Do you need new brake pads? Most of the time, if you think you do, the answer is yes. While a lot of auto parts stores sell brake pads with lifetime warranties, don’t be misled...brake pads will still wear down.

By now, the numbers are clear; seat belts save lives. But just wearing one isn’t enough - it needs to be working properly to actually keep you safe. Here’s what you need to know about the seat belts in your car, truck, or SUV, from Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, MD.

At Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, MD, we understand that the care for your vehicle is in the details. Transmission work, more so than any other type of maintenance or repair, requires a keen eye and specific know-how.

Balanced wheels are essential for a multitude of reasons, particularly on commercial trucks. At Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, we have the precision equipment necessary to provide you with the best balance possible, keeping your truck smoothly and reliably on the road.

At Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, we know that in order to keep your car in good shape, it helps to know how it works. Here’s a quick rundown of a system that’s very important, but you take for granted until there’s a problem; your brakes.

Obviously, your fuel delivery system is an extremely important aspect of the running condition of your truck. At Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, our expert team of mechanics can treat and clean your fuel delivery system, ensuring you get the most out of your fleet.

Your fuel system is comprised of a variety of parts, each tasked with keeping your engine running strong - Chevy, Ford, and Ram all have small differences, and diesel systems have changed over the years with innovation in the field; however, the fundamentals haven’t changed. At Monument Street Auto Center, our technicians are familiar with the differences between models and generations, but for the intents and purposes here they aren’t necessary to know. Here’s an overview of the major components you’ll find in most diesel fuel systems.

Diesel engines are known for their reliability - that’s probably at least partially why you bought one. However, like all things, diesels and their components wear out eventually. Fortunately, the technicians at Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, MD have you covered. Here are some fuel system issues to watch out for.

Good diesel technicians and shops that service diesel engines are hard to come by. At Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, MD, diesels are our specialty. There are many reasons to have diesel truck maintenance performed by diesel specialists - here are just a few.

Obviously, your brakes are essential. However, it’s easy to neglect or ignore brake issues, and even miss them altogether; as long as the car, truck, or SUV still stops, many people don’t see the need to have their brakes serviced. From Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, here are some common brake issues, and why you should fix them.

When driving around town, your vehicle's engine needs clean air to burn the fuel – and it needs a lot. In fact, a typical vehicle needs about 216,000 gallons of air for every tank of gas. All that air passes through a filter that catches the dust and dirt. Eventually, the filter gets completely full, and because the filter can only hold so much, dirt starts getting through. At Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, we want to help you get the best air quality in your vehicle, but first, we want to explain the process of where this dirty air is going. 

At Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, MD, we know there’s a lot of conflict on when you should maintain certain things on your truck. We also know there are consequences to neglecting maintenance; the difference between a truck that breaks down all the time and a truck that has covered over a million miles virtually trouble-free all boils down to maintenance.

For obvious reasons, air brakes are an essential part of your rig. They also add a level of complication to the braking system that a conventional vehicle doesn’t have. At Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, our mechanics have the knowledge, equipment, and ability necessary to keep your air brakes in top shape.

At Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, MD, 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 Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, MD.

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.

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 Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, MD, 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 Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, MD, 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 are some important aspects of diesel fuel system maintenance, to keep your fleet running smoothly. While your system and components should typically be serviced by a professional technician, there are some things you can be conscious of that will go a long way toward keeping your engine in good shape.

At Monument Street Auto Center in Baltimore, MD, 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.