Happy Sunday -

My ET just turned 12k today, and it's been through a very rough 12k. from the potholes of the Northeast to the increased transmission wear from spinning and sliding on snow, I thought it's time I give it a pampering.

Just to give you a prospective, here is what I have done so far in terms of maintenance and what is planned in the next week.

Performed
- oil change at 1.5k, 4.5k, 7.5k, and 10k. The latter three changes were with Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-20.
- rotate and balance tires every 5k
- four wheel alignment every 3k or so

Planned
- oil change with MB EP 5W-20
- transmission fluid drain and fill with factory fluid (dealer said aftermarket fluids will cause damage, any truth to that?)
- change air filter
- change cabin air filter with dealer part
- clear ECU by d/c battery to give it a "fresh" start

I realize this may be too much, but I really feel like getting stuck in snow and spinning the tires put excessive wear on the tranny, and draining the fluid is the least I can do.

Short of disconnecting the battery, does anyone know of a backdoor way to reset the ECU? I would hate to have to reprogram the radios and whatnot.

Thanks for the advice - I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have

 

You are wasting your money and oil. Changing Mobil1 synthetic oil every 3,000 miles is WAY too soon.


You did a 4-wheel alignment every 3,000 miles? Why? And you have your tires re-balanced every time you rotate them? Again, why? I aligned my Tucson once (when I installed the 18" wheels/tires). And the only time I've ever needed balance my tires was when they were first installed.


Yes. Hyundai automatics require SP-III transmission fluid or you will damage your transmission. However, it only needs to be changed every 30,000 miles.


There's really no need to do that. But if you really want to, just remove the ECU fuse for a few minutes to accomplish the same thing.

 

Your oil change intervals (3k) seem excessive with a 15k mile oil, assuming your using the synthetic. but that's entirely your choice. I'm planning on having my first oil change at 1k, second at 5k with synthetic, then doing the 7.5k changes as stated in the maintenance schedule.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalun47
- rotate and balance tires every 5k
- four wheel alignment every 3k or so

You did a 4-wheel alignment every 3,000 miles? Why? And you have your tires re-balanced every time you rotate them? Again, why? I aligned my Tucson once (when I installed the 18" wheels/tires). And the only time I've ever needed balance my tires was when they were first installed.

I have an lifetime alignment program through Firestone. Everytime the car's in the shop for a rotation, I get it balanced and aligned as I'm already in the shop...

 

There's no need to do that unless you have a problem. Doing it every time just because it's free is only going to annoy the people at Firestone. My guess is, they hate you everytime you come in. And the last thing you want to do is **** off the people working on your car.

 

cool man i use mobile 1 full synthetic to pamper my ride. I question the tranny fluid though. Personaly i think the dealer uses cheap tranny fluid because my 2nd gear sometimes grinds a little bit. Whats the best tranny fluid out there?

P.S. cabin filter is for the a/c i don't think i will be changing mine. Also, i use the dealers oil filter because, a mechanic at the dealer said he experienced noise around the oil filter area when ppl use aftermarket oil filters.

 

AFAIK, the only place you can get tranny fluid is from the dealer. There is no aftermarket equivalent yet. I changed the fluid just because I drove the first 10k in the city with a lot of stop and go driving and high temperatures.

The cabin filter is not just for the a/c. the filter is used whenever the blower is on. I would change mine every 12k or so. $30 is steep for it, but I have yet to see an aftermarket variant yet.

I use the Mobil1 aftermarket filter and have had no problems. Make sure you spread a little oil on the seals before you put it on, and it will be easier to remove the next time.