Automotive News & Information - Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service

Car enthusiasts would argue that "those were the days". Everything you drove was built like a tank and had the chrome on it so you enjoyed washing it but NO power steering. For most of us, it is hard to remember life without power steering – cranking those great big steering wheels? It was a pretty good workout. Now power steering is standard. The heart of any power steering system is its pump. The pump pressurizes the power steering fluid that provides assistance for steering. Most pumps are driven by a belt that is run by the engine – a few are electrically powered. A high-pressure hose passes fluid from the pump to the steering gear. A low-pressure hose returns the fluid back to the pump. Here at Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA we know that you depend on that power steering and check your fluid & hoses religiously!

Have you always wondered what a spark plug does? Our team here at Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service 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.

Fuel economy isn't far from the minds of our Midlotian drivers and we hear these questions daily such as: Why can certain cars zip along at close to 40 mpg while others are lucky to get anywhere near 20? As it turns out, there are as many factors that go into how well your ride does at the pumps! Here are the 10 factors that have the greatest impact on fuel consumption that we would like to share with you.

A light on the dash that doesn't say - washer fluid is low immediately panics you right? It can happen when you don't keep up with standard maintenance and with older vehicles, you see it due to the age of the vehicle, however here at Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, we like to keep you driving happy and listening to your favorite songs or talking to friends and family worry-free! Here are some quick tips and hard lines in the sand that you do not need to ignore.

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 Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA, here’s some info on leaky tires.

Getting into the habit of saving on fuel now will mean you’ll be ready when prices start rising again. You don’t have to buy a new, fuel-efficient car, either. No one wants to trade a fuel bill for a car payment, so take a look at our top 5 ways to save on fuel and you may just be able to pocket a little extra money at the end of the month.

If there’s one thing we know at Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA, its the importance of a transmission. While engines get a lot of the spotlight in conversations about vehicles, we know that the transmission is the unsung hero of your automobile. We want you to know just how important it is, too.

Flat tires are a huge inconvenience. The only thing worse than having a flat on your way home from work is having to wait on a tow truck to come to get you. Stuart Rolfe Muffler & Auto Service in Midlotian, VA wants to give you some tips on how to change your own tire so that you can keep money in your pocket and get your car back on the road.