If you have lived in Minnesota even for a short time, you know that winter here can be brutal. Even a winter with relatively few snowstorms will wreak havoc on the roads you drive on. One snowfall that creates the need for plows to clear snow from road surfaces will create new potholes and damage old ones that had been “repaired.” Nothing is more likely to cause problems with your vehicle’s alignment and/or suspension than a perfectly placed pothole that is disguised as an innocent puddle or shadow on the road. Clark Automotive knows destructive potholes can be for your vehicle. We can help repair the damage that happens so often from hitting them—alignment and suspension problems, and, by extension, steering issues.
Do I Need My Alignment Checked?
Your vehicle is designed to tolerate normal bumps, divots, and cracks in the road surface, but some are deep enough to damage your vehicle. Minnesota roads often seem intent on doing damage to vehicle suspensions, but the truth is that all vehicles’ suspensions will need occasional maintenance, even in the best of road conditions. Over time, and because of the forces exerted on your vehicle’s tires, shock absorbers/struts, and suspension system, you will need to have your vehicle’s alignment checked, at a minimum. You may notice that your vehicle drifts slightly to the right or the left, which is the classic indication that your vehicle’s wheels have become misaligned.
Even a slight measure of misalignment can be problematic for your vehicle—it can cause uneven wear of the tires, limiting their life span and potentially putting you at risk for a blow-out. Regular tire maintenance and a check of your wheel alignment is usually all that is needed to ensure that nothing so drastic occurs. But the larger point is that regular maintenance is necessary to ensure that a relatively small problem of wheel misalignment does not grow to a larger problem.
Repairing Suspension, Alignment And Steering Issues
If your vehicle has issues with alignment and/or the suspension, the connectivity of systems determines that you could also notice issues with your steering system. Major problems of alignment or suspension could mean that your steering is more difficult to control. It is important, therefore, to ensure that all of the interrelated components work in concert with each other and are balanced with each other.
If you have a minor or more serious issue with your suspension, alignment or steering, please call us at (763) 784-7944.
If you move to a new city or new part of the country, one thing you are almost guaranteed to hear is the importance of finding a trustworthy auto mechanic. At Clark Automotive, we work hard to earn the trust of our customers. In fact, we take the trust of our customers so seriously that we have taken the steps to be ASE-certified. ASE is an abbreviation that refers to the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence, a non-profit that tests and certifies auto service providers in technical and service expertise.
As you certainly know, the Minnesota weather can be harsh on automobiles. Extremes of weather and temperature can hasten the need for new batteries, hoses, and other essential components of your car. Whether you consider your car a prized possession or a simple transportation tool, you want it to keep you safe, at a minimum, while driving it. Our mechanics understand that. We care about your experience as a customer and we want to make sure that the work we do on your car fixes the problem the first time.
