Tune-up and oil change

[micky]

I read a post on a travel forum by someone who says that before he returns a rental car, he has a tune-up and an oil change done on it.

comments?

[Bill]

What's a tune-up on a modern car? I think he's pulling your leg.

[Rod Speed]

micky [e-mail] wrote

Just another fool that doesn't have a clue.

There is no tune up involved with current model cars and all but the rent a wreck operations use current model cars.

Too radical by far.

[hubops]

.. he's must be reading all the fine print in the rental agreement.

[Clare Snyder]

Total lunacy. Perhaps on a LEASED car, but never on a short term rental. Even on a leased car that would be EXTREMELY uncommon and would serve no real purpose, as the leasing company virtually ALWAYS does an oil change before putting the car up for resale, and "tuneups" are

100,000km events today.

[Rod Speed]

Yep, and oil and a camshaft belt change at around 180K km or so. Quite important with an interference engine.

I don't bother to rotate tires.

[dpb]

The Avis rental agreement doesn't address renter responsibility for anything other than fuel and their roadside service if have problem.

Does state you are expressly forbidden to have a vehicle repaired for any collision damage prior to return however, and I'd suspect they'd take a dim view of any other unauthorized service as well even though it's not expressly in the contract.

[rbowman]

Or 100,000 mile events... I just did the 70,000 mile oil change in my car and according to the maintenance manual the next 30,000 boil down to change oil and filter, rotate the tires every 5,000 miles.

[micky]

True, but service places still call them tune-ups iirc, even if there is not much to do. To get the old folks and the young folks who are obeying their fathers' advice.

I should change the oil more often, but I don't drive much** it's never caused a problem even though I keep each car 7 years.

**Yes, I know time matters as much as distance, which is why I say I should do it more often.

I've never rotated tires. I guess at first I waited until I had the snwo tires put on and then noticed that I had no snow tires. There was never an occasion to stop what I was doing and rotate the tires. OTOH, I had a feeling in my head of the engine being ground into shavings if I didn't change the oil.

That's not much. In Maryland, if you're over 65 or 70 and drive less than 5000 miles, you don't have to have the pollution inspection, but you have to reapply every time. One actually sends a postal letter and they send one back. Driving to Florida didn't put me over 5000, but I've had thoughts of going past the Mississippi from Baltimore. I've never been to the St. Louis Zoo, for example, or Mt. Rushmore.

So you drive twice as much as it seemed.

[micky]

He might be. I tend to believe things that others would be more suspicious of.

it was a travel thread asking where to wash the rental car, and maybe he was being sarcastic because generally there's no need to wash a rental car, since they do it as soon as they get it back. So he might have been saying, I don't just just wash it. I tune it and change the oil.

(This was one of Reagan's sly remarks. "No one ever washed a rental car". Because everyone knows that the rental company washes it. But people who rent for a couple months will wash their rental, despite what he said.)

[rbowman]

When you have a fleet... Except for vacation road trips I don't put many miles on the car. In decent weather I take one of the bikes unless I plan to buy a lot of stuff at CostCo.

[rbowman]

If only driving on pavement is part of the rental agreement I never read that far. I expect my own car to go wherever it physically can and I don't treat rentals any different.

[rbowman]

I faithfully wash the car every couple of years.

[Rod Speed]

I never wash mine and on of the cops doing a breath test did smirk and say it was the dirtiest car in town.

I do lend it to anyone I know who asks and often offer it too and almost all of them wash it before they return it. Likely too ashamed to drive it dirty.

[Clare Snyder]

Actually "tune up" has not been on the job list of most garages for over 20 years.

It's the "don't drive much" drivers that NEED oil changes unless the

2000 miles a year you put on are between Dallas and Boise (or some other similar long distance run in dry weather)

I've averaged just under 5000km (3000 miles) per year on both the truck and the car over the last 5 years or so - last year we put twice that on the old Taurus in one trip - - - -

[Clare Snyder]

When YOU havr to work on it, I presume??? Nothing worse than working on/under a filthy vehicle.

[rbowman]

Yes there is. Your inlaws let you use their heated garage to replace a broken spring and the last three months worth of ice starts to thaw out.

[devnull]

Is it ok to rent a Lowes Depot flatbed truck to pull tree stumps?

[Clare Snyder]

Try repairing the apron chain on a shit-spreader in February - - -

[hubops]

.. did you remember to un-hitch the team first ? :-)

John T.