shock/struts, A/c Compressor

[97ava]

Hello everybody, I have a 1997 Avalon with 146,756 miles it, and everything is going well. I just have a couple questions. 1.My car is not riding so smoothly, I had warped rotors I replaced those, I needed new tires I replaced those but to no avail I am still getting alot of vibration in the steering wheel. What could be the cause? Could my shock/struts need to be replaced? My other question is what are some signs that my a/c compressor is going bad? Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

[Tom in Tacoma]

Generally speaking - if you're feeling vibration in the steering wheel, that's usually an indicator of one of two things; front tires are either out of round or not balanced correctly or, front suspension components are worn and causing unwanted movement. I would recommend you try rotating the tires and see if the issue moves to the back of the car (felt in the seat of your pants). If it moves it would be the tires. If it doesn't move I'd have the front end components looked at by a competant mechanic.

If your AC compressor is going out you'll know it when it fails to cool the interior (but there's also other causes that will fail to cool the interior).