OT: decarbonizing your car engine.

[drt7891]

Got a 2011 Taurus and the dealer is trying to sell me a "decarbonizing and fuel injector treatment" for $140. They claim it is to remove carbon in your intake and injectors, as well as improve MPG.

My car has 85,000 on it (mostly highway miles) and I usually run "premium brand," 87 octane fuel in it (shell, chevron, etc.). I've read online that most manufacturers do not recommend decarbonization with chemicals as regular service... With most sites saying the service is worthless unless there is a real carbon buildup issue (which if that's the case, there is a bigger problem besides just carbon buildup). Most sites also say that highway driving is by far and away a better cleaning than running chemicals through your intake. I also have no MPG issues.

Anyone have any experience with this? Sounds like the dealer trying to make a few extra bucks.

 

[57stratdawg]

I would tell them you haven't noticed any issues with carbon build up in the motor.

 

[drt7891]

That's what I was thinking. I know some people swear by these kind of services, but in modern cars, you don't hear of many people with clogged injectors or roughness due to just carbon buildup. It seems like one of those "peace of mind" services dealers use to try to make a few extra bucks.

But I'm also not a technician, nor do I have much experience outside backyard fixes.

 

[57stratdawg]

Who knows. There probably some minimal performance benefit, but not worth extra $150.

I thought most engines have censors in the engine that monitor the ratio of fuel/oxygen/exhaust in them at any given moment. If it's not setting those off, I doubt it's anything to worry about.

 

[civildawg88]

Dealer trying to make some money. It will do nothing for your car

 

[seshomoru]

Dealer service centers are the worst.

Without fail, two hours after dropping my 2005 Accord off at Boyte Honda for whatever scheduled routine maintenance it was due for, they would call and tell me a list of things needed to be done. It would be stuff like...

Dealer: "I'm sure you noticed a rougher ride because some (random part I didn't know existed) <random auto="" part="" i've="" never="" heard="" of=""> is worn and needs replacement immediately.... and good news we can save you $200 with after market parts!"

Me: I haven't noticed, and how much does it cost?

Dealer: "Well, it's going to get really bad soon, and with that $200 savings I found you, it's $575"

Me: No thanks.

Dealer: "You sure? You probably won't be able to get the after market parts when they finally break, so it might be wise to change it now."

Me: No, do the routine service and call me when it's done.

I put 210k miles on that thing in 9 years. Other than tires, oil, and routine other routine fluid checkups, the only major thing I had to do was change the belt twice and the brakes once. I never even had to change a spark plug.

I'm convinced people have gotten so wise to dealership car pricing that they are doing everything possible to make up for lost profits in the financing and service areas.</random>

 

[WrapItDog]

I went to Firestone to get my tires rotated and balanced. They recommended over $1,000 worth of work to change spark plugs, flush radiator, and clean fuel injectors. I had changed the spark plugs and flushed the radiator within the last month. I asked how they determined these things needed to be done. They said we looked at the mileage on the odometer.

 

[patdog]

I print out the owners manual recommended maintenance items and check off the ones I want done (which is all of the items on the less-severe maintenance schedule that apply to my car). I've found that when I hand the list to them and tell them these are the items I want done, they usually don't even try to upsell me **** that my car doesn't need.

 

[kired]

I had one recommend changing my air filter soon... I had just changed it days before I dropped it off. I write the mileage & date on the air filter with a marker so I can remember when it was changed last - so they obviously didn't even open the filter housing.

Next time when my wife had it in for an oil change, they rotated my tires when I'd just had them rotated at they tire dealership for free less than 2 weeks earlier. After that - I made sure she understood they aren't to do anything on that car except the $25 oil change.

 

[drt7891]

I Check off the recommended services based on the schedule I got with the car, but they have tried to sell this service which has sounded like nothing more than an Upsell. I do believe fluid changes on a regular basis are vital... Even coolant and brake fluid... But except for tires and belts, I generally only fix stuff when it's broken.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Put 2 cans of Sea Foam in you gas tank next time you fill up. Works very well cleaning injectors.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Sea Foam is some great stuff.

 

[Digging dog]

+1 on the seafoam. My 66 had been sitting for 15 years when I bought it. After brakes, gas tank and other rebuilds i poured a can of seafoam down the carb. Looked like I broke an oil ring from the smoke but did a great job of cleaning out all the gunk in the heads.

 

[Faustdog]

I had a headlight out. I replaced it myself but it still didn't work. I took it to a local mechanic. They quoted me $200 for a new headlight assembly. I left and took it to a buddy who knows more than me about this type of thing. It was a blown fuse and cost me about $10.

 

[Col. Forbin]

Another +1 on the SeaFoam. Saved me replacing a fuel injector. I was having problems and tried a can before I went to calling them bad and it solved the problem I was having.

 

[johnson86-1]

<random auto="" part="" i've="" never="" heard="" of="">I'm convinced people have gotten so wise to dealership car pricing that they are doing everything possible to make up for lost profits in the financing and service areas.</random>

This is exactly what it is. Owning a car dealership used to be a license to print money. It can still be really good, but with so many people comparing prices on the internet, they can't make the margins they used to on each sale. But they can get an even bigger premium on the service because cars have gotten complicated enough that it is more of a risk now to take your car to a shade tree mechanic.

 

[Philly Dawg]

I'm no expert, but if my service manual doesn't call for a particular type of servicing, I don't get it.

 

[Sutterkane]

I went to get a rear light changed last week at my dealer since I have a service contract with them and the bulb is covered under it.

It took an hour and a half, and they reminded me that my brake pads and my tires were really getting close to replacement, just like they told me 6 months ago when I took it in for routine maintenance. They of course gave me a quote for the 2500 dollars it would take to replace the tires and pads.

"Doesn't my car have a warning indicator for when the pads are low?"
"Yes, but we wanted to just let you know these items are close to needing replacement"
"Ok, thank you. Did you replace the bulb?"
"Yes. Did you have time for us to wash the vehicle for you?"
"Not really"

*20 minutes later*

"They had already started washing it so we let them finish."

I guess it was nice I got a free wash out of it, but it was a much longer lunch break than I really wanted.

 

[engie]

Seafoam in gas for the injectors once every oil change...
Seafoam in brake booster vacuum line with the engine running at 2500 RPM or so for upper/lower intake, cylinder head, and cylinder cleaning...once every couple oil changes...
Seafoam in the oil every other change just because...

Buy that stuff by the case. It will keep you rolling. And I prettymuch guarantee you that this "decarbonizing" process is exactly as I described. If you've never put seafoam in a vacuum line, you are missing out. It really will make the car run alot better/quieter. After you get past the idea that you are about to blow it up when it goes to running terribly as it's poured in, smoke billows out the exhaust, etc. After a certain amount of seafoam, the exhaust smoke clears up = no more carbon....

 

[drt7891]

I've heard that stuff works great, but I've had zero issues so far with fuel delivery.

I spoke to someone during lunch and they said most name-brand gasolines have additives that do a fantastic job at eliminating carbon buildup and went on to say that an occasional long trip does wonders for keeping engines cleaner.

He pretty much said the service is an upsell. Unless there is a problem, it's not worth it. It can improve cleanliness and fuel delivery, but most engines don't need it. Plus, the manual doesn't mention regular decarbonization services, so that about answers it.

 

[drt7891]

I should also mention he told me frequent decarbonizations with chemicals can cause catalytic converter and O2 sensor issues. I have no real evidence to back up this claim other that his claim, but I do know a converter is much more expensive to replace than even an injector (which I've never had to replace, and have never known of anyone to have replaced simply because it was clogged).

 

[Crazy Cotton]

Ford is having carbon issue with the direct injection models, not yours

The ecoboost engines are having some problems with carbon accumulation in one of the cylinders, forget which one offhand. It is related to the direct injection tech they are using, and doesn't show up until relatively high millage.


IF you want to do some preventive maintenance, run sea foam or a bottle of techtron detergent through your gas every five or six tanks. 85K on todays engines just isn't enough to have any issues, unless there is a design or mechanical problem that is causing something abnormal to happen.

 

[patdog]

At best, you're wasting your money.

 

[patdog]

Plus, the manual doesn't mention regular decarbonization services, so that about answers it.

This. You could also include fuel additives in there too. Consumer Reports did a test over a decade ago where they tested New York taxis using various brands of gasoline. They ran them for 200,000 miles in some of the most grueling driving conditions a car can face. Then they tested them for carbon deposits. None of the taxis using name brand gasolines had any detectable carbon buildup, although many of the off-brand ones did.

 

[The Peeper]

Run your gas tank down very close to empty. Pour in a $8/can of SeaFoam and hit the highway for a few miles. Carbon gone if there ever was any....