2004 XG350L timing belt replacement.

I have a 2004 XG 350L with 59,594-mi on it. I understand that at 60k miles I
need to have the timing belt changed, but that costs almost $900+ at the
dealer. I just had the entire 60k-mi service done (platinum plugs, all
filters, alignment, suspension re-torque, coolant replace, transmission
flush, L-O-F) and that alone costs $812.17! The car has always been serviced
at the regular intervals at the dealer and L-O-F has always been done at
3k-mi intervals. My question is, how much time do I have before I REALLY
have to start worrying about the belt? I'll have the money in about a month
and I don't really use the car to go anywhere except from the house to the
commuter rail station (about 4-mi each way) and a once-a-week drive into
Seattle (about 50-mi round trip) to take care of business. Thanks in advance
for any insight.
--

Carl


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It's one of "those" things. If it doesn't break, then you don't need to
worry about it. If it does break, and you are past 60,000 miles, Hyundai
*may* refuse to warranty the repairs. And the repairs will be major
considering it is an interference engine, meaning many valves, and possibly
a piston, and more, can break when the belt goes.

Some other advice is to maybe shop around a bit for a price on the timing
belt job. That price seems a bit steep to me. Nothing says you need
Hyundai to do the work either.

Eric

 

You need a new dealer. I hear numbers like $350 to $400 for both the belt
and water pump replacement. It is smart to do both at the same time as the
labor cost is the same. The price of the 60k mile service seems very high
also.

Check out an independent garage also. Often the price is 20% to 40% less
for the same service.

To answer your question about miles, once you hit 60k, it is a crap shoot
and possible warranty issue. I know of people that have gone 70 to 80k and
got away with it, but that does not mean you will.

 

Good question, Carl, and one I have been in search of myself.

That same engine is the one used in the Santa Fe and in the 2002-'05 Kia
Sedona.

I have known about a number of vehicles (the Elantra being one of them) that
have gone well over 100,000 miles without the belt breaking. But then there
are some where even 50,000 miles is getting to be a stretch - literally.

I also am approaching 60,000 with mine. For warranty purposes, I will
probably just shrug my shoulders and do it, but if I keep it that long, I
would love to go another 90,000 before I replace the next one. Just do not
know enough about this particular engine to comment.

A couple of tips for replacement, some of which I have heard on this board:

*Yes, the quoted price seems high to me also. My dealership charges a flat
$450 for labor, plus the cost of the belt. It would be worth a shop-around.
But be careful. This board has informed me of several people who have had
ongoing problems because the belt wasn't installed EXACTLY right. Make sure
it is done by an extremely trusted, knowledgeable and competent mechanic.

*I have heard more than once that if you do use an outside mechanic, you may
still want to consider buying or having the mechanic buy a Hyundai timing
belt, and save the receipt. Am not really sure why, but it seems a minor
matter to me. If it is major to a Hyundai dealer, I'd agree to that.

*Listen carefully when your mechanic talks about your water pump. The
mechanic will literally have the pump in his hands to change the timing
belt. If there is even the slightest possibility it would go bad before
your next timing belt change, you might want to consider replacing it as
well. If you don't, absolutely plan on having it changed at the next timing
belt. It is an easy job with the timing belt replacement, but a very
difficult and expensive one by itself.

And if you ever do hear of some people giving you real-life stories on how
long this particular engine has lasted with the current timing belt (or for
that matter, when some of them have broken), please share that with all of
us.

Hope this helps!

Tom Wenndt

 

The reason for having an outside mechanic use a Hyundai timing belt is to
preserve the 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty if you're the
original owner. The timing belt is a powertrain item and Hyundai will
cover it for the 10/100 interval as long as the belt on the car hasn't
surpassed the maintenance interval.

The mechanic won't *literally* have the water pump in his hands. But
he'll have everything apart he needs to take apart to replace it. If
you're the original owner, I'd recommend against replacing the water pump
at 60k. It, too, is a powertrain item. If it fails before the next
maintenance interval, either Hyundai will pay for it, or it'll be close
enough to time to replace the timing belt again to do everything at the
later time.

The 3.5 is a particularly difficult engine on which to replace the timing
belt. Some not-so-obvious things (such as the alternator) must be removed
or moved to access all the necessary hardware. If you've located a dealer
who's willing to do this job for $400 or $500, you should jump on it.

 

As usual, good information, Mr. Hyundaitech. But the $64 question remains,
and I think you are one person whose experience I would trust. Is this an
engine whose timing belt will break somewhere between 60,000 and 60,003 if
not changed promptly? In other words, is this engine harder on the timing
belt than many others?

Just curious. And thanx again for the clarifications.

Tom Wenndt

 

I've not seen that happen. Initially, however, I had serious concerns when
I learned of the similarities of the dual camshaft design to that of the
other engines which do have timing belt issues.

I don't recall hearing about any XG timing belt failures, but it's
possible I've heard about one or two that have slipped my mind. I'm
certain, though, that if it were anywhere near the 4/60 interval, I'd be
able to recall that.

I've seen posts by people who have let them run to the 90k or 100k range,
but I don't know that I'd be comfortable with that if it were my car. If
you've seen the pricing on major engine components for the XG, you'll find
that it's a rather scary thought.

 

If you bought the car new I'd get the timing belt replaced to preserve your
100,000 10 year warrenty. If you don't have that warrenty to worry about,
I'd let it go to 5 years. Its only been 3 years so far, I sure wouldn't
worry about it until 5 years. I just did my 2002 XG350 at 90,000 miles.

Dan