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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!
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?
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.
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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!
1- Tune-up (spark-plugs...)
2- transmission fluid/filter maintenance
3- coolant flush
4- timing belt
5- anything else?
Thanks a lot!
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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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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...
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...
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.
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/
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Thanks for the info ... I am still hesitant, about the distance CA to MI.
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
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#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 ?
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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.
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
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!
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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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Thanks Jim.
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.
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. ;-)
I wonder how much they are selling for down there!
No, I don't want to know...
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