Automotive Industry News & Information - South Mountain Collision & Auto Center

Have you always wondered what a spark plug does? Our team here at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center is here to help you out. It's simple in theory but does quite a lot of work for such a small piece of equipment. Your spark plug forces electricity to arc across a gap like a bolt of lightning at high voltage and fits into your engine's cylinder head, where it “sparks” to ignite the fuel and creates combustion within your engine. Without it, you wouldn't be able to drive your car or truck.

Fleet trucks, different models van and semi

While most fleet vehicles are chosen for their reliability, low maintenance, and durability, sometimes maintaining several of them at a time can become overwhelming. Let South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD put your mind at ease, with our fleet maintenance programs for any and all fleet vehicles.

The type of tire you want on your fleet or commercial vehicle depends on a variety of factors, from climate to how you use the vehicle. There are multiple tire styles for most applications, and one of them is right for you. At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we’re ready to help you make your choice. If you’d like to narrow it down before you come see us, here’s a short rundown of common tires that will meet your specific need.

While keeping your car, truck, or SUV looking nice is important, there are other reasons to keep the exterior of your vehicle in good shape. From South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, here are some tips for keeping your car looking good, and how that keeps it reliably on the road.

At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, we know how much efficiency matters. When it comes to your truck, it’s equally important. Obviously, a huge chunk of your operating cost is fuel consumption, which is largely dependent on the truck's design. Fortunately, there are ways to greatly increase the efficiency of your truck, regardless of shape or size.

There seems to be a common misconception among many that if you have an aftermarket/extended warranty, that your car, truck, SUV, or Jeep must be taken to a dealership. This is not true. Non-dealership / Independent Automotive repair shops like ours here at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center can service and repair your new or under warranty/extended warranty. As a positive, at our shop, you can get fast service and work with highly trained technicians! We'd love to take care of your vehicle for you and can do so right here at our automotive shop. Repairs by highly rated and trained automotive technicians with dealer rated diagnostic tools, at better pricing by a shop that knows you!

Your transmission suddenly isn’t shifting right. So what’s wrong with it? Do you need your transmission rebuilt? Good question. Unfortunately, the answer is: No one knows. At least, not yet. To find out what’s causing your transmission problem, a technician is going to have to perform a series of tests. Basically, these tests are designed to answer the simple question: “Is it inside or outside?” That is, is the problem inside the transmission, or in one of the many control systems that operate the transmission?

At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, our mechanics have diagnosed and repaired every transmission problem in the book. We’d like to pass some of our knowledge along to you, in order to help you understand your transmission a little better. Here, we discuss the synchronizers in your manual transmission, and how to know if one of yours is faulty.