Does your steering mechanism need to be overhauled?
Keeping a car forever - or almost When you bought your car or light truck you probably had some naïve hope that it might last forever — or almost. Or you might have been thinking you could use it for a long time and then resell it at a reasonable price. Well, believe it or not, it is possible, but there is only one way to do it: with plenty of regular maintenance.
as well, of course. Your owner’s manual might say the spark plugs are good for 160,000 km, but it might be a good idea to have them removed at certain points to clean them up and replace them with some anti-seizing products. Other regular maintenance involves washing the vehicle often, especially in winter, having it protected with rust- proofing,keepingthetiresingoodshape, aligning and balancing wheels, and keeping the interior as clean as possible. These might seem time consuming and probably will involve some expendi- tures, but the bottom line is that the car or truck will last lon- ger and its resale value will be higher.
Many owners of older cars or light trucks don’t notice when the steering systems of their vehicles are beginning to wear out. If you sense that your vehicle has a tendency to wander on the road or that it requires light but frequent corrections, or if you see your front tires wearing out irregularly, it is time to have the whole front-end checked by a professional. In addition to a wandering car, another way to spot steering system wear is by leaks seen around the system or on the pave- ment. If that’s the case, you might notice your power steering system requires more liquid top-ups than usual. The steering system is composed of a lot of moving parts that not only wear out but also have to sustain major impacts. Though such a system is made of fairly solid metals, there are some bushings and other softer parts that
wear out faster. Unfortunately, car own- ers cannot see the wear.
Today, most cars and light trucks have rack and pinion steering systems that can be replaced by remanufactured parts. That can make the repair less expensive. Nevertheless, there are other parts that will need to be checked, such as tie rod ends and many others. Remember that any repair done to a steering system will require a subsequent wheel alignment, another task that cannot be done by do- it-yourselfers.
Though many people would like you to believe that today’s cars and trucks require less maintenance than older vehicles, this is not true. The mainte- nance might be lighter, yes, and the better part of it will be done by the dealership under the warranty. But you, as the owner, will also have to do your part to keep your car working well for a long time.
The old recipes for keep- ing a car running well still apply to newer prod- ucts, and most of them are very simple to fol- low. Take, for instance, oil change intervals. They can be done as indicated in your owner’s manu- al, but if you use your vehicle mainly for short rides, those oil changes should be done sooner and very regularly. All the other liquids have to be checked regularly
Have you checked your dampers lately? Do you have the impression that your car or light truck has a softer suspen- sion in summer? There could very well be a reason for that. Indeed, it is some- what normal to feel a softer ride when the weather becomes warmer. This is because the metals, plastics, and oils in the dampers, also known as shock absorbers, become softer. But a ride that has become too soft can indicate a prob- lem.
an exterior spring or something similar. These are called struts and they too can become worn out. Some motorists might be handy enough to change their dampers by themselves, but it’s a job best done by specialists who might find other parts to be changed at the same time. In many cases, an alignment will become neces- sary after such repairs.
Automotive repair solutions for today’s budgets!
If you feel your vehicle has become too soft, it is time to have your suspension checked by a professional. Some indi- cations can be very obvious even to non- mechanics. For instance, if you inspect the dampers and you see some oil or grease marks on any one of them, that means it has leaked and that it will never perform as it was meant to. It has to be replaced. And because shock absorbers are usually pairs of tubes pushing into each other, they have to be replaced as a pair. Many cars have a different type of shock absorbers up front, combined to
SOUTH
BRANCH
GARAGE!
LOW HOURLY RATE OF $51.00 PER HOUR (ASK US FOR DETAILS)
Kill • Germs • Mold • Bacteria
Service for $39.95 plus taxes.
SERVICE! ASK US TODAY!
Hours Mon.-Thur.: 8:00 AM to NOON 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM Fri.: 8:00 AM to NOON
Accredited
613 931-1164
repair facility
18364 South Branch Road (Cornwall) (EndofBoundaryRoad,takethecurverightandapprox.2milesonright)
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker