Should a 10-Year-Old Car Have Carbon Deposits Cleaned?
4 Answers
10-year-old cars should have carbon deposits cleaned. Reasons for carbon deposit formation: After prolonged driving, if you notice slow acceleration, backfiring when suddenly accelerating, or difficulty in cold starts, the car's valves are likely to have carbon deposits. If you observe low idle speed, engine shaking at idle, throttle sticking when pressing the accelerator, or unstable idle after changing the battery, the intake pipe may already have severe carbon buildup. Solution: Choose a genuine gasoline detergent additive to help remove carbon deposits inside the engine. It effectively prevents the formation of carbon deposit layers on metal surfaces and gradually activates existing carbon particles for slow removal, thereby protecting the engine from damage.
Having run an auto repair shop for over a decade, I've handled countless decade-old vehicles. Carbon deposit cleaning is absolutely not something to neglect. The carbon buildup in an old engine is like grease accumulation on a range hood – over time it clogs intake/exhaust passages, making the car guzzle fuel and accelerate like an oxcart. Last week, an old Nissan Sylphy came in with stuck piston rings due to carbon deposits, requiring a $400+ overhaul. Truth is, engines should be decarbonized every 30,000 km using walnut blasting or fuel system cleaners – a few hundred bucks can extend its lifespan by years. For vehicles frequently driven short distances or using substandard fuel, earlier cleaning is mandatory.
I just had carbon deposit cleaning done on my 2009 Camry last year, and the results were immediate. Before, the car would shake like a massage chair during cold starts, fuel consumption jumped from 8.5 liters to 11 liters, and acceleration was always jerky. When the engine was opened up at the repair shop, the intake valves were completely covered in black carbon deposits. After spending 600 yuan on walnut shell blasting cleaning, the throttle response became much smoother, and now the fuel consumption has dropped to 7.8 liters per 100 kilometers. Even the smell of the exhaust has become lighter. A ten-year-old car is like a middle-aged person—don't skimp on spending for the necessary maintenance.
Carbon deposit cleaning depends on the vehicle's condition. My 2008 POLO hits the highway twice a year, with the engine often revving up to 4000 RPM, and it still runs smoothly without ever having carbon cleaned. However, if your car is constantly stuck in city traffic with idle time exceeding driving time, or if you've refueled at unreliable private gas stations, there's bound to be a layer of carbon buildup on the back of the valves. The simplest self-test method: listen for any choking rattling sounds during cold starts, and check if the car shakes when accelerating to 120 km/h on the highway. If these symptoms appear, it's time to visit the repair shop.
