Automotive Industry News & Information - Dirk's Auto Clinic

There are multiple types of tires on the market for almost every car, truck, or SUV. The type of tire you want depends on a variety of factors, from climate to how you drive. Here’s a short rundown of common street tires that’ll suit your needs.

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?...

Sometimes it is EASY to see if your car or truck needs to come into our shop for professional repairs!
1. You see steam rising from the engine!
2. The Check Engine Light is on!
3. The engine starts, but there is an odor that is not right.
4. You hear grinding or thumping noises.

Here at Dirk's Auto Clinic in Crystal River, FL we offer only the best products for our Crystal River, FL drivers and the new GM Gen V 5.3L GDI engine from our partner Jasper Engines & Transmissions, who is the nation’s leader in remanufactured engines and drivetrain products, make no exception.

When you experience issues with your Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, or Sierra (Hybrid) you now have an option to KEEP your vehicle and install a New JASPER GM Gen V 5.3L GDI engine which comes with their 3 yr | 100,000-mile Parts & Labor nationwide warranty which is fully-transferrable. That vehicle you love is now ready for lots of vacation trips and hard work.

The JASPER way is to fix any issues with the engine and re-design any inherent problems in the original product which is why they have been a leader in the market since 1942! We love their products because we know our customers can depend on the quality as well as the warranty if there should be an issue which brings complete peace of mind.

Repairs are costly and we all want to avoid them including our team here at Dirk’s Auto Clinic! It's our job and we take it seriously. Here, it is all about keeping your car or truck serviced and looking for problems "before" they happen to avoid those high repair costs and ensuring you avoid any breakdowns when it's hot outside or cold outside as either is a problem for our Crystal River drivers! Nobody can forsee a flat tire or blowout due to running over a nail, but we can avoid some of the regular issues we see all the time such as....

Our fleet truck customers do not need to spend valuable time in the shop with transmission issues due that could have been avoided by servicing their fleet vehicles based on their owner's manual recommendations! Especially if it is simply changing a clogged filter, changing fluids or clutch issues! Our transmission technicians here at Dirk’s Auto Clinic in Crystal River believe that service = saving high repair bills! Therefore, we believe in a proactive approach!

When your light comes on, it is ALWAYS important to look at the issue to see if it is a problem. Especially if it is a light we all understand. Tire pressure is one we all can relate to and an easy one to look at. However, most drivers just assume the air is low in them and ignore it which is not a good idea especially when you are driving a 4x4 diesel truck off-roading and could have picked up anything and/or everything like this truck tire did.

He looked, and immediately headed over to see our technicians here at Dirk’s Auto Clinic.

It doesn't matter if you are driving a car or truck, jeep or SUV, a diesel 4x4 or a classic when those dash warning lights go off the first thing you do is think "how bad is it?" and "how much will it cost me?" followed quickly by "when was my last service visit?"!! Driving your vehicle longer safely is all about getting it serviced based on what your vehicle manual recommends and these warning lights are alerting you to a situation that requires your attention.

While not all warning lights are a sign that disaster is imminent, no warning indicator light should ever be ignored!