Is fuel system service really required for my car?

Maintenance/Repairs
,
1

I have a 2010 Toyota Rav 4 and I was told I need to have the fuel system cleaned. The car has 68,000 miles on it, I cannot find in the book anywhere about having the fuel system cleaned and the induction decarboronization. Could you please tell me if this is something I really need. Thank you. Terri

2

Was it a dealer who told you that? Sounds like something they would ā€œrecommendā€ā€¦Are you having any problems with mileage, engine performance, anything? I sold my '07 RAV, 11 years old, never had that done, never had any problems. I also used a trusted local mechanic NOT the dealer. Latter tried to rip me off once, I didnā€™t fall for it and definitely never trusted them after that! (I donā€™t usually trust dealers, just my experiencesā€¦)

3

Probably not. You can buy a bottle of fuel system cleaner for $1 or $2, if thatā€™ll make you feel better.

1 Like
4

Most gas sold in North America has plenty of cleaners added to it already. No need for an expensive wallet flush from the dealer. As @RandomTroll says get a bottle of additive for a few $ to make you feel better.

5

An induction system cleaning can be beneficial. That is different from a fuel system cleaning.

1 Like
6

Isnā€™t that more for a direct injection system, though instead of a traditional fuel injected system?

7

Depends on the system design. Iā€™ve owned a few Trailblazers so familiar with the design and their quirks. They tend to burp through the PCV system and dirty up the TB. They benefit from an occasional TB cleaning to remove the depositsā€¦

8

I just turned down the dealer for my 2011. I had it in for airbag recall and an oil change, and they came up with a long list of additional work, including a ā€˜throttle body serviceā€™. My carā€™s running fine.

9

terri I would wait and get the throttle body cleaned at ~100K miles.

10

The purpose of an induction system cleaning is to also clean the throttle body, throttle plate, EGR if so equipped, and so on.

Direct injection doesnā€™t matter. If anything DI engines are more prone to valve stem deposits such as this. The normal port injection with cleaning agents has at least a chance to eliminate some or all of this as the fuel injector spray pattern is on the valve head.
A DI engine with some oil consumption past the valve seals can exacerbate this problem.

image

1 Like