Automotive News & Information - Dirk's Auto Clinic

If you drive a car with a manual transmission, you’ve undoubtedly been told that you’re supposed to downshift to slow down, instead of relying completely on the brakes. But what is the science behind that, and does it matter? Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River explains.

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.

Obviously, your brakes are essential. However, it’s easy to neglect or ignore brake issues, and even miss them altogether; as long as the car, truck, or SUV still stops, many people don’t see the need to have their brakes serviced. From Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, here are some common brake issues, and why you should fix them.

A throw out bearing, sometimes called a thrust bearing, is an essential component of your clutch system. If you drive a car, truck, or SUV that’s equipped with a manual transmission, it’s important to know if your throw out bearing needs to be replaced. Here’s some information on the throw out bearing, from Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River.

Cars driving on road with wipers and headlights on

True safety starts with being able to see where you are driving. Your lights and wipers play a major role in safe driving and the chance of an accident increases if you can't see or be seen. No matter what time of year, it's important to make sure your vehicle's lights and wipers are working properly so your visibility is not compromised and you can be seen by others. From the driver's seat, you may not notice a light that isn't working, but when a big rain comes it becomes easier to see what you are missing! When wet weather hits your roads is not the time for you to discover limited visibility problems. Here at Dirk’s Auto Clinic we take our Crystal River drivers' safety seriously and inspect their vehicles when they come in for service.

If you drive a car with a manual transmission, you already know you have a clutch. But what exactly is it, and what does it do? At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we believe that knowing a little more about your car better prepares you to keep it maintained. Here’s what you should know about your clutch disc.

Antifreeze is a fluid that’s just as important as oil to the engine in your car, truck, or SUV. You probably already know it’s essential to keeping your engine cool - but it’s important for more than one reason, and does require maintenance besides keeping it full. From Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL, here’s what you need to know about antifreeze.