Your car suspension needs to have a healthy life for you to enjoy safe and smooth rides.
The suspension system, which we often ignore, also needs regular maintenance for you to enjoy your ride safely. Car parts like suspension bushings, shocks, and struts usually wear out with time and need to be replaced with better ones.
Sometimes it becomes difficult to detect if your car has any suspension problems. The warning signs may be there, but we often tend to ignore them or consider them to be normal.
Recognizing the warning signals will help you know if your car needs a major repair or just a minor one.
You can check the car’s manual to see if suspension parts should be replaced at regular intervals. You should have your car checked by a reputable mechanic if you notice any of the warning signs mentioned.
Before that, let’s know what a suspension system is and how important it is for a car.
What is a suspension system?
The suspension system is a complex car system made from many different parts. These parts include suspension bushing, springs, shocks, struts, and a few more to count.
A healthy suspension system along with wheels and tires helps your car perform well on roads. The suspension system also helps to manage your car breakdown over speed breakers and uneven roads.
In short, your suspension system ensures that you have a comfortable and smooth ride.
Know your car more; know if your car needs service.
Here are 5 Warning Signs that indicate Suspension System Problems in Your Car.
1. Loose Handling or “play” in the Steering Wheel
The suspension system and steering are closely linked. So, if any part of the suspension system fails, the car might tend to ‘drift’ more often instead of maintaining a straight line while driving. You might also feel loose while steering the vehicle.
You may also feel like your vehicle is pulling to one side.
There are numerous other factors that can contribute to steering issues, including low and leaking power steering fluid, worn steering column bushings, and a few others. But suspension system failure is one of the main causes of loose steering wheels.
Regardless of its cause, driving with such a problem is dangerous. Don’t ignore it if you face this issue. Get your suspension system checked by a reputable technician.
2. Vehicle Bounces or Dives over Bumps
The suspension is designed to help you drive over uneven roads, cracks, potholes, and speed breakers. So that you enjoy your safe, comfortable, and balanced ride.
Suspension parts like springs and shocks absorb impacts from uneven roads and get worn out with time. Due to worn-out struts, shocks, or springs, the vehicle will bounce excessively after each dip or bump.
This makes driving very uncomfortable and can impact handling vehicle balance, as the car weight keeps on dipping while you are driving.
But the question is, how will you check if your vehicle’s suspension parts are well to do?
There’s a simple way to check it.
You just need to press down on the front and back bumpers of your vehicle when it is parked. The vehicle should return to its normal position after little or no bounce. If your car bounces a few times, then it’s time for you to get its suspension system checked.
( Also Read More: 8 Tips to Using Air Suspension on Your Daily Driver.)
3. Vehicle Leans When Parked
The suspension system of your car not only helps you enjoy a smooth and comfortable ride but also supports your vehicle to sit flat and at level. If you see that your car leans on one of the corners, it is most probably because one of the suspensions at the corner is damaged.
An easy way to check if any of the suspension parts need service is to look at the space between the tire and the body. The space should be the same at all the corners.
4. Squeaking, Clanking or Knocking Noise
You might ignore it, but this is one of the warnings that indicates that there is an underlying suspension problem in your car.
A continuous knocking, clanking, and squeaking noise that comes from your car whenever you ride is because of a suspension failure.
These noises could be because of worn-out suspension components like ball joints and control arm bushing.
Avoid driving your car if there is a failed part, like suspension bushing, ball joints, and tie-rod ends. They can also impact and put stress on other suspension parts.
5. Uncomfortable Ride
Most of the time, the only thing that we notice is that our car has suddenly become less comfortable to drive.
Despite the harsh vibration that roads and bumps cause, the car’s body and suspension system work together to give you a comfortable ride. After all, no road is totally smooth, flat, or perfect.
If in recent times, you feel all the speed breakers and bumps you pass through harshly. Then, the suspension is one thing that you need to check and get it serviced.
Don’t ignore it if you see any of the above-mentioned signs in your car.
Conclusion:
Installing a car suspension system improves your vehicle’s performance multiple times. This means you enjoy a more comfortable ride with more control. But only installation is not enough. Like all machines, the suspension system also wears off after a while.
It would be irresponsible to ignore every early damage sign and ride carelessly. In this article, we have discussed some of the most common signs you will start noticing when your air suspension system requires repair or replacement.
If you’re already one or more of them, it’s time.
