My teenage son drives an 04 Hyundai Elantra with 54,000 miles. It is is the shop getting a new clutch. The service dept. states that the timing belt is worn and should be replaced before the 60,000 mile mark because if they do it on or before that milage, they will warranty the work until 100,000 miles is reached. I understand that if the belt goes out it will create a major engine problem/repair. My question is how often does this happen? Is it worth putting $600.00 into it? I personally have never had a timing belt go out on a car and have had several late model cars. What is the likelyhood that it will go out? Can I get a true meaning of the term “worn”? Thanks for your help.
The shop is right; and since the car is there now, you might as well do the timing belt since your son will likely forget to do it when the 60,000 miles rolls around on the clock.
If the car is in good shape, $600 is well worth putting into the car since Hyundai’s are generally good cars and have the best warranty in the business.
Did you read the owner’s manual before placing this post? There will be a definite reference to timing belt replacement. We don’t know how long you keep your cars or whether you buy cars with TIMING CHAINS, but going past 60,000 miles with on most cars with timing belts is playing Russian roulette.
In answer to your question; “How often does this happen?”, the answer is much too often. On some cars not doing this service at 60,000 miles GUARANTEES the engine will be ruined when the belt breaks. We get at least one post per week on this subject; usually the owner is at or past the mileage for replacement.
I spend about $500 per year on my teeth (periodontal work), not because I have bad teeth, but because I want to keep the ones I have for the rest of my natural life.
The people in the shop are partially (mostly) correct. There is no “worn” that you can see on a timing belt, but the replacement interval for Hyundai vehicles is 60K miles. You could wait a few thousand miles more, but I wouldn’t push it.
Of course the belt it worn, it’s been on there for 5 years and 54K miles. EVERYTHING on the vehicle is “worn.” A belt that looks perfect can break.
If the belt breaks the engine will suffer significant internal damage. A new timing belt is not a “repair,” it is routine maintenance. Timing belts do break. I’ve had it happen while driving, and we get posts here all the time about broken timing belts, usually followed by the question, “Is my engine ruined?”
This car should last many years/miles. I’d say $600 is a good investment.
How did junior wear out the clutch in only 54K miles?
What does the owners manual say? Most belts are good to 100k miles these days. Is Hyundai different?? The other part of this is…They actually spent time to remove the cover and possible drive belts to inspect the timing belt??? Sounds like they are just trying to drum up business. I’m VERY VERY SKEPTICAL of this.
The timing belt interval will be spelled out very clearly in the owners manual.
Everybody is guessing about the replacement period. Check with the car maker (repair manual, or Owner’s Manual). Don’t waste time asking the car dealer because the car dealer (and the repair shop) have a vested interest in getting you to replace the timing belt very early.
Thanks for the information. The owner’s manuel is in the car, so I will refer to it when we pick it up. I am not sure how or why my son wore the clutch. He has been at school and his Dad has been driving it while his car is in the body shop. Dad came home last night and said he had burned up the clutch. It smelled like it too. He complained that the transmission was slipping, but the shop said the transmission is fine. You would have to know my husband to understand the complexity of this event. Could he have burned up the clutch over a period of 2-3 days? He normally drives a Mini Cooper with a standard transmission, so he is used to a clutch. Do these cars drive so differently that he could have created the problem? My son drove it over the Christmas break and did not mention any problems. My husband is known to be impatient and tends to force things at times.
Hyundai was beyond the curve on timing belts(60k interval) up to recently(now chain or 105k belt).
The determination of when to do the belt is left up to the manufacture. Is the shop saying “if you wait till 65,000 to do the belt our warranty concerning our labor being defective or any of the parts we replace is less than if you do the belt now”? How much less? In any case replace the belt at the manufactures interval.
Perhaps the shop will do the belt work for less if you get it done now while the car is already in the shop,that makes sense. Do you know this shop? do you want to trust them with two big jobs at once? If they mess the clutch job up I would not give them the belt job. Perhaps you use the clutch job as a test to see how good they are.
I have seen clutches destroyed in 500 miles by a really bad driver. A experienced driver will not do this, this clutch was on its way out before your husband started to drive the car.
If it is done now or before 60,000 miles they will warranty the work up to 100,000 miles. If I wait until after 60,00 miles ,there is no warranty. The price is $600.00 regardless of when we do it. The shop is the dealership where we have purchased 2 cars for our sons. We have used them for oil changes only. I want to check and see if they have any specials on the 60,00 mile maintenance. Thanks for the feedback
You can take it almost anywhere else (later), and they should warranty their work (changing the timing belt).
I think that maybe what the dealership is saying it that changing the belt now will keep the factory 100K warranty in place. I would say that waiting to change the belt when the factory schedule calls for it would also keep the 100K factory warranty in place. I can’t imagine that it would be legal to claim your warranty is invalid because you didn’t agree to work before the schedule called for it. Of course, they may claim to have inspected it and detected that it was faulty and needed replacement now. If so, I would try to claim that it should then be replaced under warranty.
Odds are the interval on the 04 Elantra is the same as my 02 Sonata: 48 months or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.
There was a guy on the Hyundai owners forum a year ago that was at 51 months & 58,000 miles when the belt broke.
What would have been a $350.00 belt change became an approx. $1700.00 valve job.
BTW, whats up with the $600.00 the dealer did my 02 Sonata for $350.00
I am not sure of the cost. It may be for the 60,00 mile maintenance. I pick up the car tomorrow and will ask why so much. Thanks for the heads up.
Let me see if I get this right, if you don’t get the belt done before 60,000 the Dealer will “flag” your car (by VIN number) as “warranty void”? For every system on the car or just the engine? Void in regards to damage due to timing belt failure or void for every engine issue wether it is related to the timing belt or not?
The 10yr/100,00 mile warranty will still be in place. The timing belt is considered a wear part so the original warranty does not cover it. If a Hyundai shop replaces the belt on or brfore 60.,000 miles, Hyundai will warranty the new belt to the 100,000 mile point. If the belt fails, I take it that damages will not be covered because the mfg. maintenance schedule was not followed.
So the belt replacement is not paid for by warranty,but if you pay for the belt replacement and it breaks then they will pay for both the belt and the damage. I don’t believe you are forced to use a Hyundai Dealer to maintain this situation,just documentation that the belt was changed as required.