The best way to keep your car out of the repair facility with major repair problems is to follow a basic vehicle care maintenance schedule. It is recommended that you make general visual inspections and stay on top of vehicle maintenance items. The skilled automotive technicians at Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL can assist with basic vehicle maintenance and more complex repairs. Feel free to give us a call or come by at your convenience if you have any questions.

Did you know that airbags weren't mandatory safety equipment in passenger vehicles until 1997? Now, you'll find them in well over 100 million cars and trucks on the road. Since their invention, airbags, along with the seat belt, have played a major role in reducing the number of injuries and deaths in traffic collisions.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic, an integral part of our business is providing only the best customer service to our clients. Whether it’s through great communication skills or quality auto repairs, our customers can trust that whenever they come into our shop, they’re being treated with care along with their truck.

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 Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL.

There are a lot of drivers on the road today with improperly adjusted rearview mirrors, contributing to unnecessary blind spots and potentially hazardous driving conditions. At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we place a lot of value on efficiency; here’s how to get the most out of your mirrors.

Like anything else on your vehicle, keeping various systems clean and in good shape is essential to long life and reliability. Your fuel system is especially important - parts are expensive, problems can be difficult to diagnose, and it doesn’t take much contamination to cause a huge issue. It’s much easier to keep your fuel system clean than it is to clean a dirty or problematic system. Performing regular fuel treatment can prove very beneficial to the life of your vehicle.

In the old days, when your headlight burned out you just replaced the entire thing with a new glass bulb. Modern headlights are plastic assemblies, with a bulb inserted through the back. What this means, is that the plastic lens that light shines through never gets replaced, and eventually will begin to oxidize and deteriorate due to time, weather, and heat from your bulb. Today you will learn when it’s time to fix or replace your headlight assemblies, what options you have in doing so, and what the benefits are.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, were huge fans of seatbelts. They dramatically reduce the chances of being injured in an automobile accident, and in many cases, they are the difference between a fatal crash and walking away unharmed. But how long has the seat belt been around? When did wearing it become law?

There may come a day when you go to shift your vehicle out of “Park”, and the shifter refuses to move. Perhaps you are already experiencing this issue intermittently, or currently have a vehicle stuck in park. While this is a serious inconvenience, it doesn’t necessarily indicate a serious problem; let Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL put your mind at ease.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we see a lot of the same mistakes that cause a transmission to fail. With our help, you can avoid a preventable transmission failure and keep your car reliably on the road.

If you’re ever in a situation where you must remove the battery from your vehicle, it’s important to know what you’re doing. It seems pretty straightforward, and it is. However, there are some important things to remember when disconnecting the battery in your car, truck, or SUV. Here are some tips on disconnecting a car battery, from Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL.

Although driving may seem like an easy, everyday task for most people, there are still many dangers that it imposes on every driver. That is why is it crucial that every driver utilizes safe driving habits each time they are on the road. Dirk’s Auto Clinic understands this, and wants to make sure you're driving safely and responsibly.

Regular maintenance checks of your vehicle will help you avoid a catalytic converter that looks like this resulting in large repair costs which is what our team here at Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River want to avoid at all costs! We feel that every customer has a need to know what repairs are in their future and exactly how to budget for them if need be so we check your vehicle thoroughly and keep you informed.

There are several indicators that your catalytic converter isn't functioning at maximum capacity such as:

What does a flex plate do, and how do you know if yours is faulty? Your vehicle may be telling you things you may not know. Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River has the answers you need.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we know how irritating an issue with your car, truck, or SUV can be, even if it doesn’t immediately affect your vehicle’s performance. One such problematic issue, the excessively loud radiator cooling fan, is a common plague many automobile owners will experience.

Fuel economy isn't far from the minds of our Crystal River 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. 

Fuel economy isn't far from the minds of vehicle owners everywhere. 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.

Who created the world’s first car is actually a matter of debate; since the invention of the engine, people had been installing them on horse carriages to make them self-propelled. Even when automobiles specifically designed for engines came around, they were hardly recognizable as a car by today’s standards. However, the first patented automobile, a vehicle specifically designed to be propelled by an engine, was built by Karl Benz and completed in 1885.

Foggy headlights are a problem that has arisen in the past couple of decades, as we have moved away from glass sealed beam bulbs and into an era of plastic lenses with bulbs inside. While modern headlights are superior to the sealed beam headlights of years ago, they do tend to fog up after years of use. It’s a good trade for far better illumination and easier replacement, but an issue nonetheless. Hours and hours of heat, sunlight, and age eventually cause them to cloud up, which can reduce visibility at night in addition to worsening the appearance of your car, truck, or SUV. From Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL, here are some tips on taking care of your foggy or cloudy headlight issue.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we know that some of the most elusive issues with any car, truck, or SUV are often caused by the simplest of malfunctions. While you might consider a gas cap fairly innocuous, it can actually malfunction too, prompting a check engine light on your dashboard.