Is a 30k dealership tune up worth it?

noir_blood

Okay, I know nothing about cars, so I'm coming to PA for some help. I have an 07 Nissan Sentra that's coming up to it's 30 k. I done consistent oil change, but nothing else regarding the car, so I know I'm overdue for some things. I called the dealership today, and they told me they could do a 'recommended tune up' for about 420. The minimum one is a lot cheaper for 109, but really only consists of an oil change and tire rotation.

So my question is, should I do the recommended one? Is there any reason to do it through a dealership rather than some other mechanic?

Richard M. Nixon

If it's still under warranty the dealership may have to do the work. Otherwise, find a reputable local independent place (ask coworkers/friends/parents) and take it there.

saint2e

$420 (olol smokemifyagottem) seems a bit high to me. But that's what you get with dealers. As the not-so-honorable Richard M. Nixon suggests, I'd take it to a trusted local independent place.

Kate of Lokys

First, read your car's manual. It will have a detailed listing of the exact schedule of recommended service for your particular vehicle. The dealership, by comparison, will almost certainly be following their more generalized list, which pretty much just distinguishes between "this is what cars need" and "this is what trucks need," with no consideration given to the needs of a specific model of either.

Next, find a couple of reliable independent mechanics. Ask your friends, ask your family, ask anybody you know for a recommendation. Most of the big chain places can't be trusted to fit the chain back on a bicycle, and they're big on upselling useless junk (then not doing the work anyway). Dealerships tend to have better quality control, but them will ream you mercilessly on the price. Some independent mechanics can absolutely be lazy cheating bastards too, which is why you need recommendations for one, but when you do find a guy you can trust, your repair bills will drop in half and your car will purr like a kitten.

Once you get a couple of names, call them up and ask them for quotes on the specific work your manual says you need done. You don't need to go with the absolute cheapest one, but if one mechanic says "it won't be more than $250 no matter what!" and the other says "well, if we go with OEM parts, we're looking at $200 plus $150 for labour, but it might end up being a bit more if I find any other urgent problems with the car" one of those guys is lying to you.

I have to say, though, good on you for actually paying attention to what your car needs. When I got my first car, I didn't know shit about keeping them running: I would take it in to Midas whenever they said I needed an oil change, and every so often they would tell me that my rear driver's side mainspring inhibitor was rusted out and I would nod blankly and pay them $500 to fix it, but I missed out on doing so much routine maintenance because I just never asked and they never told me. So, when Pixels cracked the hood and took a look at the poor beast last summer, he discovered that I had been using the same spark plugs for 100,000km, and they were worn down to tiny little exhausted lumps, and when I innocently explained that I hadn't even known that spark plugs were a thing, I could visibly see him restraining the dual urges to smack me upside the head and cry.

So yeah, read your car's manual, find a good mechanic, and stay on top of recommended maintenance, and pretty much any car will last forever.

Improvolone

Use this site to find a good mechanic
http://www.cartalk.com/content/mechx/

RUNN1NGMAN

The "tune-up" does not really exist for modern cars. It's a relic from when everything in a car was mechanical from the throttle to the ignition timing. There is nothing that needs to be "tuned up" in a '07 Nissan Sentra, at least not at 30K. Find out specifically what the service would cover. If all you've ever done is get oil changes, you're probably due for a couple things: tire rotation (you're actually way overdue for that), brake fluid flush (should be done every 2 years), new air filter (possibly), new cabin air filter (possibly) and whatever else your manual states needs to be done as scheduled maintenance. Bust out your manual and see exactly what you need to have done.

$420 is actually not a bad price for an oil change, tire rotation, brake flush, new air filter, new cabin air filter, topping up other fluid levels, and whatever it is that I'm forgetting that should have been done in the 3 years the car's been on the road.

PeregrineFalcon

saint2e wrote: »

$420 (olol smokemifyagottem) seems a bit high to me. But that's what you get with dealers. As the not-so-honorable Richard M. Nixon suggests, I'd take it to a trusted local independent place.

420? High? Dealers?

So many delicious double entendres.

a penguin

As our ex-president says, your real concern here is maintaining your warranty. Not getting recommended service done can void your warranty should a related part fail. The dumbed-down extreme example is if you don't change your oil, and the engine asplodes, then they're not going to cover it under your powertrain warranty.

Now, the dealership does not have to perform this service. However, you need a record that the service was performed. This includes if you do it yourself.

On 'what exactly needs to be done', as Kate says, look in your manual and see what actually needs to be done. Get that done, and call it good. You probably don't need the 72 point inspection they might try and throw in there. If the 'minimum' one they offer is what actually needs to be done, then there ya go.

As for an actual mechanic, find one you like and go with it. The VW dealership here is where I'll take my car for any work that doesn't fall into the grey area of, 'too annoying to to myseld, but doesn't involve ripping the engine out of the car'. That's because they know and like me, and when I take my cars there, the prices tend to magically drop a few hundred dolars. So go make friends with a mechanic.

THEPAIN73

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

$420 is actually not a bad price for an oil change, tire rotation, brake flush, new air filter, new cabin air filter, topping up other fluid levels, and whatever it is that I'm forgetting that should have been done in the 3 years the car's been on the road.

No it's not. Be glad you don't drive Acura.

409 + taxes

.Tripwire.

I'm just glad this thread isn't asking if a $30,000 tune up is worth it, as the title originally led me to believe.

THEPAIN73

No he means a 30k (30,000 mile service).

matt has a problem

It's usually replacing a few parts (spark plugs, belts), changing your oil, greasing joints that need it, topping off fluids that need it (brake, power steering), rotating and balancing your tires etc etc. Basically it's all stuff that you could do yourself, with the right tools and knowhow, for cheaper. The big expense is the labor honestly. If you're planning on keeping the car for a while, then it's a good idea to get it done. If you're trading it in this/next year, screw it.

KidDynamite

Here you go.

Maintenance Guide

Save yourself some dough. Rotate the tires, Get a new air filter (engine and cabin!) from autozone/napa

And then a'la carte the other things. Brake fluid maybe replace. Spark plugs shouldn't need it after 30K, Fuel filter looks to be in-tank so no problems/no worries. Give the engine a good once over to make sure there isn't fluid where there isn't supposed to be.

I'd be suprised if the actual "work" took more than $100-$150 bucks.

edited to add: abou the warranty, make sure and check that. but if it is not required, then pocket the dough.