Struts and strut mounts
Leaking struts, collapsed mounts, and the bearing plate that makes a groan or a pop when you turn.
Mechanical repair
Steering & Suspension Repair in Hartville, Ohio
Township roads, frost heaves, and pothole patches are hard on the parts that hold a wheel where it belongs. Clunks, shimmies, uneven tire wear, and a steering wheel that’s off center all come from the same handful of parts, and we can check every one of them on the lift.
428 E Maple St, Hartville, OH 44632
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Saturday by appointment only
Steering & Suspension for Hartville and the surrounding Stark County area
What's covered
What steering & suspension covers at Pete's Auto.
Struts, shocks, ball joints, tie rods, control arms, bearings, and steering that has gone loose or noisy.
Shocks and coil springs
Worn shocks that let the vehicle keep bouncing, and broken coil springs, which are common on salted vehicles.
Ball joints
Play in the joint that holds the knuckle to the control arm. Checked with the weight off the wheel, not by eye.
Tie rod ends and inner tie rods
The most frequent cause of a wandering steering feel and inner-edge tire wear.
Control arms and bushings
Cracked rubber bushings that clunk over bumps and let the alignment shift under load.
Sway bar links and bushings
Rattles over broken pavement that sound far more expensive than they usually are.
Wheel bearings and hubs
A hum or growl that rises with speed and changes when you sway the vehicle side to side.
Power steering pumps, racks, and lines
Leaks at the rack boots, a whine when you turn, and fluid loss that eventually takes the pump with it.
Electric power steering faults
Assist that cuts out or a steering warning light on vehicles with an electric rack instead of a pump.
Steering shafts and couplers
A clunk you feel in the wheel itself when turning at low speed, separate from anything at the wheels.
CV axles and boots
A clicking noise on tight turns, and torn boots that sling grease and fail the axle if left alone.
Tire wear as evidence
Feathered, cupped, or one-edge wear patterns say which part is worn before anything is taken apart.
Signs you need this
What drivers describe when they call about steering & suspension.
You don't need the right words for it. Tell us what the vehicle is doing and when it does it. Call (330) 587-4311 or use the form at the bottom of this page.
It clunks going over railroad tracks and pothole patches.
The steering wheel is off center when I am driving straight.
It pulls to the right and I have to hold the wheel to stay in the lane.
The front end shimmies between about 55 and 65.
There is a hum that gets louder the faster I go, and it changes when I change lanes.
The inside edges of my front tires are worn down and the rest of the tread looks fine.
It keeps bouncing after I go over a dip in the road.
The steering feels loose, like there is play before the car turns.
It groans when I turn the wheel all the way at low speed.
The back end feels floaty on the highway, especially in a crosswind.
What to expect
What happens when you bring the vehicle in.
Tell us where it happens
A clunk over bumps, a shimmy at highway speed, and a pull that’s always in the same direction come from different parts. Where and when it happens is the most useful thing you can tell us.
The vehicle goes on the lift and gets shaken down
We check the joints and tie rods with the suspension unloaded, check the bushings with a pry bar, and read the tires for the wear pattern the bad part left behind.
We tell you what’s worn and what isn’t
You hear which parts have measurable play, which ones to keep an eye on, and how the vehicle will drive differently once the work is done.
Alignment goes at the end of the job
Replacing tie rods, control arms, or struts moves the alignment angles, so aligning it before the parts are replaced puts you right back where you started.
Other services
The rest of what the Hartville shop does.
Mechanical repair and body work happen at the same address, so if the vehicle is here for one, we can look at the other while it’s up.
Brake Repair in Hartville
Pads, rotors, calipers, lines, fluid, and ABS faults, measured before anything gets replaced.
Engine Diagnostics in Hartville
Check engine lights, misfires, no-starts, rough idle, and drivability problems traced to a cause.
Collision Repair in Hartville
Accident damage from the first estimate through panel work, paint, reassembly, and the claim paperwork.
Electrical Systems in Hartville
Batteries, charging, starters, parasitic drains, lighting, and wiring faults traced circuit by circuit.
Rust & Glass Repair in Hartville
Rust cut back to solid metal, scratches and chips corrected, and windshield and window replacement coordinated.
Pete's Auto handles steering & suspension for drivers across Stark, Summit, Portage, and Mahoning Counties. See every city and township the shop serves.
Questions
Steering & Suspension FAQs
Is this an alignment problem or a worn part?
Both look the same from the driver seat. Alignment sets the angles of the wheels, but a worn tie rod or ball joint lets those angles change while you drive, so an alignment on a loose front end won’t hold. We inspect the parts first, then set the alignment on a tight suspension.
Do struts and shocks have to be replaced in pairs?
Front pairs and rear pairs, yes, and for a practical reason: a new strut on one side and a worn one on the other means the two sides of the axle react differently to the same bump, which shows up as pulling under braking and uneven tire wear.
How do I know if it is a wheel bearing or a tire?
A bearing hum rises with speed and usually changes when you swerve gently side to side, because loading the bearing changes the noise. Tire noise stays about the same through that test. On the lift we spin and rock the wheel, which settles it either way.
Is it safe to drive with a bad ball joint?
It depends on how much play there is, which is why we measure it. A ball joint that separates lets the wheel fold under the vehicle. Don’t put this one off.
Will new tires fix my shake?
Sometimes. A shake at highway speed can be tire balance, a bent wheel, a worn part letting a wheel move, or a warped brake rotor if it only happens while braking. Buying tires first is an expensive way to find out it was something else. Find the cause before you buy the tires.
My tires wore out fast. Does that tell you anything?
A lot. Wear on one edge, feathered wear you can feel with your hand, and scalloped cupping each point at a different cause. Bring the old tires or leave them on the vehicle so we can read the pattern before the new set gets ruined the same way.
Talk with the shop
Tell us what’s going on with your vehicle.
Call, stop by, or send the year, make, model, and a short description of the problem. We’ll call or text you back with what to do next.
Phone
(330) 587-4311Hours
Mon-Fri: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday: By appointment only