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Of course, this was after removing the seat, pulling off covers, and lubing everything else first!
I am still looking for a GT, so please help me out. Thanks.
Some of you may remember the review Edmunds.com did of the '01 Elantra nearly five years ago. They liked it so much, they added it to their long-term test fleet. They also asked, if this thing holds up, who will need to buy the Japanese small cars?
I can report after five years that my Elantra is holding up very well. Outside, the paint is as glossy as new, with only a few fine scratches. (I either hand wash it or take it to all-cloth car washes, and I wax it 2-3 times a year.) There are a few small parking lot dimples on it, but no major blemishes. Even the wheel covers are in good shape--I can't say the same for the alloys on my '04 GT, two of which got dinged up good soon after buying it. Inside, the interior cloth looks new, as does the carpet. The driver's side floormat has some spots on it, but otherwise the mats are in good shape. All the trim and switchgear is also in good shape.
Driving-wise, the car actually drives better than new. It returns better fuel economy than when new, up at least 10%, and the engine surge when shifting that popped up shortly after I got the car disappeared after a few weeks and has not returned. The shifter has loosened up a little, and thanks to a new clutch (see below) it shifts like new. The ride is still smooth and quiet--one of the best features of the car. It improved a little when I replaced the OEM Michelins with Kumho Ecsta HP4 716s a year ago, at 30,000 miles. I stopped tracking fuel economy on every fill-up a few years ago, but at that point was averaging about 28-29 mpg in around-town driving (EPA is 25/33). I don't go for long trips much, but when I do I get around 40 mpg when cruising at 60-70.
As far as maintenance, I've given the car normal scheduled maintenance based on mileage at Hyundai dealers. Most of it was just oil changes, except for the 15,000 and the 30,000 mile services. I rotate tires once a year, or about every 7,000 miles. Everything has been covered under warranty except the tires, wiper blades (I just put on my fourth set), and a rear license plate bulb that just burned out. Oh, and the clutch replacement--nearly $1300 a couple of months ago.
As far as problems attributable to the car, an O2 sensor failed after about a year and was replaced under warranty. The other significant problem was squeaking when depressing the clutch pedal, which has happened twice in the past five years. Replacing some bushings fixed it (under warranty). Otherwise, the car is relatively squeak and rattle-free, except for a buzz/resonance deep in the dash that happens when the car is cold, in cold weather. Several attempts by two dealers to fix it have failed (although I question how hard they have tried). I think it's HVAC cables rubbing, but I haven't been able to get them to take a look at that. Maybe I'll have to bite the bullet and pay a mechanic to take a look at it.
Overall, I've been very pleased with my first five years with the GLS. It's actually exceed my expectations, and as you may know from my many other posts, I am pretty picky.
Likes: Smooth, quiet ride; comfortable driving position; firm seats; cold A/C and fast-warming heater; better-than-expected fuel economy; good low-end torque; reliability on a par with Japanese cars I've owned; easy-to-modulate brakes (non-ABS); styling (especially the rear); roomy back seat, 60/40 split folding rear seat; the little touches like heated folding mirrors, theatre lighting, and damped sunglasses holder; five more years of powertrain warranty.
Dislikes: That buzz in the dash; doesn't handle the twisties very well (GT does much better there--but I don't get many of those in suburban Minnesota); no rear cupholders (early '01s didn't have them).
Thanks
My previous car was an '00 Oldsmobile Alero. I liked the car, though I hated the gas mileage especially due to the small gas tank.
When I bought the Elantra, to be honest, I wasn't expecting much from it. I thought the quality would suck and it would be boring to drive.
I was wrong.
I love this car! It accelerates great for a 4-banger, handles well, feels very manueverable. The interior is nice and the exterior is very sharp and beautiful. It's a nice car to look at and I dig how the windows come tinted stock.
I've read posts where this car has been compared to the Corolla, and many people prefer the Corolla. Not me. I test drove a couple different Corollas, never cared for them. They weren't as comfortable to sit in and were pretty bland to drive.
I'm glad I got my Elantra and hope to have it for many years to come.
Once my wife's Elantra hits 100K (At 69K now), I am going to post pictures (including the odometer) of it periodically until it dies. This car is our "experiment" to see just how long one of these cars will last if maintained appropriately. Over the weekend, I put new front brakes and rotors on, cleaned and adjusted the rear brakes, and had a new set of Cooper Tires installed with an alignment. These tires are awesome. The car is so quiet and smooth now - as good, if not better than new.
I went to the Cooper Tire website, and searched for a dealer. Ironically, my local Mitsubishi dealer (I own a Mitsubishi Outlander too) that I use to service my Outlander is now a Cooper Tire dealer. I called up the service manager that I deal with on my Outlander, and had him put the Cooper Tires on the Elantra and do the alignment.
At my local Hyundai dealer, the 60K service and the timing belt service are considered 2 seperate things - but both are due at 60K. I think our dealer wanted about $300 for the 60K service, $350 for the timing belt service, and $100 to flush the auto transmission (this wasn't part of the 60K service, but I do it every 30K miles).
New tires seem to be pretty good so far, although I can still make them spin on wet pavement.
Front brakes finally need replacing: rotors and pads. Not bad for original. Rear are still OK.
Good: Lots of room and features for the money; 5-door is very versatile (and has standard sport suspension and 4 wheel discs); smooth, quiet ride for a compact; very comfortable and adjustable driving position; nice firm seats; good power and torque; cold a/c and fast-warming heater; lots of nice little features like auto-off headlights and heated mirrors; straightforward controls and displays; 60/40 rear seat that folds flat on 5-door.
That aside, the sedan is a little quieter on the highway, but the hatchback has folding rear seats that really provides a lot of carry space. I carried a boxed 33gal tank air compressor home from Sears in mine, with the hatch shut.
The five speed is spirited to drive, the auto is adequate, but not exciting. The GLS has a lot of standard features, and the GT trim is pretty much loaded. About all you can add is a sunroof, auto, and abs. Maybe a cd changer too, but not sure on that one.
jim
Without changing the endlinks, it was a 15 minute job; didn't even have to jack up the car. When I got the new end links I had to put it on jack stands, so that took a little longer but wasn't any more complicated- just two more bolts.
And a tip... if you order the 19 mm bar, make sure it has a GREEN paint mark about in the middle of the bar. The warehouse is notorious for not paying attention and shipping the 18 mm bar by mistake (which has a yellow mark). That's what I got the first time out and with the bushings for the 19 mm bar, it felt looser than I thought it should (although still improved over stock). The dealer re-ordered it and I finally got my green-marked 19 mm bar.
The thicker Tibby sway bar is identical to the stock Elantra bar except for diameter. All the bends are identical.
Jim
Lately I've been looking at cars again and of course I'm looking at the Elantra. One of the things that interested me in the 2006 models was the promise that XM was standard. Is this still the case? On the Hyundai website, there is no mention of this feature at all. Did something happen to have this deal fall through?
However, I'm not trying to be argumentative but the XM website says the Elantra was supposed to be one of the first groups with XM.
http://www.xmradio.com/newsroom/screen/pr_2005_03_25.html
Who knows, as long as it gets there. This will be a huge incentive for my wife who loves XM.
Also found this:
http://www.hyundaiusa.com/abouthyundai/news/2004_04_28_2/2004_04_28_2.aspx
Which I think is cool because it is about us, the Hyundai Elantra lovers on Edmunds! It really is cool that so many consumers love this car.
I purhcased a 2005 Elantra GLS in Moonlight Blue on
Dec 13, 2004. So far, I love the car and the way if
rides so smoothly and quietly. I have 12500 miles on
it.
Question about the quality and tread life of the OEM
Michelin's Energy MXV4 plus.....
Im a very easy, conservative driver and if I faithly
rotate every 5500 miles, check and maintain air pressure
weekly at 34psi and alignment check yearly and drive
conservatively, can I expect to get 50,000 miles out
of these tires??
Obviously, at 12500, they really show preactically no
wear so far.
Thank You
Michael
Princeton NJ
When you do replace them, you might want to look elsewhere. Replacements are quite pricey for what you get.
in the all season/touring category. Ive been reseaching this
and reading reviews at Tirerack.com.
I VERY good upgrade would be the Bridgestone Turanza LST,
80,0000 life and much better ran/snow handling!
I put these tires on my 2001 Sentra and it made a huge
difference in ride, and traction.
So this tire would be a great choice for folks looking to
either upgrade or are about ready for new tires.
I was considering just going ahead and getting these tires
anyway. I will be a big improvement over these Michelins.
The Sandman
One thought on the OEM Michelins . . . I wonder if Hyundai's recommended inflation pressure of 30PSI on the Elantra is the root cause of the problem. I believe these tires have a maximum inflation pressure of 44PSI, and at 30PSI they may be running too warm. Additionally, they have a very soft sidewall, and this in conjunction with the low inflation pressure, could be causing some slight or not-so-slight belt separations. This would certainly cause an imbalance and shimmy which would not be able to be cured by all the balancing in the world. Just a thought, as Hyundai suggested the 30PSI inflation probably to enhance the ride of the Elantra. Hmmm . . . sounds like something remotely similar I've heard before, i.e. below tire manufacturer's spec inflation pressures on the Firestone's used on the Ford Explorer. A friend of mine "was" an employee at the Firestone plant in Decatur, IL that built most of the infamous Firestone tires on the Explorer. And, he stated that Ford specifically went against Firestone's recommended inflation pressure (much higher than what Ford stated in their Owner's Manual) to enhance the ride on the fixed rear axle Explorer.
I have found that her tires seem to wear most evenly at 35psi, and haven't noticed any real difference in ride quality.
"w9cw" - this is off of the Elantra topic, but I was curious as to what year your son's Galant is, and what your/his experience has been with it?
If 30 causes premature wear, so be it. That'll just give me an excuse to buy better tires sooner. Kind of a pity, though, considering my wife's Taurus still has PLENTY of tread on the original tires with 65,000 miles on the car.
So if you are planning a salt-flats run at Bonneville, I think I would start at around 38psi.