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BTW, the reason I needed this info is I am looking at a 2002 Elantra GT with 63k miles. My 2004 GT is lonely and wants some companionship. This GT is equipped exactly like mine, fully loaded, except two years older and silver. My teenaged son will likely need a car soon when he gets a job, and when he goes off to college this summer we'll need another set of wheels anyway. The car looks like a great deal (low miles, excellent condition, no accidents, new tires) except the dealer can't confirm it's had the 60k service. So what I might do is use the $1100 (which is from a Hyundai dealer in the same dealership group) as a bargaining chip, or require they have the service done before delivery (I did that with a 626 I bought a few years ago).
I had my 2005 belt changed recently, which is part of the 60,000 mile service, and the total was indeed a whopping $1,100. Never again will I have this service done at a Hyundai dealer. Use an independent shop and just get the basics done like the belt and fluids. Do it at 90,000. The 60,000 mile service is premature and excessive.
FWIW, I live in Chicago and used a dealer in a near north suburb.
I noticed a large "bracket" that covers half of the pan. I can't quite figure out what the bracket is being used for and am not sure if I can simply remove it to remove the pan or if there is more work involved.
Any suggestions?
Could someone advise without my checking all 3300 posts, what are the truly NECESSARY items to service on a 2003 Elantra at 200,000 km? I've completed all routine maintenance.
Likely a timing chain? (had it done before at 100,000 km) What else?
Thanks so much for any input!
Except for fluids, I'd go 150km for the belt. I'm gaining a lot of maintenance experience with these cars (I have three), and have come to the conclusion that the 60,000 mile service is premature in the real world. Not to mention the excessive charges associated with it.
Since my last timing belt post, I have learned that some auto manufacturers put the belt replacement at 90k miles since the 1990s when the belts were not as strong as later years.
Just my observation and opinion. Hope it helps! --Jack
I have changed spark plugs on other cars before, but the spark plugs in this case appear to be jammed behind the head with a metal bar running behind it and wires coming out. Looks difficult is it or is there a logical solution?.
I have done the oil and filter, air filter, just wanted to change the spark plugs and by the sounds of it the fan belt.
This is not my car I am servicing it for my old mans birthday.
Any help appreciated.
Nope! By federal law, you can take it anywhere to get the work done. As long as the parts used meet or exceed Hyundai specs they can't void your warranty unless they can show that the parts or work were substandard. Just be sure to keep all your receipts and documentation.
Just in case you need to bolster your case with this dealership, here is a link to a letter from K&N Filters which deals with this topic and the info included in it is applicable in your case.
http://www.knfilters.com/warrantyletter.htm
Also, my Hyundai dealer was happy to give me a quote for the 60k service w/o looking at my Elantra. It was just under $1100 (!), including timing belt. So when the time comes for that service, I will look around at other shops also.
Any suggestions? Who can I contact at Hyundai to complain?
Annoying to say the least, but it's the only issue we've had with the car & she still loves her 1st car. The wife let me know that she'll be seriously looking at the next generation Elantra as her next ride, the 2012 model. We'll see how this pans out!
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
The timing belt replacement at 60,000 miles for the extreme driving schedule really ads cost to the car. The overall extreme maintenance schedule itself is expensive.
I am just trying to get some feedback and advice on this.
Thanks, BTW I really like the car.... :confuse:
The timing belt is another issue. The book will say 60K, but this is really as much an age issue as mileage. In California, the same engine was shown to need the timing belt at 100K, apparently due to some consumer liability issue. On regular service, I believe they now show 90K. Even though you are in stop and go traffic, the timing belt is still just going around the cogs. Several on the Elantra boards have talked about changing the belt out at 60K and the old one coming out looking just like the new one going in.
You didn't indicate how many miles a year you average, but even at 15K per year you are looking at a timing belt replacement once every 4 years, worst case.
And yes, the Touring is a fun car. Mine is an SE with the 5spd. I refer to it as my "sports wagon". :shades:
Hopefully that is the worst issue you will find on your new Elantra.
The Sandman :sick: :shades:
2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)
I've gone a couple hundred miles since the car was filled with 5/20 (2.0L engine, which I believe uses the shims instead of hydraulic lifters).
For the life of the car thus far I've primarily used 10-30 or 10-40, and most oil changes were done at the dealer so that I could have an OEM oil filter installed (that's another story). Both are the recommended viscosities for my '01 Elantra given the climate where I live.
Upon calling consumer affairs for confirmation that I can safely ignore my owner's manual guidelines and leave the 5/20 in my engine over the summer, I am told that the issue has to be "researched" and no call is ever returned to let me know the outcome. The second person I spoke to implied that if the dealer did it, it must be okay — but he refused to send anything via email or in writing confirming that the owner's manual is wrong and the service manager is right. The next time around I spoke to a supervisor who was also going to research the issue. She read me something stating 5/20 was in the list, but I stated that if the owner's manual had a revision I would like a copy of the correction via email, and that's when the whole "researching" thing started over again.
During one of those conversations a rep admitted that the 5/20 oil grade applied to 2007 and newer Hyundais, whereas the service manager, whom I made a point to contact first for clarification, stated that all Hyundais require 5/20 oil beginning in 2007 to address lifter noise from the oil taking too long to circulate up from the pan when the engine is cold. However, I haven't been able to find a TSB confirming any of this, either.
In short, the stories are conflicting and I'm wondering who/what to believe. Does it sound as if they are circling the wagons or is it really okay to use an oil weight that doesn't appear in my owner's manual?
Thanks.
I have always used 10W30 for that reason, and with four different Hyundai from an '02 Elantra to a '10 Elantra have had no lifter noise, at startup or otherwise. I did note however that the dealer oil change on the wife's 2010 Tucson was performed with 5W20, so I will be talking to them about this.
Our coldest winter temps rarely fall below 25F, and average in the upper 40's, so cold really isn't an issue either.
1) Timing belt will go 90K plus. I will not change it before that as I did it at 67K on my '05 and the original looked like new.
2) Use an independent shop and just get the fluid/filter replacements that you cannot do yourself. The 30K, 60K etc. recommended service at the dealer has a lot of add-on inspection fees.
3) Inspect the alternator/water pump exterior belts yourself. If the look good, leave them alone. Every Hyundai dealer I've visited in the last five years has told me the belts need replacing when they did not.
You can safely maintain these cars at a reasonable cost. The dealer makes the most money by charging inspection fees and changing parts, so beware.
It is summer here and I am in the same climate that the Hyundai Corporate offices are located in, so even 5/30 would not be appropriate per the season/area. The temperature cutoff for 5/30 in my owner's manual is 95F and it will meet or exceed those temps by the end of the summer. I am uncertain how much lower the temp cutoff is for 5/20 because that viscosity isn't even in the list.
Just to be on the safe side, I went to another dealer with my own oil to have them drain out the 5/20 and replace it with what I am accustomed to using (10-40, which is in the "recommended range" according to my owner's manual).
Well, get this:
The service advisor checked my oil and said it was too clean to drain out. That's when I explained that I didn't want the 5/20 in my engine. He said that I should keep the 5/20 and that 10-30/10-40 was for cold climates. This is NOT what my owner's manual says at all, and he acknowledges that the owner's manual confuses customers. Finally, he stated that if I insisted on the 10-40 he would have to write it up to exclude them from responsibility for any damage to my engine. Mind you, a nine-year-old car engine with low miles and all dealer service.
The summer weather here will be at or above 95 by August and I explained, again, that I sometimes travel to an adjacent state where it is 120F in the shade.
No matter.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Corporate is ignoring me. Their initial email was very generic, specifying 5/30 and above depending on climate, with a concluding paragraph that said that the dealer would "know best". The entire tone of the email called into question who answers to whom!
Hyundai Corporate, too, ignored the fact that I already told them in my initial inquiry, having spoke to three people including a supervisor, that I am in a climate that exceeds 90F in the summer and vacation sometimes in an area that gets even hotter. So I wrote back stating that I am aware that what the dealer using is in conflict with what is printed in my owner's manual and even in conflict with what they formerly used in my engine (10-30 "bulk oil"). After that, I received an auto response confirming that Hyundai Corporate received my reply, but there has been no follow up and it has been nearly two weeks.
I believe Hyundai is hiding something because I can't get a straight answer as to why there is a contradiction. So I did the next best thing: I started doing my own homework, which led to an automotive website out of Denver. There it states that 1998-2004 Hyundais, among other makes/models, are prone to OIL SLUDGE.
My miles are still very low and I am still under the 10 yr powertrain warranty.
One of the symptoms of oil sludge buildup is lost mileage, and it so happened that I asked about that very problem at the dealer recently.
Now I don't know IF my engine is showing signs of sludge or not. I DO suspect that the thinner-than-recommended oil would make *more sense* if the engine is prone to sludge and they have somehow concluded that thinner oil would help slow the problem down. If it is anything like clogged arteries, a "stopgap solution" is a blood thinner. If there is sludge in the engine, I imagine that thinner oil would also be a temporary stopgap to keep it flowing just long enough so that my engine survives the last year of my powertrain warranty.
Apparently a seized engine is the end result of sludge buildup.
The best theory I can come up with as to why they are using the wrong oil at the wrong time of year is that they anticipate a problem, and the thinner oil is the bandage rather than the actual fix.
A less alarming explanation is that I don't have sludge but the dealer doesn't carry the appropriate weight oil for all cars they made and neither Hyundai Corporate nor the dealers are going to admit that they are using a "one size fits all" oil for all cars that come into their service bays regardless of whether or not the engine was built for that viscosity. They would have reason to keep that admission under wraps because it would mean they are prematurely wearing the engines of older cars that are getting 5/20 oil, regardless of climate or model year — instead of what these older Hyundais were designed to run on.
Hmm I guess it is time to see an independent mechanic who can tell me if my engine appears to be accumulating sludge. :confuse:
Section 8, page 10, 2010 Elantra Touring Owners Manual:
Recommended for maximum fuel economy, 5W20. "However, if the engine oil is not available in your country, select the proper engine oil using the engine oil viscosity chart."
Which, in the chart just above that statement, call out 10W30 for temp ranges from 0 to 120+ degrees F, or 5W20 or 5W30 for temps ranging from -10 to 120+ degrees F.
It was the same in my 2002 and 2005 Elantras. And the Hyundai Platinum Certified technician at my dealership stated that for our climate 10W30 is recommended, but 5W20 can be used. He was very clear about one thing, though: Castrol GTX or Valvoline only. Would not recommend any other brand.
I figure it's Hyundai's owners manual publication, so if they say the 10W30 is good, that's what I will use. And I have used nothing but Castrol GTX since 1968 and have never, ever had and oil related engine failure nor sludging. The proof is in the pudding, or in this case, lack thereof.
Question is if it is worth spending the 3400 or so on the engine. Seems like the car is fragile enough that it would be a bad bet to sink more money into it.
If that doesn't apply, you could look for a salvage engine. The car isn't worth much more than $3400.
I would strongly suggest you get the dealer involved right away. There will likely be an issue with reimbursement since the original diagnosis and repair was not performed by a dealer. I assume the shop you mentioned was not a Hyundai dealer as they would have known immediately that the thermostat should be investigated.
Regarding the fragility of the '02 Elantra, no. The little buggers are tough, but I know of several that suffered blown head gaskets due to the thermostat issue. The 2.0L engine that Hyundai uses (and still uses in the 2010, but with CVVT) is very durable.
I'm loving this little bugger, I'm around 136k miles, about to replace my timing belt for the 2nd time since I did it so early the first time (around 55k miles, guy talked me into it).
I have a 2005 Elantra that I love, and the husband that I loved recently passed away, leaving me to take care of lots of things that I never took care of before, including the car. Recently, as I get the car to 60, it starts to vibrate, for lack of a better word. The steering wheel vibrates as if I'm on a road that needs some repair.
Before I take it in to be looked at...any thoughts about what I should be listening to the dealer say?
I live in MA where we are in the midst of a "discussion" about who should be doing repair and warranty work, so I definitely have to take it to the dealer to at least get an "opinion" and am happy to take it somewhere else for a second opinion.
Any help is much appreciated.
Lika
On my 2004 Elantra, the current tires are not great quality and it takes some care to balance them. The shop where I got the tires, Discount Tire (a chain), sometimes takes 2 tries to get the balance just right. They have the Hunter machine. But they did eliminate the shimmy that appeared when I put this 2nd set of tires on four years ago, and since then.
Secondly, backy is right on about the balance. The little Elantra's are wonderful cars, but they do like to have their tires balanced just so. If your dealer thinks they can balance the tires, you might let them try. Or just ask them where they send their "trouble cars" than need special attention for wheel balance.
Let us know how it turns out.
Jim
i will let you both know how it turns out.
ah, so tough to be so young, so beautiful, and so dumb about my car! LOL! only one of those is true!
lika.