Dear Tom and Ray:

I need your help! I know this is a very basic question, but I hope you'll answer it anyway. I drive a 1993 Honda Civic four-door (great car, knock on wood; I haven't had a lick of trouble with it outside of a battery replacement). Now that I'm a single woman fending for myself, can you tell me the skinny on these $400 tune-ups that auto dealers offer? Are they really worth it, or am I better served by just changing the oil regularly and replacing the spark plugs once a year? Also, what's the difference between an oil change at the dealership, a Quick Lube joint and Joe's Repair Shop down the road? -- Christa

Tom: What's the difference? About 10 bucks, Christa, and the cleanliness of the waiting room. Other than that, not much.

Ray: These "$400 tune-ups" are a delicate matter, Christa. Our lawyers have urged us to use extreme caution when discussing these services, and under no circumstances are we to use the word "scam" when referring to them. So we will be extraordinarily careful here, and use other, less inflammatory words ...

Tom: Like "complete rip-off"?

Ray: No! Here's our dilemma. We believe that once your odometer hits 30,000 miles or so, it IS worth doing these "services" (the details of which are listed in the back of your owner's manual).

Tom: During these recommended services, many things are checked, tightened, topped up, adjusted, diagnosed and/or replaced. It's a lot like a physical exam. If you catch a heart problem early, you may be able to avoid a coronary bypass or a heart transplant later on. So we wholeheartedly endorse the manufacturer- recommended services for cars with 30,000 miles or more on them.

Ray: The problem is that we see little reason to perform these expensive services on cars with fewer than 30,000 miles. I mean, would you do a complete heart workup on every 25-year-old? Sure, you might find coronary artery disease in one person in every 50,000, but is it worth charging the other 49,999 $1,000 each for the tests? It is if you're the guy doing the tests (i.e., the dealership), I guess.

Tom: And here's where it gets really complicated. While it's our opinion that all you need to do for regular maintenance in the first 30,000 miles or so of ownership is change the oil and check the fluids, your manufacturer may disagree. And since the manufacturer administers the warranty, you may be jeopardizing your warranty by skipping these required services.

Ray: So what do you do? Well, it's your call, Christa. There are two ways you can go. You can "take your chances." You can change the oil and filter every 5,000 miles, check all the fluids on a regular basis for the first 30,000 miles, and hope nobody ever bothers you about it. But be aware that even though we've never heard of a case like this, the manufacturer is within his legal rights to deny you warranty coverage if your "negligence" (i.e., your failure to maintain the vehicle) contributed to the mechanical problem.

Tom: So if you don't want to take that kind of risk, the other thing you can do is not go to the dealer. Any qualified mechanic should be able to perform your regular services, and you'll save a lot of money doing it that way. And, by law, this has NO effect on the warranty. Just bring him your owner's manual so he'll have the list of the items the manufacturer recommends at your current mileage. And keep a receipt (or have him "stamp your book" in case you ever need to prove that the work was done.

Ray: And no matter which approach you take, after 30,000 miles, do get the services done as specified in your owner's manual. And no matter who you go to -- whether it's the dealer or your local mechanic -- make sure it's someone you trust to actually do the work. There's so much "checking" of things called for in these "services" that an unscrupulous mechanic could easily get away with not doing most of the work.

Tom: And while $275 for a 30,000-mile checkup might seem cheap when compared to the $400 they get at the dealership, it's actually expensive if all they're doing is changing your oil and parking your car back in the lot.

In their pamphlet "Should I Buy, Lease, or Steal My Next Car?" Tom and Ray break down the strategies for buying a car, so you can make the most of your money. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1997 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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