2015 Hyundai Genesis 5.0 lower front timing cover replacement

[carguy75]

I'll tell the next owner you said that. (kidding)
I do understand your sentiment, though, lol

LOL. You will not believe how many times I noticed some "questionable" repairs on used cars I purchased over the years. I go under the car to fix one thing and notice a half-ass repair on some other part of the car. Believe it or not; many professional mechanics also performed repairs like that because many owners will not ever look under the car or know what to look at even if they did.

Do you think every repair shop will put on a new lower timing cover if they made a mistake like I did while changing the oil sensor if a used lower timing cover with a minor defect will work? They would slap on the used cover and get the car back on the road if it does not leak. I would not have not known the wiser if I paid shop to replaced my lower timing cover and they used the same exact cover I have with the chip as the replacement.

All I would "maybe" know is that they was able to source me a used lower timing cover that worked.

 

[carguy75]

I've seen other people (in other forums) post about how they think most car companies are building less reliable, less durable cars in general, this day and age. Maybe they are, or maybe it's just because we hear more about the failures/breakdowns people are dealing with, since the dawn of the internet forum.
I have to say, if I had seen threads like this, and threads about people dealing with broken sunroof tracks across a range of Hyundai models (not just the Genesis), I would've probably never considered a Hyundai again. As it is, I'll deal with it for the time being, but there are a few things that certainly don't leave a good impression by breaking so soon, even on cars with low miles. (Although, to be fair, I hadn't known about Lexus door handle problems, either...)

Many modern cars are going to need some repair work outside of warranty. Just a fact of life. My situation is pretty common on many aluminum engines as they age. The cast aluminum breaks(or cracks) sometimes when changing oil and coolant sensors. Happens on BMW, Nissan, GM, etc.; so do not sell Hyundai short.

It is usually best to leave a part alone if it not broken, because it can cause other issues when you try to change it out; like in my situation with the oil sensor. You may never have to change your oil sensor anytime soon(if at all) before you sell the car.

The Hyundai Genesis does seem to be an "average" reliable modern car, but I still think Toyota may be a more reliable option over all. I just do not want to spend money on a car payment for a used Lexus that may also need some repair work out of warranty.

Therefore, i will most likely just keep the Genesis a while longer. I am starting to like it the more I tear into it. Pretty easy car to work on to be honest.

 

[skipgen]

True.

I was upset and really wanted to dump the car. But I am actually impressed with how easy it has been to repair the 5.0 engine in general. My only hurdle in fixing the issue has been obtaining a lower timing cover in decent condition.

I was thinking about going Lexus, but it seems that Toyota reliability has taken a hit on the newer models after 2007. Lexus parts can be hard to obtain as well as be very expensive dealer only parts with no aftermarket support like the Genesis.

It may be cheaper to keep her as they say.

Yup... Easy to just say "f@ck it!" after a bunch of aggravation for sure. I just had "Check Haptic Steering" warning pop up & the driver's side mirror sounds like it's insides are turning into gravel... The only thing I can think of replacing my 2015 5.0 Ultimate with is a newer (2017+) one...

 

[carguy75]

Yup... Easy to just say "f@ck it!" after a bunch of aggravation for sure. I just had "Check Haptic Steering" warning pop up & the driver's side mirror sounds like it's insides are turning into gravel... The only thing I can think of replacing my 2015 5.0 Ultimate with is a newer (2017+) one...

Tell me about it. I was just ready to dump the Genesis(a couple times) and buy a replacement until I did the math. Common sense prevailed.

Hopefully the issues you are having with your Genesis are easy fixes.

 

[skipgen]

Tell me about it. I was just ready to dump the Genesis(a couple times) and buy a replacement until I did the math. Common sense prevailed.

Hopefully the issues you are having with your Genesis are easy fixes.

The Haptic Steering was an easy one - There was a thread about it. Long story short, I activated the LKAS (which I rarely, if ever use) and the light extinguished itself. The mirror is a known problem - the little plastic worm gear inside is perishing (another thread). Metal replacements are available on Ebay - taking the mirror apart is a PITA, however....

 

[Charlie1982]

LOL. You will not believe how many times I noticed some "questionable" repairs on used cars I purchased over the years. I go under the car to fix one thing and notice a half-ass repair on some other part of the car. Believe it or not; many professional mechanics also performed repairs like that because many owners will not ever look under the car or know what to look at even if they did.

Do you think every repair shop will put on a new lower timing cover if they made a mistake like I did while changing the oil sensor if a used lower timing cover with a minor defect will work? They would slap on the used cover and get the car back on the road if it does not leak. I would not have not known the wiser if I paid shop to replaced my lower timing cover and they used the same exact cover I have with the chip as the replacement.

All I would "maybe" know is that they was able to source me a used lower timing cover that worked.

Yep, I understand completely.

 

[greekgeek]

LOL. You will not believe how many times I noticed some "questionable" repairs on used cars I purchased over the years. I go under the car to fix one thing and notice a half-ass repair on some other part of the car. Believe it or not; many professional mechanics also performed repairs like that because many owners will not ever look under the car or know what to look at even if they did.

Do you think every repair shop will put on a new lower timing cover if they made a mistake like I did while changing the oil sensor if a used lower timing cover with a minor defect will work? They would slap on the used cover and get the car back on the road if it does not leak. I would not have not known the wiser if I paid shop to replaced my lower timing cover and they used the same exact cover I have with the chip as the replacement.

All I would "maybe" know is that they was able to source me a used lower timing cover that worked.

Storytime...gather round'..

Not too many years ago I took the wife's RX350 in to a local, reputable shop for an alternator replacement. It went relatively smoothly, although it did take longer than expected and a refurbished part was used instead of new.

Fast forward a few months and I noticed an oil leak on the garage floor. Now in the year prior I had the engine oil cooler lines replaced (known issue, rubber fails and revised part is metal). So I took it back to the Lexus dealer to check the lines.

They called to let me know that it was not my engine oil cooler lines, but that my new radiator was leaking at the nipple and it needed replaced. It was ATF fluid after all. The car was 13 years old, so it came as some surprise to me that it needed a *new* radiator replaced.

We went back and forth a little but they insisted that was indeed the problem, defective radiator. I put my peepers on it and low and behold, my car had a new, non-OEM radiator in it. Well considering that I only had it at Lexus dealers prior to the alternator replacement, and the obvious lack of Al corrosion in a salt state, it didn't take much to figure out that the only window of opportunity was during that same alternator replacement. And it lined up with the extended repair time-line, so I called the shop.

Well the manager there insisted on the phone that they had no part in that radiator swap, never in a million years. He talked so much he almost, almost had me convinced. I took the car back to the scene of the crime anyhow and the guy would barely look at it as I pointed out the non OEM "tells" & newness. He had to admit it did look new, and managed to mumble up an offer to refit the hoses for $130.

I thanked him and left. I called back the next day, and asked to speak with the owner. The manager tried to dissuade me and even intimidate me from doing so. But I persisted, and did speak to the owner. I told her the short version of the story, and she also insisted that they would never do anything like that. Unheard of. Nope no way, never ever.

I acknowledged her position, shared that I too was surprised to be in this situation, and all I asked is that she check into it with her people and get back to me, because I could not come up with any alternative explanation.

The next day I got a call from manager. His tone was markedly different this time, but yup, it was him. Same guym. Not only did he confirm that they replaced the radiator, but he himself ordered the part. He was very, very apologetic. Couldn't for the life of him figure out how he forgot all about it, but hey, there we were.

To make a long story ever so slightly shorter, the Lexus dealer installed a new OEM radiator, and the shop that swapped the old one cut me a check for the full amount.

Live and learn. If you know what to look for after a repair, take a good look after each and every one.

 

[carguy75]

Storytime...gather round'..

Not too many years ago I took the wife's RX350 in to a local, reputable shop for an alternator replacement. It went relatively smoothly, although it did take longer than expected and a refurbished part was used instead of new.

Fast forward a few months and I noticed an oil leak on the garage floor. Now in the year prior I had the engine oil cooler lines replaced (known issue, rubber fails and revised part is metal). So I took it back to the Lexus dealer to check the lines.

They called to let me know that it was not my engine oil cooler lines, but that my new radiator was leaking at the nipple and it needed replaced. It was ATF fluid after all. The car was 13 years old, so it came as some surprise to me that it needed a *new* radiator replaced.

We went back and forth a little but they insisted that was indeed the problem, defective radiator. I put my peepers on it and low and behold, my car had a new, non-OEM radiator in it. Well considering that I only had it at Lexus dealers prior to the alternator replacement, and the obvious lack of Al corrosion in a salt state, it didn't take much to figure out that the only window of opportunity was during that same alternator replacement. And it lined up with the extended repair time-line, so I called the shop.

Well the manager there insisted on the phone that they had no part in that radiator swap, never in a million years. He talked so much he almost, almost had me convinced. I took the car back to the scene of the crime anyhow and the guy would barely look at it as I pointed out the non OEM "tells" & newness. He had to admit it did look new, and managed to mumble up an offer to refit the hoses for $130.

I thanked him and left. I called back the next day, and asked to speak with the owner. The manager tried to dissuade me and even intimidate me from doing so. But I persisted, and did speak to the owner. I told her the short version of the story, and she also insisted that they would never do anything like that. Unheard of. Nope no way, never ever.

I acknowledged her position, shared that I too was surprised to be in this situation, and all I asked is that she check into it with her people and get back to me, because I could not come up with any alternative explanation.

The next day I got a call from manager. His tone was markedly different this time, but yup, it was him. Same guym. Not only did he confirm that they replaced the radiator, but he himself ordered the part. He was very, very apologetic. Couldn't for the life of him figure out how he forgot all about it, but hey, there we were.

To make a long story ever so slightly shorter, the Lexus dealer installed a new OEM radiator, and the shop that swapped the old one cut me a check for the full amount.

Live and learn. If you know what to look for after a repair, take a good look after each and every one.

My guess is that the shop accidentally damaged the radiator while removing the alternator and tried to cover it up by slapping on a cheap aftermarket radiator. Happens all the time. Hence why I do my own repairs when possible and if someone else did work on my car I take a peek at the work.

It have been a few times that I have caught some mistakes made by dealer service departments after some warranty work was done that needed to be redone properly.

 

[carguy75]

The Haptic Steering was an easy one - There was a thread about it. Long story short, I activated the LKAS (which I rarely, if ever use) and the light extinguished itself. The mirror is a known problem - the little plastic worm gear inside is perishing (another thread). Metal replacements are available on Ebay - taking the mirror apart is a PITA, however....

I have seen the folding side mirror metal gear cogs online for sale. The side mirrors do seem like a pain to disassemble and most likely will break since the plastic will be old and brittle. I would heat up the plastic with a heat gun(or hair dryer) on a low setting just a little bit(do not melt it) to soften it up before you try to pry anything apart.

 

[greekgeek]

My guess is that the shop accidentally damaged the radiator while removing the alternator and tried to cover it up by slapping on a cheap aftermarket radiator. Happens all the time. Hence why I do my own repairs when possible and if someone else did work on my car I take a peek at the work.

It have been a few times that I have caught some mistakes made by dealer service departments after some warranty work was done that needed to be redone properly.

That is exactly what happened. I mean, had they just told me up front or later admitted it, would not have been that big of a deal. Shit happens, and heck that radiator was 14 years old, not like it would have lasted forever. But to just break it and swap it woth a cheap part and not tell, and on top of that lie about it is just plain dishonest.

I am sure even the lower cost aftermarket part had a warranty.

And of course had the part not failed, I might not have ever noticed.

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[skipgen]

I have seen the folding side mirror metal gear cogs online for sale. The side mirrors do seem like a pain to disassemble and most likely will break since the plastic will be old and brittle. I would heat up the plastic with a heat gun(or hair dryer) on a low setting just a little bit(do not melt it) to soften it up before you try to pry anything apart.

My thought was to unmount it and let it sit in the Houston Texas sun... that'll soften anything up.

 

[carguy75]

That is exactly what happened. I mean, had they just told me up front or later admitted it, would not have been that big of a deal. Shit happens, and heck that radiator was 14 years old, not like it would have lasted forever. But to just break it and swap it woth a cheap part and not tell, and on top of that lie about it is just plain dishonest.

I am sure even the lower cost aftermarket part had a warranty.

And of course had the part not failed, I might not have ever noticed.

Hence why I do my own repairs when possible.

If I mess up my ride than I will own it and just fix it. But I really hate it when I pay someone to do a job and they cut corners or mess up things and try to cover it up.

I am also leery of used cars that are listed as having major non-OEM dealer repairs performed such as timing belts, rear main leaks, timing covers,etc; because the seller usually used cheap aftermarket parts and most likely did not put the car back together correctly.

I prefer to just pay less for the used car and do the work myself.

 

[skipgen]

Hence why I do my own repairs when possible.

If I mess up my ride than I will own it and just fix it. But I really hate it when I pay someone to do a job and they cut corners or mess up things and try to cover it up.

I am also leery of used cars that are listed as having major non-OEM dealer repairs performed such as timing belts, rear main leaks, timing covers,etc; because the seller usually used cheap aftermarket parts and most likely did not put the car back together correctly.

I prefer to just pay less for the used car and do the work myself.

Or form a good relationship with a good Indie Mechanic... I'm fortunate enough to have one literally around the corner form my house. They have zero problem with using my supplied parts - as long as it's OEM or a brand that they respect (Denso, Bosch, etc.). They will not accept generic parts from Auto Zone and the like for installation.

So far they have not encountered anything on this car that was especially difficult or outright weird - I've been told that the Genesis is WAY easier to deal with & work on than Mercedes (which they service) and BMW (which they now refuse to touch, unless it's a pre-VANOS car).

 

[carguy75]

Or form a good relationship with a good Indie Mechanic... I'm fortunate enough to have one literally around the corner form my house. They have zero problem with using my supplied parts - as long as it's OEM or a brand that they respect (Denso, Bosch, etc.). They will not accept generic parts from Auto Zone and the like for installation.

So far they have not encountered anything on this car that was especially difficult or outright weird - I've been told that the Genesis is WAY easier to deal with & work on than Mercedes (which they service) and BMW (which they now refuse to touch, unless it's a pre-VANOS car).

You are correct. Not all non-dealer mechanics will do crappy repairs. There are mechanics out there that take pride in their work. It seems like your mechanic is one of the good ones.

In all fairness, my Genesis only had a bad alternator at 90k miles in the time I have owned it. The timing cover issue happened due to a mistake when changing an oil sensor which was not even going bad. i was trying to change the sensor since it was exposed during the alternator change. Bad move on my part.

The 5.0 engine is very easy to work on. My only issue is the lower timing cover itself and possible incorrect service manual information that lead to me needing a new lower timing cover.

 

[skipgen]

You are correct. Not all non-dealer mechanics will do crappy repairs. There are mechanics out there that take pride in their work. It seems like your mechanic is one of the good ones.

In all fairness, my Genesis only had a bad alternator at 90k miles in the time I have owned it. The timing cover issue happened due to a mistake when changing an oil sensor which was not even going bad. i was trying to change the sensor since it was exposed during the alternator change. Bad move on my part.

The 5.0 engine is very easy to work on. My only issue is the lower timing cover itself and possible incorrect service manual information that lead to me needing a new lower timing cover.

Yeah... You got screwed by trying to do it "by the book".

My alternator also bit the dust ~90K. My Indie guys sourced a Bosch alternator & installed it in about 3 1/2 hrs.

 

[carguy75]

Yeah... You got screwed by trying to do it "by the book".

My alternator also bit the dust ~90K. My Indie guys sourced a Bosch alternator & installed it in about 3 1/2 hrs.

The repair time seems about right for an alternator change. It took me abut an hour or so to remove my alternator and it was my first time on the Genesis. So it would be about 2-3 hour job total.

The lower timing cover is a part that usually never needs replacing unless a mistake happens like in my situation, hence the low volume of the part I suppose. Sucks but crap happens. If I would have known that the 5.0 engine lower timing cover was such a rare and expensive part to acquire; I would never have tried to change the oil sensor. Such as simple sensor swap turned into a engine tear down.

The only good that came about that mistake is that I am really getting to know more about the 5.0 engine in great detail. I actually like how Hyundai designed this engine and how easy it is to repair with common hand tools.

Hence why I may just eat the cost for a new lower timing cover from my local Hyundai dealer and keep the Genesis for as long as I can.

 

[carguy75]

I am still working on the lower timing cover.

I had to put this project on hold to do some maintenance(fluid changes) on my recently acquired 2015 Lexus RX350 AWD that replaced my old 2006 Cadillac Escalade AWD. I also purchased a XTOOL brand D8 scan tool that does key programming, ABS bleeding, and module calibrations like parking sensors and electric steering angle to work on newer cars like the 2015 Lexus and the 2015 Genesis.

I gave up on trying to use Chinese knockoff scan tool software and just purchased a professional grade scan tool that does it all for all makes.

I did however began cleaning up the Genesis lower timing cover and engine block so that I can start applying RTV so that I can began putting the Genesis back together.

My new back up ride until I get the Genesis back on the road.

 

[skipgen]

I am still working on the lower timing cover.

I had to put this project on hold to do some maintenance(fluid changes) on my recently acquired 2015 Lexus RX350 AWD that replaced my old 2006 Cadillac Escalade AWD. I also purchased a XTOOL brand D8 scan tool that does key programming, ABS bleeding, and module calibrations like parking sensors and electric steering angle to work on newer cars like the 2015 Lexus and the 2015 Genesis.

I gave up on trying to use Chinese knockoff scan tool software and just purchased a professional grade scan tool that does it all for all makes.

I did however began cleaning up the Genesis lower timing cover and engine block so that I can start applying RTV so that I can began putting the Genesis back together.

My new back up ride until I get the Genesis back on the road.

I was thinking about the D7 to save some coin - I hear that they do the same things but the D8 is faster & has a better interface.

 

[carguy75]

I was thinking about the D7 to save some coin - I hear that they do the same things but the D8 is faster & has a better interface.

The D8 is a great scan tool. I used it on my 2015 Lexus and it does seems to be able to do any DIY function I may need like ABS brake bleeding and replacing a control module here and there. It is overkill for someone who do not work on cars often, but with newer cars you need a scan tool like a D7 or D8 since major components like electric steering racks and blind-spot monitoring systems may need calibration and sometimes special coding to be added to the main ECU.

I have not used the D8 on my 2015 Genesis yet due to the battery being removed out the car charging while I am working on it, but it does list Hyundai an supported make.

 

[skipgen]

The D8 is a great scan tool. I used it on my 2015 Lexus and it does seems to be able to do any DIY function I may need like ABS brake bleeding and replacing a control module here and there. It is overkill for someone who do not work on cars often, but with newer cars you need a scan tool like a D7 or D8 since major components like electric steering racks and blind-spot monitoring systems may need calibration and sometimes special coding to be added to the main ECU.

I have not used the D8 on my 2015 Genesis yet due to the battery being removed out the car charging while I am working on it, but it does list Hyundai an supported make.

I don't do a lot of major work on cars anymore - but I would like to be able to see what's going on in the various systems & maybe be able to reset things here and there before I "Repair by Check"...