hyundaitech...

Hey I have a 2003 XG 350L, and the timing belt Idler pulley bolt broke
and damaged the right side head (looking at the motor form the
passenger side front tire). The motor has only 55K miles and I had the
timing belt replaced at 52K miles. Here the deal:

The dealer is going to replace ONLY the right side head.

All three pistons have marks on them when the piston hit the valves.

The Mechanic did a bore scope on the left side head and found no
damage, its just odd to me, when the motor is running and I have all
three pistons damaged on the right side, and the left side is good
condition.

My questions is:
If you replace one head should the other head have a valve job done to
match the right side head, because the right side head will be brand
new, and the left side will have 55K miles on it. I am not happy with
this.

Also if the pistons have valve marks, why wont the dealership replace
the pistons or even replace the block?


How can I negotiate to have the dealership replace both heads, isn't
it common practice when you replace head you do both sides, where can
I get this writing, as a defense to make this happen.

What about the pistons, I didn't purchase the car with damage pistons
and its under warranty, how can I be sure that the rod and bearings
aren't damage, Even a slight damage in the bearings could cause some
problems in the future.

Finally, the rental car, should the dealership pay for the rental
car??

What I need is written documentation to help me. Any information will
be greatly appreciated.

BH

 

If there's no damage to the rear head, there's no particular reason to work
on it. Actually, I'm surprised to hear they're replacing the head. In
most cases, just the valves are replaced. Furthermore, it's not common
practice to replace both heads because one has a failure, so you'll be
chasing your tail on this one.

In regard to the pistons, i'd say it's a matter of degree. Pistons are
normally covered in carbon. So, if a valve comes into contact with a
piston, it's almost always visible. But that doesn't necessarily imply
there's damage to the piston. As long as there's no significant
indentation into the piston and the contact hasn't damaged the cylinder
wall, there's little reason to replace the pistons and no reason to
replace the block. I'd rather not have someone digging that deep into my
engine unless there was something substantial to be gained. (I'm a cynic
and a skeptic.) I see it as just more things to go wrong with the repair
job. The way I see it, the whole idler pulley bolt breaking is way too
much of a coincidence this soon after replacing the timing belt. If it
weren't for the free work and the necessity of repair, I'd probably prefer
not having these people inside my engine at all. In any event, you may be
able to negotiate the pistons if you can show that they're needed. Ask to
be able to come by and see the vehicle once the head is removed. This will
allow you a clear view of the tops of the pistons. Bottom line, Hyundai
only owes you repairs to the things that have failed or been damaged.

Realistically, there's little efficient way to determine for certain
whether there has been bearing damage. If the bearing is only damaged in
one spot, plastigage will only pick that up if it put in the correct spot.
If you're the original owner, I say relax, you've got plenty of warranty
left. If not, the only thing I have to offer is that I've never seen a
timing belt failure closely followed by a rod or main bearing failure. So
I'd consider the chances of damage to the bearings quite minimal.

Your Hyundai factory warranty doesn't cover rental. It's considered
incidental expense for which you're responsible. If you have an extended
warranty, there may be a rental allowance in that contract.