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Comments
in the center of rear axle.
I'm a little bit confused, I picked up my plates last tuesday at my dealer and I saw one SF in the showroom. It was a GL AWD and the ABS was listed in the sticker as an option. MSRP for that was under 20K.
Is that right?, or somebody just made a mistake?
I thought ABS is only for the GLS and the LX trim.
also, does any here know if I could get a rear spoiler for my SF? I feel that the RX300 is SF distant cousin, it could be the one of the missing link.... just a thought...
I bought my 2000 Elantra leftover in Novenber and got a fabulous deal from Lester Glenn. At the same time my wife was looking to buy a Santa Fe from them but they tacked on all of their cars $385.00 for pinstripe and bodyside moulding as soon as the vehicles came off the transporter, calling it an "Appearance Package". This was their way of marking up the vehicle. They absoulutely wouldn't budge on removing this charge. We wound up going to another dealer 30 miles away and paid sticker price for a vehicle with more options. They also tried their hardest to sell me undercoating and paint protection on my Elantra for $1000.00 additional!!! To me they were just a typical car dealer, nothing special.
Then somebody brought it up on the other forum here in edmunds. How many of you have the same experience? I am far from panic or even worrying about it, I just thought I'd brought it up.
out-of-round drumS.
What did the dealer do to fix it?
I just want to make sure what you meant by frozen
lock.
not the lock cylinder... can't imagine frozen
latch mechanism...
Has anyone actually had success with a dealer being able to remedy the gas tank filling problem - having to trickle in the last 2-4 gallons to get it full??
I thought that was interesting.
In post #274 you posted the following
>i just purchased a gls and so far am very happy
>with it. i rate it very high in value for
>content. i got pretty much everything except
>leather and purchased it for 20,000 total price.
>my dealer was victor hyundai in madison,
>alabama. my salesman was bill swann
I live in Decatur, AL and am looking at getting a GLS also. I would appreciate if you could post the exact options of your GLS. Maybe I could save myself some time during the negotiating if I knew exactly what you got for your $20,000. I too will most likely purchase from Victor Hyundai in Madison. Were you pleased with your salesman, Bill Swann? If you would rather you can reach me via email @ bamafan92@hotmail.com
Thanks
when you fill'er up?
setting, try different gas stations.
Late model cars are equipped with ORVR(On-board
Refuelling Vapor Recovery) system and this may be
incompatible with some gas pumps' own recovery device.
If the pump still clicks off prematurely, then take the car
in for service. The technician should check the fuel vent
valve and all the connections including hoses leading
to the canister for clog and/or kink.
outiside by turning the lock cylinder with the key?
How about from the inside?
The lock problem is totally unacceptable and can
be fixed.
I don't know any current or previous Hyundai model
that has this kind of pattern failure.
It could be a lot of things...needs to
figure out what part is freezing first...the lock
cylinder or the latch or maybe something to do with
the actuator...after that, whether the problem can
be solved by lubricating the visible parts or the whole
assembly needs to be replaced...my guess is
that the latch is not properly lubricated at the factory.
Anyway, there's no way for Hyundai figuring out
why this is happening if you don't take the car in
for warranty service.
At the dealership, a repair order MUST be
generated so that Hyundai can collect data on
this problem. The dealer is not going to
get reimbursed for the diagnosis time from
Hyundai without a repair order number.
problem, but I would check the battery first.
http://www.auto.com/autonews/qwash28.htm
I recently drove a Tribute, whose steering wheel seemed less prone to road generated vibration. My other car is an Acura MDX and is completely rock solid, relatively unaffected by road crowns, grooves, etc.
However, even after all I have been through trying to resolve this issue, I am still convinced that the SF has the most desireable combination of features within its price range. The Tribute is too cheaply made, loud, and not as comfortable. The RAV4/CRV both suffer from an idiotic design, placing the spare tire on the rear hatch, which pulls to the side rather than straight up. Both are relatively expensive for smallish, 4 cyl. plain jane vehicles. The RAV4 can't even be obtained with ABS yet! The CRV is in its last year prior to a makeover. Thus, my advice to would-be buyers is to stick with the Santa Fe, but just to carefully test drive the actual vehicle you are considering. If it does vibrate, the rear differential fix takes about one week, so that's not the end of the world. Good luck!
I do wish to know how you feel about Hyundai's reputation, better yet how did the service personnel treat you when you came back for an adjustment?
I really like the Santa Fe, but am worried about jumping into a purchase that may be unwise.
I dealt with Fitzgerald Hyundai in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Overall, I can say that they were extremely patient and gracious during the entire time we were trying to solve the vibration puzzle. I felt that they were genuinely interested in getting to the bottom of this problem; Hyundai central was also very supportive and through the latter's efforts came up with the rear differential fix.
I got to use a free rental car throughout the time the vehicle was in the shop. The service and the sales people were all following the case; I could have gone to arbitration and obtained another car (or $ back) without much hassle. But since other SFs had shown similar symptoms (and for reasons mentioned in my previous post), I was more interested in solving the problem and keeping the car.
They also resolved a brake pressure problem which was unique to my vehicle.
I would highly recommend Fitzgerald to anyone considering a SF. You can access their stock at www.fitzmall.com
I believe that buying a model in its first year is always a little risky...witness all the Tribute recalls. It is hard to tell how well the SF will hold up over time since the problems I experienced were intrinsic to the vehicle. Problems resulting from wear and tear will only be known over time. At the very least, the strong warranty and (at least in my case) excellent dealer support provide some security that even should problems arise, they will be overcome. I hope your dealer experiences have been as positive as mine!
Were the models with this vibration all GL or GLS with 2WD or did the problem also surface with the GLS and LX with AWD?
Thanks.
george
Santafelooker: My brake problem was less related to softness but rather to a kind of uneveness in pressure, accompanied by a slight noise. The technician described it as a "notchiness." The fix was to replace the power brake booster. Again, I would recommend that you test-drive several prior to purchase: it is likely you will find one without the soft-brakes.
It is my understanding that there is a TSB out about the soft brakes. I spoke to the service manager at Fairfax Hyundai (who happened to be staffing the Hyundai booth at the D.C. Car Show) about my own brake problem; he immediate assumed it was the "soft brake" issue and mentioned a TSP having to do with the rear brakes. Sorry, that's as much as I can remember...
Georgefarmer: I averaged 20.5 mpg in a mostly hiway trip; less than the stated 23 mpg rating. However, the often mentioned problem with the narrow gas fill tube and subsequent difficulty in being absolutely sure that the car has been previously filled-up makes estimates a bit unreliable. I will be keeping a note pad next to me for a while to keep tabs on mileage. I would be happy to hear from other SF owners about mileage experience.
We too have the blinking clock problem. It only occurs when the lights are on and only at certain times. 5:11 it will blink, 5:12 it will not, 5:13 it will blink, etc. It seems to be related to which segment(s) of the clock are lit. The dealer has ordered a new clock.
The vehicle has had this whining noise at around 40 mph since it was new. It was not too loud but somewhat annoying. When I told the dealer about it he knew immediately that the problem was low oil in the differential. They topped it off and the noise has quieted down quite a bit. I guess they have had to check every vehicle that is delivered to them. Although I'm sure Hyundai has resolved the problem by now.
The wipers on the Santa Fe are fairly cheap. The one on the passengers side does a pretty bad job of clearing the rain and salt crud from the left side of the windshield. The dealer is ordering a new set. We'll see how they work.
I recenly went to the dealer for an oil change and to have them look at the above mentioned problems, and I must say the dealer has been most friendly and helpful. They seem to be genuinely concerned with fixing the problems and making me a happy customer. (Miskinis on Cape Cod)
With 2200 miles of driving, the mileage has averaged 19.25.
Other than that, we have had 1,100 enjoyable miles together thus far!
Last year, I purchased a 2000 Hyundai Elantra GLS. I am very pleased with the car. I payed 10,800 for it with a lot of features. Best deal I ever got. 9,000 miles so far and not one problem
Now comes the time to switch it up a bit. I have a 1996 Jeep Cherokee Classic with 100,000 miles on it. Great car. No problems. Just old and boring. Being so pleased with Elantra, I am considering the Santa Fe to be the Jeep's replacement. Hyundai really cleaned up their act since the excel. I really like the styling on the Santa Fe and its a real deal for being fully loaded around 23,000. I would get another jeep, but thats the third jeep...its a boring car now.
Any input? comments or experiences with the santa fe would greatly be appreciated! I was reading some of the posts in here, and there seem to be some problems. i would get a 2002 model...as i will be looking next summer/fall
I am averaging 22 to 23 miles to the gallon in suburban driving , I have not had it on any trip longer than 30 miles.
I have not had any problem no vibration, no blinking clock, the gas tank fillup is a slight annoyance at about 80% full I reduce input flow to about 1/2 full flow and it fills to the top.
I check these posts regularly to follow any problems noted. I will let you know if I encounter any problems.
As I was driving last night, my clock started to blink again, so the turn signal/light switch was not the correct fix. My dealer is talking to the mechanic today and will let me know if they think ordering a new clock will solve the problem. If anyone who has had this problem has received their new clock, please let me know if this has solved the problem.
hence the option name, limited slip REAR differential.
As far as I know, (you can verify this on the HMA web
site) limited slip rear differential is not offered as a standard
equipment on any trim level of AWD Santa Fe.
Limited slip differential is not offered on FWD
SFs sold in the US.
AWD Santa Fe has a VCU(Viscous Coupling Unit) on the
front axle that acts as a slip-limiting device.
I hope that helps you figure out the features and options
combination of Santa Fe.
http://www.hyundai-owners.com/
http://pub12.bravenet.com/forum/fetch.php?id=9503965&usernum=950089089
http://www.hyundaiusaparts.com/parts/images/PartsGif/3x/SM0810081301.gif
Thanks for your info. Further, I received an e-mail from my local dealer regarding SLD I wold like to share with this board :
"I checked into the options on the Santa Fe for limited slip diff., TCS and
ABS. According to the 2001 Sourcebook, full-time 4-wheel drive provides
power to all four wheels, all the time. With 60% of the available torque
going to the front axle and 40% going to the rear, the Santa Fe has balanced,
stable traction. Then, when a wheel slips, it automatically distributes
engine power to the non-slipping wheel.
Rear Limited-slip differential is an option on the GLS, with this design, if
one wheel begins to slip, power is diverted to the wheel directly opposite to
enhance traction and control.
Electronic traction control system (TCS) and Electronic Brake Force
Distribution is optional on Santa Fe Gls and LX. Together, these two systems
let a driver accelerate and corner on demanding road surfaces- wet, slippery
or even gravel- with added control and confidence.
The anti-lock braking system that's optional on the Santa Fe GLS and LX
includes a traction control system to enhance driver control in extreme
conditions, like wet, muddy or snow-covered roads. The TCS activates upon
detecting a sustained loss of traction and applies corrective action until
traction is fully restored.
Reading these descriptions of the different systems, traction control and
limited slip differential act in the same way. That is why limited slip
differential is not offered as an option on the LX."
I'm ordering my SF as soon as I can negotiate a deal with my dealer.