Tire inspection is critical to safety. A normal tire will lose about one PSI air pressure per month and out‑ side temperature variations can cause even a larger change. Fill your tires to the recommended pressure indicated on the decal, usually located by the driver’s door jamb. Don’t forget to check the spare tire too! Tire tread should be worn evenly across the face. The minimum legal tread depth is 2/32 of an inch (1.6mm). At that depth, “wear bars” of solid rubber will appear across the tread pattern as a warning. Above that tread depth, the tires have enough traction for dry pavement, but if you are driving on wet or muddy roads, you need more tread depth to provide traction. It may be time for new tires. Spring is a good time to have the wheel alignment checked. Rough winter roads and severe bumps can wear suspension components or bend parts. During
an alignment, the technician will check the suspen‑ sion and steering for wear or damage and adjust the settings if required. A vehicle with proper wheel align‑ ment will use less fuel, increase tire life and be safer to drive. Other items such as exhaust system pipes, mufflers and mountings require getting beneath the vehicle and are easier left to professionals. They should be inspected at least once a year, so have them checked when you have the wheel alignment checked. A vehicle is made up of over 15,000 individual parts. No matter how carefully everything is inspected, you can’t predict exactly what will work or fail. We have all seen those vehicles disabled on the side of the road. Some simple inspections and a little maintenance be‑ fore you travel may be all that it takes to avoid joining their ranks.
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