When Do You See the Car Dealer

September 5, 2013 1:01 PM

Warning lights are showing on my car dashboard. The manual says "see the dealer". Do they mean this?

Recently the all-wheel drive icon started flashing on my dashboard. I checked the manual and it says "take your car to your Hyundai dealer". Do they specifically mean a Hyundai dealer or just a mechanic?

What is likely to happen when I take it in?

Thanks!

posted by amicamentis to Travel & Transportation (21 answers total)

The manual probably means somebody with the right computer to hook up to your car to read all the error codes that caused the light to show. I'm not a car mechanic, but I think these things are fairly standardized these days and any good mechanic should be able to ask your car what it thinks is wrong.
posted by DreamerFi at 1:04 PM on September 5, 2013 [4 favorites]

Yeah. what DreamerFi said. Some car parts stores even have the computers for you to borrow. I know the Autozone by me does.
posted by General Malaise at 1:06 PM on September 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

Thirding Autozone or whoever is most like an Autozone in your area. Pep Boys will also do it.

Some cars have a way of giving you the code via a little song-and-dance you do with the ignition key, along the lines of a cheat code (on, off, accessory, off or somesuch). Do the actions correctly and the CHECK ENGINE light will flash the code out to you, but Hyundais apparently don't have this feature.
posted by jquinby at 1:12 PM on September 5, 2013

...and as for what will happen, you can Google the code and see what the general Internet Consensus is around next steps.

Back in the heydey of Usenet, rec.autos.tech.* was fantastic for this sort of thing, but I think web forums have largely taken over these days. Looks like there are a number of Hyundai forums out there. Troll around in there for others who have gotten your code and see. At least you'll be forewarned w/r/t any fixes.
posted by jquinby at 1:16 PM on September 5, 2013

You can take it to a Hyundai dealer or to a mechanic of your choice and they will/should hook up a device that can read your car's computer's error codes. Based on that data they will/should then perform a visual inspection of the systems that may have triggered the codes.
A lot of these interfaces are standardized so most decent places will be able to do this. Just in case you might want to call in first to make sure they can do it.

What happens next depends on the exact nature of the problem of course.

Whether or not you want to take the car to a dealer or to a mechanic of your choice depends on other factors. If your car (and especially the main bits of your 4WD) are still under warranty you'll probably want to go to a dealership and have it fixed there. If your car is no longer under warranty it might be cheaper to avoid dealership service. I don't know about Hyundai in particular but the brands I'm familiar with tend to overcharge and under-deliver in terms of quality when you have repairs done at the dealerships. Of course not going to the dealership means doing your due diligence in terms of locating a good, qualified and honest mechanic who won't charge you an arm and a leg for unnecessary work.
posted by Hairy Lobster at 1:18 PM on September 5, 2013

They almost certainly mean Hyundai gets more money if they send you to a Hyundai dealer than to a non-Hyundai mechanic.

A friend of mine, who is a mechanic, has told me that some newer cars are deliberately designed with certain parts that require special tools to work on, and the car companies hold patents on those tools, and therefore they are super expensive, and therefore not all mechanics have them. But it's not common.

Take it to your autozone/pepboys/whatever, then take it to your regular mechanic if need be. If for some reason, you actually do have to take it to a dealer, then you can do so.
posted by mrgoat at 1:20 PM on September 5, 2013

Car companies obviously have a vested financial interest in getting people to come back to the dealership for service. In general, I find that car dealers overcharge for service, so I go to my own local mom-and-pop mechanic, particularly for dashboard light issues.

He usually reads the codes from the car's computer. In several trips to the mechanic, only once has he ever said "you need to go to the dealer, this is a Subaru-specific error code and my scanner can't read deeply enough into the computer." This was for a failed passenger airbag module. The dealer charged me $24 bucks just to read the code. I haven't replaced the module as it's a $225 repair and I just don't have the money right now (plus I rarely drive with passengers, well, never now that the airbag module needs to be replaced).
posted by tckma at 1:23 PM on September 5, 2013

I would only take it to a third party mechanic if I trusted them enough to tell me if they didn't know what was wrong. Engine codes can be fairly simple, but a problem with the AWD system? I would be hesitant trust a strange mechanic to know what they are doing.

See what your local Hyundai dealership charges for labor. It might not be that bad. (My experience with Hyundai parts is that they are very reasonable, so maybe labor is too.)
posted by gjc at 1:26 PM on September 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I have a nice mechanic that I trust will give an accurate diagnosis. So, consensus is to go with him first?
posted by amicamentis at 2:01 PM on September 5, 2013

Call your mechanic and ask if they can read this code. This may or may not be something that's throwing a code that a generic ODB scanner can read; my old Sebring had a light to signal an ABS problem but it wasn't something that you could diagnose with the generic ODB set. I had to go to a mechanic who had dropped the money for the extended library or whatever they want to call it.

So a Hyundai dealership will definitely be able to read the code, a 3rd party mechanic MAY be able to. But your mechanic will know whether they can or not and can tell you when you set up an appointment.
posted by phearlez at 2:17 PM on September 5, 2013 [2 favorites]

I'll go to a trusted independent mechanic over a dealer pretty much always; worst case, he reads the code and determines that it's something beyond his ability to deal with, and you fall back on a dealer.

(Dealer experience may vary, of course; I had one who was really great about reading OBDC codes, I could bring it in, they'd read the code and give me a best guess of what the problem was for free (along with a quick estimate/recommendation of how to proceed.) I took it to another and asked them to read a code and they charged me $30 in labor. When I submitted a complaint email to the manager he sent me an unbelievably snotty response. So, wherever you go be sure and ask beforehand if they're going to charge you to read the code. Enough places will do it for free that you shouldn't have to pay for it.)
posted by usonian at 2:26 PM on September 5, 2013

OBD code-readers or cables that can connect to a smartphone will cost less than $30, probably under $20.
posted by Sunburnt at 2:51 PM on September 5, 2013

I would go to an independent who specializes in Hyundais. Because not only will they be able to read the error codes, but they'll probably also have dealt with this specific issue (whatever it is) on Hyundais.

In other word, don't just go to Tire Rack or Joe's "we specialize in all cars, foreign and domestic" garage.
posted by zippy at 3:44 PM on September 5, 2013

I have a nice mechanic that I trust will give an accurate diagnosis. So, consensus is to go with him first?

I'd call and ask them if they can will be able to read the code. If not, take it to a Hyundai dealer and have them read the code (this should be free) and tell you what it means (you should probably write it down) and then take it to your mechanic to have them fix it. That is, unless the car is still covered the warranty (manufacturer or extended).

I don't think Hyundai has been making cars with all-wheel-drive for very long unless you mean four-wheel-drive which is a slightly different thing.

What is the year and model of your car? Did you buy it new?
posted by VTX at 7:55 AM on September 6, 2013

Response by poster: It does have AWD - it's a 2008 Hyundai Tucson. My parents bought it used.
posted by amicamentis at 8:07 AM on September 6, 2013

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned here is that, at least on most cars, if the light is flashing, you probably -should- get it checked out ASAP, or at least drive it as little as possible until you can get it worked on.
posted by jferg at 8:10 AM on September 6, 2013

You're probably just out of warranty then. Hyundias have a 10-year/100,000 powertrain warranty but it's only good for the first owner. There is a 5-year/60,000 mile that covers you from the in-service date which is likely some time in 2007. A dealer will be able to tell you exactly when the warranty expired/expires.
posted by VTX at 8:18 AM on September 6, 2013

Don't buy an OBD-II reader. That's like buying stock in UPS to save money on sending a package.

Go to an Autozone or likewise, and ask to see your OBD-II reading. It should be free to do this. If it isn't free, then go to another car parts shop, and ask the same question. You can't beat free.

Write down the code, and look it up on the internet. The codes can range from meaning "you need an oil change" to "you need a transmission rebuild." Note that these codes should be taken with a grain of salt, but you will at least have a ballpark clue of what you should talk to your mechanic about.

This free preemptive knowledge is what will allow you to ask the right questions. Asking the right questions saves you lots of money in the auto repair business. Hundreds of dollars. Thousands of dollars.
posted by oceanjesse at 8:21 AM on September 6, 2013

Take it to a qualified repair center; doesn't have to be a dealer since, as VTX points out, you're no longer under any warranty. I would be SHOCKED if a Hyundai dealer would read the codes on an out-of-warranty vehicle for free. But Autozone, O'Reilly or other auto parts stores often do it for free.

I've participated in several Hyundai online forums, and yeah, they can be pretty helpful. I have an Elantra so I'm no good with all wheel drive.

If your warning light starts blinking it means you have a major issue that needs to be dealt with NOW.

Have you checked your transmission fluid level? It could be something as simple as that.
posted by Doohickie at 8:22 AM on September 6, 2013

My last car used to spit out OBD codes if you hit the accelerator while the car was off in a certain sequence. You should google "how to read OBD codes without a scanner" to see if your car has this capacity.
posted by slateyness at 9:31 AM on September 6, 2013

I think gcj and phearlez have the right angle on this -- yes, many engine codes are generic, and any mechanic can read them with a reader to get a diagnosis and fix the problem. But a vehicle-specific AWD error code is NOT likely to be a generic issue, and depending on the topology of the car's onboard electronics, it may not even be reported by the Engine Control Unit (ECU or ECM), but by a separate transmission management computer, which may have it's own proprietary reader. And if it is being reported by the ECU, it may still be throwing a code that's proprietary to your Hyundai.

If you can find an independent shop that specializes in Hyundai, take it to them, otherwise I would probably take this to the dealer. And a blinking light usually means that a code has been tripped once or twice but is not yet being logged every time you drive. At some point soon, this light will likely remain solid.
posted by mosk at 10:27 AM on September 6, 2013