Preventative Maintenance is our mantra here at Hoffman Auto in Lake Placid, NY. Unfortunately, most customers do not have enough knowledge of preventative maintenance to know what should be done when, in order to save them time and money down the road. We always suggest our customers refer to their vehicle owner’s manual for more information on preventative maintenance for their specific make/model. Following recommended maintenance schedules can extend the life of your vehicle and increase its value over time.

Alignments are a very important preventative maintenance service, but most owners neglect it, not realizing how much this small investment can save your vehicle, tires, and pocketbook over time. An improperly aligned vehicle can result in accelerated tire wear, unstable and unpredictable handling, poor fuel mileage, steering and suspension wear, and accidents.

In the Adirondacks of Upstate New York, the weather can do serious damage to our roads and highways throughout the winter and spring months, causing damage to our vehicles. Potholes and frost heaves can destroy tires and certain suspension parts. When you invest more than $500 into your tires, the last thing you want is for our roadways to destroy them prematurely. A $70-80 wheel alignment can help your tires last twice as long as without one.

So what exactly is a Vehicle Wheel Alignment? Well, it’s basically what it sounds like; aligning wheels to make sure everything is straight, according to your vehicle manufacturer’s specifications. Hoffman Auto assures that your steering wheel is straight and all of your suspension components are still in good working condition.

Many times you won’t notice that anything is wrong with the alignment of your vehicle, that’s why we recommend alignments be done at a minimum of twice a year; usually around the same time you switch your summer and winter tires. Say both of your front wheels are “toed-in” (or both pointing inward, pigeon-toed), your steering wheel will be straight as an arrow, your fuel mileage will be average, but the outsides of your tires will start to wear like crazy. This is because you are “pushing” your front tires down the road, like a plow instead of your wheels being nice and straight and rolling themselves perfectly down the road. Another example is if the rear of your vehicle is out of alignment; you would never be able to tell the difference when you’re driving, but again rapid tire wear is the result. Here at Hoffman Auto, we have seen brand new card with fewer than 10,000 miles in need of an alignment due to our North Country roads.

For additional prevention, it’s good to have an alignment done after making contact with a large pothole or curb. Steering and suspension components are very easy to bend and a simple curb hit can throw something off, damaging your suspension or accelerating tire wear.