Sluggish. Squealing. Unreliable. Vibrating. If any of these descriptors fit your vehicle’s recent behavior, it just might be trying to tell you something – like it’s time for a tune-up.

Today’s vehicles differ significantly from their decades-old brethren that required a tune-up every 10,000 or 20,000 miles. With newer vehicles, it’s increasingly common for manufacturer-recommended service intervals to stretch to 100,000 miles before certain maintenance items, such as replacing the spark plugs, should be completed. 

At R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, it’s important to us that you see the value in the work we do. Over the course of the past decade, depending on what type of car, truck, or SUV you drive, it may seem like oil changes have gotten more expensive, and there’s a lot of differentiation in pricing at different locations. What’s going on?

At R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, we’re in the business of quality. Quality work, quality parts, and quality service keep a business going. Here is a quick rundown on why it’s important to install components that will perform reliably, and keep you taken care of in the event that they don’t.

Every car, truck, van, and SUV on the road today has headlights. However, you've probably noticed an increase in different types of headlights in more recent years - gone are the days where every vehicle on the road had the same bulb. Here is some information on headlights, from R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN.

At R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, our goal is to keep your car, truck, or SUV reliable and in great shape. To us, it’s important that we’re paying attention to both your needs and the needs of your vehicle. When it comes to oxygen sensors, sometimes it seems a bit nebulous on what they actually do and why they’re important; we’re here to clear things up for you.

At R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, it’s important to us that your car, truck, or SUV is ready for any condition. Coolant flushes are an important part of getting your vehicle ready for winter - here’s why.

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.

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. 

If you’re running a truck (or trucks) without an auxiliary oil cooler, it may be something you want to consider. Here’s some information on auxiliary oil coolers, what they are, and why they’re a great upgrade, from R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN.

Here at R & M Automotive in Rockvale we often do diagnostics and sometimes the problem is obvious after hooking the car up to the computer and reading the codes.  However, sometimes it isn't obvious during a test drive or after hooking it up to all those computer programs!  You know there is a problem and a Check Engine Light is on with the fleet customer telling you the car has been having issues starting and the light has been going off and on depending on several factors.  No pattern, no simple answer but the problem becomes obvious when you start following the "threads of the issue" thanks to all that ASE Technician training.

Keeping up with oil changes is one of the most important aspects of keeping your engine in good shape. However, you’ve probably noticed that the price of oil changes can vary pretty dramatically depending on what you get, and the oil all looks the same. Here’s a breakdown of the difference between synthetic and conventional oil, from R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN.

We see this with our fleet customers, our regular Rockvale car pool drivers and our diesel truck drivers so it isn't just one type of driver that ends up with a nightmare on their hands costing thousands of dollars to repair, asking about the costs of a JASPER replacement engine!  The fact is your driving habits and maintenance habits can easily avoid this issue!  6 EASY STEPS - Service, Tires, Don't Ignore Service Engine Lights, Keep it Clean & Stop Driving Crazy!

On modern vehicles, the PCV system (Positive Crankcase Ventilation System) is essential to ensuring your car or truck is ready to go when you are and remains a long-lasting, reliable vehicle. It’s much more than just emissions control - your PCV system serves multiple purposes and is quite interesting! How does it work, and what are those purposes?  Here at R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, we have those answers for you!

Routine services are routine for a good reason. Schedule them with us here so we can be sure that your vehicle stays in the best shape. Here’s a look into what happens when routine services aren’t performed, from R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN.

Tune-ups are an important and frequently neglected aspect of automotive care. Most drivers don’t really consider the mechanical condition of their car, so long as nothing is wrong with it. However, if a vehicle is tuned-up and maintained correctly, many mechanical failures (and expenses) will be avoided altogether. So whne is the right time to get a tune-up?

Sometimes a tire goes flat over the course of days, weeks, or even months. A leak like this never has an obvious cause - so why is your tire losing air? From R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN, here’s some info on leaky tires.

If you drive a Jaguar, BMW, Land Rover, Porsche, Subaru, or other luxury or performance vehicle, the last thing you want to do is start your engine to be met with the sound of a screeching drive belt. Fortunately, we at R & M Automotive in Rockvale, TN have you covered.