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.

So, you’ve determined your transmission is bad. What next? Choosing what to do can be overwhelming, and you need someone you can trust to help you decide what work needs to be done. South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD is here to help you make the right decision when it comes to your transmission. There are a few things to consider when your transmission goes out. You might feel inclined to just get a new car, but should you? 

There is a reason we check your brake fluid when you come in for a service check.  Maintenance pays big dividends and we want to avoid high repair costs for our Middletown drivers.  Did you know that brake service isn't just all about the brake pads, drums & rotors?  That we have found low brake fluid to be the cause of a large percentage of brake issues here at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center?  Seriously, brake fluid is an important part of your braking system and with your service intervals being less frequent on the newer vehicles 5,000-10,000 more miles this has become an issue!  Why?...

There may come a day when you go to shift your vehicle out of “Park”, and the shifter refuses to move. Perhaps you are already experiencing this issue intermittently, or currently have a vehicle stuck in park. While this is a serious inconvenience, it doesn’t necessarily indicate a serious problem; let South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD put your mind at ease.

If you drive a Dodge, Chevy, or Ford diesel pickup, you know the amount of hard work your truck puts in. You may also be aware that diesels run a little dirtier than your average gas burner. At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, our goal is to keep your Duramax, Cummins, or Powerstroke truck on the road for many miles to come. A huge part of that is keeping your oil maintained.

There’s a huge percentage of vehicle on the road, right now, with the check engine light illuminated. Many of them have had it on for years, even. Frequently, a check engine light will illuminate, but pose no immediate problems, so people just get used to it and learn to live with it being on. However, South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD would like you to know that it’s worth having it looked into. Typically, the problem can be diagnosed by simply plugging your car into our computer; the vehicle gives us a code, and we know what the problem is immediately.

If you’ve owned a vehicle long, particularly one with a few miles on it, you have probably encountered a peculiar smell that grabbed your attention. Scents that you encounter while driving (emanating from your vehicle, not the horse farm down the road) are indicators of your vehicle's health and often the first warning that something may be wrong. South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown has assembled this list to prepare for you for the next time you smell something odd, so you’ll know what’s going on next time you notice a funny smell.

Obviously, your brakes are essential. However, it’s easy to neglect or ignore brake issues, and even miss them altogether; as long as the car, truck, or SUV still stops, many people don’t see the need to have their brakes serviced. From South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, here are some common brake issues, and why you should fix them.

Our Middletown drivers have been experiencing issues with their transmissions and there are a few things that we here at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center feel are important to know so that you are more comfortable and confident if you are, indeed experiencing a transmission problem of any kind. First, if you drive a vehicle manufactured in the past few decades, there’s a good chance your transmission has a variety of sensors attached to it which monitors all kinds of things - fluid pressure, vehicle speed, temperature, air intake at the engine, and so on.  The first thing to check is your Transmission Sensor, which is a much more affordable fix than replacing your transmission!

At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, we know how irritating an issue with your car, truck, or SUV can be, even if it doesn’t immediately affect your vehicle’s performance. One such problematic issue, the excessively loud radiator cooling fan, is a common plague many automobile owners will experience.

Nobody knows your vehicle better than you; if you suspect it isn’t driving the way it used to, there’s a good chance you’re correct. The truth of the matter is there are countless reasons and remedies for such a broad subject, but South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD has compiled a list of a few common problems that can cause a vehicle to drive poorly.

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. 

What condition are your tires in? At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we want to make sure you can tell. A simple visual inspection is all you need - it’s easy if you know what to look for.

Automotive windows are one of those things that you take for granted, until something goes wrong. One of the more irritating issues a window can develop, is dislocating from its track while attempting to roll it up or down. Why does this happen, and how do you fix it? At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we’ve got answers to your questions and solutions to your problems.

Your drive belts are simple but integral components to the function of your car, truck, or SUV. At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, belts are one of the first things we assess when looking over a vehicle, as they alone are in charge of operating your AC, water pump, alternator, and power steering.

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.

At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we know that the key to keeping a transmission reliable and in shape is taking care to prevent an issue in the first place. Here, well explore a condition which has a lot of potential to cause your transmission harm: overheating.

If you want to avoid nasty and unexpected surprise maintenance costs, sticking to a regimented schedule of preventative maintenance is something you are going to want to get used to. The reason being is simple – frequent maintenance will keep your vehicle in good health, ensuring you get the most out of all those expensive-to-replace parts. While it might sound counterintuitive, the best way to reduce maintenance costs is to stick to a prescribed maintenance schedule.

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.

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.