The “Tune-Up” Myth
Most of us hardly remember the days of the carburetor, and all the wonderful problems that came with it. When your carbureted vehicle would start running rough, have a hard time starting or have any other drivability symptoms, your local technician would be able to reset ‘the points’ and smooth everything out. Performing that, accompanied with replacement of the spark plugs, ignition wires and a fuel filter would make your vehicle run like new again.
Unfortunately, today’s vehicles are all computer controlled, which makes it more difficult to diagnose any drivability issues. In this day and age, a tune-up would really only consist of replacing the spark plugs! Most vehicles today are equipped with ignition coils, fuel injectors and engine sensors (all items that are not replaced with regular maintenance) that controls the combustion process and the combustion timing. Something as simple as an engine misfire could lead to dozens of possibilities!
When that pesky “Check Engine Light” or “Service Engine Soon” light illuminate, always bring your vehicle into the shop immediately. Once your vehicle is here, we will be able to pull the vehicle’s ‘codes’ and see what system has the issue. Most codes will be able to help our technicians follow troubleshooting procedures to find the root problem; other times if no codes are present, we have to do extensive testing.
Think about it like you are going to the doctors due to illness. They will have to do blood work, x-rays, etc. to properly diagnose you. That’s no different than what our technicians, Greg and Jon will do to your vehicle. As you know, these guys are at the top of their game, and are always attending classes to stay on top of the latest and greatest technology.
So if you are experiencing any drivability issues, or if that “Check Engine Light” greets you every time you’re in your car, it’s time to come by and say hi.