BG Fuel Induction Service?

[04Malibu]

Hi. All the Chevy dealers in my area offer a service called BG Fuel Induction Service. It costs $119.00 and supposedly completely cleans the fuel system intakes, runners, injectors, etc. They reccomend the service every 30,000 miles.
Is this service worth having done? (I use shell gas in my car if that makes any difference).

[GMCSonoma]

We used to do a similar thing with Wynn's. Now we don't do it as we'd have people come in and just ask for fuel injection cleaning, period. We'd perform the job, and then the next day the customer would return spouting the car/truck doesn't run any better...yadda, yadda, yadda...and THEN we'd come to find out that they did have driveability issues and alike. We now only use GM top engine cleaner and gasoline through the GM Kent Moore tool, and only if the repair calls for such, we don't sell it as an elective service anymore.

[T-Type]

I would say no. I see no benefit to it, especially if the car runs fine.

[01cavalier]

The only reason it would be suggested anymore is if you arent using good gas...if youre using "top tier" gas, then you should not need to have this done.

[73ChevelleSS]

Originally Posted by 04Malibu

Hi. All the Chevy dealers in my area offer a service called BG Fuel Induction Service. It costs $119.00 and supposedly completely cleans the fuel system intakes, runners, injectors, etc. They reccomend the service every 30,000 miles.
Is this service worth having done? (I use shell gas in my car if that makes any difference).

First off i will tell you that almost every dealer/service center offers the flush services.I would say unless you are having some issues with clogged injectors than no the service is not needed.The one service i would recomened that we do at our dealer is the decarb procedure.Especially if do a lot of city drivivng.There actually is a bulletin which GM came out with saying that "flushes" are not necessary as routine maintenece.There are also is a bulletin for cleaning injectors using GM Top Engine cleaner.This is the only approved method.If you are using Shell which is a "Top Tier" fuel you should have no problems.I use to have an issue with my personal car when i used cheap gas.It would run rough for about 3 mins every morning .When i switched to Mobil One i have zero issues.What i would recomended is using a good tank additive injector cleaner every time you do an oil change.

[04Malibu]

Thnks for the input. It seems to me that a can of complete fuel system cleaner is a better option "?"
Anyway, does GM parts sell something like STP fuel system cleaner?

[GMCSonoma]

It is actually Chevron Techron additive...otherwise they do if you can't find the Techron... gm#12345104

[04Malibu]

Originally Posted by GMPCC_Ryan

I had a vehicle come in the shop that had an erratic idle and poor performance. The driveability tech said I should do the BG fuel service on the vehicle. I was hesitant because it was a customer pay job and it was an elderly lady, and if that didn't take care of it, she was going to be out a good chunk of change. But I did it anyways and was completely amazed at the results. The vehicle ran so smooth afterwards that I started doing the service on my own vehicle. Every 30K seems often, but I have personally seen the stuff cure performance problems, so it has to help as preventative maintenance.
-Ryan

See, that's the kicker on this issue. Some people say absolutely no to the service and that it doesn't help, etc. Others say that it is great.
What to do, what to do?!!!!!!!!!

Here's a question. Would you recommend it if the car is running fine at 30K? How about 90K? Is it any more effective than a can of Chevron Techron?

P.S. Thank you for all of the good advice.

[04Malibu]

I was at lunch today in Warren MI and there were some guys from the tech center at the resturant. I asked them about the BG service and their response was that millions of cars got 200,000 miles or better without ever having the fuel induction service done. I countered with the preventitive maintainence argument, and their response was that a can of Chevron Techron would clean out the carbon just as well as the service would.
Something that I was really surprised to hear them say was that dealerships are there to make money. And charging $150 for a service that takes about twenty minutes and costs them $50 is a really good way to do this. These were really guys from Warren tech center with GM badges on. It was wierd to hear them talk about delearships that way.
Their bottom line: don't bother.
My take: I am now scratching my head in confusion.

[GMapalooza]

The fuel induction service is actually a great service, depending on what all is included. Dealers will vary with pricing according to what all is performed:
Replace/inspect air filter
Flush fuel injectors by machine (Not just adding fuel treatment, although that is sometimes done in conjunction)
Perform injector balance test (A too-rich fuel mixture due to aftermarket air filter or other reason will kill fuel mileage)
Clean throttle body bore and blade (Even top tier gasolines leave carbon deposits in GM throttle body assemblies. This almost always causes a rough idle and can even lead to stalling when turning on A/C, etc.)
Scope engine to check for misfires
Scan test with computer (Good preventative maintenance even if there is no check engine light on)
Check fuel pressure (Can detect early potential problems with fuel pump, etc.)

I have this service performed on my car every 15,000 miles and can definately feel the difference. Usually get 1-2 better MPG and better throttle response. Would definately recommend this service. And on some GM V6 or
V8 engines, it is absolutely necessary.

[Dave B]

I always wondered about that BG stuff myself, but I never tried it. I use a top tier gas most of the time but sometimes (but not often) I will use with an occasional tank of unbranded gas. Every once in a while (2x a year or so) I put a bottle of Techron in the fuel tank.