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Don’t Keep Me in Suspension: Signs You Need to get to a Kanata Garage

You obviously want your Kanata car to drive smoothy, and caring for your suspension is critical for an easy ride as well as fuel efficiency.  If you’ve noticed a rougher/bumpier ride recently you have two choices: diagnose and fix yourself, or come into a Kanata garage.  Either way, your car is telling you its suspension  needs attention. What exactly are suspension issues that should motivate you to get to a Kanata garage or do something yourself?  Let’s briefly touch on a few:

Pulling to One Side While Driving
This could be as simple as uneven tire pressure – make sure you get each tire inflated to the same psi.  Another symptom could be uneven tire wear (which by the way can be prevented with tire rotation) – check your tires as you may need to get to a Kanata tire dealer for replacements. Other not as easy culprits for this could be as simple as needing a new wheel alignment from your favorite Kanata garage/tire center or bad steering components.

Wander and Wiggle
If your wheels are shimmying, your tires could be inflated improperly, you may need a wheel alignment, have worn tires, or may have worn steering components – inspect tie rods and steering rack for excessive play and repair if needed.

Bouncing, Dipping, Diving
If your Kanata car keeps going up and down after you go over a bump you probably have worn out shocks and/or struts.

Steering Slippage 
If as you turn the wheel or hold it in a turned position, it feels like its slipping slightly back and forth, that’s what we call “slippage.” This can be a number of things that can be examined by your Kanata auto repairman including low power steering fluid, a power steering belt that needs attention, a failing power steering pump, and/or steering rack issues.  This problem is not one that most DIY repairman take into their own hands – get your car to a Kanata garage.

Hard Driving
If your steering wheel is difficult to turn, especially at slower speeds, you may be low on power steering fluid, need to tighten or replace your power steering belt, have a bad power steering pump, and/or a leaking power steering rack.

Vibrating Steering Wheel
Sometimes your car’s steering wheel may vibrate at higher speeds, signaling that your tires could be out of balance, alignment, or that they’re worn to the point that you need new Kanata tires.  Other causes are not as simple including loose wheel bolts or a (ouch) warped brake rotor.

“Loose” Steering
Your steering is loose when it has excessive play and wanders from side to side. This could be the result in a variety of issues that your favorite Kanata garage can help with including low power steering fluid, worn strut bearings, worn or broken tie rods or steering rack, worn ball joints, and/or broken steering rack mounts.

Suspension issues are no fun – so if your ride is a tad rougher than usual, make sure you get your car into your favorite Kanata or Stittsville garage before a minor issue gets major.