2004 Kia Optima Skips..

[hotshot247]

when I crank up my car it'll skip, i'll see the rpms going up and down and the car almost seems like it's going to cut off but it never does. I can drive it for probably about a min and it'll stop. it only skips when it's idle. I don't think it's a gas issue because if it wasn't getting a steady amount of gas, the rpms should drop below idling for a second or so but this mostly stays above 1000 rpms when it does it and it idles around 750. it only happens when I don't drive it for a day or so. I can drive it and then park to turn it off and come back a few hours later and it won't do it at all. The mechanic told me that it just needs a tune up because a couple of the spark plugs are misfiring but i talked to somebody else who said that if a plug is going out, that it won't stop when i start driving it, it'll keep on doing it no matter what. i don't know who to believe and I don't want to pay over 400 dollars for a tune up if it don't need it. any help would be great! it's a V6 if that matters. thanks for the help!

[Crvett69]

if it has over 100k miles its due for a tune up anyway. is the check/service engine light on and if so what codes are there?

[aleekat]

$400 for a tuneup? I would have to ask exactly what parts are being replaced and what's the labor cost for this.

[hotshot247]

Originally Posted by Crvett69

if it has over 100k miles its due for a tune up anyway. is the check/service engine light on and if so what codes are there?

it has around 169,000 miles on it so i guess it would be good to get one anyway even if it doesn't fix the issue. but yea, the check engine light has been on as long as i can remember. i bought it used from a friend, i got a really good deal because it had about 100,000 miles on it when i bought it so i should have gotten the tune up then. what codes are you talking about?

Originally Posted by aleekat

$400 for a tuneup? I would have to ask exactly what parts are being replaced and what's the labor cost for this

my wife was the one there and she asked him about the tune up so i'll have to ask her what he said about it but everywhere i call, it's at least 400 or more for it. i talked to him on the phone and he mentioned the tune up but he told her in detail about what he was going to do.

[Crvett69]

if the check engine light is on it will have codes stored in the ecu telling you why the light is on. most parts stores will check them for free. if you write the numbers down you can google them or come back here and post them. he might be going to do stuff like replace the fuel pump and air filter and change the spark plugs. you should be able to do the air filter and plugs yourself with minimal tools