“Tune-Ups” Are Not What They Used to Be!!

We had quite the lineup of cars in the shop and it made us think about how much things have changed in this industry in the past 3 decades. In this video the Professor walks through the shop and shows the different facets of a tune up and then touches on what it looks like today. Should you be selling tune ups? Or if you’re a client of a shop should you ask for one? We hit on all of this. We hope this helps. Enjoy!

Our Affiliate Store:

We are partnered with AESWave. We've dealt with them for years and they are great people so please show your support to them! Our store link is:

Yes we make commission on these products if you buy from these links. This supports the channel. We will never recommend a product that we don't truly believe in. This is just the beginning of our products. We will add more as we go.

[bisenbart]

Been an ase master tech for 30 years and i totally agree! The fuel and ignition systems are much better! If they could just quit going cheap with the variable cam timing and chains on certain vehicles and the manufacturer quit telling customers to go 10k between oil changes then that might help!

[bdcochran]

Yes, I go back to the early '60's. I agree with the chronology.
Here it is, 60 years later and most people can't get beyond arguing when to change the oil And, most don't have a clue about transmission service.

I never see a video on lubricating a car. The first time I ask a mechanic at an oil change to do a lube, I was met with an objection that modern cars don't need a lube. Quickly, I realized that I would have to give written directions and provide the lubricant. So, I do. If seals and bushings are lubricated, there is a risk of them drying out and cracking. Spraying with AT 205 is much cheaper than replacing a whole system because a seal or bushing dried and went bad.

[ysitrim]

I agree with everything you said with these new cars shouldn't be called tune-up.

I had a customer come in with a cylinder # 5 misfire the 1st thing he said to me was i need a tune-up spark plugs possibly a coil and i asked him who told you that?

He said a worker at O'Reilly told him that, and offered to do a free diagnostic test lol.
I told him you mean he just hooked up a code reader and told you the code that came up.

I wish these part stores stop offering free diagnostic test!!

Long story short after my diagnostic the vehicle didnt need a spark plug or ignition coil was a bad #5 fuel injector! Had high resistance way out of the factory specs.

I have a happy customer now.

[judih.]

The early Bosch CIS injection system did require adjustment from time to time. A 3mm allen key was used to adjust the air flap under the bellows at the fuel distributor. Thank goodness for modern systems.

[chrisrussell]

Great video as always. You guys are doing it right. My only regret is that you do not have your shop up here in Illinois! I am a bit of a DIY mechanic and do a lot of the work myself on my cars. I was a ground equipment mechanic in the Air Force and worked on everything from small gas turbines to single cylinder diesels as well as hydraulic testing equipment. My dad taught me to take pride in my work and do things right, the first time. That being said, I know when it is time to take my car to a real technician. Especially these days. I grew up with the old school engines, points, condensers etc. I had a recent issue with my wife's 2014 GMC Acadia Denali. It would intermittently "buck" during acceleration and occasionally the dash would have a "Traction Control Off" indication or "Service Brake System" message. The Traction Control selector would not toggle the TC on or off. No codes. My first stop was a transmission shop. Luckily he was honest and didn't try to sell me a bunch of "fixes" He said the tranny was good but he read a couple of mis-fires during testing. I took it to a full service shop and gave the history including what the transmission shop told me. They told me it "must be the plugs". Well I was at 95, 000 on her car and wasn't looking forward to pulling the manifold to do that job so I said OK let's do it. 700 dollars later, for a plug change, the problem was still there. No codes. I tried live data, no mis-fires recorded, fuel trims were fine, no ignition issues but the problem was still there. At this point I was really confused. After a lot of time on google, I came across a video of a guy with the exact same symptoms. He said the wheel speed sensors were causing his problem. So, since they are not that expensive, I ordered them. She was due for brakes anyway so while doing her brake job I changed the front wheel speed sensors(not an easy task because of the location of the connectors). Put it all back together and said a little prayer before the test drive. Just like that, the problem was fixed and I was a hero to my wife!! Truth is, I just got lucky. In retrospect it makes sense that the sensors were the problem but had I not seen that video, who knows how much more I might have spent chasing the problem. I wish more shops had the "test, don't guess" mentality. My hat is off to you sir. If I lived near your shop, you would be my shop of choice. Keep up the great work and keep the videos coming!

[petemurway]

You are so right and on point with your information! I started back in "79 and went to a tec school for farm tractor and equipment. I loved it! Then, I felt it was time to move on to small equipment and did well in that till retirement. That is where i'm at now. Should a problem come up, I want to be able to fix it and know it was done right! I truly VALUE YOUR INFORMATION!! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!!

[ccgrider]

Absolutely!!! Old school "major tune up" and "minor tune up". That was a very interesting time!! Great vid as always, thanks.

[rockysenatore]

You are correct, but even back in the day the term “tune up” could also mean “routine maintenance.” Unlike today, a lot of maintenance parts required adjustments to get it within acceptable tolerances, so you could say you were tuning. But to me “tuning” means adjusting systems to reach some performance goal. Usually that goal was going faster, but it could be adjusting for altitude or available fuel. Back then, tuning required a vacuum gage, tach and feel meter, timing light, feeler gauges and a superior understanding or the relationship between air, fuel, and valve and spark timing. Today tuning usually requires a lap top and a flat brim hat😅

[isalmankhan]

Thanks for sharing PROFESSOR, really interesting subject honestly whenever I get a chance to tune-up an old school vehicle I really enjoy working on them😇
It's a whole different era of automotive engineering😍

[mph]

I replaced plugs and wires on my brothers car with 130k. Had original wires. I did it since I was there doing a bunch of engine gaskets. The car ran and drove perfectly. One plug was completely worn down to the porcelain. More than double the gap of what it should have been.

There is a bunch of stuff that can be serviced. Air filter, cabin air filter, maf cleaning, TB cleaning, pcv valve replacement, belt replacement. I like to replace the plastic pullies on the tensioner if they are old. COP boots and springs.

[hhn]

This was good but I favorite videos are when we are taken along to do a diagnosis, especially the tricky unusual ones. Thanks

[MarkTrades__]

what an interesting video. I learned a ton having not really worked on any car pre 2000's or OBD 2

[garysgarage]

Great video, I still see shop advertising tune ups. I only brought one car in for diagnosis, because I wasn't 100% sure what was wrong. They did not charge me anything and they were not right in their diagnosis ether. They told me it needed a new engine for $3, 600 and it had cracked head. I went with what I thought it was and fixed it for $65. new intake gasket. They just guessed.

[monzsterman]

Hit the nail on the head with this video sir.

[MrMCSS]

I'm not a tech but I grew up with older 60's and 70's vehicles that had points and all of the other things that you mentioned. My first car was a 72 Ford LTD with all of that stuff and my second car was a 70 Monte Carlo that I still own that had all of that stuff too. I learned how to set points, timing, and adjust a carburetor. I converted my Monte Carlo to an electronic ignition back in the 90's for more reliability but it still has everything else on it that these older cars came with.

As far as a tune up goes, there are still things today that may not be considered a tune up but is a maintenance item such as coolant replacement, differential fluid replacement, transmission fluid and filter replacement, or in some instances, chassis lubrication that is not considered a repair item but something that should be done to prolong the life of these components.

[deanmck]

Would love to hear your thoughts on charging for diagnostics and how you communicate that to the customer.. something we have always struggled with is charging appropriately for diag time, mostly due to customers not understanding what’s involved in doing proper diagnostics and garages offering “free” diagnostics which is usually nothing more than reading a fault code.

[A_Renaissance_Man]

Memories ... I go back to the 70's working on 60's cars.
I love my 2023 car, almost nothing to do except filters and brakes.

[Hobbies]

I've been telling people for years that there is no such thing as a tune-up anymore, and if a shop says your car needs a tune-up, pick up your car and take is somewhere else. The only thing that is left is the spark plugs. As you said, everything else that made a tune-up is GONE. I have done all my own work for the past 43 years. Went to school for it and did it for a living for a little while. Never stopped working on cars though.

[NancySanders-omic]

Thank you, sir for your very important information, I greatly appreciate it.I agree that a good, automechanic ought to be reimbursed for the diag nosis of a car that a customer brings in for whatever " problem" is presented to the mechanic.

[FPSMurdock]

Ah, the old tune ups. I used to be able to do most of my own work back when I owned cars like 82 Monte Carlo or my beloved 83 Trans Am, or 91 GMC 1500. Today's vehicles I just take to a reputable shop.