2000 Sonata V6

The easiest way is generally one at a time so you don't risk getting them mixed up. If you pull them all loose at once, you may have fun getting the right wire to the right plug.

Matt

How hard is it to get at the wires on the firewall side of the engine, on my daughters 04 V6 the plenuim has to be removed to change them, when we do a tune up I am going to have the rear wires changed just in case there's a problem in the future, and the plenuim won't have to come off again.

The dealer said a set of OEM wires was asbout $140.00

Tom

It'd be a cold day (you know where...) when I'd pay $140 for a set of plug wires. Dealers like to scare people with suggestions that other wires might not be as good, but the truth is that any good set of wires will be every bit as good as Hyundai wires. There's no magic in plug wires. Aftermarket wires will be 1/3 the cost of OEM wires.

Specifically, NGK wires are very good and reasonably priced. Bosch wires are generally very good. MSW wires are good.

I'll disagree on this point. I've not seen aftermarket plug wires that compare to factory plug wires (for a fraction of the cost).

Well then, I guess we're at an impasse on this point. I maintain my position. I've used aftermarket plug wires for decades and have never had a set perform less than what came as OEM equipment. What are your observations that cause you to feel this way?

Kinda difficult to carry in your own parts to the dealer when you want a tune up, if you go to an independent there's a chance they will screw something up just taking the engine apart to do the tune up.

Tom

I've purchased several aftermarket wire sets myself with unhappy results and have seen many customers' vehicles with new aftermarket sets that arc, or have the ends pull off, etc. when I test the ignition system.

Back when Hyundai parts quality wasn't the best, I didn't mind using an aftermarket part to get the car out the door, but even then, I refused to use aftermarket wires because I'd seen so many problems with them. One of the brands Brian mentioned was one I'd had trouble with.

In principle, I agree. There shouldn't be anything special about plug wires. It's pretty simple technology. I think one of the problems was that nearly every set I saw skimped on the insulator. Thinking back, this may also mean they skimped on the conductor material as well. In any event, the OP should be able to do better than Tom's $140. My dealer doesn't even charge that much, and we're pretty high on our pricing.

The fact we disagree is no problem, Mike. It just means we've had different experiences. I thought it was important to present mine, and I'm also glad I've heard your experience as well as Brian's.

That's kind of a silly statement to make Tom. There are probably more competent independents out there than there are competent dealer's shops. Not probably - there are. One who makes a statement about "taking an engine apart" to do a tune up should probably not be quite so critical of the folks who really do understand engines. And no... I'm not an independent mechanic. Not even a dealer mechanic.

I appreciate you sharing your reasons for disliking them. As you say - our experiences differ and that's what forms our preferences. I always like to hear why a guy feels a particular way about an alternative. You never know when you'll learn something - or share a piece of knowledge.

BTW Tom - what I should have included in my previous response was that by all means - if you feel more comfortable with the dealer and with OEM parts, then by all means, that's the way to go. You are the one who has to be comfortable in the end. I was only trying to provide the insight that many people have had great success with wires for far less than was originally posted. Likewise, hyundaitech shared a different opinion based on his experiences. That's what this forum is all about.

Bahahahaha...

Come on man, way to punish your own credibility.

I'm starting to wonder if you're the "Hyundai Certified Mechanic" that couldn't manage to replace a misdiagnosed "excessively worn crank gear" without screwing up... Car left with the same annoying rattle it came in with, and 500 miles later the engine jumped 4 teeth of time. Oddly enough it kinda survived - they put it back into time and it continues to "run" today with extremely reduced fuel economy and performance - it also sounds like its got a whole row of bent valves...

Oh yeah, I was billed for the service to put it back into time, and the tow to the next closest Hyundai dealer (100 miles) as the first dealer refused to repair their damages. Despite the fact the Hyundai representitive I spoke to was nice and seemed interested in helping, Hyundai was of no assistance during this situation. Only after an entirely excessive amount of 'pushing' we were reimbursed for the service, but not the wrecker fee.

Taught me a lesson about the 10/100 Hyundai powertrain warranty - don't use it, you'll be sorry you did. You won't find me buying a damned thing at a Hyundai dealer again, thats for sure.

JS

JS says: "Taught me a lesson about the 10/100 Hyundai powertrain warranty - don't use it, you'll be sorry you did. You won't find me buying a damned thing at a Hyundai dealer again, thats for sure."

You've learned the wrong lesson. There's nothing wrong with Hyundai's warranty and there's nothing wrong with using it. The problem here is that (based on the one side of the story I've heard) the dealer that did the work refused to correct their own screw-up.

Unfortunately, there's little Hyundai can do about that. They cannot force the dealer to refund any monies to you (although they can apply pressure). I've found Hyundai to be a friendly company that does genuinely want to assist people with reasonable problems. And, I agree, if the next closest dealer were 100 miles away, I wouldn't be doing any dealer purchasing either.

As to whether I'm the technician, I guess you'll never know.