Timing Belt Special

Coincidence! I had my 2001 Elantra's timing belt changed today at the dealers, rather than at any of the local mechanics. Total was $390. plus tax. N.California.

I have an 05 elantra 47k miles. Just asked the dealer how much for a timing belt change, and he says 750!!!! SEVEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS TO CHANGE A 30 DOLLAR BELT! This place is the biggest ripoff. New Rochelle Hyundai. The guy sees the look on my face when he told me the price and so he says " that includes the accessory belts too." Gee, thanks.

The local mechanic wanted $330 for the job, but his shop looked a bit of a mess. not that means he doesn't do good work, but it was a bit off putting, also I didn't know if special tools )or parts) maybe required that the dealer would have. The dealer's also included a courtesy shuttle bus to the Mall and back while we waited!

The car is running good so I feel fairly confident about the whole thing.

First time I dropped off the '09 Sonata last year for the navigation 'fix' I was surprised at how messy the dealer's shop was. Dirty rags everywhere, tools scattered around on work benches, etc. Yeah they shuttled me back and forth to home. Hyundai sent me (email) a survey questionnaire regarding my visit. I was honest and told them the place was real messy.

Btw, that was at 8 in the a.m. not after they'd worked all day. They fixed the nav though. I also use an independant mechanic for my other vehicles. He works solo and is usually 2-3 weeks out for an appt. His shop is pretty clean and he's reasonable on his labor charges. For instance he replaced the CV's for me on an '87 Camry for $250 out the door. I got a quote from another outfit and it was just shy of 5 bills. Of course the $500 guy has the 3 full time mechanics, and a software program that tells him what to charge regardless of labor time, etc.

Seems to be the same at the doctor's these days.

I have changed my own timing belts, water pumps, and "fan" belts on all my cars (Hondas, Hyundais, etc) and Hyundai is by far the easiest. $390 is a tempting price IF it includes all the belts and the water pump (plus the tensioner if your vehicle has one... like the '03 v6 Santa Fe does). On cars with crank pulleys that have a rubber layer for shock isolation one has to be careful of lazy shops that unbolt the nut on that pulley by strapping the pulley to keep it from moving rather than locking the crank. It is easier but nearly guarantees a premature failure of that pulley... KWW '99, '02, '06 Elentra '03 Santa Fe

Yes, but doctors are cheaper than auto mechanics.

Yeah, right. Ever have major work done on you? It costs more than a whole damn car costs to get an internal piece of you overhauled and/or replaced.

Chris

Actually, not always. I did some price comparison for my last endoscopy and found the Goodyear guys were much cheaper. They did an outstanding job on me and even gave me pictures to show my friends! I had them go ahead and lube my bearings while they were in there. Overall it was a very satisfying experience.

On Sun, 1 Mar 2009 09:59:23 -0800 (PST), snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com cast forth these pearls of wisdom...:

Well - you could always change it yourself and pocket the cash.

Was the endoscopy on the exhaust or intake manifold? ;}