A "tune-up" is kind of a thing of the past. A lot of engine-related parts used to commonly wear out by around 30,000 miles, so we had a regular list of parts to replace including spark plugs and wires, distributor cap, rotor, and going way back to the 1960s, the breaker points.
On a vehicle as new as yours, good quality spark plugs can last 100,000 miles. There's no spark plug wires anymore. Individual ignition coils are mounted directly on top of each spark plug. No more distributor cap and rotor. Engine and emission controls have gotten much more complicated, so they cause more of today's problems, but there isn't much scheduled maintenance related to them. We address problems as they show up. Your Engine Computer can detect roughly 2,000 defects or engine performance problems. When it does, it sets a diagnostic fault code with a specific definition that can get pretty detailed. You need to see someone with a scanner or code reader to see those code numbers, then, you can go here:
https://www.2carpros.com/trouble_codes/obd2/
to see those definitions, or any of us can interpret them for you. About half of those codes refer to something that could adversely affect emissions. Those are the codes that turn on the Check Engine light.
A good place to start is by looking at the service recommendations in the car's owner's manual. Don't go by the "light service" lists. It's almost impossible to meet the conditions for those lists to apply. Besides regular oil changes, it's a good idea to have the steering and suspension systems inspected once a year or when you hear a new sound or observe a change in the car's handling. These inspections are done best at a tire and alignment shop, but your regular mechanic is usually qualified to do that too when the oil change is being performed. They will also "read" the tire wear patterns for signs of a problem.
If you run into a specific concern, come back here and tell us about it. Most of us have certain areas we specialize in, and we wait for the right person to show up. It can take a few hours for the right expert to see your question and respond. Sometimes it can take a couple of hours to find the right information or diagrams to include with our replies, and formatting some diagrams for uploading takes a long time too. Diagnosing some problems can cover many days with many replies back and forth, but we stick with you until a solution is reached.
May 29, 2026 at 6:55 PM
