Our roads in South King County are some of the worst in the country. Yesterday I was on my way to Kent from Auburn driving down Central Avenue south and when I got to the stop light at 272 I hit a pot hole so big It bounced the coffee right out of my cup holder. Later that day I was on my way going up 256th on East Hill and I noticed that my car was now pulling to the right! That pot hole knocked my car out of alignment. It’s fairly easy to see if you have an alignment problem. If your car drifts or pulls to one side, the steering wheel is “off center”, or if you notice uneven tire wear or the car doesn’t feel like it handles right as you drive around South King County. If you are on one the freeway a good one would be Hwy 167 between Kent and Renton if you loosely hold your steering wheel your car should track straight.
When the wheels on your vehicle are lined up exactly with each other, your wheels are in alignment. Running into potholes, smacking a curb or other objects in the roads around Kent, Washington are great ways to knock a car out of alignment. If one or more of your wheels starts pulling in a different direction is the sign that you have a vehicle that is out of alignment.
The team of trained automotive technicians at Central Avenue Automotive in Kent wants to warn you that driving for a extended time when your car is out of alignment will cause your tires to wear unevenly and excessively.
At the very least, drivers with wheels out of alignment will have to replace the tires on their cars more often. You will end up with premature wear to your suspension system.
The front wheel alignment is adjustable on all vehicles, and the back wheels are also adjustable on some cars.
Now, let’s talk about some alignment basics.
Wheels are adjustable for toe, caster and camber. The perfect alignment for your car was designed by its engineers.
So what’s involved when you schedule an alignment check at Central Avenue Automotive in Kent?
- We complete a thorough inspection of the steering and suspension to see if anything loose bent or broken Tire condition will also be inspected.
- The next thing we do is install our state of the art Hoffman alignment machine and we take digital measurement of the vehicles alignment.
- If all four wheels are adjustable, they are lined up perfectly parallel with the vehicle’s center-line.
- If the back wheels aren’t adjustable, the direction they push is determined and the front wheels are aligned to match.
Like most things on your Vehicle manufactures have a recommended mileage interval for having alignment checked.
But if you run into a curb, pothole or something else that’s given you a big jolt, pay attention to whether your vehicle is pulling to one side when you drive around the Auburn and Kent area traffic on HWY 18 on your way to Maple Valley or Covington or if you are going south to Federal Way can be very scary with all of the road construction the roads are so narrow you want your vehicle to hold the line that you chose your life may depend on it.
Vehicle owners should have their Alignment checked at least 2 times a year as part of your scheduled maintenance. Better to check it out before you wear out a set of tires!
Getting your alignment checked at Central Avenue Automotive when you are having your oil changed is a great way to extend the life of your tires and suspension parts increase fuel mileage and enhance your driving experience . It also makes sure that your tire meets the road properly for maximum performance and safety as you travel around the Seattle area.
Come see us at for more information about your tire alignment or any of your vehicle needs whether its lifted our lowered we have the team and the technology to handle anything from a BMW to a Ford F-350. We look forward to serving you.
Central Avenue Automotive
www.centralaveauto.com
1514 Central Avenue South Ste. A
Kent, WA 98032
253.854.6762
