Car Servicing: Signs Your Vehicle Is In Dire Need Of Alignment
When it comes to vehicle maintenance, there is a wide assortment of systems and components that you have to keep in mind. One of the aspects that is often overlooked though is wheel alignment. However, this is essential as improper wheel alignment will not only make you lose some control over your vehicle, but it could also make your car a potential hazard on the roads. There are a number of signs that would be indicative that your vehicle is in dire need of wheel alignment. Below is an outline of some of the things that you should be wary of.
The steering wheel of your vehicle is not positioned at the centre
When you are driving on a straight and level road, your steering wheel is supposed to be in centre position. Granted, some vehicles may have some discrepancy in this positioning, but it should be minor, therefore making it negligible. If you find that the emblem in the middle of the steering wheel is never level yet you are not making any turns, it means that your wheels are not appropriately aligned. It would be best to go in for car servicing to put the wheels back in their appropriate position.
The vehicle keeps pulling to one side of the road
Another sign that your vehicle is in need of wheel alignment is if it keeps gravitating to one side of the road, especially when driving down a straight and flat road. It should be noted that different roads will have varying degrees of crowning. This crowning causes vehicles to slightly veer to one side. However, if the road is relatively flat and level and you keep finding you have to adjust the steering wheel to keep your vehicle straight, chance are the problem lies with the alignment of your wheels. It would be prudent to have this repaired as soon as possible as the longer you keep driving with your vehicle in this state, the more likely the veering to one side will become exacerbated.
The wheels have abnormal wear and tear
Your tyres are of course going to wear down after a while and this is why you have to replace them on a scheduled basis. However, this wear is supposed to be somewhat even with all the tyres as this would show the weight of your vehicle is being evenly distributed. If you find that your tyres are wearing down abnormally with different wear spots in the wheels, chances are they are not properly aligned. Uneven wear can also be caused by other reasons such as improper tyre pressure, damaged suspension and more.