I’m new here and Idont know much about cars. I took my car to the dealership and he said my car is getting close to 80k miles. He said it’s good to do some maintenance to it and gave me a list, but I’m not sure which ones I should do first and if these are really that important of if they are just after some extra money.
I have a Hyundai Elantra 2009, this is the list they gave me.
Timing belt $425
Coolant flush $179
Transmission flush $249
Cabin Air filters $89
Do they prices sound fair? or should I shop around?
I’d take it to an independent mechanic shop and get another opinion from them. You can find one near you by checking “the Mechanics Files” elsewhere on this web site.
You can determine if those services are really needed by looking up the maintenance schedule in your owners handbook. All owner’s manuals have them, and they’re routinely ignored by %85 percent of car owners. It will tell you what needs to be done at what mileage.
The cabin air filter depends on whether you live and drive in dusty areas.
perhaps I’m going against the grain . . . at 5 years old, if that cabin air filter is still original, it is most likely ripe for replacement
If OP drives an average number of miles, he’s probably due for a timing belt by mileage at this point. That $425 sounds a little low, actually. Make sure to replace the tensioner, idler, cam and crank seals. If the water pump is driven by the timing belt, replace it also
I advise against a transmission flush. Have a shop replace the fluid and filter. No flush, and no “universal” transmission fluid
As for the coolant flush, I recommend replacing coolant every 5 years. There are some exceptions, but this is a good rule of thumb for many modern vehicles. I suggest the genuine hyundai coolant, not universal green. Drain the radiator and block. No flush
I’m not sure where your cabin air filter is located, but you could probably replace it yourself fairly easily
I'm not sure where your cabin air filter is located, but you could probably replace it yourself fairly easily
Agreed. Just Google “change 2009 hyundai elantra cabin air filter” and several videos pop up on how to do it. YouTube has been one of the best things for novice mechanics who want to learn how to work on their own cars.
You ask an excellent question OP, and the advice given above is spot on in my opinion. One suggestion, if you have a future maintenance question, best to post it in the “repair and maintenance section” rather than “general discussion”. The link is up and to the right on this page, under “topics”. Best of luck.
Instructions to change the cabin filter should be in the owners’ manual.
I pretty much agree with db’s post, except that I don’t subscribe to replacing the crank and/or cam seal at this mileage unless there’s evidence of weepage. However, if you’re working with a place that has earned your trust, ask them about these things but acquiesce to their judgement. There truly are different philosophies on preemptively changing these seals.
And I emphatically agree with db’s suggestion on the tranny flush. Chemical flushes have caused problems on more than one tranny that was operating properly before the work.
The same on his comments on the coolant flush. Too many problems have been caused by the use of other-than-OEM coolant additives. Leave the “universal” additives for the old beaters.
I have been afraid to shop around because the guy at the dealership mentioned something about if we don’t change the timing belt at the dealership it could void the warranty. is this true?
Also, I’m sorry for not posting on the write site.
Technically, as long as you can provide evidence that the work was done by a qualified mechanic, they cannot legally void the warranty because the work was not done at the dealer’s. If you have this done by a reputable independent, which I recommend, be sure everything is documented on the shop order and keep your copy.
Instructions to change the cabin filter should be in the owners’ manual.
Not always. It isn’t in there for my Cruze. It’s located behind the glovebox. You have to release the tension cable, and remove two clips that act as stops and allow the box to drop down to the floor before you can get at it.
I would let the dealer do the timing belt, and take everything else to a good independant mechanic.
You are due to have all those things serviced. A drain and fill is all that is necessary for the transmission.
Technically, as long as you can provide evidence that the work was done by a qualified mechanic, they cannot legally void the warranty because the work was not done at the dealer's
You don’t have to take it to a qualified mechanic either. They can’t void the warranty if you did the work yourself.
@gabo864, don’t worry. I moved your thread to the repair & maintenance section. Plus, if someone’s browsing all recent discussions, they’d see your thread title no matter where you posted it.
The price for the timing belt looks OK. When the timing belt is replaced the coolant will be dumped to access the timing belt, just replace the old coolant with new coolant - no need to pay for a “flush”. The transmission flush is pretty much a “wallet” flush. Have the transmission fluid drained and replaced and have the transmission filter replaced then too.
The cabin air filters replacement price looks high. Most filters are not too hard to access and often they are behind the glove box on the passenger side of the car. A car parts store like Auto Zone might put the new filters in for -0- labor charge if you buy their filters, about $20.00.
As to voiding any warranty, anything on a vehicle that is affected by work someone else does can and should have the warranty voided if a problem develops. This goes for new or used cars.
If someone replaces the timing belt without replacing tensioners or a water pump and a tensioner or pump goes bad the following week and causes problems the person you go complain to is the guy whoddunnit; not the dealer providing the warranty.
Those prices appear beyond steep to me and makes owning a hyundai look expensive to me except for timing belt.
Case in point I was quoted similar work for a 2007 MDX at Acura dealer with loaner:
Transmission fluid change $100
Coolant Change - $80
Cabin Filter - $50
Timing Belt - $600 but much more difficult due to V6 smashed into small space.
Anything with the word FLUSH means wallet flush. You do not flush fluids you change them.
With all due respect, considering the cost of genuine Hyundai parts, and a labor rate probably around $100/hr or higher, I don’t see how that timing belt quote could possibly include seals, tensioner and idler . . . let alone a water pump
I suspect it’s a lowball price, and once OP agrees to the repair, they’ll upsell those other items, at which point it won’t seem like such a bargain anymore
I disagree that flush always tranlates to something bad as that could be arguing over semantics.
Flush, exchange, swap, change out, replace; all can mean the same thing depending upon how the person is using it and it can vary from one part of the country to the other.
The fire department here goes around now and then and “flushes” the fire hydrants and lines out by allowing water pressure to clean them. Are they ripping everyone off…
