Steering and Suspension

When we talk about steering and suspension components, we mean all the stuff that holds the wheels onto the rest of the car and keeps the tires in good contact with the road—both important features to have, if you don't want to accidentally drive into a bridge abutment. You can't really check most of these components yourself. Go to your mechanic and ask him to check the suspension and the front end, including ball joints, tie rods and steering components. By the way, some vehicles with rear, independent suspension have ball joints and related components that can fail catastrophically, and fall under the car. It's a good idea to find out if your car has this kind of suspension. If it does, don't forget to mention this to your mechanic.