[hardoop]

Hatsoff jonesanto!

You are truly an inspiration.

I have never seen or heard about a non T board car being maintained well and run for this much miles. I have traveled in a couple of T board Innovas one of them had 5L kms on the odo. It is one of the cabs attached to my employer and I see it running well even now.

I have a 2011 Figo Diesel myself that has done 143k kms till date. Several people including the sales and service folks at Ford dealerships have tried to scare me with so many frightening tales about Ford's 1.4 TDCi engine and the injector issues with Figo D in particular. I have never had to spend a penny on premature parts failure. My last visit to Ford service almost made me think of selling the car off as they quoted ~50k INR for clutch replacement, sorting gearbox synchro issues and 140k regular service. They even told me that the 1.4 TDCi will not last longer than 180k kms, hence it is a waste of money to service the car now and advised me to consider selling it. I was so sad after this episode and came out of the service center without servicing the car. Was in a dilemma for a week and as luck would have it I happened to meet a mechanic who sounded like knowing Fords for long and appreciating them for what they are. I left my car with him for a week to get the gearbox issues sorted out, clutch replaced, EGR cleaned and fluids and filters changed. It did not cost me even half of what the Ford guys quoted. The car drives so well after that and I intend to keep it running for as long as it can.

I also have a 2002 M800 that has run 103k kms and is rarely used these days.

Stories like yours are truly an inspiration for people like me.

[Amit_Kapoor4750]

Congratulations Jonesanto. Even after 12 years and 400000km, your car is in pristine condition. This shows how much you love your car and how dedicated you have been maintaining it. I hope it will hit the 500k mark before you plan to put it at rest.

[jonesanto]

Update:

After 400K and countless cleaning, EGR finally packed up. For the past couple of months I have been facing on/off engine check light issue when I go for long drives. If I take it above 120 kph engine check light comes on, this happens only when I go for long drives and in city everything is normal. So when the check light is on, performance become very sluggish, I have to switch off the car for 5-10 mins then start again. Check light gone and everything is back to normal. So if I keep it under 120 kph, I can drive all day long without any issues. Since 120 is a good speed I have been managing all this while, but let's say when you need to gain some speed, then you're in trouble and it was irritating at times. So I took the car to service station, SA told me, this time I have to change the EGR, cleaning won't work again. Ordered the part, 6500 was the amount. Took about 3 days time to reach the part and total bill was around 7500. But they kept the car for a day just to change EGR, which I was not happy about, their explanation was EGR bolt was too tight to remove and they applied some lubricant and need to wait. I got the car next day, settled the bill and got out from the showroom...

Experience after EGR change:

I was really anxious to experience how the car would perform. I put first gear, not much difference, I put second gear, nothing much... I was like "What? So EGR was not the issue? I lost money and now I have to find why this engine check light keep popping up?" Thinking about all this in my mind and I put the third gear The difference is day and night, car just pulled like when it was "brand new." It was like car was dragging something before and now it's gone. I put forth gear, the performance is amazing. To test 5th gear I needed to wait for a while, since I was driving in the city there were no opportunities to test 5th gear and I did get a chance last week. Did a round trip about 700km and it was so good to drive the car like this after a long period.

Turbo opens at correct RPM now, for this car, it starts pooling in at 1800rpm and really kicks in at 2000, when I had EGR issue, this was not consistent. Because the turbo opens at correct RPM I am gaining speed way faster than it used to be. Over all, very happy with the EGR change.

Puzzle: I still don't understand why there's no noticeable difference in 1st and 2nd gear. Pulling is great in those gears but the actual difference is felt only in 3rd and 4th gear.

Bad news:

SA told me cars radiator is at its end and may run for another 10K, there is no leak or anything but he said cracks are developing at the top panel and I can expect it to be leaking in some time. So that will be some 15K job including labor. Clutch also require changing, SA told me with my driving, it's good for another 25K, which is a relief. Suspension require some work, so I am looking at a huge budget for Elantra this year.

I may not do all the work this year, but definitely not selling the car

[anandpadhye]

Good to see EGR replacement did good. For such an old car, the part costs seem reasonable. I know this engine very well, my 1st gen Tucson had the same engine and it's a very nice punchy engine, should be even more so in the lighter Elantra.

Always a pleasure to read about such long term ownership experiences.

[jonesanto]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Good to see EGR replacement did good. For such an old car, the part costs seem reasonable. I know this engine very well, my 1st gen Tucson had the same engine and it's a very nice punchy engine, should be even more so in the lighter Elantra.

Always a pleasure to read about such long term ownership experiences.

Thanks, Anandpadhye, sorry for the late reply. In India, Hyundai used this engine in three of their vehicles, Tucson, Elantra and Sonata, of which Tucos is the rarest to find now.

I have another issue with Elantra. There's a leak from ERG connecting point, first I thought it was due to ERG replacement, so I went to the showroom where I got this replaced. They took the vehicle, inspected and informed me that the leak is not from the ERG but it is from the "oil pressure switch." It has nothing to do with ERG and because the switch is situated under ERG the leak appears from there.

Have a look at the picture from above post when ERG is replaced and the picture attached now, there are oil spots and looks like coming from ERG.

I am not convinced by their answer and when I checked about the price, switch will be 2K and they said I need to change air filter pipe also. Because that pipe also has a minute leak. Air filter pipe will cost 700rs.

Should I take a second opinion or go ahead and order the parts?

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by jonesanto

Have a look at the picture from above post when ERG is replaced and the picture attached now, there are oil spots and looks like coming from ERG.

I am not convinced by their answer and when I checked about the price, switch will be 2K and they said I need to change air filter pipe also. Because that pipe also has a minute leak. Air filter pipe will cost 700rs.

Should I take a second opinion or go ahead and order the parts?

Here is what happened in my case:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post3049656


So in my opinion, these pipes can crack after so many years and it will be prudent to replace them. You can take second opinion from the guys at Trident who attended to my Tucson (not sure if they are still with Trident). And Anoop (Digital Vampire on the forum) is the man to go to, when it comes to this engine. You should get in touch with him and may be visit Bay6 (his workshop).

[jonesanto]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Here is what happened in my case:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post3049656


So in my opinion, these pipes can crack after so many years and it will be prudent to replace them. You can take second opinion from the guys at Trident who attended to my Tucson (not sure if they are still with Trident). And Anoop (Digital Vampire on the forum) is the man to go to, when it comes to this engine. You should get in touch with him and may be visit Bay6 (his workshop).

Thanks a lot, anandpadhye, looks like my case could be similar. Like you said, we have to change the pipes at some point and I don't remember changing air filter pipe for Elantra. But, I did check the air filter and I could not find anything unusual, so mine could be a minute leak and maybe the leak just started. Car was in Bangalore till last week, I drove her back to Kerala and it is after the trip I noticed the leak. Since it is an oil leak, I don't want to risk going for another long drive without fixing it. So I will try to rectify the issue from the showroom here.

When the car is in Bangalore I do get the service done from Trident, overall I am happy with their service. I will also make sure to visit Anoop from Bay6. I need some advice about getting some work done. Suspension needs work, clutch also is at its end, SA saying radiator needs work, I don't have the budget to do everything at once, so what should I do first? Only an expert can check the condition of the parts and give me a suggestion. Have you ever had to do any engine work for your Tucson?

Thank you again for the reply

[jonesanto]

Update:

Elantra was having a minute oil leak, first I noticed oil spots around EGR and later found oil traces on the ground as well. This is the first time Elantra is having any sort of oil leak and I wanted to get this fixed as soon as possible. Up on checking it was found that two areas were having leak. One, oil pressure switch and second was air filter pipe.

Both parts were not available in stock and had to be ordered, took about 10 days time to reach the parts. Again car was kept for a day to do this small work, this time excuse was, they had too many cars to handle. Anyway, I told them you can take your time, but I want the job to be done neatly. After changing the parts make sure leak has stopped.

It was raining heavily when I went to take the car back, and the car was already parked out side service bay, so could not inspect under body. Morning I checked the under body and found no traces of oil and I think the issue is rectified.

Service advisor got the pricing of the items wrong, first he informed, oil pressure switch is 2K and air filter pipe is some 700. In fact oil pressure switch is 500rs and air filter pipe is a modest 2300. Total bill was around 3500.

When I checked old air filter pipe I could not find any damage at all, looks absolutely fine, no cracks, could find little oil inside the pipe, not sure if that is normal. Attaching pictures of the parts and oil trace. Marked in circle is the minute oil trace on the ground. Checked all the oil levels and everything looks fine for the time being.

[Aaron:)]

Don't know how I missed this thread. I want to congratulate you on your experience with the Elantra. It was an underrated car, not the best in its segment but deserving of a lot more appreciation.

Also, your car looks FANTASTIC. Kudos to you for maintaining the car in such a way!

[jonesanto]

Originally Posted by Aaron:)

Don't know how I missed this thread. I want to congratulate you on your experience with the Elantra. It was an underrated car, not the best in its segment but deserving of a lot more appreciation.

Also, your car looks FANTASTIC. Kudos to you for maintaining the car in such a way!

Thanks a lot, Aaron. Funny fact is, Elantra never made it to anyone's "Underrated cars" list, I don't remember any article mentioning Elantra in the list of "Underrated cars" or "Flop cars". I think Elantra belongs to "Most ignored cars" list

I have not visited Kerala for a month and told my brother to use car once in a while. So the past month things were not event less either. While cleaning the car I noticed a broken plastic button on the carpet and immediately recognized it. Once the brake lights were on even after switching off the engine and this button had to be replaced to fix the issue. So I immediately checked the brake lights and it was off. Upon inspecting I found out that the button is clutch pedal stopper. Last time I bought couple of extra buttons and kept it at home if in case this breaks again. The broken button was replaced. So what will happen if I don't fix the broken clutch pedal stopper? Absolutely nothing, this button just acts like a cushion.

Elantra's infotainment unit is from the '70s. Even for a 2006 model car, this unit was way too outdated. USB's were much common and at least an MP3 option could have been offered. Over the years I thought about changing the music system many times, for some or the other reason it just did not happen. At first I did not want to fiddle with wiring which will void cars warranty. Then it was the difficulty to find a unit which will fit Elantras weirdly designed center console. Then at times I was not bothered about the music system at all, then came bluetooth speaks to save my highway runs. Have been using them for years now, then in Bangalore, you have lot of radio stations available. At last, car became old and it did not make sense to spend money on music system. Priority was to keep her in good mechanical condition, that's all.

So what changed now? I reached Kerala, took the car out and while switching on the AC I realized the music system is replaced with another one! Called my brother immediately and he said, he wanted it to be a surprise. I knew something was not adding up. Apparently when he was in Singapore, he purchased this unit for his Celerio and this was not fitting his car properly. So he fixed the unit in my car. But I was in for a real surprise when I switched on the lights at night to find out that the dashboard light and centre consol lights were not working. I only had about 10 mins drive to reach home and it was really weird to drive without the dashboard light. Next day took the car to Hyundai and got the car back in one hour, electrician informed that the wiring was done wrongly. Everything works fine now. The most common modification we do in our cars is the audio unit change, if an accessory shop can't even get that one right, maybe they should start some other business. I kept the old unit neatly packed just in case if anything goes wrong with this, I can easily replace the new unit with the original one. Old unit weighs at least 3kg. There was this slight rattling noise coming from dash disappeared after the system change, maybe the pressure lifted, dashboard rattles are very hard to fix.

I also did wheel alignment and wheel rotation. This set has done about 25K now and it looks pretty good for another 20K easily. I have ordered some parts to replace the aging ones, more on that later once I am done with the work.

To be continued...

[jonesanto]

Some major works were pending for Elantra. Clutch, suspension, radiator etc. All the parts are expensive and will take time to source the parts, so I decided to do some work this year and the rest next year. I usually don't have long drives with family, they prefer train or flights unless it is an emergency. And for those drives I make sure I am using a good condition car and not something very old. There was an emergency last September while I was in Kerala and we had to go back to Bangalore immediately. My Octavia was in Bangalore because we had traveled by train. There were no tickets available in bus either. So I took a chance with Elantra. I know the car is in decent condition, clutch and suspension was weak, other than that there were no concerning issues. But I should have considered the fact that it is an old vehicle which has done so many kilometers.


Drive to Bangalore was event-less, reached Bangalore and next day when opened the hood to my shock I could see coolant marks all over engine guard. It was sprayed over engine guard and pretty sure it was coming from radiator side. I started inspecting and could not find any leak, started the vehicle, still no coolant leak from anywhere, drove the vehicle for 15 minutes around the block and checked, no leak. Brought the vehicle over to my trusted mechanic. Even he could not find where the leak is from, left the car with him for thorough checkup. Later it was found that the leak was from radiator top black plastic panel, Hyundai SA had told me earlier this may start leaking in a while, did not think this will happen so soon. By the grace of God it was only minor leak that too only at high speeds. Or else car would have broken down and it would have been a disaster. This radiator was serviced once and it was not possible to service it again, so I had to get a new one, since I was doing the work, told him to get the clutch also changed. Mechanic opened the gear box and checked clutch condition and changed whatever is worn out, and got a new radiator too. I had to get new gearbox bedding , mine was not usable again. All the parts, I have got genuine ones, did not want to take chance with these components. Clutch parts were almost 10K, radiator was 11800, gearbox bedding was 2.5K and 3.5K, did MAF cleaning too. Including labor the damage was 30K. All the parts were sourced with in a day, advantages of being in Bangalore.

Clutch, radiator and gearbox bedding parts

Old clutch condition





New Radiator





Old Radiator





Old and new Radiator



New clutch



Old gearbox bedding




Return drive was amazing, with new clutch, MAF cleaning, car performed flawlessly. Gear box bedding change made the car more silent. It would have been an amazing drive if it was not for that small hiccup, there was this truck going in front of me, I had a safe distance between him and me, I was also looking for a restaurant to take a break, suddenly I saw a big pothole and because the truck was in front of me, I could not see this in advance, before I could do anything I jumped the pothole and I might have been doing 60 or 70, in that speed I did not feel anything inside the car, I mean literally nothing, it was like going over a small hump, when I began to think nothing had happened I realized the brake is not effective like before, in fact the pedal was not going down like usual, I stopped the car and pumped the pedal two three time and everything went back to normal. I checked car under-body for any damage and leak, nothing was found. I was worried if anything had happened to the brake and the issue did not happen again. When checked the mileage the car returned a respectable 19 kmpl.

After couple of weeks I had to attend a wedding in Thrissur, while coming back battery light popped up on dashboard, this time I was alone so I did not worry much about it. Battery is not even two years old, so I knew it would be alternator or a loose connection or something. I was lucky again, managed to reach home with battery light on. Next day tried to start the car and obviously it did not start. Called up local electrician and confirmed that it is alternator issue. Alternator repair cost me another 5K.

Alternator



I did disk cleaning for the brakes and checked if anything was damaged while going over that pothole and no damage was visible. I am still skeptical as to why brake pedal was stuck/ brake was not much effective as soon as I jumped the pothole. I guess I will have to wait and see. Few weeks back there was this URGENT Etios guy while overtaking hit my right side mirror, only the mirror was damaged, if something had happened to electrical components the damage would have been really bad. Got local mirror for 200rs and ordered for the original. As usual, waiting... And Etios entire side mirror system broke and fell on the road in pieces, of course he did not stop because it was his fault.



New mirror



A crack developed at heater coolant hose, told SA to check the price and order the item, he said he will let me know the price, he never called me back and even I forgot about it. After a week, got a call saying item has arrived. So I dropped the vehicle at service center, after 3 hours car was ready for pick up, again to my surprise, I think surprises will never end, bill was 3K. 3K for a pipe? Turns out our genius SA ordered the whole assembly instead of the pipe and already fixed the same in my car. What can I do now? Gave one session to SA, I am sure it is of no use. Usually before ordering the part I will check the price, I order items through the same SA and it was only a pipe this time, so I did not take this seriously, paid the price for that. Next time even if it is a nut & bolt I will give order only after checking the price. We can't overlook anything these days.

Hose crack



Old hose



New set, a big thanks to SA



I had plans to do some work on Elantra this year, I think I ended up doing more than I expected. I still have to fix major issues like suspension and steering vibration, which has increased a bit while idling. I have decide not to use Elantra for long drives anymore. (Only if I had a penny every time I said it) I have to respect the fact that the car has done its duty without fail all these years and it is time to keep it in good condition and use it for local runs only. I also respect the fact that even with coolant leak and alternator not working , the car still managed to take us home safely without a breakdown, with little bit of luck, obviously From now onwards, I will TRY to use Elantra for local drives only

On the way to Bangalore



Parts changed this year:

EGR, Radiator, Clutch, air filter pipe, oil sensor switch, serpentine belt, alternator service, gearbox bedding, heater coolant assembly.

I will look at suspension and steering vibration issue sometime next year.

Cheers.

[Ravindra M]

Originally Posted by jonesanto

Some major works were pending for Elantra. Clutch, suspension, radiator etc.

.....

I will look at suspension and steering vibration issue sometime next year.

Cheers.

Please also have a look at the torn hose encircled ....

[Durango Dude]

Glad to see a well maintained 400K kms Elantra, I've one that's run less than 1/10th of what you've done and it's a petrol (GLS) 2005 make. Yeah, last few years I've been spending money on it, prior to that it was just regular maintenance. But have no heart to give it away. But I'll have to take a call next year or will have the hassle of re-registration coming up in 2020. It's served me faithfully and never let me down. She's as stock as it gets, no changes, the sound system has died and I haven't replaced it, no seat covers, original floor mats, she smells a little musty but that's okay.

[jonesanto]

Originally Posted by Ravindra M

Please also have a look at the torn hose encircled ....

Hi, Ravindra, I checked the hose you were referring to, there is no visible damage, crack, tear or leak in the hose. It could be the picture quality made you think there is a damage in the hose, I will check the hose condition at next service. Thank you

[jonesanto]

Things are event less now, first time since purchase Elantra is not even doing 1K a month now. Considering the mileage and age of the car, I am not using the car much anymore. Elantra is doing only city runs now, but we make sure the car runs on a regular basis.

Suspension and steering vibration is on the "do list" this year. Once I get that done, I will definitely take her for a long run. Barring these two issues, car is in absolute perfect condition. My wife and dad keep on telling me to sell the car because I spend too much money on Elantra and it is true. They don't think it's worth the trouble. But this car is more than a machine to me now. I am still fighting

Elantra is in Kerala now due to parking issues we have in Bangalore, test is due in 2021. I may have to take a decision by then.