When does my car need a tune up? I got one a year ago!! Do I need to get one more than once in a year?

It depends how many miles you put on the car. The place you got the tune up should have a record of when/what mileage you should be due. Call and ask them.

Hi, sweet20!

What's the year, make and model of your car, please? Those factors also make a difference as well as the conditions under which it's driven. For instance, it's my understanding that with my 1997 Toyota Camry, that the spark plugs don't have to be changed until about 100,000 miles of use.

However, if I was still driving a car from the 70's or 80's it might need a tune-up on a much more frequent basis.

Thanks!

That always depends on miles or ruunning condition and make/model but since mine is a rare ccar I do my own tuneup about twice a year to keep it nice. Depending on miles you might be able to get away with maybe 2 years or so too.

Most people should follow their Owner's Manual for recommended maintenance. If your question really had in mind spark plugs, I recommend changing platinum spark plugs every 50,000 miles or 3 years, whichever comes first. This is about half the recommended mileage. Leaving plugs in longer than this increases the chances of stripping the threads in the aluminum head. Plugs can seize and it's a nightmare scenario.

Txgreasemonkey is right on the money by suggesting you replace plugs BEFORE the suggested interval. A 100M mile plug that has 80,000 miles on it is actually 80% used up. You'll get better gas mileage and better performance by replacing them early. Over the life of the car, you'll save more even though you've replaced the plugs once more than the manual suggests. His comments on frozen plugs is also 100% TRUE. Believe us, you don't want to have to pay to have a frozen plug extracted from the cylinder head.

Check the owners manual for your car, if you are missing the manual an official dealer will know.

I agree with txgreasemonkey and RickMN.

As a mechanic it is always better to prentive maintanace then break down repairs.

The cost of removing head and repairing is way more expensive then doing a tune up on a regular basis.

Good luck