Recommended Fuel System Cleaner Service — Worth it?

Learn when to say no to shop recommended fuel system cleaner

These days, all shops seem to be recommending additional services that aren’t listed in your owner’s maintenance guide. For example, you may be faced with a recommended fuel system cleaner or fuel injection “service.” This is supposedly to a preventative service to keep your fuel injectors running properly. These are unnecessary services, often referred to as wallet-flushing services.

In addition to fuel injector cleaning, shops also recommend air induction service and engine flush services. Read on to find out when to say no to these wasteful services.

Routine fuel system cleaners are never worth it

There are two types of dealer recommended fuel system cleaning: pour-in products or a full injector cleaning when a machine is connected to the fuel rail and heavy duty cleaner is run through the injectors. Neither is recommended by the carmaker as a routine or preventative measure.

Not a single carmaker recommends routine fuel system cleaning. Just the opposite, many carmakers have issued service bulletins warning their dealers NOT to perform these services because the vehicle doesn’t need them and they are wasteful.

Here’s the bottom line on fuel system cleaning: It is NEVER needed UNLESS you are having a performance issue that has been diagnosed as clogged or carboned fuel injectors. Even then, fuel injector cleaning has limited value. In cases of severe clogging, the cleaner won’t fix the problem and the injectors have to be replaced.

If the dealer or shop recommends fuel system cleaning, ask them why and ask them to show you where that service is listed in your owner’s maintenance guide. Because it isn’t.

If you really want to add a fuel system cleaner, but a bottle of Chevron Techron and add it to your tank.

Always say not to engine flushing

This is another wallet-flushing service. Even if your engine has been diagnosed as having a sludge problem, engine flushing is never recommended as the way to fix it. Changing your oil more often is the best way to remove sludge, not an engine flush.

Air induction service depends on your vehicle

Some gasoline direct injection engines are prone to carbon buildup on the intake valves; mostly Audi, VW, and BMW vehicles. The best way to remove the carbon is through walnut blasting, where the technician removes the intake manifold and uses a walnut blasting gun to remove the carbon.

However, some companies make a liquid cleaning method where the solvent is administered into the intake and left to soak. These chemical treatments have mixed results and there’s little proof that preventative chemical cleaning solves the problem.

If your engine has poor starting, poor acceleration, and misfires, AND it has gasoline direct injection, you may have carbon buildup on the intake valves. If the problem has been diagnosed as carbon, then you should consider a chemical cleaning. But you should reject routine air induction service.

© 2024 Rick Muscoplat