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.

Are your fleet vehicles equipped with four-wheel or all-wheel drive? More and more, companies are moving towards vehicles equipped with one or the other - they’re safer and more useful, particularly in inclement weather or less than ideal conditions. If your fleet is powered by all four wheels, Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL has you covered.

Air filters are an important part of vehicle maintenance. What many people don’t realize is you actually have two filters; one for your engine and a cabin filter to filter the air coming into your car. Both of them function the same way but have entirely different purposes. They are often neglected, particularly the cabin filter, and yours may need to be changed right now. This guide, provided by Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, highlights the importance of filters, symptoms of an overused one, and how to maintain them.

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.

Your vehicle's engine needs clean air to burn the fuel – and it needs a lot of clean air. 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 Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we ensure you get the best air quality in your vehicle and explain the process of where this dirty air is going to our area drivers. 

Your car’s fuel system works with the rest of the engine control system to deliver the best performance with the lowest emissions. Check your car’s fuel system regularly or immediately if you smell gas or suspect a problem.

What does it do? - The fuel system transfers fuel from the fuel tank and passes it through a fuel filter for straining before it arrives at the injectors. A pressure regulator controls fuel pressure to ensure good engine performance under a variety of speed and load conditions. Fuel injectors, when activated, spray a metered amount of fuel into the engine. Some vehicles use a return line system to return unused fuel back to the tank.

Are you having trouble rolling one or more of your windows down? Worse yet, are you having trouble rolling them up? Either way, at Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we have the answers you’re looking for.

Whether you drive a Chevy, Ram, or Ford diesel pickup, we have you covered. At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL, we can do it all - and a big part of that is done by employing ASE certified technicians.

Without a working battery, your car will not be able to start. If you perform proper maintenance, however, an average car battery can start your car reliably for roughly four years. Your vehicle's radio and headlights, plus a slew of other important functions, are powered by an electrical current generated by your vehicle’s engine but a vital part of generating electricity is having a place to store it while it’s not being used, which is where a car battery comes into play. The battery holds electrical energy while a car is off in order to help the engine turn over and create a spark to start internal combustion.  What you don't want is to have a bad battery!!

Your vehicle's belts and hoses are essential to the cooling, air conditioning and charging systems, and the engine. Don’t take these routine replacement intervals for granted because they can break down and leave you stranded.

What is the purpose and importance of your belts and hoses? The timing belt keeps the crankshaft and camshaft mechanically synchronized to maintain engine timing. Whether serpentine, V-belt, or fan belt (the belts on the outside of the engine), they all transmit power from the front of the engine to accessories that need to be driven, such as the air conditioning, the charging system, and fans. Radiator and heater hoses carry coolant to and from the engine, radiator, and heater core.

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.

There is a reason we check your brake fluid when you come in for a service check.  Maintenance pays big dividends and we want to avoid high repair costs for our Crystal River drivers.  Did you know that brake service isn't just all about the brake pads, drums & rotors?  That we have found low brake fluid to be the cause of a large percentage of brake issues here at Dirk’s Auto Clinic?  Seriously, brake fluid is an important part of your braking system and with your service intervals being less frequent on the newer vehicles 5,000-10,000 more miles this has become an issue!  Why?...

Brakes are one of the most important components of your vehicle. You need the confidence of knowing that when you press your foot to the brake, your vehicle is going to stop. That's why it's important to keep these tips in mind to help keep your brakes functioning properly. Schedule an appointment with us at Dirk’s Auto Clinic for a brake service checkup today!

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, 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.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, our expert mechanics are here to work for you. On large commercial trucks, there’s one component that works harder than almost all the rest; your brakes. Our technicians have the knowledge and ability necessary to have your truck stopping like the day it rolled off the lot, no matter what the problem is.

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?

Your bumper covers are always in danger. Between other drivers, obstacles in the road, flash floods, or any other hazard you may encounter, at some point it’s likely your bumper covers will accrue some damage. At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL, we can fix that.

Checking the fluid level on your transmission is fairly easy, but a bit more complicated than checking your oil. Firstly, this only applies to automatic transmissions, and secondly, some modern vehicles don’t have dipsticks or dipstick tubes to check and add transmission fluid. With that in mind, here are some tips from Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL in regard to checking your transmission fluid.

Your vehicle's belts and hoses are essential to the cooling, air conditioning and charging systems, and the engine. Don’t take these routine replacement intervals for granted because they can break down and leave you stranded.

What is the purpose and importance of your belts and hoses? The timing belt keeps the crankshaft and camshaft mechanically synchronized to maintain engine timing. Whether serpentine, V-belt, or fan belt (the belts on the outside of the engine), they all transmit power from the front of the engine to accessories that need to be driven, such as the air conditioning, the charging system, and fans. Radiator and heater hoses carry coolant to and from the engine, radiator, and heater core.