Hyundai Elantra Maintenance and Repair

backy

You do not have to take you car to the dealer you bought it from for service. In fact, you don't have to bring your car to a Hyundai dealer at all for service, as long as Hyundai-spec parts are used and all the service is well-documented (for warranty claims). I have had almost all service done by the dealer where I bought my Elantra just because it's convenient--I can hop their free shuttle bus to/from work and save $$ on parking to boot. I did have one repair (O2 sensor) done at the dealer closest to my house because I wasn't sure what the problem was ("service engine soon" light was on) and wanted to get the work done as quickly as possible. One advantage of having all work done by the same Hyundai dealer is that if there is a service-related problem, e.g. they mess up on the oil change or strip the threads on the oil pan, we all know who is at fault.

5port

Thanks for the tip on the seat creak. I'll give it a try.

jpryba

WD-40 in the seatbelt buckle fixed another seat creaking problem that I had. I think my current seat noise problem has to do with something in the adjustment knobs area, as the noise only occurs on right turns where pressure from my body is being applied in the area where those knobs are.

I think it's time to get some glue for the loose trim, then. Thankfully the trim hasn't popped out like what I have seen on various Intrepids over the years! (jimbeaumi -- if the glue worked on your neighbor's Intrepid, it should have no problem with the loose trim in the Elantra)

jimbeaumi

No, there isn't a problem at all. My rubber moldings have remained in place.

alaput

I just put 20,000 miles on my 03 GT and love this car except...
about 500 miles ago I noticed a shimmy so I had all four tires balanced. Still there so I had the fronts balanced again. Then the rears again. Then rotated tires. All this work was done at a tire shop, not the dealer. The car doesn't pull, it does it whether I'm braking or not but now it feels as if its more of an up and down shake rather than a side to side shimmy. I went to another shop and had the fronts balanced for a third time and they noticed my tires are worn evenly almost to the wear indicator. It's a little better now but still there at 70 mph. I'm starting to suspect it may be the tires (out of round?) but want to check that there's nothing wrong with the suspension. If either of you find any more on this problem, please post.

alaput

at this rate I my Michelins will hit the wear indicators before 25,000 miles. Wearing evenly. Anyone else getting premature wear? What tires did you go with?

southpawboston

alaput,

the elantra is more sensitive to tire balancing than most other cars. sometimes normal wheel balancing will not solve the problem you are describing. find a tire shop that does "radial force balancing" (they need a special balancing machine made by hunter--i forgot the model number). it may cost you $25/wheel, but that may be the only way to fix the shimmy. this is a very common problem with the elantras.

the stock michelins are actually quite good considering they are the stock tires, but they are on the expensive side and if you were to replace them with the same model, they will cost more than some other tires brands that are even better. however, i'm not really in a position to recommend any, since i'm still on the stock tires myself.

depending on how you drive, 25k miles may be acceptable or it may be poor. if you drive hard, 25k is a very acceptable life span for tires. if you drive lightly, i'd consider 25k poor life span. tire life span is also a function of it's relative grip-- "grippier" tires use softer compounds which wear more quickly; economy tires designed for maximum fel efficiency use harder compounds for less rolling resistance, and as a result they don't grip as well but they tend to last longer (i've gotten 60k miles on said tires). from what i've heard regarding the michelins, they're somewhere in the middle, which means that something around a 40k mile life span sounds about right.

one last thing, since you mentioned that the tires are wearing evenly, this indicates that your car has remained in relatively good alignment.

5port

Here is the URL for the Hunter GSP9700 radial force vibration machine:

<http://128.242.141.111/>

backy

My Elantra's tires have only 26k on them and I can see I'll need to replace them before next winter, when it will have around 30k on them. And I'm a moderate driver. Not very good in my book. I had to replace the stock Michelins on my minivan at 35k--they were worn almost down to the bars. No Michelins next time.

jlflemmons

I have rotated mine every 6000 miles, kept them balanced, inflated to 32psi, and drive moderately. The treadwear is very even across the tread, and tire to tire. 28.5K and the wear indicators are almost flush with the tread. A bit soft in my book, and pitiful in the rain and always have been.

jimpimms

I replaced my evenly worn MXV4s at 26,300 miles; they were nearly done. They were kept at 35-psi and rotated every 6,000 miles, and they'd seen more than their fair share of high-speed cornering. Had it been any season other than winter, I would have gotten 30,000 miles from them, but they wouldn't go in snow anymore.

After researching all-season tires on TireRack, I decided on Kumho Ecsta HP4s. They were highly rated for dry, wet, and snow, according to user feedback. So far, I've been more than happy with traction in snow and heavy slush, and I'd definitely recommend them. They were $178 for a set of 4, delivered, and another $90 for mounting, balancing, new valve stems, removal fee, and tax ($67/tire net).

I think that the installation charges were a little steep, but most tire shops usually charge a premium if you don't purchase from them. They think that tires are commodity items; probably rightfully so, since hardly anyone knows what brand of tires they have on their vehicle, much less the size, or temperature, traction, load, and speed ratings. While I was waiting for them to mount my tires, I browsed their Goodyear offerings, and concluded that they basically sold overpriced junk. Anyone who follows road racing knows that tires are the foremost safety feature on a car, so I get easily annoyed when the tire dealers give me an attitude because I chose not to buy their mediocre crap. (End of rant.)

jimbeaumi

If I recall correctly, I was able to get just over 33K miles from my Michelins. They were also rotated regularly and kept at 30-32 psi. I replaced with Dunlop SP Sport A2 and they have been great so far. I am just about to roll 40K miles on this great car.

elantraman

Just replaced OEM Michelins - 16,300 miles and I could have replaced two of the tires sooner and two I could have left on. Rotated every 5K. My 18 year old son drives car mostly. He is good driver but all his trips are stop and go and short. Replaced with Yokohama Avid Touring. Tread at least appears better than OEM's. Cost with shipping was $216. Another $48 to have them mounted and balanced. The most I have ever got out of tires is 35,000 with 25K being more typical.

jlflemmons

I don't know, Bob, you might need to talk to that boy. ;-)

Jim

5port

Thanks for the feedback on the Yokohama Avids. My choices have come down to the Avids and the Kuhmo Ecsta HP4. The Kuhmos are getting rave reviews on Tire Rack right now. At $39.99 each they are quite a value. Funny how no one owner has considered buying the Michelins at replacement time. Could it be price ($125)?

elantraman

As I have stated many times, I have never in 30 years of driving, got more than 35,000 miles on a set of tires. Most people in W. PA agree with me as well as most repair shop mechanics I've talked to. I've tried many brands and prices. usually, I get less than 30K. My family puts 12-15K a year on three vehicles and it seems I replace tires every 2 years on every vehicle.
The OEM's were about as good as PEP Boys tires.

After almost 2 years of ownership, only been in shop for warped rotors and to replace tires. Rotors were covered under warranty. Initial quality has been good as my Honda Accord and Odyssey.

jlflemmons

Had tires mounted yesterday, and picked one out of left field. Fulda Carat Assuro H rated. Looked at the Eagle GT-HR, and the Kuhmo, but decided to try the Fulda based on construction, tread, and 50K warranty. Very agressive tread with wide water sipes out the sides. Not loud at all on the freeway.

The turn-in on a corner will catch you by surprise after a set of 28K Mickys. Sucker snapped into the corner like I was on rails. I will report back after a few Kmiles and let y'all know how they are doing.

Jim

mpcdc

I have a new 04 Elantra GT hatchback with a manual transmission. I have 300 miles on it now.

I am currently getting 21.5 mpg in all city driving. Because of bad traffic, alot of that is stop and go driving, but my acceleration has been very conservative. The epa estimated mpg is higher. On the hyundai website, they list the epa city as 27mpg, but I have seen it lower in other places(on the sticker and in auto publications).

I know real world gas mileage is lower than epa estimates, but should I be concerned about that much of a difference? Is it a problem that can be fixed, my actual gas mileage, or normal for a new car? (when I bought it with 25 miles the mpg was at 16.6. It rose to 21.5 but has now apparently plateau d.)

Second question-I get alot of static when listening to radio stations. I had much better radio reception in my 89 buick which had a wire coat hanger for an antenna. When playing a cd, the stereo sounds good, but not when listening to FM. Does anyone else have this problem? Is this a design/hardware issue and therefore normal, or is it something I should get fixed?

Thanks

jlflemmons

No, the radio has not had a reception problem. Gas mileage will go up after some miles. Mine continued to improve even after 5K miles and now gets almost 30MPG in freeway traffic stop and go driving.

But I have not heard any complaints about reception on the radio.

Jim

inharmsway

Our 2004 GT 5-speed has 1200 miles on the clock now. At first it got 21 miles per gallon, and now it is up to 25 mostly city.
Niels

wgi1

Anyone have a solution?
I just got a 2004 GT. My question is: After locking the car with the keyfob the alarm is activated. If i lose or break the keyfob, how do i get into the ElantraGT with the key without setting off the alarm which won't let the engine start? The manual says just to use the key and the car dealer said to turn the key to the left when inserted into the car or trunk lock will disarm the alarm.
Neither worked. The alarm goes off. I'm just curious and thinking ahead to prevent being in a predicament.
Anyone know the answer to this?

inharmsway

Try this.
Turn key in door lock. Open door, alarm goes off.Put key in ignition and turn to on and leave there. When the alarm stops(28 seconds)look at your watch and wait 10 seconds, then start the car. Let me know if this works for you. The Hyundai service manager told me about this trick.
Niels

5port

That trick works. If you try to restart the car before the 28 seconds you reset the timer and have to wait again. Just be patient. They have to give you a way to get home if the battery dies in your remote.

jjbond

So the other day someone hit me from behind at a traffic light - only had the car a few months! (03 GLS). It was a good bump, my wife thinks it was only 5mph or less, and there is no visible damage (though I can *just* make out the lisense plate imprinted on my bumper).

Is there a need to get it checked out? It drives fine, alignment seems fine (drives straight), the trunk opens and such, blinkers work. Is there any problem I'd be overlooking?

Regardless though, this seemed like a perfect test of the bumpers

inharmsway

I saw on motorweek once that a bumper could show no visible sign of harm but still have damage to the styrofoam inside the bumper and therefore not give you as much protection next time. In other words they said you should have the bumper checked for integrity.

Niels

jpryba

The Elantra has awesome bumpers. Check out this IIHS article for more information:

http://www.iihs.org/news_releases/2001/pr013001.htm

You can also watch IIHS bumper crash tests on the Progressive website:

http://www.progressive.com/RC/VSafety/rc_crash_videos.asp

On this site, choose "Small Cars - 2001" from the drop down list and then click on Go. Links to the Elantra video will be on the next page.

I'm not sure if the 2004 redesign will affect the score. Considering Hyundai improved the bumpers on both the previous generation Elantra and then improved them again for the 2001 redesign, I have high hopes for the 2004 model.

Of course, it wouldn't hurt to get your bumpers checked out. It's better to be safe than sorry.

mohalen

Hello out there, I am a new owner of an elantra 5 door, about 2 months now. I have racked up about 3200 miles already and I love my car. No complaints yet, as I would hope no one would have complaints about there new car. If I had to give any advice about buying a new hatchback, I think test driving and personal preference is number one. I tested several cars but my blue hatch was the one I really wanted. It handles well at all speeds and during a few snow days in Chicago land it was fun driving my car. The only questions I would have are about the oil. Which ones are best, what types/brands, so on. And how often is it BEST to change the car oil? I know there is the conventional 3000 miles but I have also read that you can go as long as 7000 miles. Some insight would be appreciated.
For who ever is looking for a hatch, I would recommend the elantra.

mo

jlflemmons

Per the lead Hyundai mechanic at my dealer, a fellow with over 30 years in the business, Castrol GTX. Use the 5W30 or 5W20 for the colder temps, 10W30 for the Texas summers. Heavy traffic, 3K oil changes. Everything else, don't go over 5K/six months.

Jim

sebzx79

I was sick and tired of changing oil on two cars every month. If you go with synthetic you can go as much as 10k miles between changes. This has been proven with oil analysis. I play it safe and change my every 6k miles with Shell Rottela T 5w40. The cars burn no oil at all and they seen to run smoother with better gas mileage.

seb

epg

My 2001 Elantra GT with 38K miles was recently diagnosed by the dealer service center as having a serious clutch failure. I was even more surprised, however, when I was informed this would be a $900 repair not covered under the 10-year powertrain warranty because the clutch is considered a "wear item." As I have owned several small import cars (Nissan/Toyota) whose clutches went for 80K miles and beyond, and this Elantra has experienced only routine driving with no "riding the clutch" or anything similar, I contacted 2 experienced mechanics. They both independently said my clutch failure at this point was highly premature and indicative of a defect in the clutch assembly. When I informed both the service center and Hyundai "Customer Assistance" of this, they merely reiterated they would not cover the repair under any circumstances.

As the highly touted Hyundai warranty was a big selling point when I bought this car, (and continues to play a major part in their constant advertising), I feel somewhat misled and am considering taking Hyundai & service center to court. Has anyone had similar experiences with this car and/or litigating against Hyundai?

backy

Before taking it to court, try going up the chain. There is a Regional rep you can ask to talk to. Since the car is still under the bumper-to-bumper warranty, that should help your case. If anything, Hyundai is inconsistent on this policy. My '01 GLS's clutch made a squeaking noise when I depressed the pedal at about 18,000 miles. I took it in and the dealer never questioned that it was not covered under warranty. It took two visits, but they finally fixed it.

Now, just what is the problem? If it is just the clutch pressure plate, I can understand the "wear item" story. I once had to replace a Civic's pressure plate at 40,000 miles; it cost $400 back in '89. But a failure of the entire clutch assembly is something different.

jlflemmons

If the friction plate is just worn out, you may have a tough time. If the friction material is still there and the plate mechanicals, or the pressure plate assembly have come apart, you have a good case especially if you are the only driver and can show the car has been maintained. Another thing would be interesting. If you are on the original tires and still have tread, you would have a strong case that you drive conservatively as these tires are difficult to get over 35K. All this being said, and I am not pointing fingers, if you wrap up the engine on an Elantra and dump the clutch you stand a good chance of exploding the clutch rather dramatically. My local dealer had a Santa Fe with 8K miles towed in and the clutch looked like someone hit it with a grenade. The zone rep told the owner that this would be their one free pass. Fixed the clutch under warranty with the understanding that if it happened again the owner would foot the bill.

jimbeaumi

I also had a squeak/groan when depressing the clutch pedal. Dealer replaced release pivot bushing (and "SOP"? what's that?) under warranty.

Today for the second time, I experienced a clunk-clunk-clunk that sounds as if it is coming from the front wheel, speeds up/slows down with rotation, and after five or ten minutes goes away again. I WILL be taking it to the dealer for a look-see, but has anyone here had that problem? Sounds like something comes loose, then puts itself back into place.

backy

How many miles were on your car when it had the squeak/groan? Mine first did it at 11k, when the engine/tranny was warmed up. Fixed under warranty. They first replaced the throwout bearing, but that didn't completely take care of it, then they cleaned and lubed something and that did it--until recently, when it started moaning a little when warmed up (now at 27,200). I am going to take it in for its regular oil change next week and have them take care of this again. I am also going to ask them about extending the warranty on the clutch to 100,000 miles (yeah I know, fat chance) because I plan on keeping the car in the family for 10 years/100k miles and don't feel like paying for this service every other year.

chester

I have a 2001 Hyundai Elantra that I have Replaced The Lowbeams In Eight Times The last Time They Both Blowout At The Same time Anybody Have This Problem Or Any Sugestions.

backy

If they blowout that often and at the same time, it sounds like a problem in the electrical system, not the bulbs. Have you had the dealer check that?

5port

There are two TSBs (Technical Service Bulletins) issued by Hyundai about this problem. They apply to the 2001 to 2003 models. The inside story from a Hyundai repair tech is that some Elantras and Tibs were made with faulty alternators. When the Alternator is under high load it causes voltage spikes. These spikes are causing the lowbeams to fail. The fix is to replace the alternator with a updated unit. If you take the TSB printout to the dealer and show it you will likely get action. Go to www.nhtsa.com and order a printout of the TSB:

  Search Results
Report Date : March 25, 2004 at 09:17 AM
TYPE : VEHICLE
YEAR : 2001
MAKE : HYUNDAI
MODEL : ELANTRA
   
  
 
 
 
 Results : 2 | All records displayed
 
Make : HYUNDAI Model : ELANTRA Year : 2001
Service Bulletin Num : 033600201 Date of Bulletin: OCT 01, 2003
NHTSA Item Number: 10004567
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
  
 Check to Request Research. Submit below. Get Summary
 
Make : HYUNDAI Model : ELANTRA Year : 2001
Service Bulletin Num : 0336002 Date of Bulletin: MAR 01, 2003
NHTSA Item Number: 10002259
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
  
 Check to Request Research. Submit below. Get Summary
 
 
         

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

NHTSA Home | ODI Home | Complaints | Defect Investigations | Recalls | Service Bulletins 2.1.1{1}

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anton

I have 2001 GT that has at about 26K mi with auto transmission. Last year (October) the transmission was replaced under warranty due to fluid leak. When the winter came I discovered a strange problem with the new transmission. When the outside temperature is below 32F in the morning the engine stalls when shifted from R to D. Once the engine warms up the car shifts without any problems. Had it checked 2 times at the dealer - the first time they just returned it because could not duplicate the problem (nobody has time to wait for the engine to cool down). The second time (yesterday) I was told that this is a software problem. However they did not fix it because Hyundai has not approved the new software release. They even told me that there are number of people with the same problem that are waiting for the software. Has any one experienced the same problem?

elavertu

In reply to #951 RE: Lowbeam failure by 5port

Don't pay for the printout TSB from the NHTSA website, Hyundai has a website with all the TSB available for free. Just log on to:

http://www.hmaservice.com/

Then click on service information. You'll get many details and you can print any TSB you want for any model freely. But I believe you could just note the TSB number and hand it in to the Hyundai service rep and it should do the trick.

5port

At the NHTSA site they tell you up front if the TSB is ten pages or more you will have to pay. In reality very few of the TSBs are ten pages or over and you end up not paying (free). Should have mentioned in my first post. I ordered a TSB for my friends Toyota Seqouia and it was free. It took about two weeks to arrive.

   Thanks for the tip on HMAservice. I didnt know you could get TSBs from there.

backy

Anyone who owns a '04 Elantra, can you please help me with a couple of questions:

* With the automatic, are the shift numbers supposed to be illuminated in the shift console (esp. on the GT)?

* Inside the lower compartment of the center armrest, does the plastic bottom piece sit flush with the bottom of the compartment? On mine, the bottom of the compartment is convex in the middle, so the plastic bottom piece rides on top of that bump, loosely. It's not like that in my '01 GLS--that has a rubber bottom that fits tight. I'm wondering if the bottom of the compartment is warped.

jimbeaumi

Just a guess, since I haven't examined the console closely: could the tray be upside down?

backy

There is definitely a "hump" molded into the bottom of the lower bin in the console, along the lip of the hole in the middle (that exposes the parking brake cable etc.). The thin black plastic cover that covers the hole perches rather precariously on top of this hump. Since this isn't present in my GLS, I'm thinking it's a manufacturing flaw, but it's also on a '04 vs. '01 so that's why I asked.

inharmsway

Backy. I think mine is the same as yours. The edges around the hole cut in the middle have a little bow esp. the front. I would probably not have noticed until you brought it up.
Ours is a 2004 GT 5-speed.
Niels

lakespringer

I'm in the first week with my '04 GT hatchback auto, and love that car! Only quibble is with the rear wiper. It squeaks loudly on the 2nd or 3rd pass of the wiper. The intermittent setting for this wiper is just way too fast - it only pauses for about 3 seconds. I'd prefer about a 30 second delay for a rear wiper. Also, there's no way easy to get it to wipe once. Turning the knob up does the rear washer. Wouldn't it have been better to keep the rear washer on the bottom, past the ON position, and leave the top position for a single pass wipe?

Does anyone else's wiper squeak similarly? I know its a long shot, but any possibility of tweaking the time delay on that rear wiper?

backy

Thanks, it sounds like a "design feature" then. Although why I don't know...

jpryba

Go in and ask for another wiper. It's only your first week, so I'm sure they'll gladly put another one on for you at no charge : )

jpryba

The Hyundai dealership I go to for service gave me new tires and wheels last year when I had the infamous shimmy in the steering wheel at highway speeds. I had the tires rotated recently (after about 7500 miles of use), and now the shimmy has come back. The dealership did step 1 on a TSB I found on Hyundai's website, which is to simply try to rebalance. That didn't help out too much, so it's time for step 2 (which is to check for tire or wheel damage). Has anyone else had their shimmy fixed but to only have it come back after the next rotation? I have 20K on my car now, so I'm not sure if the dealership will be as good about fixing this problem as they were before. (Then again, these new tires don't even have 10K on them yet...)

I have lots of posts to research tonight, but most of those are well into the past. So, any recent updates would be helpful.

kev02gt

I have not checked this theory myself but post #717 seems to be on the right track. The post refers to the orientation of the rims. I had no shimmy until I had my transmission replaced at the dealer, then the 55-60 mph shimmy appeared. A few weeks later I purchased new Falken Ziex 512's and the shimmy was gone- I never did check the respective mounting positions but it seems to make sense- good luck.

5port

Kev02GT hit it on the head when he said:

" A few weeks later I purchased new Falken Ziex 512's and the shimmy was gone-"

  My belief is that the shimmy problem lies in the Michelin tires. I had the shimmy on my 01 GT when new. After a couple thousand miles of shimmy between 65-70mph I rotated the front tires to the rear axle. Shimmy was all gone. I was happy but I knew at some point in the future I would have to rotate them back and the shimmy would return. After about 10K miles I rotated the tires front to rear again and to my surprise the shimmy is gone. I think after running on the rear axle for 10K the out-of-round rubber on those tries wore off leaving them fairly round. My next tire is going to be Kuhmo Ecsta 716 HP4. Great reviews on Tirerack.com.

   If you are going to stick with the overpriced and poor quality Michelins (IMO) your only hope is the Hunter Radial Force vibration balancer. Most people who have used it say it works:

<http://www.craigautometrics.com/huntergsp9700.htm>