Mechanic said I'm using too much gas.
 

Hello all,

So I went to a Brake Check to get the rear brakes done and an alignment on the vehicle. They did good work and when they gave me my paper work and diagnostic they said my car is using more fuel than necessary according to the computer when they had it hooked up.

I had noticed before this service that my vehicle is using more gas than normal.

It is a 06 AT with 53000 miles. I haven't serviced the vehicle yet other than transmission fluid change.

So do y'all think I need to clean the throttle body or something?

Also, is it recommend to do a fuel injector cleaning at the dealer or maybe put in a cleaner in the gas tank?

Any recommendations would be great!

Thx

Your computer may not be accurate. You say you've noticed more consumption before the car was serviced, was this going off what the car tells you or did you actually calculate the MPG?

Going off my calculations. However, I could be off just a bit.

I'm wanting to make sure I'm not ignoring changes in the vehicles mechanical condition that could lead to bigger issues down the road.

Like I said, the only thing that has been done is the transmission fluid was changed when they replaced the transmission control module. Other than that no maintenance besides oil changes and air filters.

I'm a teacher and full time grad student so I don't have money to go to the dealer and get them to do their scheduled service recommendations all at once. The way I figure it, I can spend about 150 a month on maintenance.

I know I need to replace the belts, they are cracking. They wanna charge me 80 bucks at jiffy lube.

Anything else I should do at 53000 miles? Radiator flush? Brake fluid? Power steering?

This will give you an idea regarding maintenance: http://x.infinitihelp.com/forum/maintenance.php. If available, the service history for your car will help you determine what needs to be focused on. I suggest you research everything thats listed on that link. Half, if not the majority of that stuff can be done/inspected by yourself as long as you know what to look for.

What kind of fuel economy are you getting when you do the math manually on an average tank of gas in terms of MPG?

If you have a mechanic you trust have him change your belts, make sure they use OE belts they're much better than aftermarket. Summer's upon us have your radiator fluid replaced. Rather than going to Infiniti for any type of service Nissan can do the same job for less $$....FYI
Gary

Thanks everyone. BTW, so do y'all put any type of cleaners or fuel treatments in your gas tank? Is it safe on this car? and if so, which one would y'all recommend?

Fuel injector cleaner with every oil change here. Usually Lucas.

seems excessive to me

^ $15/yr. to maintain the fuel injectors. I'll take it.

if your getting a code of running rich, could be bad o2 sensors. Usually o2 sensors go bad, the ecu will run rich to make sure you don't damage your engine. If it is bad o2 sensors, i would replace them asap, running rich for long periods of time will kill your cats.

I would get a obd ii reader and pull all the codes, if your mileage doesn't improve after the fuel injector cleaner.

I would get a brake flush if you never flushed in the last 6yrs.