Winter feels like it’s long gone, but your car is still feeling the effects. This has to be one of the worst years Putnam County has seen for potholes. Driving to run your errands, seems more like an obstacle course. Chances are, you’ve probably hit at least one pothole this winter. It’s like walking along a broken concrete sidewalk; you trip, stub your toes, or roll your ankles. Cars do not have the luxury of adapting or healing themselves. Hitting a pothole, can be a significant injury to your vehicle. It may still be driveable, but if left untreated, you may be costing your car even more damage or major repair bills in the future and here’s why:

• Tire Damage – hitting a pothole, can cause your tire to lose pressure, which may not be noticed until a few days after. You may have done severe damage to the tire or rim. For safety reasons, in some instances, your car may need to be towed.
• Tire Wear – Misalignment will wear tires out more quickly and also cause suspension and steering problems if ignored. A bad alignment can prevent the driver from straightening the car after turns, executing emergency maneuvers,  or drive the car efficiently.
• Car Balance  – similar to an unbalanced load in the washer, unbalanced wheels can cause your vehicle to shake and vibrate while driving and lead to suspension deterioration, increased fuel consumption and faster wear on tires.
• Steering damage   – potholes also cause looseness or clunking in steering as well as make turning more difficult, or require more effort. A wheel alignment is sometimes all it takes to help your car regain steering control.

If your car does any of the following, you may have pothole damage:

• During sudden stops, your car loses directional control.
• Your car thumps hard on bumps
• Your tire continues losing air
• Your car rolls or sways on turns
• The front end of your car dives when braking
• The front or rear of your car sits lower than usual.

Don’t make your car suffer any further injuries. Have you hit any potholes lately? If you hit a pothole, leaving it unrepaired will lead to more costly repairs. Osceola Garage is now offering a $69.95 “Pothole Recovery Service.”

Here are some of the services it includes:

• Wheel Alignment Check
• Inspect steering and suspension
• Balance all wheels, tire rotation if needed

To learn more about our pothole recovery service or to schedule an appointment, Click Here

**In case you missed it, if a pothole damaged your car, you may be able to get your county and the state to pay for damages. Read more here…