Re: 120,000 mile service

thanks. always hate to spend huge $$$ on a car but I need this one to last (and I still love it, so there's that). Glad to hear it's not far out of the ballpark.

I'm astonished, I'd have expected a complete rebuild form the ground up at this mileage for a Korean car.

Hyundai has improved considerably since 1988. Back then you'd be welding sheet metal panels to fill the holes too.

The prices tossed around here for a timing belt is $350 to $450. The water pump at the same time adds $80 to $100. Let's take the high side and figure $550 total. That means plugs, wires, coils, cost $650 to replace. That seems awfully high to me but check out the cost of parts. A set of wires is probably $45, plugs about the same.

Just back from the shop. Some prices were higher than you posted, Ed, while some were lower.

High-dollar items were as suspected. Timing belt was $104. Wires were $86. Water pump was $170.

Low dollar stuff was belts, gaskets, seals. Various rib belts came in at $12-$14, total on those belts about $42.

Total parts cost was $555. $360 of that was just the timing belt, wire set, and water pump.

Labor was $634. Besides the fun job of replacing the timing belt and water pump, I had them do a valve check since I heard some whirring - sticky lifters. No issues with the cams which is good but of course once you pull that part of the engine apart, it adds $$$ to put back together.

Actually I am not upset. These guys are really very good and honorable. The prices quoted, while higher than they were back in my former home (Kansas) are in line with what I found.

I guess it's just something I needed to do, just wish I were more mechanically inclined (and had the time) to get in there and muck around myself. But my uncle the mechanic says don't mess with timing belrs - a bad job on an interference engine will end up making you wish you had taken it in to a shop the first time around. He's got a sign, and I'm sure every mechanic has this one:

Labor

$50/hour $60/hour if you watch $70/hour if you already worked on it yourself

:)

thanks for the input -

MM