It’s happened to all of us. You’re driving along, minding your own business, when “K-THUD,” you hit a pothole. You didn’t see it coming, or you would have steered around it. The first thought that races through your mind: did anything break?
As you drive on, you eventually relax. Everything must be fine, since you’re still rolling along, right? It was just a pothole, right?
Here’s the problem. Potholes often cause damage, ranging from knocking your car out of alignment to serious harm to the wheels, steering or suspension. What makes matters worse is that the damage can eventually put you and your passengers at risk if it isn’t repaired.
Read about wheel alignment in Lynnwood and how we set it right.
Why this is pothole season
Around here, potholes are at their worst in late winter and early spring. Rain gets into cracks in the pavement, cold nights freeze it, and traffic breaks up what’s left. If your commute through Lynnwood got bumpier over the winter, you’re not imagining it.
Newer cars are also easier to hurt. Many ride on bigger wheels with low-profile tires, which leaves less rubber to soak up a hit, so bent wheels and alignment problems are more common than they used to be. And lane-keeping and other driver-assist features work best when the car is tracking straight.
How do you know if your car has been damaged?
Unless you have the knowledge and a shop to examine the underside of your vehicle, you won’t know for certain. Just because your car didn’t stall or come to a halt doesn’t mean that everything is fine.
There are warning signs to look for:
- The car pulls to one side instead of tracking straight.
- The steering wheel sits off-center, or shakes at speed.
- The car sways or feels loose, as if you have less control.
- You hear a new clunk or rattle over bumps.
- A tire is losing pressure, or has a bulge or blister in the sidewall.
Any of these can hint at a problem, but until a professional looks at it, you won’t know for sure what is going on.
Don’t ignore it
When you hit a pothole, the tendency is to ignore the possibility of damage. Why? Because it’s a hassle to take the car in, and it’s probably expensive. It doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re diligent about bringing your car in for oil changes and factory recommended service, you can rest assured that we’re looking for these kinds of problems every time we have it up on the lift.
KC Martin offers expert service in finding damage caused by potholes, or by anything else that hits your car from below. We can do it without a hassle, and we usually do it for our customers while they’re here for something else, whether that’s brakes, a muffler or anything in between. If your car has been damaged, we’ll give you a complete estimate before any work is done.
If you hit a pothole (or many of them) and notice a problem with your wheel alignment, steering or suspension, bring your car to us and take care of the subtle danger it presents. At the very least, stay up on your oil changes and regular service, so we have the chance to run these checks for you.
