Spark plugs, wires, distributor caps and rotors break down and fail over time due to exposure to moisture, oil, grease and under hood temperatures that can reach as much as 550 to 700 degrees. Worn spark plugs require higher voltage, forcing the ignition module and coil to produce increasingly higher and higher voltages to overcome the resistance. This breaks down the spark plug wire's insulation causing the ignition module and coil to produce even more voltage, creating even higher temperatures within them. The increased resistance weakens transistors and electrical insulation within modules, coils and computers, resulting in intermittent and premature failure.
For maximum fuel economy and peak engine performance, your spark plugs should be replaced every 30 months or 30,000 miles, unless your vehicle is equipped with 100,000-mile platinum tipped spark plugs. Vehicles 15+ years old are more likely to have standard plugs with approximate life expectancy of 12,000-15,000 miles,
If your vehicle has over 60,000 miles and you haven't replaced your spark plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, you may experience a variety of drivability problems that are often difficult and very costly to diagnose and repair.

Today's automobiles do not require tune ups in the same way as older vehicles. Automobile manufacturers have set forth, in their recommended maintenance schedules, intervals for replacing spark plugs, PCV valves, fuel filters etc., while recommending that other items related to engine operation be inspected for proper operation and/or adjustment, such as ignition timing, idle speed and other emission control related devices. 

Therefore, the term "tune up" indicates the need for routine maintenance and should not be associated with poor performance. If your vehicle experiences any operation or performance problems between maintenance intervals, that specific problem should be addressed by performing an engine analysis to isolate that particular problem.

Synthetic oil is a great way to go and can save you time, money and gas.  It’s  a good choice for high output, turbocharged or supercharged engines, vehicles that are used for towing (especially during hot weather), and vehicles that are operated in extremely cold or hot climates. Though more expensive than mineral-based motor oils, synthetic oil can improve fuel economy.  You also have longer intervals between changes which saves on time and ultimately will actually cost you less that mineral-based oil changes. 

No, we can take care of all regular scheduled maintenance and service, keeping your factory warranty intact. Warranties are there to protect the consumer, but you must follow the requirements.  At Quality Automotive and Smog we can perform 30,000,  60,000 and 90,000 mile services and often charge less than the manufacturer.

To keep your long term maintenance costs low, there's no better place to start than by scheduling regular oil and filter changes.  Most vehicle manufacturers recommend changing the oil once a year or every 7,500 miles in passenger cars and light truck gasoline engines. However, that once a year, 7,500 mile oil change is for vehicles that are driven under “normal” driving conditions which is only about 20% of drivers. Nearly all of us fall under “Severe Service”  driving conditions - frequent short trips (less than 10 miles, especially during cold weather), stop-and-go city traffic driving, driving in dusty conditions and driving at sustained highway speeds during hot weather. For this type of driving, which is actually “severe service” driving conditions, the recommendation is to change the oil every 3,000 miles or six months. For maximum protection, most oil companies say to change the oil every 3,000 miles or three to six months regardless of what type of driving you do. The purpose of the oil change is to remove the harmful contaminants that have accumulated in the crankcase and to replace the depleted additive package in the used oil. If you go beyond this recommendation your vehicle could be dumping more unburned fuel into the crankcase which dilutes the oil. This causes the oil to break down and not adequately lubricate the engine and vital parts. So if the oil isn’t changed often enough, you can end up with accelerated wear on your engine and parts and all the engine problems that come with it including loss of performance and fuel economy, as well as, increased emissions and oil consumption.

The oil filter should be changed every time the oil is changed because up to 3/4 of a quart (3/4 of a liter) of used oil remains in the filter when only the oil is changed. This contaminated oil immediately mixes with the clean oil and contaminates it. It is cheap insurance to make each change a complete one with both new oil and filter.  When it comes to air filters, it is important to use a high quality air filter that holds up under our extreme driving conditions.   Note that quick lube shops will often user lesser quality oil and filters.  

If you don't drive your car much or at all (7500 miles a year), then you probably want to change oil every six months anyway. If you are storing a car during the winter, then change oil before storing it and change oil when you bring it out of storage.