The dealer reccommended I have a “decarb and fuel system service” on my 2009 Camry with about 20000 miles. Why is this necessary?? Will their service really do anything?? It does idle rough, when stopped at a light. Will this “decarb” servce help that?
If might help if the car is running rough. Toyota dealers are big on selling this because they charge a lot of money for a little work. Find a good mechanic and ask him for a quote on decarbing. The Toyota dealer charges about 3X more than an independent shop in most cases.
Ask the dealer if they will guarantee that the “decarb” service will fix the rough idle.
And, I would ask the mechanic to examine a couple of spark plugs. If they show fouling, they will need replacing. S/he should have an idea to check a few other things, also.
With all the snow and ice which has been on the road, in much of the country (USA), have s/him look at the oxygen sensors, also. If they have been hit by snow or ice, they could be damaged.
I’m surprised a 2009 Camry would be running rough. Do you do a lot of short trips? Before paying for the dealer service try a can or two of Seafoam or Chevron Techron in the gas tank.
My local mechanic uses the Motovac fuel system cleaner. I have it done every 40k or so for about $110.
http://www.theautochannel.com/mania/repair/motorvac.html
Ed B.
Yes. my parents make a lot of trips that are to town and back, about 5 miles. We thought that at 20000 miles, this should not be happening. This is the first Toyota my parents have bought and now, Dad says it will be his last. The dealer failed to replace the air filter the last time it was in for an oil change, even though they saw that it needed to be replaced. That was only caught because there was no charge for the air filter. I highly doubt that they would have forgotten to charge us for something they did.
Thanks for your suggestions. I think we’ll try the additive you suggested before paying them to do such a thing. We had taken it in for the recall stuff. I wonder how much they have to find to do just to get reimbursed for the recall work. They have my 2010 Camry, too. I wonder what they will find to charge me for.
Thanks again.
I can’t see why your dad is being so hard on Toyota. At least they did not charge for the air filter they forgot to replace. I would look at that as an opportunity to save money by simply stopping at Wal Mart, grabbing a new air filter there, and changing it myself at a fraction of the cost. Put some techron in the fuel tank and take that car out and run it once in awhile and the rough idle will probably go away.
BTW, I think that decarbing is a waste of money. It shouldn’t need done if the car is run properly. Making short trips exclusively is really hard on an engine in the long term.
Decarbing service is another way of saying “boat payment”. It rarely works and is rarely needed.
Only if dealer or warranty pays for it. Otherwise a wallet decarb(flush) service of your money.
What the car most likely needs is a few hour drive to blow out the spiders and such . You might put in some fuel injection cleaner like BGK 44 or Techron before the drive .
If its a 2009 with 20,000 miles I highly doubt that short trips and carbon build-up is the problem. Even if you got it in the end of 08 as an 09 model its still 20,000 miles in ONE year.
How can your parents be doing a bunch of short trips with 20k in one model year? Did they buy this new?
As has been mentioned, short trip usage can form residual fuel deposits on injectors and combustion chambers. Google CCDI Techron to see the condition described in detail. In its worst condition it can result in a knock that goes away as the engine warms. It’s often mistaken for piston slap. A cleaner with PEA in it fixes this. Gumout REGANE, Techron, Amsoil PI, Red Line’s product.
The air filter can’t possibly be due at one year, and I doubt it was due at 20k. That would be a short life for a contemporary air filter by OEM spec’s.
Put a can of Seafoam in the gas tank, take it out on the highway and floor it a few times. Also known as an Italian tune up.
It’s hard to believe a car that new would have any problem with carbon.
I wouldn’t put anything in it. Before taking it out on the highway and “blowing it out”, I would find a good independent mechanic because I suspect that your parents may be dealing with an unscrupulous dealer. They may have done something to make it run rough so they can sell you an unneeded service.
Toyota used to be very strict on their dealerships, but with growth/size, it looks like they may have lost some of that control. What you are experiencing is not normal for Toyota.
Why is “rough idle” on a 2009 with 20K on it not a warranty issue?