Automotive News & Information - Dirk's Auto Clinic

Whether you drive a Porsche, Audi, BMW, Subaru, Land Rover, or other performance and luxury vehicles, your ball joints are an essential part of your car or SUVs performance and safety. From us at Dirk’s Auto Clinic, here’s what to watch out for, to make sure your ball joints are in shape and ready to go.

When something goes wrong with your vehicle, it can be tempting to take the cheapest route. With eBay, Amazon, and the countless other sources for car and truck parts on the market today, many people decide to go that route to save some money. Here we choose only quality automotive parts for our Crystal River, FL driver at Dirk’s Auto Clinic because we want to ensure their parts match our commitment to providing them high quality repairs.

At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, we know that a key aspect of taking care of your transmission is understanding how it works. Here’s some info on transmission fluid types, in case you’re having trouble finding yours.

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?...

Fluid levels, tire condition, dashboard lights, and a variety of other items typically are briefly explored whenever you bring your vehicle in for maintenance here at Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL, where we are good at noticing things that need repair, but the fact of the matter is that only you know your car. You know when your car feels off when it's been serviced last (or that it hasn't been serviced at all,) and have at least some vague idea of what’s going on with your vehicle day to day. Here are some questions you can ask us next time you come by the shop;

Your fleet or commercial truck works hard, every day. Most commercial vehicles are heavy, and constantly under load. As a result, your brakes will inevitably develop issues over time. At Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL, we can fix that.

If you drive a standard shift car, truck, or SUV, there’s a good chance you’ve heard this line from a know-it-all buddy in the passenger’s seat: “You know, it’s bad for the transmission when you leave your hand on the shifter.” But, does what your friend says have any merit? Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River has the answers.

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 Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River.