Repair issues and fixes

[eurokeitai]

2022 Kona EV maintenance schedule "replace reduction gear fluid" still at 75K miles.
Interestingly Ionic 5 maintenance does not even mention "replace reduction gear fluid" until you change the driving conditions to severe (similar to Kona EV), and then only at 80K miles.
Meanwhile you are already into your 2nd replacement of low conductivity coolant.
I wonder how long it will be before noise issues and a similar thread occurs

The first reports of Kona EV wheel of fortune noise appeared on these forums few months after first deliveries. Ioniq 5 has been delivered for almost an year now, and in much bigger volumes than early Konas were. We would already know if the gearbox was eating motors like on Kona/Niro! So far on the owners forums, the only common failure on ioniq 5 is the.. 12V battery. Again. And some people have major issues with the HVAC / battery cooling setup. So, it would appear the powertrain is indeed more reliable.

 

[Chris H.]

To me there's something not quite right in knowing a problem exists, knowing a possible and cheap solution and then not doing anything about it. If you want to keep your car beyond the warranty period (I do - my car was an outright private purchase, not a lease) then preventative action would be wise. This reduction gear oil discussion was kicked off by an authorised Hyundai service tech who was replacing a reduction gear set that had failed at 40,000 miles (reply#119, page 6). The oil that came out of that gearbox was black syrup and his recommendation was regular oil changes to reduce the risk of similar reduction gear/bearing failure. At the rate we use our car we'd be well beyond the warranty period at 40,000 miles, so we, not Hyundai would be wearing the cost of repair. Plus there is the inconvenience of reportedly waiting for months while Hyundai sorts out warranty and parts supply. Regular oil changes are cheap insurance, IMO.

The magnetic plugs have already been found and are in regular supply. See @KiwiME's post 144 on page 8. You may decide they are not needed - it has been determined that there IS a magnet in the gearbox (post #338, page 17), it's just not in a drain plug. Adding another one won't hurt, though.

Do yourself a favour, Lars, at least change the oil.

I had the reduction gear box oil replaced at 19,500 miles based on recommendations here. My 2019 model was making a clicking type noise that I would notice as I decelerated. I ordered the plug ahead of time as it was out-of-stock. I scheduled the service when the part came in a week or so later. When I came in for my appointment, I was told there was no oil to be changed and was made to feel I didn't know what I was talking about. I brought a copy of a portion of one of the posts here that had the part number and oil type. I asked for the service manager but he wasn't in yet. So, I pulled my owner's manual and found the maintenance page and the section where it describes the oil. Initially, I may have have said "gear box oil" instead of "reduction gear box oil" Had to wait a bit but on my insistence, they drove the car around for service. It was a 2 hour wait or so. No apology when the car was done, or even an acknowledgment about the confusion. But I did ask if the oil was dirty---"a little bit". The noisy clicking is gone, and the car drives much quieter. My assessment is the people checking you in for service don't understand--usually someone different each time. But, I'm guessing the dealership hasn't done many, and oh I am a woman so I don't know much....hehe.

 

[electriceddy]

The noisy clicking is gone, and the car drives much quieter.

Awesome, quite the story

 

[isaacknox]

Hi there! I see yall know a lot about cars. Honestly, I'm a zero in this business. I recently got myself a new car. And I already ran into this problem - my cigarette lighter stopped working. I checked the adapter and the voltage. Everything was fine. Even the fuse was unchanged. I was advised to look for an auto repair shop here https://autoleap.com. But I'm not sure if that's what I need. Maybe I can fix it by myself. As it usually happens, I will bring the car to car service, and instead of one cigarette lighter, they will fix the whole car for me. Is there anything you can suggest?

 

[Ferenc Jakab]

A friend was commenting that battery replacement for my 2010 Prius will cost thousands (about $2000 + labour at the moment) my battery (NiMH) Is still fine and within voltage specs on each cell. Soon after he had to replace his auto transmission on his Ford Ranger and I believe the cost was in excess of $4000. There is a lot of illogical myth making re EVs.

 

[Chris53825]

Any update on anyone changing their reduction gear fluid for the second time (and any discoloration)? I'm about two months away from my second change (5K miles).

 

[KiwiME]

There have been no reports of a "second" oil change after a significant driving distance so far. I've only done 1,500 km since the last change and so it's way too early for an oil change to provide meaningful information.
I think perhaps OzKona is in the lead here and is aiming for a 10,000 km change soon which should establish if that interval is either too early or just right.

 

[Chris53825]

There have been no reports of a "second" oil change after a significant driving distance so far. I've only done 1,500 km since the last change and so it's way too early for an oil change to provide meaningful information.
I think perhaps OzKona is in the lead here and is aiming for a 10,000 km change soon which should establish if that interval is either too early or just right.

Thanks for confirming, Kiwi. I suspected this was the case, but it's been a while since anyone has posted about it.

 

[KonaAU]

Hi All



First I’d like to thank KiwiME, OzKona and others for their work on the Reduction Gear box oil issue.

I’m due to take delivery of a new 2022 Kona EV Highlander Extended range real soon now ‍ as it was dropped off at Port Kembla late April and is currently with the Dealer.

I have ordered a couple of magnetic drain plugs and see two options ahead of me.

1. Replace the filler plug with a magnetic plug and change the oil after 1500km or
2. Replace both drain and filler plugs re-using the oil with some top-up. And change the oil after 1500km.

I think option 1 would be sufficient and the easiest but I’m open to suggestions.

 

[electriceddy]

Hi All



First I’d like to thank KiwiME, OzKona and others for their work on the Reduction Gear box oil issue.

I’m due to take delivery of a new 2022 Kona EV Highlander Extended range real soon now ‍ as it was dropped off at Port Kembla late April and is currently with the Dealer.

I have ordered a couple of magnetic drain plugs and see two options ahead of me.

1. Replace the filler plug with a magnetic plug and change the oil after 1500km or
2. Replace both drain and filler plugs re-using the oil with some top-up. And change the oil after 1500km.

I think option 1 would be sufficient and the easiest but I’m open to suggestions.

No one yet has replaced the drain plugs in a new car with less than 100km, but if you have the equipment/parts to do it - why not.
Perhaps materials discarded will be attaching themselves to the new magnetic plugs and save you access wear in the future.
Aluminum of course would not be caught by the magnets, and are a substantial portion of the problem, so ~1500 km the oil may still be cloudy, but definitely have less wear in the gears themselves.
Congratulations on the new car, look forward to future posts and a picture

 

[KiwiME]

I have ordered a couple of magnetic drain plugs and see two options ahead of me.

1. Replace the filler plug with a magnetic plug and change the oil after 1500km or
2. Replace both drain and filler plugs re-using the oil with some top-up. And change the oil after 1500km.

I think option 1 would be sufficient and the easiest but I’m open to suggestions.

I do believe that there is a non-serviceable magnet contained in the housing but adding a stronger one whose loading can be assessed on removal is always an advantage.

I think your option 1 is fine. When the gearbox is running oil is flying around everywhere and the filler plug will catch ferrous particles without necessarily being located at the bottom. I envy that you're able to tackle this issue with a brand new car, congrats!

 

[KonaAU]

Looks like I'll have the drain plugs before the car...
Will keep you updated

 

[OzKona]

I think perhaps OzKona is in the lead here and is aiming for a 10,000 km change soon which should establish if that interval is either too early or just right.

I'm keen to get this done and get a sample analysed alongside a sample of fresh oil for comparison - have the oil in the shed ready to do it. I have a few hundred km to go before the 10,000km oil change, but Kona is locked up while be burn fossil fuel dragging a Camper around SE Australia with our BT50. Home at the end of the month. Kona Kilometers will start aKKruing again then .

 

[dark night]

Looks like I'll have the drain plugs before the car...
Will keep you updated

My dealer ordered the plug (00810-17121) at a cost of $4.56 however upon we checking it at the counter found it not to be "magnetic"
I was able to find a magnetic one in my odds and bits bin in the garage so had that fitted, at only 13,000 km the oil is black as black and smells as well.
car now seems to run quieter as well, and i will keep my eye on power usage as well to see if it saves any power as well

Hi hope you used a different part no for your plugs as my Australian orded plugs had NO magnets fitted in the plugs.

 

[electriceddy]

car now seems to run quieter as well

That in itself was a great benefit (aside from the obvious wear issues) when I had mine replaced ~10K km.

 

[KonaAU]

Hi hope you used a different part no for your plugs as my Australian orded plugs had NO magnets fitted in the plugs.

I ordered 2 of the VOTEX DP007-2 plugs and some crush washers (ACWM18) discussed here from Amazon. Not cheap, USD 85 all up, but arrived in 6 days.
I did find a Chinese version on eBay for about AUD19 with free shipping but probably wouldn't arrive until July.

Still waiting for the car .....

 

[KiwiME]

Yeah, um, stick to the Votex. It's been vetted and has proven to stay intact, at least so far. Placing a glued-in piece of metal inside your gearbox is not something to choose simply by price.

 

[KonaAU]

Yeah, um, stick to the Votex. It's been vetted and has proven to stay intact, at least so far. Placing a glued-in piece of metal inside your gearbox is not something to choose simply by price.

Agreed!

 

[KonaAU]

I did find a Chinese version on eBay for about AUD19 with free shipping but probably wouldn't arrive until July.

I was contemplating ordering one just to see what the quality was like but given the shipping delay ... arms get shorter and pockets deeper

 

[KiwiME]

I've spent around $400 on this project with magnetic plugs, oil and tools but it may eventually save me $5,000 in repairs as I'm well out of warranty. I've just passed 2,000 km after the "first" oil change last December and will probably change it again soon because curiosity will take hold long before I rack up another 8,000 km. In fact it's 24°C today and is unlikely to be this warm again for 6 months so maybe I'll do it today.

EDIT: Yeah, I'd be nuts to miss out on such a warm day with winter approaching. Oil is very clean with the tiniest hint of non-ferrous dust. I'm filtering it and it's going right back in.