Ride quality is an essential part of your driving experience. At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL, we strive to keep your truck as smooth and comfortable to drive as the day it came off the lot. Your shock absorbers play a huge role in ride quality; here’s what you should know.

Coolant flushes are an important maintenance procedure, necessary for keeping your truck reliably on the road. At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we know that coolant flushes are a key aspect of preventative maintenance that goes a long way.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we know how much efficiency matters. When it comes to your truck, it’s equally important. Obviously, a huge chunk of your operating cost is fuel consumption, which is largely dependent on the truck's design. Fortunately, there are ways to greatly increase the efficiency of your truck, regardless of shape or size.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we know how important it is that your fleet benefits you as much as possible. One of the easiest ways to ensure this is by minimizing breakdowns. Breakdowns are expensive, time-consuming, and throw a wrench into operations; and as anyone who operates a fleet knows, time and efficiency are the most important factors in getting the most out of your fleet. Here are some tips on minimizing breakdowns in your fleet, from Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL.

Whether you drive a Chevy, Ram, or Ford diesel pickup, Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL is here to make sure your truck stays up to the task for a long time to come.

Road trips are a lot of fun, and often unpredictable. For all the miles you will be driving we always recommend preparing for any situation. With this checklist from Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, you’ll be prepared for whatever comes your way.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we understand how important safety is in the world of truck driving. The stakes are higher in a big truck; potential for damage is obviously far greater, to you, your cargo, and other people on the road. Here are some easy tips that go a long way.

Four-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles are becoming very popular. While they have some practical advantages they do require different maintenance techniques. Your vehicle has to be ready to take on the challenges of your driving style or terrain in the area and in order to keep those service bills down and avoid any costly repairs it's important to be proactive. Here is everything you need to know about your four-wheel-drive truck as well as some of the things our technicians at Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL check every time you visit our shop to ensure we take care of any issue you might have.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we’re not only here to fix your truck when something goes wrong...we’re here to help you understand your truck a little better, too. Here are some tips concerning your thermostat - how it works, what to watch out for, and what to do about it when one fails.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic, there’s a reason we’re the top rated truck repair center in Crystal River, FL; we do it all. While many shops shy away from the more complicated aspects of truck repair, we have the tools and people to get the job done.

All trucks, from a Chevy S-10, to the largest, heavy-duty trucks on the road, are classified into categories. Trucks are categorized by weight into classifications 1-9, and each grade comes with its own set of regulations and license requirements. Here’s a quick guide, from Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River.

Have you always wondered what a spark plug does? Our team here at Dirk’s Auto Clinic 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. 

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we know an important part of your ability to care for your transmission lies in your knowledge about how it works. Here is some information on the tow button, if your car, truck, or SUV is equipped with one.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, 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?

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, 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.

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.

Wheel bearings are an often overlooked, but incredibly important component on your diesel truck; and when one begins to fail, other problems begin to arise. Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River has the information you need to recognize a problem before it turns into a bigger one. Here’s what to look out for:

It’s likely you’ve been exposed to conflicting opinions about having your transmission fluid replaced. You may have heard that cars over a certain mileage should not have the transmission fluid flushed and replaced, because it could damage the transmission, or you may have had someone tell you the first thing you should do at any sign of trouble is have your transmission flushed. At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, our expert mechanics have the answers you’re looking for.

Tire pressure may seem innocuous enough, but at Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we know how much of a difference correct tire pressure makes. Tire pressure checks are just one of many regular service items we check when you bring your truck in for servicing, but it’s one that’s more important than you might think.