Currently, I have a 2014 Hyundai Elantra Sport with 117,000 miles and six speed manual transmission. In February 2023, I contacted a nearby Hyundai dealership in Fatetteville, NC to get my transmission fluid changed with 108,000 miles. It would charge $129 to complete the service. I called the the dealership twice to confirm the price of the service and to advise that my car was a manual transmission.
I wanted OEM transmission fluid, and the $129 price seemed reasonable. Also, local mechanics were dismissive of changing my fluid, or their fees were excessive.
After my arrival at the dealership, the service clerk told me that the $129 price was for automatics, and manual transmissions were $159. I was annoyed and explained that I called to verify the pricing for my car. I had driven from Raleigh to Fayetteville, but I wanted to get the fluid changed. After the tech completed the service, the dealership had charged me the $129 price. This ordeal ended in my favor, but I am not sure why the price for servicing an automatic is cheaper than a manual. Did I miss something or is this a common practice among dealerships?
I wanted OEM transmission fluid (...) $129
Why? Hyundai dealers use the OEM "MTF&DCTF 70W" and it's at least $20 per litter (overpriced fluid) - the car needs 1.8L.
So it's about $40-$60 in OEM fluid, and the dealer is charging another $70-$90 in labour - that's also overpriced, it's about 30-45 minutes of labour, so they're marking up the labour costs by a factor of 2.
Buy the fluid from wherever it's cheaper (verify the type in your owner's manual!),
and perform the service at any reputable shop.
Replacing the oil in the M6CF1 is as simple as in any other manual gearbox.
$129 price was for automatics, and manual transmissions were $159. (...) I am not sure why the price for servicing an automatic is cheaper than a manual (...) Did I miss something or is this a common practice among dealerships?
I believe Hyundai is charging less for 4L of ATF than 2L of MT fluid, cause the MT fluid is overpriced on these.
As far as labour, partially it's the same, IMO easier on the AT but it takes about the same amount of time.
Basically there's no reason for this discrepancy and it's very expensive for what it is anyway.
Thank you for the explanation. I was really curious about the difference in price
That’s complete BS from the dealership. You can’t trust anything they say even if they tell you the sky is blue. Look to get non-warranty work performed by an honest, independent mechanic (not a chain shop).
They're just squeezing you.
In February 2023, I contacted a nearby Hyundai dealership in Fatetteville, NC to get my transmission fluid changed with 108,000 miles. It would charge $129 to complete the service. I called the the dealership twice to confirm the price of the service and to advise that my car was a manual transmission.
Just change the fluid yourself if you're able to do it. It's not like an automatic transmission that needs to be precisely refilled. When you overfill the transmission, the excess comes back out. It's actually not much different from a normal engine oil change. A jack, jackstands, OEM fluid and a manual pump are all you really need.
Dealerships are called dealerships because they like to deal. They will give quote you one price one day. And another price another day. Prices aren’t set in stone. They seem to always try to pull one over.
