How important is a 100,000 mile tune up?


  • I took our car in and had it done, was it worth it?

    *Major engine tune and check over
    *Change oil and filter
    *Service transmition
    *Flush and refill cooling system              $202.80

    Parts
    plat spark plugs
    Plug wire set
    Fuel filter
    Transmition fluid and filter
    5-ots 5-30 & filter                                $167.44

    Total with tax $404.49

    On my car he also charged $80 to replace a thermostat


  • OK… if the thermostat was corroded, or beginning to stick that $80 bucks just saved you about $2000, wich is the cost of a new engine, which is what you would have needed if the thermostat sezied closed and you did not catch it immediately.  Alluminum block engines have NO tolerance for excessive heat.  Your entire block would have been fracked.

    The fuel filter is a good thing to change, pretty inexpensive, and you will probably notice an increase in performace.

    Tranny flush is ESSENTIAL, and should be done more often than 100,000.  Tranny fluid needs changed from time to time  It gets hot too and suffers thermal breakdown, just not as fast as motor oil.  And it also picks up metal dust as your fears wear, and teh metal dust abraids the gears making the gears wear faster.

    Plugs, should be changed from tiem to time.  If the tips foul, you lose both performance and gas mileage.  Plug wires also break down over time.  Both are pretty cheap to fix, even with high-grade components.

    You WERE overbilled on the labor charge.  You could ahve gotten the same service for less at a private shop.  Also dealership plug wires tend to be very over-priced (I was once charged $160 for 4 plug wires at a Ford Dealership, the wires slagged out 3 weeks later… I got my money back).

    For the services you list, the bill should ahve been in the high $200’s (plus the thermostat) at a non-dealership garage.  So, about an extra $125 for having it done wherever you had it done.

    (yes, I spend a LOT of time in car repair shops, they are my primary customer base)


  • One thing you didn’t mention, Zooey, was the timing belt.  (Not many vehicles still have timing chains.)  If the timing belt lets go, you can seize the engine, ruining many internal parts.  It won’t necessarily ruin the block, but just about everything else is in danger.  With 100,000 miles, it wouldn’t hurt to at least have it checked.  Do this at a private shop.  Labor costs will kill you at a dealership shop.

    Do you concur NC?  My friend has a late model Nissan in his driveway, now, because his timing belt let go on the highway.  The engine is fragged.


  • Unless your vehicle has a 100% maintenance free/lifetime guarantee belt, YES it needs to be changed.

    Had one snap on me TWICE in my life, always at a bad time.  And the second time, it did indeed “suck down a valve” turning a 4 cul into an effective 3 cyl after replacing the belt.

    We put the belt on, skipped the re-build, and traded the car a couple of days later


  • I didn’t go to a dealer, it was a guy my GF has been going to for years.  He does good work, and it is a trust thing to an extent with my GF.  For example he said we needed new tires (which we did) but we didn’t want to charge it because we don’t like using credit cards (all paid off hurray!)  We were going to wait till our next pay day to get the tires, but he said he would put them on and we could get the $ to him when we got it.  I don’t like doing that, so we charged it.  Point is he offered and that is a nice thing to do that you won’t see at many other places.

    However, if he is overcharging I would like to know.  Does it make any difference that the car was a 2002 ford taurus?  I thought the make and model made a difference as far as price goes.  A dealership charged 600 to service a similiar car.


  • If the Dealerships iin your area are THAT high then it most likely is a regional variation in pricing.


  • dude you got ripped… Those prices sound like they are from a dealership.

    find an independent mechanic and stick with him.


  • I will say this…

    Other than the Thermostat, you could ahve done ALL of it yourself, in about 2 hours (allowing for not being experienced, an hour or less otherwise), with about $90 in parts from AutoZone…

  • '18 '17 '16 '11 Moderator

    @ncscswitch:

    I will say this…

    Other than the Thermostat, you could ahve done ALL of it yourself, in about 2 hours (allowing for not being experienced, an hour or less otherwise), with about $90 in parts from AutoZone…

    And how much for the instruction manual?  I know the user manual that comes with your car doesn’t tell you how to do it, so there has to be another manual out there.


  • Check with your local parts store.  If they don’t have the shop manuel for your vehicle, they can order it for you.  It’s usually less than $20 and is invaluable for do-it-yourself projects.  It comes complete with pictures :-D  The shop manuel is entirely different than the booklet that comes with the car.  Shop manuels will tell you (and show you) how to do everything from change the air filter to replacing a piston.  It’s a good investment anytime you buy a vehicle.  I even have the shop manuels for my motorcycles. :wink:

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