Mazda intake valve cleaning service question
- Thread starter ntdouglas
- Start date
What mileage do you have on the vehicle? Given you have a 2019 I suspect that they are trying the usual nonsense and up-selling you on a service that's not needed yet. Usually it takes over 40 to 50 thousand miles before this even becomes a consideration. Some vehicles go much longer without the build up, depending on driving habits.
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- Canada
I think it couldn't hurt as long as they do an oil change right after, but before paying the dealer for such a service, I'd want them to explain exactly what they're going to do. If they're going to walnut-blast the carbon off of the back of the valves to clean them, I'd say $139 is a fair price. But if they're going to just use a $10 can of CRC Intake Valve Cleaner or equivalent, I'd call that a rip off because you can do it yourself. Of course, if you don't want to do it yourself and are comfortable paying the $139, that's your decision.
With your low mileage I would assume that the buildup would be pretty minimal, so I'd just do the chemical clean instead of the walnut-blasting, if I did anything at all.
With your low mileage I would assume that the buildup would be pretty minimal, so I'd just do the chemical clean instead of the walnut-blasting, if I did anything at all.
It always amazes me that so many people are willing to dump aggressive chemicals (i.e. advertised as strong enough to dissolve carbon), into their engine for 'cleaning' intake valves, without ever knowing if the stuff is successfully working, or if it's even needed in the first place.
IMO the only acceptable way of addressing this intake valve deposit issue is by using an approach that very few people (or shops) are willing to spend the time and effort to do. It starts by using an inspection camera to examine the valves and determine the level of deposits that are actually there. Then, if (and only if) a significant amount of deposit is found, action (chemicals, walnut blasting, ...) can be used to address the problem. And if chemicals are used, I'd be doing an oil/filter change after the process has been completed.
I haven't found any reports yet of intake valve deposit issues on our Skyactiv engines - maybe some do exist and/or will be showing up in the future. Time will tell on that, but for now checking for deposits in our vehicles is not currently anywhere on my list of things to do.
But if you want to help pay for this stealership's next big boat, I'm sure they will be very pleased to accept your contribution. And you probably don't have to worry much about chemical damage to your engine, because their 'cleaning process' is probably nothing more than pouring a bottle of fuel system cleaner into the gas tank.
IMO the only acceptable way of addressing this intake valve deposit issue is by using an approach that very few people (or shops) are willing to spend the time and effort to do. It starts by using an inspection camera to examine the valves and determine the level of deposits that are actually there. Then, if (and only if) a significant amount of deposit is found, action (chemicals, walnut blasting, ...) can be used to address the problem. And if chemicals are used, I'd be doing an oil/filter change after the process has been completed.
I haven't found any reports yet of intake valve deposit issues on our Skyactiv engines - maybe some do exist and/or will be showing up in the future. Time will tell on that, but for now checking for deposits in our vehicles is not currently anywhere on my list of things to do.
But if you want to help pay for this stealership's next big boat, I'm sure they will be very pleased to accept your contribution. And you probably don't have to worry much about chemical damage to your engine, because their 'cleaning process' is probably nothing more than pouring a bottle of fuel system cleaner into the gas tank.
I agree with Ed and Rowlands. Keep in mind the origin of deposits on the backs of the intake valves. Blowby, gases that leak past the piston rings, including some lube oil vapors, are routed into the intake manifold through the positive crankcase ventilation (PVC) system. In the past the gasoline vapors in the intake manifold washed oil mist deposits off the backs of the intake valves. Then gasoline direct injection (GDI) was put on the cars resulting in no more gasoline vapor in the intake. Oil vapors got baked hard on the valve backs in the earlier generations of GDI engines. Current GDI engines, including ours, have much more effective oil traps in the PVC systems. We do not know of deposits building up to the point of causing problems in our engines. I'm at 45k with no indication of any problem.
How does a turbocharger relate to intake valve condition? It makes chemical cleaning more difficult, but otherwise, what's the connection?
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/ind...e-valve-cleaning-in-a-can-for-2-5t.123872899/
How does a turbocharger relate to intake valve condition? It makes chemical cleaning more difficult, but otherwise, what's the connection?
https://www.mazdas247.com/forum/ind...e-valve-cleaning-in-a-can-for-2-5t.123872899/
At that price and due to the mention of cleaning the spark plug head, I expect it is just a can of spray as mentionned above, or worst, just a fuel additive. I would confirm with then what they would do exactly, but my guess is that they are trying to upsell you something very cheap and not really effective. I would pass on it.
Would only use the can of professional strength series STP intake valve cleaner which you can.pick up for $30 at AutoZone and do it yourself. Very simple and likely all the dealer is doing. Don't use seafoam or CRC.
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Is there a specific reason?
Nothing poured into the gas tank will do any cleaning of the backs of the intake valve heads. It does not contact that surface. Spraying into the intake so it goes through the turbocharger is problematic...can it harm anything in the turbo or get past the seals? Is it cooked and ineffective when it leaves the hot turbo? Adding a chemical cleaner after the turbocharger is the best chance of doing any good short of disassembly and walnut shell blasting. The link I posted above details the procedure. A couple of steps he missed---he described the smoke as "absolutely stinks," so don't do it close to home, and do it in the dark.
I would not bother.
There are not a lot of issues reported with carbon reported with these cars. There are cars where it's a known issue (VW/Audi and BMWs with GDI) and the only thing that really helps/works is walnut blasting to solve the problem (as nothing really helps to prevent it).
There are not a lot of issues reported with carbon reported with these cars. There are cars where it's a known issue (VW/Audi and BMWs with GDI) and the only thing that really helps/works is walnut blasting to solve the problem (as nothing really helps to prevent it).