Have you always wondered what a spark plug does? Our team here at National Brake & Muffler 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. 

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 National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, GA, 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 National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, GA.

At National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, our goal is to keep your car, truck, or SUV shifting and riding as smoothly as it did the day it rolled off the lot. A big part of that is the mounting hardware that keeps the moving parts in your drivetrain running smooth.

Many cars, particularly models produced between the 1970s and the 1990s, utilize cable clutch designs instead of hydraulics to operate the clutch. Here’s a brief explanation of clutch cable systems, from National Brake & Muffler in Griffin.

Do you hear a funny clicking sound when you turn the wheels of your vehicle? It could be your car or truck's CV or Drive Axle, and it may be in need of repair. Safety is the number one priority for our customers here at National Brake & Muffler, and it is our goal to keep your vehicle running smoothly. Driving around with a damaged CV Joint or Drive Axle problem can be extremely dangerous. The axle is a structural component that bears the weight of the vehicle, any cargo, and the acceleration forces between you and the ground. It is so important to have your vehicle inspected regularly by a trained automotive repair professional here at National Brake & Muffler to ensure its safety.

At National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, routine maintenance and repair isn’t the only thing we do. For custom parts installation, you can also count on us. Common modification enthusiasts do is swapping to a short-throw shifter; but what actually is a short-throw shifter, and what does it do?

“Transfer case” is a term you may have heard in discussions about transmissions. But what is it, and what does it do? National Brake & Muffler in Griffin wants to keep you up to date and knowledgeable in your vehicle. Different aspects of your vehicle provide different issues and solutions.

Whether you drive a Chevrolet, Dodge, or Ford diesel pickup, maintenance and repair performed the correct way is a huge part of keeping you on the road. At National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, GA, we use ASE certified technicians to make sure you get the best service in the industry.

You may occasionally hear the term “transaxle” used in place of “transmission” for your car or SUV. Is there a difference, and if so, what is it? National Brake & Muffler in Griffin is here to help.

At National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, GA, 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.

At National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, we know that few problems are simultaneously as simple and confusing as a bad ground connection on your car, truck, or SUV. Here’s a look at some symptoms of a bad ground, and what you can do to correct it.

Hydraulic power has a lot to do with how your transmission operates. There are some basic hydraulic components that keep your transmission running smoothly.

At National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, GA, we believe it’s important for you to know how different systems in your car, truck, or SUV operate. Whether you want to know what to watch out for, or you’re just curious about how things work, we’re here to supply the answers.

At National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, GA, we know how annoying a faulty fuel gauge can be. Never knowing how much gas you have in your car, truck, or SUV, and constantly running the risk of stranding yourself on the road somewhere, takes its toll after a while. Luckily, we can fix that.

Your pickup truck is heavy and hard working, whether it’s a Chevy, Ford, or Dodge. If you add towing to the mix, it’s even heavier and has to work harder. Your brakes are one of the most wear and tear prone systems on your diesel pickup, but at National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, GA, we can help you keep yours in good shape.

Unless you use your vehicle to tow every day for work, odds are you haven’t paid much attention to your truck, SUV, or crossover’s towing capacity. Maybe you’re looking to buy a boat for some summer fun or just need to rent a trailer to get your belongings from one dwelling to the next. Whatever the reason for pulling something behind your vehicle, it’s important to get a firm grasp on what exactly your towing capacity means. Understanding how each of the components in your vehicle contributes to your overall tow rating can keep you from putting undue stress on your rig and keep you and your family safe.

Automatic transmissions aren’t well understood outside of specialists like our technicians here at National Brake & Muffler in Griffin, GA. While it would be impossible to teach you enough to make you a transmission expert in a quick article, what we can do is give you the fundamental knowledge you need to have a good idea of what your transmission is doing and how it works. Being able to understand how your transmission works will help you identify any problems that may arise to prevent further wear and tear on your vehicle. 

We’ve all been there: You start your car in the morning and begin to back out of the driveway. You hear an unusual noise coming from your car, and it sounds bad. How do you know if it's something you should bring in to us here at National Brake & Muffler to get looked at?