Services · Steering & Suspension
County roads are hard on suspension. I fix it where you park.
Gravel, washboard, cattle guards, and the potholes on 21. Out here, ball joints, tie rods, and shocks wear a lot faster than the maintenance schedule expects. Most of it is a driveway job: stands, the right tools, and the patience to check every joint before deciding which one is actually bad.
A clunk is rarely one thing and never nothing. I'd rather find the worn part than replace the whole corner.
Texting is best — I'm usually mid-job and can't pick up. Stranded or an emergency? Call.
- No fix, no fee diagnostics
- Quoted price is the final price
- 12 mo / 12,000 mi parts & labor
- I come to you
What it's doing, and what it usually is
The most common cause first. It's a guide, not a diagnosis. That's what the visit is for.
- Clunk over bumps
- A sway bar end link, a ball joint, a strut mount, or a worn bushing. Cheap and common, if it's caught before it takes something else with it.
- Pulls to one side
- Alignment, a tire, a sticking brake caliper, or a worn tie rod. I check the cheap causes before the expensive ones.
- Vibration at highway speed
- Most often tire balance, which is a tire shop job. If it isn't, a bent wheel, a worn bearing, or a CV axle.
- Steering feels loose or wanders
- Tie rod ends, and on trucks the idler and pitman arms. A steering rack, less often.
- Hum that changes when you turn
- A wheel bearing. Louder turning one way than the other tells me which side.
- Groan or whine when turning
- Power steering: low fluid, a leak, or the pump. Sometimes a dry ball joint.
- Sits low on one corner, or bounces after a bump
- A broken spring, a worn shock, or on some vehicles the air suspension.
- Tires wearing on one edge
- Alignment, or a worn part that's put the alignment out. Fix the part first, then align it.
What I do in your driveway
- Shocks and struts, including strut mounts and bearings.
- Ball joints, tie rod ends, and inner tie rods.
- Control arms and bushings, sway bar links and bushings.
- Wheel bearings and hub assemblies. CV axles.
- Power steering pumps, hoses, and leaks.
- Air suspension components on vehicles that have it.
How the money works
- $150
- Flat, to diagnose it. It's separate from the repair. If I can't find what's wrong, you don't pay it.
- Quote
- Before anything comes apart. The price I give you is the price you pay. If I find something else, I stop and ask you first.
- 12 / 12k
- Months and miles, parts and labor. If the repair doesn't hold, I come back and fix it free.
Travel is free within 30 miles of Bastrop. Further out, there's a flat travel fee. The full warranty terms spell out what's covered.
“I had my air suspension go out on my Mercedes. Joe came to my house, got me a quote, got the parts, and had it fixed the same day. Very professional. Could not be happier with the service.”
Questions I get asked
Will I need an alignment afterwards?
After tie rods, control arms, ball joints, or struts, yes. After shocks, sway bar links, or bearings, usually not. I'll tell you which when I quote it, and I'll set it as close as I can on site so it drives straight to the alignment shop.
How do I know if it's the tires or the suspension?
You don't have to. That's what the diagnostic is for. If it's a tire, I'll tell you that and you'll have paid for an honest answer rather than a suspension job you didn't need.
Do you work on lifted trucks?
Yes. The same parts, sometimes bigger and sometimes harder to reach. Tell me what's on it when you call and I'll quote accordingly.
How long do shocks and struts last?
On pavement, a long time. On the roads around here, less. If it bounces more than once after a dip, dives hard when you brake, or the shock body is wet with oil, it's done.
Can you fix air suspension?
Often. Air springs, compressors, and lines are all serviceable on site. A customer with a Mercedes will tell you the same.
Often goes with this
All servicesBrakes
Squealing, grinding, soft pedal, or a car that pulls when you stop. Pads, rotors and lines, done in your driveway.
Diagnostics
Warning light on, odd noise, or something that just feels wrong. I find out what it is before anyone spends money on parts.
Electrical
Lights out, fuses blowing, windows or accessories dead. Tracking down a short is what I do instead of guessing.
Based in Bastrop, free travel within 30 miles. Where I go, and what it costs further out.
Let's look at the steering & suspension
Flat $150 to diagnose it, and you get a price before anything gets taken apart. Mon–Fri 9am – 6pm.
Stranded or an emergency? Call (512) 980-4368 — for anything else, a text gets to me faster.