Car Repair Prices: Fuel Injection Services, Are They Worth It?

Fuel injection services are growing in popularity formuch fuel savings justifies the cost of the fuel
the following reasons in the order of motive.injection service, and how long is the pay off. BG
1) Increases service center's profitclaims that their product will pay for itself in a
2) It's an easy sell with today's gas pricesyear's time. However, remember that the
3) Offsets manufacturers' maintenance reductionscondition of the vehicle is a big variable! If the car
4) Poor gas qualitydoesn't need it, there's no benefit.
5) Poor adherence to vehicle maintenanceHow often should it be done?
Notice that "It's required" did not make the list.It depends on the product, but generally between
That's because fuel injection services are not15,000 to 30,000-miles.
required the majority of the time.Are they necessary?
However, injector services are at times beneficial,It depends: See the discussion under Are they
even necessary. See the following frequentlyworth it?
asked question and answers...Can a fuel injection service do any damage to my
What do they do?engine or car?
Depending on the product, injection services cleanNot if done correctly. Done incorrectly, anything
naturally forming carbon deposits from the fuelgoes. A technician could conceivably hydro-lock
injectors and fuel rails-some will even clean theyour engine, or blow a hole in the piston-although
fuel tank, and valve carbon deposits.both scenarios are rare.
Do they work?If anything does go wrong, there is usually an
In short, yes. Provided it's a premium productunderlying problem, which gets exacerbated by
(such as BG), and the service is performedthe fuel injector auto maintenance.
correctly. Fuel injection services can do amazingWhy doesn't my manufacturer recommend fuel
things. They can improve fuel efficiency, increaseinjector cleaning auto maintenance?
horse power, and repair some performanceNo manufacturer recommends fuel injector
concerns, although these benefits are rare.cleaning auto maintenance under normal operating
Whether or not fuel injection services will do allconditions. From a manufacturer's viewpoint: take
the above "every time" for your car is anothercare of your car right (i.e., as the manufacturer
story.dictates) and you'll be fine.
I have even seen fuel injection services quietHowever, depending on the problem, some
horrendous carbon knocks--a knocking noise frommanufacturers will recommend fuel injector
the engine due to excessive carbon build-upcleaning auto maintenance as the cure-especially
coming in contact with internal engine components.carbon knock. With the wide variety of fuel
Are they worth it?qualities available, manufacturers are reconsidering
Maybe. It really depends on the condition of thefuel injector cleaning auto maintenance.
vehicle. If the service achieves any of theHow much does fuel injector cleaning auto
advertised claims, it may be worth it. In truth,maintenance cost?
most cars don't need it. The consistent use ofPrices vary depending on the service center and
quality fuel, and proper vehicle maintenance shouldthe actual procedure performed, and product
be all that is necessary to keep a car runningused. The procedure you want should clean the
properly.entire fuel system including the tank and should
However, consistent use of cheap gas and poornot cost more than $150.
adherence to an auto maintenance schedule, asAlso, make sure the service is actually performed
well as certain driving styles can significantlyas fuel injector maintenance is a common scam
increase the accumulation of carbon deposits.across the industry.
Thus the possibility of poor fuel efficiency,Lastly, fuel injection maintenance is often
decreased horsepower, and performance issuespresented in such a way as if it is the magical
increases--all of which could be helped by injectorcure for all your car's quirks--it not!
maintenance.When in doubt, don't do it.
The other factor to consider is the expense. How