Scheduled Maintenance Costs

Discussion in 'Hyundai Kona Electric' started by Wildeyed, Jul 22, 2020.

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  1. Good for you. Pretty sure you're an outlier.
     
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  3. cmwade77

    cmwade77 Active Member

    I have never bought a car where tire rotation wasn't included for at least a few years, I mean tire rotation is simple enough that many places will do it for free anytime you get any sort of other service done. So to see people had to pay for tire rotation shocked me to be honest.
     
    Wildeyed likes this.
  4. I don't mind paying for tire rotation as they usually check other items at the same time anyway. As long as you have an honest / conscientious repair depot (which mine has been so far) I feel it is worth the $40. I also don't have a flat level place to do it myself nor the appropriate tools eg: jacks etc.
     
  5. cmwade77

    cmwade77 Active Member

    I am not opposed to paying, but even if I am out of the free tire rotations, I go and get a free brake inspection (not from the dealer, I only go to the dealer for maintenance that only they could provide, such as checking state of health of the battery perhaps, haven't fully checked out how to do that yet on this car) and since they have the tires off anyway, the usually offer to rotate (and sometimes even balance) the tires for free while they are at it. Given how many places here have this practice, I just thought it was standard everywhere, so the idea of paying for tire rotations seemed unusual to me is all.

    It isn't a comment of one being good or bad, just something that was different to me.
     
  6. Typically "free" tire rotations, brake inspection or even oil changes are loss leaders to get you into the shop and up sell you on other services, products or newly discovered problems they can fix for a fee. There is nothing altruistic about the "free" services.
     
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  8. I'm in Canada so I don't have rotation appointments. I swap summer tires for winter every year so tire rotation is "automatic".
     
    Kirk likes this.
  9. cmwade77

    cmwade77 Active Member

    I have had that some places, but I have certain shops I stick to that I know are honest with me about what needs to be done.

    My all time favorite though was taking my Nissan Leaf for new tires after two blew out days after buying it, needless to say that dealer got and earful and they paid forifor replacements, but the tire shop (which I had to take it to because of distance and this happening late Saturday night) kept insisting it also needed and oil change, in fact I still get cards from them saying it is time for an oil change on the Leaf. Needless to say, I don't use them.
     
  10. I always do my own tire rotations. Not just to save on costs and time (takes me 1/2 hour to do mine), but I have had bad experiences in the past with dealers and tire shops when they over tighten and/or mis-thread wheel nuts. Happened to me a couple times, and a very bad experience with my son a few years ago. He had his MDX in for service, and they forgot to tighten one of the wheels. He just got it out of the shop and barely got on the freeway, when he heard a noise, and the right front wheel came right off. It bounded across the median and stopped on the other side just before running into oncoming traffic. And he barely made it to a stop going into the ditch. They ended up writing off the car (13 years old) because there was so much damage to the wheel well, and front end drive train. I saw it afterwards when he got it towed back to the dealer. It was a real mess.
     
    KiwiME likes this.
  11. That's a pretty scary story, I'm glad no one was injured.
    In my case I have no choice but I will be certain to pay more attention next time and at least check the tightness of the nuts when I arrive home.
    Good point ;)
     
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  13. It's not customary in NZ for dealers to rotate the tires on a preventive basis and I'm good with that, having had lug nuts massively over tightened in the past at SoCal tire shops. Doing it yourself is a good chance to clean off any rust and check the tires for tread damage.
     
  14. Just curious as to what is the recommended tightening torque for our beloved Kona electrics?
     
  15. hieronymous

    hieronymous Active Member

    kgf•m 11~13
    lbf•ft 79~94
    N•m 107~127
     
    navguy12 likes this.
  16. persianrider

    persianrider Member

    79 to 94 ?

    Isn't that quite vague ? my BMW has a set figure of 103lbs and my wife has a set 80lbs for her Nissan Juke (who the Kona is replacing)......

    the booklet writes that kind of variation ?
     
  17. hieronymous

    hieronymous Active Member

    What's in the manual reflects variable real-world tightening outcomes in a range of situations, generally where torque wrenches are NOT in use, including most tire shops.
     
  18. tpollard95124

    tpollard95124 New Member

    Brake fluid changes every two years are worth the trouble/expense in moist climate areas. Brake fluid is hydroscopic and as such moisture slowly builds up and rusts the brake system from the inside. Changing the fluid slows this process.
     
    electriceddy likes this.
  19. Agreed, why cause possible issues with the expensive computerized brake hydraulic assy over the relatively small cost of a fluid change, for me I will probably wait 3 years unless advised by the dealer to do it after 2.
     
  20. You know, I have never changed brake fluid in any car I have owned. And I have had many, some that I have run to over 300K kms (my Subaru's). Not that I am advocating not changing it, just never did it on my past cars. Same with transmission or differential fluids. But I have always been religious with changing oil and filters.

    However, I have read often, not just here, but on the Subaru forums, too, that it is highly recommended. As you say, apparently brake fluid can attract water. Maybe I will start doing it with the Kona, and my Crosstrek, or at least follow the recommended maintenance schedule.
     
  21. 'Hygroscopic' is the actual word to be pedantic :). We periodically change the fluid primarily to maintain the temperature performance of the fluid but no-doubt there are other benefits.

    It's uncommon for DIY car owners to change fluid here in NZ. When I buy a bottle at the local parts store I find those on the shelf are dusty and sometimes date-expired. A work colleague in Germany (long ago) once lost his brakes because he had left the handbrake on lightly and the heat boiled the fluid, presumably due to having some water content present.

    I've always done my own by pressurizing the reservoir up to about 10 psi. I run about 300 ml through each caliper, or until it runs out clean. Aside from water content, the fluid gets dirty from the pistons wearing the bores.
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2020
    navguy12 likes this.
  22. We live in similar climates, how do you feel about every 3 years as a rule (or sooner if required)?
     
  23. I checked the U.S. manual and it just calls for inspection of the brake fluid. There is no listing for replacement. In my street cars I only change fluid during brake jobs or if I have a soft pedal feel. On my time trial race car it gets changed before every race day and some times it get changed between runs during the day. Boiling is definitely a problem when brakes get hot. I am also very particular about the boiling point ant type of fluids I use.
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2020

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