I recently took my 2005 Elantra into the dealership for its 30k mile service. However, as I was relocating at the time to a new apartment and money was tight when they told me it would be $900 I told them just to change the oil. When I refused service the tech said "You don't want to void your warranty". I'm only 3k miles past that point at the moment.
Does that sound reasonable to change some fluids and do some general maintenance?
My experience, learned the hard way, is to look at your service manual BEFORE they give you the pitch to change and check every darn thing on the car. Just do what it says in the manual for 30K miles and tell them forget the rest until you think it might be prudent to check the other things they tried to stuff down your throat.
That's exactly right. You're only required to do what's in the manual and you can do it yourself or have any mechanic do it, it doesn't have to be the dealer, who is apparently a thief. For that matter, I'd report the dealer to Hyundai, as what they're doing is unnecessary, unethical and discourages people from doing the maintenance required to maintain their vehicle and their warranty.
Just as an example, my local dealer charges $600 for the 60K service, which includes changing the timing belt (that still seems high to me, considering I did the whole thing myself for under $200). Your 30K service doesn't require any major work and your dealer wants $900?
My Sonata calls for an oil change, an air filter change and a change in the filter for the gas tank. Nothing else. The Hyundai dealer told me they have never changed that gas tank filter in ten years of operation there. That one is expensive but they didn't even stock them so I said screw that one. Nothing there is even close to $900.... Do it yourself for $40 and give the dealer the big finger.
I agree on the evap filter. More money than it's worth. If it becomes clogged, it may cause difficulty in filling the tank and a check engine lamp. But it won't affect the way the car runs and it won't cause anything else to break. Pony up the bucks when it eventually fails.
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Find out if he uses demineralized or distilled water. If not, go elsewhere, as one of the leading killers of radiators is the minerals in tap water, often used to flush cooling systems and dilute antifreeze.
Personally, I just drain the radiator and replace the removed coolant with either fresh pre-mixed coolant or my own mix using distilled water (from the grocery store). I realize this isn't a full flush, but it beats flushing with tap water.
Do you think the pre-mix uses distilled water?
It's made with demineralized water, which is just as good for the purpose. The only reason I use distilled water is that it's easier to find than demineralized water.
This is an interesting topic. For many years, I have not flushed my cooling systems but just drained it until it stopped draining and filled it with pure antifreeze or mixture, whichever made the correct concentration.
Only problem I have had, and this may be a coincidence, but one year I used the orange antifreeze that was supposed to last longer and the water pump started to leak almost immediately.
How do you flush a cooling system without removing the thermostat?
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