels.
To learn more about proper car care, all motorists are invited to attend a free Car Care Seminar to be held at AAA Chicago's corporate headquarters in Aurora, Ill. on Saturday Oct. 16 from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Motorists are encouraged to call their local AAR facility during October to schedule a free check-up.
Now in its 25th year, 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.
For the nearest location, log on to http://www.aaa.com/ and click Autos & Driving, or call 866-YOUR-AAA.
Approved Auto Repair Facilities in Illinois and northern Indiana include: Addison Great Lakes Automotive 1213 Capital Dr. Unit 6 (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 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 McClean Marathon 965 N. McClean 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 Northlake North Lake Auto Repair 385 E. North Ave (708) 338-3920 North Riverside Dynatech 7511 Cermak (708) 442-8951 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 Autocare 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 Wilkersons 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
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 46 million members in the United States and Canada.
Visit our web site at http://www.aaa.com/ .
