Thoughts on wife's 185k mile Elantra....

[97tbird]

So as some of you might know, wife has a 2003 Elantra with about 185k miles her daily driver, and the car has been very dependable, and wife plans to "drive it as long as she can"....We're rather proud of it, in a way. She has kept up with maintaining the car vigilantly and apart from a radiator replacement, it has never had any type of repair.

It has lost some 'pep' of course, at this mileage and is a bit noisy idling but drives very well, starts every time....just keeps going...
Oh and the dash has a crack.
and a wheel (steel wheels) is out of round, according to the tire place. causes some vibrations while driving...

So every time she takes the car for an oil change, the SA at the dealer (yeah they're pretty good and oil changes are cheap there) asks her 'so how long are you gonna keep driving this?" it's like they can hardly believe she still keeps maintaining it and driving it, and they almost seem amused or sometimes even annoyed by it...

Last time she was there, they gave her this list of stuff that the car needs if she wants it to be 'safe', etc. (pic below).
Most of the stuff is [censored] and ridiculously priced BUT what I am thinking is, IDK if we will save a whole lot even if we got them done for less at an independent place, (because I don't think these estimates for the T belt stuff and CV joints are all THAT crazy, but I may be wrong)...

I don;t think we need fuel service and all that, and wipers we can get anywhere. I am mainly concerned about t belt and CV joints.

Would you guys just do these things, and keep driving it? My wife has no/little desire to get a new(er) car, because she uses a car just as a means to get from A to B purely...
BUT she does sometimes long for newer 'amenities' that new cars come with ....
I have seen that from time to time...

I have a feeling that the cost of those repairs might be more than half the value of the car...but is that a reason not to do it?
On the other hand, IF she really wants to keep it, I think it needs some other stuff...to make her driving it a nice(r) experience:
repairing the dash?
new wheels?
tint?

IDK what to decide...Just let her drive what she's happy with? Encourage her to get a new(er) car and see that perhaps she will be happier with driving a newer car that at least has Cruise control?

Here's the list of stuff that the dealer recommended:

 

[Lead Shoes]

Lol... 50 dollars for wiper blades installed????

If you have 185k and haven't changed the timing belt twice, you may want to get that done, but the rest of it can be done in your drive way for under 150 bucks in parts.

I wouldn't worry about the cv joints, at 209k miles my civic has only had 1 replaced around 150k and neither were serviced.

 

[bepperb]

Has the timing belt ever been replaced, and are the CV boots leaking/ripped/torn or clicking while you turn?

I'd take it to a private and see if you need these things and what they charge. Even if you sink 1000 dollars in these repairs that's really only three months of payments on a new car (to say nothing of the increased insurance and other higher costs). Do this, keep it two or three years, put 300 bucks a month in an account and buy a new used car in cash.

 

[tomcat27]

Are the CV boots cracking? At least the list is not full of things that are crazy. many of my local dealers "recommend" $600-$1000 worth of "maintenance" every 30k miles!

Actually , the throttle body service would probably help the idle and take off. has the transmission fluid and coolant been changed recently?

I dont think it's crazy to put that kind of money into a car that is reliable and very drivable.

 

[simple_gifts]

Really not a car question now is it?

I'd have them do the stuff you can't; do the stuff you can yourself and press on... unless the happiness of your wife is at stake.

 

[Sayjac]

Thoughts on the 'list'. If it's time for the timing belt/wp service, then it's time. Price for service could be shopped.

AF? lol DIY if it needs it.

Sparks if it's time. Shouldn't be a tough diy. Wires, eh, it's running fine no need, but again shouldn't be a tough diy in a 4 banger.

CV boots. Are they cracked/deteriorated? If not, no need to replace at all. Still have oe on 01 Civic.

Wiper blades, $50 really? lol. Love the dealers. Easy diy.

So you have to decide whats it's worth to keep it running. Plus, don't forget the nice low insurance and taxes etc.

Your call.

 

[Ojustracing]

Based on looking at that its due for a timing belt, the cv boots are cracked, due for tune-up, air filter(dirty?)and wiper blades(torn?). Normally timing belts on these cars a recommended at 60k intervals. Has the car ever had a tuneup?
If it never has had a fuel induction service it might be a good thing to do but not absolutely required.

I don't install cv boots anymore. Axle shafts are cheap. But watch out at the dealer.

John

 

[JOD]

I don't see how you're going to do any better on the t-belt service, considering what they're including. The OEM parts alone would run half of that much, so unless you're DIY that looks like a deal. That car has a 60K t-belt interval and it's an interference engine, so if the belt's original, the answer to "how long will she be driving it" will probably by answered for you pretty soon if it's not done...

Plugs and wires looks spendy to me, but I don't know what's involved there. On most I4's, that's a very easy DIY. Fuel injection service? Run a bottle of cleaner through the tank, or if you're really motivated, use this. It's certainly cheaper than $150.00

Needless to say, wiper blades and air filter can be changed a lot cheaper than that. Two items I'd wonder about are the power steering and brake fluid. If those haven't been serviced, at this point they should be.

I'd never pay $400.00 for CV boots. You can replace with good re-manned axles around $60.00 a side, so unless I were really bored and looking to replace my boots myself, I'd just let it ride until they start making noise or I noticed a tear in the boots. I proactively did the boots on my Camry wagon @ 200K, and in retrospect is was a giant waste of my time. I'll never do that again.

 

[97tbird]

Thanks for the replies
.

T belt was done about 60k - 80k miles ago, Ditto for plugs/wires...maybe a bit before that.

CV boots have never been done - BUT no clicking noises while turning...but that's when CV JOINTS are gone, right? the CV boots leaking (if they're really leaking) can lead to that, correct?

I am only concerned about the CV joints, T belt and the plugs/wires.
I am not in a position to do those myself...Forgot to mention that in my post.

The others I know are mostly [censored] like i said, and can do myself...

 

[exranger06]

A Napa Gold air filter is $13.49. OEM NGK spark plugs are $1.99 each, Belden wire set $41.49. Wiper blades about $10 each. Spending less than hour doing all of those things saves you about $180.

$430 for CV axles doesn't seem too bad if they're replacing both axles. The invoice just says axle boots though. Big difference between replacing whole axles and just axle boots. If the axles work fine, don't make any noises, and the boots aren't torn, just leave them alone. If the boots are torn but not making noise yet, replace just the boots.

Fuel induction service is a waste of money.
Timing belt price seems reasonable, do it if it's due.
If the wife is happy driving it, definitely keep the car till it's dead.

 

[Sayjac]

Yeah, CV boots should be done/replaced 'if' cracked. But as said, price listed seems steep for that service.

I missed tb/induction service. Also as said, add a bottle of Regane High Mileage or Techron to a tank of gas and forget it.

 

[97tbird]

Yeah the CV boot quote is def. steep...indie place can probably do that a lot cheaper...

I am a bit inclined to do the t belt service at the dealer...They normally do a good job and for some reason I feel weary about an indie place to do that part...

AF, wipers I can of course do myself...
Not worried about the fuel service...I am just gonna do a shock treatment of regane or techron for that...

I am also going to dig up the Elantra's records (wife keeps a log book of ALL receipts and invoices and service records) and see when plugs/wires and t-belt was last done EXACTLY...

Will update when I find that out...

I just have this desire to make her car a bit more 'inviting'/attractive if she keeps on driving it...perhaps new(er) wheels, complete interior cleaning/detailing and window tint could be added to give it a sort of a 'freshener'...

It has given us GREAT service and I think it might deserve some 'pampering' even if it's old...

 

[Drew99GT]

Take a flashlight and crawl under the car and look at the CV boots; if they're ripped or cracked and you can visibly see grease, they need to be replaced. For $430, most independent shops can replace both axles for that cost and that's what they're likely do. When the boots on my Corolla ripped and flung grease everywhere, the guy I take my car to just replaced the axles as the labor is half that of replacing the boots, and reman axles are cheap.

Timing belt absolutely needs to be done.

Most of the other stuff can be done in your drive way. 50 bucks for wiper blades?

 

[daves87rs]

Sounds a lot like my wife and her Cavalier. She wouldn't mind a new one, but she's pretty happy with the one she has. Though in my case, rust will get it well before the miles do (she's at 73k now) Her car needs a few updates as well, but few the price of a few car payments, could be done easy. So I'm in no rush.

I could afford a new car if I want, and that is the bonus. There's a very good chance I'll just fix it up, and bank that monthly payment for a while...

As long as it is not too crazy, just fix it up...

 

[PhoenixTL]

sell it

 

[97tbird]

Originally Posted By: PhoenixTL
sell it


what are the reasons for your suggestion

?
you think wifey would be better off if she got rid of it...but why?

 

[Rand]

plugs and wires is a 10min job on that car

 

[Dakota1820]

Is there a reason why the cv joints need replacing? If so its not that hard about an hrs work. Tune up 20 mins wipers 5 and the timing belt takes about 4 hours. I would keep it. I hate hyundai but if its been reliable why not keep it?

 

[Donald]

Splurge on a Fabreeze air freshner. If the CV boots are not cracked, no reason to fool with them.

Keep up the prev. maint with things that can leave her stranded.

 

[01rangerxl]

If the CV boots are cracked, go ahead and get new ones. I'd look into the cost of new axles though. I'd hate to pay that much just to have the joints start making noise a short time later.

If that's the recommended interval for the timing belt, you may as well have that done too.

These are not really major repairs. One is scheduled maintenance, one is pretty routine for cars with that kind of age/miles, and the rest you can do at home with parts from Auto Zone. I'd only sell the car if you are tired of it. If it's still giving you good service and you would miss it if you sold it, it's worth putting a little more money into it. It's definitely less expensive than a new car.