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Hyundai Elantra 5-door

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Comments

  • kaz6kaz6 Member Posts: 331
    I don't like the looks of a mask but after having 2 cars suffer my monthly commutes to Vegas, I won't mind it being on for those short periods. My last car had the whole front end 'freckled' by a nasty sandstorm that I had to drive through. I thought about the 3M film but when the temps are in the 100's, I wouldn't want anything on the paint that would want to fuse with it. I might get some for the headlight and foglight lenses, however.
    gt_fan: great point about being tactful.
  • gaelsguygaelsguy Member Posts: 17
    Thanks ems1, I was "hearing" the parts man say it was for the oil filter, thinking I guess that it somehow fit over the threaded stem oil filters screw onto. I must admit it sounded rather odd at the time. You made the obvious "obvious" to me. Duh!! I feel so stupid. Tuff getting old :) but at least I have learned to laugh at myself. Thanks again. God bless
  • bri70bri70 Member Posts: 147
    I thought I was going crazy. With the price of gas the way it is I have been putting the recommended 87 octane in the tank. Well, I like my Elantra very much but the throttle is very poor. It is very non-linear in accelerating. Very mushy. Press down on the pedal and there was a one second delay in response.

    That is- until I started putting premium fuel in the gas tank. Stepping on the accelerator produces a steady progressive acceleration. The engine seems to run more smoothly. Better. With a little more power.

    Am I nuts? I know this goes against conventional thinking. But I have tried this out for a couple of months. I swear by it. At least for my car.
  • gt_fangt_fan Member Posts: 159
    Around these parts, 87 octane is sold as "mid-grade". At my high altitude (7500 ft), there is a lot less air going into the cylinder, thus lower compression and less need for octane. 85 octane works great in my GT. I tried 91 octane once, but couldn't discern a difference -- other than a lighter wallet! Of course, lower compression means a serious lack of horsepower. When I hear Elantra owners complaining about now only having 135hp instead of 140, I have to laugh. I'm lucky if I've got 110!
  • donl68donl68 Member Posts: 31
    Hey all. I'm approaching 21k trouble free miles on my 2002 GT, I got it in June '02. There is a hesitation when accelerating in 2nd gear(manual trans). This is intermittent enough that it doesn't really bother me. One day I will have them check that out. I also ordered the parts for the rear sway bar upgrade and the metallic foot rest/pedals that I will pick up this weekend while in for the 21k service. I really love this car

    I was washing the car this past weekend and was cleaning the hatch area when I noticed something. Those shock absorber looking things(sorry I can't remember their real name) that hold the hatch up are attatched to the hatch door with bolts. On my car, they are getting extremely rusted. It hasn't even been a year yet since I had the car. When I take it in for service this weekend I am going to have them replace those rusty bolts while they can still get a grip on them. I suggest you all check them out on your cars. If i wasn't so picky about cleaning I would not have noticed it but I am glad I did. It does concern me though, I wonder what else is rusting that I cannot see. Will you all let me know if this is just my car or if this is happening on others?

    Thanks!
  • compensatecompensate Member Posts: 212
    Well, at 42,500 miles, I guess something unpleasant had to happen.

    I just noticed that there are several small areas of paint on my GT's front bumper area that are bubbling. Two of these four areas have since split open, leaving paintless spots on my bumper. I always knew that thin paint was one of the Elantra's potential shortcomings, but didn't ever think something like this would happen.

    When I get the time (probably in a few months), I'll have to take it to the delaer to see if they will cover a repaint of the bumper under warranty (they should, but I feel tney may try to blame it on something else to avoid the warranty work).

    As far as the hydraulic lifts for the hatch are concerned, mine are not the least bit rusty and I have owned my GT since July 2001 - maybe there's a leak around the hatch area? Good luck!
  • kentavoskentavos Member Posts: 34
    Has anyone heard if there will be any significant changes to the 2004 GT? I remember a guy on here earlier claiming to be a Hyundai rep from Korea and he has stated that styling and engine changes were supposed to happen on the 2004. Any truth to this?
  • donl68donl68 Member Posts: 31
    Hydraulic lifts! Yes that's them. But, its not the lifts themselves that are rusty, its the bolts that attatch them to the hatch door.

    As for your paint, I am sure they will try to blame that on something hitting the bumber while driving. I was wondering, how can you tell that this was not the case?
  • compensatecompensate Member Posts: 212
    Hmmm. I haven't really looked closely at the bolts that secure the hydraulic hatch lifts. My guess is that they use "coated" bolts and maybe your bolts' coatings were thin or non-exixstent. I would imagine Hyundai would replace something like this under warranty.

    As far as my paint goes, I can tell it wasn't caused by something hitting the bumper because there is no impact mark. They are simply quarter sized bubbles of paint with no cut/slit/open area, except for the two that have been there longer that have now started peeling away.

    Very strange experience.
  • gtovritgtovrit Member Posts: 53
    Just had my 15000 mi service done by a local mechanic. I do my own oil changes,(thank you, Fumoto), so all that was needed was an air filter (the auto parts stores around here don't stock them yet), and the inspections that are called for in the maintenance log. These are trans fluid, brake hoses, lines, pads, rotors, calipers, parking brake, exhaust pipe and muffler, suspension mounting bolts, steering gear box, linkage, boots/ball joints, driveshafts and boots, A/C refrigerant. $15 labor, $16 for the air filter. The air filter was probably a little high, but I figure the total labor comes out to about 20 minutes, so the difference on parts is negligible.
     The Hyundai dealer quoted me a price of $159, and included a tire rotation and "emissions system check". When I told them I didn't need the tires rotated, the price was $105. So, a Hyundai rotation costs $54?
     All told, I know I got as much of an inspection for $32.41 as I would have for $105. That is, a quick once-over glance. The good thing is today's cars don't need much in the way of replacement and adjustment maintenance. I think the dealers resent this loss of income and still try to push a lot of high profit, low value services on us.
  • beatles363beatles363 Member Posts: 13
    Has anyone else heard rattles from the dashboard. At first I thought it was comming from the passenger side, but then realized it was either from the center or driver side. It's so frustrating because i can't find where its coming from! I only hear it when i accelerate from stop, or when i hit a bump. I was thinking maybe it is from one of the vents, but i dont know.
  • 5port5port Member Posts: 395
    Your rattle is coming from inside the center stack console. There are two HVAC cables that are rubbing together as you let the clutch out, my car does it in colder weather. The fix is to remove the console and separate the cables. Dealers have been doing this under warranty. I have not had mine fixed, it does not bother me.
  • beatles363beatles363 Member Posts: 13
    i have an automatic, does that make a difference?
  • compensatecompensate Member Posts: 212
    I have a 5-speed and don't have any rattle from the dash area, only an occassional rattle from the hatch.

    Maybe the dash rattle is a screw/bolt that has come loose and is rolling around inside your dash?
  • gtovritgtovrit Member Posts: 53
    I had a rattle that seemed to come from the center console. I took it in, and they said it sounded just like one they had the week before. Oddly enough, it was the rearview mirror. Some sort of sympathetic vibration would make it rattle at certain speeds, replacement fixed it. The origin of the sound was really hard to pin down, though. Try holding your mirror next time you hear it, that's the simple way to check.
  • beatles363beatles363 Member Posts: 13
    Well it wasnt the rearview mirror, but thanks for that suggestion, because it led me to the sunglasses holder, and that was the source of the rattle. Couldve sworn it was coming from the consol. Weird.
  • spamletspamlet Member Posts: 22
    Was the replacement of the rearview a warranty item? I have a GLS automatic and the mirror rattles like crazy. I just haven't gotten around to fix it yet.
  • grocerybillgrocerybill Member Posts: 4
    Hi,
    I'm about to purchase a 2003 hyundai elantra. I want the 5 door but I have a problem with the interion that perhaps you can help with. I have a Dog & the only interior option is leather. A few people have told me its a big risk even with seat covers. Only one or 2 have told me it may not be a problem (he's a 60 lb dog but not active in the car). Any suggestions?

    Thanks
    Bill
  • gt_fangt_fan Member Posts: 159
    I got the five door specifically because of my 75 lb Greyhound. He's perfectly happy riding in the hatch area (with the cover removed, of course.)

    The GT's leather is of the rather inexpensive variety, but unlike most other items, cheaper is tougher when it comes to leather. That buttery-soft Connolly leather you see in Jaguars is pretty delicate, but the hides in the GT are more similar to baseball glove leather. My guess it that it would stand up to your dog pretty well.

    Speaking of which, being as Hyundais are built in Korea -- where their cultural prejudices about protein sources are somewhat different than in the U.S. -- I'm wondering about the source of the leather used in the GT. (Murphy? Murphy? Where'd you go boy?) ;-)
  • grocerybillgrocerybill Member Posts: 4
    Gt fan,
    Thanks, I was thinking the same thing (about the toughness of the leather). Do you keep the seats down? I thought that might do it. If I get the leather now I'll always wonder....
  • harlequin1971harlequin1971 Member Posts: 278
    It would make for a very exotic leather indeed, but I am fairly certain that they are using good old cowhide.
  • gt_fangt_fan Member Posts: 159
    Grocerybill,

    I've got three child safety seats lined up across the back, so I don't get a chance to fold the seats down very often. Murphy's pretty much confined to the hatch. He can just barely stand up under the glass, but being a very retired racer, he prefers to lay down as much as possible anyway. I figure it's safer for him that way though. In an accident, he's less likely to get thrown around the car if he's laying down in the back, up against the back seat.

    On the subject of toting dogs around in a car, has anyone come across a pet grate/barrier that would fit the GT?
  • gtovritgtovrit Member Posts: 53
    Spamlet, the mirror was a warranty replacement. They had to order it (2 days), but no trouble at all.
     As to the leather seats, read carefully, and you'll see it is actually leather seating surfaces, not sides or backs, and only the front two seats. Your dog shouldn't be a problem.
  • gtovritgtovrit Member Posts: 53
    Now that I think of it, the vinyl used on the sides, backs, and all over the back seats is easier to puncture than the leather on the front seat surfaces. You might consider putting down a horse blanket.
  • jacobi1jacobi1 Member Posts: 32
    Well, 67000kms later. I just picked the my GT up from the shop, the steering issue was rectifed (clunking at slow speeds turning either way. Apparently there was a ring that needed to be replaced in the steering column and a bearing? I wasn't able to speak to the mechanic directly as he had left before I got there to pick up my car (friday at 6pm of a long weekend). They also sent my RIMs out to be refinished and replaced my chipped grille with a new one. I need to leave the car again so they can paint my doors where the paint has peeled, overall I am very satisfied with the level of service I have received from my dealership (Ontario Hyundai-Oshawa). Very professional and helpful.

    Enjoy the drive...
  • gpagpagpagpa Member Posts: 55
    Coming up on 7500 miles and just wanted to check and see what everyone is having done for this interval. I got my first oil change done at 3750. I plan on changing the oil for sure, but some other items that the dealer recommends adds up to $100. The items that make up the price is oil change, rotate tires, and a bunch of checks of various components. Should I get the tires rotated? And should I pay up for the dealer package? Better yet, what should I definitely have done. Thanks
  • jeffhall76jeffhall76 Member Posts: 52
    I've heard about this before but it was a while back... has anyone else had a rattle/vibration coming from their passenger side seat? I've heard that it might be the seat belt hitting against the side wall but I eliminated that possibility. It sounds like the seat is loose on the track or something. Any ideas?

    Otherwise, extremely happy!

    Jeff
    '02 GT 24K miles
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I do tire rotations at 7500 miles and I think it's a good idea because it evens out wear on the tires and I think makes them last a little longer. But this is not very difficult to do, especially since they'll have the car up in the air to change the oil anyway, so it shouldn't cost that much. As for the other checks, most "full service" oil change places include a lot of checks in the price, which is usually around $25. Also, if you are at all handy you could probably do a lot of the checks yourself--things like fluid levels and tire pressure, for example. If one of them is checking for brake wear, again, if they are rotating tires it will be trivial to check the brakes, so they shouldn't charge much additional for a brake check. Look in your owner's manual--I don't have it handy but I don't think there's much there for the 7500 mile service except oil/filter change; I think even the tire rotation is optional (but IMO a good idea). I think my 7500 mile service at my Hyundai dealer was under $50, and that included oil/filter and a tire rotation. They tried to stick me with a bunch of extra stuff at the 15,000 service, however, which I politely declined and asked them to stick to the factory recommendations for service.
  • grocerybillgrocerybill Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for the advice. I've planned on a seat cover & you're right. I'm not as concerned about the seat as I am the door. Has anyone put a seat cover on the back seats? Its tough to figure out what will fit correctly without trying it. I've got an orvis cover on my current car but it doesn't stay put. They may have change it since I got mine but I'd hate to order another only to get the same thing.
  • tmanttmant Member Posts: 70
    I know that the sides and backs of the seats are not leather, but I thought the rear seat was leather? And the door trim?

    Can someone verify that in fact only the front two seat surfaces are leather?
  • blackandblueblackandblue Member Posts: 66
    Wife's 01 GT wouldn't start yesterday, just kept cranking. I swaped the (Fuel Pump) 20 Amp relay for another one (COND 1) and it started right up. I'll be haveing it checked out at the dealer (10 day wait) Has anyone else had a similar failure? Something wrong with the fuel pump? Is the COND 1 Relay for the A/C condenser?
  • gtovritgtovrit Member Posts: 53
    It looks like I was wrong, I went out and pulled one of the child seat hooks away from the upholstery, and it appears the rear seating surfaces are, in fact, leather. I had a small puncture in one that I repaired, and it really looked like vinyl, but the back of the material is always the giveaway, leather has hair on the back, vinyl has cloth. The sides and backs are also a consistant weight and stretch. The seating surfaces vary widely from piece to piece, but are generally tougher feeling than the vinyl.
  • beatles363beatles363 Member Posts: 13
    Yeah the leather is rather cheap, but i don't mind. Less sticky in the summer, and more durable. To me, the seats are comfortable, which is most important in my mind. Although i haven't owned the car during the winter, I would guess the seats get really cold, compared to cloth.
  • gt_fangt_fan Member Posts: 159
    I had heaters in the leather seats of my last car, but I didn't think too much of them. It took so long for the heaters to kick in, that you were usually a mile or two down the road before feeling the warmth. By then, your behind had already done all the hard work.

    That being said, IMHO leather warms up so quickly that it's really not a big deal. Compare that to the vinyl (ice) buckets in my '73 Capri. On a January morning it was always a race to see if the heater would kick out any hot air before hypothermia set in!
  • donl68donl68 Member Posts: 31
    Yes you should do tire rotations for the reasons mentioned before. I know NTB does free rotations. They will also balance your tires for the life of the tires, even if you didn't buy them there for like $40. I have my tires rotated every 6K miles and balanced every 12k miles. Having it done at NTB is so much cheaper than having the dealer do it where they charge like $20 for a rotation and $40 for balancing, each time.

    I am enjoying the leather seats. I originally thought that I would not like leather seats as they are cold in winter and hot in summer. But the GT warms up pretty fast in winter and I wasn't bothered as much as I thought I would be. The leather is hot though in the summer, but gee its summer so its supposed to be hot. I just try to keep the leather clean and conditioned so it will last and look good.

    Finally, I performed the rear sway bar upgrade over the weekend. WOW what a difference it makes! Body roll is greatly reduced. I recommend doing this upgrade for anyone who wants sportier handling. The instructions on wmoses' website are very good. I would add that one should use jack stands rather than those ramp things to hold the car up as I needed to remove the rear wheels. I bought some jack stands at walmart for less than $10. This is an excellent upgrade.
  • aznmontyaznmonty Member Posts: 66
    I am pretty sure that the leather is made of 100% cow. Koreans have a great fondness of cow meat.

    I am going on 2300 miles now. I have noticed a steady increase in mileage. I notice a few scratches on the hood, probably from pebbles from the highway. I have never noticed flying highway debris until I began driving the GT. It seems like a daily hazard on the highway these days.

    I know what the maintenance manual says about oil change maintenance, but will an earlier oil change be better for a 1st oil change?

    Before I bought the GT, all my friends were warning me of the Hyundai. Now that they had a chance to ride and drive it, they love it! They just love the smooth ride and the quiet cabin.

    I am very satisfied with the GT. I would prefer a little more muscle though. How big of a difference would I feel by doing the filter upgrades?

    The only change that I made was on the rearview mirror. Everyone needs to get a wide angle mirror because its so hard to see out of that puny stock mirror.
  • grocerybillgrocerybill Member Posts: 4
    gtovrit,

    How'd you repair the leather? Also, has anyone who did the swaybar or filter upgrades have any issues with warranty? Did anyone check to see if it'd affect the warranty?

    Thanks,
    Bil
  • gtovritgtovrit Member Posts: 53
    It was a really small puncture, I just put a couple of drops of a liquid vinyl that I use at work on it. The vinyl is similar to the product sold in auto supply stores for leather and vinyl upholstery repairs. If you follow their directions, you can get a pretty decent repair on small areas.
     As to the Korean fondness for cow meat, I hope they get a steak more tender than the hides they're using. Actually, I like the firmness of the seats, too.
     Oil changes? I don't believe you can go wrong by changing the oil much more frequently than called for. Since the Elantra only holds 3 1/2 quarts, and they call for 7,500 mile intervals, that oil is going to be extremely worn out and dirty. I change mine every 3,000. Even if I paid someone else to do it, I think it will be worth it in terms of longetivity. Get a Fumoto oil pan valve, it makes the job much easier. Not exactly trouble free, but easier.
  • compensatecompensate Member Posts: 212
    I thought the Elantra held around 4 quarts of oil, maybe slightly more.

    I change my oil every 5000 miles (easy to keep up with on the odometer) using high quality filter (Bosch) and synthetic oil. Seems to work well because the inside of the valve cover is still shiny and new looking at 43,000 miles.
  • gtovritgtovrit Member Posts: 53
    This is the crazy part, and I don't know if it's ever been answered to everyone's satisfaction. If you do a search for oil capacity on this site (search this discussion feature above the posts), you'll find a lot of discussions previously about the discrepancies between what the owner manual says and what the dipstick reads. Then the warning from Hyundai "Do not overfill crankcase!" All I know is if I put in 3 1/2 US quarts, with a new filter, and run the engine for a minute, shut it off, and let it settle, the dipstick reads full. I wish someone from Hyundai actually reads this and could answer.
  • gt_fangt_fan Member Posts: 159
    I read in a discussion over at elantraxd.com that there had been an actual TSB to amend the manual to specify around 3.5 quarts when changing oil and using a new filter. I've checked the usual sources (Edmunds, Alldata, etc.), but haven't seen such a TSB. In the mean time, when I change my own oil I use 3.6 - 3.7 quarts.

    Unfortunately, the dealer has overfilled the oil three out of three times that I've had them do it. At least the Fumoto valve makes this easier to rectify.
  • th003gth003g Member Posts: 149
    hm...did honda pay off edmunds again? i really feel that people are blinded by brand name when It comes to ranking cars in this range... ranking the civic Ex over the Elantra GLS and the mazda protege really is questionable in my opinion...
    they tested a gls versus an EX civic not a GT which is inexcusable b/c there is no reason not to test a GT since it can now be had in 4 door form negating the reason not to test the hatch...if you look at how they rated teh cars you can see how biased they are for honda... rating feature content in favor of the civic over the GLS? gimme a break...interior materials and build quality....i've sat in a showroom civic ex as recently as three days ago and would not even classify it as a quality interior...
    honda's engine was rated a nine? its the weakest of the bunch....
    enuff of me complaining what do you think?
    pitting a top line ex vs a gls with no options is really an unfair fight....optioned out a GLS or GT is still less than an ex
  • gt_fangt_fan Member Posts: 159
    I would contend that any Honda is afforded an extra 5 points in any comparo simply for having the Honda "H" on the grill. Still, I'd have to admit that the Civic has been a pretty good car for a a long time. Just don't get me going about the almost invariably arrogent Honda dealerships I've visited (but never bought from) over the years.

    It's too bad that Edmunds didn't get their hands on the GT sedan. Their biggest complaint seemed to be the GLS's somewhat mushy ride. The GT would have done much better there and STILL would have been the least expensive car in the test.

    One of the reviewers said about the Honda: "Wow! It's hard to believe this car is in the same class as some of the others." Well, Gee, at $18,570 maybe it's really not!
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    First, the Civic EX ($18.5K) was rated less than one point over the Elantra GLS, which was the base model with one option, an automatic. I can understand how the Civic EX could be rated over the base GLS. I've driven the EX and it's a pleasant experience with the sunroof, ABS, fine blend of ride comfort and handling, decent driving position (but not as good as the Elantra IMO). Plus it has great fuel economy, crash test scores, and good overall quality. What's not to like? Well maybe the din of the engine whining away on the freeway or knowing that you paid at least $4K more for a car that narrowly squeaked out a win over a Hyundai or knowing that if Honda's reliability fails you sometime after 36 months or 36,000 miles, it's pay up, baby. Personally I'd take the hit on the less than one point, and the cash, and the Elantra. But the Civic EX (coupe, please) would be the car I would buy if there were no Elantra.

    BTW, did you notice they thought the Elantra was dull? Did you also notice the color of the test car? Gray, with a gray interior--about as dull as it comes in car-dom. If they had tested a cobalt blue or chianti red GT sedan, they may have been more excited.
  • 5port5port Member Posts: 395
    Its very,very tough for writers to pick the Elantra as #1 in any comparo. What would they say to their fellow writers..."I picked the Hyundai?"
    Like a lot of political issues no one wants to be "the one". I love my GT.
  • jacobi1jacobi1 Member Posts: 32
    5port has a point, people still cringe when I tell them I bought a Hyundai. No matter what we say, that 'stigma' (Pony) will be with Hyundai for some time. Although I have noticed a increase of Hyundai's on the road, I guess that's we need...'drivers'

    Enjoy the ride...
  • jacobi1jacobi1 Member Posts: 32
    It's been a year in Canada now and I've seen a drastic increase of GT's on the road. I see at least one everyday (not the same one!) and sometimes 2-4 each day! Oddly I don't really get excited now, I used to like having 'one of a kind' on the road.
  • gpagpagpagpa Member Posts: 55
    Got the oil changed and rotated the tires for this interval. The dealership has a 7500 package costing about $100, but upon examination, the items checked were the same items listed in the manual for the 30k service. So I decied to just go with the oil and rotation. Also, again brought up the wind noise coming from driver side window. A few months ago, they were unable to replicate the noise on the test drive and reminded me that the window need to be shut completely. Claimed they could do nothing unless they personally heard the noise. Needless to say was not too happy with their coment. This time told the manager to check the TSB about the weatherstripping and was able to print the TSB and have the tech test drive and listen. Aparently, this time he was able to hear the wind noise and will order the new weatherstripping and have it installed at a later date. Hopefully, after this is done, there will not be any miscelaneous problems down the road from this installation. Has anyone had this correction done to the driver side door?
  • harlequin1971harlequin1971 Member Posts: 278
    anyone out here replace the speakers in their GT-hatchs yet?

    I thought I could live with them, but they are just too flabby and they drop most of the mid-range so low that it reminds me of watching movies in surround sound without a center channel - all the voices sound hushed.

    Found a place that is blowing out MB Quarts at cheap prices, but I wanted to check on sizes. They said 6x9s for the back and 7" to fit in the front. I checked the back, couldn't get in and measure, but isn't a 6x9 oval? The speaker in the rear hatch is definately round by my eyes.

    Anyone do a speaker upgrade? Anyone do a speaker upgrade and leave the OEM unit in place? Did you eventually have to drop the CD player as well?

    I have always wanted a car that can sound clean without going deep into the aftermarket world, but I am getting prepared for the inevitable speaker-upgrade.

    Anyone who has done after-market audio on a GT would be a welcome input/advice giver.

    (btw, I used to sell home audio and while not a pure audiophile, I can hear quite a bit when I listen to systems...sadly, cheap systems drive me nuts.)
  • th003gth003g Member Posts: 149
    front 6.75 with 1 inch tweeter in upper door area....
    rear 6.75 in by the windows....
    the gls/gt 4 door has 6x9's in the rear deck
    I have kicker rs6 components in front (6.5)
    kenwood excelon 6.5 in rear and a basslink subwoofer in the drivers side rear corner cubby by the hatch opening....
    speakers powered by a kenwood 849 (50x4) amp
    kenwood excelon 659 (mp3 headunit)
    the kickers are relatively inefficient speakers and require lots of power that the stock head unit will not give out....there are many speakers out there thought that can run on stock head unit power.... quality of which is debatable..
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