Auto Repair Shop Owner: 'It's Like A Minefield Out There For Cars'

DETROIT (WWJ) - It's pothole season. And those giant holes in the roads can cause expensive damage to your car.

Kenny Walter, owner of Kenny's Lakes Area Auto Experts in Walled Lake, says they see about 80 to 90 cars a week -- and at least half of those come in because of potholes.

"It's like a minefield out there for cars," says Walter referring to potholes on Michigan roads. "If you're lucky, it just ruins the tire."

"The other damage that you can not see until it actually breaks is steering, tie-rods, your ball joints, your control arms - they take an unbelievable shock to the system - over and over again, until they finally break and leave you stranded."

He says they cause obvious damage to your wheels and tires, as well as damage you can't see, to your steering and suspension components.

"You're always going to hear noises in your car when your driving, but you need to be conscious of hearing different types of noises if you are going over bumps or making turns - a creek, a rattle, a squeak, anything like that is a sign that something is wrong and to get your car in and get it checked out. You should always do that before it's too late and something breaks," says Walter.

Walter says it's best to take your car to a mechanic shop twice a year to get checked out.