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 R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, 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 R & M Automotive technicians.

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 R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN 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 car, truck, or SUV is equipped with various filters that keep the air going into your engine clean, the air you breathe in the vehicle, the fuel that supplies your engine, and the oil that keeps it going. How often should you have them replaced? It depends on the filter, the vehicle, and the environment. Here’s what you need to know, from R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN.

The operation of your transmission depends on your hydraulics. Even if that sounds like a foreign language to you, at R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, 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 R & M Automotive!  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 Rockvale 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....

At R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, 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.

What does “remanufactured” mean, and is it something you want? At R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, we strive for great service and a job well done. Part of that is equipping you with the knowledge you need to understand what’s going on when a repair is necessary on your car, truck or SUV. “Remanufactured” is a word that you’ll encounter in the automotive world. Many people perceive that to mean “used”, but that isn’t the case - here’s what you need to know.

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 R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN.

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 R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN to help keep you reliably on the road.

Sometimes it is EASY to see if your car or truck needs to come into our shop for professional repairs! 
1.  You see steam rising from the engine!
2.  The Check Engine Light is on!
3.  The engine starts, but there is an odor that is not right.
4.  You hear grinding or thumping noises.

Vehicle maintenance can be expensive. However, when it comes to owning a car, truck, or SUV, the only thing more expensive than maintaining one is doing no maintenance at all. Here’s why, from R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN.

Since the first automobiles, there have been radiators. Every liquid-cooled engine on the road has, and has always needed, a radiator; without it, the engine would overheat in no time, causing catastrophic engine failure. While the efficiency of radiators, the materials they’re made out of, and the shape and size of them have changed over time, radiators haven’t actually changed much over the last century or so. At R & M Automotive we know that even though radiators generally last a long time, they do occasionally fail. When your radiator is malfunctioning you can trust our technicians to repair yours and get you back on the road. 

Just because manual transmissions aren’t as common these days as they used to be, there are still many out there, and at R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, our certified technicians know how to keep them running at their best.

At R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, we’re focused on keeping your car, truck, or SUV running well - but we’re here to keep it looking good too. Here’s some information on wheel sizing, to help you make sure your new wheels will fit your vehicle.

At R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, we have seen our fair share of preventable engine failures. Frequently, engine disaster could have been avoided if the driver had known beforehand what the warning lights or gauges on the dashboard indicated. While some dash lights are fairly benign, others indicate imminent trouble. This guide from R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN will prepare you for the next time your vehicle shows you a warning you shouldn’t ignore.

Don’t you hate it when potholes sneak up on you? There is a lot of money being spent on vehicle damage due to potholes. Do you know what parts of your car could receive the most damage? R & M Automotive is the leader in Rockvale, TN for the service and repair of automotive tires. We know the kind of damage that can be done, so if you suspect something is wrong with your car or truck, it’s always a good idea to stop by so we can take a quick look.

If your transmission isn’t shifting correctly, you’ll want to be careful about how you choose to proceed. The best thing to do is turn the vehicle off and have a professional take a look at it, but if that isn’t an option, there are some steps you can take to ensure nothing gets damaged. At R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN we can take a look at your issues and also give you some tips on what to do when that option isn't available yet. 

Once you know what's in your transmission, and what’s connected to it, it’s much easier to understand how it works. Let's take a look at how it all comes together. At R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, we want to make sure you know how your car works so you can keep it in great condition.