Tune-ups & maintenance
Rough idle, hard starts, worse mileage, or just due. Tune-ups are part of RT’s own short list of what they do.
Signs it’s due
Tap the one that sounds like your car and the booking form starts with it filled in.
Rough or shaky idle
The engine feels uneven at a stoplight, or the RPM needle wanders.
Book for thisHard starts
It cranks longer than it used to before it catches, especially on cold mornings.
Book for thisWorse fuel mileage
You are filling up more often for the same driving.
Book for thisHesitation or stumbling
A stumble when you press the gas, or less pull getting onto the highway.
Book for thisDue by the book
Your owner’s manual lists spark plugs, filters and fluids by miles or months.
Book for thisA maintenance light
Many cars show a wrench or service reminder when something is coming due.
Book for this
What “tune-up” means on a modern car
Older cars needed regular adjusting. Newer ones mostly need parts replaced on schedule: spark plugs, ignition parts, air and cabin filters, and fluids, plus a look at belts and hoses.
Every car’s schedule is different, so the useful question is what yours is due for. That is the kind of “repairs that are needed” approach RT describes.
Often on the list, depending on your car
- Spark plugs
- Ignition coils or wires
- Engine air filter
- Cabin air filter
- Fluids and levels
- Belts and hoses
Your owner’s manual has the real schedule for your car.
When you book, tell RT
The booking form asks for this in plain words. No car talk needed.
Book a drop-off- Year, make, model and rough mileage
- Anything it is doing that it did not used to
- When it was last serviced, if you know
- Whether a light or reminder is showing on the dash