We're planning a road trip next month. I supposedly had another thousand miles or so to go before I was scheduled for an oil change, but I took Rabbit into MINI Tempe a couple days ago anyway. I also wanted a tire rotation and the various air filters changed. While I could have changed the air and cabin filters myself, I just didn't want to deal with it. At this point in my life, it was worth the added expense to just have them do it. I learned (but not too surprisingly, BTW) that the car was also due for a tuneup and a fuel system flush.
Considering that in all likelihood Rabbit will be my last car*, and I've been driving it exclusively in Sport Mode (which may or may not cause more engine wear; I can't seem to get a definitive answer from anyone) I want to do everything I can to keep it in top condition, so I bit the bullet and told them to go ahead and do it all. Totally worth it.
*I'm planning my retirement date to coincide with the last payment on the auto loan.
Excellent planning. IMO: Reduced obligations & income. I tried to time my retirement to be contemporaneous with my last mortgage payment: It's worked OK. PS: As always thanks for the art work, memes and commentary.
One of my personal philosophies: "Take care of your wheels and they will take care of you."
IF you like the way Rabbit runs in "Sport Mode", IF it is happy that way, then don't worry about any additional wear and tear . . . as long as you do the maintenance. I suspect that SM will raise the automatic trans shift points a little bit and possibly firm-up the shifts, too? Might check online or in the Owner's Manual to see all that it does.
Enjoy!
Yes, it raises the shift points, tightens the steering, and firms up the suspension. The shift points in particular are very close to my own own shifting habits in a manual gearbox.