The thread has gotten a bit off-topic from helping the OP.
OP - if your fuel injectors are clogged, running cans of cleaner through the fuel tank MIGHT help.
If your valves have carbon build-up, running cans of cleaner through the fuel tank is a waste of money, and I would be mad that the dealer svc dept didn't know enough to even suggest it might help.
The CRC service might help and is worth a try. There are various opinions on the forum on it and I don't want to get into a war here. Some members think it is a waste of money, and some members think it is essential unless it is a lease car or you will be trading the car every two years or so.
My personal observations from reading some of the threads:
- The members that think it is beneficial (principally
@Deadrx7) recommend it every 25K miles.
-
@Deadrx7 also said it is more of a preventative - i.e. using it every 25K miles will help prevent the problem, using it multiple times after you HAVE a problem is less likely to help - but is cheaper than having the engine torn down and fixed, so is worth a shot.
- Removing the intake manifold and cleaning the valvetrain is expensive, I don't know exact pricing, but I would guess $1500 on the low side, and $3500 on the high side.
- There are a LOT of GDI cars (Hyundai and other makes) with more than 75K or 100K miles that have never had an induction service or run a catch can and still run fine, so you can't really say it's an inherent issue or something that REQUIRES induction cleaning.
- The members that think it is a waste of money (principally
@Artdm and
@sbr711) usually point out that it is never mentioned in the suggested service in the owners manual. I'm not sure this is a great argument. If the problem usually doesn't become an issue until 75K or more miles and usually doesn't cause a drivability issue until after 100K miles when the warranty has expired, I'm not sure the manufacturer cares or would recommend it.
- There are a lot of new and different things (CVT, DCT, GDI, no-dipstick transmissions, longer OCI's, turbos, ECO mode, auto start/stop at traffic lights, no maintenance (can't maintenance) batteries) which are marketed and sold as improvements and really are more like drawbacks.
- My personal opinion is that I will probably see how the car is running at 50K miles and CONSIDER (but not necessarily DO) a DIY CRC cleaning at that mileage.