Is a tune up needed at 50k miles

[mommy2allyandaveri]

Or is this a scam by car dealers to get money from me?

I have an 08 Camry, 4cy. I have maintained it well. It gets an oil change/tire rotation every 5k miles.

I'm coming up on 50k and need an oil change. Do I really need one? What do you guys suggest?

 

[daughtersrus]

Or is this a scam by car dealers to get money from me?

I have an 08 Camry, 4cy. I have maintained it well. It gets an oil change/tire rotation every 5k miles.

I'm coming up on 50k and need an oil change. Do I really need one? What do you guys suggest?

Check your owners manual. If you haven't had your trans fluid changed, this may be the time.

 

[goofyernmost]

Today's engines need very little maintenance along those lines. Like the previous poster said, check your owners manual to see the recommended times for those things. Unless you are having trouble with your car starting, low gas mileage or rough running, it shouldn't need it, I wouldn't think. The manual would tell you for sure.

Transmission checks other than fluid levels, are usually much longer in between then engine PM's. Again the manual should be able to let you know. If you have misplaced the manual it should be accessible on the internet free of charge.

I have always been a believer in the adage...If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I do have a mechanical background so I do watch and listen for problems and fix them when they are need it. You can spend a lot of money on unnecessary car repairs when you don't really need them. Mechanics have to make a living too!

 

[cheerful chickadee]

I'm not sure but at 50K miles I think I'd do it, we have an '08 Altima and we're only at 24K miles. I do admit to being skeptical of all the tweaks and minor things the mechanics suggest when we're at the shop to get our oil changed and tires rotated. I tend to believe they're out to get your money but at 50k I think I'd just go ahead and do it.

 

[joviroxx]

The only thing I can advise is to do the factory suggested maintenances in order to make sure any warranty issues that arise are taken care of. Auto companies will use anything to get out of honoring a warranty when its a big issue. I had a Maxima that needed a new transmission. There was an oil leak they never noticed and I had just had the oil changed and car services 3 months prior. The car had 60,000 and I did the maintenances religiously but during this time, I had skipped 2 oil changes. Because of this, they wanted to blame me and not honor the warranty. Had to finally get a lawyer and all was solved but it was a huge pain in the butt!

 

[jlewisinsyr]

In general, follow the service guide, it's a great starting point to maintaining your car. It's better to do preventative maintenance now then have larger headaches later.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

Like PP have said, check your owner's manual. The book usually says when routine maintenance should be done. I know on my old car I had a big tune up done at 100,000KM.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Yes, follow the service manual. My brother who does not, killed his radiator because it was literally FULL OF SLUDGE.

At 50,000 you will probably needs fluids changed, flushed, checked, etc....check the manual.

 

[tyedye]

Interesting... I was just thinking about this as our van (2005) is about 50 miles short of 50K. I think that we just had it serviced though last year at 45K. I am trying to remember but think the bigger services are done at 15, 30 and 45K??

 

[Christine]

On my last two cars, I stopped taking the Toyotas in a all the recommended intervals. I would probably go in, though, between 50K - 60K. They will do a free 27 point inspections. When I've done that, they've sometimes founds seals that were getting cracked/dry and very minor things as well as some flushing of the usual fluids. It usually doesn't cost a whole lot. I do think at 100K, I did have some fairly major maintenance things done.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Interesting... I was just thinking about this as our van (2005) is about 50 miles short of 50K. I think that we just had it serviced though last year at 45K. I am trying to remember but think the bigger services are done at 15, 30 and 45K??

It varies dramatically by manufacturer/model. My Volvo only goes in for oil every 7,500 miles per the manufacturer schedule. The 45,000 maintenance is pretty intensive. Now my friend's Audi, her oil schedule is every 10,000 miles and her first major service is 50,000 miles (I believe).

 

[tvguy]

Check the owners manual.

Cars built in the last 10-15 years normally don't need a tune up until 100,000 miles.

I do change the transmission fluid,and filter, and fuel filter every 30,000 miles, always have, and ironically, that is exactly what my owners manual says.

 

[goofyernmost]

My car recommends oil changes every 10,000 miles...I never let it go over 5000 miles...force of habit. Oil, though expensive, is way cheaper than an engine. It also recommends tuneups at 100,000 miles and as long as it is still running OK that is what I will do. It doesn't take to long to realize when something like that needs to be done. The car will get sluggish, skip and burn way too much gas. One clue is if the exhaust smells like rotten eggs...that can mean it needs to be tuned up cause it's not burning all the gas and residuals. Another is black smoke coming from the exhaust.

 

[CowboyCO]

tune-up (spark plugs) and timing belt are scheduled maintenance at 90,000 miles on a Camry.

 

[topdog]

IMO, even the owner's manual is more of a guideline.

There are so many variable to determine you need a full tune up or not such how ofter you use the car daily. The kind of environment you drive, city or highway etc, etc, etc.

Typically, engine made these days doesn't have a whole lot of tune up to do. Change spark plugs between 60 - 80,000 miles. Change spark plugs wires between 100,000 to 120,000 miles. Change timing belt every 70 - 80,000 miles. Change air filter, auto trans fluid and brake fluid every other year. Antifreeze should be change every 80k miles or so or it can wear out the waterpump prematurely. My last fuel filter last over 250k miles and I changed it just to change it.

I would at least ask the dealer what the tune up work involve first. As for oil change, I change my oil every 15,000 miles. Then again, I only use full synthetic oil. So far, my 98 VW Golf has over 435k miles and I still drive at least 100 miles everyday.

 

[bdcp]

We do oil changes every 5,000 miles. Most new cars only need true tune-ups (spark plugs and wires, etc) at 100,000 miles. So much of what used to need to be done at tune-ups aren't necessary anymore. Cars dont' have all the mechanical parts they used to since they are mostly computers now. Belts vary depending on the car and how much it's driven. Most cars have one large belt (serpentine belt) that drives most peripherals.

 

[tvguy]

My last fuel filter last over 250k miles and I changed it just to change it.
.

My car is a PZEV (Partial Zero Emissons Vehicle). In California, automakers can sell more gas guzzling/polluting trucks for every PZEV they sell. Only requirement is the entire fuel and emissions system has to be warrantied for 15 years or 150,000 miles on a PZEV. Only thing that voids the PZEV warranty is not changing the fuel filter every 30,000 miles.
So, reading the owners manual is the place to look for the service requirements for your car.

Now, my owners manual does say I can go 5,000 miles between oil changes, but since I do my own oil changes for about a third of what it would cost to have it done, I still change my oil every 3,000 miles.

 

[goofyernmost]

I remember my old Dodge Caravan. I was pretty strapped for money back then and did all my own work on it that I could, the rest I ignored, pretty much. That was a vehicle that would not die. I had a check engine light come on at 60,000 miles. I fixed the problem by taking the dash board apart and removing the light bulb. Voila...no more check engine light. I kept wanting to have the transmission serviced but didn't have the money so I just kept running it.

Now if there was any justice in the world that thing would have just stopped working and basically given me my just reward for neglect. I drove that thing for 187,000 miles and was never stuck anywhere, anytime. My wife was a student in Boston and I would commute every other weekend to visit her. I would drive by BMW's and other high end vehicles broken down on the side of the road while my old Caravan chugged along smoothly.

At one point after it hit 150,000 miles I asked the guy I went to for the maintenance I couldn't do, if he thought we should service the transmission. His answer and absolute NO. The only thing holding it together is the slug. Don't touch it.

I towed u-haul trailers loaded to the gills and a car from Boston just before I sold it. We were about to take a long trip and I just felt it was time for something new (another Caravan). Every morning for about a year the old Dodge went zooming on by me on the interstate. I don't know how much longer it lasted, but I think I should have had it bronzed and put on my mantle.

 

[Music City Mama]

I remember my old Dodge Caravan. I was pretty strapped for money back then and did all my own work on it that I could, the rest I ignored, pretty much. That was a vehicle that would not die. I had a check engine light come on at 60,000 miles. I fixed the problem by taking the dash board apart and removing the light bulb. Voila...no more check engine light. I kept wanting to have the transmission serviced but didn't have the money so I just kept running it.

Now if there was any justice in the world that thing would have just stopped working and basically given me my just reward for neglect. I drove that thing for 187,000 miles and was never stuck anywhere, anytime. My wife was a student in Boston and I would commute every other weekend to visit her. I would drive by BMW's and other high end vehicles broken down on the side of the road while my old Caravan chugged along smoothly.

At one point after it hit 150,000 miles I asked the guy I went to for the maintenance I couldn't do, if he thought we should service the transmission. His answer and absolute NO. The only thing holding it together is the slug. Don't touch it.

I towed u-haul trailers loaded to the gills and a car from Boston just before I sold it. We were about to take a long trip and I just felt it was time for something new (another Caravan). Every morning for about a year the old Dodge went zooming on by me on the interstate. I don't know how much longer it lasted, but I think I should have had it bronzed and put on my mantle.

I enjoyed your story since that's what I'm currenly driving. I can only hope it holds up as well as yours!