Hyundai Elantra 5-door

ajenkins23

Looking for some advice and feedback! I have a 2002 GT 30,000 miles manual transmission. It just had its 30k mile service. The dealership told me I needed to replace the clutch ("it's shot"). The mileage seems really low for the clutch to need replacing. Has anyone else had to replace the clutch? I have driven manual transmission cars for 12 years. I had my last car (Hyundai Accent) for 3 years (58k miles) and never had a problem with the clutch. I have loved my Elantra until now! It cost me almost $1,000 to replace the clutch and I'm now worried that I'll have to replace it in another 30k miles. Anyone have any feedback or advice for me? Thanks!

kev02gt

I also have a 2002 GT, and I just replaced my clutch at 44k miles. BTW I also had developed a clicking noise at 29k, which the dealer diagnosed the tranny and replaced at no charge. While they were changing the tranny I asked them to check the condition of the clutch because it was feeling light then, but they said it was ok. Back to the subject- I purchased an aftermarket clutch online, a stage 1 from Gripforce for $120 and had it installed for $450 at local garage. The mechanic said the new clutch was of better quality than the original, as for making it last longer hopefully the better quality will hold true. My 20 yr old son driving the car about half of the time MAY have contributed to the reduced life of my clutch. Did you have it replaced at the dealer with stock clutch?

inharmsway

When I read the review, mazda pop up ads kept appearing. Since the mazda 3 was their top choice, it kind of makes you wonder.

vadp

http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/ce/html/0103.htm

jimbeaumi

I am strongly considering trading up from my '01 GLS to a real beauty I just saw at my dealer. It is an '04 GT hatch in black (my favorite), with moonroof, ABS and 5-speed. This is exactly as I would order it if I were in the market (which I shouldn't be!!). I would much prefer it if a beige leather interior were offered instead of grey. Otherwise, it is just a beauty, and I am finally getting used to the new front end. Decisions, decisions ...

saber86

tan interior and black exterior wouldn't that be a mismatch in color scheme? I don't think I haqve ever seen that color combination before.

smith20

Yes, that was a terrible (quality) review. It was reeking of anti-Hyundai Elantra bias from the first word all the way to the last. My jaw dropped open when I saw them say the Kenwood stereo seemed to come straight off the discount rack at Best Buy.

I emailed them some article feedback to contest some of their conclusions . . .

dovid2

Isn't that the old crash test we've discussed before? I had heard they were going to retest the '04 and, since Hyundai couldn't replicate
the first results, hopefully they will be better now.
As for a clutch, I wouldn't replace one because the dealer said to. As a wear item, I would wait until I could personally feel the problem, but that's just me, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without".

jimbeaumi

This combination is not available, which is why I would like to see it (and cannot have it). VW, Mercedes and Honda have used this combination for years and it is very sharp. The beige interior in the Elantra is light. I could live with grey but it is boring.

jimbeaumi

I just laughed when I read that online Elantra review. Too many good reviews from magazines and owners contradict that one Elantra-bash. Perhaps the writer didn't receive a nice enough spiff from Hyundai.

smith20

Yeah I pretty much told them I thought they had an anomalous opinion. Oh well.

malibu_jack

Hey Guys,

It seems like you all for the most part love your Elantra GT. I will soon be in the market for a replacement for my 2001 Nissan Sentra. I was considering the Mazda 3 and the Pontiac Vibe, but I also was intrigued by the Elantra GT. I have a few questions:

1. How is the AC on the Elantra? Nice and Cold?
2. How powerful is the heater?
3. What is the towing capacity of the Elantra? Does it have one?
4. I have heard a lot a stuff about premature clutch wear...should I be concerned about this?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

csandste

I live in Missouri and have no trouble with AC or heating on my GLS, I would doubt if the extra space behind the hatch would change things much.

Don't know about towing. Post 4229 on the GLS thread addresses towing capacity.

Don't remember many clutch comments other than the one directly above. I have 66K on my 2001 and it's going fine. There has been some comment with shift flare on the automatics.

harlequin1971

Elantra was written up by Edmunds in a Top Ten Towing Vehicles article (can't find link now) as being the best small car with over 3k rating.

Might want to double check that, as my 2003 is rated for like 1200 lbs.

As for the clutch - I haven't broken mine just yet (15k miles) but I think they are ok - no major worries as compared to any other car in this class.

I live in AZ, so the heater rarely gets a workout, but the AC is good - only suffering on the worst of the hot days after baking in the sun.

Good luck with your comparos. I think the Elantra is a good car. The Mazda is nice, but so much more money, and the Vibe is just a bit too odd for my tastes, but is basically a Matrix.

jimijames

I own a 03 GT and 02 GLS. I agree the writer is very hostile towards the elantra. But he's also tough on all the others, except for the mazda. I guess only mazda came thru with the really good gifts ;-)

The GLS is a very competent car when compared to the others in its class. Quiet, smooth (unless you have the shimmy), feature packed for the $. It rated very well in a C&D comparo for good reason. Problem starts when you try to compare the GT's performance to other 'sporty' compacts like the auto mag did. Moon roofs and leather don't matter when comparing performance no matter how inexpensive they are. The GT adds stiffer suspension, rear discs, but no powertrain upgrades. Sure it handles better than the GLS, but compared to other cars out there, I don't think it fares as well. I felt more comfortable tossing my mazda 626 into a corner than I do with the GT. The GT chassis just does not feel as stiff (as evidenced by all the rattles) and hitting a bump mid corner tosses the rear around uncomfortably... feels like the car has a solid axle back there. Brakes and acceleration are acceptable, but lacking for spirited driving... which is what I think the GT is marketed towards. I agree with the writer that the Hyundai engineers could study the competition more.

Yes the auto mag review took unnecessarily negative jabs at the elantra, but I think a somewhat accurate comparison is hidden in all the bias.

malibu_jack

Hey Guys,

It seems like you all for the most part love your Elantra GT. I will soon be in the market for a replacement for my 2001 Nissan Sentra. I was considering the Mazda 3 and the Pontiac Vibe, but I also was intrigued by the Elantra GT. I have a few questions:

1. How is the AC on the Elantra? Nice and Cold?
2. How powerful is the heater?
3. What is the towing capacity of the Elantra? Does it have one?
4. I have heard a lot a stuff about premature clutch wear...should I be concerned about this?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

calamus

1. As was mentioned earlier, AC works fine. As good as any in a similar sized car.
2. I live in Canada, and the heater does keep the car pretty warm in winter.
3. Towing Capacity is around 1,850 lbs.
4. Mine has 71,000 km+ and the clutch works just fine. No premature wear.

5port

The GT adds more than stiffer suspension and rear discs:

1)GT steering is 3 turns lock to lock...GLS is 4 turns lock to lock.

2) GT steering rack is semi-hard mounted to firewall. GLS is soft mounted (all rubber bushings).

  There's more mech diff just cant think of them now.

scott_s2

What car did these guys drive?

"Handling performance was comparable to Corollas and Civics of the 80's."
I have owned an 85 Corolla hatch, a 91 Civic hatch and a 98 Civic sedan. All wonderful vehicles that served me well. But anybody who suggests the 04 Elantra GT hatch is not a huge upgrade over these vehicles in every performance measure is simply not being honest.

"We did come up with a neat trick to double the mushy brakes' performance; we dragged our feet out the door."
Did they really? I presume they were driving the stick ("Shifting through the gears in this car feels like stirring a straw through a convenience store slushie"). I'm no expert, but driving a manual tranny with your clutch foot dangling out of an open door may be the cause of some of the poor results they saw. Obviously, this is an attempt by the author to be funny but there is no other context provided to help the clueless reader get the joke. Was this an ABS model? How did braking distance compare to the other models? What specific problems did they experience during testing? Is there an editor at this magazine?

Capping off the idiocy are the following two lines:

1) "Hyundai needs to stop with the incentives and warranties and use that money toward research and development."

2) "The long warranties and rebates are a good way to get business going.."

Memo to Hyundai USA Marketing Department: We recommend that you immediately cease those practices that are helping you to sell more cars. Sincerely, Your friends at Automobile Magazine.

Just plain goofy...

malibu_jack

Thanks for the response calamus...I live in the great white North too!

Wow, 1850 lbs? Thats pretty high. Do you think the Elantra would be able to pull er tow a small tent trailer?

malibu_jack

thanks to all that replied....I think you all might have swayed me towards an Elantra...will keep you informed...

harlequin1971

Edmunds has the 2004 Elantra listed at:

Maximum Towing Capacity: 3086 lbs.

The pre-2004 models had the lower capacity. With that information, I would guess that it should be able to pull a moderately small tent trailer.

Might want to double check with Hyundai USA.

calamus

Didn't know that the towing capacity had been upgraded. Our GT 02 easily tows a 1,200 lbs trailer (GW) without the driver ever noticing it.

jimbeaumi

I may be late chiming in, but here goes:

I have a 2001 GLS 5-speed with 46,500 miles. The a/c in this car is the best I have ever had. Some days it is downright frigid against my face and I have to adjust the temperature. Heat works equally well and makes the car very toasty. As a bonus, you can order a cabin filter to trap loads of dust and debris before it gets blown around the interior (filter offered in Korea as a regular option or perhaps standard).

I have never towed this car and the clutch works quite well. It may be me, as I had a different car with a clutch that lasted 227K miles.

Tires did not last quite as long as I would have liked, but I do like my second set (Dunlop).

I am currently contemplating buying another Elantra, this time a GT. This is how much I -- a first-time Hyundai owner -- enjoy this car.

baber1

I had a 99 Accent, 99 Elantra and just bought a 04 Elantra in May. The AC on these cars are SUPERB. I live in Florida and AC is important here. If I could park my 04 Elantra in my living room I could cool the whole house off. Don't worry about the AC.

malibu_jack

Thanks for th great feedback. I have been reading the Mazda3 forums and the climate system is something this car has problems with...apparently it can't keep the car cool enough in the summer or warm enough in the winter.

Another odd question: I have a 2001 Sentra, and I notice that if I don't use my AC for a while and then decide to use it, I get a stale air smell...rather gross. Does this happen with the Elantra? My last car never had this issue (98 Malibu), but what it dive have a problem with was when I used Summer washer fluid. The scent of this stuff would work right through the vent and make you ill!

Anyway...all this feedback is really encouraging...I hope to take a Elantra GT out for a test drive next week.

5port

Yes, the Elantra GT and GLS both have stinky AC depending on where you live and the average humidity there. Turn on the blower, vents on outside. Spray Lysol into the outside vents for a few seconds at a time. Also you can prevent this situation by turning on the heat after having used the AC for a few minutes. This will burn off residual humidity in the ducting.

srikanth2305

Hi,

It has been a while I posted any messages on the board. Was busy and no problems with my 2001 GT. It is that time I need to do 60K mile service and I know the timing belt need to be repalced. I called the dealer and he gave me a astonishing quote for $1250 for the full service. I asked him to give me the break up so that I can only choose Hyundai recommended and not all, just the replacement of timing belt alone is $400. I think it is too much or am I wrong. How risky is to get the timing belt replaced by other service centers liek Firestone where I have been doing my oil changes? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

aznmonty

get your service done somewhere else!~ that is a total rip off. i was talking to another hyundai owner and the dealer wanted to charge $400 for brakes. Firestone has always done a descent job for me service wise. Get the lowest cost you can. There is no difference.

mike91326

I use Firestone for all my service, have for many years. $400 for brakes? Is that all four or just the fronts? Firestone will do it for half that and you get lifetime brakes. That was a great deal when I had my minivan and went through front brakes every 15,000 miles.

backy

The Elantra (I have a '01 GLS and a '04 GT) have the coldest A/C and hottest heat (and fastest warming) of any car I have owned over 32 years of driving. Be sure to compare the performance of the HVAC systems on the cars you look at, especially if you are thinking about getting a Mazda3. I've seen several reports on the Edmunds Mazda3 discussions about inadequate defrosting and A/C.

BTW, just got back from my first long trip in the '04 GT (just 140 miles but long for me). Averaged 37 mpg with the automatic and a fully (and I mean FULLY) loaded car--5 passengers and the trunk fully loaded. This is about 10% under the fuel economy of my '01 GLS 5-speed over the same roads and similar conditions (although the GLS wasn't quite as loaded), which is about par for automatics vs. 5-speeds. The GT now has 3300 miles on it. First service (free!) is scheduled for next week, when I'll have the fuel line recall done also.

jimbeaumi

5, I really like the idea of using a bit of heat to dry out the a/c system. Smart!

backy, I don't know how you do it, but I am seldom getting mileage over 30 anymore. Does a lead foot get even heavier over time? Mine seems to be.

backy

My foot is actually getting lighter over time I think--as gas prices go up. I try to stick close to speed limits (less stress from worrying about tickets too), anticipate stops, and use A/C only when I have to (the moonroof on the GT is great for that). On my long trip last Saturday, I had the cruise set at 66 on I-94 (65 limit), in the slow lane, and was getting passed by almost everyone. Interestingly, my DW gets considerably lower mpg on our vehicles than I do. She has trouble getting low 20s in-town on the GT, while I'll get mid-to-upper 20s. She is not a fast driver but doesn't do these little things, although I've tried to teach her; she runs the A/C almost year-round, for example (in Minnesota!). Someone taught me a long time ago to pretend there's a raw egg between my foot and the accelerator, and that has proven to be good advice.

Now, there are times I'll rev up my Elantra GLS 5-speed, because it's pretty quick and it's too much fun not to do that every so often. :-)

mpgman

Anyone aware of a TSB for the driver's seat in a 01 Elantra GT? I have a slight rock in the seat from time to time during acceleration. They replaced the seat track once but now it is happening again. Anybody experiencing this? It is very slight but definitely there and quite annoying. I took it to the dealer but they claimed they couldn't duplicate it.

Thanks.

mpgman

I know there was a problem with the driver's seat track with the offset crash testing. Could my problem above be related?

Thanks.

jpryba

I've noticed that the driver's seat in my Elantra can "buckle" a little if you move around in it too much, but it stays put on the track itself. I've noticed this in other Elantras as well. It almost makes a "click" noise each time it happens, and I'm pretty sure it's related to the dials on the side of the seat.

Remember when the 01 Elantra came out and the knobs on the side of the seat were hard to adjust? They fixed this for the 02 that I bought, but inadvertantly introduced the seat rocking issue (which in my car showed up after about 6 months).

I think the seat is still pretty safe -- it will stay put on the track, and the rocking you are getting is probably the seat cushion changing its angle ever so slightly because the knobs have loosened up over time. So, see if the dealer will be able to tighten them up for you.

People on the new Kia Spectra (based on the Elantra) board complained about the lack of these dials on the side of the driver's seat, but I think Kia made a wise move here. The seat should stay rock solid over time and not buckle.

backy

Hyundai did redesign the seat track in 2002, to make it longer and stiffer. But cars shipped to the U.S. did not get the new seat track right away. I assume, but don't know for sure, that '04 Elantras have the redesigned seat track and that is one of the reasons Hyundai asked the IIHS for a retest on the frontal offset crash. That test was conducted some time ago, but for some reason the results have not yet been released.

I haven't had any slippage like this on the seat height on either my '01 or '04 Elantra, but one thing I've noticed on the '01 is that I need to rock the seat back and forth slightly after adjusting fore-and-aft travel to make sure the seat is locked in the track.

I for one prefer the dual-knob adjuster on the Elantra to the single-lever adjuster on the new Spectra. The Spectra's adjuster is easier to use, but it can only adjust the seat in a single arc. The common problem with adjusters like that is that the back of the seat cusion tends to tilt upward as it is raised, or at best, it stays in a level plane. That makes the front of the seat cushion too low, at least for me. I'll take the dual-knob setup, and live with its idiosyncracies, at least until they figure out a way to make a single lever adjuster that can provide a comfortable seating position.

mpgman

Thanks for the posts. What's interesting is that it doesn't rock all the time...just occasionally. No TSB on it. Just 2 TSBs in fact...one on the brakes and another on an emissions label. I have a dealer appointment next week....we'll see what happens. They replaced it once. By the way, when are these due for a redesign?

backy

The seats, or the car? The next-gen Elantra should be coming as a '06 model, if the automotive trade press is to be believed, but with Hyundai moving off their historical five-year redesign schedule with the Accent and Sonata, who knows.

mpgman

Thanks. What do you know about the 05 Accent replacement or redesign....the Lanos? I mean the car for redesign, not the seat!

backy

Check out the 2005 Hyundai Accent discussion, there are some pics there of the next-gen Accent--or whatever Hyundai is going to call it.

archangel5

Hi All,

Beatles, my 2002 GT's headlights turn off if I forget to turn them off. So, I assume that later models have that feature too.

I am at 2 years and 28,000 miles of ownership. No problems whatsoever. The car has amazing utility and I love it. Believe it or not I just bought a 6 person dining room table and hauled it home in my GT with no problems. It was a tight fit, no doubt, but it hauled it. Then afterwards, I put the leather seats back up. Gotta love it. Happy GTing!

best,
archangel4

aznmonty

My entire right side has not light. So the fog lamp blew out a couple months ago and as predicted, the right head lamp blew out this weekend. Good thing I am not taking it on a road trip this weekend.

So i brought the car into the dealer shop yesterday and they said that it was not the bulb's problem. it was something electrical. any issues with the headlamp similar to what i am experiencing?

5port

There are two 10 amp fuses in the passenger compartment fusebox. One 10 amp fuse feeds one headlight and one tailight. These two fuses are fed by a 15amp fuse in the engine compartment fuse box (next to the air filter). It sounds like one leg of your harness is open. Should be easy to localize (esp for the dealer).

                                      10amp
                       l--------------< >------------left head/turn
                       l
            15amp l
+12v --------< >-------l
                       l
                       l 10amp
                       l---------------< >------------right head/turn

aznmonty

thanks, i'll take a look at this and revert back to ya'll.

jenway90

I am looking for a 02-03 Silver Elantra GT. I want a manual with ABS...does this exist?

donl68

I was wondering which tires people are replacing the OEMs with? I'm hoping to get 50k+ miles off of the OEMs(2002). However, replacing them with the same tire is too expensive. Anyone have any ideas on which ones are good replacements? Thanks!

backy

Sure, it exists but it's a rare animal because:
1) many more automatics are sold than sticks
2) ABS is rare on Elantras
3) you are looking for a particular color
4) resale value on Elantras is not great, especially in the first few years, so owners might tend to hang on to their cars for a few years
5) it's a great car, so why would someone want to give it up so soon? ;-)

So it could be a tough search. Good luck, let us know if you find one!

themanx

Not only can you research tires there, you can read reviews from others.

I have to think the Kumho's would be a great purchase.

I had to replace a Michelin at only 8K on it because of a nail in the side wall and it cost $120... crazy!

ElantraStan

5port

Hot ticket for the GT is the Kumho Ecsta 716 HP4. Read the reviews at Tirerack.com. At $40 a tire from tire rack I'm not going to complain.