Hyundai Azera Maintenance and Repair

allmet33 · March 2010

No problem & good luck.

54gradsteds · March 2010

I'd appreciate some opinions from out there in driver land about my local dealer's 15,000 mile check-up proposal. After looking at the lengthy list of items, I'm convinced that for $259.00, it's just a typical dealer colossal rip-off ! It seems to me that 99% of what is on the list could probably be done by my local mechanic in about 20 minutes, and and at a cost of not much more than $100.00....What do you folks think ? Thanks

richardcot · March 2010

I do not do the dealer recommended checkups as they are most likely a waste of money. I follow the recommended service schedule in the owners manual. I'll check fluids and tire pressure periodically myself. I will run fuel injector cleaner through the fuel system every 3K miles. Sometimes the dealer will try to convince you to do a fuel injector cleaning service. These are usually unnecessary and in some cases can create problems when there were none before.

wobbly_ears · March 2010

Typical Dealer scam, don't fall for it.

Just do what is mentioned in the manual. (Which, I believe, at 15k is just an oil change). As someone said, whom would you rather trust as far as service goes; the guys who designed the car & wrote the manual or the scummy dealer?

Just follow the manual & you'll be all good. Don't let the dealer make a fool out of you.

allmet33 · March 2010

I'm with Richard and Wobbly on this matter. The biggest things you need to make sure to take care of are the oil changes and the transmission servicing. Of course, replace filters as needed as well. Even doing your own oil changes doesn't void the warranty (I've asked and have done it over the life of the last two Hyundai's I've owned). Spark plugs...most cars today can go 100k miles before plugs are needed. The new Hyundais have timing chains, so you don't have to put as much worry into that as you did the the older ones with timing belts.

Most of the stuff they want to charge you for, is stuff you can really do yourself. If you still feel a need to have the dealer do the major parts of it, then they can scale the price back to reflect the services they don't do within the package.

In the end, it matters most what you feel comfortable with. Good luck.

wobbly_ears · March 2010

Really well put allmet. A very common sense approach.

bmb1767 · April 2010

Driving home three weeks ago from GA to NC and TPMS light would come on intermittently. Not knowing at the time what it was (I thought I was losing air in my tires) I pulled over at least 3 times to have the tires checked. Once I got home and looked at the manual, I found out what the TPMS was. Light never came on again.

Coming home last night from a town 30 minutes away, it comes on again for about 2 minutes and then goes off. Can anyone tell me what is going on and if I need to take the car to the dealer? Thanks!

allmet33 · April 2010

This may be a dumb question, but when is the last time you checked the actual pressure in your tires? Checking to see if you had any leaks vs. having enough air to begin with are totally different animals. I would set all the tires about 36 psi and then see if you still have the issue.

If you're sure the tire pressure in each tire is good, it could just be your TPMS is malfunctioning, which should be covered under your warranty with no problems.

Good luck!

wobbly_ears · April 2010

I want to echo what allmet is saying about checking the tire pressure. One of your tires might have a slow leak. I would fill all tires upto 35-36 psi & over the next few days check the pressure every day. If any tire pressure drops by 1-2 psi, that means there might be a slow leak.

Also, make sure that your tires are at or around 20% of the recommended pressure. Azera's TPMS is programmed to illuminate when the pressure falls below 20% of the recommended 30psi (20% of which would be 24psi).

Of course, we can't discount the TPMS being defective. It should be covered under warranty if that's the case.

Good luck!

gamleged · April 2010

Looking in the owner's manual, the 15k is the same as the 45k, which I just had done a day ago. When I asked them what they planned, they wanted to replace the cabin air filter, the air filter, change oil/filter, inspect several items and rotate the tires.

I told them I personally replace the cabin air every 10k miles and the engine air filter was done at 30k miles, leaving the various inspections, tires, oil/filter. In the end they didn't even rotate the tires, finding that the fronts had a little more rubber on them than do the rear, $37.56 out the door... :shades:

rmeyrowitz · April 2010

One of my keyless entry modules stopped working (2008 Azera Ltd) the other day. Key still opened and started the car though. I changed the fob battery but it still doesn't work.

Went to Hyundai who wanted $52 to reprogram my alarm FOB (What does FOB stand for?). I would have paid it if I had the hour they said they needed but should I? I've never had one of these stop working with any other car that I have owned.

Does anyone know if this is a warranty item or if this sounds strange? Does that mean this will happen to my other one?

Thanks
rpm

cobrazera · April 2010

The same thing has happened to one of mine ( '06 Azera, but only 26K miles ). What's the deal on these things? Both the FOBs for my '99 Mustang still work! Then to add insult to injury, you can't just replace the battery - but they want $52 to reprogram it. Ridiculous! These things should be covered, at least under the basic warranty.

allmet33 · April 2010

Don't know what to say on this matter. Both FOB's for my '06 Azera are still working and I've got just over 82k miles (going strong). Sorry to hear that the service department is trying to rip you off for something that takes a mere few minutes.

fushigi · April 2010

(What does FOB stand for?)

In the automotive context fob is a word, not an acronym. There are FOB acronyms like Free On Board, but the device used for remotely unlocking a car is a fob, not a FOB.

Some fobs are passive and only wake up when a button is pressed. Others are active and are always transmitting a low-power signal so the car can "see" the fob when it's in range. My Outlander's FAST system is like that; it needs the transmission for the car to see it in proximity & unlock the door without requiring a button press. My dealer advised me that the fob batteries will generally only go a year or so, which is a far cry from my prior car's passive fobs which would go 5+ years on a battery.

When I've had the battery replaced before reprogramming wasn't necessary so I'd chalk that up to a design issue on the Hyundai fob; it seems to not use non-volatile RAM to store programming. That's a bad place to cheap out IMO. Along similar lines, the battery in my garage door opener's keypad died the other day & it too lost programming. Had to find the manual to figure out how to reprogram it.

gamleged · April 2010

According to Wiki:

The word fob may be linked to the low German dialect for the word Fuppe, meaning "pocket", however, the real origin of the word is unknown.

Volitile memory sucks, as it continually uses battery power, 24/7. If you want to avoid paying $50 every few years, you could try to open the fob while it still works, find the circuit board voltage terminals, parallel with a (likely) 1.5v external source, replace the battery, pull the external source, close it all up, rinse/repeat before the new battery goes bad... aw, here's th' darn $50, bloodsucking dealer!

cklinski · April 2010

You guys have been very helpful in this forum to me. Thought I would ask a question about the Hyundai Azera patch paint and repairing dings and paint chips. Has anybody had experience with the paint pen and how to properly use it? My results are less than stellar and produce a blotchy look that almost looks worse than it did before I tried the repair. Any other tips?

:confuse:

allmet33 · April 2010

One trick I've heard that helps is to pick up some automotive paint thinner and thin the touch up paint. You'll probably have to play with the amounts, but you want it thin enough that you can dip a toothpick in it and "lay" the paint into the scratch or chip. Let it dry and apply another layer, a step you repeat until it looks how you want. Once your done...let the paint dry, then using a rubbing compound (follow directions), work the area to blend it in better (hard to make perfect unless you're a pro). Finish with coat of wax, stand back and admire your work.

Let me know how it works out.

jkoleh · May 2010

Vehicle: 2007 Azera Ltd 39,000 miles
Propblem: Began with slight surging of idle after first start in am, engine going from approx 1300 to 1600 rpm by itself--no accelator applied, and it stopped after driving a short distance.

Several weeks later, shortly after starting, car exhaust was popping as if it needed a valve job, and it would not accelerate to a speed greater than 3 mph or so. Of course, we were 250 miles from home, or a Hyuundai Dealer. Turned engine off, restarted it after a couple of minutes, and ran normally. So we were cruising along the Interstate and the problem reappeared. Slowly went down to about 3 mph, pulled over on the shoulder, and was able to limp off an exit--afdter a couple of miinutes, restarted and was able to make it home. Had we had to go home in the limp home mode, it would have taken 48 hours or so.

Diagnosis: Errant throttle position sensor--apparently there is a TSB on this.

Moral: If your Azera is surging at idle after a cold start, get it looked at rather than having it strand you in the boonies.

This little epiisode was als marred by my hitting a pothole at low speed--10 mph--which blew out an allmost new tire so we came home at 50 mph on the donut spare. The good news is that you get really good gas mileage at 50 mph---32-33 mpg.

allmet33 · May 2010

I took my car in to get some work done and get the airbag recall taken care of. I've had a running history with my airbag light coming on and according to the service department, it was various reasons that was causing it. So...I've had a seatbelt tensioner replaced and passenger seat cushion replaced. After all of the things they had done, the light would still come on. Well...now that the latest recall came out, I took it in and they fixed it accordingly and so far...so good.

I am curious to know if anyone else has had an issue with moisture or water getting into their fog lights. I had one light replaced under warranty at about 55K miles and now I'm at 83K miles and it's doing it again. It will be covered under the warranty, but my driver's side fog light started doing the same thing. Since it's after the original Hyundai warranty, the extended warranty wouldn't cover it...so I ordered one from PartsGeek.com ($47). I plan on running a bead of silicone around the seam to better seal it and hope for the best.

oskidunker1 · May 2010

39k on car. Have noticed a slight vibration when applying brakes. According to last service at 37500, 50% brake lining left . Any thoughts?

allmet33 · May 2010

Oskidunker1...39k with 50% brake lining left, that's pretty doggone good (is that 50% all the way around???) I did my first brake job at around 35k miles (fronts) and the rears were done around 37k miles.

Anyway, if you're experiencing a vibration when applying the brakes, it would more than likely mean you have a warped rotor. If you feel the vibration in the brake pedal, it would most likely be one of your front rotors if you feel it in the seat, it would more than likely be in the rear.

Just my 2 cents on it. Let me know what you find out.

Good luck!

yaqui1 · May 2010

2009 Azera GLS. For some strange reason, every now and then, when driving away from the house in the morning, I notice that the MPG and Trip Miles mode in the on-board trip computer have reset to zero without me touching them. I haven't been able to pin down the exact conditions or circumstances when ithis happens; it seems random. Does any else have this problem or an answer to it?

cobrazera · May 2010

This is a somewhat common problem, has been reported and discussed on this, or other threads, and as far as I know - has not been solved. It involves all model years

yaqui1 · May 2010

Thanks cobrazera. I guess I'll just learn to live with it. But it makes one wonder what sort of technical competence a company which can't fix an electrical problem for several years really has. This type of business conduct just has to show itself in other areas of the product.

allmet33 · May 2010

I have had this happen from time to time. The other thing that will happen is sometimes when you know it's on the "trip" setting, you'll get in, start it up and notice it has changed to "miles left" setting. It's a very minor annoyance in my book. Considering I had a 3 year run with my airbag lights (which seems to have come to an end with the last recall). Outside of that...I've almost got 85k miles on my Azera and there have been no issues that I would gripe about.

I did have an issue with my fog lights taking on moisture. In one of them the water made the bulb shatter and the hot bits melted the inside of the housing a bit and made a mess. I ordered a replacement (under $50) and when I got it, I put a bead of silicone around the seam where the lens meets the housing and installed it. Pulled the other one out and sealed it as well and now...no issues at all with moisture.

Not sure what you mean by "business conduct". It's not like other car makers don't have more serious issues that don't get taken care of. You're pointing to a trip computer that resets from time to time or maybe even changes what setting it's on. Is that truly something major? It's not like an accelerator pedal sticking, or brakes failing or anything like that. If you let that one minor thing make you wonder about a company's overall technical competence...seems like you're just looking for something to be unhappy about.

yaqui1 · May 2010

No, I don't consider the trip computer thing a major problem. Not by any means. But, as cars become more and more sophisticated and electronically integrated around controlling computer systems, the trip computer glitch just might be a symptom of a more critical design fault somewhere in the labrynth of wires and connections.

What car manufacturer plans to produce a car where not everything works as designed? By not fixing the small , known problems that's exactly what they're doing. That problem hasn't reached their tolerance threshold. Doesn't it make you wonder about what other problems or potential problems which they may be tolerating? And, I think the Toyota acceleration problem was found in the electronics of their throttle-by-wire system which they knew about but 'tolerated' for some time.

That's what I mean by business conduct. A company can take aim at and kill product defects or they can do the cost analysis and decide that the cost of fixing them is greater than paying for whatever damages might arise. So the problems remain below their tolerance threshold by design of how they decided to do business. Of course I don't know if that is what Hyundai does with things like this, but it does cause me to wonder.

"seems like you're just looking for something to be unhappy about."

Not at all. All in all, I'm very pleased with my Azera and I pay a lot of attention to the trip computer because I'm very surprised at the high mpg I get and I like to brag to friends about it.

allmet33 · May 2010

If the trip computer were a more integrated system, then yes...I would worry. However, the unit in question is a stand-alone unit that really provides basic information.

Well...I'm sure with Toyota on the hot seat as they are, auto makers will be much more responsive to issues.

I have a better situation, how bout an air bag light that keeps coming on...even after they supposedly fix the issue. That is a safety matter that really had me concerned because they never seemed to get it right over the course of 3 years. However, out comes a recall concerning a wiring harness for the air bag system. Lo and behold, after I take my Azera in for the recall, no issue with the air bag light any more. In some cases, it may take them a while to find the problem. In this case they did and I'm happy.

Glad to hear you're happy with your Azera as I am with mine as well (can't you tell with almost 85k miles?). :shades: I think also around the 100k mile mark, I'll be upgrading the OEM shocks/struts with the aftermarket Monroes that are available. If all your trip computer is doing is resetting from time to time...that's not a big deal as it will still calculate again when you're driving. Now if it started kicking out unrealistic numbers....then I would worry.

jaymagic · June 2010

Replacing pads and turning rotors today on my 07. I am now up to about 88K miles. My mechanic also notice a very small oil leak somewhere around the transmission case. He says take it Hyundai and get it repaired under 100K warranty, which I will try and do. Also, need to take it to hyundai anyway for some of the recall items, although I have had no problems.

allmet33 · June 2010

Jaymagic...you got 88k miles on your first set of pads??? I replaced my first set @ 35k miles. Were your rotors beat up or something? How much were you charged for the turning and the overall brake job? I guess I'm curious as to how much I'm saving as I've replaced my pads every time myself. Only time I would feel the need to turn the rotors is if I feel a vibration in the brake pedal or see some serious wear on the rotors that would cause premature pad wear.

yaqui1 · June 2010

Well, the mystery is solved. The simple problem grew to a reset of the clock, the auto-window up, and other accessories. The first start of the day was becoming very iffy because the cranking seemed to be coming from a very old and weak battery. Very slow crank but it would eventually start. Mysteriously, the A/C would come on during the cranking even though I routinely would shut down the A/C the night before prior to shutting off the engine. The cranking was so slow and labored that the accessories seemed to sense that the battery was momentarily removed and reset themselves. After the first start, it was OK for starting (usually) for the rest of the day.

Hyundai Service checked and found the alternator was doing its job OK but that there was a voltage drop across the ground cables and that all connections were corroded. All bolts were replaced, surfaces cleaned, star washers and anti-corrosive grease applied, battery charged and now all is perfect again.

jaymagic · June 2010

Yes, 88k, but I should have had them changed more around 80k on fronts. Actually got lucky, Most of my miles are highway miles.

I provided my own synthetic oil (5w 20), and had him do an oil change, oil filter, air filter, cabin filter change. I also had a front driving light bulb replaced. My Hyundai required the more special/expensive bulb from Hyundai, and I had both front and rear pads replaced, rotors were turned (no damage). Total with tax was $445.

I am taking the car to a my Hyundai dealer to fix the oil leak on Tuesday, it is supposed to be a warranty item, plus they will check the front seat belt recall item

Next big item is plugs next time in.

oskidunker1 · July 2010

Couldn't find anything on the Hyundas site. 2007

SilverBullet00 · July 2010

When your in the Hyundai Maint Site,look across the top and click on OM and you will have access to all the 2007 or any other year owners manuals etc. The large 300 page owners manual will give you the maintenance schedules.

oskidunker1 · July 2010

Just got a reminder from my dealer. the book says 45k. Strange

jkoleh · August 2010

RE: 2007 Azera Ltd--43,000 miles.

Had brakes checked last week----fronts ok----99% wear on left rear, 20% wear on right rear and am wondering why rear brakes would wear so unevenly? No other issues. Any thoughts. Thanks

hjc1 · August 2010

Sounds like the right rear disc brake is draging slightly causing more wear

SilverBullet00 · August 2010

Suggest you look at TSB 08-BR-002 which addresses rear disc squeaking and this results in calibers hanging up and create uneven wear on the pads. Had the same problem on my Chrysler 300M. Clean and wire brush all places the pads slide on the caliber and apply brake disc grease on those areas.

rminor · August 2010

My '07 fob battery died about 2 months ago. Walmart, etc wanted ~$4-5 for replacement. Checked online and found a deal for 20 generic batteries for $2 shipped. Bottom line, fob was dead for about 3 weeks. Popped in a new battery and everything work fine. So maybe the old battery had enough juice to keep memory and then a capacitor to store enough for the few minutes to replace.

jkoleh · August 2010

Thanks, silver bullet----so that was the squeaking sound everyone but me heard!!

SilverBullet00 · August 2010

Your welcome.

gamleged · August 2010

According to the owner's manual the key fob takes a Lithium CR2032 battery. I note that dealextreme.com has a 5-pack of these for $1.64 with free shipping...

cobrazera · August 2010

It appears that the " reprogramming required " by the dealer on the keyfob battery replacement is just another scam intended to gouge we owners.
My keyfob has been dead for 4-5 months, and, thanks to gamleged and rminor I purchased (5) Sony CR2032 from dealextreme for $2.07 dlvd, installed one with ease, and my keyfob now works again.
BTW, every time I go to the dealer for an oil change, the service manager parades a filthy cabin filter out to me with a recommendation to change it.
I replaced my original filter with a cut up/doctored home air conditioning filter a while back. Lo and behold, the filter I was shown by the service manager last month was a heavily used stock Hyundai filter - go figure.

wobbly_ears · August 2010

Yep, you are blessed with a scummy dealer.

There's no need to 'reprogram' your keyfob if the battery dies. Just replace the battery & you're good to go. Reprogramming is ONLY required if you have lost your key & they have to make a new one from a blank.

And replace the cabin filter only at 10k & you can do it yourself.

Take your business elsewhere. Your dealer is an A grade cheat. Do you really want them to work on your car?

cobrazera · August 2010

Besides this dealer, the nearest one is close to 50 miles away. The only business they get from me is an occasional oil change when they're running a $19.95 LOF special. The kicker is that I used to work there, part time, as a driver.

rminor · August 2010

I get my oil changed at Walmart. At least I can watch through the service bay window and see that they're using the Mobil1 oil and new filter I'm paying for. If your dealer is low enough to show you a cabin filter that's not from your car I sure wouldn't trust them to be actually installing a new filter or even new oil. Turn in a report to the BBB.

cobrazera · August 2010

Maybe it's a regional thing, I don't know, but I can tell you that here in the MD/DC/VA area, the service departments are saying that the Azeras are coming with synthetic oil already in them.
I was going through all these old posts for info on a problem I now have ( not related to oil/engine ), and thought I'd give my $.02 on this post. I have read that synthetic oils do not "oxidize" over time like regular oils, and hence the time recommendation for oil change does not apply to synthetics.
I put about 2500 miles per year on my 1999 Mustang Cobra, and get the oil changed once per year - in the fall before it is stored for the winter. I always use Mobil 1, and have had no problems.
I could also surmise that since Hyundai has no idea how long a new car will sit on the lot before being sold ( plus the transit time from Korea ), as the explanation of synthetic oil installation at the factory.

manohar · October 2010

Has anyone replaced the spark plugs as part of 100,000 mile maintenance? Is it tricky? I am wondering if I should do it myself or take it to a dealer!

SilverBullet00 · October 2010

You know you have to R&R the intake manifold to do the back three plugs. If you've done automotive engine work you should be able to handle it. I would make sure I had a new intake manifold gasket in case the old one tears.

allmet33 · October 2010

As SilverBullet00 states, you have to take the manifold off (as well as a few other things) to get to the 3 plugs in the rear. If you take it to the dealer, they want around $250 to change the plugs. You may be able to find a mechanic that can do it for less, but like SilverBullet00 also says, have the gasket replaced as well. Even if the old one doesn't tear, it's always good to put a new gasket on.

I've done the brakes oil changes on my Azera over the 95k miles I've had it, but the plugs...I'm going to defer to a mechanic. I just have to decide if I'm going with double platinum plugs or if I'm going with the iridium plugs. :confuse:

oskidunker1 · October 2010

My dealer wants to replace the plugs at 60k and charge $850.00 for this supposed "Major Service" Is it some times necessary to replace the plugs at this mileage? I just did the 45k and had to talk him down from $295.00 by demanding he only do the service required in the manual. So I was quoted $150.00 with a tire rotation. I waited for the car. they told me that several seals were leaking, oil,transmission, and axle. all this will be done under the warranty Monday. Then they said they would only charge me $79.00 for the service because I was a valued customer.

I like this dealer and he has been fair in the past, although now their recommended service prices on the board do not list all these extra things they want to do.I imagine most dealers are trying to pad the service items since these cars really don't need much done, right?

Anyway it seemed to me when they realized they couldn't get more money out of me they decided to drum up some warranty business, although I have noticed some oil leaking slightly in my driveway.

When I had an Audi I just paid what they asked and never compared with what was actually required. Maybe they were doing the same thing. This is a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] to have to bargain to get only what is necessary done. I almost feel like going to a gas station next time. Probably less money and less hassle.

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