“Tune-Ups” Are Not What They Used to Be!!
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- Опубліковано 8 жов 2023
- We had quite the lineup of cars in the shop and it made us think about how much things have changed in this industry in the past 3 decades. In this video the Professor walks through the shop and shows the different facets of a tune up and then touches on what it looks like today. Should you be selling tune ups? Or if you’re a client of a shop should you ask for one? We hit on all of this. We hope this helps. Enjoy!
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Been an ase master tech for 30 years and i totally agree! The fuel and ignition systems are soooooo much better! If they could just quit going cheap with the variable cam timing and chains on certain vehicles and the manufacturer quit telling customers to go 10k between oil changes then that might help!
Yes, I go back to the early '60's. I agree with the chronology.
Here it is, 60 years later and most people can't get beyond arguing when to change the oil And, most don't have a clue about transmission service.
I never see a video on lubricating a car. The first time I ask a mechanic at an oil change to do a lube, I was met with an objection that modern cars don't need a lube. Quickly, I realized that I would have to give written directions and provide the lubricant. So, I do. If seals and bushings are lubricated, there is a risk of them drying out and cracking. Spraying with AT 205 is much cheaper than replacing a whole system because a seal or bushing dried and went bad.
I agree with everything you said with these new cars shouldn't be called tune-up.
I had a customer come in with a cylinder # 5 misfire the 1st thing he said to me was i need a tune-up spark plugs possibly a coil and i asked him who told you that?
He said a worker at O'Reilly told him that, and offered to do a free diagnostic test lol.
I told him you mean he just hooked up a code reader and told you the code that came up.
I wish these part stores stop offering free diagnostic test!!
Long story short after my diagnostic the vehicle didnt need a spark plug or ignition coil was a bad #5 fuel injector! Had high resistance way out of the factory specs.
I have a happy customer now.
Great point!
You are correct, but even back in the day the term “tune up” could also mean “routine maintenance.” Unlike today, a lot of maintenance parts required adjustments to get it within acceptable tolerances, so you could say you were tuning. But to me “tuning” means adjusting systems to reach some performance goal. Usually that goal was going faster, but it could be adjusting for altitude or available fuel. Back then, tuning required a vacuum gage, tach and feel meter, timing light, feeler gauges and a superior understanding or the relationship between air, fuel, and valve and spark timing. Today tuning usually requires a lap top and a flat brim hat😅
The early Bosch CIS injection system did require adjustment from time to time. A 3mm allen key was used to adjust the air flap under the bellows at the fuel distributor. Thank goodness for modern systems.
Thanks for sharing PROFESSOR, really interesting subject honestly whenever I get a chance to tune-up an old school vehicle I really enjoy working on them😇
It's a whole different era of automotive engineering😍
I tell customers to diagnose the car first to see what is the problem, It could be mechanical, fuel or ignition. Tune up is not gonna do anything if it is not diagnosed first. We need to educate customers or even some technicians how things work.
Hit the nail on the head with this video sir.
To this day, I still have an Andy Granatelli "The Tune Up Master" in my home garage. Rest in peace, Andrew.
You can do “tuning “ with a laptop and software on certain vehicles.
what an interesting video. I learned a ton having not really worked on any car pre 2000's or OBD 2
This was good but I favorite videos are when we are taken along to do a diagnosis, especially the tricky unusual ones. Thanks
Would love to hear your thoughts on charging for diagnostics and how you communicate that to the customer.. something we have always struggled with is charging appropriately for diag time, mostly due to customers not understanding what’s involved in doing proper diagnostics and garages offering “free” diagnostics which is usually nothing more than reading a fault code.
Great video as always. You guys are doing it right. My only regret is that you do not have your shop up here in Illinois! I am a bit of a DIY mechanic and do a lot of the work myself on my cars. I was a ground equipment mechanic in the Air Force and worked on everything from small gas turbines to single cylinder diesels as well as hydraulic testing equipment. My dad taught me to take pride in my work and do things right, the first time. That being said, I know when it is time to take my car to a real technician. Especially these days. I grew up with the old school engines, points, condensers etc. I had a recent issue with my wife's 2014 GMC Acadia Denali. It would intermittently "buck" during acceleration and occasionally the dash would have a "Traction Control Off" indication or "Service Brake System" message. The Traction Control selector would not toggle the TC on or off. No codes. My first stop was a transmission shop. Luckily he was honest and didn't try to sell me a bunch of "fixes" He said the tranny was good but he read a couple of mis-fires during testing. I took it to a full service shop and gave the history including what the transmission shop told me. They told me it "must be the plugs". Well I was at 95,000 on her car and wasn't looking forward to pulling the manifold to do that job so I said OK let's do it. 700 dollars later, for a plug change, the problem was still there. No codes. I tried live data, no mis-fires recorded, fuel trims were fine, no ignition issues but the problem was still there. At this point I was really confused. After a lot of time on google, I came across a video of a guy with the exact same symptoms. He said the wheel speed sensors were causing his problem. So, since they are not that expensive, I ordered them. She was due for brakes anyway so while doing her brake job I changed the front wheel speed sensors(not an easy task because of the location of the connectors). Put it all back together and said a little prayer before the test drive. Just like that, the problem was fixed and I was a hero to my wife!! Truth is, I just got lucky. In retrospect it makes sense that the sensors were the problem but had I not seen that video, who knows how much more I might have spent chasing the problem. I wish more shops had the "test, don't guess" mentality. My hat is off to you sir. If I lived near your shop, you would be my shop of choice. Keep up the great work and keep the videos coming!
Memories ... I go back to the 70's working on 60's cars.
I love my 2023 car, almost nothing to do except filters and brakes.
love the videos! definitely think you should do one on your take of diag and how we charge for it. cheers
I like that i have 2 cars of the same model, just a few years apart but one has TBI and a distributor and the other 4 injectors and distributorless. and it makes a big difference.
I've been telling people for years that there is no such thing as a tune-up anymore, and if a shop says your car needs a tune-up, pick up your car and take is somewhere else. The only thing that is left is the spark plugs. As you said, everything else that made a tune-up is GONE. I have done all my own work for the past 43 years. Went to school for it and did it for a living for a little while. Never stopped working on cars though.
Plenty of modern vehicles still have a scheduled maintenance requirement for checking and adjusting valve clearances, albeit usually not very frequently. I would consider this a tune-up item, perhaps the last true tune-up item on a modern vehicle.
Awaome video!
I replaced plugs and wires on my brothers car with 130k. Had original wires. I did it since I was there doing a bunch of engine gaskets. The car ran and drove perfectly. One plug was completely worn down to the porcelain. More than double the gap of what it should have been.
There is a bunch of stuff that can be serviced. Air filter, cabin air filter, maf cleaning, TB cleaning, pcv valve replacement, belt replacement. I like to replace the plastic pullies on the tensioner if they are old. COP boots and springs.
Thank you,sir for your very important information,I greatly appreciate it.I agree that a good,automechanic ought to be reimbursed for the diag nosis of a car that a customer brings in for whatever " problem" is presented to the mechanic.
I'm not a tech but I grew up with older 60's and 70's vehicles that had points and all of the other things that you mentioned. My first car was a 72 Ford LTD with all of that stuff and my second car was a 70 Monte Carlo that I still own that had all of that stuff too. I learned how to set points, timing, and adjust a carburetor. I converted my Monte Carlo to an electronic ignition back in the 90's for more reliability but it still has everything else on it that these older cars came with.
As far as a tune up goes, there are still things today that may not be considered a tune up but is a maintenance item such as coolant replacement, differential fluid replacement, transmission fluid and filter replacement, or in some instances, chassis lubrication that is not considered a repair item but something that should be done to prolong the life of these components.
Great video, I still see shop advertising tune ups. I only brought one car in for diagnosis, because I wasn't 100% sure what was wrong. They did not charge me anything and they were not right in their diagnosis ether. They told me it needed a new engine for $3,600 and it had cracked head. I went with what I thought it was and fixed it for $65. new intake gasket. They just guessed.
Can you do a short on what boots or shoes you like to wear in the shop?
After doing spark plugs on my 99 accord I found out some Hondas need to have the valve lash adjusted cause they loosen over time. I was curious If this happens on all vehicles or just primarily certain honda makes/years
Yesterday I replaced a distributor module on a 1990 Chevy 1500. That was the first time I’ve ever touched a distributor. 😂. I’ve only been doing this 2 years and you just don’t see those cars very often anymore.
Could you please make the diag video and how to price and otger related stuff im a new upcoming mobile mechqnic
always liked the 70s-90s k-jetronic injection systems. mechanical, easy to work on and adjust with a dwell meter. more a carburetor than efi.
Hope allot of customers watch this all true facts.thanks for sharing.
I’ve been working on cars for about 25+ years. When I do a tune-up, it’s usually plugs & wires
I was stunned that the spark plug service interval on our ford flex is 97,000 miles. This smells an awful lot like the oil intervals you mentioned. Is 97K too long for an eom plug?
Agree...
Completamende deacuerdo en todo lo dicho. un saludo desde Peru
When is A/C part 2 is coming out?
Back in the day A tune up was defined as a minor tune up or a major tune up. I would suggest to you that todays ( tune up) is a minor, as you would only replace air and fuel filters along with plugs. Plugs can go 60k miles or more, but not filters. This is the separation. Thanks the old school guy.
I'm 67 don't work as much as i used to but i still see a few vehicles with points not many most are not Direct injection i do see a few.
I'd consider the valve cleaning to be more of a "tune-up" than replacing spark plugs. Plugs, like most everything else, fit a maintenance schedule. If they're coming in for a tune up, they're more than likely needing to address overlooked, preventative maintenance or want an oil change.
Before you know it, we wont need that air filter under the hood either.
What are your thoughts about adding a catch can for DFI engines? I believe Porsche now uses both DFI and Port injection to help minimize carbon buildup on the back of the valves. Great videos!
yes do it
I think it's now called service intervals, and whatever needs to service at a given miles
Tune-up is an obsolete term for newer vehicles. It's either maintenance or a diag and repair.
did a diag and misfire fix today. 225 out the door fixed right.
👍 sometime plugs are bad enough
💯💯💯
What exactly would top tier fuel do for me in regards to intake valve carbon on a gdi?
More additive packages added to help clean deposits on the back of the valves.
Tune-ups here in the past. You got to ask him questions what's going on with the car and do diagnostic work there are no more tune-ups
I agree cars are somewhat better today. But on the other hand they're so finicky. These GDI engine do not impress me. Anything that seemed to be a tune-up for say becomes a repair. Some may agree some may disagree. I'd rather stay more old school. Vehicles in the early 2000s or 90s it's about as far back as I want to go. I hate carbureted vehicles LOL. Electronic fuel injection is the best thing ever. Everything's being so computerized today. When you have a repair it cost two arms and a leg. One thing that comes to my attention. Electronic power steering. I have a family member that has a Buick LaCrosse. The electronic power steering module went out last year. It cost $2,600 to repair. It took six months to get the module. During that time. I had the power steering pump replaced on a 2002 Ford Explorer. With the pump installed and the part. The total cost was right at about $450. Better technology is always good. I think we're going way too far will this stuff nowadays. I think it all boils down to trying to save gas mileage. LOL. You don't even get a spare tire no more in new vehicles
What do you mean 'no fuel filter'? I've yet to see a vehicle w/o a fuel filter. Those injectors aren't going to live too long w/o a fuel filter.
my 2004 CRV has no external fuel filter!
Many new cars have the filter in the tank that do not have manufacture recommended replacement as part of maintenance.
@@bernardaflores1720 It's in the tank. 30000 miles replacement.
@@benji7001 Name one. I'm curious.
Even if they don't specify it, it should be changed. One of my cars has no specified transmission fluid drain interval. Lubed for life. Not even a drain plug (on a manual transmission). Yes it should last for a long time. No it's not good to never drain it, at least if you want to keep the vehicle for a very long time. As one who studied mechanical engineering, I can assure you that there's no mechanical thing, with moving parts, that doesn't need maintenance.
When they say lubed for life, or lifetime filter, it really means that's calculated to not fail before it's out of warranty.
And lastly, he said 'no fuel filter'. He didn't say 'no maintenance fuel filter'. Or that's what I heard.
Fuel filter part of fuel pump or in fuel tank ????
My pet peeve with cars from the 1980s-90s is their electronic ignition and distributor systems were like the Wild West with so many types.
Older purely mechanical distributor systems are more intuitive and generic than those electronic distributors from the '80s and '90's.
Thankfully, now it's almost exclusively coil on plug. Good riddance!
Watch a EV come in for yearly "service" which is just a glorified inspections + refill the wiper fluid..... That will be 300 euro sir
10k miles is not extended. 20k miles is pretty standard and even that is not classed as extended in Europe. Lots of cars run 2/300000 miles easily, being put to scrap with perfectly running engines.
YANKS NEED TO STOP WASTING OIL!!!!!