We all manage to knock our wheels out of alignment at one time or another in our driving careers. Sometimes, we cause the problems ourselves, and it’s someone else’s fault at other times. If your car, truck, or SUV is pulling to one side of the steering wheel is off-center, the wheels are not aligned correctly. Mike’s Automotive can fix that. Here’s how your wheels may have been knocked out of alignment in the first place.
You’ve Been in a Fender-Bender
Even minor accidents can affect your wheel balance and alignment. If you’ve been involved in a fender-bender lately, have your wheels checked, even if the damage to your vehicle appears minor. Automobile accidents jolt your vehicle in directions it wouldn’t normally go. This can damage the suspension and wheels, including their balance and alignment.
You Couldn’t Avoid Road Debris
Sometimes you have plenty of time to drive around road debris; other times, you have to drive over it and hope for the best. Road debris can damage your wheels and tires. It can knock the wheels out of alignment, and if it’s sharp or your tires are bald, it can puncture or blowout the tires. Avoid road debris as best you can and take it easy driving over bumps, too.
You Speed Over Speed Bumps and Potholes
Maybe fun for you but not for your car, truck, or SUV. Speed bumps and potholes can cause serious damage to your wheels, tires, suspension, and undercarriage. Speed Bumps are built to force drivers to slow down to under 5 miles-per-hour – the slower, the better. Potholes mess your wheels up. They force them in all kinds of directions that screw up the alignment and balance.
You Hit a Curb – Hard!
Curbs are your wheel alignment’s arch enemy. If you run into a wall sideways – Please don’t! We’re just using this as an example! – and hit it hard, you will knock your shoulder in a different direction. The same thing happens to your wheels when you hit a curb. The wheel is turned one way, and the curb knocks it in a different direction. This pushes the wheel out of alignment just as running into a wall sideways could dislocate your shoulder.
Again, please don’t run into a wall; rather, bring your vehicle to Mike’s Automotive in Del City, OK, for a wheel balance and alignment. We’ll rotate your tires, too, if they need it. Call us for an appointment by dialing (405) 670-7730.
