Long-term care for your car involves ongoing maintenance procedures such as: oil changes, tune-ups, and regular inspections to ensure that your engine and other parts of your vehicle are functioning well at all times. Unfortunately, even when car owners take excellent care of their cars, common issues are unavoidable. For instance, certain manufacturer, such as Volvo, are known for specific issues that affect their vehicles due to flaws in engineering and design. If you run into one of these issues, you’re not the only one—rest assured that many car owners experience the same problems with certain Volvo models, despite their driving habits and regularity of maintenance.
One such issue that Volvo drivers tend to experience is driveshaft support failure. If you’re not familiar with what a driveshaft support does, then you’re not alone; most vehicle owners and drivers aren’t savvy to automotive parts. If you drive a Volvo, however, it may be worthwhile to know a little bit about this common issue in case it directly affects you one day. Basic knowledge about what the driveshaft support does, what the symptoms of failure could look like, and how to prevent and/or fix the issue are valuable, so read on for more information.
What are Center Support Bearings?
The support bearings on your Volvo serve a basic, yet important purpose: to keep the driveshaft supported. The driveshaft is what sends power to the wheels, and without adequate support for the driveshaft, things can go terribly wrong. The center support bearings, or driveshaft support, plays a critical role, mainly in rear-wheel drive vehicles, such as the majority of Volvo models.
Symptoms of Failure
The symptoms of driveshaft support failure are scary to encounter—especially while driving at high speeds. You’ll notice these signs usually upon acceleration, and they can mimic the symptoms of other vehicle problems. Therefore, it’s important that any suspected issues are diagnosed by a Volvo specialist. Here are just a few of the most common symptoms associated with driveshaft support failure:
Odd Noises
The audible warnings of vehicle issues are some of the most important aspects of part failure to pay attention to because they can help your automotive specialist greatly during the diagnostic process. Driveshaft support failure may cause your Volvo to screech loudly when it accelerates from a stopped position, but may ease as the car goes faster.
Shaking or Vibrating
As your car accelerates, slows, turns, etc., the parts on the car must be slightly flexible. The driveshaft support bearing allows the driveshaft to remain flexible, yet stable as the car moves. When the support isn’t working properly or begins to fail, the driveshaft moves out of its intended position, which can cause subsequent damage to the driveshaft itself as well as other critical parts of the vehicle. Even though shaking or vibrating during acceleration is a concerning symptom, many drivers often overlook such symptoms. Unfortunately, the longer the problem goes unaddressed, the more damage is done to your car, costing you potentially huge amounts of money in the repair process.
The Repair Process
The cost of driveshaft support repair is based upon several factors that rest solely on your automotive shop’s honesty and integrity. Techniques, skills, and diagnostic equipment in many automotive shops are sub-par for Volvo diagnosis and repair. In the repair process, it pays to bring your Volvo to an established shop that specializes in Volvos, otherwise you might wind up with inadequate repairs and more long-term issues.
The Importance of Ongoing Maintenance
As mentioned before, ongoing maintenance is one way to combat the typical issues associated with Volvo models. By investing in routine inspections and following your Volvo’s scheduled maintenance plan, you can prevent issues from occurring all together—especially if your automotive specialist is familiar with common Volvo issues such as driveshaft support failure.
How We Can Help
At Dell’s Service Center, serving Volvo drivers nearby Green Bay, WI, we take pride in our thorough diagnostic process and our specialized knowledge of Volvo engineering and design. We are familiar with common Volvo problems, and are highly experienced in performing accurate diagnoses and repair work when it comes to driveshaft support failure. If you suspect that your Volvo is in need of repair, please contact us to schedule an inspection and/or diagnostic procedure. We look forward to enhancing your vehicle’s performance and extending its life for years to come.