My 439,000 mile 2009 Sonata. She's not a looker, but damn reliable if anything

This is my car, it was my mom’s car since I was 8 years old. This car served us for about 16 years, day in and day out. It’s seen its fair share of bumps, bruises, near misses, etc. It still has its original transmission and engine. Now, 16 years after its manufacture, the Illinois road salt has taken its toll. The body is rusting out, the engine leaks oil, the block has a crack that was fixed with JB Weld last winter, and copious electrical problems are present with some occurring and disappearing just as fast. Even with all its problems, I love this car. It’s been a key part of my life since childhood and never left us stranded with a few recent exceptions. She takes her final regular drive tonight, most likely off to the scrap yard sometime soon. She’s worth -1,200 as a trade-in, but that doesn’t diminish how important she is to me and my family. She’s IMO the best car ever and I don’t think any car that comes after could compare.

Holy fuck… Are those belt straps holding the hood down?? My man… Hyundai should give you a 500,000 mile badge (if they had one).

Alva said:
Holy fuck… Are those belt straps holding the hood down?? My man… Hyundai should give you a 500,000 mile badge (if they had one).

Yep, the hood latch gave out and this was easier than buying and mounting a new hood latch.

@Brett
Just look up a video on installing a latch, as long as the spot isn’t totally rusted in, I think you’re better off with the new good latch. With the amount of good latches you can find at the junkyard, I think you’re better off learning a skill and making it easier on yourself in the future. If the car is there for y’all, y’all may as well take care of it.

Alva said:
Holy fuck… Are those belt straps holding the hood down?? My man… Hyundai should give you a 500,000 mile badge (if they had one).

You see a car like this on the road, you know they’re not afraid of anybody.

My 2012 Elantra has 215k miles. I bought it in 2015 with 80k miles on it.

Nori said:
My 2012 Elantra has 215k miles. I bought it in 2015 with 80k miles on it.

Does that have the G4GC beta 2 motor? I’ve got a 2012 Elantra Touring that just passed 200k miles and I feel like it could go another 200k.

@Adi
No, I looked up mine. It says it has the Nu 1.8L engine, not the G4GC Beta 2. I think that was more common in older models or the Touring version.

I sure hope my 2017 Sonata manages to breach 300,000. I think it will honestly and I will maintain it and ensure that it reaches that.

Wes said:
I sure hope my 2017 Sonata manages to breach 300,000. I think it will honestly and I will maintain it and ensure that it reaches that.

My 2017 Sonata SE 2.4L has 204,000 on it and counting. They’re good cars as long as you maintain them well. I do oil changes every 3,750 - 4k~ish miles and she runs great.

@Vick
Even with synthetic oil? Also, is drivetrain maintenance (drive shaft, differential, transmission fluid, etc.) and steering column maintenance truly necessary outside of a regular inspection every time you do an oil change? I was told to check it when it started to squeak or when steering and shifting begin to get heavy.

@Wes
Yes, I use full synthetic oil. Mine burns slightly, but it used to be really bad; almost every 100-300 miles, I’d add a quart of oil. Now it does maybe 1 quart every 1,500-2,000 miles. And I believe the 2017 Sonatas have electronic steering, so I’m not sure how to check that. On my '08, I had to change the steering rack and pinion, plus it still had leaks in power steering, but on my 2017, I have no clue, and I haven’t had any issues. Haven’t done anything else besides regular work like oil changes, brakes, and fluid changes. I’m not sure if the transmission fluid had been replaced or not, but it shifts smoothly.

@Vick
Car manual says change transmission fluid every 60,000 to 80,000 mi, although I’m not sure if that’s something that you have to do or just something they write to cover their ass for lawsuits. 9 times out of 10, the transmission fluid is built to last the life of the car, which can be up to 250,000 mi. I have heard that these have engine oil burning issues, but if it is repaired quickly enough, can I save the engine and not have to get a brand new engine? I’ve heard of people being on their second engine with these cars. Also, is there an oil life gauge? Something to give a percentage of oil life outside of the ‘miles to service’ widget on the dash? Thank you for all your info. You are healing my anxiety right now, stranger. As a brand new owner of this car, some of the stuff I’ve read online has given me doubts; however, reading about how people managed to get to 150,000 mi gives me a lot of hope. Mine is a 2.4L with 68,000 mi.

@Vick
How did you increase your mileage before you had to add oil? That’s a big difference. Wondering if you had checked or replaced your valve cover gasket? When I was going to change the plugs in my former 2011 Sonata Limited 2.0t, the wells had oil in all 4. The seals around them, which are part of the valve cover gasket, had worn out. Couldn’t figure out before that was why I had to keep adding oil. Never saw leaks anywhere around the valve cover itself or under it.

Wes said:
I sure hope my 2017 Sonata manages to breach 300,000. I think it will honestly and I will maintain it and ensure that it reaches that.

Not going to happen lol, not even close.

We retired our 07 Sonata in 2018 with 300k on it. Still going strong on the original drivetrain. Just did regular maintenance to it.

I just bought a 2021 Kona SEL with 104,000 miles. I’ve only put 550 miles on it since Sept. 1, 2024. I’d be happy to get 200,000. Traded in my 2008 Impala that had 134,000 miles.

gif

Wow, rusting out??? Didn’t think Hyundais really had rust issues.

They were so reliable then; things have changed since 2011 till today. Millions of people around the world are not happy about all the failures. Such a shame.