$1300 for 60k mile service on an XG350?

I was in the Hyundai shop yesterday for a warranty repair and the service
manager noted the 55,000 miles and proceeded to try and sign me up for the
60,000 service package. I told him I was going to do my own maintenance and
he tried very hard to explain how difficult it was... 5.5 hours for the
timing belt alone (and that's an experienced tech with 15 years experience
and all the right tools). I have never gotten a sales pitch like that
before from someone other than a sales guy. Maybe that's who works in the
service shop now??? Anyway, $1300 seems steep to me (you can buy a half way
decent car for $1300!). Is it really that difficult? The tranny and
radiator flushes are a breeze compared to doing the same thing on a GM.
Here's their price list : timing belt $650, spark plugs $255, tranny flush
$125, cooling system flush $78, brake fluid exchange $87, fuel filter (in
tank) $110. Big rip off or is it really that hard (i.e. can you get
yourself into real deep trouble by attempting the timing belt, spark plugs,
and/or fuel filter?

Dan

 

It all looks pretty reasonable to me.

The 3.5 has four cam sprockets and it's tricky to get them all to line up
properly. I haven't done more than a few of these, but I seem to recall
that there's a fair amount of stuff to take off. If you're not familiar
with replacing timing belts, you're probably better off paying someone
else to do this job. If everything's not timed correctly, the results
could be catastrophic. Either way you do it, however, I'd recommend
replacing the hydraulic timing belt tensioner. You'll need to remove it
anyway to replace the belt, and if it were to fail, could produce the same
results as a broken or stripped timing belt.

You'll need to be prepared to remove the intake plenum to replace the
spark plugs. If you're comfortable with this, it shouldn't be a problem.


Rather than doing the tranny and coolant flushes, you could simply do a
drain and refill yourself. Just be sure to use the SPIII fluid.

The brake flush isn't recommended by Hyundai, but can't hurt to do. There
are differing philosophies about the value of this. I'm on the dubious end
of the philosophies.

I believe there's an access cover for the fuel pump, so you shouldn't have
to drop the tank to get to it. Most DIYers should be able to do this.

 

all i could say is when do i bend over?
ouch, $$$

 

Dunno about the XG350. If you're half-way handy it's easy on
the Santa Fe. This would be a V-6 2WD and AT.

Edmunds quotes US$550.83 (This Total Estimated Cost includes the
preventive maintenance items recommended by Hyundai on a 2002 XG350
4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 5A)) .
I used my ZIP CODE for the service rate. If you live in
Manhattan, I suppose a 250% surcharge is correct! If you live in
Canukistan, all bets are off. =;-)

S25

 

S25:
Got a link for the Edmunds quotes you got? I looked but only found new/used
car prices, no service prices.
Thanks - Dan

 

When I bought my wife's car back in Feburary I went with a Chevy
Malibu, mainly because the 3.1 V6 has a timing chain. My oldest son's
new 2005 VW Jetta has a timing chain on the 5 cyl engine.

My #2 son's 2000 Accent with the 1.5 liter engine has a relatively easy
to change timing belt. V6 engines and DOHC complicate things greatly.

 

Dan:

Go to <Edmunds.com> - click on <Tips and Advice> tab - click on
<Maintenance Costs>. Fill in table.

If the page can be reached directly, the URL is:
<http://www.edmunds.com/maintenance/MaintenanceServlet?tid=edmunds.a.advicelanding.secnav.8.1.*>


S25