Diagnostics

  • Maintaining a Diesel Fuel System

    Dirty Hands Working on a diesel truck engine

    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.

  • Noticing an Emergency on your Dashboard

    At Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD, 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 Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD will prepare you for the next time your vehicle shows you a warning you shouldn’t ignore.

  • Protect Your Car from Interior Leaks and Drips

    interior of car

    Leaks and drips that get the interior of your vehicle wet are definitely an inconvenience. Sitting water promotes rust, bad smells, and can ruin your carpet. Furthermore, the water often seems to come from seemingly nowhere, adding to the frustration. From Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD, here are some of the leading causes of water on your floor, and what you can do about it.

  • Recognizing Flood Damage When Buying A Vehicle

    Unless you are confident in your abilities as an automotive mechanic, there is really only one rule when purchasing a flood-damaged vehicle: don’t do it. Unfortunately, sometimes sellers aren’t particularly straight-forward with their used cars. Many will try to hide the fact that it’s been damaged by floodwaters at all or try to convince potential buyers that the car is in fact fine. “It has gone months with no issues” or “technically it is flood-damaged but” are two red flags, and while it isn’t impossible for a flood car to be fine, it’s altogether a good idea to stay away.
  • Reduce Noise and Increase Fuel Mileage

    city of drivers with smog

    While your exhaust system helps reduce noise output from your vehicle, it also significantly reduces harmful emissions from being released into the air. When your muffler and exhaust system are functioning properly, it significantly reduces your vehicle's harmful impact on the environment. It also significantly improves the functionality of your vehicle and improve fuel mileage for your car, truck, SUV or Jeep.

    An exhaust system is made up of numerous parts that work together to rid your car of the exhaust gases that are created during the combustion cycle, as your engine burns fuel. Each part of your exhaust system has an important role to play in removing exhaust gases away from the engine as quickly as possible, allowing another cycle of combustion to begin. The more quickly and efficiently an exhaust system does this the more efficiently an engine can run. The main parts of an exhaust system are an exhaust manifold, catalytic converter, oxygen sensors, exhaust pipes, and the muffler.

  • Sometimes it is obvious, others we have to hunt for it!

    car wiring chewed up photo

    Here at Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville 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.

  • Sometimes it is obvious, others we have to hunt for it!

    diagnostic machine on an engine

    Here at Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville 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.

  • Specifications of your vehicle for reliable performance

    Performance Car

    If you drive a performance or luxury vehicle, you know that your precision engineered equipment demands precision tuning. At Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD, we specialize in high-end imports and performance vehicles and keeping them up to par.

  • Take care of it or high repair bills? Which do you prefer?

    Oil gunked up on an engine.

    We see this with our fleet customers, our regular Hyattsville 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!

  • The ABS Light - why is it on, and what should you do?

    abs light on dash lit up

    Have you ever noticed your dashboard ABS icon lit up? If you have it means there is an issue that needs to be diagnosed, ABS issues don’t need to be ignored long. The anti-lock braking system, or ABS, is an important feature on every modern car, truck, or SUV. It has been legally mandated since 2013 in the US but was standard on almost every vehicle even prior to that. Here’s what you need to know to make sure your ABS system doesn’t fail, from Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD.

  • Tire Light On! Yes, there is a problem!

    hole in 4x4 diesel truck tire

    When your light comes on, it is ALWAYS important to look at the issue to see if it is a problem.  Especially if it is a light we all understand.  Tire pressure is one we all can relate to and an easy one to look at.  However, most drivers just assume the air is low in them and ignore it which is not a good idea especially when you are driving a 4x4 diesel truck off-roading and could have picked up anything and/or everything like this truck tire did. 

    He looked, and immediately headed over to see our technicians here at Capital Transmission, Inc.  

  • What Does That Check Engine Light Mean?

    check engine light on in car dash

    It’s a busy morning, you’ve finally gotten everyone where they need to be and you’re just pulling into the parking lot at work when your dash light starts glaring at you. Your check engine light shines bright, but you have no idea why. Whether you can tell a difference in the way your car, truck, or SUV is running, your car is trying to tell you something. At Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD, we can help!

  • What Is Your Mechanic Looking for In a Used Car Inspection?

    mechanic checking a list on a clipboard

    At Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD, we know buying a used car, truck, or SUV can be a gamble. While there are no guarantees, there are key points of inspection that tell us a lot about the condition of a vehicle and how it has been maintained. There are some important points of the inspection we verify when checking out a used vehicle.

  • What Parts Operate A Turbocharger?

    turbocharger under hood of car

    Turbochargers are intricate and precise components, but not all that complicated or difficult to understand. By knowing the parts of your car’s turbocharger and its functions, you’ll have a much better idea of how one works. Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD has exactly what you’re looking for.

  • When To Run Diagnostics

    911 diagnostics

    Modern vehicles are becoming increasingly complex, and as a result, computer diagnostic systems are becoming a necessity rather than a convenience. At Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD, our state of the art technology and trained technicians are ready to diagnose any transmission issue you may be experiencing with your car, truck, or SUV.

  • When To Run Diagnostics On Your Vehicle

    Modern vehicles are becoming increasingly complex, and as a result, computer diagnostic systems are becoming a necessity rather than a convenience. At Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD, our state of the art technology and trained technicians are ready to diagnose any transmission issue you may be experiencing with your car, truck, or SUV.

  • Why Are Oil Tests Important?

    mechanic holding oil stick over vehicle Changing the oil in big trucks and commercial vehicles is an expensive, but necessary, part of keeping your vehicles going. You don’t want to wait until it’s too late to change your oil, but changing it too early can be a waste of time and money. Having your oil tested regularly helps us to hone in on exactly how often your oil needs to be changed, to optimize reliability and efficiency.
  • Why do vehicles burn oil?

    car broke down on side of road smoking

    When your car, truck, or SUV is burning oil, it can be frustrating and costly. There are numerous reasons an engine will burn oil - these range from an altogether worn out engine to a simple part replacement. At Capital Transmission, Inc in Hyattsville, MD we want to keep you informed, here's what you need to know about why your engine might be burning oil.

  • Your Vehicle's Computer Collects MORE Data Than Your SMART PHONE!

    Your car data owned by manufacturers now

    Newer Vehicles Generate as Much As 25GB of Data/Hour according to McKinsey.  Now That is Extremely Interesting!  It is also daunting as we now need to know "what data" right?  You also want to know where it is going if anywhere and who owns the data?  All interesting questions that we never thought about.  Just get in and drive, choose a destination and if a light goes off in the dash you call us here at Capital Transmission, Inc to schedule an appointment.   We want our Hyattsville drivers to be informed as always and able to make their choices based on having facts.  This is a big change in the automotive-truck service industry and it really has not hit the news at all, so it is up to us to get you up-to-date and informed.  Here are the facts and where you can find more information!

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