At Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA, our priority is keeping your Dodge, Chevy, or Ford truck reliably on the road. A major aspect of that is catching small issues before they become bigger ones.

Something will go wrong with your car, truck, or SUV eventually. The important thing is knowing what to do, and how to deal with it. Just knowing what to do in a situation often means the difference between a quick repair and thousands of dollars worth of work. If you see steam coming from under the hood, it’s important to deal with it appropriately and quickly. Here’s what’s going on, and what to do, from Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA.

What does “remanufactured” mean, and is it something you want? At Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA, 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.

Exhaust systems are one of the most neglected aspects of most vehicles. Exhaust pipes, catalytic converters, and mufflers are exposed to heat, emissions, and road damage. While your exhaust system is fairly simple and straightforward, these conditions mean it is inherently prone to rust and damage. As a result, this system is often one of the first systems you will have trouble within your car.

We know you’re busy. At Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA, we also know that while there are certain issues with your car, truck, or SUV you can ignore for a while, some of them shouldn’t wait. While serious issues are often obvious, sometimes they aren’t - ball joints are one such case.

Does your steering wheel feel like it’s fighting you when trying to drive in a straight line? Does your truck turn too aggressively when you try to go one direction, and poorly when you try to go another? There are a few possibilities as to what it means if your truck resists going in a straight line. Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian has the answers for you.

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 Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA to help keep you reliably on the road.

Trucks aren’t like cars...your average personal vehicle usually holds about 5 quarts of oil, and you are supposed to change it every 3-5k miles. However, the same logic doesn’t apply to large trucks. At Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA, we know how important proper oil changes and diagnostics are to keep your truck on the road, for hundreds of thousands of miles. Here’s what you need to know:

Trucks aren’t like cars...your average personal vehicle usually holds about 5 quarts of oil, and you are supposed to change it every 3-5k miles. However, the same logic doesn’t apply to large trucks. At Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA, we know how important proper oil changes and diagnostics are to keep your truck on the road, for hundreds of thousands of miles. Here’s what you need to know:

Keeping your fuel system maintained will prevent premature parts failure and poor running conditions. Here at Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service we have tips on the important aspects of diesel fuel system maintenance, to keep your diesel fleet trucks running smoothly - longer.

Air.Air in the system causes all kinds of issues, from hard starting, poor running conditions, or an engine that won’t run at all. If too much air gets in the system, the fuel pump won’t be able to deliver fuel, and the engine will stall, die, or fail to start.  Air enters the system via a leak or a bad seal - a deteriorated o-ring, worn component, faulty hose, or otherwise. Here we inspect your lines and connections to ensure they are in good shape and track down any leaks we notice air in the system.

At Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA, we see our fair share of damage that could’ve been prevented. Leaking injectors are one of the main ways a diesel engine can meet its demise - but the good news is, engine failure can be avoided, as long as the problem is taken care of.

While most fleet vehicles are chosen for their reliability, low maintenance, and durability, sometimes maintaining several of them at a time can become overwhelming. Just keeping up with the maintenance schedule alone is a task and then to ensure you keep your scheduled routes for those fleet vehicles is another task in itself. Let Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian put your mind at ease, with our fleet maintenance programs for any and all fleet vehicles. We will take the stress from your business fleet program and get your fleet trucks and fleet cars running at optimum performance with a routine that works for your business that often REDUCES costs!

Ride quality is an essential part of your driving experience. At Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA, we strive to keep your truck 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.

Coolant flushes are an important maintenance procedure, necessary for keeping your truck reliably on the road. At Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, we know that coolant flushes are a key aspect of preventative maintenance that goes a long way.

Nothing works if your transmission doesn't work!  Simply put you are going nowhere without it and it is the one thing that both car and truck drivers alike never think twice about until it really acts up or they have no power or simply don't move forward.  Most of us have a newer car or truck with an automatic transmission in it vs. a standard transmission so do not notice that it is slipping gears until the problem is really serious so the question is how do you get the most out of your transmission?  The obvious answer is to take care of your transmission with scheduled service per your owner's manual recommendation but we have put together a simple checklist for our Midlotian drivers to help them become "transmission aware" as it were.

At Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, 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.

At Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA, we know the key to making your vehicle last; good maintenance. An overwhelming percentage of the problems we see, especially the really catastrophic ones, are a result of poor maintenance. While properly maintaining a vehicle can seem like a bit of a hassle, it is absolutely worth the payoff. Good maintenance is the only difference between a car that lasts 80,000 miles and a car that lasts 400,000 miles. Preventative maintenance and repair when a problem occurs are your two concerns, and both will keep your car on the road far longer if observed properly.