Good Struts Prevent Bad Rock n Roll

Who can tell me what a strut is and what it does? Hands up??? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Ferris Bueller? Sorry, I just love that movie and I’ve been looking for an opportunity to use that line.

The fact that most people don’t have a clue what a strut does is amazing since most front-wheel –drive cars have struts on the front end and eventually most of you will have to have a strut replacement at some point during the life of your vehicle.

The strut consists of the following components:

• The coil spring
• The spring seats
• The shock absorbers
• The steering knuckle

In other words, the strut is one assembly that does a myriad of things, from supporting the weight of the vehicle to lessening the jolts on irregular roads to providing a structural framework for the aforementioned components.

How do you know when you need new struts? Warning signs might be:

• More bouncing than usual
• Excessive rocking back and forth
• Nose-diving while braking quickly
• Hitting bottom on dips and potholes
• A sense of swaying while driving

The problem with diagnosing strut wear and tear or for that matter shock absorber wear and tear is that it usually is a gradual decline in those components so that the average driver will not really notice that the ride isn’t as smooth as it was a week ago or a month ago. Best remedy and preventative medicine is to have your struts checked once a year by a qualified mechanic; the perfect time to do it would be when having your wheels aligned, another step that should be considered at least once a year.

At Cash-n-Carry we are all about you bringing your tools to our Savannah salvage yard and You Pull It for savings, but in the case of struts and shock absorbers we will always suggest that you error on the side of caution. If you are not an experienced mechanic or well-schooled in this portion of your automobile we strongly suggest you leave this maintenance step to the pros. The entire safety of your family depends on properly functioning struts and shock absorbers so please, make sure you know what you are doing before attempting this repair yourself.

Of course, if you do know what you are doing then what better way to save money on replacement parts than to cruise on down to our junk yard and save some serious cash on our used auto parts?