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This winter, more often than most recent winters. Lots of snow/ice.
I've seen many similar posts over the years, from owners with their first car with ABS. Caution with suspected brake problems is always advisable, but I also don't like to unduly alarm people for something that could be normal operation.
A recent, personal example: I was driving a week ago (not in my Hyundai) right after a big snowstorm. Turned right from a (mostly) plowed road onto an unplowed road and then started a U-turn. The Brake and ABS lights started flashing. Oh, no! I thought. I was less than a block from my destination so I parked, did my errand, then later called the dealer (car is under warranty). I explained my problem and noted I really wanted it taken care of right away (this was a Saturday, but hey, it's the brakes!), and the service writer said they were full up until Monday. After I expressed dismay at that, she asked me to hold for a minute. When she returned, she said that they have had several calls just like mine that morning, and the "problem" was probably just snow packed into the wheels, causing the ABS sensor to go haywire. She said it should clear up as soon as the snow gets out of the wheels. Sure enough, after less than half a block the lights went out.
When the vehicle will not accelerate properly the vehicle is in the "safe" or "limp home" mode. My 06 V6 sonata has done this. The dealer should be able to read the codes even if you have restarted it and driven normally to them. There is a service bulletin on this kind of problem that you may need a new throttle body. (I'm scheduled to get mine done tomorrow.)
'06 Sonata 4 cyl. lights are flickering at idle speed. It's much easy to notice when looking at the weaker lights, like the rear license-plate lights, or the dome light.
Dealer already replaced my Alternator, which anybody knowing a little bit about cars would assume to be the culprit -- but it still does it. Next step dealer claims is to replace the wires running from the battery with thicker wires. They claim it has been reported before with this model.
We just purchased an 06 sonota in March with 58K on it and I am only getting approx. 20 - 22 MPG. I live 35 miles out in the country and most of my daily work transit is on blacktop highway where the speed limit is 65 mile per hour so I should definetly be getting much better gas mileage since its mostly all highway. The first week I got the car we got somewhere around 24+ miles per gallon but NOW its averaging 20-22 MPG per the dash readout and is its right this is unacceptable. I came from driving a '95 Camry that with 246K still got excellent gas mileage; I do realize I'm now in a V6 but this is crazy I could be driving what I really like/want (truck) at this kind of gas mileage. I have reported this to Carmax were I bought it from and called my local Hyndai dealer to see what I an do and they are supposed to address this Monday.
What is everyone else seeing gas mileage wise with these cars?
I had the same problem with my 07. I took it to the dealer. They hooked it up to the computer and it said my mileage was normal. The tech told me it was most likely a cold weather thing. Once the weather got warmer my mileage increased greatly. I had been getting around 33 highway and 22 city last summer, down to 21 highway and 12 city in the winter. When it's warm I'm back up to 33 highway.
My '06 V6 averages 23 mpg with about 60/40 city/hwy split daily commute. On a recent 150 mile highway trip, it only averaged about 24 mpg with cold and windy weather. Not as good as I would like, but still better than the 15 mpg I got with the '01 Blazer I traded for it.
I have an '06 Sonata with 62,000with the 4 cyl and get 30+ on the highway and 23 around town consistently on Cape Cod. Not realy a comparison but thats why I did want a V6. Weather does not effect it much. I bet dealer finds a dirty air filter or something. Also, ethanol gas will reduce your miles versus the Camry when that was before ethanol.
I have 2006 LX V6, and never consistantly get 20 mpg city, although I have once or twice in 15,000miles. My hwy mpg has been in the upper 20's. (25-28), driving about 70+mph. Guess I should add that my overall average from 0-15000 is right at 19mpg. van
Van I've read your email over a couple of times nice gas mileage......whats your secret do you do anything special?? I think the past maintenance on this car is an important factor and maybe it just didn't have all the maint. flushes and things it needed to run right, I think theres a lot of Maint things recommended by Hyundai that have never been done. Carmax where I bought it put a new air cleaner in it and want me to drive though 3 tanks of gas and then report back to them. They say my bra on the front (thats made for the car by Hyundai) is lowering gas mileage...BS, maybe 2 mpg but were off at least 6 MPG I'm still only getting today 21MPG unnaceptable. My local Hyundai dealer says the bra should not make any difference and that they could run some DG fuel cleaner through it and a few other things that would definetly make it run like it should but it would cost $600+ so when this new air cleaner from Carmax doesn't do a whole lot, which it won't I'll be tellling them it needs to go to Hyundai.
What exaclty do you mean that your overall average from 0-15000 is right at 19mpg
Hunt, Your Hyundai dealer is telling you to do a "BG fuel system" cleaning at $600. Just ask them to sell you a bottle of BG 44K fuel system cleaner (about $20 but worth it) and you'll be on your way. The BG additive is good stuff. Our service dept sells it and I use it once a year in my two cars. I've had the "fuel system" flush done on my Mustang (for other reasons) and did not notice much, if any difference.
It's all in: 1. the gas you use. 2. your foot on the pedal. 3. A good pathway for both the fuel and the air to get to the fuel injectors.
Thanks for your interest. Basically I keep all records of my auto maintenance, etc. This includes mileages, so from my initial purchase (actually 9miles on new car) I am now over 18000 miles, and my overall average mpg is just shy of 19mpg, from new to now. I live in Pensacola, FL and my hwy trips are to my daughter in Key West (round trip-1900mi) or family in Panama City (rt of about 250) and my brother's place in MS, also rt of about 250. I try to make my trips at least once a year, more if time and $$ allow. See mileage-for a 2006 only 18K,bought in Feb06. Mostly my trips are local. Anyway, I have done nothing special other than normal oil changes and filters, etc... I use Mobil 1- 5W30, exclusively, and I rotate my tires @ 5000miles. I keep my tires at 37psi which may a little hard for some people, but better on the tires, and mileage too, and this car is comfortable enough with that too. Hope this helps you. van
My '06 Sonata LX has just about 54.5k on it, so it compares nicely with yours. Up to about 20k, I was averaging 22.5 mpg overall. Since 20k on, I have averaged 23.5-25 mpg overall, with a high of 25.7 mpg. I do about 65% freeway driving.
Perhaps my observations and driving habits will be of some use to you:
1) I have a K&N airfilter in the car. The car breathed differently when I firt put it in.
2) I have always logged my miles at fuel fill-up's, and calculated mpg on my own. The mpg gauge in the car is not very precise, and needs to be reset now and then. Once my guague was "stuck" on 23.9 for over 3000 miles of driving, which is impossible. Once reset, the guage displays 31-32 mpg at freeway speeds upto 79 mph.
3) Only about a year ago was it "discovered" by a shop that the car actually needs 5W-20, not the typical oil for which sales are run. This is even indicated on the oil cap - amazing that I or any other service station never noticed it. The 5W-20 seemed to help with the engine running more easily, and the result, slightly better mileage.
4) My tires have always been rotated at every oil change (between 3000-5000 mile intervals).
5) I usually go faster than the majority of traffic on the freeway, but I focus on driving smoothly, never herky jerky.
6) On a recent brake inspection, I was told that I have over 80% of the original pads left - yes, at 54.5K. I do use the manumatic quite a bit, and avoid riding the brakes as much as possible.
dean3927 All of your tips sound great and will be utilizing them asap so thank you so much. They replaced my air cleaner/filter and now GM went up now averaging the same as you at 23.5-25 mpg overall, but I'm sorry that is not enough. I often wished I would have considered another 4 cylinder but after crawling into the Sonota interior we couldnt'd go back to a Camry. I am still working with Carmax to get them to further work on the gas mileage as they agreed. My local Hyundai dealership said the car "can" and "should" get at least 27-28 MPG on the highway no problem and to just keep pushing the issue. I believe Carmax is next going to put in some fuel injection cleaner, although I recommended the (Hyundai advised) "DG" products but not sure what Carmax will use.
We have a 2006 Sonata LX with 91,000 + miles. We put ~ 120 miles a day on this car, driving our daughters back and forth to school. On short highway trips (traveling ~ 70 MPH), we get on average 26 MPG using regular gas. On very long highway trips (>100 miles on cruise), we have reached 29 MPG. With the exception of spark plugs, we have followed the factory recommended service intervals, replacing everything else when it reached its life expectancy. OEM Michelin tires were replaced at 44,000 (although I could have gone another 5 to 10 K more - but oldest daughter started to drive the car, and did not want any risks).
I cannot make any complaints about this car. It has been good to us, and we have not experienced any service or reliability issues.
So, here's my dilemma.....do I spend ~ $ 2,000 for the 100K service on this car, including new plugs, fan belt, and tires, or do I trade this baby in for a new one. We are hurting in this economy as everyone else, and I am torn as to which decision would be the most economical over the next 12 months. Is it realistic for me to think that I will get another 40 K out of this car after I make the $ 2K investment ? If the general consensus is "YES", then I will take the risk and do it.
I am not sure why you would need to spend ~$2000 for the 100k mile service. Aren't the major service intervals on the Sonata in increments of 15k, with bigger ones every 60k miles? What is included in the $2000 besides fan belt, plugs, and tires? Even with new tires (maybe $400 total if purchased at a discount tire shop, and if I were you I'd look for tires other than the Michelin OEM ones), I wonder where the $2000 would come from. There's no timing belt to replace, you didn't mention anything about exhaust system or struts or brakes. The car really shouldn't require a major servicing for another 20k miles.
If you haven't checked prices for the service at shops other than your Hyundai dealer, you might want to do that.
Also be sure to get the 100k service done BEFORE 100k, so if any powertrain issues are found they will be covered under warranty.
I don't see why the 3.3L would not run past 130K, especially if you have been taking care of it.
Regarding the 100K service, a friend owns an '06 Sedona, and the dealer quoted her $1200 for the 60K service. Took the van to Express Tire, and got the job done for less than $200, albeit sans the timing belt change. However, the shop told her that the timing belt replacement did not even come up in the computer, even after checking a few times.
Sorry I was not factually accurate...our car has just crossed 92,000, so I incorrectly referred to the "90K" service interval as "100K". I thank the writer for the suggestion to have this work done prior to 100K in the event there are warranty issues. The $ 2000 figure was also a "worst case scenario"... Hyundai has quoted me $600 for the 90K service, plus ~ $ 200 to replace the serpentine belt (not the timing chain !!), plus ~ $ 250 to replace the iridium spark plugs. At 44K miles, we went with Goodyear Eagle Carbon Fiber tires to replace the Michelins (with mounting, balancing, alignment check, new valve stems, disposal, etc. the Goodyears came to about $ 150 per tire...Michelins would have been about $ 250 per tire). With tax and anything else they can bang me with, I figured I was looking at something close to $ 2000 total when all was said and done.
I would change the 6 plugs myself, but the back three are covered with an agglomeration of God knows what, and I did not want to create more problems for myself by trying to remove this, and then screwing up the engine.
If you think I will get 130 K out of the 3.3L, then I will make the investment, and hope for the best. Thank you !!
HI! I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY 2006 I TOOK IT RIGHT TO THE DEALER- IT WAS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET- THERE WAS A CRACK OR SOMETHING IN OR ON IT..BETTER GET THAT CHECKED OUT
Bought my 2006 LX V-6 3 years ago with around 5,000 miles. Car now has 56,000 miles and with a K&N filter I get 29-32 MPG per tank. I drive mostly highway miles around 80%, and have made it more than 525 miles on one tank of gas many times. This car sucks most of the fuel down during acceleration and if you coast to stop signs and turns you can get some great mileage. Sometimes on long downhill rides I will shift into neutral and get insane mileage for short periods of time which helps as well.
Just received recall notice from HYUNDAI to make appointment with dealer to leave my car to check to see if my "07 Sonata has defective brake lite switch,which could affect the ETC also.Notice said to leave car so they can thougherly check for this problem,anyone else get this notice?
I have an '06 Sonata and have not received any defective brake light switch notice. My car would die after accelerating, esc off light and check engine light would come on. FINALLY dealer diagnostic found about 5 error messages that were corrected and so far have worked. I did send a message to the recall people about the problem, it could be dangerous if your car dies on a train track, etc.
Immediately after purchasing this vehicle three-plus years ago, we discovered that, on rough roads, it sounded as though something was truly amiss in the undercarraige, especially when compared with the several Toyotas and Hondas we had previously owned. At the time, in this forum, others were making the same complaint. After being told 1) it's in your head, 2) that's the way the car was built, 3) we've fixed it, my wife, who drives it 99% of the time, suggested that we give up. But recently we had occasion to stay for a week in a delightful setting that entailed a two-mile stretch of wash-board road; I was reminded how unsatisfactory the car is from that point of view. Hyundai asked me to return it to the dealer, who repeated the mantra just cited. I realize that this is reaching back at this point, but can anyone out there suggest what outcomes they may have experienced around this question? I am about to dump this car, its admirable qualities notwithstanding, but at 24,000 miles.....?
Hyundai has a TSB for the 2007 sonata for a recall about the visors and I believe it also covers the 2006 as well. ask your dealer about the tsb campaign on the front visors as this should be covered under warranty with no mileage or time restrictions!!!
I'm not sure if it is the same problem, but my 2006 Sonata had a light thumping that could only be heard at low speeds whether on rough or smooth surfaces. The dealer tightened the busing on the lower control arm, which fixed the problem for about 2 miles, the it slowly got worse again. They ended up replacing the left lower control arm and the noise is now gone. I think most the posts on this forum have complained about thumping in the rear end. I never had that problem.
I have a 2007 Sonata SE with a 3.3 liter engine. I'm getting a noise in the left front(clunk that changes with forword motion) that happens when I brake and turn at the same time. The dealer told me they could find nothing wrong with the left side but i needed a ball joint on the right side. they replaced the ball joint under warranty and sent me on my way... I still have the noise in the left front.. Has anyone had anything like this??? :confuse:
Mine is coming from the right front, but only clunks when you shift into a different gear or when you take off from a stop. I have a 2007 SE with around 36k miles. Is that stuff covered beyond 36k? I believe the bumper to bumper only goes till 36k miles?
I had a clunking noise in the left front of my 2006 GLS V6 that could be heard at low speeds, forward and reverse, turning or straight. Don't know if it's the same problem you have, but my dealer replaced the left lower control arm. Noise is gone.
I am LOL at the quotes est1971 got for his service. That dealer you got the quote from back in May certainly saw you coming. A serpintine belts cost about $30.00 and most mechanics will put it on for $20.00 Irridium spark plugs cost no more than $10.00 a piece tops. I'm not sure why he is worrying. A timing chain makes an engine fairly bullet proof for about 300, 000 miles.. i just sold my 99 honda accord yesterday, Sept 10, 2009 for 3600.00. It had 220,000 miles on it.. Any of these cars now days, hyundai, honda, toyota, nissan, should all do that kind of mileage without any problem at all as long as you take care of them.. Good luck and happy motoring. Caaz
Brake lite switch alongwith3 bulbs.Also replaced power seat switch which dealer said was also on recall list.Tried to sell me radiator flush,transflush,replace cabin filter&power steering flush.For only $ 300.00,when i said no way,service writter said he would have them do all this maintanance for only $99.95 plush tax.Told him I'd get back to him,but didn't say when.
At $99.95, it's probably a good deal; I've had problems with old coolant (gets gunked up after a while) and you especially need to monitor the transmission fluid level and keep that degunked.
Yes,but at 7,000 miles?Dealer flushes transmisson,which puts old fluid backwith new.When time comes,I will have pan removed to drain ALL fluid,which is recommended by trans repair shops.
I think you might have that wrong. A flush using a dedicated transmission "flushing" machine actually replaces all the old transmission with new by pumping old fluid out while replacing it with fresh including the torque converter. Whereas dropping the pan only allows access to about 70% (I believe) of the old fluid because the remainder is trapped in the torque converter so that is the scenario where old is mixed with new fluid not the other way around. So, I don't know what transmission shop would recommend leaving up to 30% of the old stuff in place if it isn't necessary.
You only get 50 to 70% the fluid out if you drop the pan. You need to drain the torque converter also. The best way would do the power flush and repace the filter also. Dropping the pan does give you a visual of what is going on.
I don't normally do a "me too" post, but what you said.
Also, the best mechanics power flush about 1 1/5-2x the amount of fluid the system holds, in order to insure that all liquid has been fully replaced. And as mentioned, you need to drain the torque converter.
Open, drain, flush, close (late in the flush, when you know you have the system refilled with a continuous stream), fill.
Very different, and much more effective, than drop pan, pour out old tranny fluid, reattach pan, and refill. That would actually scare me in a modern transmission, as it could leave the possibility of air bubbles in the system.
I have a 2008, but the design is the same, I believe. Take a look at the center of your fan speed selector knob. Push that to activate the rear defroster. The A/C switch is designed the same way on the air temperature knob. The setup may be different for automatic climate control.
You may want to register on the Hyundai site and download a user's manual.
Now, if someone can tell me the purpose of the blinking red light on top of the dash, I'll be all set!
I thought it might be that one, but the picture is not obvious. Registering is a good idea. I'll do that. Thanks for your help. Which blinking red light do you mean?
Now, if someone can tell me the purpose of the blinking red light on top of the dash, I'll be all set!
I'm 99.9% sure that it is a way to signal that the theft deterrent is armed. Even if the doors aren't armed (i.e. the car honks when the doors ar opened), I think that the light itself is a deterrent.
Right. I said fan speed knob, but realized this morning when looking at my dash that it's really the vent selector knob. How about we say it's the big knob on the right?
As for the red light, it is on top of the dash and blinks whenever the key is out of the ignition. It blinks rapidly when I hit the lock button on my key fob. I agree that it probably just serves as a deterrent to make thieves think the car alarm is armed whether it is or not. However, I could not find any mention of it in the manual.
Hello. I'm looking to buy my first Hyundai and I would like some advice. I found an one-owner 2006 Sonata V6 with 57,000 miles. The car is in good visual shape but I will be frank, I'm a little bit skeptical about reliability and found mixed reviews when searching general forums. I believe Hyundai improved a lot and I'm almost ready to buy it, the price is good (but not extremely cheap). What should I look for on the car ? I will do a 2nd test drive tomorrow. I've heard suspension and transmission problems from some forums, but it appears that those comments were from people that did not own the car and only "heard" it from a friend of a friend or had the car as a rental. I don't want a car payment, that's why I'm buying used, but I also don't want to spend $3,000 on a new transmission. Your comments are greatly appreciated. I really liked the car and all the features it has, but I'm not sure if I will become a Hyundai owner. Can you help ? :confuse:
Be sure to have a mechanic you trust do a thorough inspection, including transmission fluid, brakes, suspension, engine compression etc. This will cost some bucks but is worth it.
At 57,000 miles, there are some components such as brakes, tires, and battery that could be nearing the end of their useful lives. Also the car will be due soon for a major servicing, at 60k miles.
Since it's a one-owner, are service records available? If not, that is a red flag. If you are buying from a dealer, ask if you can talk with the first owner. You should try to find out if any repairs have been made already, e.g. new brakes and tires, and if transmission fluid has ever been replaced and if regular oil changes were done.
Be sure to get a Carfax report (from seller if possible, so they pay for it), which can spot things like major accidents. But it's not foolproof.
Be sure to drive the car over all kinds of road surfaces, including rough roads, railroad tracks, speed bumps etc. And listen closely for unusual suspension noise, e.g. a "clank" instead of just a normal noise of the shocks compressing. Of course, check the operation of ALL features.
The good news is, since you are the 2nd owner, you would have at least 3,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper warranty left, in case a problem pops up right away.
Comments
I've seen many similar posts over the years, from owners with their first car with ABS. Caution with suspected brake problems is always advisable, but I also don't like to unduly alarm people for something that could be normal operation.
A recent, personal example: I was driving a week ago (not in my Hyundai) right after a big snowstorm. Turned right from a (mostly) plowed road onto an unplowed road and then started a U-turn. The Brake and ABS lights started flashing. Oh, no! I thought. I was less than a block from my destination so I parked, did my errand, then later called the dealer (car is under warranty). I explained my problem and noted I really wanted it taken care of right away (this was a Saturday, but hey, it's the brakes!), and the service writer said they were full up until Monday. After I expressed dismay at that, she asked me to hold for a minute. When she returned, she said that they have had several calls just like mine that morning, and the "problem" was probably just snow packed into the wheels, causing the ABS sensor to go haywire. She said it should clear up as soon as the snow gets out of the wheels. Sure enough, after less than half a block the lights went out.
Dealer already replaced my Alternator, which anybody knowing a little bit about cars would assume to be the culprit -- but it still does it. Next step dealer claims is to replace the wires running from the battery with thicker wires. They claim it has been reported before with this model.
Anybody else having any similar experience?
I came from driving a '95 Camry that with 246K still got excellent gas mileage; I do realize I'm now in a V6 but this is crazy I could be driving what I really like/want (truck) at this kind of gas mileage.
I have reported this to Carmax were I bought it from and called my local Hyndai dealer to see what I an do and they are supposed to address this Monday.
What is everyone else seeing gas mileage wise with these cars?
van
I've read your email over a couple of times nice gas mileage......whats your secret do you do anything special?? I think the past maintenance on this car is an important factor and maybe it just didn't have all the maint. flushes and things it needed to run right, I think theres a lot of Maint things recommended by Hyundai that have never been done. Carmax where I bought it put a new air cleaner in it and want me to drive though 3 tanks of gas and then report back to them. They say my bra on the front (thats made for the car by Hyundai) is lowering gas mileage...BS, maybe 2 mpg but were off at least 6 MPG I'm still only getting today 21MPG unnaceptable.
My local Hyundai dealer says the bra should not make any difference and that they could run some DG fuel cleaner through it and a few other things that would definetly make it run like it should but it would cost $600+ so when this new air cleaner from Carmax doesn't do a whole lot, which it won't I'll be tellling them it needs to go to Hyundai.
What exaclty do you mean that your overall average from 0-15000 is right at 19mpg
Your Hyundai dealer is telling you to do a "BG fuel system" cleaning at $600. Just ask them to sell you a bottle of BG 44K fuel system cleaner (about $20 but worth it) and you'll be on your way. The BG additive is good stuff. Our service dept sells it and I use it once a year in my two cars. I've had the "fuel system" flush done on my Mustang (for other reasons) and did not notice much, if any difference.
It's all in: 1. the gas you use. 2. your foot on the pedal. 3. A good pathway for both the fuel and the air to get to the fuel injectors.
BTW don't take off your bra.....in public. :P
van
My '06 Sonata LX has just about 54.5k on it, so it compares nicely with yours. Up to about 20k, I was averaging 22.5 mpg overall. Since 20k on, I have averaged 23.5-25 mpg overall, with a high of 25.7 mpg. I do about 65% freeway driving.
Perhaps my observations and driving habits will be of some use to you:
1) I have a K&N airfilter in the car. The car breathed differently when I firt put it in.
2) I have always logged my miles at fuel fill-up's, and calculated mpg on my own. The mpg gauge in the car is not very precise, and needs to be reset now and then. Once my guague was "stuck" on 23.9 for over 3000 miles of driving, which is impossible.
Once reset, the guage displays 31-32 mpg at freeway speeds upto 79 mph.
3) Only about a year ago was it "discovered" by a shop that the car actually needs 5W-20, not the typical oil for which sales are run. This is even indicated on the oil cap - amazing that I or any other service station never noticed it. The 5W-20 seemed to help with the engine running more easily, and the result, slightly better mileage.
4) My tires have always been rotated at every oil change (between 3000-5000 mile intervals).
5) I usually go faster than the majority of traffic on the freeway, but I focus on driving smoothly, never herky jerky.
6) On a recent brake inspection, I was told that I have over 80% of the original pads left - yes, at 54.5K. I do use the manumatic quite a bit, and avoid riding the brakes as much as possible.
All of your tips sound great and will be utilizing them asap so thank you so much. They replaced my air cleaner/filter and now GM went up now averaging the same as you at 23.5-25 mpg overall, but I'm sorry that is not enough.
I often wished I would have considered another 4 cylinder but after crawling into the Sonota interior we couldnt'd go back to a Camry.
I am still working with Carmax to get them to further work on the gas mileage as they agreed. My local Hyundai dealership said the car "can" and "should" get at least 27-28 MPG on the highway no problem and to just keep pushing the issue.
I believe Carmax is next going to put in some fuel injection cleaner, although I recommended the (Hyundai advised) "DG" products but not sure what Carmax will use.
Signed,
still trying to get better MPG....
I cannot make any complaints about this car. It has been good to us, and we have not experienced any service or reliability issues.
So, here's my dilemma.....do I spend ~ $ 2,000 for the 100K service on this car, including new plugs, fan belt, and tires, or do I trade this baby in for a new one. We are hurting in this economy as everyone else, and I am torn as to which decision would be the most economical over the next 12 months. Is it realistic for me to think that I will get another 40 K out of this car after I make the $ 2K investment ? If the general consensus is "YES", then I will take the risk and do it.
Thanks for your comments !
If you haven't checked prices for the service at shops other than your Hyundai dealer, you might want to do that.
Also be sure to get the 100k service done BEFORE 100k, so if any powertrain issues are found they will be covered under warranty.
Regarding the 100K service, a friend owns an '06 Sedona, and the dealer quoted her $1200 for the 60K service. Took the van to Express Tire, and got the job done for less than $200, albeit sans the timing belt change. However, the shop told her that the timing belt replacement did not even come up in the computer, even after checking a few times.
I would change the 6 plugs myself, but the back three are covered with an agglomeration of God knows what, and I did not want to create more problems for myself by trying to remove this, and then screwing up the engine.
If you think I will get 130 K out of the 3.3L, then I will make the investment, and hope for the best. Thank you !!
I TOOK IT RIGHT TO THE DEALER- IT WAS THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET- THERE WAS A CRACK OR SOMETHING IN OR ON IT..BETTER GET THAT CHECKED OUT
The dealer told me they could find nothing wrong with the left side but i needed a ball joint on the right side. they replaced the ball joint under warranty and sent me on my way... I still have the noise in the left front.. Has anyone had anything like this??? :confuse:
Also, the best mechanics power flush about 1 1/5-2x the amount of fluid the system holds, in order to insure that all liquid has been fully replaced. And as mentioned, you need to drain the torque converter.
Open, drain, flush, close (late in the flush, when you know you have the system refilled with a continuous stream), fill.
Very different, and much more effective, than drop pan, pour out old tranny fluid, reattach pan, and refill. That would actually scare me in a modern transmission, as it could leave the possibility of air bubbles in the system.
You may want to register on the Hyundai site and download a user's manual.
Now, if someone can tell me the purpose of the blinking red light on top of the dash, I'll be all set!
Registering is a good idea. I'll do that.
Thanks for your help.
Which blinking red light do you mean?
I'm 99.9% sure that it is a way to signal that the theft deterrent is armed. Even if the doors aren't armed (i.e. the car honks when the doors ar opened), I think that the light itself is a deterrent.
That's my guess.
As for the red light, it is on top of the dash and blinks whenever the key is out of the ignition. It blinks rapidly when I hit the lock button on my key fob. I agree that it probably just serves as a deterrent to make thieves think the car alarm is armed whether it is or not. However, I could not find any mention of it in the manual.
At 57,000 miles, there are some components such as brakes, tires, and battery that could be nearing the end of their useful lives. Also the car will be due soon for a major servicing, at 60k miles.
Since it's a one-owner, are service records available? If not, that is a red flag. If you are buying from a dealer, ask if you can talk with the first owner. You should try to find out if any repairs have been made already, e.g. new brakes and tires, and if transmission fluid has ever been replaced and if regular oil changes were done.
Be sure to get a Carfax report (from seller if possible, so they pay for it), which can spot things like major accidents. But it's not foolproof.
Be sure to drive the car over all kinds of road surfaces, including rough roads, railroad tracks, speed bumps etc. And listen closely for unusual suspension noise, e.g. a "clank" instead of just a normal noise of the shocks compressing. Of course, check the operation of ALL features.
The good news is, since you are the 2nd owner, you would have at least 3,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper warranty left, in case a problem pops up right away.