The season has arrived to go out to any destination with the family to reunite with others; the car must be 100%, I don’t think you want to spend Christmas or New Year waiting for the tow truck… Why am I telling you this? Well, I was driving to Morelos and I noticed how poorly planted and unstable an SUV looked on the road. Overloaded with luggage, and with 6 occupants (1 minor among them); her gait was really bad.
The only thing I thought was: “this friend has a serious suspension problem”. After all, why do you want power if it can’t be controlled? The frame of the car is largely responsible for this, and in this regard, we are going to list three problems and solutions in the suspension to restore safety to your vehicle.
1.- Vibration and misalignment
If at high speeds the steering wheel begins to vibrate, the discs probably need grinding or the wheels need balancing. If the problem persists, you need to check the fork bushings. The alignment can be lost due to these causes or due to blows (potholes, bumps, drains, etc.) and this service will have to be carried out.
2.- Grinding, lack of stability and “knocking”
During the march or when going through streets in bad condition (all) you hear a slight squeal, or you feel that the car becomes “heavy” and difficult to control in curves, especially on the road, in addition to some vibration under the body, it is necessary to evaluate the state of the stabilizer or torsion bars, as well as their bases and bushings. They may need lubrication, adjustment, or ultimately, total replacement.
Another cause may be due to the fact that the bases of the shock absorbers have broken and even the poor condition of both the spring and the shock absorber itself cannot be ruled out. This can lead to lack of control and instability on the fly. In fact, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give the engine mounts a revised one either, they probably won’t have long to live.
3.- “Cracking” and misalignment
When carrying out maneuvers you hear a “creaking” in the direction that could be due to the fact that the bushings of both the forks and the ball joints are totally damaged. Although they are continuous wear parts, it is essential to monitor their condition at least once a year, depending on the use of the vehicle. The bushings act as a “cushion” against the torsion and tension of the parts, so their poor condition could cause severe damage. such as the rupture of the ball joints in full gear or the premature wear of the shock absorbers. Another collateral damage is misalignment, which in turn leads to poor tire wear.
as you see, In addition to the high repair costs that these repairs could entail, the risks are very high, so you have many reasons to pay attention to the signals that your car sends you. Travel safe and enjoy the holidays.
