Service cost - fuel injectors.

[Firegod]

Missus picked up her Outlander today from a dealer service.
Added was a injector clean at $95.00!
Do you reckon they over charged a bit here?
It's only its second servie???

[Zute]

whats involved with an injection clean ? Pore in some Wynns Inject clean into the tank ? Or do they remove, clean, flow test each one ? If the later, probably good value.


I use to be pessimistic. Now I know everyone's out to get me.

[Firegod]

Apparently it was a 'Flush'...

My first thought was Wynns.

Seems pricey, especially as it was only there for a basic service and it's a new vehicle.

[DougH]

Did you ask for it?

And if you didn't ask for it was it in the service manual for your current mileage.

If it isn't tell them to go pound sand and to please give you your money back.

[hudson44]

It may have been an "on car" injector clean. They use a pressure pack of injector clean hooked up to the injector rail and run the car in this for several minutes. It is effective to a certain extent, however is not a thorough clean and not as effective as removing the injectors, flow testing and giving them an ultrasonic clean. But for a relatively new car this should be enough. $95 sounds reasonable!!

[Firegod]

Not part of normal service and it was added in a "we reccomend" as my wife was walking out the door. She said yes as was in a hurry to get to work due to being held up at service desk waiting. I have since talked to a apprentice mechanic who used to work at this particular dealer, he says it's a Friday beer money maker.

They risk it as nobody can usually tell what they have done, it's generally sounds to complex for people, (women, but not sounding sexist on my part), and they get away with it.

I am told the drinking pool can be upwards of a thousand dollars at the end of a week!

[Lou_MV]

I had the injectors cleaned on mine last week, $500.

They were removed and sent off for an ultrasonic clean. Like a new car when it came back, after 200Ks they'd got clogged and it was like getting an extra cylinder!

The other thing that the guy recommended is never to use the cheapest UL, but stump up an extra 10c a litre for the premium. For reference I got nearly 800km from a tank on th highway this weekend whereas before I was getting a lot less.

[DougH]

What engine? The 3.5 needs premium, but there is no benifit to running premium in the earlier 3.0 12 valves.

[Bitsamissin]

Dougie, over here the 3.5 DOHC had the ECU re-programmed to run on plain unleaded sometime in late 96 or early 97 (Ian knows exactly when).
The NL (Gen 2.5) SOHC 3.5 V6 will run just fine on plain unleaded as well.

[Lou_MV]

So no benefit at all from premium UL?

[South]

I had the injectors cleaned on mine last week, $500.

You got bent over big time!

I recently had my Fairmont I6 injectors ultrasonically cleaned and tested and it cost me $150... Ive been told by many that I could have got it done for even cheaper than that too...

[Firegod]

$500 for ultrasonic clean???

Just pull 'em out and go for a check up the Docs and drop the injectors in the steriliser while you chat. I remember working at the hospital, the worse fat and blood would be removed in about 2mins.

I feel much better now about $94...

[Zute]

My 3.0ltr 12 valve pings on standard UL. Can run it on a 50/50 blend Prem/standard ok though.

[DougH]

My 3.0ltr 12 valve pings on standard UL. Can run it on a 50/50 blend Prem/standard ok though.

Sounds like you have carbon build up in the head, or your timing is off.

When is the last time you checked your ignition timing?

[hudson44]

My 3.0ltr 12 valve pings on standard UL. Can run it on a 50/50 blend Prem/standard ok though.

Yeah i would check your ignition timing.... Since we're on the topic when was the last time you had the injectors cleaned. Mine was pinging pretty badly under load at the correct ignition timing. Pulled the injectors out and had our bloke clean them for me and all is sweet... can run it at about 8 degrees BTDC instead of 5 on normal unleaded now and no pinging!!

Gabe

[-Scott-]

Pulled the injectors out and had our bloke clean them for me and all is sweet... can run it at about 8 degrees BTDC instead of 5 on normal unleaded now and no pinging!!

Hmmm. I've been contemplating having my injector's cleaned, but I think I'm running 8 deg on normal unleaded...

Perhaps I don't need to!

Scott

[hudson44]

The best way to check your injector "condition" is to clamp the return line off with a set of pliers at idle. If the idle improves then chances are they are dirty. If it runs the same or worse then they are fine. This just bumps the pressure in the rail up and will give a cleaner spray pattern on a dirty injector!

Gabe