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Express Car Care of Denver

"Denver's Best Auto Repair and Quick Lube"

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Why Wheel Alignment Will Save You Money In The Long Run

October 28, 2021 by Denver Express Car Care

As you drive, your wheels take the brunt of the ride. Every dip you move across, every bump you hit, every turn you make, your tires are there to keep your car balanced and you safe inside. 

Glance at your wheels the next time you get into your car. The tires connect with the road, absorbing the shock of every pothole you hit. But the tires are just one part of your entire steering and handling system designed to help keep you on the road. 

What is wheel alignment?

Wheel alignment is a simple repair designed to keep your car safe as you navigate the roads. It’s the process of positioning a wheel relative to how it sits compared to the other three wheels. It ensures proper balance when compared to the suspension and the tires. The entire surface area of each tire should conform to the road. That only happens when all four wheels are properly aligned. 

When a mechanic performs a wheel alignment, they align the angle of the tires. This affects how each tire will make contact with the road. The mechanic will inspect and adjust three separate angles, including:

Toe – if you look down on your vehicle, the toe angle defines how much each tire turns inward or outward. When properly balanced, all four wheels should be perfectly parallel to one another. 

Camber – when you stand in front of your car and look straight at the tires, camber would refer to the inward or outward angle. Camber angle is measured by the difference between the wheels’ vertical alignment perpendicular to the surface of the road. Camber is used to ensure full distribution of the load across the tread of the tires. 

Why Wheel Alignment Will Save You Money In The Long Run

Caster – this refers to the angle of the steering axis when you view it from the side of your car. This axis should point up and down. Caster alignment will not impact tire wear, but it does affect the directional control of the steering function. 

Wheel alignment is important to the life of a tire

Because driving involves regularly hitting bumps, dips, and potholes, wheel alignment seems like one of those maintenance items you don’t have to think much about. After all, you could hit a pothole leaving the service station. 

Yet without proper wheel alignment, it can compromise the performance of your vehicle. This can influence everything from your car’s ability to brake properly to how much you spend filling up the tank. 

It gives you a smooth ride – when your wheels are in alignment, you’ll experience a smooth ride. No shaking or vibrating. The wheels will operate perfectly parallel to one another, ensuring they stay well connected to the road. 

It gives you better handling – when the tires are perfectly connected to the road, you’ll have better traction. Ever felt your car slip and slide in rainy or wet conditions? That increases without proper alignment. Traction allows you to be able to stop your car faster and in less distance. It gives you better control as you navigate the streets. 

It increases tire life – when the wheels are out of alignment, they don’t make full contact with the road. That means your tire tread will wear out unevenly, increasing the chances they’ll need replacing. 

It increases gas mileage – when your car runs smoothly, it operates as the manufacturer intended. When wheels are out of alignment, it can cause your car to pull to one side or the other while you drive. That makes your car harder to control, and can add up to increased fuel consumption as you fight to keep your vehicle moving down the road. 

It’s necessary when switching tires – do you switch to snow tires or all-terrain tires to move through Colorado winters? Wheel alignment is necessary every time you switch out your tires to ensure proper contact with the road. Different tires, sizes, and treads all require their own unique calibration to keep them safely on the road. 

What if you don’t get wheel alignment?

While you might not consider wheel alignment an important to-do item on your car maintenance list, think again. There are a number of reasons why wheel alignment keeps you safe and saves you money. 

It keeps you safe – safety is everything when driving a car. And if your wheels aren’t properly aligned, it can put you in a dangerous situation. Over time, your tires will wear unevenly, which means they won’t connect properly with the road. That can put you at greater risk when it rains or snows. 

It increases damage – wheel alignment is an easy, cost effective way to keep your vehicle running smoothly. If left unchecked, it can cause further destruction to your steering system. Occasional wheel alignments are much less expensive than replacing your tires before their intended lifespan. 

It increases repairs – with over 10,000 parts on the average car, it can impact many more down the line when one part isn’t working well. That can cause your repair bills to escalate as one thing leads to another. If left unchecked, a faulty wheel alignment can lead to extensive tire damage, which can cause a blowout while you’re driving. At a minimum that might mean tow truck costs, or possibly the costs associated with an accident. 

How many miles will a wheel alignment last?

Like other systems on your vehicle, wheel alignment should be a regular part of your maintenance routine. Most car manufacturers recommend getting an alignment every other oil change, which equates to about every 6,000 miles. 

Of course, this varies depending on your vehicle and the way you drive. The rougher your road conditions, the more likely your vehicle will need aligning sooner rather than later. You can talk with a mechanic to find out what’s best for your vehicle. 

When was the last time you scheduled a wheel alignment? Do it today. 

Filed Under: Car Maintenance Tagged With: Wheel Alignment

Why Wheel Alignment and Brake Inspection Is Vital For Your Safety

August 18, 2020 by Denver Express Car Care

When you invest in a new vehicle, a significant amount of your money goes out each month to keep it in good running condition. You change the oil regularly. You put new tires on periodically. You know that by doing a little maintenance work throughout the years, your vehicle will provide you with a reliable ride indefinitely.

Yet sometimes it can be difficult deciding what’s important, and what isn’t. Is a maintenance item more cosmetic by nature? Or should it be handled quickly to reduce the chances of a bigger problem arising in the future? That may be especially true this year, if you’re trying to find places to curb spending. Why not put off that maintenance task, or ignore the feeling you have that something isn’t quite right? If you do, you might end up with a bigger problem down the road.

Let’s talk about two major systems that are vital to how your car operates. Even if money is tight, regular wheel alignment and brake inspections will give you peace of mind that your vehicle will keep you and your family safe as you drive.

Is wheel alignment really necessary? 

Let’s start with what a wheel alignment does for your car. When you get behind the wheel and drive down the street, you expect your vehicle to stay on track and drive straight with minimal effort. Your wheels were designed that way.

Why Wheel Alignment and Brake Inspection Is Vital For Your SafetyBut driving can be hard on an alignment. Every pothole you hit, every sharp turn you make, every mile you drive has the potential to damage your wheels. It rarely is impacted all at once (although it can happen that quickly). Instead, it occurs over time, depending on the way you drive your car.

Sometimes you can see it, feel it. Take your hands off the wheel for a moment; does your car pull left or right? That’s a sure sign you’re in need of a wheel alignment. However, misaligned wheels aren’t always noticeable. In some cases, your vehicle can seemingly be going straight, but a misalignment can be affecting the accuracy of your vehicle’s response system. And that can be dangerous at best.

Misaligned wheels impact tire wear. Tires can wear out faster. Your fuel economy will suffer. And you may wind up in harm’s way as your vehicle takes longer to respond to the actions you make.

Can wheel alignment affect braking?

When you drive, you rely on your tires to turn you in the direction you choose to go. Sometimes it’s a split decision to move right or left, to avoid things in your lane. Without that ability, it puts you and your passengers at risk.

If your wheels aren’t able to turn and move quickly, it can also impact your braking. The brake pads might not be applied to the wheels at the same force, causing your car to spin out of control.

Your car has brakes on all four wheels. Each brake is operated by a hydraulic system, with either a disc or drum brake providing the force. The front brakes provide more stopping power because as you brake, it throws the weight of the car forward onto the front wheels.

As you push down on the brake pedal, it allows hydraulic fluid to travel through a pipe, to a cylinder at each wheel, forcing pistons out to apply the brakes. Hydraulic fluid ensures even distribution throughout the system, ensuring all brakes receive identical braking pressure at all times.

Anything that disrupts that connection puts you and your vehicle at risk.

What a braking inspection does

You already know that your braking system is one of the most important systems in your vehicle. That’s why it’s equally important to ensure they are working correctly at all times.

As brakes are used, the friction created as the pads press against the rotors can cause grooves. The deeper the groove, the more impact it can have on the way your vehicle stops. You’ll have to press down harder on the brake pedal to achieve the same results.

Worn brake pads can further damage the brake rotors. Time and wear can also reduce levels of brake fluid, meaning you won’t have as much pressure within the system to stop effectively. And all of that mag chloride, ice, and water we see throughout the year? Yep, it can wreak havoc on the braking system too, causing corrosion, breaking or leaks within the system.

Why you should schedule a maintenance visit today

Are you convinced wheel alignment and brake inspection are important? Here are even more reasons why you should pay attention to wheel alignment and schedule your check up today.

If your wheels aren’t aligned right, it can impact your tires. A wheel that’s not aligned correctly will point tires slightly off track. And if tires aren’t connecting with the road the way they were designed, it can wear them down quicker than their useful life.

Uneven wheels will decrease fuel efficiency. A car is designed to perfectly connect with the road. If anything disrupts that, it will reduce the way it moves down the road.

Driving a misaligned car can create more damage. If any object isn’t in perfect condition, it can cause uneven wear, and impact other parts or components.

Small problems become bigger problems when not well cared for. Brake pads are the most commonly replaced items on the braking system. But if the pads don’t wear properly, and aren’t replaced as they wear down, they can further impact other parts of the braking system.

A brake inspection is designed to evaluate the entire braking system. While you might be able to assess the condition of your brake pads, it’s more challenging to determine if the rotors are damaged, or if your vehicle is low on brake fluid.

While you might not have driven as much as normal this year, leaving your car set for periods of time can cause problems you might not usually see

Before you take that road trip, or head up in the mountains for a weekend getaway, be sure to put wheel alignment and brake inspection on your to-do list. It’s a great way to ensure your vehicle is in great shape, and will keep you on the road no matter what the future entails.

 

Filed Under: Brake Repair, Brake Service Tagged With: Brake Inspection, Wheel Alignment

Why It May Be Time For Wheel Alignment

July 11, 2020 by Denver Express Car Care

When you drive your car off the showroom floor, everything about it is in perfect condition.

From the moment it hits the open road, your car is at risk. Slam on the brake pedal and it impacts your braking system. Hit a pothole, and it can knock your wheels out of alignment.

The trouble is, most of the damage done to your car isn’t something that impacts it right away. Instead, it accumulates over time.

That pothole in the middle of the lane you always drive in to work? Yep, every time you hit it, it continues to impact your car. Bolts can loosen. Joints can come apart. And wheel alignment? Yep, that happens gradually too. Every bump you hit, every pothole you hit a little too hard, every curb you scrape and bump, it all adds up over time.

Why is wheel alignment important to my vehicle? 

Wheel alignment is important for one very obvious reason: driveability. If you want a smooth ride as you drive to work, drop the kids off at school, or take your family out on the open road, a periodic wheel alignment is mandatory to keep your car working properly. Of course, there are other reasons too.

If your wheels aren’t connecting with the road properly, it also means your tires are being impacted every mile you travel. If a wheel is bent, it pulls the tires away from the road in certain spots. That means uneven wear. It also means the lifespan of your tires will be shortened.

Why It May Be Time For Wheel AlignmentWhen your wheels are in proper alignment, the entire suspension system is working together, keeping you pointed in the right direction. Without movement, you move in a straight line. But when wheels are out of alignment, that balance can shift and turn. Have you ever felt a pull to the right or left when you’re moving down an open stretch of highway? That’s a problem with your wheel alignment. It can cause other systems more wear as you overcompensate for the problem.

All of these extra problems can cause one more failure – gas mileage. It takes more energy to overcompensate for problems throughout your vehicle. If you start to see a slip in mileage each time you fill up your tank, it might be a wheel alignment issue.

How will I know if I have a wheel alignment problem? 

Wheel alignment isn’t something you’ll find a dashboard warning light for. Instead, you’ll only discover you have a problem in one of two ways.

1. Regular checkups. If you let one of our mechanics check out your car periodically, we can find and correct issues before they become bigger problems.

2. Watch your tires. The easiest way to tell if you have a wheel alignment problem is to watch your tires for uneven wear. The tires should wear evenly across the tread. If you notice excessive wear on the inside of the rear tires, for example, it’s an indicator you may need an alignment. It also could be a sign of too much weight in the trunk.

How will my driving be impacted if the alignment is off?

Watching for uneven wear on your tires isn’t the only sign of an alignment problem. There are other noticeable signs you can watch for as you drive.

  • When your vehicle pulls to the right or left as you drive. You’ll tighten your grip on the wheel as you feel your car slowly moving one way or the other.
  • A steering wheel that looks crooked instead of straight. As you drive, your steering wheel should return to its original position. If you have to turn it slightly to keep it in the lane, it may be a sign.
  • Your tires may squeal and make noises. That high pitch squeal is because the wheels aren’t connecting the way they should.

Now what?

What it takes to calibrate a vehicle’s wheel alignment

You can’t look at your wheels and know you have a problem. It requires precision to ensure your wheels are calibrated perfectly, giving you the smoothest ride possible.

When you bring your vehicle in, alignment is performed using advanced computerized alignment equipment. Weights can be mere fractions, bringing all four wheels into alignment.

Our technology:

  • Measures all four tires and sets the alignment according to manufacturer’s guidelines. The more accurate this process is, the smoother your ride. It’ll also improve your gas mileage.
  • Provides an accurate reading. You can’t eyeball this, which is how it was performed years ago. Today’s technology is better than ever, meaning we can get accurate readings to ensure you’re driving out of our garage with the best alignment possible for your vehicle.
  • Understands the guidelines for your vehicle. A Prius will have different requirements than a large SUV.

How long does it take for a wheel alignment? 

Like every service we perform, it depends.

If everything goes smoothly, you can be back out on the road shortly. But as we dive in and discover problems, it may lead to other issues.

Each wheel may have up to three alignment angles that need adjusting. They’re called caster, camber, and toe. Three alignment angles – four wheels – that means up to 12 adjustments needed for servicing. You can’t drive in, plug it in, and go. It may take a little time.

Because you have four wheels, all four must be adjusted at the same time. Performing one wouldn’t give you the right calibration to ensure your entire vehicle is driving the way it should. Instead, it’s essential to adjust the front wheels to be at a proper angle to ensure the back wheels operate correctly too.

An alignment check inspects both the steering and suspension systems. It will ensure your tires are pressurized correctly, and are still in good operating condition. It will adjust camber, caster, and toe angles, as needed. That may mean new parts and labor charges, depending on the issue. And finally, a road test. We want to drive it, to ensure it feels good when connecting with the road.

Sometimes your warranty requires occasional wheel alignments to ensure it’s in proper working condition. Check with your manufacturer, to ensure you stay within compliance. 

Filed Under: Car Maintenance, Suspension Tagged With: Wheel Alignment

Wheel Alignment

November 13, 2017 by Denver Express Car Care

Denver drivers ought to be concerned about wheel alignments for two primary reasons:  safety and money.  When your wheels are out of alignment, they can pull to one side, sometimes severely.  One moment of inattention could put you into on-coming traffic, a curb, or off the road.  And an improper alignment will chew up your tires very quickly when you’re driving on freeways and surface streets.

One of our customers said the wheels on his vehicle were a little out of alignment before a family vacation, but he didn’t think it was that bad, so he didn’t take care of it before he left on his trip.  A couple of days and a lot of highway driving later and his front tires were worn down to the cords.  He had to take a half day out of his mountain vacation to find a town large enough to have a tire center so he could get replacements.

All four wheels are supposed to be lined up and pointed in the same direction.  Sometimes one or more goes out of alignment and is pulling against the rest of the team.  In addition to excessive tire wear, this also hurts fuel economy.

Part of the alignment service is an inspection of the steering and suspension components.  Whatever caused the wheels to be knocked out of alignment in the first place may have also damaged important parts.  So we want to be sure to replace broken or bent parts as needed.  The process corrects alignment of each wheel along three axes:  toe, camber and caster, as well as front to rear alignment.

Your vehicle owner’s manual may have a recommendation for how often alignment should be checked.  If not, ask your helpful service adviser.  Here are some things to look for that should be a warning that you need to get in for an alignment check right away:  Your vehicle is pulling to one side, your steering wheel isn’t centered, you feel a vibration at higher speed or you see unusual tire wear.

Filed Under: Car Maintenance Tagged With: Wheel Alignment

Tracking True

October 31, 2016 by Denver Express Car Care

Tracking TrueWheel alignment is often overlooked by busy car owners until serious tire damage has been done.  One wheel can be knocked out of alignment from the others by hitting a curb or a pothole in the road.

The tires will wear out very quickly and will need to be replaced prematurely.  It could also lead to suspension damage.  Conversely, worn suspension or steering components can lead to alignment problems for motorists.

But the big issue for drivers is safety.  When your wheels are out of alignment, the vehicle will pull to one side, which could lead to an accident.  When you’re out of alignment, you should have it taken care of right away.

Signs of alignment problems are:  Your car pulls to one side.  Also, your steering wheel may not be centered when you’re going straight.  If you see the edges of one or more tires rapidly wearing down, your should have your service adviser look it over.

If you’ve been in an accident that involved a wheel, you should get your alignment checked.  A big jolt can seriously throw things out of alignment, but drivers also need to understand that a series of smaller ones can add up.  Worn steering or suspension components can also lead to alignment problems for drivers.  That’s why your vehicle manufacturer recommends periodic alignment checks.

If your owner’s manual doesn’t specify, once a year might be appropriate, or check with your service adviser.  He’ll be able to tell you if your vehicle requires a four wheel alignment or if it’s just the front wheels that can be aligned.

One thing is for sure, the cost of an alignment is cheaper than having to buy new tires because of neglect.

 

Filed Under: Car Maintenance, Suspension Tagged With: Wheel Alignment

Express Car Care
4200 E. Evans Ave. Denver, CO (map)
Phone: (303) 691-2760
Located just southeast of the Colorado Light Rail station

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