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Hyundai Elantra 2001-2006

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Comments

  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    Those photos are completely realistic compared to the actual shine. I have an Inferno Red 300M and it shines just like the red cars in the pictures. My car is so bright it turns heads! My wife's 300M is Cinnamon Glaze, so the shine naturally won't hit your eye like the red. I Zaino'd my daughter's ocean blue Elantra and it came out real well, too. So it all depends upon the color -- the darker colors will outshine the lighter, but you can still tell the lighter color has the treatment.

    If you are skeptical of Zaino's pictures, take a look at the 300M forum. I know there are a lot of posts to go through, but there have been several discussions about Zaino and several postings of Zaino'd cars. In particular, sdmike has an infernal red like mine and his shines like mine!

    Also, they are very helpful. I had a problem in removing some water marks and I e-mailed Zaino for some help. Sal Zaino, as he has with many others in the past, personally e-mailed me some advice to deal with the problem.

    I highly recommend their products for those who really care about the appearance of their cars!
  • rbeaudinrbeaudin Member Posts: 14
    Could someone confirm this before I order touch-up paint?!? I
    assumed that that my 01 Elantra had it! Thanks. By the way, according to
    Consumer Reports, many waxes actually scratch/haze the surface....I think I'm
    more interested in protecting the surface than making it shiny...any info
    on how much some of these waxes mentioned scratch/haze?
  • elantra00elantra00 Member Posts: 225
    I checked out their site. Im going to give it a try. I guess I ll order Z-1 and Z-2...I have some wax on it from the last time I waxed it. So I ll put the cleaner on it to get rid of it, which is Z-1 and start from scratch. Then we'll try the polish out, which is Z-2. I have the best color for reflections...black. So hopefully it will shine well! :)
  • silver_bulletsilver_bullet Member Posts: 1,339
    Clearcoat is nothing more than regular paint with no pigment added, and is used on virtually every car with a metallic finish. Not only does the clearcoat provide most of the depth and gloss, but the clearcoat keeps the metallic particles (usually fine aluminum powder) in the basecoat from oxidizing. Many solid, non-metallic colors have a factoy clearcoat as well - it depends on the manufacturer. Some factory supplied touch-up uses a "two part" basecoat/clearcoat approach (many BMW colors, for example), but most just supply the touch-up as a one part finish. Remember, touch-up is meant to be used to repair very small defects only - anything bigger than a small chip or scratch should be professionally refinished. Sure, touch-up paint isn't perfect, but it is not meant to be - it's purpose is to prevent corrosion from forming.
  • clarkemodeclarkemode Member Posts: 15
    Can anyone tell me the correct sizes for the front and rear speakers in the 2001 Elantra? I am looking to upgrade to better quality speakers. Thanks!
  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    On my window stickers for my Chrysler 300M's it describes the paint as clearcoat. On the window sticker for my daughter's Elantra, it does not. I called the Hyundai 800 number and I was told to contact my dealer. My dealer didn't know. So I bought Zaino for regular paint finishes for the Elantra. This polish has an additive to prevent oxidizing, otherwise I think it is the same as the polish for clearcoat. From what silver bullet is saying, the Elantra is clear-coated. Is there any way of confirming this with Hyundai? If someone finds out, please let me know!
  • silver_bulletsilver_bullet Member Posts: 1,339
    If your Elantra has a metallic finish, it is a safe bet that it is clearcoated. You are correct - virtually all Chrysler finishes include a clearcoat. Remember, clearcoat is paint too, and can oxidize like pigmented paint. You are probably fine to use either product. IMO, finish care products that claim to be "formulated just for clearcoats" are mostly marketing hype - they probably work okay no matter what the finish is. Goofiest marketing example I've seen: "Truck Wax". C'mon, we're supposed to believe that big, tough macho trucks have super special paint? Yeah, right ;-)
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    I think I've seen some comments on this on back posts.

    I have about 1800 miles on the odometer and gas mileage is still hovering in the low 20's, mixed. I did get slightly over 30 on a 300 mile road trip and was certainly pleased by that. I thought my mileage would be creeping up as the engine loosened a bit, but things actually seem to be getting worse. Last tankful was about 21 including some highway driving. Do things get better? This is averaging about 4 mpg less than my 97 Cavalier.
  • ajalgerajalger Member Posts: 5
    The sizes as far as I have found so far are 7" speaker in the front (not 6 1/2, but you can use an adapter if you like), with a 2.4" depth. The depth was from Crutchfield, and when I pulled the door apart, I found you can probably squeeze a little more w/o hitting the window, but I would use a spacer and measure carefully. The rear speakers are 6"x9", with low clearance to the factory grills. There is plenty of depth for the rear speakers. What are you planning to replace with? Have you run power for your amps yet? If so, where did you pass through the firewall?

    ---

    Can anyone tell me the correct sizes for the front and rear speakers in the 2001 Elantra? I am looking to upgrade to better quality speakers. Thanks!
  • clarkemodeclarkemode Member Posts: 15
    7" for the front???? that seems like an odd number. I am upgrading to more clearer speakers, I had an accent and it seems like Hyundai factory speakers just dont have very good treble response. I'll probably put Jensen's in there.
  • tb88tb88 Member Posts: 242
    Could you look up / tell me what the scheduled maintenance/interval is on the Elantra for:

    1- Tune-up (spark-plugs...)
    2- transmission fluid/filter maintenance
    3- coolant flush
    4- timing belt
    5- anything else?

    Thanks a lot!

    .
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Low 20s in town and 30 on the road seems on the low side compared to other posts and my personal experience. I started out at 24-25 this winter in around-town driving, but it's improved to 28-30 now in the summer. That's for trips of mostly 1-15 miles on city streets and in-town freeways. On my only long (150 miles) trip I got close to 40, with no a/c. There's a lot of factors involved, including speed, a/c use, traffic (stop and go vs. open cruise), lightness of touch on the pedal, temperature, fuel blend (ethanol-blended gas reduces mpg by about 10%). So while your numbers seem on the low side, it's hard to say if they're outside the normal range. Since EPA ratings are 24/25 city and 33 highway, you are actually quite close to them. Also, note that in Edmunds long term tester, the mpg average is around 26, which is not far off yours. I've noticed mpg improvements in other cars after 10,000 miles or more, so give it some time. Another thing is that if you had the standard engine on the Cavalier, your Elantra is more powerful--it's unrealistic to expect more power without affecting mpg.
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    A poster in the Accent thread (hatchbacks) wrote about his first oil change and the fact that he used Castrol 10W40. Without checking my owners manual I wrote warning him that he may have violated his warranty by not using an API "starburst" approved grade. Turns out that I was wrong, 10W40 is approved by Hyundai.

    Even my wife's 1997 Cavalier with the moaning rental car 2.2 engine has a warning in the manual that use of 5W30 is recommended, 10W30 allowed and 10W40 or other non starburst oil will violate the warranty. The new ILSAC standards (GF3) even call for 5W20 and Honda and Ford are now requiring that grade.

    I think that Hyundai recommends a 10W30.

    All of this leads me to believe that Hyundai's tolerences are greater than other new engines. Am I right? The Elantra mill sure seems a lot more modern than that on the Cavalier. 10W30 is good all around oil, but I'm troubled by the allowing of 10W40. Haven't seen that in an owners manual since the late seventies or early eighties if memory serves me right. What gives?
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    Actually my lowest mileage (the latest) was 22.8, my earlier post was from memory. I have a 5 speed, is yours an automatic? If I remember correctly there isn't much difference in the EPA figures between transmissions.

    I've been babying things, maybe I'm not accelerating the engine enough. I've generally kept it below 3000 rpm. Remember a lot of discussion (not here) on whether mileage improves if you get the engine further up on the rev. range.

    St. Louis has its own unique EPA blend, so that may be part of it. With the temperature-humidity index well over 100 every day I haven't had a chance to turn off the A/C.

    Just checked the Edmunds long term test and their worst mileage was under 20. Was a bit concerned since I picked the Elantra over the Focus because (among other things) the Ford's widely varying mileage between cars. Have a friend whose never gotten much more than 24 mpg on his ZX3. Still happy I got the Elantra over the Focus and I did get a bit over 30 on straight highway driving.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I think you explained why your mpg is a tad on the low side--running the a/c constantly in hot weather will sap some mpg, and having the ethanol blend (as we have in the Twin Cities year 'round) won't help either. So a low of 22.8 after only 1800 miles doesn't seem that bad. I have a 5-speed, and I try to keep the revs low too--usually. It's hard to resist to crank it up now and then--after all, why buy a car with 140 hp if we don't use it sometimes? 8)

    I was a bit disappointed in my Elantra's mpg too until I compared it to my previous car, a '97 Sentra with 115 hp that consistently averaged 30-34 mpg in around-town driving. So I'm getting 15-20% lower mpg, but got a power increase of 22%. Seems like a fair tradeoff.
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    it has that other crap that gives you cancer when it gets into the ground water. Hopefully the EPA will simplify the gasoline requirements to about three different blends nation wide. Our gas prices just went up 14 cents (from 1.17 to 1.31) in the last three days (I know this seems low to you but you have taxes to fix the potholes. As my cousin from Anoka County said when he visited St. Louis for the first time, after driving on your roads I now know the meaning of urban blight.)
  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Member Posts: 2,228
    I'm confident your mileage will improve. My 2000 Accent did the same thing your car is doing. It initially got pretty good mileage, and then, it dropped like a rock to 24-26 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway (its rated 28/36). I was pretty disappointed considering I bought a small engined car in hopes of getting good mileage. After the third oil change, between 9 and 12K, my mileage jumped back up to 27-29 in all city driving and 38 when doing 75 with the AC on. I think Hyundai engines generally require a long time before they completely free up. So dont fret, your mileage should improve somewhere around the third oil change.
  • majorthomechomajorthomecho Member Posts: 1,331
    You live in the St. Louis area? I was just there part of Thursday and most of the day yesterday. I will be going back there on Sunday to go to the Zoo before picking up the roomie in the afternoon.

    Compared to Kansas City, I did not find your streets bad at all. I did mainly highway driving (I-70, 170, 64/40), but did some city street driving when we went to your Union Station which is much better than ours.

    I had to fill up at a QuikTrip in St. Charles. Do you know if the QT trips in your area use MTBE. I don't know if our QuikTrips do and using it worries me. Except for one tankful, I have only used QuikTrip gasoline since I bought the car and the dealership uses only QuickTrip gasoline.

    And what is up with the black plastic hose that wraps the metal nozzle? We don't have them here in Kansas City. I couldn't tell when the nozzle had come out of the tank and I spilled some gas on my car. I used the window washer sponge and threw washer fluid on my car to partially wash it off. I did not use the sponge and rub the car down. I merely shook the handle so that water was flung on the car. The drive seems to have made the gas evaporate the rest of the way. I did not smell gas when I checked some thirty miles from home (about 190 miles after it happened).

    All in all, I find St. Louis a nice place to visit.
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    and the hose recaptures vapors.

    Part of the plan by the EPA to divide the country into as many zones as possible and make gas distribution unduly difficult. I think KC's formulations are much different than St. Louis's.

    QuikTrip pretty much controls the local gas distribution business. When prices spike, as they did last week, it's usually them taking the lead and everyone else following. In the St. Louis area, QuikTrip's gas comes from the Clark refinery (I'm not sure if the ownership has changed, maybe it's what used to be the Clark refinery) over in Illinois.
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    in Canadian driver:


    http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jc/92-95elantra.htm


    Actually gave it a generally good review. Not as sophisticated as a Corolla (it wasn't, I remember driving one), but said it has held up quite well. You see these occasionally in used car lots at very attractive prices. Are there any readers who actually still drive one of these first generation cars or have experience with one? If it is durable it might make a decent kids car.


    There's an Elantra thread in one of their forums. Basically Hyundai fans v. don't buy anything but Japanese crowd. There is a comment that the warranty is shorter in Canada because the government won't allow anything longer than offered by a domestic manufacturer.


    Could any of our Canadian friends confirm this? It sounds bizarre. Maybe it's time to open the old (Quebec?) plant that made first generation Sonatas. Or am I remembering that wrong?

  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    As expected, Famous Ed had an ad in today's (Saturday's)LA Times.

    Basic Elantra GLS with automatic -- $10,988 (all in stock). The salesman that called me the other day (after-sale courtesy call) said they could probably do a long distance sale using FedEx, but the purchaser would have to pay transportation costs.

    Just thought you might be interested...
  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    As a Canadian citizen (U.S. resident since 1984) I would not doubt the shortened warranty issue. However, there are no domestic car companies -- only plants of U.S. (and probably now Japanese) companies. So the government basically has no domestic car companies to protect -- only domestic jobs.

    When I left Canada, all Canadian radio stations had to play music by Canadian artists a signicant % of the time. This law was called CANCON (Canadian Content). It was also illegal for cable operators to offer HBO, Showtime, etc. Instead they had one premium movie channel that cost an arm and a leg. This high price financed Canadian arts. All this was done to "preserve our culture".

    The reason there are no NFL football teams in Canada after all the expansion is because the Canadian government won't allow U.S. football to destroy our football culture, namely the Canadian Football League (CFL).

    I know all this sounds cynical, but your post reminded me how I hated to be told by the government what entertainment was best for me and all Canadians. That's how it was then (pre-1984) -- I don't know what the government is controlling now...
  • jim7heaven7jim7heaven7 Member Posts: 25
    Hey, folks I am new to this group and I just bought my first new Hyundai. I bought a 2001 Elantra Gls automatic, Midnight Grey, with Package 5 and mud flaps with extended warranty. I purchased it for 15495 including tax&title. It was one of the most painless car buying experiences I have ever had. Iam quiet pleased with the car so far, bought it with only 25 miles on the odometer and have driven another 25 miles. This car rocks so far. I purchased the extended factory warranty because I will be putting some serious miles on this car. I test drove the 2001 Honda Civic EX, before I looked at this car. The Honda was a good car but just a little expensive for what you get they wanted 17,000 for the one I looked at and it didn’t have ABS or Traction control and no side airbags. The Elantra has everything I need and then some, I could have had a Moon roof added and Custom leather that is done at a local leather place for an additional 2000 for both, but I really don’t need these things. I will be setting up a website to track the life of my car, I will post it later, I will try to track every detail of the car through its life. So far I am really impressed with the refinement of this car the only thing that I noticed that was off was the gap tolerance on the right part of the trunk, but this is minimal. Well I will see you folks later, and I will post the website when I have it up.

    Congradulations to all you Hyundai drivers out there, this company is going in the right direction and I only see it getting better with time. I could see this company eating into Honda and Toyota profits especially in the America market.

    Everybody let me know if you think I got a good deal, I feel I did, I did my homework and thanks to all your post I think I have made the right choice.
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    How much extra will we be paying for houses in order to protect the U.S. forest industry?
  • tb88tb88 Member Posts: 242
    $15,495 - Isn't that a little on the high side!

    MSRP= $15,082 ... Invoice: $13,859

    Rebate= -$500

    Extended Warranty: + $700 ?
    Tax & title around: + $800.

    What state is that?

    To:csandste

    Yes it is true the warranty in Canada is only 3years/60,000 Km - which is 37,282 miles!
    Check Hyundai Canada Site... http://canada.hyundai-motor.com/

    .
  • tb88tb88 Member Posts: 242
    Re:Elantra Ad.

    Thanks for the info ... I am still hesitant, about the distance CA to MI.
  • steveb70steveb70 Member Posts: 15
    Jim, no offense intended, but that sounds like an incredibly high price for a GLS, even with the extended warranty. I can understand if it was the GT model, but not for a GLS.

    Using carsdirect.com as an example, here in Colorado, I can get a GLS with package 5 for $13K. Tax and title would probably put me at $13,600 or so, but I think I could even do better than carsdirect.com.

    Still, I'm glad you're happy with the car -- that's the main thing.

    Steve
  • elantra00elantra00 Member Posts: 225
    10W30 in the winter....10W40 in the summer. That is what I go by. Differences in temperatures and the viscosity of the oil for different times of the year.
  • av1998av1998 Member Posts: 7
    Here's repeating my earlier post .....

    ==================================================
    #1534 Prices in Ohio/Michigan ?

    I am seeking some feedback from people in the Ohio and Michigan region. I have been seriously researching the Elantra for 2-3 weeks now.

    I am looking at getting an Automatic model with the ABS/Traction Control package.

    tb88: Any success with your offers in MI yet ?
    ==================================================

    Carsdirect could do it for $13,962. I am hoping to shave that down further, hopefully $12,700-12,900. Essentially, there are reasons to believe that upon subtracting all 'factory-to-dealers' rebates, 'hold-back fees' and so on, the actual cost to the dealer should be under $12k. This is not the 'invoice price' per se, it is the 'real' amount that the dealer needs to pay after deducting all applicable incentives that they expect to receive. An offer of about 12,700-12,900 should really give the dealer a comfortable 3%-6% profit margin.
  • lelandclelandc Member Posts: 26
    tb88,

    May I ask where in Michigan you live? I too am starting to get interested in the Elantra and would love a price of $10,988 for automatic. I am in the metro Detroit area. Have checked a few dealers around and no one comes close to that!!

    Leland
  • tb88tb88 Member Posts: 242
    I live in Oakland County.
    I never said the price in Mich was 10,888 for auto... That price is in California; see previous intrepidspirit postings!
    Glassman Hyundai in Southfield has a good/large supply of Elantras, he may be ready to start dealing! Who knows!

    .
  • av1998av1998 Member Posts: 7
    You know what ..... I would be willing to travel from Toledo up to Southfield, if Glassman Hyundai is willing to give the 3 of us(tb88, lelandc & av1998) a heck of a deal !! :) If you're speaking to them, you may leverage the multiple sale opportunity as a bargaining tool.
  • clarkemodeclarkemode Member Posts: 15
    I wanted to post my recent problems with my 2001 GLS... since day one was a severe steering wheel shimmy that took 2 visits to the dealer. The first visit, they SAID the balanced the tires, but didnt...Second time, I watched them balance the tires. The shimmy is much less, but I can still feel it at times. My second problem which was fixed was a brake pulsation which a simple rotor resurfacing took care of. Next problem, was my check engine light went on at like 300 miles due to a bad canister valve. NOW, I need a new compressor. The a/c was weak idling and made a funny noise, I didn't really think anything of it but here I am at 1000 miles, and I had all these problems already! I am very disappointed. Does anyone have any advice?? Thanks!
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    No doubt 10-40 oil is allowed by Hyundai, I'm just bothered by the fact that it's use would violate the warranty on most other new cars out there. Viscosity improvers come at a price and that price is basic lubrication.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Advice? Keep on the dealer to fix the problems--looks like they've fixed 2 out of 4 so far. If the service department is ineffective, take it up the ladder--first to the customer service rep at the dealer (if they have one) or the dealership owner, then to Hyundai USA (your owner's manual has contact info).

    Re the 2 outstanding problems: looks like the service department is incapable of doing a proper wheel balance; others who have reported this problem got success after taking their Elantras to another shop, which did a proper balance. For the a/c problem: is it more than the noise and weakness when idling? Have you taken it into the dealer yet? The a/c unit does make a soft, high-pitched whine when the compressor starts; this is normal, but it might sound strange (it did to me at first). How weak does the a/c get at idle? Under what conditions, e.g. is this idling in traffic on a real hot day? Generally the Elantra's a/c is a strong unit, but a couple of other owners posted before about a drop in temperature under certain conditions, so it's worth having it checked out to see if indeed you need a new compressor or if there is some other problem.
  • perolafperolaf Member Posts: 5
    Hi, I'm looking at an Elantra as a work car for about 50 k/yr, mostly on the highway, with some stretches of rough road. Any thoughts on how the car will hold up under these conditions and how is the comfort for extended trips. I've had prior poor experience judging comfort from a short test drive. I think I can get one for about $12,700 after rebate with package 2 if the sales guy is being straight. Thanks for any advice.
  • steveb70steveb70 Member Posts: 15
    As I've said before, if I had one of these with the shimmy problem and it wasn't fixed on first attempt by the dealer, I'd take it to a mechanic I trust for a diagnosis. I'd then take it back to the dealer and ask them to fix XYZ part (or whatever your mechanic's diagnosis was).

    But, (this is a question for everyone) can't you take the car to any authorized Hyundai dealer for service?

    Did you test drive this particular car before buying it? I'd think you could have sensed the shimmy on a good test drive. I'm not faulting you by any means, but that might have helped.

    You also mentioned on another forum that the car pulls to one side or the other depending on the speed. What has the dealer said about this?

    Posts like yours does give me pause as I contemplate purchasing an '01 Elantra. My other choice is a used '00 Mazda Protege.

    Steve
  • black01coupev6black01coupev6 Member Posts: 195
    steveb70: Just wanted to put my .02 in since you mentioned that you are choosing between an Elantra and a Protege. While I have no firsthand experience with the Elantra I just purchased a 2001 Protege ES and absolutely love it.

    The car feels very well put together and has one of the best rides that I've ever felt even compared to my '01 Accord Coupe. I only have 700 miles on it so far...so we'll see how it holds up compared to the Honda/Acura products I've owned. This is my first non-Honda purchase in 4 years.
  • steveb70steveb70 Member Posts: 15
    Thanks for the comments on your Protege. Actually, I've been monitoring the Protege board as well. The new ES is out of my price range, even though I really like what I hear about it.

    However, if I can find a 2000 ES (or even a '99?) with low miles and in solid condition, I'll probably go in that direction over the Elantra. These posts about the shimmy and other issues have me concerned.

    Steve
  • clarkemodeclarkemode Member Posts: 15
    I took my car in on Saturday for the shimmy, and I SAW them balance all 4 wheels. The shimmy was STILL there this morning. Then on my commute today, I notice if I put the car in neutral (automatic)and coast at 65MPH, the shimmy goes away!!! Also, There is this shaking sensation when I am going down a smooth road at 45MPH and that too goes away when I put it in neutral and coast. I think I have a problem with the transmission/driveline, but getting the dealer to duplicate the situation is very frustrating since they do not drive the car everyday and they want to duplicate the same results in a 10 minute test drive. I also noticed that during the first 15 minutes of driving, my transmission slips between 2nd and 3rd gear. This seems to go away after the car fully warms up, but nonetheless, it annoys me. My A/C was very weak. Whenever I came to a light, the temp coming from the vent would rise... it wouldn't get cold unless it was on the 1st or 2nd fan speed. I thought for sure the tech would use gauges to check the pressures, but he used this stethoscope thing and then said I needed a new compressor! So, im not paying for it, all it may really need is some freon, but hey, they're dime. I had an 2001 Accent before the Elantra, and I wanted something better. I am starting to regret my decision.
  • aquesadaaquesada Member Posts: 24
    Sorry about your decision, I have 3200 miles(3months) on my Elantra 01 with 0(zero) problems.
    For me there is no comparison between my Elantra and any other used car, when you by a used car you are buying what somebody else wants to get rid of.
  • baberbaber Member Posts: 96
    My Wife and I have a 99 Accent sedan and a 99 Elantra. I spend 3 hours a day in my Accent in my 100 mile a day commute to work. The Accent is good enough but I could use a little more leg and head room (6' 2"). Love the economy though. I have taken my Wifes Elantra on several long trips and found it to be VERY comfortable. I have driven for upto 4 hours between fillups without getting tired at all. The car has plenty of power and the cruise control and AC work great. On the highway I get about 30mpg. The car cruises great at 75MPH too. 25,000 miles trouble free so far. I have a good garage and tire shop nearby. They do my balancing and rotating every 7500 miles. We have never had any shimmy problems in our 99 Elantra, I guess this is a problem with the 2001 model. The 2001 model seems to be even nicer then the 1999/2000, so I would recomend the 2001 Elantra. Ours is an automatic by the way. One more thought, the 2001 Elantras have 15 inch tires the 1999/2000 models had 14 inch, could this contribute to the shimmy problem? Our 99 Elantra also has Michelin tires as standard equipment. As I recall only the automatic Elantras in 1999 and 2000 had the Michelins, the 5 speeds had Kumho or Hankook tires. I have heard a lot of BAD things about Hankook tires. The Kumho tires on my Accent lasted 56,000 miles. They seemed to start to lose their balance after about 5,000 miles or so and had to be rebalanced. My Accent started to shimmy pretty bad at 56,000 miles. It turned out the belt in one of the front tires started to separate. These were the Kumho tires that came as original equipment on my Accent. The tire didn't look bad but is was out of round. This happened during a long trip at high speed. I guess the Kumhos couldn't take the stress. Replaced the Kumho tires with a new set of Michelin MX-4's (birthday gift from my Wife, what can I say, she LOVES me) and the car has been smooth as glass since. I haven't had to do an alignment on either car yet.
  • bri70bri70 Member Posts: 147
    Well I guess I jinked myself when I suggested that most comments on the Elantra have not been major issues.

    This morning the 2000 Elantra did not want to start. Turn the ignition and nothing but a screeching sound came back. This lasted for more than a minute of trying. Finally after a horrendous screeching sound the engine turned. I am going to send it to the dealer to have it checked out. Before that, I was wondering if anyone else has any idea. The spark plugs were replaced a couple of months ago. I believe the battery is good. And I have been able to start the car a number of times since without a problem.

    Now my sister (who uses the car more than I do) wants to get rid of it. Trade it in for a used Toyota. What a joke. A little trouble and all the bad rep of Hyundai of yore starts causing her to panic.
  • jim7heaven7jim7heaven7 Member Posts: 25
    From my previous post, about paying 15,495. I could have probably done better, according to the replies to my post. I live in Ohio, and the tax alone was $900. The Extended warranty was $1000 probably should have got the extended warranty down to $700. I can say this has been a learning experience for me, so I feel pretty happy with my purchase. I used the TMV numbers from Edmunds.com to make the purchase. I didn't have any extended warranty numbers to work with so I was not going to go over a 1,000 for the extended coverage on any car. The next car I purchase I will have those facts in my back pocket to haggle them down. Thanks for the input folks.
  • silver_bulletsilver_bullet Member Posts: 1,339
    Why did you buy an extended warranty on a car that comes with a 10 year / 100K powertrain warranty? On top of that, you paid $1K for a warranty on a $15K car? Helloooo...
  • csandstecsandste Member Posts: 1,866
    I note that some of you are recording sales tax as part of the price. This will skew and mislead comparison figures since each state does it differently. In Missouri, for instance, the sales tax for cars (only) follows the purchaser's residence and is not levied at the time of purchase but within thirty days (reminds me I've got to go down this week and stand in line). When some of you include sales tax and some don't it just gets confusing.

    I've only bought an extended warranty on one thing in my life, I got talked into it on an '86 Tempo. That was a good move since the Tempo was the most troublesome bucket of crap I've ever seen. Ford at that time had a guarantee that if you replaced any part twice they'd pay for it. Never knew so many things could go out once. For the most part, however, I'm a firm believer that an extended warranty is simply a way for the dealer to recoup some money. That applies whether its cars or dishwashers.
  • jim7heaven7jim7heaven7 Member Posts: 25
    I bought the extended warranty because this car will be getting alot of miles on it and I did not want any gaps in coverage. Yes it has a 10 year 100,000 mile power train, but I wanted bumper to bumper coverage for this car extended. My wife will be the primary driver for this car and she commutes about 100 miles a day. If I never have to use the warranty I will be glad, but I feel better knowing its there if I need it. Even if I paid about $400 dollars to much for it. I feel if I start getting in trouble after 60,000 miles the warranty will pay for it self even though I have overlap on the power train coverage. We will be keeping this car at least 10 years if not more, and I would like to get about 200,000 miles out of it. But I appreciate all the feedback you folks have been giving me, it will really help on my next purchase.

    Thanks Jim.
  • intrepidspiritintrepidspirit Member Posts: 662
    I agree 100%. Tax is not negotiable and varies from state to state (and within state). If anyone includes it, the user of the information ends up removing it from the numbers.

    I know we all have to include tax in our total for personal budget purposes, but including it in comparisons is counter-productive -- it makes comparisons difficult.
  • browneybrowney Member Posts: 104
    I also have posted in the past about the perceived A/C issue. I brought my Elantra back to the dealer twice to be checked out and they said it works exactly as it should, and all Elantras work this way.
    The service manager personally drove my vehicle 80mi to test it out and also drove 2 other new Elantras on the lot for comparison.
    I did a bit of A/C research on the net and also purchased the shop repair manuals for the Elantra. I found that the Elantra uses an expansion valve type A/C system. (I have been told that most, if not all imports use this type of system) This valve, from what I have read, should control the cycling of the compressor to regulate the evaporator temperature. There is also a thermistor switch placed in between the coils of the evaporator that shuts off the compressor to prevent freezing.
    I have done a lot of testing on my vehicle and it seems that this thermistor is what is controling the temp inside my car. I have measured the exhaust vent temp at the dashboard and it varies between 34 deg f and 46 deg f with the revs held at 1500rpm and the outside air temp at about 80 deg f. This temp variation occurs about every 20-30 seconds and is caused by the compressor shutting off because the thermistor has shut it off to prevent freezing. (I have used a voltmeter to actually measure the thermistor shutting off the compressor)
    I could be wrong but I think the expansion valve is actually supposed to control the A/C and the thermistor is just a back up to prevent freezing.
    I had a co-worker drive me around in his new Nissan frontier to see what the A/C temp variation was for it, and it also cycled about 10-12 deg f. (so maybe this is normal?)
    The Hyundai Service manager said that a variation of up to 18 deg f is normal for this type of A/C system. He said his Honda Accord varies by this amount. They also measured the charge in the system and said it was within specs for the vehicle.
    So my fix has been to not point the exhaust vents directly at me so I don't notice when the air temp cycles and to keep the fan at 2 or higher.
    I also have had my Elantra in for the transmission slipping between 2nd and 3rd when cold. They found no problem in their test drive and said if there are no fault codes in the computer, 'there isn't any problem'.
    I have 4400mi on my vehicle now and that slip is still there every day.
    I expect that to get worse when the cold weather arrives in the south and that is when it will go back to the dealer again.
    Good luck with your service department and keep us posted if you actually able to get something repaired. ;-)
  • tb88tb88 Member Posts: 242
    I ended up buying the base Sonata, automatic, instead...
    I wonder how much they are selling for down there!
    No, I don't want to know...

    .
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