The long, snowy winter created rougher roads across the state and now Iowa repair shops are seeing more alignment and suspension issues than usual due to so many potholes. Scott Weyer, who runs an auto repair business in Des Moines, says the winter was particularly hard on our vehicles. “I tell you a lot more this year has been, especially with thawing and freezing, and a lot more potholes issues,” Weyer says. “We’re having more tire damage and wheel damage. There’s been some other damage there suspension-wise and stuff that we haven’t seen as much in the past as we have this year.”
Weyer says the long-lasting cold temperatures can do a lot of damage to a car. “After a long winter like this, we like checking the coolants, make sure they are up to snuff and there’s no leaks or anything like that. The belts and hose and all that stuff made it through the winter okay because when you get into heat, you have basically the same issues of overheating and that type of thing, so you want to make sure you’re good for the heat as well as the cold.”
Weyer says there’s also been a high demand for batteries and starters this year because of the prolonged subzero temperatures.