What scheduled service is REALLY required?
February 18, 2006 4:01 PM Subscribe
Scheduled car maintenance -- what's needed? My owner's manual and service technician disagree.
Getting my oil changed at one of those quick change shops, the service guy comes in and says that Toyota recommends that my 2005 Corrolla gets the fuel injectors cleaned (not exact language) at 15,000 mi, and do I want it done ($60)? I say yes, and then, running errands, I started to wonder what I got for the $60. I look in the owners manual and at 15,000mi there's no mention of getting anything fuel-related cleaned, and in fact there's never any mention of this at all.
I call the dealer, and he says you need it done every 2 years or 30,000mi. When I noted that the owner's manual did not mention it, he said, that's just a list of what you have to do to stay under warranty.
When I showed the owners manual to the oil change guy, he agreed to refund the $60, but was surprised the manufacturer didn't require it.
Who should I believe -- the service guys, with an interest in selling me service, or the manufacturer, whose interest is selling me a low maintenance vehicle?
Getting my oil changed at one of those quick change shops, the service guy comes in and says that Toyota recommends that my 2005 Corrolla gets the fuel injectors cleaned (not exact language) at 15,000 mi, and do I want it done ($60)? I say yes, and then, running errands, I started to wonder what I got for the $60. I look in the owners manual and at 15,000mi there's no mention of getting anything fuel-related cleaned, and in fact there's never any mention of this at all.
I call the dealer, and he says you need it done every 2 years or 30,000mi. When I noted that the owner's manual did not mention it, he said, that's just a list of what you have to do to stay under warranty.
When I showed the owners manual to the oil change guy, he agreed to refund the $60, but was surprised the manufacturer didn't require it.
Who should I believe -- the service guys, with an interest in selling me service, or the manufacturer, whose interest is selling me a low maintenance vehicle?
Ditto on following the owner's manual, which is vetted by legal teams to ensure everything is on the up-and-up to avoid class-action lawsuits.
posted by frogan at 4:23 PM on February 18, 2006
posted by frogan at 4:23 PM on February 18, 2006
Best answer: The owner's manual is gospel. If someone tries to convince you that something not listed there is necessary then he's trying to sell you something extraneous. The manual is in fact rather conservative (in that it is exhaustive as to what is specified) so anything extra is just that much more ridiculous.
And for what it's worth, injectors don't really need cleaning, at least not on any regular schedule. There are detergents in all gasolines that do this. All that you really paid for was for someone to dump a bottle of solvent in the gas tank and let it run for a few minutes. You can do this yourself if you want to feel happy for $5.
posted by Rhomboid at 4:37 PM on February 18, 2006
And for what it's worth, injectors don't really need cleaning, at least not on any regular schedule. There are detergents in all gasolines that do this. All that you really paid for was for someone to dump a bottle of solvent in the gas tank and let it run for a few minutes. You can do this yourself if you want to feel happy for $5.
posted by Rhomboid at 4:37 PM on February 18, 2006
When in doubt, contact the manufacturer. Not the dealer, the manufacturer. If there's been an update or change in the recommended service schedule, they'll tell you.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:40 PM on February 18, 2006
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 4:40 PM on February 18, 2006
Best answer: Sometimes manufactures decide peace of mind is worth spending above an actual required service schedule. In effect trading an increase in perceived reliability for extra cost.
For example a timing belt for a Chrysler 3L V6 is good for 200-250K. But because breaking a timing belt on Chrysler 3L doesn't damage anything else in the engine (non interferance design) Chrysler doesn't list it as a scheduled maintence item as a way of saving you money. Why replace the {labour expensive} belt at 180K if you might get another 30% more life or even decommision the car before it breaks. Some other manufacturers are more conservative and list the timing belt on a non-interferance engine as a must replace because they don't want people bitching that their Toyota broke down leaving them stranded on the side of the road.
Another example: the cold start injector on a some Mazdas is a listed must replace item on the factory service schedule. If it fails it only makes cold weather starting harder or impossible; failure doesn't harm anything else. Mazda lists it as a must replace after X miles to reduce complaints about hard starts because they know the injector typically starts failing after X+Y starts where Y is their safety margin.
posted by Mitheral at 5:00 PM on February 18, 2006
For example a timing belt for a Chrysler 3L V6 is good for 200-250K. But because breaking a timing belt on Chrysler 3L doesn't damage anything else in the engine (non interferance design) Chrysler doesn't list it as a scheduled maintence item as a way of saving you money. Why replace the {labour expensive} belt at 180K if you might get another 30% more life or even decommision the car before it breaks. Some other manufacturers are more conservative and list the timing belt on a non-interferance engine as a must replace because they don't want people bitching that their Toyota broke down leaving them stranded on the side of the road.
Another example: the cold start injector on a some Mazdas is a listed must replace item on the factory service schedule. If it fails it only makes cold weather starting harder or impossible; failure doesn't harm anything else. Mazda lists it as a must replace after X miles to reduce complaints about hard starts because they know the injector typically starts failing after X+Y starts where Y is their safety margin.
posted by Mitheral at 5:00 PM on February 18, 2006
« Older More songs about buildings and . . . more... | As an adult non student , how can one develop... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by sluggo at 4:14 PM on February 18, 2006