The exhaust on your truck is an important series of components, that work together to insure smooth, reliable operation. At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we also know that exhaust systems are especially susceptible to damage and rust; pipes, mufflers, and other parts are exposed to hazards on the road, and to the environment. This situation, combined with caustic emissions and extreme heat, create a perfect opportunity for problems to arise.

There are many parts and systems outside of the car’s transmission that is equally as important as the parts and systems inside the transmission. Without them, the transmission won’t do much. There’s no way to transfer power from the engine to the shafts, disengage it to shift the gears, or power the differential without them. Just in case you need us, at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we can help keep your transmission in top shape, but here’s what you need to know.

At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, our mechanics are well trained and qualified to service any type of transmission, in any car, truck, or SUV. If your car is equipped with four-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, you probably know that your transmission is somewhat complicated, and therefore requires professional attention. Our technicians possess the knowledge, ability, and equipment necessary to keep your 4WD or AWD vehicle reliably on the road, and ready for any driving condition, any time. For all your transmission repair or maintenance needs, call or come by South Mountain Collision & Auto Center today.

At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we know that fuel contamination is one of the priciest and most problematic issues that may plague a diesel engine. There are a variety of issues that cause contamination in fuel. Knowing these issues will help drivers become aware of fuel contamination and hopefully prevent these issues. 

When you are having trouble with your car or truck starting and you open the hood up to take a peek to see this....you'll see what an overly corroded battery looks like. This happens naturally over time on vehicle battery terminals.  If you are like 99% of normal Middletown drivers, you don't check your oil or your battery so you don't keep an eye on the amount of corrosion that's building up on your car or truck battery.  Here at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center, we do and there are solvents that we can use here in the shop during a battery maintenance service that will help slow the corrosion process but nothing that can prevent it 100%. Way before it gets to this point, we will be suggesting you consider replacing the battery. 

At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we know that transmissions are witchcraft to most people. More often than not, if major damage has occurred, it’s a lot more time and cost-effective to just replace the entire unit and get a fresh start. Our trained technicians at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center want to keep you informed so you are aware of what to look out for.

At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, a big part of our job is helping you make decisions that are right for you, your car, truck or SUV. When it comes to replacing a transmission there are a lot of options out there, and we’re here to help you make the right choice. Our technicians can help you decide based on your budget, vehicle and lifestyle. We're here to get your car going again and earn your business in the future.

Manual transmissions are generally more reliable than automatic transmissions. They don’t have as many parts, aren’t as complex, and can take a lot more abuse. However, if an issue is allowed to persist, more and more damage to surrounding components on your manual transmission will occur. South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD can help you take care of your car as soon as you notice a problem.

If your car, truck or SUV is experiencing major engine issues, the technicians at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD have you covered. You hear the engine knocking when it decides to start? Is there smoke pouring from your truck’s exhaust pipe? Whether you’re burning oil, your engine is on it’s last leg or has simply given up altogether, we can help. And if you’re not sure what you need, we can help with that too.

The turbo on your diesel pickup truck is a precision-engineered component. As a result, proper maintenance is essential to keep it going strong, and South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD is the place to do that. At tens or even hundreds of thousands of RPM, keeping everything in good shape is absolutely necessary. Fortunately, turbos don't really require any special maintenance - they just make the maintenance you do all the more important.

Your turbocharger will work in essentially the same way, whether you drive a Powerstroke, Cummins, or Duramax diesel pickup. While there are differences in designs and applications, turbos haven’t changed all that much over the past century. Now that you know what one is made of, we’ll look at how it works.

When driving around town, your vehicle's engine needs clean air to burn the fuel – and it needs a lot. In fact, a typical vehicle needs about 216,000 gallons of air for every tank of gas. All that air passes through a filter that catches the dust and dirt. Eventually, the filter gets completely full, and because the filter can only hold so much, dirt starts getting through. At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, we want to help you get the best air quality in your vehicle, but first, we want to explain the process of where this dirty air is going. 

At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we know there’s a lot of conflict on when you should maintain certain things on your truck. We also know there are consequences to neglecting maintenance; the difference between a truck that breaks down all the time and a truck that has covered over a million miles virtually trouble-free all boils down to maintenance.

As your vehicle ages, it not only gains sentimental value but a number of maintenance measures arise as well. Trucks from previous decades have the potential to keep their value and functionality for many years. Here are some tips from South Mountain Collision & Auto Center to keep your older truck running for a prolonged time.

For obvious reasons, air brakes are an essential part of your rig. They also add a level of complication to the braking system that a conventional vehicle doesn’t have. At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, our mechanics have the knowledge, equipment, and ability necessary to keep your air brakes in top shape.

At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we understand that maintenance is the difference between a truck that makes it to the million-mile mark and a truck that doesn’t come close. Here are some tips to keep your truck in shape for many miles to come.

Ride quality is an essential part of your driving experience. At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, we strive to keep your car, truck, or SUV as smooth and comfortable to drive as the day it came off the lot. Your shock absorbers play a huge role in ride quality; here’s what you should know.

The operation of your transmission depends on your hydraulics. Even if that sounds like a foreign language to you, at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we speak the automotive language. We want you to understand what we're talking about, so here are the basics of the hydraulic functions behind your transmission.

If you drive a vehicle with more than a few miles on it, there’s a good chance you’ve noticed an occasional drip underneath it that leaves spots wherever you park. Identifying what is leaking from your car will help you determine whether or not it’s a cause for concern, and what to do about it.

There are seven liquids a car can possibly drip: oil, gas, brake fluid, transmission fluid, gear oil, water, and coolant. How do you tell the difference? This article aims to help your know-how.

Repairs are costly and we all want to avoid them including our team here at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center!  It's our job and we take it seriously.  Here, it is all about keeping your car or truck serviced and looking for problems "before" they happen to avoid those high repair costs and ensuring you avoid any breakdowns when it's hot outside or cold outside as either is a problem for our Middletown drivers!  Nobody can forsee a flat tire or blowout due to running over a nail, but we can avoid some of the regular issues we see all the time such as....