Brake dust will always occur, especially with the OEM pads. However, it shouldn't be a big issue if you wash your car on a regular basis. A good wheel cleaner and brush can do wonders for keeping the wheels looking sharp. I guarantee that if you drive for 2-3 weeks without washing, then brake dust build-up is highly noticeable.
If you're not the type to wash at least once a week or every other week, then switching to ceramic brake pads will allow you to drive even longer periods without brake dust build-up being an issue. On the flip side, you will notice more road dirt and grime building up on your wheels as opposed to brake dust.
A lot of it also has to do with how heavy footed you are on the brakes too. The harder you are on your brakes, the faster the build-up will occur.
"I guarantee that if you drive for 2-3 weeks without washing, then brake dust build-up is highly noticeable."
"A lot of it also has to do with how heavy footed you are on the brakes too."
Ah. Then I'm not likely to see any such accumulation. And re: washing, there's a "soft-touch" car wash here that will give a reduced price for an external-only wash, about $7... :shades:
Only problem with those soft touch washes...they rarely get the wheels completely clean. I find that I carry a wheel brush and wheel cleaner to apply right before going in the car wash.
What dborth meant is that whenever someone expresses belief in or distrust of Consumer Reports, the people who believe the opposite come out in full force and we get mired in a squabble about whether the magazine's reports can be trusted or not. Maybe we'll skip that this go 'round.
A lot of it also has to do with how heavy footed you are on the brakes too. The harder you are on your brakes, the faster the build-up will occur.
Mike -
I too have very little brake dust build up probably for two reasons. First, I do tend to wash the car every week or two. Secondly, I tend to slow down, especially on interstate exit ramps, using the shiftronic to down shift instead of using the brakes. If the brakes need replacing, that would be out of my pocket as they don't come under any warranty. But, with a 100,000 powertrain warranty, if the transmission or engine goes, that would be out of Hyundai's pocket. I also have a 2001 XG300L with 95,000 miles on it and have been doing this for 6 years now and have had no problem with this car.
The downside of downshifting to slow down is you run the risk of the guy behind you running up your exhaust since your brake lights don't come on. This hasen't happened to me yet, but a couple of guys have come close.
You are absolutely right and you clarify my points exactly!!! I did the same thing with my '02 Sonata, never had a problem. However, I also replaced the factory pads with ceramic ones as soon as they became available. Right now, I have ceramic pads on the rear of my Azera (which I paid like $30 for the set from www.rockauto.com). At the time I replaced the front ones, the ceramic ones had to be special ordered and I was going out of town so I had to put new pads on THAT day. Anyway, I'll be ordering a set of ceramic pads for the front...they have some Raybestos Professional Grade ceramics for $45.
That's the only flaw, with 10 months of ownership and 8.2k miles. I am jonesin' for an iPOD interface. The dealer told me there's no ports on the back of the radio; bummer!
I just returned from a single day roadtrip (northwest Denver suburb to Steamboat Springs and back the long way through national and state forests. I manually calculated 30 MPG, as did the computer. Speeds averaged 45 - 75 (w/ a 1/4-mile sprint at 95, wow), with intermittent AC use.
It has not been a good experience with respect to the door trim. In the process of removing the inner molding they scratched the paint of the door and chpped the plastic molding holder. Their "service technician" attempted to cover up the scratches using touch up paint which looked like some one used a huge dabber leaving clumps.
Last week the car was in the body shop for the entire week and when I went to pick it up Friday, the trim was perfect. The huge scratches in the paint remained. I left the car and told them to air brush paint it or it was staying with them. Anyway I have as a loaner a fully loaded 2007 Sante Fe Limited to drive around with until it is done, which has introduced me to XM radio. Other than that, at nearly 21K in miles the car has been terrific.
umph! I'm having this exact same issue with College Park Hyundai. THey know good and well they put the scratch on the hood of my car when I took in to be programmed, shiesty bastar@d's :mad:
I want to know what recourse do I have on a brand new car that was returned to me with a scratch?
I'll add a cent to your .02 that still didn't work. I've left message with the GM of College Park Hyundai and he was an even bigger !@# than his salesman (refused to return my calls), so I see where they get it from.
I have heard College Park wasn't that great a place to begin with. The only thing you can do is file a greivance with Hyundia Corp. and see if any action will be taken that way.
Right now, the best Hyundai dealers in the DC area would be Ken Dixon (Waldorf) and Laurel Hyundai in MD,and Fairfax Hyundai and Alexandria Hyundai in VA.
Sorry to hear you're getting the run around with this issue, but if you stay on them long enough...something is bound to get done. Good luck!!!
Msazzyindc...you don't have to keep going back to the dealer you bought from to get service or anything. You can pick a new dealer to call home. Check with Laurel Hyundai...you may get a better vibe there. If you don't mind a little drive...the folks at Alexandria Hyundai are top notch and make sure the customer comes first. It's a 20 minute drive for me as I refuse to go to Pohanka Hyundai for anything (same way you feel about College Park).
Darn and Pohanka is closer to me, but I knew they were full of it when they wouldn't give me a price for the demo the manager was driving so I took my buisness elsewhere.
Thanks for the tip on Alexandria, i'm right next to the bridge so it isn't far for me.
I'll throw my 2 cents in here... If this was my issue and could not get satisfaction from the local dealership I would simply pick up the phone, dial 714-965-3000 and merely ask for the office of Owen Koh (CEO) or Steve Wilhite (COO).
I have done this countless times with companies like Sears, Orbitz, Walgreens, Vonage, Marshall-Field (now Macys, yuk), DirectTV, Comcast, Coldwell-Banker, etc, etc, etc.
Every time my issue has been resolved to MY satisfaction. You need to be polite yet firm and don't take no for an answer.
Years ago you would get to the executive but now most have an Executive Customer Relations group that answers directly to the CEO.
Even though the dealership is independently owned their GM won't want a call from Fountain Valley about an issue.
Good Luck, let me know how it turns out if you call.
Pastor here's the deal....Consumer Affairs did call them. I called headquarters and complained. Their thing was they handle warrenty issues and there was nothing they could do for me since it's an independently owned dealership.
I've changed my preference to show my email address. I'll keep this public for the next hour or so, then I'll change it back. Please send me an email and I'll respond with more detailed information.
This afternoon I picked my car up. The trim is perfect with the body side moulding. The door and front panel have been touched up to perfection, colors match and no noticeable difference in the coating when you look down the car.
It looks like a brand new car only it has 21K on it. I am satisfied that the dealership stood behind the product and worked to make me happy.
ARRRRRGH! Now on my way home the rear sunshade is sticking. I usually leave the shade up because you know, its summer and I have a black on black Azzy. It usually lowers when I put the car in reverse.
I drove the car about 5-6 miles and parked it at home and let it sit for a min. I went back out and drove it around the block and Voila! it's working again but making a grinding noise it seems alot louder than it did before. I only have 382 miles on the car (75-80% of which I put on going back and forth to the dealership), I swur I love the car but between dealing with a crummy dealrship and now this, I'm so frustrated right now.
Has anyone else had this problem with the shade sticking? Is it because it may have been hot?
Don't know if it's a heat issue, but there have been a few posts in Azera forums with rear sun screen issues. Not a lot, but definitely a few. This is a matter that WILL be handled under warranty and you shouldn't receive any grief about it either.
As far as dealerships go...I purchased my Azera out in Waldorf, but mostly for convenience, I take it to Alexandria. On top of the fact that's where I took my Sonata for 4 years prior, so we have a great repoire.
Another thing...tell them of your adventures with the folks out at the "other" dealership and I'm sure they will want to shine and do everything in their power to win you over.
Thanks, I'm still trying to get this scratch fixed and have the bill sent back to College PArk Hyundai I don't want to be without my vehicle for another 2 days. SO if I can get both done at the same time I will.
By the way, congratulations on your new Azzy. I know for a fact that you're seeing just how wonderful the car itself is. On the flip side, you're finding out that bad customer service can make you regret your purchase too. I truly hope that a change of scenery (new dealership) can turn that around for you.
I have a hunch that the rear sunscreen wasn't designed to be used all that much! While keeping it up when the car is parked in the sun sounds like a good idea, I don't, even here in SW Florida, because the design just doesn't look all that sturdy for frequent use. I use it rarely, say, when the Sun is coming through my back window... or when a Lexus or a Mercedes is right behind me at a light and I want to generate a "What th' F**K? A Hyundai?!"... :P
I don't know if that's a great statement to make, I mean...if it's on or in the car, it should be assumed that it's going to get used regularly. I've had my Azera for over a year, I have about 36K miles on it and I've never had a problem with the rear sun screen. I driven all day long with it up, it lowers when the car is put in reverse and goes back up when it's put back in a forward gear or park.
Personally, I think it looks more sturdy than the screens I see in the back windows of the more expensive cars I see them in. There have been a few occassions where I left the screen up and rolled all the windows down. While the screen material danced in the wind, it didn't look like it was going to break or anything. However, I did lower the screen shortly after realizing it was still up. Not sure if I would cruise down the highway with the screen up and the windows down.
In the year + I've been on this forum, I think I can count on one hand, the number of complaints about the rear screen. That's really not that bad compared to the number of posts concerning that front end suspension clunk that plagued Azera owners for a while.
About 12K on mine now. I use the shade almost daily. Last night I put it up because of a big P/U right on my tail, whose lights (tho not on high beam) were really bugging me. Never have had a problem, and yes it is fun to put it up or down with a MB or other lux brand behind me.
I use it rarely, say, when the Sun is coming through my back window... or when a Lexus or a Mercedes is right behind me at a light and I want to generate a "What th' F**K? A Hyundai?!"...
gamleged -
I really enjoyed your post; laughed outloud. All this time I've thought I was the only one doing this at stop lights. I see from other posts now, that there is a bunch of us having fun with the Mercedes/Lexus crowd.
RE:309 Although my sunshade has been replaced twice, I use it all of the time. The unit is sturdy and appears to be well made. I believe that they may have had a bad production lot. The new one works great.
Got one from enterprise and am driving from SF to Tahoe. What nthings should I look for? They actually may have some to sell used in a few months, although the price may not be right. They have about 7-10,000 miles on them. DOn't know hoe equipped yet.
Look for the things YOU look for in a car. Not sure if the rentals would be the SE's or the Limiteds. I'm sure you'll know exactly what you're looking for when you start driving it and completely forget that it's a Hyundai.
I periodically turn mine off if I know the car is not going to be in full sun. However, I really like having the capability. Had a manual on Camry and it was a pain. One of the questions I had before I purchased was if I could turn it off and was delighted to find out I could. As with any motorized part, frequent use will place wear on it and this is a newer feature on cars. Also don't like that it goes down even if I reverse for a few feet, but since the car doesn't know that and safety says down, it is acceptable.
I don't think it's tied in with the door locks, more likely the same application that actuates the locks when you reach a certain forward speed (if you've had that feature enabled) is also used to raise the sun shield again after it went down in reverse...
I don't think it's tied in with the door locks, more likely the same application that actuates the locks when you reach a certain forward speed (if you've had that feature enabled) is also used to raise the sun shield again after it went down in reverse...
gamleged -
I think you are right. Mine goes back up after about 30 seconds or so and when I'm up to about 15 to 30 MPH. I suspect that the reason for the delayed rising of the sunshade is to prevent the constant up & down motion if you were in a tight parallel parking space and had to pull forward, then back up, then pull forward, then back up, etc if you were trying to get into or out of the parking space. Just my guess.
I don't know if it's activated by time or by forward speed, but I think it's a good feature. I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with the door locks being activated at a certain forward speed because my door locks are activated as soon as I put the car in gear.
RE:321 The sunshade has nothing to do wiyh the door locks. If the sunshade is up, it will go down when the car is placed into reverse, and then go back up when the transmission is placed into drive.
Sorry, Bob, but my sunshade does not come back up when the car is placed in drive, but returns up when the doors auto lock at about 15 MPH. Maybe there's a time delay that coincides with that speed, I'll check it out
There may also be different ways in which the auto door locking is programmed to work: mine locks at about 15 MPH, as I stated, but someone in the posts here said that theirs locks as soon as the car is placed in drive. Go figure.
RE:325 Try going from reverse to drive without actually moving to see if your sunshade sensor is speed related. My auto locks are also programed to lock at about 10 mph. and not unlock automatically. They can be programed to lock and unlock with the ignition on or off.
My shade goes down if I place it in reverse. It goes up if I place it in drive and speed up to about 10 more or less. It also goes up when I put it in park. I think it always goes down in reverse for safety, but delays coming back up in drive in case you are parking.
RE:325 My bad! Sorry about my error. I re checked the sunshade on my Azera and while it retracts when shifter is placed in reverse, it does not extend until a certain forward speed is reached. I now realize that parking is the reason for the delay.
I really don't care how or when it goes up and down. I just hope it keeps going up and down! From what i've read here and elsewhere, replacement is a major undertaking timewise.
Comments
I've not noticed any brake dust problem on my Azera in almost 25,000 miles.
If you're not the type to wash at least once a week or every other week, then switching to ceramic brake pads will allow you to drive even longer periods without brake dust build-up being an issue. On the flip side, you will notice more road dirt and grime building up on your wheels as opposed to brake dust.
A lot of it also has to do with how heavy footed you are on the brakes too. The harder you are on your brakes, the faster the build-up will occur.
"A lot of it also has to do with how heavy footed you are on the brakes too."
Ah. Then I'm not likely to see any such accumulation. And re: washing, there's a "soft-touch" car wash here that will give a reduced price for an external-only wash, about $7... :shades:
Mike -
I too have very little brake dust build up probably for two reasons. First, I do tend to wash the car every week or two. Secondly, I tend to slow down, especially on interstate exit ramps, using the shiftronic to down shift instead of using the brakes. If the brakes need replacing, that would be out of my pocket as they don't come under any warranty. But, with a 100,000 powertrain warranty, if the transmission or engine goes, that would be out of Hyundai's pocket. I also have a 2001 XG300L with 95,000 miles on it and have been doing this for 6 years now and have had no problem with this car.
The downside of downshifting to slow down is you run the risk of the guy behind you running up your exhaust since your brake lights don't come on. This hasen't happened to me yet, but a couple of guys have come close.
What did you do re: the door trim protector?
That's the only flaw, with 10 months of ownership and 8.2k miles. I am jonesin' for an iPOD interface. The dealer told me there's no ports on the back of the radio; bummer!
I just returned from a single day roadtrip (northwest Denver suburb to Steamboat Springs and back the long way through national and state forests. I manually calculated 30 MPG, as did the computer. Speeds averaged 45 - 75 (w/ a 1/4-mile sprint at 95, wow), with intermittent AC use.
Take care, and happy motoring!
Susan
Last week the car was in the body shop for the entire week and when I went to pick it up Friday, the trim was perfect. The huge scratches in the paint remained. I left the car and told them to air brush paint it or it was staying with them. Anyway I have as a loaner a fully loaded 2007 Sante Fe Limited to drive around with until it is done, which has introduced me to XM radio. Other than that, at nearly 21K in miles the car has been terrific.
I want to know what recourse do I have on a brand new car that was returned to me with a scratch?
Right now, the best Hyundai dealers in the DC area would be Ken Dixon (Waldorf) and Laurel Hyundai in MD,and Fairfax Hyundai and Alexandria Hyundai in VA.
Sorry to hear you're getting the run around with this issue, but if you stay on them long enough...something is bound to get done. Good luck!!!
I'm in the MD/DC/VA area
Thanks for the tip on Alexandria, i'm right next to the bridge so it isn't far for me.
I have done this countless times with companies like Sears, Orbitz, Walgreens, Vonage, Marshall-Field (now Macys, yuk), DirectTV, Comcast, Coldwell-Banker, etc, etc, etc.
Every time my issue has been resolved to MY satisfaction. You need to be polite yet firm and don't take no for an answer.
Years ago you would get to the executive but now most have an Executive Customer Relations group that answers directly to the CEO.
Even though the dealership is independently owned their GM won't want a call from Fountain Valley about an issue.
Good Luck, let me know how it turns out if you call.
Pastor Shaun
I am saying to call "The Man" himself.
I've done this dozens of times and to date 100% results, just ask my wife.
or, tell you what.. email me (or call me) with all the info and I'll get it done for you.
Pastor Shaun
Please don't post any(more) telephone numbers or any email addresses.
If you and msazzyindc pursue this, keep us posted!!
Thanks Pastor!!!!
It looks like a brand new car only it has 21K on it. I am satisfied that the dealership stood behind the product and worked to make me happy.
I drove the car about 5-6 miles and parked it at home and let it sit for a min. I went back out and drove it around the block and Voila! it's working again but making a grinding noise it seems alot louder than it did before. I only have 382 miles on the car (75-80% of which I put on going back and forth to the dealership), I swur I love the car but between dealing with a crummy dealrship and now this, I'm so frustrated right now.
Has anyone else had this problem with the shade sticking? Is it because it may have been hot?
As far as dealerships go...I purchased my Azera out in Waldorf, but mostly for convenience, I take it to Alexandria. On top of the fact that's where I took my Sonata for 4 years prior, so we have a great repoire.
Another thing...tell them of your adventures with the folks out at the "other" dealership and I'm sure they will want to shine and do everything in their power to win you over.
By the way, congratulations on your new Azzy. I know for a fact that you're seeing just how wonderful the car itself is. On the flip side, you're finding out that bad customer service can make you regret your purchase too. I truly hope that a change of scenery (new dealership) can turn that around for you.
Personally, I think it looks more sturdy than the screens I see in the back windows of the more expensive cars I see them in. There have been a few occassions where I left the screen up and rolled all the windows down. While the screen material danced in the wind, it didn't look like it was going to break or anything. However, I did lower the screen shortly after realizing it was still up. Not sure if I would cruise down the highway with the screen up and the windows down.
In the year + I've been on this forum, I think I can count on one hand, the number of complaints about the rear screen. That's really not that bad compared to the number of posts concerning that front end suspension clunk that plagued Azera owners for a while.
You are right about putting it up when around MB's and other luxury rides.
I just talked to the executive office and sent you an email update
Pastor Shaun
gamleged -
I really enjoyed your post; laughed outloud. All this time I've thought I was the only one doing this at stop lights. I see from other posts now, that there is a bunch of us having fun with the Mercedes/Lexus crowd.
Although my sunshade has been replaced twice, I use it all of the time.
The unit is sturdy and appears to be well made.
I believe that they may have had a bad production lot.
The new one works great.
One of the questions I had before I purchased was if I could turn it off and was delighted to find out I could. As with any motorized part, frequent use will place wear on it and this is a newer feature on cars.
Also don't like that it goes down even if I reverse for a few feet, but since the car doesn't know that and safety says down, it is acceptable.
gamleged -
I think you are right. Mine goes back up after about 30 seconds or so and when I'm up to about 15 to 30 MPH. I suspect that the reason for the delayed rising of the sunshade is to prevent the constant up & down motion if you were in a tight parallel parking space and had to pull forward, then back up, then pull forward, then back up, etc if you were trying to get into or out of the parking space. Just my guess.
I don't know if it's activated by time or by forward speed, but I think it's a good feature. I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with the door locks being activated at a certain forward speed because my door locks are activated as soon as I put the car in gear.
The sunshade has nothing to do wiyh the door locks.
If the sunshade is up, it will go down when the car is placed into reverse, and then go back up when the transmission is placed into drive.
There may also be different ways in which the auto door locking is programmed to work: mine locks at about 15 MPH, as I stated, but someone in the posts here said that theirs locks as soon as the car is placed in drive. Go figure.
Try going from reverse to drive without actually moving to see if your sunshade sensor is speed related.
My auto locks are also programed to lock at about 10 mph.
and not unlock automatically.
They can be programed to lock and unlock with the ignition on or off.
My bad!
Sorry about my error.
I re checked the sunshade on my Azera and while it retracts when shifter is placed in reverse, it does not extend until a certain forward speed is reached. I now realize that parking is the reason for the delay.