Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
There is no "one perfect car" for everyone, and I think people who stress that any car is without a downside, or dismiss negative comments about the vehicle, are actually doing more harm than good for the model under discussion. Satisfied owners and enthusiasts are great, but when we dismiss comments or call "troll" on anyone who doesn't agree 100%, that's not cool.
I know that the next vehicle I purchase won't be perfect. I'm OK with that. I also like that these forums are places where anyone can hang out, talk about the vehicle, and get information. It's also nice that people here are so helpful to those arriving here with questions!
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
The allegation is incorrect. Believe it or not, we actually have ways of screening out certain reviews.
Do you disagree with her also?
Do you really think for anyone (a non owner or someone with no first hand knowledge of the car or maybe even a competitor) bashing the car is helpfull to someone who may be interested in purchasing the car . Sorry but I disagree!
I being straight can you imagine how much help I would be to a Gay Forum. How about an Atheist participating in a Catholic Forum. Just examples to get my point across.
That's what I do to keep my sanity, & I've been an Edmunds member since 1998.
Example: I'm a Verizon dealer and I post on the Sprint Forum all the problems I'm having with Sprint and another large number of posters do the same. If you were planning on buying a cellphone is it possible we may influence your decision to avoid Sprint?
I know your intentions were positive but I was raised and worked all my life helping the less fortunate. It hurts me to see someone being provided with deceptive information. So scrolling my mouse will alleviate my problem but what about the people I'm suppose to be helping here.
I did delete about 50 old entries in my cell's phonebook so the download process only takes about 2-3 minutes, but I'd still like to be able to get into the car and call someone (using the car's bluetooth feature) without having to wait for the download.
Don't worry about them. They're not your problem. Sooner or later, they'll find what they're looking for - if not here, then somewhere else.
You're here for your own entertainment & education - not to help anyone else.
I don't know how much experience you have with this stuff, but I've been online since the 1980s, back when the only way to get online was to subscribe to proprietary services like CompuServe (better known as CI$ to those of us who paid their outrageous hourly charges) & GEnie (my personal favorite). I've seen people go absolutely ballistic while arguing about word processing software - yes, word processors - & I've learned to shrug this stuff off.
I'm not here to help you. I'm here because it's too hot & muggy to go outside & it's too early to start drinking. If I actually post something that you find useful, I'm glad, but that's not why I'm here. I'm really here to entertain & amuse myself.
Your online experience will greatly improve once you learn to ignore or laugh at the stuff that bothers you.
As always, my advice is worth exactly what I'm charging for it.
Appreciate the +1 and same to you. However, people have many different reasons to be on here. Your's obviously is the least stressful. But if others want to help others that is perfectly all right, in fact, it's very neighborly of them. It's how they "help" that bothers me. You hit it on the head....just scroll past. I've been reading this forum since the first post and to tell you the truth I have not seen any non-owner bashing the Sonata. A couple of owners had some pretty heavy complaints and one went a little overboard but that was an owner that had a very emotional experience and went a little ditsy.
The only non-owner that posts fairly regularly simply references review points from auto writers that aren't favorable to the Sonata and it drives a lot of the owners crazy. I haven't seen where he has lied or made up anything, it's just negative stuff that are in print or from other owners. While I "scroll past" pretty much, I think he provides just as good as information as other people that have nothing to say except they love their new car and haven't had any problems with it. What's the difference?
Another thing that gets really tiring is when someone doesn't like the new Sonata they have to be Honda employee or some kind of industry plant. Unless someone has proof of that they should just shut up because it makes them appear very paranoid.
People that find and visit these forums are not stupid little puppy dogs that need a guardian angel to look out for them.
Anyway, I would like to know the answer to the bluetooth question in regards to downloading the phonebook. I can see where it would be a little bothersome to have to wait several minutes to make a phone call everytime you enter the car without turning your bluetooth off. It's things like that that are interesting to me as a potential buyer even though it not exactly a positive.
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/19/2011-hyundai-sonata-hybrid-first-drive-review- -road-test/
The only annoying thing I have not been able to eliminate is while I'm driving that female comes on and asks me to develop a new profile for a second driver. One time I said yes and while I was driving new sentences were being displayed and I had to speak them. Not safe so I turned off the radio. Now when she comes on I hit the cancel call button.
Agreed, that's the safest way. It just seems bothersome to have to wait several minutes everytime you enter the car to make a call until your phonebook from your phone is uploaded to the car system. I would think for salespeople or others that are in and out of their car a lot it would kind of be a pain. Just wonder if there is some kind of fix to make it quicker. I guess having a really small number of entries in your phone would help some.
A workaround might be to dial the phone manually before you turn the car on so that you would already be on the call when the phonebook was uploading or maybe it would wait to upload until you finished your call.
Well, I understand that you have your perspective, but when it comes to how we run these forums, it's not relevant. And again, we have been underestimated - we are pretty well in-tune with determining the difference between a troll, and someone who doesn't happen to like the car.
Yes, occasionally non-owner perspectives are helpful - for example, if someone has test driven the Sonata and chose another vehicle, it is helpful to know their likes & dislikes, and what feature(s) made them choose another vehicle. This discussion doesn't exist to persuade people what a great car the Sonata is. It is, rather, to provide members with a variety of perspectives - they can analyze the credibility of each perspective for themselves, and determine whether the same likes / dislikes might apply to them.
Back when dinosaurs roamed the internet, we had "owner" and "fan" forums. Guess what? They actually attracted more trolls. Regardless of how one tries to get their point across, the fact is that we are going to continue to allow this to be a discussion available for all opinions, providing they conform to our Membership Agreement. That's just how we roll.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
It did sound like this one pretty much drives and rides like the gas model though. I drive probably 50/50 and live in midwest so hybrids just don't excite me that much.
The advice I would give is that when you read anything negative about any automobile on the Edmund forums, you should not take it at face value. Sure, no car is perfect and they will all have some negatives, but we must all take care when evaluating whether a statement is factual, an opinion, or a deliberate attempt to denigrate a particular make/model.
If I was interested in buying an automobile and I came to this (or some other forum) for information on that automobile, I would not allow posted negatives to effect my interest. I might take note and look for certain items when I go to see and test drive the vehicle, of course. For example, earlier in this thread someone said the 2011 Sonata is "noisy", yet, as I mentioned, on a smooth road I find it to be very quiet. My advice then - go test drive one and decide for yourself. But don't cross the Sonata off of your list because some person who may never have actually been in a Sonata said it is noisy. (I'm not accusing the poster in the thread here of anything - I'm just using this as an example.)
I put more stock in the "professional" reviews since they actually have driven not only the vehicle being reviewed but also many, if not all, of the other make/models in the same segment. I'm also careful how I view the professionals negative or "con" comments, too. Sometimes it is clearly opinion (like the often dislike of the Mazda3's "smiley face" front end), yet it has absolutely no bearing on whether it is really a good buy for the money. However, it may impact heavily on those who might consider the vehicle. A positive opinion doesn't hurt anything but a negative one may not only affect sales but also may cause a buyer to not check out a vehicle that they would really have found to be "perfect" for them.
Just how I see it.
I like the bumper sticker idea myself.
At a shop, paint match won't be a problem. They (shops) will either custom order the paint or may already have it available in their paint booths. This might be more costly than you realize; you'd have to pay to remove the bumper cover, sand down the divot, use bumper filler compound, smooth it down, paint the whole bumper and clear coat the whole bumper, and then put the bumper cover back on. Ballpark $300-500.
Some shops might take shortcuts and leave the bumper cover on when they do the surface fill, but even with tape masking you might have overspray of paint.
- Collision/Comprehensive : how much do parts cost? How expensive would it be to replace your vehicle?
- Liability : how much damage could your vehicle do to another vehicle?
Traditionally, you'll see that liability costs increase as you get into larger, heavier vehicles.
Not in underwriting but an insurance nerd.
On another note. I just visited the Hyundai Plant yesterday and really found it amazing how they make these cars out of metal thinner than a dime. In the 1 1/2 hour time my son and I were there, they made over 200 Sonatas and Santa Fes. 2 Sonatas for every 1 Santa Fe. And if I understood the guy correctly, every new Sonata will now have a better/upgraded horn. Not sure about the one's made since December though.
The average Team Member in General Assembly loses 10 pounds or more their first 3 months on the job.
Too bad you couldn't come into the paint plant, did you get to see the Paint Shop Showroom on the tour? It's hard to believe there's over 4 miles of conveyor in our shop until you have to walk it trouble shooting an issue or cleaning
I'm glad you enjoyed the tour, we're proud of our plant. Come on back and visit soon!
How long do they test drive a car before its shipped?
It's a very complex testing process, usually takes about 9 months to be considered a trained Track driver. I worked as a Quality Control Test driver for 4 1/2 years before changing positions.
One of the reasons I ask is that I bought the car much farther than where I live and I rather get the service done at a nearer dealer, especially if all I will be getting for the first service is basically the oil change.
Thanks!
Also, why are you changing the oil at 1300 miles? I suppose if all you do is very short trips, it would be a good idea, but the severe service interval is more than 1300 miles (what is it on the 2011 Sonata? 3000? 3750?). I don't drive my cars many miles so I go by miles vs. months. However, I don't go much beyond 6 months or so with dino oil--that's about 3000-3750 miles on my cars. I would go longer with synthetic, but none of my cars have it now.
When I get oil changes done on my 2 Hyundais at the dealer, I make an appointment and wait for the car--it's usually less than 30 minutes.
If you have some sort of "Maintenance Package" with the dealer where you purchased the car - for example 1 year free maintenance - then it would make sense to take it back there. My dealer provided a free "1000 mile check-up", but the first actual service won't be until 3750 miles which includes an oil change.
Otherwise, I would suggest you go by your nearby dealer and talk to a Service Rep there. He/she should be able to set you up with service through that dealer.
Oh, if you haven't already, you can go to https://www.myhyundai.com/page/home (MyHyundai.com) and register your vehicle. You may get some useful information there such as a downloadable (pdf) file of the User's Manual.
By the way, parking on the streets of NYC, I already have quite a few rare bumper scratches, mostly caused by other inconsiderate drivers trying to squeeze into tight parking spaces. Do any of you have experience with bumper paint job (it doesn't have to be a sonata)? I have a black Sonata, so it shouldn't be too hard as far as getting the right paint. I'm wondering about the price range and any other info people might have concerning this topic.
Thanks!
1. Good customer relations. Lets the customer know the dealer is there after the sale.
2. Give the service department the chance to take care of any issues that come up early on.
3. Also give the dealer a chance to check the vehicle out just to make sure everything is tight, trim, and where it should be.
True cost to the dealer is probably no more than $30-$40 for the effort, and is money well spent to both get the customer comfortable with bringing the car back for service as well as giving them that extra care that they will tell their friends about.
Smart.