By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
I was going to stick a couple of amber reflectors on it instead. At least it might look like it is for something.
I also tried several other S.F.'s, some had the problem, some didn't - I also put it down to the hot temps. here in Phoenix (already 104 -108f ) but I know that the Infra red reflective glass prevents heat build up. I absolutely know that to be true compared to my previous SUV.
Anyone else out there notice this?
After i complained for the 2nd. time , the mechanic finally tried it and got the same result as me -it popped open on it's own when I pulled it down onto the seat. The service manager ordered a new cup holder assembly to be fitted later when it comes in - yea !
Part number for me was 00305-92800-J9SR (SE with beige interior and sunroof). It's listed as "SOP kit for dome light reposition".
I was the second one my dealer did. Not sure how long mine took, but they had told be the first one they installed last week took 1-1/2 hours.
I also had the auto door locks enabled at the same time. I'm a happy Santa Fe owner!
Followup: Just checked my eyeglasholders and I have no idea what if any difference there is...why....because I have to wear my glasses when I drive and had never tried them:)
While I was at it, I checked the reported rear armrest cup holder problem reported...Mine is just fine...guess I got lucky.
For Father's day I wanted to go on a short road trip. I live in the Washington D.C. area (Northern VA) and the wife and I decided to drive to Antietam Battlefield in Sharpsburg MD which was approximately 140 miles roundtrip. (My wife and I love history and we are trying to visit as many historical sites as we can).
All I can say is "I LOVE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE!"
I recently travelled the same route when I took a trip to Harper's Ferry WV in my wife's 2006 Toyota Sienna XLE(Antietam Battlefield is only about a 30 minute drive further North). The route travels through portions of the Appalachian mountains and some portions are quite hilly and curvy.
There was no comparison. The Sienna has a nice smooth ride that readily absorbs bumps, however it is a little floaty and it sways heavily in corners! It does not instill confidence (in fact, it makes you want to slow down...a lot!).
The Santa FE really hugs the corners well for a midsize SUV and it encourages you to test it's limits (I really have to slow myself down in the twisties).
The Santa Fe is also so quiet! It is so much quieter than the Sienna and it feels so much more substantial (The Toyota has noticeable gaps where the dash panels come together...the Santa Fe has none!)
I usually have to drive the Sienna on long trips since I have 2 little one's and the Sienna has a DVD player that the Santa Fe lacks. However, since it was father's day I insisted that we drive the car I wanted to drive.
Fortunately, my nearly 3 year old son managed to keep himself entertained and did not fuss very much during the trip.
I averaged 22.5 MPG during the whole trip the AC was on roughly 50% of the time. There was a noticeable drop in MPG when the AC was on.
Those of you who are in the market for a midsized SUV need to take a serious look at the Santa Fe...you will not be sorry. My only regret is not getting a Limited, it would be nice to have a power driver's seat and leather! However the SE gave me most of the features I really wanted, and was in my budget.
SF Limited FWD w/Premium package
Golden Beige /golden beige interior
This is a terrific vehicle. It feels upscale and drives well.
I just have a question about the ride of this car. It is very quiet on even surface. Even at 75 mile per hours, it is quiet and there is no need to raise my voice talking to my wife. In my old Mazda tribute, I needed to do that.
But, in the local road, especially, where there are some broken pavements or small bumps, the ride becomes uncomfortable and loud. I could hear loud impact noise on each one of the bumps. I think most of these noises are from the front wheel. In my old tribute, I did not hear these kind of noises.
I don't know. Maybe I am too sensitive. I am just wondering whether everyone's santa fe behaves the same way or not.
Thanks
I was considering downgrade to 16 inch wheel for a better ride
I agree with hoo320, in local roads especially at lower speeds (30-45mph), you really feel a loud impact noise on every bump. I drive a '03 Honda Civic before getting the SF Limited AWD, the Civic handles the bumps, broken pavements better at lower speeds compared to the Santa Fe. When the speed increases though, you can notice that a sudden decrease of the loud impact noises on broken pavements.
A few weeks ago, I notice that the noise is not that loud anymore. I checked the tires and found out that it's 28psi. I put it back to the recommended 30psi, and the same loud impact noise is back.
But overall, I'm pretty happy with the SF. It's definitely a big upgrade from my previous ride.
In comparison, my wife's 2005 Honda Odyssey doesn't do that at all. The Odyssey isn't as smooth on the highway, though (you feel expansion joints in the pavement too much), and also isn't as quiet (wind noise).
Also, my previous car was a 2003 Pontiac Vibe (aka the Toyota Matrix). It rode a lot harder than the Santa Fe, but the tires didn't "bounce" over broken pavement the way the Santa Fe's do.
I've just learned to take really it slow and steady over speed bumps, because I am NOT giving up my Santa Fe.
tires were about 38 lbs as well, 1/2 of the washer fluid canister was empty, brake fluid was a little low. They did a Great job washing it though, even though it was snowing that day :P ! :mad:
Bottom line, That night I adjusted the tires, when cold to 30lbs using a digital gauge. No real change with bumps at slow speeds....you still feel speed bumps pretty hard at slow speed IMHO. However this is somewhat typical of the suspension of the crossovers these days. Although it takes a bit of getting used to, I prefer that th a mushy suspension. (adjustable air/gas shocks would have be nice) .......
Word to the wise: Always check all fluid levels and pressures after your SF has been in for any type of service....Those guys (or maybe chimps)must have a great Kool Aid dispenser as they usually manage to forget something...
THIS IS NOT A HYUNDAI THING....just the quality of the help that the auto dealerships hire (My ex Mini Cooper dealer was way worse and 125 miles away!.... believe me!)....still love the SF (and am happy with the dealer as well) though I do have a nice little "shop" set up in the 3rd bay of my garage
as for the dealership guys that work on our cars - the old addage comes to mind - good help is hard to find (even harder to pay for!)
If I had wanted a car ride, I would have purchased a different vehicle. There is no perfection that I have ever driven. I am perfectly satisfied with the SF, and although I have been known to buy something new every few years, will probably keep the SF longer. I found out at the end of winter just how nice their AWD system is!!!
The rear wheel bounce is a bit annoying but you get used to it and just take it easy. On the open road the thing handles beautifully for a crossover and I couldn't be happier. I will be even happier when I finally can ditch those bridgestone 18" dueler tires...man are they noisy...Tire rack will get my business, but I do not put that many miles on the vehicle these days so it will take a while!
OT: My Mini Cooper experience....it was the most fun car I have ever owned (inc a Porsche 911SC in the 80's) BUT also the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned...getting more practical in my old age I guess. The SF seems to fit me to a tee and I did a lot of shopping last winter!!!!
DEALERSHIP SHOPS...I REALLY CANNOT COMPLAIN ABOUT MINE....THEY HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO MAKE SURE THAT I WAS HAPPY. That in itself is reassuring (this is my 1st Hyundai and I could not believe I was actually buying one!)
I believe this sentiment is shared by 90% of this community!
hmm - maybe we should create a section for all the cars we had before - why we got them - leading up to getting our SANTA FE's...
We just bought a "fleet" (i.e. used rental car company inventory) 2007 Santa Fe GL last week and the Hyundai dealer said I'd have to come into the service dept and sign a work order for the map light retrofit. It *is* a no charge item but as it is a "good will" fix (not a warranty item or a flaw (POV?) it has to be requested by the customer. I *think* that is what you meant by "but I need to set it up." in your post.
Got it from Gene Messer Hyundai in Lubbock, Texas.
Very happy with my sales representatives. I had two.
Although, I too am very unhappy with the lack of lighting in the front seat area.
Can someone please clue me in as to what I need to do to get this "fix" that I have read about?
I think it would be great if my map lights came on when I opened my door or when I pressed the remote unlock button.
Due to my work schedule and the current time change it is dark outside when I leave for work and when I leave work and head home.
Also, is there really a reprogram of sorts that can make my doors lock automatically at a set MPH. ?
Any help anyone could give would be great.
Now, I've never been a big fan of Toyota's but then again I've never been a fan of Hyundai's either, but I have to say that that new Highlander looks pretty sweet !
I'm actually considering taking my Santa Fe back.
The sales guy says that they can work out a deal with me on the Santa Fe but that it would be easier if I just returned it to the Hyundai dealer.
Thats easy for them to say but what happens if I turn in the SF, get my old car back ( its still on the used car lot ), and then they are not able to negotiate a deal with me? I'll be up the proverbial creek !!
I'm still very much on the fence about this.
One thing that I did notice is the lack of bells and whistles on the Highlander compared to my Santa Fe. My Santa Fe is the SE model and I've got features like a sunroof and XM radio and 19 in. wheels.
I'd have to move up to the Highlander Sport model to get those items. $$$$$$$$$$$
Oh well, I'm going back tomorrow to see what we can do.
If it works out then fine but if not then at least I know I'll be going home in a good vehicle.
I've weighed my options and realized that I'm much better off in the Santa Fe than in the Highlander.
In order to get the features that I'm already used to having in a car,( sunroof, heated seats, XM Radio, etc.) I'd have to step to a more expensive Highlander and those items would still be optional extras. Its just not worth it to me.
There's some value in Scotchgard, but it's definitely something you can do yourself. You can buy the spray in any automotive parts store and spray it on fabric and carpets the same way a dealer would. Don't pay the dealer for this!
As for outside paint protection, anything the dealer does will be temporary at best and will quickly wear off with washings and exposure to weather. The only exception to this is a ClearBra applied to the front bumper and leading portion of the hood. This provides excellent protection against paint chips. We've had it installed on a total of 5 new cars and it works so well that I'll never own another new car without having it applied. This is not something you should have your dealer do, however. Installation is tricky and best handled by a certified installer who specializes in it. Here's a link where you can get more info:
klik
The items your dealer is trying to sell you are grossly overpriced and practically worthless. They're simply ways for the dealer to add more profit to the deal. I highly recommend passing on them.
For me, in Canada, I printed off postings from this forum and brought them with me although they seemed to be aware of the map light thing and I didn't have to call Hyundai or anything. At the same time, they fixed a security alarm issue for us, and I got them to program the auto door lock option as well.
My map lights come on up front. The rear cup holder works as intended. The outside temp reads correctly. The stereo sounds decent (and I'm in the audio/electronics industry!). All of this by way of saying, I think it's best to NEVER buy the first MY of any car...all the little annoyances that have been mentioned here seem to have been corrected on the '08s.
Some accessories I've added:
I found the rear cargo cover on ebay (from a Hyundai dealer) for $199 + shipping. I can see why Hyundai stopped offering it, either as standard or optional. It's kind of rinky-dink, the way the front parts extend from the bar and attach to the headrests, but with the way the reclining seatbacks work I don't see how else thay could have done it. However, over the years I've had cargo covers with several wagons and hatchbacks, and none were as....err...."lacking" as this one. Still better than nothing.
From the same ebay seller I ordered the mudguards for $36, front and rear. No "H" logo. An absolute necessity for me since Iive on a dirt road, which in springtime becomes a mud road.
I have the "Bugflector II" on order from my local Auto Zone - only $50 compared to the $60-"$75 most online sellers want. So the internet isn't always the cheapest!
That's about all I can think of for now...you'll have to excuse me, gotta go cruisin' in my SF!