[sagarpadaki]

Regarding shock absorbers, I would suggest you import the whole set from Korea if feasible along with new springs front and rear. The Monroe ones is quite old, and from my experience with Monroe, they do not last long. Since they are gas filled, there is no way of knowing if they are shot apart from the noises they start to make when the strut loses its functionality. Whereas Hyundai struts will leak all the hydraulic oil thereby giving a visual indication of the shot struts.

[handsofsteel]

@ads295. i think you need to change your tagline (or whatever it is called). It's no longer a '05 Sonata V6 but a 2024 Sonata V6. Hats off to your perseverance. A huge shout out to your FNG too, from what you have said, he comes across as a guy who knows his stuff and is honest/ reasonable to boot. Such guys are rare nowadays.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by ads295

Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on the only shock absorbers for the Sonata in all of Gujarat and one of the last OE Monroe sets in the country:

Ah nice to see a ultra rare relic made in my Hometown HOSUR, in the same year my son was born. I bet they still have some of it in their Sipcot warehouse.

My neighbor was working there in the design/engg department.

EDIT
SIPCOT-1 Industrial area was where Tenneco/Monroe was made. SIPCOT Phase-2 was the home of Gabriel shocks. These giants had their local manufacturing to support the local giants TVS/AshokLeyland. Everyday a resident would pass 100s of trucks/minivans carrying automobile parts around Hosur roads.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by ads295

Now, actually there's no indication that any gas has been filled at all! One of the front struts is still ever so slightly weaker than the other while the rear ones are OK. I've raised a dispute with the seller and will push for a refund of the gas filling cost.

This is a scam. It is not possible to top up the gas partially on a sealed shock absorber. There are lots of YT videos which show how to refurbish shock absorber and all of them involve cutting open the shock absorber.

[ads295]

Hello

- Yes I was told the same by my mechanic that there are no marks it's been opened

- I got a refund from the seller for the "gas filling" (he got a rude awakening as well)

- To answer your earlier question - the OE shocks themselves are gas filled, I'm only going for Monroe sets instead of OE. The innards work the same way. I understand your point about Monroe not being reliable but this car is not going to clock more than 3,000km a year, so I guess they'll last me a while.

[ads295]

Hello all

Things are moving along now.

All of the suspension components are taken apart, cleaned up and the relevant parts swapped.

You can compare some pictures to my previous post where the same arm was not yet cleaned up.

The transmission mount is finally here!

I could've sworn I saw a golden halo around the package when I opened it, accompanied with the few opening seconds of the orchestral uplifting music of any Simpsons episode:



I found aftermarket (Bravo brand) axle boots (dust covers) on Boodmo and bought them - they need replacement.
The steering boots (dust covers) are not available anywhere on the market, or online. Not aftermarket, not Mobis. Luckily, the spare steering rack I got from Kerala has intact boots. We'll use those for now while I build a list of parts to order from Korea.

Meanwhile, I got some pieces of wooden trim for free from the guy in Kerala. It stuns me how well made these are, because even the parts from the scrap car are in mint condition:





My mechanic has asked for 30 more minor small bushes that go on the struts. I'm struck how he can simply ask for such spares 7 months after the car has arrived
But these are the truly minor bushes that no mechanic or garage would ever change - they're usually fit from the factory and forgotten. Oh well. If the mechanic has attention to detail, it demands an equally meticulous owner to arrange for the spares he needs. I've waited this long, maybe I'll wait some more.

Until next time...

[ImportedLlama]

Originally Posted by ads295

Now the suspension build can continue! Barring the last 2 bushes and the spring stoppers/bumpers from Korea, everything else can be put together.

Hey there! It’s me the owner of the Honda Accord V6! I think your project is absolutely awesome and I love following along. I understand this is a restoration to stock condition if I’m not wrong. If there is some scope for aftermarket parts I believe a good set of aftermarket coilovers might be a great purchase.

Although I'm not sure if these will fit in your budget, i believe that having a slight OEM+ build is a great choice and is in fact what I’m doing with my car. Anyways I just wanted to get your thoughts on stuff like a set of coilovers instead of having to go through so many hurdles to get a set of original dampeners. All the best on your build and i look forward to future updates. I have two quite big updates in the making and I’m super excited to share them soon. Happy motoring!

[ads295]

Hey man
Nice to hear from you.

I never thought about going for coilovers myself, but I suppose they would be even harder to find for the Sonata given just how few sold worldwide.

You will have a much easier time finding parts for your Accord though. Coilovers aren't a bad idea. Done right they can make your car looks really good. That said, beware the stiffer ride quality that comes with them - in the end our cars are luxo-barges not sports cars, so it's not like stiffer springs will dramatically change the nature of the car.

Everything has a compromise...

[sagarpadaki]

Regarding steering dust covers, contact the workshops that work on steering racks repair and refurbishments. They will have boots of every shape and size you need.

[ads295]

Hey guys.

It's been a busy week this time around. My mechanic finally relented on his linear thinking and started work on the other parts while we wait for the suspension bushes.

Updates:

Suspension components are spray painted after being cleaned up.

Mechanic said the paint is acrylic based and should protect from future rust - not that it's rusted now, but the current paint is worn off in place.

The cracked intake hose I observed before buying the car is FINALLY replaced.

Such a relief to see it changed! Fits like a glove.

The old one is done for.



Next week's plan is to carry out the below jobs:

-> Remove the driveshafts and replace the weeping transmission oil seal that's currently leaking a little
-> Check the axle support bearings which have some play.
-> Change the remaining engine mounts (2 of them) and the trans mount which was delivered recently (these had to be done in 1 go)

Today we also drained the ATF (auto trans fluid) which I'll cover in my next post.

[ads295]

The ATF change

Since we're on a mission to change every fluid in the car, the Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) is a prime candidate. I was sure it's never been changed in the lifetime of this car. I was really looking forward to see the AT oil filter changed, too. The dipstick showed a fluid level much higher than the recommended volume - this means that the fluid has been topped off or replaced at least once.

Draining the ATF isn't a tricky process but it sure is cumbersome, as you're going to change less than half the fluid in the system if you drain it the way you'd drain engine oil (i.e. by opening the drain plug at the bottom).

I read the section for ATF changes in the service manual of the car, and Hyundai recommends that you do it with the engine running! It was quite unorthodox for me, given that all the ATF changes I've seen on YouTube do it the drain plug way.

The process involves disconnecting the oil cooler hose for the trans and running the engine with the gearbox in [N]. Hyundai says the engine should be run for a max of 1 minute or until the oil stops flowing. I assisted my mechanic and timed it to run for 1 minute.

We drained a good amount of ATF this way. I'll know the exact figure tomorrow but it's over 4L for sure, so more than half the fluid in the system:



The oil itself was dark and cloudy but that's to be expected. Hyundai states that this is normal and shouldn't be cause for concern as long as it doesn't look or smell obviously burnt.

The drain plug was removed after this procedure to remove whatever remains. It contained some fine dirt (paste?) but all of that is very much normal. I was relieved to see a total absence of any metal shavings or particles! This old trans is A-OK.

You can't change the filter!

Videos of AT oil filter changes for the Sonata are impossible to come by - they just don't exist. I was wondering why because some videos mentioned dropping the oil pan from the bottom of the trans and just replacing the filter. Turns out there is no oil pan on the bottom of the car! It faces the front, located behind the radiator. But the filter itself is still on the bottom of the car!

This 3-minute video explains:

https://youtu.be/bBeugPwICqQ?feature=shared

I was reading through the service manual for instructions on how to change the AT oil filter and I came across this TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) that cleared the matter right up.



You cannot change the oil filter!
I've wasted ₹4-5k in actually buying two filters when I can't use even one.
This is a very poor design decision from Hyundai (even my mechanic said he liked these old cars but this is an obvious gaffe).

Oh well. AT filters don't undergo the same loads that engine oil filters do, so this will mostly not be a problem, but I would have loved to get in there and replace the oil filter with a fresh new one.

Until next time...

[Joli]

I quite like the efforts you're putting to keep the car spic and span. The ATF is a bit of a worry especially when acquiring/replacing it is a chore. I have a diesel AT Creta that has done over 1L kms. I, for the life of me, am unable to source ATF for it in Mumbai. Authorised service centres quote absurd rates. One service centre mentioned Rs 2894/litre whereas another two said Rs 400/litre. None of them are able to send a photograph of the product. When you ask them the right procedure to change ATF, they start mumbling and pass the phone to everyone around. Final result? Nil.

Till date, I have not been able to find a reliable Hyundai workshop in Mumbai or someone knowledgeable enough. FNGs suggest not to get the ATF changed as opening the assembly means inviting trouble. Sorry for hijacking your post and the rant but the truth is that this is one of the least ticked items for automatic vehicles.

[ads295]

Originally Posted by Joli

When you ask them the right procedure to change ATF, they start mumbling and pass the phone to everyone around. Final result? Nil.

Till date, I have not been able to find a reliable Hyundai workshop in Mumbai or someone knowledgeable enough.

It's quite unfortunate but Indians in general (and garage owners) think of mechanics as labourers who are replaceable, deserve to be paid the least possible wages, and treated like dirt, rather than as skilled, intelligent humans who deserve trust and need to be given specific directions from the company service manual. This is an extension of the typical Indian garage school of thought that all cars are alike and small details do not really matter.

For your Creta, first read the owner's manual to see what they say about ATF (even modern car manuals have become dumb so I would not be surprised if there are no technical details there.) Next scour the internet for the ATF grade and the workshop manual. Your Creta mostly uses SP-IV which was incidentally the grade Mannol sent to me by mistake - you would easily be able to source it directly from them for less than ₹1k/L. (I have mentioned their contact details in an earlier post in this thread.) if you'll read my older posts you too will see that I had the choice of paying ₹2,400 per litre of the ATF from Hyundai directly.

It's critical but it's not hard to do. Watch a few videos of ATF fluid changes, buy the oil yourself (with the filter too if it can be swapped) and stand watch over the FNG while they do it. Taking charge of the process top to toe is the only way you'll be able to sleep at peace after the work is done. Check ATF levels before and after the change.

[Joli]

Originally Posted by ads295

For your Creta, first read the owner's manual to see what they say about ATF (even modern car manuals have become dumb so I would not be surprised if there are no technical details there.) Next scour the internet for the ATF grade and the workshop manual. Your Creta mostly uses SP-IV which was incidentally the grade Mannol sent to me by mistake - you would easily be able to source it from them for less than ₹1k/L.

It's critical but it's not hard to do. Watch a few videos of ATF fluid changes, buy the oil yourself (with the filter too if it can be swapped) and stand watch over the FNG while they do it. It's the only way you'll be able to sleep at peace after the work is done. Check ATF levels before and after the change.

It is indeed SP-IV or Mannol Dexron VI (aftermarket). However, the FNGs are also mostly clueless and given the complexity of the part, not the process, a FASS seems a better bet. At least, there will be some amount of warranty that comes with a job done. The quantity, as mentioned in the manual is 7.2 litres. Had been advised to buy 10 litres for flushing. A transmission filter is for Rs 3900. It is available at MOBIS but not the ATF. Where did you source it from?

The manual doesn't mention how the job is to be done though

[ads295]

There are posts here on tBHP where car owners have had to stop service center staff from starting their car's engine while the car was completely drained of engine oil - do you really believe that you have any sort of warranty?
Beware, the ASS will completely wash their hands of any responsibility saying "we didn't ask you to do it in the first place" in case something goes wrong. There are dealers who don't even take responsibility for a brand new car these days.

I got 1pc of my trans oil filter from Mobis India and 1pc from Korea directly. Mine was a lot cheaper through, at ₹1,600 for the one purchased in India.

DO NOT flush your transmission (another thing the ASS will push you to do). There are tons of videos out there which advise that doing so might actually rake up the muck in your oil pan and make things worse. Just do a simple oil change which will change over 50% of the oil in your trans if done correctly (it's impossible to change 100% without a flush, which involves external oil pumps pushing oil through your car).

Mannol sells SP-IV directly - just go through this post and you'll even see pics of the bottle that I've uploaded.

Regarding instructions - a simple Google search would have yielded you this excellent page:
https://www.hcrmangs.com/fluid-430.html