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Hyundai Dealer near by was asking $80 for a new OEM steel wheel, so I purchased a set of new custom aluminum wheels instead (about $75 each). Unfortunately, this did NOT immediately remove the shimmy problem. At our wits end, the TireBarn people speculated that the wheel may not be mounted exactly at the center and installed "Center Hub Ring" which acts like a guide to ensure that the wheel gets mounted exactly at the center to the car.
Boy! that fixed the problem. I cannot feel any shimmy. It's smooth all the way to 95mph -- yeah I pushed Elantra to test when I could feel the shimmy, but no shimmy at all! :->
We've been discussing Elantra tire/wheel vibration issues on the problems and solutions board. If you haven't read that yet, please do so and leave any helpful comments that might help us solve our minor (but still annoying) to major vibration/shimmy issues.
Maybe we can get this silly issue figured out once and for all and get back to enjoying our Elantras for the otherwise good cars they are : )
Thanks!
So the settlement does transcend original owners into the immediate family like the warranty does (did?).
I have another question: Does anyone have information about specs for the 2005 Elantra?
http://auto.consumerguide.com/auto/new/reviews/full/index.cfm/id/- 37591
That would mean there would most likely be few changes in the '05 Elantra, since it was just refreshed for '04.
My girlfriend is in the market for a new car. After much research and test driving a few cars she decided to buy an 04 GT Sedan with moonroof, ABS and TCS. She loves everything about the car. She says that it's "cute."
Anyways, my question is how much should she pay for this car? The TMV for the car is $14,440. With taxes and registartion we should be looking at about $15,500. Is this a good price or should she offer something along the lines $14,000?
She's paying cash for the car. I don't know if this will be an advantage for her. We live in jersey City, NJ and the dealer that we visted is Difeo Hyundai.
Does anyone have any experiences dealing with this dealer? Any recommendations to other dealers?
Thank you for your time and help.
I had a transmission speed sensor go bad on my 01 elantra the other day. It was repaired under warranty but the service tech told the service manager that my car also should have a throttle body cleaning and it needed new front brakes.
I asked why it needed the TBC and was told by the service manager that it is part of the normal hyundai preventative maintenace in the manual.
This of course is a crock and is nowhere to be found in the owner's manuals or even the shop manuals which I own.
I had also just checked the brakes a few weeks ago so I asked how bad the tech said they were. The tech said there was only 10-15% left.
I said I would check them again when I got home.
I checked them and they measured 5.5mm of pad left of the original 11mm. The minimum spec according to the hyundai shop manual is 2mm.
So I called the hyundai customer complaint dept and told them all about this service dept.
This particular one is Rick Case Hyundai in Duluth GA. Be careful out there y'all and watch out for these rip off artists. ;-)
Applies to: Accent 2000-2002 and Elantra 2001-2002
GROUP
Fuel System Fuel Delivery System

INSPECTION
Check the throttle body for cracks.
Check for restriction in the vacuum port or passage.
Check for interference when moving the accelerator cable.
CAUTION
Throttle valve set screw was adjusted in the production line with the air volume (0.516 ± 5% g/sec) during idling. So please DO NOT ADJUST IT voluntarily.
When the idle rpm is out of specification, check the relevant sensors and their input or output value first.
The throttle body does not need to be cleaned because carbon in throttle body does not affect the system's operation at all.
Since you are right accross the river, I can recommend Hyundai of Manhattan. I bought my used 02 GLS at the end of February, and I thought they were very good. Don't know what happens when you buy a car out of state as far as taxes & stuff.
One other suggestion is to check out any dealers on Better Business Bureaus website - I think it's bbb.com - and see how many complaints they have against them. When I was shopping, I checked out the quantity of complaints against H. of Manhattan & 2 others in Queens & long island - the other two had ALOT more. Bear in mind that almost every business will have some complaints against them. Look to see if they resolved their complaints, and compare the qty of complaints to other dealers.
good luck
And I trust you saw the earlier posting out of the Hyundai service manual with regard to throttle body cleaning.
Jim
BTW, how are your two Elantras doing?
My two Elantras are doing fine. I'm hardly driving my '01 GLS now that I work from home and travel a lot, plus I sneak out with the new GT 5-door as much as possible. ;-) The GLS has only 26,600 miles on it and still looks and drives like new, save for a few small dings and nicks. I'll need new tires by winter, so I'm going to upgrade to 16" alloys then (my oldest son will appreciate them when he gets the car in a couple of years). The GT has been flawless in its first two months (J.D. Power survey, where are you?). I get about 25-26 mpg around town with it (automatic), but my DW has a heavier foot and runs the A/C even on cool days ("That's what the moonroof is for, dear!") so she gets only around 22 mpg. Still not too bad for a car with only 1100 miles on it. It's a lot of fun to drive and I am surprised that I don't mind the leather interior, although it hasn't been real hot or real cold since we've owned it. My oldest son loves the MP3 system, but he's not getting the GT--eventually Son #2 will get it. (I'll add a MP3 to the GLS before handing it over.) If this pattern keeps up, we could have 3 Elantras in the family two years from now if the '06 model is good enough to beat out cars like the Mazda3i and the new-for-'06 Civic.
As for the Spectra, it really is a simple restyling of the current Elantra. It doesn't seem likely that the value division (Kia) would get the benefits of an all-new platform first. I can just look inside or sit inside to tell me it's my car. No dimensional changes were made, regardless what the magazines say. I find C/D and CR to be reliable in this regard.
Cheers!
Spectra Elantra
Turning circle 33.2 ft. 32.5 ft.
Wheelbase 102.8 in. 102.7 in.
Track, front 58.9 in. 58.5 in.
Track, rear 58.5 in. 58.1 in.
Width 68.3 in. 67.9 in.
Front shoulder room 55.1 in. 54.7 in.
Rear shoulder room 53.9 in. 53.5 in.
Front legroom 42.8 in. 43.2 in.
Rear legroom 35.4 in. 35.0 in.
Front hiproom 52.4 in. 53.0 in.
Rear hiproom 53.9 in. 55.6 in.
Passenger volume 97 cu. ft. 94 cu ft.
So the interior of the Spectra is a bit roomier, although the Elantra beats it in some dimensions. More to the point, it appears the chassis of the Spectra is different, based on different wheelbase and track numbers. I don't think it's that surprising that Kia would use the new compact platform on the Spectra first. Their alternative was to use a platform that is already four years old. Why not use it on the Spectra? A similar case is Ford's using an all-new platform on the Mazda3 first, then applying it to the costlier Volvo S40.
http://www.smh.com.au/text/articles/2004/05/23/1085250864321.html
Unlike you, I haven't driven the Spectra. Might save that for the 5-door. However, the Spectra doesn't look like much of a leap over the existing Elantra. Certainly less of a change than the upcoming XG's and Sonatas show over the existing cars.
I still think this is the next gen. platform, but would like to know for sure.
Still think you're right about the Kia being next gen, and haven't driven it (will probably wait for the hatch), but if the Spectra is next gen, I'm a little disappointed-- just doesn't push the envelope far enough. You ranked the last gen. Elantra ahead of it in your comparo-- that's not too impressive.
Elantra 26/34, 2.0L engine, 138 hp (GLS trim)
Civic 32/37, 1.7L engine, 127hp (EX trim)
Corolla 32/40, 1.8L engine, 130hp, (CE trim)
Spectra 24/32, 1.8L engine, 124hp
Of course it didn't and I brought the car back a few days ago. Well they called me and said the clutches were gone in the xmission and it had to have a new one.
They put in a new (remanufactured ;-) ) xmission on yesterday. This was done under warranty of course. Right now the shifting of the tranny is the best it has ever been, I hope it actually lasts since I have complained about this tranny since it was new. There does not appear to be any more shift flare! Now all I have to do is see if it stays that way this winter since the flare on the old tranny was worse in the cold. Also have to watch and see if the fluid is going to turn dark brown by the time it sees 10kmi like the old one did.
If this turns out to be no better than the last tranny I'll let y'all know since I'll be pissed and need to vent. ;-)
I would have preferred a new tranny since that was what I was told was going to be installed but I believe they have the right to use remanufactured parts under the terms of the warranty. I still have another 63kmi on the warranty, if this tranny dies they get to replace it again. ;-)
Backy, way back before I left I posted a comment about "small dimensional differences" and was referring to interior dimensions and outside length. The new platform will arrive in '06.
The service rep said that when they call Hyundai for the repair authorization that Hyundai tells them whether to use a re-manufactured or new transmission. Forgot to ask specifically about the warranty on a remanf xmission but I will ask when they call me back on Monday to say how long it will take to repair.
The car was great throughout, except on some worn concrete surfaces where the tire noise picked up. No wind noise, even at 70 mph. The cruise control is dead-on, even going up hills. And no shimmy! The best part was the fuel economy: 41.0 mpg for the trip, the highest I've ever recorded on this car. But then, I almost always drive it around town. This was only the 2nd trip of more than 100 miles that I've made with the car.
Now I'm thinking I should not get it. Anyone know more about this?
The Corolla is a very good small car, with the only significant problem being an uncomfortable driving position for many people of average height or more. You might be able to get a good deal on a leftover '04 ('05s are out now).
Does anybody know if the other model years are affected or just the 04's? My 02 and 03 do not have the pass airbag off light, so I wouldn't know until after an accident.