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Tune-ups For The 21st Century
In the ’60s the average car required tune-up every 5000 to 10,000 miles. Nowadays, if your car has less than 100,000 miles on it you may have never done it. Do you need to have it tuned? What’s different between the older cars and the new ones, and what’s involved? Good questions.
The differences boil down to better management of the engine’s fuel and ignition systems. Older cars had fuel delivered to the engine through a carburetor, and spark delivered through a distributor. New cars are fuel injected and computers control spark. Newer cars’ ability to infinitely adjust fuel and spark has led to better performance and economy plus removal of some components that one needed considerable maintenance.
But this doesn’t mean new cars no longer need maintenance. Though much has changed, the old saying “pay my now or pay me later” still applies. Cars now do truly run and last longer and are cheaper to drive than older ones. But think about this: In the ’60s a maintenance tune-up cost about $35 to $40 and cars cost about $3000. Today a maintenance tune-up runs about $350 to $400 dollars and cars can easily cost $30,000.
So what’s involved in a tune-up for the 21st century and how do you know when you need one? Spark plugs, PCV valves, air and fuel filters still must be serviced. Newer cars also need to have fuel systems cleaned. Mass air flow meters should also be cleaned to maintain performance and economy. Spark plugs now usually last from 60,000 to 100,000 miles. Fuel filters should be changed every 40,000 miles; a clogged fuel filter can become overworked and caused the fuel pump to fail. The cost of most fuel pump replacements is $600-$800 and the fuel filter replacement about $70 – a good reason to “pay me now or pay me later.”
Fuel systems also need to be cleaned of the carbon that builds up due to combustion, recommended every 50,000 to 75,000 miles. The computer, in order to calculate the fuel needed to maintain optimum air fuel mixture, may use an airflow sensor, which can also get a build up of dirt, causing it read incorrectly. Cleaning it during a routine tune-up can help restore mileage and performance.
In today’s tune-ups, the computer may need an occasional software update, and the shop may reprogram the computer. There are also many drivability problems corrected with reprogramming the computer. This is a relatively new service and a big step toward fixing many hard-to-solve problems. We must constantly change and adapt to the new technology in order to stay on top in the 21st century.
Car Care Q&A
Here are some commonly asked car care and repair questions. Click on the link for a quick answer.
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Car Care Tip of the day
Buy a bottle of touch-up paint for your car to touch up small scratches and stone chips before they start to rust. These bottles are available from auto parts stores and car dealers and come with a built-in touch-up brush.
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