4 Car Suspension Repair Tips for Effective Maintenance

A car’s suspension system is an important part of its mechanical hardware. It suspends tires and more significantly, bears the weight of the car through its complicated assembly consisting of struts and shock absorbers. Usually, we take the suspension system of our car for granted and hardly care for it the way we do for the car’s engine, braking system, and transmission. Before we get into car suspension repair tips, let us understand the different kinds of car suspension and car suspension repair tips. It is mainly divided into two categories and sub-categories within those.

Dependent suspension- In a dependent suspension system, every wheel on either side of an axle is tightly connected. This means that anything that impacts one of the wheels will possibly affect the other one. This was the first kind of suspension, and the main benefit of a dependent suspension is the weight carrying capability. Currently, the only place where you will see dependent suspension are trucks, buses, and different commercial vehicles. Passenger trucks and cars come with independent suspensions of different kinds.

Independent suspension- The best type of suspension for a passenger truck or car is independent suspension. With an independent suspension, every wheel of the car is separately connected to the other parts of the car. This means that any effect felt in one wheel is handled throughout the suspension system, leaving other wheels untouched. Most of the passenger vehicles come with an independent suspension for front wheels and today, many have independent suspension for the rear wheels too.

There are various kinds of independent suspension. Each of them solves the issue of road conditions in different ways. It is significant to note that without the right working of suspension, one will find it difficult to handle the car rightly mainly during taking a turn or while applying a brake.

Therefore, it is better for you as well as your car to take proper care of the suspension system. One of the important things you should keep in mind is to keep a check on the warning signals so that you can repair the car suspensions within the right time. One of the important car suspension repair tips is to check for the signs that indicate your car needs repairs:

1.       Rough ride- Do you experience sudden bumps while sitting in the car? Checking how you feel while sitting inside the car is one of the significant car suspension repair tips. If you are feeling uneasiness, then it is one of the most significant signs of the worn-out suspension system.

If you can feel every small pothole and undulations on the road, then it is time to repair your car suspension. It means your car suspension system is damaged and needs maintenance.

Usually, this condition indicates that the piston-cylinder assembly inside the shock absorber of the suspension might be damaged and requires a replacement. However, this rough ride could also be due to a damaged strut and therefore you should get the entire suspension assembly of the vehicle checked. 

2.       Uneven turn- Another one on the list of car suspension repair tips is to check whether while taking a turn, you are feeling that the vehicle is drifting or pulling off. If so, it means that things are not in good shape with the suspension.

This happens when the car’s suspension is not able to handle the car against the effect of force. This is risky and you should instantly take your vehicle to the service center. Tell the mechanic about the problem and ask him to check the car’s suspension thoroughly.

3.       Nose diving- Another important one among the various car suspension repair tips is when you experience nose-diving. In this condition, you will feel that the car stumbles forward once you apply the brake. The situation becomes quite risky, especially when you apply the brakes in an emergency.

The nose-diving has some severe consequences on your safety as it interferes with the vehicle’s ability to stop within the expected distance. The effect of nose-diving on the braking can be measured from the fact that it can affect your vehicle’s stopping time by nearly 20%. In such a condition, you must not delay in rectifying this fault.

4.       Uneven tires wear out Checking the tires of your car is also one of the significant car suspension repair tips. If you observe uneven tire wear with few bold patches showing on one tire whereas none on the other one, then it is time to get your car’s suspension system checked.

This indicates the car’s suspension is not able to hold the tires evenly and might need the replacement of the damaged struts or shock absorbers. Tire treads can get damaged unevenly due to misalignment and incorrect balance, and therefore along with the setup of the suspension ensure that you get the tires properly aligned and balanced by an expert car set-up.

5.       Leaks- Go under the car and if you see any kind of oil leakage from the car suspension, rush to the nearest workshop. Checking for any oil leakage is one of the vital car suspension repair tips that should not be missed.

The most obvious reason for the oil leakage is defective shock absorbers which must be replaced to keep further damage at bay. Replacing shock absorbers is expensive; however, it helps keep all other driving and mechanical problems at bay.

6.       Bounce test- One of the car suspension repair tips is doing a Bounce Test. Park your vehicle at an even surface and press the front of the vehicle down using your weight. Go to the rear side of the car and do the same thing.

You must repeat these two or three times with both the rear and front parts of the car and then observe how the car responds. If you find that your car is shaking even after releasing the force, then it indicates that the suspension system is damaged and needs a replacement.

Car Suspension Repair Tips

Having discussed some of the vital indicators of worn-out suspension, here are a few important car suspension repair tips that you should follow while replacing or maintaining the suspension.

Make sure the mechanic checks ride height during the maintenance processes and ensure the real ride height is properly maintained. Proper ride height ensures that the vehicle runs perfectly without damaging any mechanical part including struts, anti-roll bar, ball-bearing, and shock absorber.

Always choose real, company-certified auto parts not just in the suspension system, but also in other electric and mechanical systems of a car. Repairing the vehicle with low-cost, duplicate products is one of the important car suspension repair tips. They might help you to save money at the initial stage but the cheap quality will increase the cost in the future.

As far as replacing struts or shock absorbers are concerned, it is better to do it in pairs instead of replacing the damaged ones. This will assist to obtain the best performance from your vehicle’s suspension system.

Being an important mechanical work, you must take your car to an authorized car dealer or service center instead of trying to repair it at a local garage. There are many who try to repair it of their own. But, this is one of the important car suspension repair tips that everybody must follow.

Also, you must preserve the receipts of the maintenance as they will come in handy if you start experiencing problems related to struts and shocks instantly after the repair.

Keep in mind, the suspension system of a car is one of the most important components which can save you from discomfort during a ride. Its ideal working is mandatory for a safe driving experience.

Many avoid its significance because of the lack of awareness but then yes, believing ignorance is bliss won’t be helpful. Thus, you must be informed and start monitoring these indicators to identify the issue in your vehicle’s suspension system. These are some of the important car suspension repair tips that must be followed by everyone.