What is Car Tune-Up? Do You Need It?

The word “tune-up” is still thrown around casually by both car owners and service professionals alike. The definition may vary from the conventional but the frequency is still the same. Customers ask dealers about the next tune-up session and servicing agents take advantage by asking these owners to come in every 10,000-12,000 miles to improve gas efficiency and prolong engine health.This post explores the right definition of the popular term and its necessity in modern cars. In the end, you should be equipped enough to give the word tune-up its due treatment.

What is a car tune-up?

Back in the day when smartphones were still science-fiction, new and used cars from dealers were coming with mechanical ignition systems that used to decide the adequacy of the air-fuel mixture and timely spark plug action. This make required timely service to maintain the ignition and fuel systems at optimal levels which was done via a tune-up. Today, those mechanical systems do not exist. According to Henry Hoyle, who is selling used cars in Spartanburg, SC for over 20 years, in modern vehicles electronic chip is responsible for optimal levels of ignition and fuel systems, and of course more durable and efficient than moving parts. Understandably, the question of tune-ups does not arise in modern used cars.

Keeping the technical definition aside, some used car dealerships and servicing agents still use the word tune-up. What they actually mean is a spark plug change, an air filter replacement, or an oil change, all of which affect the ignition system. Many experts look into faulty vacuum hoses or oxygen sensors as well that are known to reduce a car’s fuel efficiency by almost 40%. Well, the casual dealers will not even give heed to that, but the best buy here pay here in Spartanburg will be upfront about these nuances. They will tell you what they mean by a tune-up.

Do you need it?

The best used vehicles in Spartanburg, SC that are fairly modern do not need the technical tune-up. And you definitely do not have to worry about it after 10,000-12,000 miles with oil change being the only exception. Spark plugs survive for over 100,000 miles. Engine air filters can function for 30,000 miles straight. Tune-ups should not be in your dictionary if you invested in a quality used vehicle from a reputed buy here pay here dealership.

Instead, focus on maintaining the servicing schedules mentioned in the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Think about periodic maintenance rather than tune-ups. The term is obsolete and does not apply to present-day cars with high-tech electronic systems. No automaker or dealer will ever advise you for it. Be informed, take smart decisions. Invest wherever necessary and question never-heard-before suggestions.