Owning a car can be an exhilarating thing. Driving to a friend’s house for the weekend or taking your family to the zoo can be the start of a wonderful memory. However, as any car owner will tell you, there’s quite a bit of preparation and maintenance that goes into owning an automobile. Gas prices can be a real hassle, for starters, and regular trips to the auto shop are just a fact of life to have this or that component serviced by professionals.
Another part of being a responsible car owner is knowing when it’s time to overhaul or replace specific parts. Most of them have recommended standards (replace them every X number of miles, for example) but there’s more to it than that, particularly when it comes to when to replace shocks. Read on for more tips on when you’ll know you need to replace these critical components.
What your shocks do for you
Your car is made up of multiple systems, much like the human body. The suspension system, of which the shocks are a critical part, is just one of these systems. One way to think about your auto’s suspension is that it functions as an absorber for the “punishment” that regular old driving habits can dish out. If you hit the brakes or the gas, the suspension is there to absorb much of the impact so the passengers don’t have to. The same is true when you hit a pothole or go over a bumpy surface.
The suspension keeps the car’s contact with the road consistent and maintains a stable ride, so knowing when to replace shocks is really about keeping a comfortable ride and protecting your car from the jarring impacts of daily driving.
Tire wear and your suspension
The warning signs for replacing car shocks aren’t all exactly obvious ones, and they do require that you keep a close eye on how your car drives. It can be a good idea to take frequent pictures with your phone, or even add reminders that let you know you should be checking a particular component.
For starters, uneven tire wear is something we see in the shop fairly often when the suspension system is the problem. This is one of the harder ones for regular folks to check, but it can help to replace all four tires at once when the time comes so the signs of uneven wear are far more obvious.
Other culprits
The other signs of a poor suspension are quite a bit easier to catch. Many people report that they feel a wobbly ride all of a sudden, or they might even notice that it feels like their car is going to actually tip over if they take a turn. You might also feel the front end of the car start to creep down towards the road when you apply the brakes. If any of these issues arise as you drive, then it’s time to think hard about when to replace your shocks.
If you’re worried about your car’s suspension and are thinking about replacing the car’s shocks, it’s time to roll into the most trusted name in Tennessee car care. Our team at Madison Muffler & Auto Repair can handle everything from shocks to muffler repair. Give us a call or stop in today!