February 2, 2025
When you are pointing your vehicle straight down the street, it should go straight. That’s pretty straightforward, right? Sometimes, though, you may notice you have to keep adjusting the steering wheel to keep going straight. While that could be caused by many different issues, one possibility is that you have a failing or bent control arm.
Another sign is that when you brake, your vehicle pulls to one side or the other. Sometimes your suspension may sound noisy, especially when you’re traveling on rough surfaces. A damaged control arm may also make it almost impossible for you to get a good wheel alignment.
The control arms are part of your suspension, and some vehicles have upper control arms and lower control arms. Not all have the same number of control arms, but one thing is important: If you have worn bushings on your control arms or a worn-out ball joint, the control arm on the other side should also be replaced. The rubber bushings are susceptible to damage from age and exposure to the elements, and ball joints usually shouldn’t be replaced separately.
Any time you have a suspension issue, it’s important that a technician inspects the other parts of your suspension as well. If one part of it is showing its age, it’s not unusual for other components to show similar wear.
One other thing. If you’ve had one of your control arms bent or damaged in an accident, you must have it replaced. Your suspension is an important part of your vehicle’s safety and handling, so you should keep it in good operating condition. After all, your life is riding on it, literally.
Tuffy Auto Service Center Elgin
395 S. Randall Rd
Elgin, Illinois 60123
847-717-4682
April 20, 2025
You may be one of those romantics who don't like giving (or getting) practical gifts for special occasions. Just wait until one of those gifts helps you out of a big predicament in cold weather, and you realize that practical gifts can be life savers. Here are a few things you may give the cold-... More
April 13, 2025
See if any of these are happening to your vehicle. You feel it vibrating excessively underneath when its running, or you hear strange clunking, grating, or grinding sounds coming from beneath. Maybe its hard to turn your vehicle, or you can hear squeaking when youre going slow. Perhaps you fee... More
April 6, 2025
The internal combustion engine in your vehicle counts on two things that mix together to be burned in the engine for power: fuel and air. Both are important, of course. If you run out of fuel, your engine wont run at all. Since theres plenty of air around, you wont run out of air, but you coul... More