Automotive News & Information - South Mountain Collision & Auto Center

You’re Chevrolet, Ford, or Ram diesel pickup is a heavy-duty machine, designed to tackle all kinds of situations. The ball joints that connect your suspension to the rest of the truck are under a tremendous amount of strain, both on and off-road - it’s important to keep an eye on them, and make sure they’re in proper working order. Here’s how to gauge the condition of your ball joints, from the professionals at South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD.

Hydraulic power has a lot to do with how your transmission operates. There are some basic hydraulic components that keep your transmission running smoothly.

Once your transmission has been replaced and you’re shifting smoothly once more, you’ll probably want to keep it running smoothly. Here are some tips from South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD to help keep you reliably on the road.

It’s a busy morning, you’ve finally gotten everyone where they need to be and you’re just pulling into the parking lot at work when your dash light starts glaring at you. Your check engine light shines bright, but you have no idea why. Whether you can tell a difference in the way your car, truck, or SUV is running, your car is trying to tell you something. At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, we can help!

You’ve likely encountered someone talking about their car or truck transmission "slipping”. What does that mean, why does it do it, and where do you go from here? At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown, MD, our trained staff has the answers to get you safely back on the road. Transmission slippage is certainly one of the most dreaded issues you face as the owner of a car or truck’s and there are some indicators that let you know that something is wrong.

If you think your mechanic doesn’t have to deal with getting certified like other professionals, you are quite possibly mistaken. We say “quite possibly” because mechanics generally aren’t required by law to get certified in this country, so it’s conceivable that Bub down at the local filling station doesn’t have any meaningful credentials hanging on his wall. However, since the founding of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) in 1972, a culture of professionalism has emerged and today about half of the country’s auto mechanics are ASE-certified. There are other kinds of certification, too, and other issues to consider when searching for the right mechanic. We’ll walk you through the details.

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!

Charging and electrical systems, particularly on luxury and performance cars, are the most intricate and complex systems on your vehicle. It takes highly trained technicians armed with the right equipment to properly diagnose and repair electrical issues on high-end vehicles such as Porsche, Audi, BMW, MINI, VW, and Subaru. At South Mountain Collision & Auto Center in Middletown we have the technicians and the tools you need to get the job done right.