Hyundai Dealer VS The Corner Mechanic, who is the best?

I'm so glad this group is here! My 2004 Elantra is running wonderful,
the whine noise was the air conditioner fan belt. Now that the dealer
replaced it, no whines any more! ($139.00!)

My car has 44,000 miles and I've never had a problem. Last week the
temperatures dipped to below zero and it started right up! It does
run like a gem and, it's my second Hyundai because I've had so much
success with the Hyundai brand, I love it.

My issue: for various reasons since I bought the car, I became
unemployed and was unable to keep up with the suggested maintenance,
(except being faithful with oil changes) now I've finally gotten a
good job and want to do some of the maintenance on the car, is it
really so important that the dealer does the tune up? I called and
they want $479.00 for the 30,000 maintenance. My trusted, friendly
mechanic across the street from where I work can do the same thing for
half the price. Is it so critically important that Hyundai do the
work? Will it damage the car in any way to have "non Hyundai parts
installed"? Do I really need to change spark plugs if the engine purrs
and doesn't skip a beat? HELP! You guys are great! I read every word
since I joined this list and truly appreciate the responses from you
all.

Andrea

 

Good luck with the new job.

You will get lots of opinions on this, but here is mine.

Dealers will have some special tools, the latest service bulletins, genuine
parts. There are times they are the best source. That said, I've not used
a dealer for service (aside from warranty) but maybe twice in 40+ years of
driving.

Spark plugs at 30,000 miles? What does the book say? Most cars today are
good for at least 50, often 100,000 miles. If they are running good, go by
the book, not the dealer. Even then, if it is running OK, more miles is OK.
I change mine at 120,000 and it made no difference at all in how the car
runs.

Often, the non-branded parts come from the same factory as the originals.
Not all do, and there are some that are not as good. The good mechanics u
se parts that are equal or better to factory specifications. Talk to your
mechanic about that. A few months back, I called a machine company too ask
about a replacement part. They wanted $50 for it. I called a distributor
and bought the same part, in the same factory box for $5. This type of
markup is common.

Dealers are only as good as the mechanics that work for them. In both
dealerships and independent garages, you will find some that are fantastic,
you will find some that should be flipping burgers, not fixing cars.
Another thing that drives up prices not only in dealerships, but in some of
the major chains is their policy on how to do certain service. Your local
shop may put in new brake pads when they are worn. The dealer sill put in
new pads, turn the rotors, rebuild the calipers, etc. As a matter of
policy, they don't want complaints later that something screwed up, They
know it was allreplaced.

I like my independent guy. Much more sensible prices.

 

FWIW, I completely agree with Edwin here. I have a guy where I work who
is a ASE certified mechanic. He only works on company vehicles during
the day, but he does side jobs at night. Now, I do most of my own work
myself, but I let him do the work either I don't feel like doing, or
might be a little out of my league. Although I admit he doesn't charge
me for labor (I do computer work for him in exchange) even if he charged
me his going rate, he would be less than half the price of the dealer.
And that would be with me getting the Hyundai parts myself.

I use the dealer for warranty/recalls and that's about it.

Eric

 

Check to see what’s included in the 30k service and then check your
manual to see how much of it is needed.

First off, you shouldn’t need to replace your spark plugs. The
recommended maintenance interval is four years/60k miles and they’re
warranted until that time.

Here’s what I’d consider doing:
-- Replace the coolant if it hasn’t already been done. It’s
recommended every two years.
-- Change the oil and filter if due.
-- Rotate the tires if you’ve been doing that routinely. If not,
rotate them if the fronts are significantly more worn than the rear.
-- Clean and adjust rear drum brakes. Inspect disc brakes for wear.
A good shop will inspect your brakes every oil change. They’ll want
to make the money off replacing them. and the brakes are easy to look
at while the car is in the air.
-- Replace the air filter.
-- Check the transmission fluid. Replace if in poor condition, or
just replace it on general principle.
-- Check the vehicle to make sure lights and other systems are in good
operating order.

Make sure whoever does the maintenance uses only SP-III transmission
fluid. Hyundai spark plugs are either Champion or NGK. There’s no
need to purchase spark plugs at the dealer. You can get the same
spark plugs for a much cheaper price at your local parts store.

Who’s better? That depends on the dealer and the corner garage. Only
experience will tell. Check the local word-of-mouth

 

That's assuming that the car has an automatic transmission. If it's a
manual, no maintenance is required, but changing the oil won't hurt, as
long as you use a GL-4 oil only, not GL-5 or "universal" oil.

 

And aside from the "goofy" tranny fluid these Hyundais use, the only other
part I've heard one may want to get from the dealer (whether the dealer
installs it or not) is the timing belt, which you won't need for a while
yet.

Everything else should be able to be accesssed at your local parts store.

Tom Wenndt

 

Hi Andrea

Whatever you do, please do not buy spark plugs from the dealer. You
can find them on the net for less than 1/2 price.

Here is what NGK recommends for your vehicle:
====
2004 HYUNDAI ELANTRA GLS 2.0 L4 FI DOHC
Spark Plug Part No. Stock No. Plug Gap Photo
Standard BKR5ES-11 2382 .044
V-Power BKR5E-11 6953 .044
G-Power BKR5EGP 7090 .044
Laser Platinum PFR5N-11 * # 5838 .044
OE Laser Iridium IFR5E11 ^ 7994 .044
Iridium IX BKR5EIX-11 5464 .044
* "Laser Series" Platinum center electrode, and Platinum pad ground
electrode
# Original Equipment Manufacturer, and/or Original Equipment Service
Part
^ "Laser Series" Iridium center electrode, and Platinum pad ground
electrode

Oxygen Sensor Part No. Location Note Photo
Oxygen Sensor 25606 Upstream ULEV n/a
Oxygen Sensor 24588 Downstream ULEV n/a
Oxygen Sensor 24588 Downstream SULEV n/a
Oxygen Sensor 24304 Upstream SULEV n/a

 

The point about the dealer having the latest TSB's, etc is well
taken. For important stuff I go to the dealer, else I try to do it
myself.

Just recently took a Ford Escort, 98 to a local well reputed garage
for a timing belt change . . . too cold to do it myself in Buffalo.
I've done them before with no problem.

They assumed the belt cover screws were the same length . . several
days later and a lot of noise I had to drop it off to get they to put
it back right. Wasted time, etc. Glad they didn't screw it up more.
Local garages are generalists. All the dealer mechanics work on one
manufacturers car, correct tools, etc.

Also, take the maintenance book out, you will find a difference
between what the dealer proposes to do and what Hyundai recommends.
Most dealers add somewhat useless additional "maintenance items". . .
if you go to the dealer, just tell them to do what Hyundai recommends,
if you have to, show them the book.

Good luck.

 

Sorry about your problem, Diarmud. But your problem doesn’t
illustrate a problem with non-dealer repair shops in general. Your
problem was that the mechanic who worked on your car didn’t pay enough
attention. This can happen anywhere