Hyundai Repair: CRANK SENSOR, timing belt tensioner, 2002 hyundai sonata

Question
Hi - I have a 2002 Hyundai Sonata 2.4l  Im being told the crank sensor is bad hence the reason it wont start (from the dealer).  Im being quoted 750 as a repair cost.  Im being told I need to replace the timing belt along with this repair.  The car has 74,000 on it with no real issues and of course this repair is NOT covered under my extended warranty.  Your help is appreciated.

Answer
The estimate sounds about right for the crank sensor and timing belt.  

It's not necessary to replace the timing belt with the crank sensor, but if it hasn't just been done, it's intelligent to do so.  The additional labor for replacing the timing belt while doing the crank sensor should be minimal (or zero).  But if you do the timing belt later, you'll need to pay again pretty much all the labor you're paying on this visit.  The recommended maintenance interval on this belt is four years or 60k miles.  And I've seen them fail within that period.  If the belt should strip or break, you'll very likely suffer engine damage as a result.  In fact, if the estimate they gave you doesn't include the balance shaft belt or the timing belt tensioner, you should have them do those items as well.  The balance shaft belt lasts about the same amount of time as the timing belt, and the timing belt tensioner can fail, causing the same engine damage as a stripped timing belt.  You'd need to pay for the additional parts, but considering what they've already got apart, the additional labor should be minimal.

As to why this isn't covered by your extended warranty, you'd need to check your extended warranty contract.  Each warranty has a list of covered (or noncovered) components.  Which components are covered will depend on what specific extended warranty you purchased.

If there's anything else I can help with, let me know.