70k tuneup

[sfyr]

the creeks and thumps and pings are starting to show on my 98 SLS. Think I better take it in for a tuneup. Last tuneup was at about 35k and a subsequential engine flush/tune was at about 45k when my fuel wires went bad. It goes regularly to the dealer for a full service LOF. Also had a new water pump put on last winter and the radiator flushed but opted to leave the hoses as is.

So my question is, what type of services should my tuneup include? I know plugs, valves, etc, but what should I NOT pay extra for? Any ballpark figures of what I should be spending? I probably will not be using a dealer or OEM parts if I can get away with it.

A side question: would bad fuel wires affect my MPG dramatically? According to the car I'm getting avg MPG at only 17, as opposed to 23 from over the summer. I'm noticing similar malfunctions as when the fuel wires were bad. Haven't got to the point of backfires or complete acelleration delays, so far just "wobblyness" inbetween gears. Hoping a simple tuneup can take care of increasing my MPG. Whaddaya think?

*disclaimer-Novice Car Girl. Be Gentle. Technical OK.

[JasonA]

You should not need to replace anything this early. Only 70k miles on the engine? If the wires are bad or have increased resistance, then they need replacement. But other than that, this car does not require a conventional tune-up. My '97 has close to 140k miles and the plugs and wires are original. 20 mpg in town and 30 mpg on the road. 17 mpg in town for an STS isn't bad at all. 23 mpg in town would be outstanding. Have your driving habits changed between the summer and now?

[sfyr]

You have the same idea as everyone else (car fanatic family)-it doesn't NEED a tune-up! I think everyone is right too, but the slight little lack of power and performance bothers me. Getting a tune-up would give me peace of mind, but if it's something just as simple as sparks & things, I can definitely go with that. Thanks for the reassurance to not hand over my life savings to some marketing ploy.

The wires going out REALLY surprised me. When the originals were shown to me they were extremely worn (even to my mechanically challenged eyes). Thought that they were covered under warranty too. Boy was I WRONG

The only thing I can think of that has affected the MPG is more highway driving. About 60 more miles on the highway a week. Didn't think it would be so dramatic in the MPG, but makes sense now.

So what should be sufficient enough maintenance that can be done in the driveway?

[scurling]

I don't have the SLS, but the approach with service to any car is about the same, which is based on manufacturers "suggested" service intervals. Granted a lot of factors come into play, such as type of vehicle use and driving environment.

For my used vehicles, I try to get a good service base, or starting point, which it sounds like you already have established. Using the vehicle owner’s book will give you the suggested service intervals and the service items included. For major service intervals, 35k, 60k, 75k, etc. I too like to evaluate which vehicle parts really need servicing and which ones I can afford to put off for the next service.

In my opinion, it's often wasted money to take the vehicle into the dealer or private shop for a complete service as suggested by the manufacturer.

The dealer has a complete set of service intervals they offer with pricing and the actual work that is performed. If you ever examined those lists, the majority of items are usually, check this and check that, especially on the 15k and 30k service intervals. You end up paying for a lot of labor only to have the car thoroughly inspected and a few filters changed.

If a car guy keeps a good check on his vehicle, he usually knows the status and condition of the major vehicle systems, and can use his maintenance budget money for individual service applied to the systems that really need the attention.

There are four areas I service religiously: brakes w/fluid change annually, coolant fluid replaced annually, engine oil (synthetic) every 6K with a filter replacement at 3K, and gas treatment every few tankfulls to help keep the fuel system clean. Everything else, I check on an as needed basis, but usually at least once a month.

[adallak]

Limiting visits to stealership will save you a lot of money which you will need to fix things when they really move south. Perhaps, the only system which requires close attention is cooling one. 70K tuneup...huhhh 142.000 no tuneup whatsoever and runs great 25-27 mpg on highways. Citi driving data is not available - no cities around

[sfyr]

My problem with the "wobbliness" turned quickly to dramatic hesitating/sputtering acceleration between gears this weekend.

So before we encountered serious problems, we started to try and correct the issues by putting on plat sparks & changing the fuel filter.

The car runs AWESOME again!!! Within a handful of miles test driving I was at 14 MPG up to 20.2 MGP. (combo of city/hwy)

And at a price tag of $70 for parts (and hubby's garage), I'm really happy!

Downside is the $850 I spent last summer for fuel wires (at only 40k) I feel was likely a bogus claim by the diggership. Ah, what I wouldn't do to try and keep in line with my warranty .

[Oldgamer]

Absolutely agree with adallak and scurling. I just think that using synthetic oil really is wasting money in normal conditions. And I preffer to change oil filter the same time I change the oil. I not really imagine changing oil filter more often than oil changing (3K vs. 6K). I think it may do things even worse, like possibility for get some dirt into the engine. I don't like any gas treatment too. It can do more harm sometimes than good, like Guru says.

So far, 70K - nothing bad happened.