Fuel system service
 

2015 A8 wet dump Stingray. 31,000 miles.

The dealer tech recommended 3-part fuel system service at 30,000 miles and noticed carbon deposits on the throttle body blade and housing.

He performed following service:

Injected pressurized solvent through fuel rail & injector nozzles, cleaned all carbon off of throttle plate and housing, and top end engine de-carbon.

Under warranty??

for a direct injected engine 30k is about the norm for a fuel cleaning. I work at a hyundai / vw dealer. vw offers an additive to put in the fuel tank that's works pretty well,but you have to use it from day one to be effective. hyundai recommends every 30k and uses the three part cleaning. we charge $149.95.

Is this mainly just to clean the injectors? Will not do much to clean intake valves since fuel does not flow through the valves.

Warranty
 

Don't know if it's under warranty, didn't think to ask.

Main Purpose
 

Not sure but the Tech mentioned ensuring the injectors spray correctly.

its considered maintenance. not a warranty issue

Is this really needed, my car runs and idles great. I don't care about my gas mileage.

I have used Top Tier fuels for years and driven cars over 200,000 miles without any fuel system cleaning. Maybe the Wawa gasoline does this?

:iagree: To help keep the injectors clean (and to help stop sulfur build-up on the fuel level sensor) I use the GM equivalent of Techron.
This is what is said in the 2014 Owner's Manual:
To keep fuel systems clean, TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is
recommended.
If TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is not available, one bottle of Fuel
System Treatment PLUS, part number 88861013, added to the fuel
tank at every engine oil change, can help. Fuel System Treatment PLUS
is the only gasoline additive recommended by General Motors.
It is available at your dealer.

Although I use Top Tier over 1/2 the time I still add this cleaner. There have been several posts about folks having to have their gas tanks removed to fix the fuel sender problem, a build up of sulfur. The Techron and GM product say they remove sulfur deposits. I recall one poster who was horrified to find they removed his drive train! Only way to get both tanks down! Another said their dealer fixed the problem with two bottles of the above mentioned GM fuel treatment. They charged $100.

Techron (no doubt IMO that is what the GM bottle contains as it looks the same and the SDS (Safety Data Sheet) says about the same and is $5 at Walmart! Cheap insurance. (Just checked the GM replacement for that part number is $12 at Amazon) Techron is a patented Chevron product and is what is in Top Tier gas.

PS: As noted by jovett below, the GM product is probably Chevron Techron Concentrate Plus, $9 on Amazon

You can find Techron at Costco as well. Last time I bought it there were 6 bottles in a box for about $13-15 per box.

Perhaps their patent is running out! :lol:

Direct injection engines are known for carbon build-up

This is not listed in the manual as a recommended service for 30,000 miles. It will also not address possible coking on the valves. You will also be paying out of pocket for this in all likelihood. This is how dealers make money.

That's not the good stuff. You want to use Chevron Techron Concentrate Plus and it's about $10 for a bottle big enough to do 20 gallons. (they sell a smaller bottle that does 12 gallons, and sells for about $6-$7):thumbs:

Just got the "Complete Fuel System Service" Needed
 

Just took my 2014 c7 convertible (25k miles) in for the "leaky hydraulics when operating roof" issue. (Not covered under warranty...arrgh!) The service dude just sent me the automated cellphone message thingie suggesting:

• Perform brake system fluid exchange. ($150)
• Complete fuel system service. ($330)

He's already going to add fuel injection cleaner and oil conditioner as part of this service. Need to call to see if the fuel system service is still warranted...

If it's not (which I don't think so), I call BS on the fuel service thing. Is the car running OK?

My two year old A8 base Stingray coupe uses only Top Tier gas and I put the big bottle of Techron on each fill up but I substitute that with Lucas Upper Cylinder Lub every 3-4 tanks.

We’ll see how that works out. However like most of us we are waiting to see how the intake valves do with carbon build up, or not.

Obviously what I put in the tank won’t help the intake valves so, Stay tuned...

I ran into the same thing at an unnamed dealer who wanted to do the "cleaning" on what was at the time a non-direct injection engined vehicle touting how well it improved his (the service writer's) vehicle... coincidentally the same model as mine. I listened to the spiel and said, "No thanks."

As someone noted, this is one of many ways that dealers make money no matter what the vehicle or the fueling system.

My vehicle I mentioned? It went twice the mileage and ran fine the entire time. Unfortunately, it was eventually totalled and I'm guessing all the over-priced dealer chemical magic wouldn't have put it back together again! :lol:

I'll follow the Manual, thanks.

Chevron (my former employer) loves you for using Techron with every tank of gas. Your car engine doesn't care. Unless your car isn't running well, fuel additives are a complete waste of money (It even says so in almost every owners manual)!
I've never used them in 50 years of car ownership, and I've never had a problem in close to one million miles of driving!
Of course the dealer recommends a fuel system treatment every 30,000 miles, it's a huge money maker!