Do Modern Cars Still Need Tuneups?

Regular tuneups can keep some car engines running safely and smoothly, but the engines of most modern cars don't need them. Learn how car maintenance has changed in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff,
Lauren Vogel bomb here. If you want to sound knowledgeable.
The next time your car needs work, don't tell your
mechanic that your car needs a tune up. That's because
the term tune ups specifically refers to maintenance that modern
cars generally don't require anymore. Traditional tuneups on older cars

(00:23):
can help keep them in good shape and enable maximum
gas mileage. Getting your car tuned up means having necessary
adjustments of certain engine components. At the same time, regular
parts that were out over time, like spark plugs and condensers,
are replaced, but the engines in many newer model cars
don't even use those components any longer, and today's engine

(00:43):
parts are designed to last much longer than those in
years past. So what you might think is a tune
up on a new car probably isn't, and that's because
your car is much more advanced. Consumerist says the cut
off year for whether or not your car will need
a traditional tuneup, though there may be a little wiggle
room on either side of that depending on other factors.

(01:03):
In general, though, if your car was built in the
last twenty years, you should use the preferred phrasing routine
maintenance or scheduled maintenance rather than tune up. You should
opt to have routine maintenance completed about every thirty thousand
miles or is recommended by your car's owners manual. So
let's break down the difference in those terms. Tune ups
actually involved tuning or physically checking and manipulating engine parts

(01:26):
that regulate engine timing, idle, and other functions for optimal performance.
A tune up requires a certain level of mechanical skill
and an understanding of how an engine works. A traditional
tune up would involve cleaning or replacing the carburetor, which
is now obsolete thanks to electronic fuel injection, uh the
cap rotor and spark plug wires, which have all been
replaced with ignition coil packs, the fuel filter which is

(01:48):
obsolute thanks to returnless fuel systems, and the timing belt
which has been replaced with the more durable timing chain,
and also inspecting and adjusting the engine timing and idle,
both of which are now controlled electronically. Modern cars don't
need most of this manual labor. Instead, they require routine
maintenance that generally consists of replacing fluids and simple parts,

(02:09):
changing the engine, oil transmission, fluid break fluid and power
steering fluid, replacing the cool engine cabin air filter, and
inspecting and possibly replacing various belts and hoses. Note that
the newest cars on the market or certain types of
cars like electric cars, may have eliminated some of these parts,
especially certain belts and hoses. Consumer Reports cautions that getting

(02:29):
a tune up is a common upsell by mechanics or charge.
One might even tack onto your bill indiscriminately to make
you pay more than necessary. In other words, if your
mechanic or shops as your car needs a tune up,
be wary, especially if it's a late model car. That said,
some trustworthy mechanics or shops may still use that term.
Amount of habit. Pricing for routine maintenance does vary based

(02:50):
on several things. Those factors include everything from where you
live and the type of car some cars might use
more expensive parts, to whether you're visiting a dealership, a
chain or an independent shop. The recommended maintenance schedule for
late model cars takes a lot of the guests work
out of the equation. If you follow the schedule for
your car, you should be in the clear, though there
are always factors that can make a fluid go gunky

(03:12):
or a part where out earlier than expected. Maintain your
car according to the schedule laid out in your owner's
manual and deal with problems as they arise. Just don't
ask for a tune up unless the term genuinely applies.
Today's episode was written by Schre's three Wit and produced
by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is a production of iHeart

(03:33):
Radio's How Stuff Works. For more on this and lots
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