CARS.COM -- A car tuneup is an outdated service consisting of replacing parts to bring the ignition and fuel systems up to spec for maximum engine performance and efficiency. A traditional tuneup hasn’t been available or necessary for years. Today’s remaining tuneup services include new spark plugs and cabin air filter replacement. Both are part of your vehicle’s maintenance schedule just as much as checking tire pressure or getting an oil change are — and today’s “tuneup” services are likely to be more like checkups for your car.
Related: More Maintenance Coverage
So, while you can still get a tune-up, here’s what you should expect for newer cars: Only for Driving Problems. Every driver should be following their vehicle’s maintenance schedule, so what’s involved in a tune-up. Jul 05, 2018 So, what is a tune-up these days? Typically, it's now part of the routine scheduled maintenance, often due every 30,000 miles or so. It usually involves changing the spark plus or engine air filter, and maybe cleaning the throttle body, if it has carbon buildup. What’s involved with a modern tune-up. May 28, 2015 What is Involved in an AC Tune-Up? If you don’t know this already, regular maintenance for your heating and air conditioning units is very important. The people who don’t realize this are often those whose systems unexpectedly break down, leaving them without any heating or air conditioning during some of the most uncomfortable times of year.
What Is An Auto Tune Up
Spark plugs, for example, are typically replaced every 100,000 miles. And the federal EPA and Department of Energy say that replacing a clogged air filter will not improve gas mileage but can improve acceleration by roughly 6 to 11 percent. The agencies do not say what benefit can be derived from fresh spark plugs, but computers that control today’s engines adjust the air-fuel mixture and spark timing to compensate for wear, such as when the electrodes on spark plugs are worn down.
Even so, some car owners still dutifully take their vehicle in periodically to have it “tuned up.” Instead, what actually happens is that service technicians will inspect and perhaps test the fuel, ignition and emissions systems to look for faulty vacuum hoses, oxygen sensors and various other parts that can hurt the car’s performance. The federal government, for example, says a bad oxygen sensor can give engine computers false readings and reduce fuel economy by as much as 40 percent.
Don’t Ask for a Tuneup, Just Follow Your Car’s Maintenance Schedule
Having your vehicle serviced and inspected periodically is a good way to extend its life and keep it operating efficiently. (Here are some signs your car needs to be checked by a mechanic.) However, walking into a repair facility and asking for a tuneup is a bad idea because it indicates you’re still living in a previous century with no knowledge of what your car actually needs and have extra money to spend. Some in the auto repair business will take advantage of those opportunities.
Look in the owner’s manual for your vehicle (or separate maintenance schedule) to find what the manufacturer recommends, and see if you can even find the word “tuneup.” (Finding it with a hyphen counts; don’t worry, we’ll wait.) For example, we looked at the maintenance guide for the Ford Fiesta that also applies to other Ford vehicles. The first mention of anything related to a traditional tuneup was to replace the engine air filter every 30,000 miles. The only other related item was to replace the spark plugs every 100,000 miles.
Now, to find a mechanic you trust and get some proper maintenance done, check out the video below.
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In this guide to learning what an engine tune up is, we determine what exactly goes on during an engine tune up and why one is ever needed. Following on from that, we investigate how often an engine tune up is needed and what should be on everyone’s engine tune up checklist. Lastly, we touch on whether an engine tune up can be carried out by a DIY mechanic or whether it should be carried out by a professional.
What Is An Engine Tune Up?
An engine tune up is a necessary exercise for all car engines to undergo regularly. It is a way of making a car’s engine work at the level and standard intended by the car manufacturer when the car was first made. All manufacturers will stipulate a schedule of when a car will require an engine tune up to ensure a car runs at its most efficient.
As cars develop and engineering becomes better and better, the amount of engine tune ups that cars need are starting to diminish. In fact, only a handful are really often required in modern day cars over the average 10 year life span, or just over 200,000 km. This is obviously down to improved design and how cars themselves are produced. Given that cars are largely made by robots and automated computed systems these days, the room for human error that often caused the need for more regular engine tune ups has largely been removed. Plus, we are lucky in our day and age with the marked improvement in engine oil and other such car accessories that can help improve the performance of our cars while they are running. Electronic computer units are another reason for this as they run operating system upgrades regularly as a matter of course.
That is not to say however that the need for engine tunes ups has been completely eradicated. Tune ups are definitely still needed, but will largely have to do with inspecting and ensuring that the carburetor is running ok with the correct balance of air and fuel. Tune ups also look at replacing, if necessary, parts of the ignition system. These include vital car parts like spark plugs and a distributor rotor. Air filters will also most likely be replaced during a routine service and tune up while emissions will also be checked owing to an increased awareness in the environment in recent years. Some mechanics may like to adjust the valve train too.
Why You Need To Do An Engine Tune Up?
As briefly mentioned above, engine tune ups are imperative to ensure that all the power and efficiency that your car is capable of is being reached. Mechanics, or well educated DIY amateurs, will start an engine tune up by visually inspecting all components within an engine and then fitting new parts as needed. This is when the parts like spark plugs or fuel filters could be replaced as required in addition to the contact breaker points or the distributor cap.
One of the best ways to answer the question ‘why do you need to do an engine tune up’ however is in the results of when a tune up has been completed. Drivers will immediately notice that their car is running in a much smoother fashion and is far more efficient in terms of the amount of fuel the vehicle goes through. Fuel economy often almost pays for an engine tune up in itself as well as the fact that a tune up restores some power that is lost over time and usage.
Manufacturers recommend having an engine tune up, not to make car owners part with more money throughout the lifespan of a car, but actually to help car owners ensure the longevity of that lifespan and get far more back in terms of return on investment of the vehicle. Plus sticking to the servicing schedule can make selling a car that much easier when you have decided the time is right to part ways.
How Often Should I Have My Car Tuned Up?
As briefly alluded to earlier in this guide, a car needs tuning up perhaps every 250,000 km, 160,000 miles or every 10 years – or simply when your car’s manual stipulates upon the recommendation of your car’s manufacturer and maker. This is the best place to confirm when to have a tune up as engines, and when they need servicing, really vary a great deal when it comes to the vehicle and the model as well as how many miles that car has driven as well as its age.
Bearing that in mind, it sometimes pays to have your car serviced earlier than recommended in your service manual as your car, and the demands you have put on it, may require a tune up. Therefore, there are some other symptoms or points that can prompt a tune up that little bit earlier. They are:
Engine Tune Up Checklist
Understanding what an engine tune up is, helps car drivers realise the costs involved behind having their car regularly serviced as well as learning why cars need a tune up in the first place. Here is an engine tune up checklist so that drivers can run through with their mechanic what they have completed in a tune up, or it can even be used by well educated amateur DIY mechanics who are trying to get their car to run that little bit more smoothly.
This may all sound like a lot, but they’re little jobs that add up to making your car’s engine run so much better that it really is a worthwhile service for your car. It is seeing this checklist, however, that may persuade at home amateur mechanics to have their car professionally serviced.
What Is Involved In An Auto Tune UpAn Engine Tune Up – The Bottom Line
Having an engine tune up is just one of those things that all cars require from time to time so is necessary for car drivers to be aware of and take on the chin – even if it costs them some cash. In the long run, a tune up will actually save drivers money in terms of fuel efficiency – at the very least. Tune ups are also good opportunities for drivers and mechanics to find fault with vehicles before they turn into big problems that could cost the car owner far more. So it really does pay to know the tell tale signs that your car needs a tune up as well as adhering to your car manufacturer’s recommended servicing schedule.
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