2011 Hyundai Sonata: Low Maintenance and Repair Costs

It might be the best product Hyundai ever produced so far. man... Sonatas last.
My mom had 2nd generation(in Korea) for 10+ years and went strong without any major issue or major maintenance other than oil change. Genesis and Equus have more techies and hypes but Sonata being on the market for 20+ years.. they do have come pretty far and now it's their time to toss.

Toss what?

I have a 2009 Genesis V8. 20k miles. I just bot a cabin air filter for it yesterday. I have also changed the oil about 4 times in my garage. That's it.

Not surprised - they have really turned things around in a major way.

Well that is one thing the Koreans did not copy from its European rivals.....stupid high maintenance costs. Despite some Sonata bashing, the car is a huge success and seems to be an all around great buy in the segment.

Beautiful photo. It looks so poised, but ready to glide down the road (or lawn). I love that flowing roofline. I know it reduces headroom in the rear, but I wouldn't change it. The styling of this says "Sonata" from any angle.

No other car, except for the Elantra, has this design. The Optima has gone its own way, which is proper. Each car is appealing, but I like the Sonata better, perhaps because I am miffed that the Optima 6 speed manual model does not come with cruise control. (And it is not an option.) That is even stupider than the plastic covered wheels on the Fusion SE and Focus SE.

Ed, that is a handsome pic of the car for sure.......I could care less about wheel covers as long as they look ok and most do now days....is that a deal breaker for you?

I'm about to give up on my bmw. Within last 7 months I had ABS break system failure (a huge and costly job with scary sounding drive train failure alert), a rear window that just fell down and refusing to come up (anti-trap failure), sludge build up in the tank (despite having gotten all scheduled maintenance services), hood that won't stay up which will cost me almost 200 bucks to fix. I only put on about 32,000 miles on it.

I am considering the Genesis or the Equs as a viable alternative for my next vehicle.

Super: that sucks...what year and model is your BMW?

Almost bought the Sonata before getting my Optima. A lot to like on this car, but the Optima's styling was more to my tastes. Hoping my Optima ends up with similar maintenance costs as the Sonata, given they are essentially the same car.

My car's not new but it's a MY 2007 7-series. It didn't have too many problems for the first two years other than some i-drive related bugs (tire pressure warnings and such) but it just decided to suck all of a sudden. Parts are expensive as hell (they charge something like 60 bucks for break fluid top off at the dealer) but labor charges kill you as well. I think it costs you about 70-80 bucks just for one of the dealer mechanic to sneeze on your car.

@ed124c....I agree with you on the base Sonata/Optima 6MTs and their lack of options. I can see not including certain things for your cheapest offering, but at least have the options available! I would consider a Sonata/Optima 6MT but I really hate the lack of cruise in the Sonata and the lack of alloys in both. I am pretty sure the Optima LX has cruise, for what its worth, but still has those hubcaps.

That being said, I found this on Amazon for about $200: Audiovox Ultracruise II 250-1316 Electronic Cruise Speed Control Kit. From what I've read, it isn't as good as an OEM kit, but it will do the job. I would NEVER buy a car without cruise, as I use it all the time to make sure I don't get speeding tickets on the highway. LOL.

" I think it costs you about 70-80 bucks just for one of the dealer mechanic to sneeze on your car."

Hahaha!

While the Sonata may do well, I'm not a fan of these TCO studies. They tend to be full of holes. I've likely not spent $2495 in repairs and maintenance for my 11 year old car. Our 13 year old SUV is another story, but still not terrible.

1) How did the data team arrive at that figure? How did they know how much eat maintenance visit would cost? Or what unscheduled maintenance will be needed?

2) The Sonata is very "overstyled." In the typical Hyundai tradition, each generation looks significantly different than the last. These cars will look very dated once Hyundai releases a redesign; unlike MB, who keeps their styling more conservative.

3) The suspension tuning in this car is unrefined. It feels like it needs more dampening.

I can contribute only one data point on the topic of total of cost of ownership, but over 14 years we have put $17,400 of maintenance and repairs (including a transmission rebuild) into a 5-series BMW. The car retailed for around $45,000 new and now has 134,000 miles.

Is it a big surprise that highest on my list of requirements for the next sensible car is something that won't cost ridiculous amounts to maintain.

We've got two Porsches as well, but those are only five years old and so far they have been mechanically sound. Cost of tires and dealer servicing is pretty high, but we expected that.

sodaguy says: "The Sonata is very 'overstyled.' In the typical Hyundai tradition, each generation looks significantly different than the last. These cars will look very dated once Hyundai releases a redesign; unlike MB, who keeps their styling more conservative."

****

Well, considering that future Mercedes designs are to use many of the design elements from the F800 concept (which one can say is "Sonata-esque", esp. around the headlights), that likely won't be true anymore.

http://bikencar.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Mercedes-F800-Style-13.jpg

Besides, there's quite the contrast in design btwn the W212 E Class and W211 E Class.

That's a strong showing? The seems really extreme in 5 years of ownership.

What kind of maintenance does it include? It seems high but if it includes new tires I could see that.
Note that according to TCO depreciation though is $3,500 higher than an Accord.

@super_ongoy,

That sucks, but if it makes you feel better I had a business associate whose E66 just suddenly began falling apart too. He bought it new and maintained it meticulously, but once it crested 60K miles all hell broke loose.

I actually worry that my M3 could do the same (thankfully it is leased). It is the most fun car I've ever owned, but every once in a while it needs to be "rebooted" and its amazing to me how interrelated all the electronics are when that happens. It's never one thing acting weird that causes me to restart the car, it's like 10 things suddenly go on the fritz all at once. Of course, the dealer has never been able to replicate the issue.

@jbarrow22,

Wow, good thing BMW offers free scheduled maintenance on its new cars, I guess. :) Actually, it isn't all that outrageous for German cars. My father has a 1995 S500 he bought new. He's put a tick under 300,000 miles on that car and was just recently telling me that he calculated that he has spent $15,000 on maintenance and repairs over that time. Of course, that car has over twice as many miles as your 5er and cost $87,000 so I guess it really isn't that outrageous after all.

@j2j,

Benz concepts are always FAR wilder than their production versions. You can rest assured staid conservatism will continue to rain supreme at Mercedes design. :)

The only way I would "own" a German car is to lease within the warranty period.

You can always count on mercedesfan to tell it straight up and like it is. It is so refreshing to read one of his posts. He likes his German cars but still is objective enough to acknowledge their faults.

Yep. I should have leased. When I first got the car fuel was also a lot cheaper too. I didn't expect break system failures either. I knew the maintenance will cost quiet a bit but I didn't expect the car to just fall apart all of a sudden. I also suspect incompetency of dealer mechanics as well. It seems like something new breaks every time it goes in for a repair. I can't imagine they might be doing that to raise their revenue but you gotta wonder at some point... One time when I was driving out of the dealer's lot, I got three fresh warnings.

Yep... Should have leased.

I can't say that I'm surprised, Hyundai's have always had a good track record for maintenance costs in the last 6+ years. How much have you guys spent on the Sonata thus far?

I've owned BMWs since 1983 -nine in all- and I currently have three. I have found the key to reasonable operating costs is the ability to do perform simple maintenance and repairs yourself as well as having access to an honest and competent dealer or indie shop for the more complex repairs. Also remember that simple is good; the more complex the car, the greater the potential for expensive repairs. Which is why I prefer 3ers and 5ers powered by naturally aspirated inline sixes. Still want an M car? Buy an E36 M3.
As for my cars, here are a couple of data points:

1995 318ti: At 126,100 miles and nearly 16 years of ownership, repairs and maintenance have cost $6555(5.2 cents per mile). That number includes for sets of summer/track tires. And yes, it still sees the track- as recently as two weeks ago. Even got a point-by from a 911SC(he missed a shift between turns 3 and 5)

2005 X3 2.5: At 113,250 and six years of ownership, I've spent $4422(3.9 cents per mile) on repairs and maintenance- including two sets of Pirelli PZero Nero All Seasons.

My1975 2002 is a "running restoration", so running costs haven't been calculated yet.

Now it's time to guess the cost of a BMW service visit...

I recently took my wife's 2004 X3 to our BMW dealer's service department. The following maintenance was performed:

1. Oil Service(an oil/filter change, cabin microfilter change, and brake inspection- including 7 quarts of synthetic oil)
2. Automatic transmission fluid change
3. Transfer case oil change
4. BMW's proprietary intake system/combustion chamber cleaning
5. Spark plug change- the originals lasted 113,250 miles(!)

So... How much did I pay for all of the above?

@roadburner,

I quite agree that performing maintenance yourself saves you a boatload of cash. However, that can be said for any car. The truth is, if you were to compare the do-it-yourself maintenance costs of a Japanese or American car versus a German car, the German car would still be dramatically more expensive. It isn't that labor costs are so much more for a German car, rather the parts are expensive.

It personally doesn't bother me. I love the feel of German cars and it's worth it to me to pay the high ownership costs to have that feel.

Nevertheless, I understand that there are lots of people who don't see it that way. For them, leasing is a great option. Owning a German car for the long haul is an exercise in love, not financial planning. Even my S550, which just passed 100,000 miles and has required only 2 minor repairs over that time, has been expensive just because every service visit is a couple hundred dollars. It's just a fact of life. I've accepted it and it hasn't dampened my love of German automobiles one bit. :)

Our family had a 80s Mercedes 320 SEL (?) which we sold to a family friend back in the early 90s. I heard that thing is still going strong. And it still looks good from what I remember. It was just a solid car without any of the bells and whistles that modern luxury (and even compacts) bring. Perhaps it's not so great in terms of safety features but I believe it was way better built than some of the new German cars. A MY 07 5series in my family also haven't had a major problem other than some idrive related gremlins. I was starting to think that the Microsoft Windows team designed the iDrive. I'm just crossing my fingers that it won't start falling apart. Among all the Germans we had, this is the first time we are seeing this.

Oh and I just added a cracked wheel to the list of my problems. I don't remember hitting anything or driving over a huge pothole. I hope it doesn't devour my 401k by the time I'm done with this car.

this is my perception toward German motors
BMW - the best dynamics, but the least reliable (so I would lease one! under warranty) not my favorite but I do love some of their cars.
MB - questionable reliablity? but I think it's not below average. if I were to choose one just in general(in Germany) it would be it.
Audi - I've been getting bad feedbacks about their engines... but I dunno I really like interiors and solid feeling.
Porsche - Solid all around but I'm not much of two door sports car person... so Panamera is the only choice I have among them. definetly my choice for ultra luxo sedan
VW - I'd rather pick somewhere else... just not my favorite... not saying they are bad or good

My guess is roadburner spent $1250 on his recent dealer service visit.

$850 for RB

You guys have to keep in mind that the TCO usually takes into account servicing the car to the manufactures maintenance schedule and typically replacement periouds for things not on the schedule (brakes, tires, etc).

That's one thing I really liked about our hyundai van when we were shopping. in our price range we were looking for something with 60-90k miles. The hyundai pretty much only needed oil changes and 1 coolant flush in that amount of time. So I didn't have to worry too much on the car being behind on maintenance if someone else didn't maintain it well. Also the entourage doesn't need anything major like tranny flush and sparkplugs and stuff till after 100k and doesn't have a timing belt. The Siennas by comparison had to have a timing belt at 90k (04-06 models) and more maintenance items in that period of time including the transmission fluid I believe.

That's one thing that hyundai has definitely gotten right to help offset the resale values and such (which continue to improve)

"I quite agree that performing maintenance yourself saves you a boatload of cash. However, that can be said for any car. The truth is, if you were to compare the do-it-yourself maintenance costs of a Japanese or American car versus a German car, the German car would still be dramatically more expensive. It isn't that labor costs are so much more for a German car, rather the parts are expensive. "

It really depends on the model; by any measure the BMW OEM parts for my 3er aren't all that expensive. A few examples:
F&R brake rotors- $155
Thermostat- $30
Brake light switch- $15
In general, German cars are more expensive to maintain- but if you pick the right model and use a little common sense the added expense isn't all that significant.

Something I learned the hard way after a 3-year love affair with a 2000 740iL: Reflecting back (ain't Hindsight a bitch?), I had assumed that because I could afford the car, I could afford the upkeep. I couldn't. My 740 was 2 years old with 27k on the clock. I bought it for 33k, the same as the new Cadillac CTS I was considering. The first 2 years were bliss, warranty in effect and free maintenance. The staggered, Z-rated Michelin's were $800 a set and would only go 25k but that was the only expense. After warranty, brakes were $1500, an A/C compressor was $1100, battery almost $300. I sold it at 78k miles and felt luck to get out alive. 3 years later, I regret selling the car and now understand I expected the BMW to cost me no more than my Grand Caravan or other more pedestrian rides. That was silly on my part and I came to the realization that I couldn't afford the BMW at that stage of my life. Like a big house, cost of acquisition is just the beginning. I now have 3 Ford's and while cost of ownership is dirt cheap, I sure miss that 7...

Yes, a 7er can be expensive to run, especially if your only option is a dealer that charges outrageous prices. For example, David Zeckhausen sells Performance Friction street pads for the E32 7er for only $160. He has Centric Rotors priced at $304. Throw in $32 for wear sensors and you're at only $496. As for the battery, an Interstate Mega-Tron runs $197. And RockAuto has a new Denso A/C compressor for $374; RockAuto also has the equivalent AV Delco part for a CTS- for $376.

Finally, bodyblue had the closest guess on the X3's service visit- the actual cost was $645.44

What did I win? I would prefer your 2002 please!

You wouldn't want it right now; the heater box is out and I'm getting ready to repair the wiper linkage...