Tips to Maintain Your Infiniti’s Suspension System

Knowing how to correctly care for your car is the key to gaining a long life span from your vehicle with little to no part issues. Good maintenance practices include keeping your oil and coolant topped up, your wheels aligned, as well as maintaining your Infiniti’s suspension.

Your suspension is one of the largest systems in your car, spanning the entire underside. It has many different parts which all need to be maintained properly. Some types of suspension failure can end up to be quite costly but can largely be avoided by proactive maintenance. Knowing what to look for and how to care for your suspension should be viewed as just as important as oil changes or engine care.

Visual Inspection

A visual inspection is one of the easiest maintenance practices you can undertake. By taking a little extra time to inspect the suspension system when you change your oil, you can make sure that no suspension problem goes unnoticed. Of course, if you find yourself experiencing symptoms such as a hard ride or unexplained noises in between your oil changes, you should explore the issue imminently.

Bushing

To give your vehicle a proper visual assessment, you’ll need to raise your vehicle. This can be done at home with jacks or you can leave it to the professionals. Raising your Infiniti up will allow you to properly look at the rubber bushings, which can be found in a variety of places throughout the suspension such as on the control arms, the sway and track bars, and the strut rods. You should look out for any sign of damage such as cracks or swelling as well as oil contamination. A small amount of oil can be cleaned off, and the leak can be investigated.

It is worth noting that contamination from oil is the leading cause of bushing failure, with age not being too far behind. This is because oil softens the bushing which causes it to fail. Therefore, if you notice oil on your bushings, use a degreaser to clean it away. If the bushing has been excessively contaminated, then it will need replacing.

Ball Joints

All suspension systems will use some variant of a ball joint to give the system a wide range of movement. Ball joints can be found on the tie rod ends and stabilizer link pins. Ball joints will need to be checked for excessive movement, as the joints should always be kept tight. Also, inspect for rips to the rubber boots. Trucks and large four-by-fours will also have grease fittings on the ball joints. These fittings should be greased at every oil change.

Shocks and Struts

The shocks and struts will require a visual inspection. If they are leaking oil, then they will need immediate replacement. If the shocks or struts appear wet, then replacement is also required.

Physical Checks

Alongside visual checks, you should also periodically physically test your Infiniti’s suspension. With your vehicle parked, push down on the front. Let go and see if the car bounces. A perfect suspension should rise back up with a small bounce with two bounces being okay. Any more than two bounces, however, then the struts and shocks will need to be investigated and likely replaced.

You should also walk around your vehicle from time and time and check if the car is sitting level. If a corner or a side seems to sag more than the other, then you need to bring your car into an expert auto repair shop for diagnostic work.

Look After Your Suspension

Look after your suspension and it will repay you by properly supporting your car. A bad suspension will ruin your driving experience, impact performance and handling, and cause accelerated tire wear. Put simply, a dodgy suspension will take the joy out of motoring.

Bavarian Performance Specialist

If live in or around Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Westlake, Malibu, and Newbury Park, CA, you can rely on our friendly team of experts at Bavarian Performance Specialist to care for the suspension of your Infiniti. Serving the community since 1983, we’ve become well-known in the area for our impressive nationwide 3-year/36,000-mile warranty. So, if you’re looking for trustworthy service and high-quality repairs, look no further than Bavarian Performance Specialist.