Preventive maintenance is scheduled or planned maintenance actions aimed at prevention of breakdowns. The primary goal of preventive maintenance is to avert failure by preserving and enhancing equipment reliability by replacing worn components before they actually fail.
Last week, we looked at the shock absorbers. While it is good to confirm that they are okay, how do you ensure their longevity thus reducing the overall cost? There are misconceptions about preventive maintenance. Several people feel that preventive maintenance is expensive and prefer to incur cost when the breakdown occurs and is absolutely necessary to repair.
We shall not this time round argue for or against. However, when was the last time you took your vehicle for a wheel alignment? Does it in any way save any costs as far as the running of the vehicle is concerned? It would be good to understand what goes on to see if there are any cost benefits.
In its raw form, a wheel alignment consists of adjusting the angles of the wheels so that they are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. This is done to maximize tyre life. Also, a vehicle that tracks straight and true when driving will have less resistance. This means that there is a cost a cost saver even in the fuels that you use while on the road.
Wheel alignment is in most cases confused with wheel balancing. The two are very different and independent of the other. Their only similarity is that they both affect the ride and handling. Where a wheel is out of balance, there will be vibrations at highway speeds which will be felt in the steering wheel. When the alignment is improper, there is excessive tyre wear and steering or tracking problems.
Since both affect the overall cost of ownership, we now show you that preventive maintenance has also long term benefits like:
a)Â Â Â Â Â Improved vehicle reliability
b)Â Â Â Â Â Decreased cost of replacement
c)Â Â Â Â Â Â Decreased time of running to the workshop
d)Â Â Â Â Â Better time management.
Today, preventive maintenance is the way to go and wheel alignment is only one of several scheduled maintenances that you will have to carry out. However, the tyres should all be in good shape with even wear. Should you correct an alignment problem that had already caused extensive damage to the tyres, part of the tyre will remain hanging.
Not all pulling problems are related to wheel alignment. Unequal air pressure, bad brakes or power steering can also be responsible. Steering centre is where the steering wheel is centered when the vehicle is travelling at a straight and level ground. A crooked steering wheel is usually the most common complaint after a wheel alignment has been performed. If the steering wheel stays in the same place when you let go of the wheel (in other words the steering is not pulling), then the steering centre is controlled by the front and rear settings.
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written by Kate Johnston, September 02, 2010
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