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lou's garage

The warranty on my 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT with 39,200 kilometres expired in June, 2018.

Recently I noticed a faint flapping noise coming from the engine. All oil changes and services have been done with my local auto shop. As advised by my local shop, I left the car at the Hyundai dealer for a diagnosis of the problem. A teardown of the engine has been done & at the moment I am waiting for an update back as to what the problem is and if Hyundai will absorb any or all of the cost. I would appreciate your opinion.

Tom

Hyundai has had their fair share of engine problems during these years, from premature sludge build-up, to manufacturing errors leading to metal shavings being left in the crankcase. Either of these may be related to your issue and there is a possibility for financial help if it is one of these issues. Otherwise, without an optional Hyundai extended warranty, you are going to find yourself in a sticky situation. In addition, Hyundai has a Technical Service Bulletin 12-EM-006 from September, 2012, stating that aftermarket filters may cause an engine knock noise/failure. Use of aftermarket filters that do not meet these tighter Hyundai specifications, will lead to further complications when asking for help outside of your already expired warranty period. Gather all of your oil change receipts from at your local shop. The hope is that those receipts clearly show what oil filters they used. Your options are limited, unfortunately, but keep your fingers crossed that Hyundai will look at your limited mileage and cover part of the engine rebuild.


Curious about carbon cleaning an older Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. It sounds like it might be a good idea, but I can’t be sure. A quick search shows a polarized public view of the practice. What do you think? Should I risk it with my already older, and expensive, car?

Oliver

By older, I believe you are referring to the AMG M156 power plant, which features standard fuel injection. Generally speaking, any engine using newer direct injection will benefit greatly from carbon cleaning, while standard fuel injection vehicles such as yours will only see minor gains. It has to do with where the fuel injectors are located. Your vehicle has the fuel injectors located in the intake manifold and the fuel carried within the intake manifold will travel past and clean the engine-intake valves. The relocation of the fuel injector into the cylinder head in newer products means that the intake valve is no longer getting cleaned since there is no fuel rushing past it. If your vehicle has a rough idle or poorer than normal fuel economy, I would seek professional advice and services. If you are just thinking that maybe you should do something because of what you are reading online, save you money and skip this one.

Lou Trottier is owner-operator of All About Imports in Mississauga. Have a question about maintenance and repair? E-mail globedrive@globeandmail.com, placing “Lou’s Garage” in the subject line.

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