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Comments
If you lived in an area where the temps were consistently in the teens and twentys I would definitely go with 5W20.
thanks
you open the hood. It will cause high rpms in park and erratic operation of engine.
2001 GLS 5-speed
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My old 2001 5-speed, now with my sister, is at about 70k and still going strong. My 2004 GT AT hatch is at about 48k and still runs like new, and looks like new except for a few small dings. Someone asked my wife the other day, when she had it, when she got the "new car". I'll be able to use the full powertrain warranty on that car, but it looks like it will have only about 75k on it at 10 years--when my middle son is nearly done with college.
Currently my check engine light is on again, for some emission, but my garage man told that it was very minimal, when he checked it out with his machine. So, he shut the signal off, only to have it come back on a couple of days later. This is not going to help when I have my car inspected next June, so whatever it is will have to be repaired by then
It is a 4 cylinder with an automatic transmission. Features include: power windows, power locks, AC, keyless entry, alarm, AM/FM cassette player, cruise control, alarm, front and side airbags and ABS.
The miles seem kind of high for a 2004 car and is what concerns me the most. I have looked at the pictures of the car and it looks like a clean car without any obvious defects. I just want a economical and reliable daily driver that I can drive for a few years without having to spend too much money on repairs. I've never had a Hyundai before and I'm not familiar with their reliability.
I checked the KBB and the TMV value for the car and it is around $3700 (private party) for the car. How much lower than the blue book value should I make the offer? Do the blue book values even mean anything?
Is this car a good deal?
Thanks!
On a car with over 100k miles, if a part is original, it can go at any time.
Most importantly, with those miles you need to see maintenance receipts. Lots and lots of maintenance receipts.
Regarding the cars themselves, yes, they are good cars. But 100K miles is only good if the car has been well taken car of.
If you check the history of my 2001 in Consumer Reports, you see that owners have had trouble with cooling and other areas that I have not. I try to baby my car and it helps. If you know the owner of the 2004 you are considering babies his/her car and shows proof, then it's worth a shot. The history of 2004 Elantras in the Consumer Report survey is quite favorable. My car is older but with similar miles and I would not hesitate to sell it to someone I know, because it will last.
Good luck and let us know of your decision.
To have 100,000 in 5 years probably means a lot of highway miles, which are considered easier on a car than city miles. My car was essentially trouble-free the whole time, so I had no problem buying our fourth Hyundai in nine years.
Just a thought...
The '99 just ran cold, the '02 (W engine) set a check engine light as the engine would not warm up enough to get into "low emission" status.
Fortunately, a very simple replacement on both. Stant makes a good thermostat. Good radiator caps, too.
A friend suggested to try putting soap on the belt but we haven't done this yet.
Also, when he was driving home from work last night he was making a right turn at a stop light and he said the lights inside the car dimmed and almost went completely off. When he pressed on the gas it went away. We have no idea what this might be other than maybe the battery?
Thanks in advance for your help. Really hope we don't have a lemon here.
Check the belts for a significant amount of play. If you can deflect/push the belt for more than, say, half an inch then it is loose and needs adjustment or replacement. Also examine the belts for wear by looking for cracks.
Belts are a wear item and if they've never been replaced then it's probably about time for it.
A shop can check the belts for you with a minimal diagnostic charge. They can also check your battery and the output from the alternator to make sure it's providing enough power to recharge the battery.
Maintaining the car is more critical in winter since we tend to demand more of the electrical system - running the lights more since there's less daylight, running the heater/fan on high, running the rear defrost, etc. on top of the usual suspects like radio & wipers.
I don't think you have a lemon; just a car that is ready, possibly past due, for a little maintenance work.
With regard to concern over it being a lemon, don't. A belt will just one day start chirping/squeaking with no warning. If you want to confirm it is the belt, spray a little belt conditioner, or drip a bit of liquid dishwashing soap, onto the belt while is is making noise. If that is the source of the noise, it will immediately change and/or go away, at least for a while.
Other than that, he said the car is very clean underneath and in surprisingly good condition. Sounds like my son got a good deal on his new car and he really likes it so I'm happy about that.
I don't recall if you stated if this was a GT model. With regard to the brakes, a GT uses disc brakes in the rear, where the GLS uses drums. Both are very effective, but the GT pads are very small and non-metallic, thus only last about 20K miles, depending on your driving style. All Elantras use disc brakes in the front, and the pads are semi-metallic. From experience I can tell you that while the Hyundai brand brake pads are more expensive, they last a lot longer. I have compared the Hyundai pad to the Wagner brand, and the Hyundai has quite a bit more material. Both will stop the car equally well, but common sense tells you that with comparable material, more will last longer.
I have owned both an '02 GLS and an '05 GT. Both were excellent vehicles.
My GT also had the oversized Tiburon GT rear stabilizer installed with metal control rods. Handled like a go-kart. Had lots of fun surprising so called "premium handling" road cars in the twistees.
I miss that GT. That rear sway bar was the absolute best bang for the buck suspension mod that could be done. All parts totalled <$150, and made a huge difference in the handling. Actually had a touch of oversteer ala rwd.
I don't know how the power steering could affect the engine running unless it's pinching a wire or something when the wheels are turned.
I'm wondering about the alternator belt that was mentioned as well but he didn't say anything about it.
A friend who works on his own cars and his company's cars will help us replace the brake pads and the air conditioning belt. Maybe we should look into replacing all the belts? Is this a fairly easy thing to do? We don't have a lot of money to spend on repairs at the moment but I don't want my son driving a car with the engine stalling on turns.
Some time soon we will have to replace the timing belt. Guy at the shop says it looks like it's still the original but it isn't in bad shape. It looks okay for now.
If that is the original timing belt at 89K miles, you better plan on getting it changed. The Elantra (and most cars these days) has an "interference" engine, which means that if the belt breaks, the piston in the engine can make contact with the valves and bend them, an expensive repair. Don't get mad at Hyundai for this, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan, along with most domestics, have this same characteristic.
Even with the repair and a few maintenance items my son still got a great deal!
Sorry, could not resist.
Thanks!
Robyn
Apparently the salt can potentially corrode the front lower control arms. The fix is to replace if damaged or alter (add holes; maybe for drainage or ventilation?) if not seriously damaged.
The front subframe will also be inspected for similar damage. Replace if damaged; treat with rust proofing if not.
Thanks a lot.
New Jersey John
PROGRAMMING: You will receive, free of charge, programming instructions to make this work on your vehicle. Avoid the dealer fee of $50 or more and do it yourself. These instructions do require you to remove the front facia panel from your dash, this is where the radio is located. Keep in mind the instructions are free and if you feel you can not do the programming you may have to bring it to a dealer to have them program it.
So if this is correct, there is no special tool needed but it might take some work to program the remote.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subframe