What is a tune-up?
It’s nothing but a set of maintenance tasks that will help to prolong the life of your vehicle. It will include all the basics such as topping up fluids, changing the oil, and also minor part replacements. Ask your local shop or service advisors to check all the parts in your car like the fuel system, electrical system, chassis, engine, and transmission, and make the appropriate changes.
You can even auto tune up at home, but many will not prefer it. They will get help from experts and ensure all the parts are safe. A mechanic tuning up your car will help to spot the major mechanical problems so you can easily fix them before any serious damage.
Do I need a tune-up?
If you have a check engine light or other warning light on then tuning is needed. Those lights sometimes indicate major issues, they can also be triggered by minor part failures.
Once the tune-up is completed, see if the check engine light is still on and ask the professional why it blinks.
If the warning light is not in “on” state then continue car tune-up if your car has reached a routine service interval checkpoint, after a certain number of miles, your car needs a tune-up.
Older cars need a full tune-up every 10,000 to 12,000 miles. Newer cars can go 25,000 miles or more between tune-ups.
What does a car tune-up include?
A car tune-up will include the basic maintenance and the replacement of minor parts. Hire an expert to complete an inspection following a car tune-up checklist and then perform the required tasks.
Here is your complete car tune-up checklist:
- Oil change: Change the oil adequately.
- Filter replacements: Cabin air filter, oil filter, fuel filter, PCV valve
- Hoses: Radiator hose, heater hose, power steering hose, fuel hose
- Belts: Timing belt and serpentine belt
- Windshield wipers: Front driver, passenger, and rear blades
- Tires check, balance, and rotation
- Fluids: Coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, power steering fluid
- Battery check
- Sparkplugs: Spark Plugs and any worn out wiring
Wheel alignment
Warning signs
Vibrations or shaking:
While starting the car, if you feel braking, steering, wobbling or shaking sensation in the steering wheel or in the seat, then there could be any number of issues.
Brake problems:
Inspect your brakes regularly. Brake problems come in a variety of forms, sometimes it may be due to a brake pedal that feels soft or spongy. Also, be aware of noisy brakes. Whining or scraping sounds are the signs of a brake failure.
Rough shifting
Your car’s automatic transmission system must be capable of handling the gear-shifting process smoothly. If you get any inconvenience in the shifting, then there might be a transmission issue.
Ignoring Warning Lights
If you have noticed any warning lights, it is probably the sign that your car needs a tune-up. Most people often ignore this issue which usually results in more costly repairs.
Decreased Fuel Mileage
Fuel mileage is quite tough to monitor unless your vehicle has an MPG monitor, but while driving you may notice this drop in fuel efficiency. There are many factors that determine your vehicle’s fuel economy, including the engine operation, the performance of your emissions system and especially how your vehicle drives. A poor wheel alignment can drastically affect your vehicle’s gas mileage.
