My dad owns a 2007 FREESTAR (out of production now) with only 30,000 miles. The car is barely used and in excellent condition - like new. Obviously the Dealership has maintenance schedules, one of them being a Fuel Injection/Throttle body System ‘cleaning’ or something like that. Is it really necessary? Can he wait a while? He is on a budget and would appreciate any insight in how long he might be able to put this off, or should it be done ‘right away’? Thank you!
It can wait until you go to Wal-Mart and buy Techron, Sea-Foam or Berryman B-12. If you don’t do it, don’t worry, it’s not necessary.
It is the dealer, not Ford that has this in the maintenance schedule. The main purpose is dealer profit. If a car needs this service it won’t be running well.
Is it really necessary?
Absolutely NOT…especially at 30k miles.
Have your dad find someone else to maintain his vehicle. I HATE places like this…Hey here’s an old person…let’s scare him into thinking that his vehicle is going to fall apart if he doesn’t buy this unneeded service. They’re easy prey.
The injectors and thottle body are actually continuously being cleaned by the cleaner already in the gasoline. The owner’s manual does not call for cleaning for that reason.
We sold a 1994 Nissan Sentra last year which had received normal maintenance but the injectors had never been cleaned, and our independent garage told us it was not necessary unless the engine did not run smoothly. So, you can do what others advise here, and spend $10 or so on a cleaner you put in the gas, if you feel like doing so.
Most posters here call them “wallet flushes”!
Wow, thank you all for the replies, my dad will appreciate this very much!
Just tell your dad to pull out the owners manual and ask the “service writer” to show him where any additional service is recommended by the people with the engineering degrees that designed the vehicle.
The only exception to this would be a transmission fluid drain and refill (not flush) about every 30k miles. An ATF drain and refill should be less than an oil change. The pan should be dropped and the filter changed every other time (about 60k miles) and that will be somewhat higher because it involves more labor and a pan gasket.
I agree with what everyone has said so far, but, in view of the fact that this vehicle is 6 years old, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to put a bottle of Techron into the gas tank once a year. This costs only a few dollars and would probably be prudent in terms of the vehicle’s age.
But…the dealer’s overpriced flush? Nope!
I wouldn’t even try to convince the service writer they’re wrong, just put a list of factory-recommended services together and give them that list, tell them to only what is on the list.
My 89 Mustang GT has the original injectors, never had them cleaned or dumped anything in the gas tank and no problems whatsoever. Just use quality gas from a station that sells a lot. Worst thing for injectors is stale fuel which can go bad sooner due to ethanol content. Techron will not hurt and no need for any other wallet drainer from dealers or oil change places. Places to avoid are these very small ma and pop conveyance stores where you never see anyone filling up. I knew a friend who worked in one of these places part time and the last time they got a load of gas was 4 months earlier…