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Article from CDriver

Our telephone is beginning to ring more frequently, as it does every year. The Christmas credit card bill is paid off and now the family car may need some attention. So the most frequently asked question is 'How much do you charge for a tune up?' Which is the equivalent of the old engineering joke, 'How high is up?'

This tradition of a Spring tune up stems from the days before seat belts were invented and when ignition wires were made of copper, covered in rubber that perished spectacularly in less than twelve months. From the days when spark plug technology was crude and rude, when distributor caps were made of 'bakelite' and would crack open at any temperature below freezing. From the days when distributors had breaker points and condensers and little cam followers that wore down rapidly and so on, and so on, throughout the whole car.

Today, we have manufacturers who boast that you don’t need a tune up for 160,000 kilometres. If you want to believe that, when the warranty runs out after five years, well, go ahead and believe it. But please don’t call me to ask for a price after 160,000 kilometres without any attention, because it is likely to be more than the poor old car is worth!

Our answer to the tune up question is one of reasonable expectations.

In the Great White North, obviously, a car takes much more of a beating than it would in Arizona. Nevertheless, the durability of cars these days is so good that the only way in which we can possibly provide a firm quotation is to do a quick inspection to see what is needed.

I know, I know, that means my customers have to trust me, but so they do anyway and the whole secret of fair priced car repairs lies in finding and keeping a competent, honest garage.

So, we very often find that an engine needs no attention at all in the springtime. More likely to be showing signs of potential problems are suspension and steering components, with exhaust systems coming in a close second.

Tires that have pounded their way through innumerable potholes may also have developed distortions, and bent rims are a common defect. Brake rotors can suffer from instant rusting, particularly if they are left unused for several days at a time. Yes, even in Florida.

So a 'Spring Tune Up’' that concentrates solely on engine problems is missing the point. Sure, things should be given a quick check, but the whole car needs verification, not just the engine.

A technician that knows his stuff, can do all of this checking in about one hour and very often that is all we charge, because the owner simply doesn’t need any work done.

The cost of car ownership has undoubtedly risen, but the quality of the components is infinitely superior to cars built even ten years ago, so that the cost of mechanical maintenance has dropped. Our main effort these days is spent in electronic trouble shooting.

So if your 'check engine' light isn’t on and you seem to be travelling the same distance on a tank of gas, the likelihood is that a minimal amount of engine 'tune up' - perhaps just an oil change, will keep you and your car happy all summer long.