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Comments
And to reply to your little dig about it being my own fault for not noticing that the paint didn't fall under the bumper-to-bumper warranty -- you're right. It's a mistake I won't make again. And thanks so much for rubbing my nose in it!
1. you were very very lucky and the engine survived with minimal damage (which eventually destroyed it later) This possibility is a "slim to none" in my opinion.
2. You had it (the engine) replaced or repaired at 45,000 miles after the belt break.
With regard to the engine "blowing" at 80,000 miles...most of the rockers blew off??? How was that explained? The rocker arms are less than likely to cause an engine to "blow" What other damage was incurred?
3. OK three then because you say your father-in-law repaired it at that time maybe he repaired the mechanical damage as well as replacing the belt. If so maybe the "blown" engine could have been as a result of his repair (as opposed to official Hyundai parts and service)??
As I said " you pays your money and takes your chance"...that your Escort didn't break a timing belt or have an alternator fail is pure good luck on your part and has nothing what so ever to do with Ford or "Quality is job 1" It could have happened to it just as easily. And since we are talking about a 7 year old 80+ thousand mile car anyhow give me a break about failures and repairs. It happens on machinery. As a counterpoint about Hyundai quality. I bought our son a used 2000 Elantra the day after Christmas in 2003. It had 64,000 miles at the time. It currently has 180,000 miles and he uses it on a 100 mile per day commute so the miles are piling up fast. What went wrong? Since we owned it it has had as normal maintainence replacement..2 sets of spark plugs, one set of plug wires, 2 sets of 4 tires, several front brake rotors (I'll admit, the Hyundai parts didn't last too long so I bought Bendix), several sets of front pads, two timing belt replacements and water pumps at the same time as a matter of prudence, new rear wheel brake wheel cylinders, 1 set of rear wheel brake shoes, various tail/brake/and headlight bulb replacements.Oh, the automatic transmission was flushed and refilled. Other than maintainace replacements/ failures: the alternator failed @ 160,000+/- miles and the original battery that was ruined by the failed alternator. Two exhaust manifold/cat. converter combinations under the extended emission warranty. There was a cracking problem on the original design that was redesigned and we have had no problem since. This car continues to run strong and get over 30 mpg on his commute so you see that the name Hyundai doesn't necessarily mean.. :lemon:
I had a '01 Elantra (no paint issues, even on the door handles, after 7-1/2 years of ownership by me and now my sister) on which the clutch plate "broke" after about five years (a little over five years). I went into the dealer "expecting" Hyundai to cover it through the powertrain warranty. Turned out the clutch had been abused--often--by my son and my wife. The dealer looked for signs of a defect but could only see that it had been abused, so they said they couldn't report it as a warranty claim. Although I really hated paying that repair bill ($1300), I had to agree with them. Would I have loved it if Hyundai has said, "You know, even though the clutch was abused a lot, so technically the warranty doesn't cover it, we'll cover it or pay half or whatever because we value you as a customer." (I owned two Hyundais at the time.) Sure. But I can't fault them for not doing that.
Have you had the paint repair on the door handles estimated? I would think it would be a fairly easy, spot-painting kind of repair. Might even be possible for a do-it-yourselfer who is pretty good with a spray paint can/gun; factory-matched paint for all cars is available on the Web for a nominal price.
Also, I'm planning on a transmission flush at the same time. The shifting is a bit rough these days, will the flush help. Just curious.
Thanks in advance!
I have a 03 Sonata with a v6 and I just had my belt replaced for my 60k. I can't really afford to have a dealer work on my car every time i need something done. So I have a small shop I know and trust for work such as brakes, tires, oil etc. When I asked them about changing the timing belt, they recommended I take it to the dealer. However, they did say if it was a 4cyl they would have done it. But apparently the v6 timing belt job is a bit more complicated.
I live in a fairly big city ( st. louis) so I had the benefit of getting quotes from 6 or 7 dealers: All of them quoted me above $500 except for two, both of which quoted the job at $370, and one of those two said it was a 'special'.
I chose the dealer whose price was $370 and who did not mention it being a special price. They had their most experienced tech do the job and he did it in 2.5 hrs which from what I gather is not bad.
Anyway, the way I see it, it's a big job and you really want to put your best foot forward for the work, so the dealer is worth the extra dough. Call other dealers though, if i got my v6 done for $370 you should be able to get your 4cyl done for that much or less at least.
The dealer recommended I got my power steering, brake, and trans flushed. But I declined - I wanted to but I didnt have the money, plus it seemed to me like a job for my small shop guys where I could save. Really though, I'm just unsure of what a flush accomplishes? What really is a flush? Do they just swap the old fluid for new and call it a flush? Is there a machine involved? Does everyone use this machine? My sonata could shift better too, it's especially noticeable when the car is very cold - it waits too long to upshift when i accelerate. And so I have the same question - will flushing fix this? Can someone give a flush 101?
I might also add if this is the first change of fluid at 60K on the other poster a flush may not be right for you. If the fluid is black or smells funny a change rather than a flush may be in order.
thanks very much for your input. very helpful.
Do these machines have a name? I don't want to sound like an idiot when I try and find out if the shop has one...I would assume a dealership would definitely have one?
Also, which items to be flushed have filters? Is it just the trans that has a filter? Or do the power steering and brake fluid systems have filters? Radiator?
As I said things may have changed concerning other manufacturers developing transmission fluid that is equal to or better than Hyundai's and maybe someone (Castrol)has but will Hyundai buy a warranty claim if theirs isn't used?? They seem pretty unyielding about what can and cannot be used at least in their service literature.
Our service dept uses the BG machine and I am told it removes 98% of the old fluid.
To the poster questioning filters,
The only fluid filters you should worry about are oil, transmission and fuel. On our cars you can't get to the trans filter, as far as I know. A trans flush will scim the top of the filter and make it "somewhat" new again.
I simply drain the 3 - 4 qts from the transmission, refill it up, drive the car for a week, then drain again and refill it up. The second drain will serve to dilute and get most of the oil in the converter out. At 20K, the tranny oil is still very clean - so there is minimal risk of "junk" in there. Also I am making sure that I am using SP111 for the Hyundai and ATF-Z1 for the Honda, instead of some other cheaper substitute (like Dexron) that many garages are tempted to use to cut cost.
I have heard that flushes can move around "junk" stuff in the tranny and cause it to operate erratically afterwards. I have been maintaining my cars for the past 4 decades and have never had tranny or engine problems due to lack of PM.
The power flush does not merely move "junk" around but does indeed "flush" it out. That statement has been proven to be mostly untrue over time and experience. In fact before my first powerflush a couple of years ago I voiced that same concern and I was told that it was "non" concern with newer equipment. The only time this may be true is if the transmission is mechanically on its last legs with excessive clutch pack friction material and other debris floating around. If this were true then no flush will help it anyhow. I had my transmission power flushed and I have experienced no ill effects...the car has 201,211 miles currently.
Engine oil/filter changes at 3months or 3K miles; tranny oil changes at 20K miles. Engine Oil and fliter cost about $6 for the Honda and $11 for the Sonata. ATF-Z1 and SP111 each cost under $6 /qt for a DIY job. It takes about 1/2hr to change each in our home garage with a 6-pack at my side and the stereo blasting. Cheap insurance.
Those who don't change their fluids are significantly increasing their chances of failure, especially tranny at 100K miles - the oil must be like molasses quality/viscosity then.
This PM worked for 4 decades with no failures. Yes I am an engineer & mechanically inclined and have been doing my own maintenance since the mid 60's. So you can imagine the $$$ saved over that time.
I keep my cars at least 10 yrs. Last trade-in was a 13 yr old Conti for the 2007 Sonata. We have 4 cars in the cars now.
I definitely notice improvement in shift quality. That's enough for me to keep doing it on that schedule.
Tranny oil changes in the Honda are easy as the tranny has a drain plug similar to that in the engine oil pan. A 3/8" hex nut driver fits nicely into the tranny drain plug of my Ody. Simply drain the oil, measure the qty that flows out, and refill with ATF-Z1. I refill through the tranny dipstick (with a long tapered funnel) instead of the refill hole for convenience. Takes about 3.5qts. It is a piece of cake!
Frequent oil changes are key to longevity - no failures in engines and trannies in my 40 years of car ownership are testament to it. I do not like to be inconvenienced and/or aggravated by a failure that I could have prevented.
The Ody built to 12/2003 had recalls for past tranny problems (oil jet kit installed was the fix) - so that makes a more compelling case for frequent oil changes.
My booklet says 30,000 miles or 24 months, whichever comes first. I only put about 10,000 miles per year on a car, so if I follow the rules, I will be doing transmission fluid changes every 20,000 miles. That seems quite excessive to me. But I guess I really don't have a choice if I want to keep my warranty.
A. Repeatedly driving short distances of less than 5 miles in normal temperature or less than 10 miles in freezing temperature.
(for 5-6 months out of the year we have freezing temps and most of my driving is under 10 miles per trip. Distance to work is 7 miles, I run to the store, etc.)
C. Driving on rough, dusty, muddy, unpaved, graveled or salt-spread roads.
(For 4-5 months out of the year we experience snow and have salt on the roads)
Thanks for your thoughts. I definitely don't want to invalidate the warranty. We plan on keeping the car at least 10 years. I guess I will be getting that tranny fluid changed every 2 years.
Most new car manuals say, under normal driving conditions, you can go between 5,000/7500 miles and 4-6 months between oil changes. No new car manual that I know addresses the type of non-use you mention. I don't think changing the oil a couple of times a year hurts the environment that much and probably will do the car some good. How it would affect your warranty exactly I guess you'd have to ask Hyundai.
I have just bought a Hyundai Sonata 2001 from the first owner - It has ran for 71 K miles .
I would appreciate advice and recomendations for the preventive maintenance so that I do not shell out much money for repair
Thanks
Rajib
Also, I'm having trouble with trans shifting, which I think, from reading the forum, is related to the output trans sensor. I've heard that replacement of this sensor at a Hyundai dealer is really expensive; I would appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks, Tom
Do they have a "maintenance minder" that adjusts to your driving habits (like Hondas) or is it on a hard mileage interval?
I noticed someone posting that their manual stated that they are required to change the oil at 3,000 miles for schedule "B" and I find that surprising. Most modern cars nowadays have longer oil change interval requirements than that even on their most "severe" manufacturer's required schedule.
I know many people like to change their oil every 3,000 miles because that's what they've always done and their ancestors have passed this down to them for generations and the dealer service departments and oil change shops also recommend this, but I haven't seen this frequent oil change schedule coming from the actual car manufactures lately.
Is the complete maintenance schedule posted online anywhere (not just the oil changes)?
http://www.3000milemyth.org/
That will be a hassle for anyone who drives high mileage. 4 times a year even if you only drive 12K miles a year. With a Honda Accord, the oil change requirements on the same site were listed as roughly 1 per per year.
I'm still curious to see the full maintenance schedule so I can see if the rest of the required maintenance (transmission fluid/coolant changes, belt and hose changes, tune-ups etc. are also frequently required.
The Sonata could be an expensive car to keep maintained over several years.
The cost of this is not just the price of the actual oil changes, but the cost of the hassle and your time required for all the additional trips and waits for all these oil changes over the years you own the car.
Maintenance Schedules, Recalls and Technical Service Bulletins
Also, some may be interested in this feature as well:
True Cost to Own (TCO)
Eventually se:
hdsit, "Hyundai Sonata Transmission Questions" #19, 4 Jan 2008 11:47 pm!keywords=
or this:
http://www.hyundai-forums.com/t21620-45mph-vibrations-and-torque-converter.htm
As far as i can read from your post - it seems similar to my complaints with this model.
Have talked to a technician from Hyundai in Denmark, who for the time being is testing the 09-model, before it goes public here in Denmark.
He says the problem is NOT soleved in the 2009 model - too bad - i really have hopes so...
Think i'm going to test it for my self in the next week.
van
If you are curious about the maintenance recommendations you should refer to your owners manual.
Different cars models require different amounts of maintenance.
3,000 mile intervals is way overkill and is a waste of time, money and oil for the cars that don't require that schedule.
I think that the Sonata might be one the car models that do require more maintenance than average and I will weigh that extra cost and inconvenience when comparing it to other cars.
A - Repeated short distance driving
B - Extensive idling
C - Driving in dusty, rough roads
D - Driving in areas using salt or other corrosive materials or in very cold weather
E - Driving in sandy areas
F - More than 50% Driving in heavy city traffic during hot weather above 90oF (32oC)
G - Driving in mountainous areas
H - Driving as a patrol car, taxi, or other commercial use
I - Driving over 100 MPH (170 KM/H)
We own two Hyundais and I get the oil changed every 5K to 7.5K miles and we live in south-central PA. Our driving patterns and environment would seem to dictate we should follow the severe schedule but when I asked our dealer's service manager said we would be OK with the schedule we use. YMMV.
I know this might sound a little anal but over on the Mazda6 board there was someone who had their oil changed at a jiffy oil change place and kept the receipts. He was denied warranty engine repair because the reciepts didn't have the vehicle VIN printed on them. Who does that?
If you are going to ask anyone, you should ask Hyundai to clarify what "repeated" and "extensive" means.
It does say "More than 50%" of your driving in heavy traffic while temps are over 90 degrees.
I don't do any of the things on the list regularly and many of those things never.
There was probably something more to the Mazda5 story. Most work orders will at least have the license plate number and mileage. It may have been a 3rd party extended warranty company that was just making up excuses to deny claims. They would have to put that in their contract to enforce it. The person posting may have also just been lying about the whole incident.
You can also send an oil sample to be analyzed at 3,000 miles to see how much longer you would be able to go based to your actual driving.
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/gas_engines.html