Hyundai Sonata 2005 and earlier

astrol

I just checked out my dealers' website and he has added two 2001 Sonatas, 4 cyl. with a pkg listing of 02, which I believe is the moonroof/CD/Cassette. Both are in WHITE PEARL. He also has a 2001 Slate GLS with no frills. In case anyone is interested the site is www.fitzgeraldsautomall.com. These are so new he hasn't put up his Red Tag Price on them yet but they do list the invoice and MSRP.
I'm going to take a hop over there and check out the grills. etc.

astrol

The address is www.fitzgeraldautomalls.com Sorry.

sonatafan

Glad to hear your Sonata is still rolling. Mine is up to 14,800 miles and I haven't had a problem in months. Just changed the oil and looked it over the other night. My comment to your A/C question: My 4 cyl does slow down a noticable amount with the A/C on but it isn't "very, very slow". My perception by all means could be totally different from your though.

Took my Sonata on a 1500 mile round trip to Michigan about a month ago and was impressed. This car cruises at 75mph so effortlessly. We crossed the border to Sault St Marie, Ontario and found a casino right there that had a fleet of at least six 1999 Sonatas being used as taxis. I assumed they were 99's because they had steel wheels and hubcaps instead of alloys but that may be how they were purchased under a fleet contract. I think that says something about reliability if a company takes them on for commercial use.

timnielsen

This evening, after coming out a store, my Check Engine light went on and has stayed on through several starts.

The car seems to be running fine. It's a 2000, with 8300 miles. I always tighten my gascap more than three clicks, so I don't think it's that.

Any mechanics out there can offer their opinion as to whether or not it's safe to drive?

Also, does anyone have any experience returning a car under the lemon law? What has to happen in order for you to do it. This car has given me nothing but problems. There are so many rattles in the thing, it sounds about 10 years old. It keeps stalling, the headlight strength seems to fluctuate wildly, and now THIS!

I hate this car. And of course I'm completely at a loss about what to do with it.

Tim

herne

A Taxi company in Australia is changing their Fords and GM cars over for Sonatas. Now isn't that something.
Says the Fords and GM cars are too expensive to run.

ryan41

Thanks for your reply. Not that the car is very slow but, you have to kick it a bit with the a/c on. I could tell you when I'm driving whether or not the compressor is on but I can live with it. I do my own oil changes, engine seems to be perfect so far. The car is much more comfortable than my 98 Elantra.

sonatafan

I did briefly look at the Elantra when we were shopping around but I think the difference in size and interior space is definitly worth the extra price if you can swing that amount!

jrfluke

Thanks for the tip about the grille and bra. The bra arrived two days before my trip. The car got a lot of looks and people wanted to know what make it was. I was sure glad I had it. After the Long Island, N.Y. to Va Beach trip, I had enough bugs and grit to make granola bars. The trip was about 1500 mi which included the mountains in western Virginia. On the side trip to the mountains I used the A/C going but not returning. I only gained just over 1/2mpg. The average was about 27.25 for the trip and that was at 75-80 mph with the a/c on for the most part. The mountains were no sweat for the sonata. The only complaint I have is either the trunk size or the amount of stuff my wife packs ( we only used 25%). By the way for the person who was quoted 18,600 for a 4 cyl. Were they holding a gun to you? That's more than steep. My GLS was 15,300 and with tax (8.5%) and such it came to 16,680 and it is the pearl white which I believe only come with the gls.

tonykrapil

Simply go to the KIA discussion area. THis was my first and LAST time there. What a disaster. We dont know how lucky we are considering both car companies are Korean and somewhat/somehow related.

Tony

sonatafan

Even scarier to think Kia is owned and operated by Hyundai Motors!

tonykrapil

I was never afraid of my Sonota till I visited the KIA forum.

I had a pep talk with the wife about going easy on the car even though there has been no hint of fragilness whatsoever.

I sure wish I hadn't been bored and went to the KIA forum.

Tony

sonatafan

Assuming there were no additional "strings" once you walked into the showroom!

giowa

Concur with avoiding the "strings". Maybe that is why this dealer admits to having 50 2000 Sonatas on his lot???

Any new car buyer who spends a modicum of time studying how to buy a new car can avoid about 90 plus percent of the strings. Just get used to saying "NO" and say "I'd like to buy a car from you today if the price is right".

Anyone in or near St Louis and looking to buy might want to check 'em out. I can't believe they have 50 Sonata available. Ad also says have 90 Elantra and 80 Accent. Plus new 2001 Santa Fe starting at $16,499.

giowa

Check out Hyundai's Newsroom site. August data in and Sonata sales up 90 percent over last year. For August, Sonata was 2nd best selling model, behind Elantra. Hyundai already has sold more cars in '00 than in all of '99 and on track to sell over 220,000 cars this year.

sugarpig1

Hey- yall will be glad to know that I finally got my 4 cyl Sonata at a fantastic price!!!!! 2001 Slate Gray for 12,999 + TTL. One of our dealerships was running a "one only" promotion, which they have done for 2 weekends straight. I called and they had it ready for me when I got there Sat night. It's beautiful. They had more inventory then any other dealership hear in Houston. All my paperwork and booklets and keys say 2001, but the grill is the same as the 2000 models. This car was made in July 2000. What's up with this??? I really don't care what model it is, because its gorgeous and I love it. I can't believe how quite it is. I love noticing how people stare on the road!!!!!!

astrol

Welcome to the family!
The reason your 2001 Sonata has that grille is because they are only applying the new grille to the GLS.
Congrats. on the price. That is an excellent deal!
Get used to the stares. This design is drop dead pretty and the Slate is one classy color.
Keep us posted.

tonykrapil

Good Deal Sugarpig1. Same color as mine, but mine is a 00 with auto. Living in FL I had the windows tinted. I will say the tint and the gray body color look very good together. It looks expensive.

Best of luck with it.

Tony

volfy

Congrats. I got my '99 at about that price, but mine's a 5sp, so you got a better deal.

BTW, which dealer was it? I'm in the Houston area too.

bluewinds

Well, although Hyundai operates Kia now, there is no compatibility between Hyundais and Kias.

Kia still keeps their engineering and style yet.

But, from the end of this year or early of next year, Hyundai will control the R&D part of Kia and Kia's quality will be radically improved.

Don't worry about Kia. Still there is no relationship in assembling cars between Hyundai and Kia.

giowa

Glad to see you got a good deal and feel good about it. Some others who have posted here previously would state they tried and tried but just couldn't get it to happen. Hope the dealer(s) down there treat you well. Mine has up here. Sure Hyundai thanks you for keeping Sonata sales sizzlin'. You'll have to check out the September sales data when Hyundai posts it in October.

dylbrena

I feel your pain. Exact same stuff going on with my husband's 2000 GLS (his name is Tim also-wierd, huh?). I posted about a week and a half ago how the transmission flat out died. It's getting a new one today (they finally got the part). Hopefully we'll have it back by week's end. Astrol requested I post the build date when we get it back. It would be interesting to know what your build date is.

Regarding Lemon Law... it varies by state. Check with your state attorney general (maybe your state has a state government web-site.) In our state it must be in the shop 3 times for the exact same thing withing the first year. The problem is, if the problem doesn't show up when you take it in for service, that service visit doesn't count toward the three. Good Luck!

sonatafan

If you are referring to my post about Hyundai owning and operating Kia then I'm glad to inform you that I, in no way, said that Hyundai had any compatibility or design input into the Kia cars!

astrol

The NHTSA just posted as of today the official recall of all 2.5 V-6 Sonatas from July '98 to July '00. Hyundai will begin owner notification in October. The item to be repaired is the dreaded Mass Air Flow Sensor and Harness.
Oh joy! Yet another chance for the Hyundai dealership body to prove itself.
Later...

dunn3

Was at the dealership yesterday. For those of you looking for that "moss" colored sonata they had a 00 GLS w/ package 13 at "superior Hyundai" in Ohio. Saw 4 of the new elantras and one of the new SAnte Fe's; wow, they all look like awesome machines; and I still love my silver Sonata GLS; i was driving in the pouring rain at ~80 and it handles perfectly. What exactly does the mass air flow sensor do??and exactly what is wrong with them??

sugarpig1

Thank yall so much - do I get a crown and a beautiful sash to go with it!!!!! I'm glad to hear that I didn't get the wrong grille on my car. I didn't realize that just the GLS got the new one. I did not mention that mine is the automatic for 12,999 and it came with mud flaps but no packages. I have to go sit in it each night on the driveway about 10:30, cause I'm missing it!!!! ha ha My husband is just as bad as I am, CAUSE HE COMES WITH ME AND PLAYS WITH THE RADIO AND TAPEDECK!!!!! We're like 2 little kids with a new toy. I just love it. I purchased it at Randall Reed Hyundai on 59N. Sandy was my salesman name and she is a real joy. I probably won't have any warranty work done there because its too far, I live on the far west side of Houston. Its hard to get use to a small car, because I have driven FULL SIZE VANS for 16 years and this IS my first car. I love to be able to scoot around in it and parking lots are a breeze!!!!
I think I will have my windows tinted also.
I'll update often. Its fun to see how many Sonatas are added to the population each day on the road.

astrol

I think it is part of the intake assembly responsible for proper mixture. I believe the problem has to do with the connector more than the sensor itself. The wiring to the sensor is a tad short on some vehicles and the engine vibration causes the harness connector to go flukey. Your dealer will either re-route the connection to remove the physical strain or replace the wiring/connection with a longer section.
When the problem does show itself the vehicle can stall, which, if you're in an intersection, can be serious stuff.
I personally have not had so much as a hiccup in nearly 4K miles but you never know. I guess Hyundai figured it was better to be safe than sorry.
Hey Dunn3---don't you just love the way the Silver never seems to look dirty. I tend to get more compliments on this car from people when it is dirty than when brand spanking clean. Just the way it works out.

giowa

Your observations about the color silver are right on. My '00 Sonata GLS is the first silver car since I bought an '85 VW Jetta used in '86. Loved the color then but for the life of me I can't figure out why I then bought a dozen cars afterwards and only this year a silver one. It isn't too exciting, but not boring. And it is magic on dirt and dust. Highly recommend it. No wonder silver was the most popular car color in '99.

PS: My girl is still down. Waiting on parts. So if you get into an accident and need lots of parts, and maybe if you live smack dab in mid-West, you may have to wait a lot. I'm getting antsy. I miss rowing my sweet V-6 thru all 5 speeds. Make mine a silver manual V-6 any time!

astrol

Sorry to leave you out of that last comment. I forget the particulars of frequent posters cars sometimes.
So your baby is Silver as well. Now that simply shows good taste. (Just kidding every other color owner. No flaming please.)
Hope you are up and running soon. I know you must miss her.
The temps. have started to drop at night around here and I have noticed a few vibrations and minor rattles (sunroof panel). It seems something is always vibrating or buzzing just behind my ear whether sitting on the passenger side or drivers'. I believe it is in the B-pillar seat belt/adjustable anchor area. I will try to isolate it and report back.
Giowa, have you tried running it without Traction Control engaged to see if this has any effect on mpg's? I know it is not a frictional system but you never know.

astrol

Actually, I believe it is a three-tiered system---Braking, Throttle control, and Shift control on the autos. Naturally, the last one will be absent on your car. I'm pretty sure I saw this in Hyundais' own literature.
Too bad they can't take care of the Mass Air Sensor problem while they've got your baby. More than likely they will wait until the October notifications go out. You might try raising it with your dealer so you won't have to re-schedule.

giowa

1. Stopped by Hyundai dealer. He still doesn't have an XG300 but he finally does have 2001 brochures for both XG300 and Sonata.

For Sonata, hardly any changes other than the "chrome grill" on GLS. Still NO standard or optional fog lights. Too bad!

For 300 XG, was interesting to see how it compares to Sonata and difference between XG300 and XG300L. Both have fog lights! L version has everything and kitchen sink except for one option--"trunk-mounted 8-disc CD changer". L adds to base standard sunroof, memory driver seat, heated front seats, premium cassette/CD stereo, electrochromatic rearview mirror, rear reading lamps, and leather-wrapped steering wheel w/wood grain trim inserts. Only option for base XG300 is a moonroof. So if you want the goodies, got to go with L.

Comparing XG300 to Sonata: XG economy rating at 19/27. Has 14.5 cu ft trunk. 108.3 in wheelbase and 191.5 in length overall. Weight skyrockets to 3,604 pounds. Power of 3.0L V-6 is 192 HP (at 6000 rpms) and 178 lb-ft TQ (at 4000 rpms). Brochure says all XGs use Michelin P205/65 VR-15 tires on same wheel size as Sonata, 6.0JJ x 15". Has 120-amp alternator. Has 18.5 gal fuel tank. Capacity for coolant only 3.5 qts. Oil at 4.5 qts. Has 4-channel, 4-sensor ABS with traction control ("brake, engine, & transmission modulating").

2. Looked at my GLS. Looks sad with no hood, grille, or front fenders. Body shop says my silver lady will be back early next week. Took them 1 1/2 weeks to get a hood. Then first one in was damaged, so had to get another. Now have all the parts. He said there was no mechanical damage and she'll be good as new.

sonatafan

I ran into that when the dealership repaired the hood on my Sonata. The service manager showed me a whole "rack" of new hoods in their warehouse that had various levels of shipping damage!

sonatafan

I have added two new sections to my website. Oil change illustration for the 4 cyl and replacement of the cabin air filter. Here's the address for anyone who doesn't already have it: http://members.nbci.com/sonatafan/pictures.htm

astrol

Once again you have outdone yourself! Great pics. I can just imagine what my dealer would charge me to change that filter at the 9K interval.
I dunn theeen so, Lucy!
Thanks for all the good work.

tonykrapil

Very Impressive! All Hyundai dealers need to be on line to learn how to do these procedures properly.

Ahem..... when are you going to show us how to dust or clean an engine and compartment! I know thats the reason yours is , shall we say, loaded with test dirt. Hint hint hint.

Nice job.... you are a great example of one who follows through and not just talks a good story.

Tony

sonatafan

Haha I have never been big on actually cleaning the engine or compartment. Sometimes I will apply Armor All to the black plastic but as far as I'm concerned it doesn't hurt anything. If you want to see me hose down the engine compartment with my garden hose maybe next weekend.......

lanman2

You've done another outstanding job of documenting the process.

It was because of your Fog Light documentation, that I decided to install them myself. The job was as you described it. THEY LOOK GREAT!

I also decided to purchase the Waterfall grill, too. It was very easy to install. I had always wished that the 2000 GLS models had a grill like my 1997 GLS has. Now mine does! It must be popular since the 2001 models will have it. That's another plus, for a few dollars more I've made mine look like a 2001.

Again, Sonatafan, Thank you for all the fine documentation.
LANMAN2

sonatafan

I'm glad my information has helped you! I would
have my grille installation on there but I did that before I started my site. I was planning on
removing it and reinstalling with pictures but now
the `01 GLS comes with it already I may not. My
wife was sad to see the new GLS because now her car won't be as "unique" around here anymore. Not that anyone pays attention anyway, most average people think it's anything but a Hyundai on first look anyway!

Also the fog lights, my wife has become accustomed
to leaving them on while driving kinda like
daytime running lamps. She gets mad at me if I try
to turn them off when I'm driving!

Off the subject, I'm still looking for ideas about
other things I can publish on my website about the
Sonata, any tips or others' pictures would be more
than welcome. My email address is on my site.

giowa

Say it isn't so in regard to driving all the time with fog lights on??? About 90% plus of the people around my parts who drive with their fog lights on all the time are in Pontiacs. It is so bad that my wife and I play a game to see if it is a Grand Am, Grand Prix, etc. Usually the Grand Am. You'll have people around here thinking you drive a GM product!

Nothing odder than seeing cars that have DRLs running with fogs. If no DRLs, not as odd to run with just fogs, if you can, but still somewhat disconcerting. Will your fogs run without the headlights also being on? If not, why not just drive with headlights on? I do on interstate or county roads.

iusecad

I hope you guys aren't driving with your foglights on, on clear nights, because combined with the headlights it's very bright. Almost as bad as regular high beams. If I'm in the right mood, I just through my highs on and give it back to 'em... ;> (remember, I said on clear nights)

iusecad

I think I meant throw....

sonatafan

I have mine wired independently because we don't have any governing laws regarding fog lamp use in Ohio. The instructions provided by a Hyundai representative in Canada show the fog lamps being wired to the parking lamp circuit which is illegal in some states (PA for one).
My wife rarely drives at night iusecad so you won't be blinded by my Sonata.

iusecad

cool...

it's just that there's a lot of people in my neck of the woods that do, and they don't seem to realize how bright their cars are and how dim they themselves are... sorry, just venting...

p.s. the nearest Hyundai dealer from my house is around 180 miles so, I see maybe 3 Sonatas and probably 8 Elantras a month. But there's a Kia dealer 40 miles away and the minute they get some Optimas, I'm there.... (to kick the tires anyway)

astrol

Went to my dealers' today to check out the Santa Fe........Gone! I didn't get so much as a peek.
Turns out some guy came in to get a Sonata GLS and left with the Santa Fe. They had just driven it off the carrier. I think the sales staff didn't even see it, it was gone so fast.
My dealer tells me several XG300's and 6 more Santa Fe's will be in by the end of this week. He sells the Avalon as well so it will be nice to make an almost side-by-side comparison with the XG.
Has anyone seen any 2001 GLS's yet? So far I have only seen the base sedan. I notice they have dropped the Light Moss. Now those cars will be even more rarely seen.

sonatafan

The dealership where I purchased my Sonata has several of the 01 GLS on his lot already. The grille used is the exact same one we have been buying from Canada and installing. It's interesting to me to see the chrome grille against a few more colors besides my cypress green. Handsome car. Well, I still have the fog lamps to be unique! They'll probably take that away from me in the 02 model year.

giowa

1. It is a terrible sham that Sonata can no longer come in Lt Moss Green. I wanted that color but had to settle for silver. Can't get that color in XG300, either.

2. Have you looked at an XG brochure? If you do, you'll quickly appreciate the Avalon comparison. Brochure seems to be marteting the car to the Buick LeSabre, Ford Crown Victoria, & Toyota Avalon crowd. Rides on 15" tires w/older styling for the alloy wheels. No suspension or tire upgrade. Focus is on ride, room, and options. My GLS V-6 w/5-speed & Pkg 13 remains the "performance" Hyundai sedan, if even it can be called one. Hope pricing is competitive and reliability excellent. Maybe then in a year or two Hyundai will start working on some performance options for a sportier sedan!

jawabean

I've heard about Sonata and Elantra recall.

tonykrapil

Well?! Dont keep it a secret !!

jrfluke

Please post it, because as of the time of this post ALLDATA has no recalls only TSB'S listed.

astrol

Alldata will not list the recall until official notifications go out in October. Hell, most of the people in the dealership pipeline haven't heard of it either but it's coming.

jawabean

actually, it was question: do I have to go to my dealer or shall it call me?

Hyundai sometimes send me letters with info, but nothing about the recall.