Call the dealer and ask the guy EXACTLY what they do in a tune up. Write it down and then start doing what the dealer said they would do. Anything you don't know how to do or are having trouble with, we can help with that.

Edit: What they are prolly gonna do is change your plugs, plug wires, maybe cap and rotor, oil change, tranny flush, coolant flush. My cousin had something like that done on his 01 civic, they charged him like $400, except they didn't change his plugs or plug wires. In my mind, those "tune ups" are really a rip off because its mostly stuff that you can do on your own with basic tools and basic knowledge.

 

as I explained in my original post, I was getting 25 miles per gallon..after a tune up could you give me an estimate on how much it would help? (number of miles per gallon wise)

 

Hmm '98 Civic shouldn't be getting 25mpg... true.

How exactly did you measure your Mileage? Where were you driving? Because 25MPG city isn't bad at all.. On the other hand 25MPG highway is weak..

I always write down my mileage whenever I fill up (and then reset the trip-meter). That way I can monitor my MPG. If mileage drops rapidly, this often represents a problem with the car.


Thigns to improve mileage: http://www.ehow.com/how_2629_increase-gas-mileage.html

 

spark plugs, wires, cap, and rotor will run u about $60 or so and its very easy to do. if u know anybody whos into cars or works with cars, try and get some help from them, they might know how to. oil change is really simple. there are a couple of DIYs on how to do them in the DIY section. about $20 or so to do an oil change urself. new fuel filter and PCV valve would be a good idea. check the air filter and make sure its clean, might be a good idea to buy a new one just incase. its kinda hard to kno wut ur MPG will be after a tune up. who knows, maybe even after a tune up, it wont go up very much and u might be looking at a more serious problem. all the parts i just mentioned should help gas mileage. they'll help make ur car run smooth as well. if ur unsure on how to do any of this, buy a haynes manual for about $20 or so and it'll explain how.

good luck with everything!

 

Thanks for the insight guys..I deeply appreciate it...

I measured my Mileage by filling up my tank all of the way...Setting the trip to 0...

I drive highway AND city...then when I see that it's almost on the Empty, I'll fill it up..check how many gallons I bought and also glance at what the trip reads..

then I'll take the miles traveled on the trip and divide it by the number of gallons

 

i only get about 23 on average. but i drive almost all city. but you probably just need new spark plugs and wires like the others mentioned.

 

Am I calculating wrong? Is there a better way to calculate?

 

I use an online fuel logbook. Hawaii gas prices Even thought its for Hawaii gas prices you still can use the logbook. I been tracking my milage for 2 years now. Its interesting to see how just by using a K&N air filter and changing my spark plugs improved my milage by 3 or 4 MPG.

 

ok..I just looked at SeaFoam and it seems like it might be a good idea for me. I also recently got a tune up at a honda dealer...it was a little expensive but I have a lot of extra money right now so I'm not worried about it..he changed the spark plugs and rotor stuff and everything that comes in the tune up...I told him to check out my fuel sensors and why my gas ticker was going up and down..he said the sensor or something is broken and it would cost 350 dollars to fix..unbelievable..

is there anythere else you guys can reccomend to get better gas mileage? What about this sea foam stuff? Could someone in detail explain what I do with it?

Thanks so much guys for your help

 

Has the check engine light been on? If so that's probably the o2 sensor. A broken one of those can hurt the gas mileage.