Preventative Maintenance Reduces Repair Cost & Extends Auto Life:

There you are, tooling down the highway day after day without a care because you  assume your newer car can now go forever without a tune-up, right?  Unfortunately, that mindset may just end up costing you lots of money. Years ago, the traditional “tune-up” included replacing the points, replacing the spark  plugs, resetting the timing and adjusting the carburetor and choke.

Today, cars no longer have carburetors or points, they have electronically triggered  ignition systems. Spark timing and air/fuel mixture are manipulated by an engine control  unit (ECU). Additionally, unleaded fuel and precious metal components have increased spark plug life. Therefore, there is little to “adjust” in a traditional sense.  In short, the engine  management system has, through technology, changed the way many of the basic  functions are carried out in the internal combustion process.

While the manufacturer may recommend a long potential tune-up cycle, whether a  vehicle needs repair or not is often influenced by different driving styles and varying weather conditions, which effect the wear-and-tear on expensive sensors and control  devices.

For example, city driving which requires many starts and stops, or rural driving, which  often is over dusty, dirt roads, can lead to increased wear and tear on your vehicle. Further, failure of a single sensor could affect other parts of the engine and compound the cost of repairs.  When you’re looking at the difference between less than $100 to costly repairs in the  $500 range, periodically having your vehicle checked will pay off . Today’s vehicle’s  represent a sizeable investment to most people and taking care of it should include routine check-ups. Whereas before, a tune-up was considered necessary regular maintenance in order for  the vehicle to perform efficiently, today the tune-up should be looked upon as  recommended preventative maintenance. A large percentage of shop repairs today are done as a result of the diagnosis of  driveability complaints. The diagnosis and repair of driveability complaints are generally  higher than the cost of a periodic preventative maintenance tune-up.  Therefore, industry groups such as the Tune-up Manufacturer’s Council (TMC) recommends preventative maintenance tune-ups at periods shorter than the indicated potential tune-up cycle for that vehicle. A periodic preventative maintenance tune-up should include:

• Replacing the spark plugs

• Replacing the air filter

• Replace the fuel Filter

• Changing the oil and replacing the oil filter

• Replacing the PCV valve (where applicable)

• Performing a complete engine management system diagnosis

• Inspecting the primary electrical system wiring and ignition leads

• Performing a charging system check

So, if you’re the least bit concerned about your vehicle’s ability to go the distance due to weather conditions or driving style, it might just pay to visit your local service center today for a preventative maintenance tune-up.