Hyundai Repair: Santa Fe $600 Spark Plug Replacement, spark plug wires, platinum plugs

Question
I have a 2003 SantaFe which I really like. My dealer is recommeding "gold plated" spark plugs and says the job will cost $600 because they need to pull the engine to replace the plugs. Is this true? Do I need special plugs and can the plugs be replaced without pulling the engine?

Answer
The factory plugs in the Santa Fe are platinum plugs.  They're superior to regular plugs because they last much longer before wearing out.  In the case of your Santa Fe, the recommended replacement interval for the platinum plugs is 60,000 miles.

If you have a V6 engine, the intake plenum must be removed to access the rear three spark plugs.  The entire engine does not need to be removed.  (If it did, the price would be much more than $600).  

You should use the platinum plugs because you wouldn't want to go to this expense twice as often.  It's also a good idea to replace the spark plug wires while doing this work.  It wouldn't be very appetizing to replace the plugs and then need to spend all that money in labor again to replace the plug wires.