A little while ago I started this thread about an issue I was having with our Sonata's heat.
So I scheduled my appointment online. I left a two paragraph specific description of the problem and at what times this occurs.
So I get to the dealership and begin to drop off the car. The service manager attempts to look up the car's history and since I hadn't been to that dealership there was none. He does not have the specific issue description I wrote either. I ask him "hey, I wrote a nice synopsis of the issue when I made the appointment" He told me they don't get the notes from the box where you describe the problem....?
He immediately starts trying to sell me the transmission flush and coolant flush. He hasn't even physically touched my car yet. I told him I do the maintenance, which turned out to be a bad idea because I instantly got the "invalidates your warranty" lecture. That part was all fine and well. I expect those things.
He explains the heat may be getting turned off by air bubbles (weird) or the thermostat closing because the coolant is too cold to heat. I find the second explanation particularly weird because the 'temperature gauge' acts normally and is at it's usual position when the heat goes out. So I tell him the gauge is acting normally and my engine coolant (according to this gauge) is warm. His response was "that gauge measures engine temperature, so you wouldn't see the difference". An engine temperature gauge would be something new to me, and since it's a 2009 I suppose that's possible...?
At noon the technician only had a guess - the thermostat for the heater core. Fair enough. It would be replaced under warranty. Then the coolant flush dialogue started again. He said the coolant was "brown". He never suggested a reason on why that could be (as I think there are numerous and some may require immediate repair). $139.95 is the price. I decline and tell him thanks for the heads up and I'll take care of it. Then he directs the questioning to asking me what specific tools I use to flush the coolant. Really? Another "I got it, don't worry about it" from me gets met with another warranty lecture. (As an aside: there's only 10k miles left in the coolant warranty anyway).
Picking up the car was another hassle, but I got it. Minor part charge and a handwritten request "please give us all 10's on the survey form!!!!". LOL.
So the 'temperature gauge' thing and the coolant flush got me to thinking.....so I got out the owner's manual and maintenance log for some reading.
Turns out the gauge in question today is named the Coolant Temperature Gauge. Kind of a weird name for a gauge that doesn't measure engine coolant, isn't it?
In the maintenance log book the recommended coolant flush interval is "60,000 miles/60 months for the first flush and 25,000 miles/24 months thereafter" so even having me decline the flush today keeps me technically in warranty. Coincidentally the first flushing is scheduled for the end of the warranty period.
So I'll be "flushing" my own coolant this weekend, waiting for the follow up phone survey, and marking any future Hyundai dealership service visits off of my list.
Thanks for reading. It was a frustrating day.
So I scheduled my appointment online. I left a two paragraph specific description of the problem and at what times this occurs.
So I get to the dealership and begin to drop off the car. The service manager attempts to look up the car's history and since I hadn't been to that dealership there was none. He does not have the specific issue description I wrote either. I ask him "hey, I wrote a nice synopsis of the issue when I made the appointment" He told me they don't get the notes from the box where you describe the problem....?
He immediately starts trying to sell me the transmission flush and coolant flush. He hasn't even physically touched my car yet. I told him I do the maintenance, which turned out to be a bad idea because I instantly got the "invalidates your warranty" lecture. That part was all fine and well. I expect those things.
He explains the heat may be getting turned off by air bubbles (weird) or the thermostat closing because the coolant is too cold to heat. I find the second explanation particularly weird because the 'temperature gauge' acts normally and is at it's usual position when the heat goes out. So I tell him the gauge is acting normally and my engine coolant (according to this gauge) is warm. His response was "that gauge measures engine temperature, so you wouldn't see the difference". An engine temperature gauge would be something new to me, and since it's a 2009 I suppose that's possible...?
At noon the technician only had a guess - the thermostat for the heater core. Fair enough. It would be replaced under warranty. Then the coolant flush dialogue started again. He said the coolant was "brown". He never suggested a reason on why that could be (as I think there are numerous and some may require immediate repair). $139.95 is the price. I decline and tell him thanks for the heads up and I'll take care of it. Then he directs the questioning to asking me what specific tools I use to flush the coolant. Really? Another "I got it, don't worry about it" from me gets met with another warranty lecture. (As an aside: there's only 10k miles left in the coolant warranty anyway).
Picking up the car was another hassle, but I got it. Minor part charge and a handwritten request "please give us all 10's on the survey form!!!!". LOL.
So the 'temperature gauge' thing and the coolant flush got me to thinking.....so I got out the owner's manual and maintenance log for some reading.
Turns out the gauge in question today is named the Coolant Temperature Gauge. Kind of a weird name for a gauge that doesn't measure engine coolant, isn't it?
In the maintenance log book the recommended coolant flush interval is "60,000 miles/60 months for the first flush and 25,000 miles/24 months thereafter" so even having me decline the flush today keeps me technically in warranty. Coincidentally the first flushing is scheduled for the end of the warranty period.
So I'll be "flushing" my own coolant this weekend, waiting for the follow up phone survey, and marking any future Hyundai dealership service visits off of my list.
Thanks for reading. It was a frustrating day.
