Please Help! I have a 04 sonata. Had timing belt replaced 6 mo ago. Local mechanic replaced and vibrated awful, so he admitted he couldn't fix it and took it to hyundai dealership. Theyput it in time correctly(so they said). On way home oil leaked everywhere because someone left bolt off after replacing water pump. Since belt had oil on it probably I had them put new belt on and reset it. Get the car back...next day power steering belt falls off while driving. fixed that. Now........... this car has ran like sh*t ever since. It has weird vibration coming from behind dash. Gets really loud when accelerating, especially around 1500 rpms. Runs and vibrates rough at idol also. never ever did this before.Took it back to Hyundai and mechanic laughed and said it's in time that he's an expert.Could it be that first local mechanic that was clueless busted motor mounts in his vain attemptto work on my Hyundai since he didn't know what he was doing? Maybe he jacked the motor up? Called Hyundai again and of course they want several hundred dollars to check it agin. Also had squeaking which was told was tension idler pulley. Bought new one and was supposedly put on....Now it's squeaking terribly agin? Any ideas about that? I'm a single mom and I need help because I'm being screwed at these dealerships. Don't mind paying if actually someone knew what they were doing and could fix it. Can someone please tell me what I should do? I love my car but I'm afaid they screwd it up. I still owe a year on this thing and need to know if it could be fixed without megetting taken for a ride. Thanks, Melissa One more thought...... I told them I thought the left counter balance wasn't right and once agin they say last time it looked in time.

 

It's very possible the first mechanic screwed something up. This is why I always go to a dealer for major work when the car is still under warranty. If they screw it up, they have to fix it. But if you go somewhere else, there is no warranty.

Going to another mechanic is fine for minor work like oil changes but for something major like a timing belt change, I always go to a dealer or at least a mechanic that specializes in the make.

I think you are out of luck unless you can get theHyundai dealer to prove the first mechanic caused the problem. Right now, both will probably blame the other and no one will take responsibility.

That's an expensive lessen to learn.

 

[align=left]Hard to say exactly what happened by you description, but probably the first mechanic did not set the timing properly. If I understand correctly, there is a timing belt and a counterbalance belt. Both have to be set properly or you could have big trouble. Possibly you have some valve damage, or the counterbalance is wacko.

My question to you is this: Does the car "run" ok? Meaning to say that minus the vibration and the noise, does the car "go" ok, have plenty of power, get good gas mileage, not smoking? If the answer is "yes" then there is a good chance that the motor mounts are bad, and yes the mechanic jacked up the motor and messed them up. This is a relatively easy fix, for any mechanic.

 

Hello,thanks for the replies. yes, it is an expensive lesson learned and both mechanics were blaming each other. But bottom line...the last person paid to get it in time was Hyundai dealer and they didn't! I have it at mechanic now. after tearing it down he said the belt look like it came off a 100,000 mile car!?, the oil pump belt had never been replace(all belts were supposed to be), my new water pump is leaking, my power steering pump and or shaft is messed up now(someone way overtightened screw when belt fell off), fluid in radiatoroverflow so low you can't even see it, and most of important of all!!! - just as I suspected the counter balance was off so my car was not in time, which was causing vibrations at various rpms. I'm out another 500 or so bucks. The first mechanic screwed it up and then took it to dealership and they also did not get it in time.The expert Hyunadi guy did not get counter balance right! And both mechanics are blaming it on each other. Since it wasn't cam shaft but counter balance it shouldn't have damaged piston. Lesson learned....... take your car to a mechanic that you know has fixed every foreign make and model of everyone's car you know with excellent reputation and don't ever trust dealerships in Charleston,SC