Car Repair

  • Hints Your Transmission Is Failing

    transmission in car

    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.

  • How Do I Choose A New Transmission?

    transmission

    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.

  • How Do I Fix My Manual Transmission Problem?

    mechanic working on car

    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.

  • How Do I Keep My Transmission In Top Shape?

    mechanic with gloves on holding transmission parts

    Transmissions are complex pieces of equipment. Systems and components rely heavily on one another, and everything needs to be in working order for proper function. When one thing fails, there’s a snowball effect, and malfunctions and damages begin to occur. What can you do to make sure you keep it working? At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we want to help when you need it, but we also want to teach you how to maintain your vehicle on your own. Good maintenance is the single largest contributing factor to how long your transmission will last and how well it will continue to work. Here are a few key points on maintenance from the South Mountain Collision & Auto Center technicians.

  • How Do I Know Whether To Replace My Engine?

    engine of vehicle

    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.

  • How Do You Maintain Your Turbocharger?

    turbocharger under hood of car

    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.

  • How is the Air Quality in Your Vehicle?

    technician holding a clean and dirty air filter comparison in the front seat of a car

    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. 

  • How to Maintain your 4X4

    4X4 vehicle in desert

    Is your Cummins, Powerstroke, or Duramax diesel a four-wheel drive? At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, our goal is to help you maintain your four-wheel drive so that it can last you for years to come. Our professional technicians at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center are here to make sure your truck stays ready for anything.

  • How To Rainproof Your Windshield

    windshield with water droplets on it

    At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, we understand that safety and driving comfort are largely dependent on truck maintenance. Driving in the rain can be a hassle, especially if your vehicle isn’t prepared.

  • How to Use Your Jumper Cables

    jumper cables being placed on a battery

    At some point or another, it’ll happen to you. You leave your headlights on, your battery finally fails, or for some other reason, you don’t have enough juice to start your car. Don’t call a tow truck just yet, though...South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown has the info you need to properly jump start your car.

  • Hydraulic Basics To Keep You Running

    mechanic messing with a tire on a lifted car

    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.

  • Identifying driveway spots: how to determine what is leaking under your car

    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.

  • If it's hot, cool it down & avoid high repair costs! EASY!

    car broke down calling for help

    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....

  • If You Have To Turn The Key More Than Once - You Might Have A Problem

    hand turning key in ignition

    At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, our goal is to help you understand your transmission a little better and keep your car, truck, or SUV reliably on the road. If you ever hit the key and your engine fails to turn over, whether it’s once a month, once a week, or every day, you’ve got the beginnings of an issue worth dealing with.

  • If you see steam, pull over!

    Woman checking out under the hood where steam is coming from

    Something will go wrong with your car, truck, or SUV eventually. The important thing is knowing what to do, and how to deal with it. Just knowing what to do in a situation often means the difference between a quick repair and thousands of dollars worth of work. If you see steam coming from under the hood, it’s important to deal with it appropriately and quickly. Here’s what’s going on, and what to do, from South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD.

  • Is it Time for a New Exhaust?

    exhaust

    Exhaust systems are one of the most neglected aspects of most vehicles. Exhaust pipes, catalytic converters, and mufflers are exposed to heat, emissions, and road damage. While your exhaust system is fairly simple and straightforward, these conditions mean it is inherently prone to rust and damage. As a result, this system is often one of the first systems you will have trouble with on your car.

  • Is It Time To Invest In A New Exhaust?

    Exhaust

    Exhaust systems are one of the most neglected aspects of most vehicles. Exhaust pipes, catalytic converters, and mufflers are exposed to heat, emissions, and road damage. While your exhaust system is fairly simple and straightforward, these conditions mean it is inherently prone to rust and damage. As a result, this system is often one of the first systems you will have trouble within your car.

  • Is your car trying to tell you something?

    phone out and carhood up

    If you drive performance or luxury vehicle (Subaru, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Land Rover, etc.) you’re aware that you have a complex and precision-engineered machine. When things start to go wrong, sometimes they go wrong in a hurry. Here are some things to watch out for, from South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD.

  • Is Your Vehicle Draining Your Battery?

    battery

    At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, we know how annoying a dead battery can be. Here’s some information on the subject, that will hopefully help you understand your battery issues a little better.

  • Is Your Vehicle Too Noisy?

    cars in city with lots of exhaust

    Do you have a noisy vehicle? If so, you may need a new muffler or exhaust system from our team here at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown. The purpose of your exhaust system is not only to reduce the noise but also to redirect fumes away from your vehicle. Redirecting these fumes protects passengers in the car from toxins created by burning fuel.

    Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless chemical that can escape from an unsecured exhaust system, and if inhaled can pose very serious health hazards. If you experience an unusually loud sound coming from your vehicle, it is vital to get your exhaust system checked immediately!

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