Most people are aware of at least some of the types of maintenance that their vehicles need to run and handle their best. For example, according to AAA, you should change your car's oil and oil filter every 3,000 to 5,000 miles or once a year if you don't put that many miles on it. While many people know to get regular oil changes, an often-overlooked maintenance item is the wheel alignment service that most auto mechanic garages provide for customers. Here's why a wheel alignment is important for your vehicle.

Ensure Proper Handling

You might notice your vehicle wants to pull either right or left while you are driving down a straight section of roadway. You also might notice you are compensating by steering in one direction ever so slightly just to drive along a straight road. Those are sure signs that your vehicle has an alignment problem with its wheels. When the wheels are misaligned, the vehicle will not track along a straight line and will instead want to pull to the side. Misaligned wheels increase the likelihood that your vehicle will drift out of its lane and cause an accident.

Get Longer Life From Tires

When the wheels are out of alignment, the tires will not wear evenly. The longer that you drive with a bad wheel alignment, the more the tires will wear abnormally, which could contribute to the tendency for the misaligned wheels to cause your vehicle to drift to the side. When you properly align your wheels, the tire treads will wear evenly and properly so that you can get the longest service life from them. Properly aligned wheels also enable the tires that are mounted to them to give you the best traction and handling while driving.

Protect Suspension Components

There are many potential causes of misaligned wheels. You might drive over potholes, curbing, or speed bumps that damage some of the parts. You might have replaced one or more tie rod ends but did not opt for a wheel alignment to ensure everything is straight. Whatever the reason for the alignment problem, driving with misaligned wheels might cause the suspension to wear out faster or be damaged. A bad suspension affects handling and makes it more dangerous to drive.

You can call, schedule an appointment online, or visit our auto mechanic garage to schedule a wheel alignment service for your vehicle. Contact Automotive Procare today!