[Cluster2]

I have a 10/2015 built i30 (GD4 model) diesel with DCT that's almost 8 years old.  214,000km.  The car has performed very well and is still good to drive, but a number of faults are beginning to appear.  I like to sell cars that are still running well, but sell them before expensive problems emerge.  The current problems were noticed during a coolant change service (oil change was done by me).  So, the question is, do I keep and fix this vehicle, or fix and sell?

165,000km:  Rattling from flywheel.  Flywheel and clutch replaced.  Expensive service.
214,000km:  Cold start idle is a little rough, rarely puff of white smoke, and today, new problems.

After a coolant change, the workshop informed me the intake manifold swirl control system is flapping about and not working.  Also an oil leak next to number 4 injector.

Right after the coolant change I noticed the engine sounds different.  The note has changed.  It's lower, and a little gruntier.  Sounds like when I accidently left the intake filter box open, but everything seems tight.  Probably a coincidence, or perhaps because the mechanics fiddled with something and it broke.

I was planning to sell the vehicle at about 240,000km, but with small problems beginning to appear I wonder if I should move the schedule forward by one year.  I sold my previous car after 11 years when the air conditioning motor failed, and fixing the system properly would have cost half the car's value.

At what stage do you decide to sell a car and upgrade?

[Cluster2]

Quick follow up to the above post.  I inspected the engine bay in daylight and noticed the mechanics had not correctly fitted the pipe on the air filter box.  The latches were correctly closed on one side, but the tabs were not inserted into the slots on the other.  Fixed, and now the engine sounds normal.

I don't know what they were doing removing that to just flush and change the coolant, and how they would notice the swirl control not working.  Maybe they went for a deeper inspection to see if there were any problems...

[pidim]

That's a relief.
Does that mean you will keep the car? 
It does sound strange about them mucking about with the air filter box.  I usually like to get a mobile mechanic to do stuff I won't attempt - at least he is there right in front of me and I can see everything and don't have to wait for "that" phone call.

[Cluster2]

Not sure if I'll keep the car.  The fact that I have to order some new models 6 to 12 months ahead certainly does not help.  The last time I bought a new car was 2016, when dealers were overflowing with stock and Hyundai had a really enticing i30 offer.

My car is booked in to a Hyundai mechanic on 22 April so I'll see what they say.  The mentioned faults are all pretty minor of course, but I'm trying to get a feel for how much longer I should have the car.

I had a very expensive clutch and flywheel change at 165,000km and there is no way I want to do that on a 330,000km vehicle.  The repair would cost more than the car is worth.  I figured the sweet spot to sell the car is maybe 240k to 250k km.

[Cluster2]

Okay, update from mechanics. 

Oil leak is from the camshaft sensor.   O ring seal removed and cleaned, and will be check at the next service.  No problem.

The other issue is much bigger.  "Intake system swirl faulty"  "Worn ball attachment to intake manifold, requires replacement intake manifold"

The quoted price is AUD2551 for a genuine Hyundai part, or AUD1785 for new old stock from a wrecker.  That's USD1658 and USD1160 for our overseas readers.  Very hefty price for something I didn't know was broken until another mechanic looked around the engine during an unrelated service.  The car burns slightly more fuel than it used to.  About 5.3K/100km instead of 5.1, but that could just be due to an aged engine.  It's no big deal.  Drivability is perfectly good.

I understand swirl control kicks in at certain revs and helps emissions.  Since there is no emission testing in Australia I can keep driving like this without legal problems.

I asked the mechanic if there is a risk of the loose components flying into the engine.  "There shouldn't be" was the answer.  Nicely couched in deniability if something goes wrong I guess.  I have read about BMWs with faulty swirl valves that fly into the engine and lunch the whole thing.

My swirl control is flapping about and I guess is fully open due to the natural flow of air.  I'm highly tempted to not repair this issue as it's so expensive, and I don't have any problems like check engine lights.  If it's broken then why doesn't the ECU throw an error?

Why is the swirl system so expensive?  Mechanic said you can't just buy the motor/valve part:  you need to buy the whole manifold.

[The Gonz]

If I were faced with a loose component at risk of entering the combustion chambers, I'd be either removing it or rendering it immovable.