Tangent and Albany Auto Repair

Experiencing vibrations or shakes while driving can be disconcerting, raising concerns about your vehicle's performance and safety.  1. **Wheel and Tire Imbalances:**    One of the most frequent reasons for a car to shake is imbalances in the wheels and tires. Uneven distribution of weight or tire wear can lead to vibrations, especially at higher speeds. Regular tire rotations and wheel balancing can help prevent this issue. Tire rotations should be done every 5,000 miles.  2. **Wheel Misalignment:**    Misaligned wheels can cause uneven tire wear and result in vibrations. If your car consistently pulls to one side, it's a sign of potential wheel misalignment. Aligning the wheels properly can eliminate shakes and improve overall handling. We recommend an annual alignment for you vehicle. Pot holes and other hazards can cause your alignment to be misaligned.  3. **Worn or Unbalanced Tires:**    Tires with uneven wear or those that ... read more

Shocks and/or struts should be replaced every 50,000 to 75,000 miles and that depends on the type of suspension that is on your car or pickup. If you're wondering if it's time to change your shocks and or struts give us a call and we will take a look for you.  Happy Adventures, Heather

If you've got a little to much bounce in your car it is most likely due to your shocks and struts being worn and they are ready for replacement. They wear very slowly so over the course of 75,000 miles you really don't notice that the ride has changed until you get new shocks and struts installed.  Shocks and struts don't just affect your ride quality they also affect your braking and how your car feels when it goes around a corner.  If you think it may be time to have your shocks and/or struts give us a call and we will get them checked out for you.  Happy Adventures, Heather

I know today is black Friday and that itself has become a national holiday, but with all of that please remember to shop at the local stores in your town. They are small businesses trying to provide for there families, they work long hours with very little reward other than to know they are making a difference in the lives of the people who they employ and to there children. We are a small business too and sometimes people forget.  Please remember to shop small and support that local family who is doing their best to make a difference. Happy Adventures,  Heather

When should I replace my shocks and struts? They should be replaced between 50,000-100,000 miles and this depends on your specific car, pickup, van, or suv. These are a maintenance item and they are also a safety item. When your shocks and struts are worn they can prevent you from stopping as quickly in a hard braking situation. They wear slowly so it's hard to know when they are worn out. When they are replaced you'll notice that your vehicle rides so much nicer. 

Shocks and/or struts should be replaced every 50-100K miles. I realize that is a large variance of mileage and that is due to the type and style of suspension that you have on your vehicle. Most manufactures do not list a replacement mileage, but shocks and struts are very important to your vehicles handling and stopping ability. When they are worn it can take longer to come to a stop especially in an emergency situation. Most people don't realize that there car is even handling differently since typically they wear slowly. Why am I saying shocks and/or struts - well not all vehicles have the same components. Cars can have a combination of struts in the front and shocks in the rear, all struts or all shocks, pickups will have all shocks or on occasion struts in the front and rear shocks, I haven't seen struts in the rear of a pickup but that doesn't mean that it can't happen.  They are just as important though as your belts, hoses, fluids and other components of ... read more