How often to get an engine tune-up depends on your vehicle and driving conditions — older vehicles are often tuned up every 10,000-12,000 miles or every 2 years. Modern vehicles with electronic engines and fuel injection have a wide variety of tune-up intervals, some as high as 100,000 miles. Check your vehicle owner’s manual to learn the tune-up schedule for your make and model.

SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms that a car might need a tune-up include a drop in gas mileage, a noticeable loss of power, a “rough” engine or one that stalls at a stop, the engine “knocking” or continuing to run after the ignition is off, or a “check engine” or “service engine” light staying on after the initial start. However, these symptoms might be caused by other problems with the computerized systems. Most repair shops will begin by performing a diagnostic test, to determine if a tune-up is a correct solution to the problem.