Your car’s suspension works hard to ensure two things every time you take your car out for a spin: A smooth ride and maximum control of your vehicle. From reducing the bounce and sway of your vehicle to keeping your tires on the ground even in emergency maneuvers, your suspension ensures the safety of you, your passengers, and everyone else on the road.

This is why it’s important to have any suspension wear, tear, or accidental damage serviced by a professional service technician as soon as possible. But, how do you know your suspension is worn?

Signs Your Suspension is Worn

Major problems with your suspension system don’t just happen overnight. Instead, they can take time to develop over constant use – unless some major damage was taken on your last drive. Signs your suspension is worn, include:

1. Bumpy Ride: The shocks and struts in your suspension system work together to smooth out your drive and reduce bouncing. If you begin to feel your once smooth ride disappearing with every bump in the road, have your suspension system’s shock absorbers and struts inspected as soon as possible!
2. Corner of Vehicle Sits Low: Your suspension keeps your tires on the ground and balanced perfectly. If you notice one side sunken more than the rest, or it doesn’t come back to the leveled position when you push down on a corner, you’re most likely dealing with a damaged spring. With this, you’ll probably notice clunky noise on bumpy terrain, and/or increased difficulty when turning.
3. Increased Difficulty to Steer: If your car is having trouble steering, especially at very low speeds, something may be wrong with the suspension. While it can be an issue with your power steering fluid, any difficulty turning should be inspected by a professional mechanic as soon as possible for safety.
4. Uneven or abnormal tire wear: When suspension problems occur, and go unnoticed for some time, tire damage usually occurs. This is due to the tires having uneven contact with the road. Naturally, this leads to uneven use among all four tires causing balding and other tread damage. This reduces your traction control, safety, fuel efficiency, and ultimately reduces the lifespan of your tires.

If you don’t currently have any of the above symptoms of a worn suspension system, you may not be in the clear like you think. Events like hitting a pothole or erratic driving can cause damage to your suspension system, and the signs of that damage may not be noticeable right away.

How Do I Prevent Harm to My Suspension System?

Just like your tires and oil, your car’s suspension needs maintenance too. The easiest way to prevent damage to your suspension system is by having a trained auto technician make any necessary repairs needed, and schedule a yearly inspection and maintenance of your vehicle. Or, every 12,000 miles. Depending on your driving style or the type of terrain you find yourself driving on, you may need yours inspected more or less frequently.

Christian Brothers Automotive Can Help!

To keep your car’s suspension system in the best shape for you, your family, and others on the road, bring your car to your local Christian Brothers Automotive shop. Our certified auto technicians can inspect & repair your suspension system. We even cover our work with a 3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty that expires at whatever limit occurs last.