[KevMeist]

Unless you are using really crappy gasoline, that should not be necessary. All brand name gasolines use their own formula that does the same thing.

Most often use CostCo. Rated as Top Tier gas and certainly about the cheapest around here.

 

[Alex]

I would not do the transmission fluid
My mechanic brother in law said that sometimes the transmission is use to the sledge and the bands could start slipping with the fresh oil.

That would the be case on a very high mileage car, well over 100k, that has never had the fluid changed. Mind you I said changed, not flushed. You really should not flush transmission fluid, that can cause more problems. A drain and fill is a good thing.

 

[Alex]

You need to know something. Beware of having a dealer "do" your trannie fluid. A month ago, I took a car to the dealer to have this done. Turns out they drained about 30% of the fluid and refilled. I asked how much fluid they put in and compared it to how much it actually holds.

AS GOMER USED TO SAY, "SURPRISE, SURPRISE"
I wasn't happy. Learned later when talking to my mechanic that it's much better to have it properly flushed and filled by a competent trannie shop. Turns out he used to work at a transmission shop. He added that this partial trannie fluid change is common. Wish I'd known before I went to the dealer. EDIT: Beware of the simple "drain and fill." There's a great deal of oil trapped in the torque converter. It doesn't drain when ya simply drop the pan for a quickie drain job. If yer gonna do it, do it right.

YE HAVE NOT BECAUSE YE ASK NOT
Granted, we're not talking about a Hyundai dealer here. But you'll never know if you don't ask questions BEFORE they perform any service like this.
Oh, and almost forgot: I don't know ANY trannie shop that would recommend you flush your fluid w/only 43k miles on the car. It's a little soon. Also know that this fluid isn't engine oil: it doesn't need to be changed every few miles.

What the dealer did is normal and a good thing. When you do a drain you only get about 30% of the fluid out. A fluid replacement with a machine pulling all the fluid out and replacing it with new fresh fluid is also a way to do it, but that requires a special machine to do. That should not be confused with a flush, which you don't want done. If you do it yourself, you can do the drain and fill process three times. That is as good a fluid replacement.

 

[Alex]

Most often use CostCo. Rated as Top Tier gas and certainly about the cheapest around here.

I use them too. That is good stuff and has a cleaning additive in it, so I would skip regular techron use. It couldn't hurt, but it is not really needed.

 

[Alex]

The service writer words were "Hyundai recommends", so I don't truly know whether it is the dealer or Hyundai. My suspicion would be the dealer but I have used the same dealer and service writer for 10 years now. Next time it goes in for a service...I'll have to try to remember to ask that question. Whether that happens is another thing

You can check the Hyundai service schedule and review it before you visit the dealer next time. Then go over what Hyundai recommends with the service writer. There is a reason they are called stealerships.

 

[Tampa8]

Unless you are using really crappy gasoline, that should not be necessary. All brand name gasolines use their own formula that does the same thing.

Not exactly what Hyundai recommends. Not all brand names meets the Hyundai standard of Top Tier. They do recommend to use Techron in cases you are not. Gulf and BP* are two examples. There are plenty of non top tier that are not bad gas, like from Cumberland Farms (Who I believe uses Gulf at least in the Northeast), 7 Eleven, many independents but they they don't have the additives that meet Hyundai specs, Top Tier. Car will run just fine, but over time additives that are used to become Top Tier can keep the engine cleaner.

Techron in lots of independent testing shows it can keep injectors cleaner especially if not using similar additives found in Top Tier gas. And especially in the 2.5L Smartstream that is both Port and Direct Injection.

*BP is a probable exception they are no longer listed as Top Tier but in actuality are.

 

[garyahouse]

...All brand name gasolines use their own formula that does the same thing.

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Take some time and read this forum. We've addressed this many times.

 

[garyahouse]

What the dealer did is normal and a good thing. When you do a drain you only get about 30% of the fluid out. A fluid replacement with a machine pulling all the fluid out and replacing it with new fresh fluid is also a way to do it, but that requires a special machine to do. That should not be confused with a flush, which you don't want done. If you do it yourself, you can do the drain and fill process three times. That is as good a fluid replacement.

You said, "What the dealer did is normal and a good thing." Re-read the original post, sir. The dealer didn't do anything. Then you claim it to be "normal and therefore a good thing." I'd argue that one does not result in the other, even if it is true. IF (by your statement) you mean that changing out 30 percent of the fluid is normal, you may be right. I'm not sure what policy every dealer has, and neither are you. They all do their own thing. All I do know is that ONE dealer did this, because the amount of trannie fluid they put in was minimal. That's why I posted the warning: that folks would beware and ask questions. Then you claimed this "normal" procedure was a good thing. Really? You said if a DIYer were to do 3 quickie drain and fills, that it was equal to having a trannie properly flushed out and refilled with all new fluid. HMMM. Who told you that? Simple math reveals that this quickie DIY method, if done correctly, will result in something like 70 percent flush pending just what percentage of the total fluid can be successfully removed each time. The math doesn't add up and neither does your reasoning. But just for fun, I left a message for my favorite transmission guru. He's been doing this for something like 40 years. He'll be calling me back shortly. I'll stand corrected if he disagrees with me, and post my results here shortly.

 

[Alex]

...the fuel injection service...
that you declined at this time. I'm guessing that Hyundai has scheduled it so soon because they know something that I haven't tested. I tested MY engine, not yours. I know for a fact that SOME oil was making it's way through the PCV system and into the intake manifold on my car. I also know the catch can was unable to "catch" it. So I elected to remove the can as the amount was so small it was of little concern, especially since I have port injection which is designed to "wash" the intake valves and prevent build up in the combustion chambers. Your engine does not have this feature, and therefore it concerns me that the 1.6 might actually NEED this regular fuel injection service to prevent build up. Only the engineers at Hyndai who've thoroughly tested your engine would know for sure. They've recommended this service for you. You must be the judge here, but I thought I'd comment on this matter due to my own concerns about the lack of port injection on the 1.6 motors.

Time for a scrub
I have long thought that turbo charged engines (like your 1.6) would tend to have more of an issue with blow-by than naturally aspirated (NA) motors like my 2.5, and thus potentially more of an issue with oil in the intake as a result. That is strictly an opinion. But what really concerns me about the 1.6 is the lack of port injection. This type of injection accomplishes several things in the 2.5, among them the additional "scrubbing" of oil from vulnerable surfaces, and thus this cleaning action results in less carbon buildup. I did find a minimal amount of oil making it's way into my intake manifold. So the problem is indeed THERE, but hopefully the port injection aids in washing it away. The 1.6 however does not do this, and may indeed really need to be cleaned via this injection service recommended by Hyundai. I don't want to be guilty of making comments here that label service department recommendations as being unnecessary... if indeed they ARE. Again, you be the judge.

I don't see how a fuel injection service would help with the problem you describe, build up of deposits on the valves. The fuel injection service only passes cleaners through the fuel injectors, so that will not help with deposits on the valves. The only way I have seen that you can clean deposits on the valves of direct injection engines is to remove the intake manifold and then clean the deposits chemically, mechanically or a combination of the two. The only way I can see something working as a preventative service would be to add something to the intake, not the injectors. I am not familiar with such a service, but there might be one as this can be a major problem as you add more miles to the engine.

 

[garyahouse]

Just got off the phone with the transmission shop. Looks like I was right. Ha, I even lucked out with my quickie math prediction. He said 25% of the crummy old fluid would be left: I said 30%, so I'll call that close enough. He was emphatic that multiple quickie drain and flush(es) cannot compete with a machine designed to flush the transmission. He added, "...if it could, why would any shop waste their money on the machine?"

 

[garyahouse]

I don't see how a fuel injection service would help with the problem you describe, build up of deposits on the valves. The fuel injection service only passes cleaners through the fuel injectors, so that will not help with deposits on the valves. The only way I have seen that you can clean deposits on the valves of direct injection engines is to remove the intake manifold and then clean the deposits chemically, mechanically or a combination of the two. The only way I can see something working as a preventative service would be to add something to the intake, not the injectors. I am not familiar with such a service, but there might be one as this can be a major problem as you add more miles to the engine.

Honest guys, I'm trying to keep these posts short. I know I get too technical sometimes. EH, just shoot me and get it over with.
A fuel induction service can be done more than one way. BG is a national supplier of fuel induction cleaning products, and likely the post popular one in the country. Just about every shop uses BG. Two of their products/systems are the most popular. One involves a cleaner shot through the injectors. This is without question the most effective way that most mechanics clean injectors. However it's not the most popular, likely because it's more expensive and time consuming. The second involves spraying cleaner down the intake just ahead of the throttle body. This serves two purposes: first to clean the throttle body assembly and second to clean the back side of the intake valves and combustion chambers as well. Sadly, neither system can clean combustion chambers as well as using top tier fuel in the first place, but that only applies to our 2.5 engine. Fuel, or any additives in it, doesn't reach the backside of the intake valves on our 1.6 hybrid engines as they're direct injection only. However, spraying an effective cleaner like BG can indeed help here.

All that said, KNOW that the induction service doesn't really do a lot for getting crud off intake valves and combustion chambers. Does it work at all? Yes, but not real well. It only removes a small percentage of contaminants. It's actually much more effective at cleaning gunk off the throttle body, but as Alex pointed out above, doing this mechanically (can you spell "toothbrush") is the only way to do it right. Bottom line, remember that preventative is better than curative. Top tier fuel PREVENTS build up in the first place, while a can of Techron every oil change, or an induction cleaning service, attempt to CURE the problem AFTER it's already occurred. Preventative is better than curative.
Hope that answers your question, sir.

 

[Tampa8]

Good point. Top Tier gas helps to prevent build up, if you use it then something like Techron has less to clean and may be more effective.

 

[Alex]

Just got off the phone with the transmission shop. Looks like I was right. Ha, I even lucked out with my quickie math prediction. He said 25% of the crummy old fluid would be left: I said 30%, so I'll call that close enough. He was emphatic that multiple quickie drain and flush(es) cannot compete with a machine designed to flush the transmission. He added, "...if it could, why would any shop waste their money on the machine?"

Three drain and refills will leave less than 10% old fluid in your system. The reason for the machine is that it is faster. It's a one and done process. Triple drain and fills take time.

 

[blnewt]

Three drain and refills will leave less than 10% old fluid in your system. The reason for the machine is that it is faster. It's a one and done process. Triple drain and fills take time.

I do 3x drain and fills for my last two "lifetime fill (lol)" ATs, not perfect as far as removing all fluid but getting the majority refreshed will be noticeable for overall AT performance and longevity. My Jeep has full belly skid plates so when doing the 3x service I just run a hundred miles between drains since I have to get those skids back on in short order (and they are a total PITA to remove and reinstall). I've heard it's better to run it a bit longer between drain/fills but I'm really not sure if that's true.

Machines specific for AT drain & fills (not the pressure flushes) would be ideal as they will remove most of the fluid in one visit, and if you're not the DIY type it's a solid choice. I just have little trust anymore w/ someone else messing w/ my stuff, and my trust in myself is waning too, so ????

 

[CoolBreeze]

Good point. Top Tier gas helps to prevent build up, if you use it then something like Techron has less to clean and may be more effective.

Question from someone who is fairly illiterate on engines: So, for our cars, we almost exclusively go to Chevron to get our gas. It's close to our home and work and it's convenient, plus it's top tier. I know at one point that Chevron added Techron to their gas, but I haven't paid attention recently. If they still do, and I'm actually fueling my car with Chevron with Techron, should I still add the Techron fuel additive occasionally? Or is that just being redundant?

 

[blnewt]

Question from someone who is fairly illiterate on engines: So, for our cars, we almost exclusively go to Chevron to get our gas. It's close to our home and work and it's convenient, plus it's top tier. I know at one point that Chevron added Techron to their gas, but I haven't paid attention recently. If they still do, and I'm actually fueling my car with Chevron with Techron, should I still add the Techron fuel additive occasionally? Or is that just being redundant?

Should be good just straight from the pump nozzle, I'd be fine w/ that!

 

[KevMeist]

You said, "What the dealer did is normal and a good thing." Re-read the original post, sir. The dealer didn't do anything. Then you claim it to be "normal and therefore a good thing." I'd argue that one does not result in the other, even if it is true. If (by your statement) you mean that changing out 30 percent of the fluid is normal, you may be right. I'm not sure what policy every dealer has, and neither are you. They all do their own thing. All I do know is that ONE dealer did this, because the amount of trannie fluid they put in was minimal. That's why I posted the warning: that folks would beware and ask questions. Then you claimed this "normal" procedure was a good thing. Really? You said if a DIYer were to do 3 quickie drain and fills, that it was equal to having a trannie properly flushed out and refilled with all new fluid. HMMM. Who told you that? Simple math reveals that this quickie DIY method, if done correctly, will result in something like 70 percent flush pending just what percentage of the total fluid can be successfully removed each time. The math doesn't add up and neither does your reasoning. But just for fun, I left a message for my favorite transmission guru. He's been doing this for something like 40 years. He'll be calling me back shortly. I'll stand corrected if he disagrees with me, and post my results here shortly.

Boy...I didn't know what I started with that post.....Gary...that was a short post? LOL

 

[Alex]

Honest guys, I'm trying to keep these posts short. I know I get too technical sometimes. EH, just shoot me and get it over with.
A fuel induction service can be done more than one way. BG is a national supplier of fuel induction cleaning products, and likely the post popular one in the country. Just about every shop uses BG. Two of the most popular products/systems they provide are the most popular. One involves a cleaner shot through the injectors. This is without question the most effective way that most mechanics clean injectors. However it's not the most popular, likely because it's more expensive and time consuming. The second involves spraying cleaner down the intake just ahead of the throttle body. This serves two purposes: first to clean the throttle body assembly and second to clean the back side of the intake valves and combustion chambers as well. Sadly, neither system can clean combustion chambers as well as using top tier fuel in the first place, but that only applies to our 2.5 engine. Fuel, or any additives in it, doesn't reach the backside of the intake valves on our 1.6 hybrid engines as they're direct injection only. However, spraying an effective cleaner like BG can indeed help here.

All that said, KNOW that the induction service doesn't really do a lot for getting crud off intake valves and combustion chambers. Does it work at all? Yes, but not real well. It only removes a small percentage of contaminants. It's actually much more effective at cleaning gunk off the throttle body, but as Alex pointed out above, doing this mechanically (can you spell "toothbrush") is the only way to do it right. Bottom line, remember that preventative is better than curative. Top tier fuel PREVENTS build up in the first place, while a can of Techron every oil change, or an induction cleaning service, attempt to CURE the problem AFTER it's already occurred. Preventative is better than curative.
Hope that answers your question, sir.

Thanks for sharing this info. Long, informative posts are good. Keep them coming. As I have a new hybrid, this is good to know. We only use top tier gas, but it is good to know there are other thing that can be done to keep the buildup down. The mechanical cleaning services I have seen done were on cars with well over 50k miles and it was not an easy job and you had to take apart the intake to get near the valves. Something I would like to avoid.

 

[20-yr Owner]

I'm late to this thread, but here's some interesting data from Consumers' Checkbook:

"Consumers’ Checkbook undercover shoppers called shops in the seven major metro areas with a simple question: How much would they charge to perform Toyota’s recommended 30,000-mile/36-month maintenance on a 2020 four-cylinder Camry LE? We collected prices from 229 Toyota dealerships, independents, and quick-lube outfits.
The results were staggering. If we had driven our Camry under normal operating conditions, Toyota’s recommendations called for doing a checklist of inspections plus four simple tasks: Change the oil; replace the oil filter; replace the cabin filter; and rotate tires. Yet some shops—29 out of 229 surveyed—quoted $400 or more to do that work; six said they’d charge more than $1,000; two Toyota dealerships quoted more than $1,400.
Fortunately, not all shops had such high prices—47 shops quoted prices less than $200. But for all shops, the average price to deal with our handful of simple tasks was still $288."

This is an incredible spread, and shows me that it pays to shop around, including local (non-dealer) mechanics.

 

[blnewt]

I'm late to this thread, but here's some interesting data from Consumers' Checkbook:

"Consumers’ Checkbook undercover shoppers called shops in the seven major metro areas with a simple question: How much would they charge to perform Toyota’s recommended 30,000-mile/36-month maintenance on a 2020 four-cylinder Camry LE? We collected prices from 229 Toyota dealerships, independents, and quick-lube outfits.
The results were staggering. If we had driven our Camry under normal operating conditions, Toyota’s recommendations called for doing a checklist of inspections plus four simple tasks: Change the oil; replace the oil filter; replace the cabin filter; and rotate tires. Yet some shops—29 out of 229 surveyed—quoted $400 or more to do that work; six said they’d charge more than $1,000; two Toyota dealerships quoted more than $1,400.
Fortunately, not all shops had such high prices—47 shops quoted prices less than $200. But for all shops, the average price to deal with our handful of simple tasks was still $288."

This is an incredible spread, and shows me that it pays to shop around, including local (non-dealer) mechanics.

Similar to dealers that try to gouge every buyer w/ huge vehicle markups, unwanted add-ons etc vs ones that are much more reasonable w/ the car buying experience. Pays to shop around and be informed going in, plenty of opportunities to be victimized throughout the industry