Along with a bunch of ridiculous other stuff I can do in my own garage, local dealer tried to talk my wife into an "air induction system service". Does anybody know what this entails? Is it just dumping a can of something into the fuel tank and a shot of throttle body cleaner into the TB? I want to say they quote $250 for that, but when they say a cabin filter service is $75 ($11 at RockAuto + maybe 3 minutes of "labor") maybe they're not too far off with $250 for a bottle of SeaFoam and Techron.

My favorite was the "A/C Evaporator Flush" for upwards of $150. I found the Toyota-branded kit online for $20. I'm guessing I'll be better off doing the $2100 steering rack myself

You are probably not far off the mark, GatorMike. They "might" clean the MAF sensor as well, though without a thorough explanation of all work done it would be hard to say. You can search here in the forum for previous threads on the MAF sensor and how to clean it should you feel the need. I have had no problems with such until now in my 2004.

Do you know if you have seen the BG logo at your Lexus shop? If so, this is the explanation for the service:

http://www.bgfindashop.com/bgservices/fuelair.htm

With today's cleaner burning vehicles and fuels there is less exhaust blow-by and less contaminants in the system. Wouldn't say this is not a problem at all, and the fact that BG and Wynn have reputable systems out there for this service does count for something. But, I have not seen the need for it with my RX. A bottle of Techron 20oz. twice a year has been sufficient, IMO.

I believe someone here posted a URL to this news report previous, however, since I could not find it here it is, again. Watch the video as well. Deals with both injection services as well as engine flushes. Perhaps a bit sensational, however, does make one wonder what is being sold by some outfits.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/lo...hservices.html

I can't agree with this more. Today's Motor Oil's and Fuels have all of the additives in them to keep your engine clean without all of these extra things that are out there. Problem is not everyone knows this and unfortunately become victim to some of the hard sell flushes, etc.

Take for instance Pennzoil's Standard 5w-30 Motor Oil: "PennzoilŪ motor oil actively cleans out up to 40% of engine sludge in the first oil change. One more reason more people trust PennzoilŪ than any other oil."

And, if you buy gas from a reputable retailer (BP, Chevron, Shell) there are additives in those fuels that help your engine stay clean inside. Personally, I am a big fan of the Chevron Techron additive in their gas. Also, you can blitzkrieg a cleaning once a year by adding one bottle of 20oz Techron concentrate for $15 bucks or so, but if you are using any of these retailers on a regular basis, even this may be unnecessary.

The one time I got a bad tank of gas was when I was in the Four Corners Region in the Southwest, and had to buy gas from "Joe's Gas Station" and the highest Octane they had was 85...my engine has never forgiven me for this! It ticked and ticked until I ran 2-3 tanks of "good" gas through the car.

Bottom Line, if you don't use "Chuck's Oil" and get gas at "Joe's Gas" all the time, then you're fine under normal circumstances and driving conditions.