01 Elantra Services

I own a 01 Elantra (manual transmission) - 80k miles. My dealer
continues to push me to do a transmission flush ($150), coolant flush
($120), and fuel injector service ($110). I think I need the fuel
injector service since the engine acts like it's not getting gas like
it should. How about the other services? Necessary? I've heard
conflicting advice on the transmission flush... haven't heard much at
all about coolant flush. Okay price? Thank you... I wish I could find
a local guy I trusted with this.

 

I've never in my life changed the fluid in a manual tranny. I'm talking
cars with 150k to 200k on them with no problem. Coolant flush is not a bad
thing, but you can have it done much cheaper, or even do it yourself. At
five years, it may even be a good thing to change hoses if they are at all
questionable. They do go bad over time but 5 to 7 years is generally OK.

Can't say for the injector service. Find out what the real problem is
though. There are many reasons it can be hesitating.

IMO, the only time you go to a dealer for service is if it is a warranty
thing, or some very specialized problem not easily accessed by the local
mechanic. Routine tune-ups and preventative maintenance can be done much
cheaper at a reliable local garage.

Your dealer is interesting in putting his kids through college or remodeling
the kitchen more than your well being. Keep hold of your wallet.

 

There is zero need to do a $150 service on a manual transmission. If you
haven't changed the gear oil in the last 30,000 miles, it's probably a
good idea to drain and refill it, but that should cost at most about $80
at dealer prices.

Coolant flush is a good idea if you haven't had it done in the last two
years. But all that's really required is to drain and fill the system
every two years.

As for the injector flush, I almost guarantee it'll be useless. Why does
the dealer want to do an injector service? If he suggests maintenance,
the he may as well be answering "just because I'd like you to spend $110."
If you check your owner's manual, you'll find no recommendation there to
clean the injectors, ever. I wouldn't necessarily be against using an
injector flush if the car were running poorly (misfiring) due to a clogged
injector, but the only injector flushing procedure I've seen that does
anything is the one GM recommends, using a mixture of their top engine
cleaner an gasoline.

The way the dealer is pushing these things on you, I strongly suspect
they're in "cohoots" with some chemical company. The standard deal is
that the dealer, the service advisors, and the technicians each receive a
spiff each time they use the product. My take: "The stuff is so good,
they pay us to use it." Cars don't break as much as before, and many
shops use these types of services to keep volume up to a profitable level.
Unfortunately, this is rarely done in an effort to genuinely assist the
customer more than in an effort to line the pockets of the dealership and
its personnel.

If you haven't mentioned the performance issue, you should do that as
well. Chances are it'll never be addressed no matter how many flushes,
etc. are done unless someone specifically investigates the cause of the
problem.

My opinion: it's time for you to find another place to have your work
done. The dealership you're taking your car to is recommending services
to benefit them, not you.

 

OK I know something about this
with really crappy gas, the fuel
filters can clog. try pouring in
fuel injector cleaner from the
auto parts store, into the gas
tank. If the performance improves
this is an indication of clogged
fuel filters. This really works.
It can get some of the crud out of
injectors too.
Of course when the cleaner runs
out, the performance gets crappy
again. Also the plugs getting fowled
can make the thing run really bad.
I changed mine to platnum NKG and
it made a huge difference.
Of course I will never know as much as
Hyundaitech, who is the coolest tech
of all time, and I will never be as cool.
so,find another mechanic, and dont
listen to your dealer. Thats good advice.

 

Fowled plugs will make it run crappy, but if the chicken bones hit the
valves it can bend them.

 

Excellent advice. I've cancelled my dealer appointment and am now in
search of a local mechanic. I'll ask around for referrals. I'll
likely do the coolant flush since it's never been done, and I guess
I'll ask the next mechanic to sniff around to find out what that
hesitation can be. It only happens as I first try to accelerate; never
at any other time. Thanks again, everyone.

 

I agree. Fowls have no place in an engine!

Matt

 

Does this hesitation occur only on the first start of the day? If so,
what's the outside temperature when the problem occurs?

 

The outside temperature varies and seems to make no difference. The
"hesitation" occurs when the car hasn't been driven for some time (more
than a few hours sitting). The car doesn't seem to immediately respond
when trying to accelerate. Then, all of a sudden it leaps/lunges
forward. My impression is that it has something to do with fuel - fuel
injectors, filter, pump perhaps?

 

If you ever get that hesitation issue resolved, please post back as my
wife's 02 Elantra does the same. Flashing the ECU helped, but it didn't
completely resolve the hesitation that you described.

 

There's a reflash for a hesitation on cold starts at warm ambient
temperatures. Your dealer may still be able to do this for you under the
emissions warranty.

 

Chances are it won't get any better unless Hyundai issues another reflash.

My suspicion is that there's a carboning issue and that the reflash
adjusts
the cold start mixture accordingly.

If your local Hyundai dealer is also a GM dealer, you might see if they'd
use the GM injector cleaning procedure on it. It uses a mixture of GM
top
engine cleaner and gasoline through the injectors. This will also clean
a
good amount of carbon of the valves and help unstick piston rings. It
can
be followed up with spraying the aerosol top engine cleaner in the
throttle
body. It's possible this may make a significant difference.

 

When was the last time the that the plugs and wires were replaced? If
you don't remember, it's probably been too long. It's possible that your
hesitation could be related, but even if it's not, it won't hurt to do
the maintenance.

The radiator flush and fill is something you can easily do yourself for
a fraction of the cost the dealer is charging. There is no need to
"flush" a manual transmission and you can drain/fill it for ~$20.

Your dealer is a rip-off artist. You're smart to go elsewhere. You'd be
even smarter if you learn to do this stuff yourself. As they say "it
ain't rocket science."

 

I'm in Canada where Hyundai dealers can't be GM or other dealers, but I
assume that I could buy the injector cleaning product from a nearby GM
dealer.

 

Well, it's unfortunately not that simple. You'll need a special injector
cleaning apparatus and more special equipment to hook it up to the fuel
system.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll ask the Hyundai dealer if they can do it.

 

My 95 has 151K miles never had the need to flush the injectors.

 

And most people never will need to flush the injectors. It is an
effective way to get chemicals into the combustion chamber for
decarboning, however. But the prepackaged injector cleaners are just
about worthless.