What do you consider the most important part of your vehicle and a top priority for routine maintenance? While most people immediately think of the engine and the importance of regular oil and filter changes, your tires and how they’re aligned with the suspension and steering are just as important. Is this what inspired your search for an auto alignment near me, or like so many others, is your vehicle giving you a few telltale signs that something is wrong?
Is your vehicle pulling to one side, or is the steering wheel off-centered when you drive in a straight line? Have you noticed uneven or rapid tread wear on your tires? Do the tires squeal when you’re traveling down the road? These are a few common signs that it’s time for an alignment, and there’s no better place to handle that job than right here at Thomas Nissan of Joliet.
Our factory-certified technicians are among the best in the region but what truly sets our team apart is that we treat every car, truck, and SUV just like it’s our own. We know that bringing your vehicle in for service can be inconvenient and costly; it’s often stressful simply because you don’t know what’s covered by your warranty or how much you’ll have to pay out of pocket. We’re here to mitigate that inconvenience and financial strain with transparency and integrity. This is why so many customers rely on us for all their automotive needs.
How many times have you taken your vehicle in for service only to have the technician try to upsell you services that you don’t need? You start thinking about it, however, and those services–like flushing the cooling system or cleaning the throttle body–sound vital to your vehicle’s operability, so you agree. Suddenly, your routine oil change is now an all-day affair that’s more expensive than you ever anticipated.
While many service departments are notorious for faking a leak to make a quick buck, selling you new shocks or struts, or recommending a brake job that’s entirely unnecessary, that’s not how we do business. Here at Thomas Nissan of Joliet, we operate on transparency and integrity. We believe in putting you first, especially when you entrust our service department with your vehicle. We don’t take that lightly, and that’s why our goal is to ensure your vehicle gets the best care needed.
As part of our transparency and integrity, we only recommend the services that are vital to your vehicle’s operability and your safety on the road. We know that you work incredibly hard for your money and that your time is valuable. We’re not here to waste either with unnecessary services and, instead, are happy to explain every service and why it’s necessary so that you know exactly what you’re paying for and why. That’s how the Thomas Nissan of Joliet team is different from every other service department in the region.
Alignments are often overlooked, but they can save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Your vehicle pulling to the left or right, an off-centered steering wheel, or uneven tread wear can lead to more serious and costly issues if ignored. Some of these issues can cause added fatigue when you’re behind the wheel since you’re trying to overcompensate for the pull of the vehicle or the odd steering position; this, along with uneven tread wear, puts you at greater risk of an accident by diminishing your response time and stopping ability.
So, now that we have your attention, what exactly is an alignment? An alignment involves the adjustment of your vehicle’s suspension, which is what connects the vehicle to the tires. Every vehicle rolls off the production line optimally aligned based on the manufacturer’s recommendations and the vehicle’s make and model. Once you get behind the wheel, time, driving conditions, and modifications to the vehicle can result in misalignment. For example, a forceful impact in an unexpected collision, hitting a pothole, or modifying the suspension on a truck can all lead to misalignment.
When you bring your vehicle in for an alignment, our technicians are concerned with the camber, caster, and toe angles of your tires in relation to the suspension. The optimal camber, caster, and toe angles are based on your vehicle’s make and model as well as the manufacturer’s recommendations. With state-of-the-art technology, we’re able to adjust these angles to the optimal position.
When your vehicle is misaligned, it sacrifices efficiency and performance. Think about running a race with your left leg tied to someone else’s right leg. Unless you and the other person are truly in sync and coordinate your movements, you expend a lot of energy without getting very far, arms flailing wildly and legs dragging behind you. A vehicle that’s misaligned burns more fuel and forces you to spend more at the pump, leads to premature tire wear that forces you to buy new tires sooner, and puts your safety at risk.
We don’t believe in trying to sell you services that you don’t need when you entrust our service department with your vehicle. However, that doesn’t mean that we won’t recommend services that are vital to your vehicle’s operation and your overall safety. So, what does that look like when you visit Thomas Nissan of Joliet’s service department?
When you bring your vehicle in for an alignment, our technicians will check the camber, caster, and toe angles, as well as the steering and suspension system. We’ll also look at the condition of your tires and the air pressure to ensure every tire is properly inflated. We’ll notify you of any areas of concern, such as bald spots or uneven wear that you may not have noticed.
We typically recommend having your tires balanced along with an alignment. Balancing your tires corrects the distribution of weight in the wheels, reducing vibration, excessive wear, and damage to the suspension. To balance your tires, our technicians use a state-of-the-art machine that spins the tire to determine its imbalance. Based on this, the technician installs the appropriate weights in the tire to balance the wheel and the tire assembly.
Does your vehicle need an alignment? Is it pulling to one side, or have you noticed that the steering wheel isn’t centered when you’re driving straight down the road? These are just a few signs that it’s time to bring your car, truck, or SUV to Thomas Nissan of Joliet for an alignment.
As a comprehensive automotive center, we’re here for all of your transportation needs. Our service department is staffed with factory-certified technicians who know the ins and outs of every vehicle on our lot and every model in the Nissan lineup. There’s nothing that we can’t handle.
More importantly, every member of our staff, from the sales team to our service department, embodies our commitment to honesty and transparency. We believe in putting you first, and that means handling everything from sale to service with transparency. When you put your trust in us, you know exactly what you’re getting at every turn, which is something you won’t find anywhere else. That’s what it means to rely on Thomas Nissan of Joliet for not only your next alignment but all of your vehicle needs.
