Today’s vehicles require a much different tune-up schedule than cars of yesteryear.  Used to be that you were changing spark plugs, spark plug wires, fuel filter, cap, coil, and rotor every 2 years or 30,000 miles.  On newer vehicles the service interval has increased to 90,000 miles and usually includes changing spark plugs, spark plug wires, and the fuel filter.  Since most newer cars use electronic ignition they do not have caps, rotors, and coils that need to be replaced.  The spark plugs are now platinum, double platinum, or iridium and are very expensive.   Additionally, the labor time to replace parts on new cars such as spark plugs is much longer, and therefore more costly, because the engine compartment is filled with auxiliary engine parts that need to be removed or worked around to change the part you need changed.   So even though the tune-ups are required less frequently on newer cars they cost more than tune-ups on older cars. 

Just because your car is running rough does not necessarily mean that you need a tune-up.  Cars today have many sensors and computers that, if they fail, can cause your car to run poorly.  So unless you are doing scheduled maintenance you should tell your repair shop what your symptoms are and let them tell you what is wrong and needs to be repaired.  If you are not near your tune-up mileage interval than a tune-up will most likely not fix an engine that is running poorly.  If you are looking for Auto Repair Reno NV, please contact us at Wayne’s Automotive Center (775) 356-6996.