Is your vehicle’s suspension about to go? How can you tell if it is? Urb’s Garage lists five signs below to watch out for. If you notice any of them, have your automobile’s suspension inspected as soon as possible. Delay can cause damage that will be expensive to repair in most cases. Save money now with a suspension and undercarriage inspection.
Pulling
Your vehicle should not pull to one side or the other while in motion. Pulling to the left or right suggests the vehicle is out of alignment, uneven tire wear, or brake caliper trouble. To check if your vehicle pulls, drive straight on a level surface and let go of the steering wheel. The vehicle should continue to go straight after you release the wheel rather than drift to the left or right.
Bumps
If your shock absorbers or struts are worn, you will feel every bump on the road. Yes, if you’re driving on a dirt road or a thoroughfare that is in bad shape you’ll bounce around, but you shouldn’t feel small bumps. As mentioned above, noticeable bouncing is a sign that it’s time to replace your shock absorbers and/or struts. It could also mean you have a worn leaf spring.
Low Rest
Each wheel has a suspension spring and if one of those springs is damaged or broken your vehicle will rest lower at that wheel. You can test your suspension springs by putting all of your weight on the front and rear of your vehicle and pushing it down a few times to make it bounce. If the vehicle bounces quite a bit or you hear squeaking or other noises, you’ve got spring problems.
Diving
You shouldn’t have bouncing or other unusual movements when you start or stop, either. If your vehicle nose dives when you brake, leans to the side when you turn, or leans backward when you accelerate, you have shocks and/or struts trouble. Jerking while in motion suggests transmission or another engine problem, but diving or leaning definitely points to your suspension.
Steering
Finally, your steering should feel the same whether it is a power or manual system. Problems with the steering system include the wheel sticking or feeling too loose. Some drivers describe the sensation as slipping. Hopefully, you just have low power steering fluid, but you might also have a problem with your power steering pump, belt, or the arm bushing.
Urb’s Garage in Burlington, KY, has plenty of certified technicians experienced in vehicle suspension service and repair.
