19 Jan Yes, Your Vehicle Tune-Up is Important!

Things like regular oil changes and rotating your tires are easy to remember. Making sure our vehicle’s get to the garage for routine car repair and tune-ups often slip our minds.

There are a few reasons tune-ups are often forgotten. The first is because they don’t occur nearly as often as the stuff we do handle. We get a sticker that tells us the exact date/mileage when we need to bring our vehicle in for an oil change but we’re expected to simply know when it’s time for a tune-up.

The other reason that tune-ups are often pushed to the back of our minds is that while the car is running perfectly we see little point in spending a few hundred dollars on a tune-up. The general attitude is that if the car is running perfectly there’s nothing to tune-up.

The reality is that tune-ups play an important role in preserving the life of your car.

During Tune-ups, we Find Things you Don’t Notice

Just because your car appears to be running perfectly it doesn’t mean it really is. When you bring your vehicle in for a tune-up we hook it up to the computer and make sure that all the systems are functioning at their peak performance. If they are, we send the car back to you. If they aren’t, we look for the reason things aren’t perfect and correct the issue.

How you Benefit from Tune-ups

The main reason drivers actively avoid bringing their car in for a tune-up is because they’re worried about the cost. What you probably don’t realize is how much money routine tune-ups ultimately put back in your pocket.

Improved Fuel Efficiency

Making a few simple changes to your car during the tune-up doesn’t just mean it runs better, it also improves fuel efficiency. The amount you save at the gas pump quickly adds up and covers the relatively low cost of the tune-up.

Smoother Rides

During your tune-up, we explore reasons your car might not handle as well as it should and make small corrections. These small corrections have a major impact on how your car handles. You’ll likely notice it as soon as you pick up your car. The better handling reduces wear on your tires and means you enjoy a more comfortable ride. Most importantly, the improved handling you experience after routine car tune-up improves your car’s response time when you have to drive evasively, enabling you to avoid a costly accident.

Avoid Major Repairs

Deciding to take your car into the car repair shop because you don’t want your mechanic to uncover any costly repairs is not going to help you save money. Catching a major problem during a tune-up gives you time to think about how you want to handle the problem.

Ideally, you’ll have us repair the situation right there, but if that’s not an option we can offer an estimate on how much you can drive the car before it becomes an issue. This gives you time to decide if you want to repair the problem (and start saving money) or if you should invest in a different vehicle.

If you don’t bring the car in for a tune-up, eventually a damaged part we would have caught during the tune-up will break and you’ll be left on the side of the road. Not only will this mean you’ll have to address the repairs right away rather than on your own terms, but you’ll also face the additional costs of having your vehicle towed and having to rent a car while you wait for it to be repaired.

When to Start Thinking About Tune-ups

You should bring your car in for a tune-up every 10,000 to 20,000 miles. If you drive in heavy city traffic, bring it in more frequently, if most of your driving is on highways, waiting until you’ve driven 20,000 miles is fine. You should also bring it in anytime you notice your car is handling differently than normal.

We promise we’ll do everything in our power to keep your car healthy and safe. Feel free to contact us today to book a routine car repair appointment.