Hyundai Elantra Maintenance and Repair

mossman11 · May 2005

I sell Hyundai and many rotors are warped on brand new cars. The Hyundai rotors are expensive but guaranteed by Hyundai. They cannot be resurfaced in most cases. I have tried inexpensive Chinese rotors and they worked fine, just remove the cosmoline and install. About $25 each retail.

mossman11 · May 2005

We find most new Elantras drive shimmy-free when new, as they are force-match balanced at the factory. For a good article on this, go to http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/700-900/WheelBalance.htm.

I am recommending Goodyear Assurance Comfortred as a replacement for the stock Michelin tires as they ride well after break-in and have excellent winter traction and rain-water dispersion (they replaced the Aquatread).

jpryba · May 2005

The Hunter GSP9700 is a godsend, and the search feature on their website is very helpful in determining who in your area has one. However, you still need to ask the particular tire/auto dealer if they'll actually use it on your tires. Some places use their GSP9700 for all balancing work, and others may not use it unless you request it. For example, the Hyundai dealer I bought my car from supposedly has one, but it's in their Pontiac service bay (meaning it's a hassle to try to get them to use it). I did find an excellent local shop that was able to help me out with my Elantra's shimmy issues. The shimmy is starting to come back a little (after about 6 months), but it's still not nearly as bad as before. It's about time to change tires anyway, so I'll just go back to the local tire place in question and have them give me a quote on new tires.

Speaking of tires for the Elantra, I've heard some good things about Kumho Ecstas. I haven't read as much about the Goodyear Assurance ComforTred, though, but I'm sure it's a perfectly fine tire as well. All I can say is that I'm not paying $120+ each for the stock Michelin tires... ouch!

One other note (that others have mentioned on here before): Make sure that whoever touches your wheels puts them back on without overtightening the lugnuts (80 ft lbs is the max on the Elantra). That can cause a shimmy, and it can also warp your rotors.

jlflemmons · May 2005

Dittos on the Kumho. Very smooth, quiet, and good grip. I rotated the tires on the GT last night. First rotation, and you are right about the lug torque. 80lbs with a 24" 4-way is not that hard to do.

jkobb · May 2005

I was wondering what the price is on those Khumo Ecsta tires? :confuse: And also what is the mileage claims as far as what they are supposed to last?

backy · May 2005

I know mine were about $250 for four at Discount Tire including installation/balancing and a lifetime free replacement warranty and lifetime free rotation and balancing, with a $25 coupon I had. If you order them online and install them yourself I think they're around $45-50 for the Elantra. That is for the Ecsta HP4 716. Based on the reviews I've read I expect better tread wear than on the OEM Michelins (30k) but even if I only get 30k (4 years for me), at least they drive better than the Michelins and cost a lot less.

az_roy · May 2005

I have owned an 2000 Elantra GLS wagon since new in 2000. Since that time I think I have had problems with the electric windows and door locks several times. I think I have had the same problem with every power window in the car at least once, and last night the passenger side front window just dropped again. This is how it generally happens, I go to power a window up or down and I hear a grinding noise and the window just falls. The Elantra has well over 60,000 miles on it now and I have had to pay for repairs on at least one of the windows and now I am into the second one that I am sure I will have to pay for. I also have had at least two problems with the power locks, the last one just a few months ago that cost several hundred to fix.

Has anyone else had similar problems and had success in getting a dealer to fix it without it costing a small fortune?

I have been happy with this car and my family has owned and still owns several Hyundai models, but this continuous power window dollar eater is souring me to replacing this car with another Hyundai when I decide to buy a new car.

jlflemmons · May 2005

Seems like it was about $280 turnkey at the local NTB. No special sales, just had to get the Fulda's off the car before they shook it apart.

The Fulda's were smooth for about 5K miles, then couldn't get them to balance out. Shame, too, because they handled great.

csmith56 · May 2005

So, here's the news. Hyundai refused to honor their warranty by not fixing my car because no coolant service had been performed (service is required at 30,000 miles - the car had 29,772 mile) and because the car was driven while it was overheating (because we all can predict when our car is going to overheat).
Earlier in the week, my wife and I visited a Saturn dealer. They agreed to pay off what we owe (and not tack on anything on our new car). All I had to do was get the car to them running.
I had my car towed out of the lot on Friday, 5/27/05 by AAA. AAA needed to verify that I didn't owe anything so I called the Hyundai (No) Service Dept. to give them a heads up that AAA might be calling. The service guy says" Well, there is the $85 charge for having us look at it". I replied "Give me a break! You're already screwing me over with the warranty and I have to fix the car myself" He replies,"Well, I suppose we'll let this one go." What a punk. I can't believe he actually had the nerve to say that. So my friend and I changed the water pump on Sunday. That set me back $120 but it got the car running. But by the time we got it done, we realized we also needed a thermostat. It was too late because everybody was closed. I called Saturn Monday morning and told them that we still needed to change the T-Stat. They told me not to bother and to just get them the car. So we did.
Monday was the day my Hyundai nightmare has ended. We traded that turd in and got a 2005 Saturn Vue with a "real" warranty. The service and people were excellent. Hyundai lost out on a sale of around $25,000 because they wouldn't honor "The Country's Best Warranty" which would've amounted to about $300-$400 worth of work. A word of advice: Don't buy Hyundai! Thank you Saturn!
By the way, I'm not through with Hyundai yet. I'm just getting started.

bikerpa · June 2005

A word of advice: Don't buy Hyundai!

Not from your dealer, anyway. Who was it again, so we all know to avoid them? :mad:

I'm glad to hear that you've gotten a satisfactory replacement for your Elantra. I hope your warranty experiences in the future are better. It all sounds like a dealer-level experience totally soured you the brand as a whole; I'm extremely interested to hear what happens when you escalate it to regional/national HMA levels.

jimbeaumi · June 2005

The "don't buy" advice could apply to anyone who's had a bad dealer or vehicle experience, and it applies to nearly every brand. As much as I enjoy my Elantra, a bad dealer experience would sour me as well. Fortunately, my car's been excellent and my dealer service has, too, so I continue to recommend the brand. Sorry to hear you didn't get good treatment, csmith56.

njdevil · June 2005

i hope the saturn dealer continues with the excellant service. I personally have no problems with hyundai warranty. I think it was the dealer because I have no problems with my dealership. I know people that have had the same problems with saturn and could not wait to unload their cars. soo good luck. what was the name of the dealer.

csmith56 · June 2005

The name of the dealer is Springfield Hyundai 19064. I just think that it was the most blatant disregard of policy NOT to fix my car. The whole story of mine starts on page 76 I believe. I would've had to go through the arbitration process which could take about 30-45 days but we needed a car now. They wouldn't even give us a loaner!

duckied · June 2005

Thanks for the advice, I was considering purchasing a new Tucson from Springfield Hyundai! I got my 2005 Elantra from Northeast Hyundai and it was a great experience. However, I have not brought it in for service yet, so we shall see.

backy · June 2005

I am really mystified. What did they tell you when you pointed out that their assertion that the necessary maintenance (coolant service) hadn't been done was bogus because the car had less than 30k miles? Did you try showing them the text from the maintenance schedule? That's what I would have done anyway. Hope the Saturn dealer treats you better.

csmith56 · June 2005

Mystified - me too. They told me that I would have to take it up with the District Mgr. (who by the way, was the "warranty specialist") who would have denied it anyway. My next step was arbitration, which is outlined in the manual. That could take at least another month. We needed a car. Saturn agreed to pay off what was owed on the car. So we broke even on it and I was happy with that. The Saturn dealer is Saturn of Westbrook Park, which is less than a mile down the road from Springfield Hyundai.

vikhawk · June 2005

I bought an Elantra in March and there have been no major problems. However, there are few minor problems and I was wondering if anyone else has similar problems. The AM radio is practically worthless. Very poor reception with lots of static. I have problems shutting the driver's door. I usually have to slam it to have it shut. I took it in and they said it was a problem with air pressure in the vehicle. They suggested rolling down a window to release pressure (it does work better when I roll down a window but I think it should shut with the windows up. None of the other doors have that problem so it seems to be that door - not the pressure. Finally, my low beams only go out a very short distance. Consumer Reports mentioned this as a problem. I complained about this to the dealer but they told me they were designed that way. I would think headlights in a 2005 would work properly. Any one else had similar problems? Thanks.

5port · June 2005

1) Drivers Door. When I first bought my GT in 01 I had the same problem. The drivers door would not close without a good whoomp. If you did not close it in a manly fashion it would bounce open. I believe the problem was new moldings because over time it has corrected itself and now closes easily.

2) My AM radio never had a reception problem. I removed the factory antenna and installed a black 17" wire wound antenna and AM is still fine. I have a diff radio than you though.

3) On all my cars I have adjusted the low beams to MY liking. If your low beams are too low simply adjust them up. Directions in the owners manual.

backy · June 2005

I've had a similar experience. All the doors on both my Elantras need a good shove to close because of the tightness of the car. I did have some wind noise on the driver's door (there is a TSB for this) on my '01 GLS and they made some adjustment to it and ordered some parts (new gaskets). However, the adjustment alone fixed the wind noise problem, so I told them to forget about installing the parts. However, the driver's door was a little harder to close than the other doors. That problem has subsided over time.

My GLS has the basic radio/cassette and my GT has the factory-installed Pioneer MP3 unit. Both have pretty good AM reception except when I am near power lines, then there is static. But that is pretty common. In other cars I've had AM problems that were due to a loose ground wire--you might ask the dealer to check that.

Low beams are not a problem in either car--in fact I think they're pretty bright compared to other cars I've owned.

jpryba · June 2005

I haven't had any problems with doors being hard to close, but I have had issues with the rear doors making a squeaking noise when opening/closing them up in hot, humid weather. WD-40 doesn't seem to help, but at least the issue is minor and it only occurs during the hottest parts of the day.

I've noticed with wind noise (more like a whistling when there are heavy cross-winds), rolling down the window ever so slightly (maybe a fraction of an inch) makes the noise go away. It only happens a few times a year for me, though, so I don't want to have the dealer mess with it and potentially make it worse.

One new issue I've had as of late -- belt noise. There's a bit of a chirping/rattling noise up front if I'm running the a/c or if I turn the steering wheel in either direction. I only notice it when a door opens or a window is rolled down. It goes away for the most part if the a/c isn't running or if it's not so damp and humid outside. The dealer said my belts are fine, so I guess I can put up with some extra noise (that will hopefully go away when I get new belts down the road). BTW, my Elantra is an 02 GLS with a little over 36K miles.

inharmsway · June 2005

I get static on a weak AM station when the heater fan in on. Higher fan setting--- more static. Anyone else has this going on?
Niels

duckied · June 2005

Hello. I own a 2005 Elantra GLS which I bought in November of 2004. It has about 7000 miles. Today I noticed that the black-plastic trim around one of the wheel-wells is starting to detach. Is this covered under the warranty? This will probably be a quick fix by the dealer. I am bringing the car in for its first visit to the dealer anyway to fix the recall announced a couple months ago about the airbag sensor. Also, did the dealer install this plastic trim, or the Hyundai factory? I know I did not pay for any protection package or undercoating. Thanks for your help.

backy · June 2005

Is this black plastic trim inside the wheel wells, or outside? There is no factory black plastic trim around the wheel wells. That sounds like it was dealer-applied. Your dealer should know for sure if they installed it though.

drove · June 2005

i own a 2003 elantra gls 45000 miles trouble free til now. Last fall I heard a noise coming from the right front wheel, sort of a howling noise I would only here it after driving about 20 miles. I only heard it about 3 times and it went away until recently it is happening every day. I drive 25 miles to work and after about 20 miles the noise starts. On the way home the noise starts after about 5 miles. It isn't a constant noise but on and off frequently. When I apply the brakes the noise stops for a few seconds. Anyone know what this is or have this problem, and is it under warrenty

ejakab · June 2005

I am a 2003 Elantra owner whose dealer has just... vanished. Apparently, Hyundai of Stamford, CT, went out of business one month ago, without even having the common sense of notifying their customers. So I am stuck with an oil-change due now, at 18.500 miles. What's more, when I had the last oil change, at 15.300, I postponed the 15.000 mile-service to 18.000.

I need a reputable Hyundai dealer in the Southern Connecticut, Eastern New York area, at least to have the oil-change done. Can anybody recommend one, from personal experience?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

backy · June 2005

If it were a chirping noise vs. a howling noise I'd say it could be the front brake wear sensor, but whatever it is you should get it checked immediately as it could be something serious like the brakes or wheel bearings.

backy · June 2005

You really don't need a dealer to perform maintenance on the Elantra. Just find any reputable mechanic. There isn't much to the 15k service, any car mechanic could handle it. Maybe your friends/coworkers/family have a recommendation for someone in your area.

5port · June 2005

Backy is correct in that you can get it done by a mechanic and have them sign the book.

If you still need a dealer in Conn. I have friends that use Lia Hyundai in Enfield, Conn and have been very happy with their service.

duckied · June 2005

Hi Backy,

The trim is around the outside of the wheel wells on the surface of the car, so the dealer probably installed it. I'll try to fix it myself or bring it to the dealer. Thanks!

duckied

ejakab · June 2005

Thanks, guys!

I went to Danbury Hyundai, fir the oil change, and it was a pleasant experience.

I will try to find a good mechanic to do the inspections.

wxzcool · June 2005

i bought 04 elantra two weeks ago, 6700 mile,
i found two problem today, but maybe they are not a problem just a common.
one : when i use key start my car but not start engine only open the circuit, i can heart a "ka ka" sound, like a some electronic power on.
two: when i brake down my car, and the car totally stopped, i can heard a "shashasha..." noise, it is short ,in few second ,this noise disappear.
these problem is normal??
thanks lot

andy27 · June 2005

Hi,
I just bought an '05 Elantra GLS and like the car allot. I do, however, notice that when upshifting into 3rd gear there is a slight problem. The car protests a little bit with a very slight grind (emphasis on "slight", sometimes its hard to notice). All other gears give me smooth and fluid shifts, but going into 3rd it seems I have to baby it more. I've driven stick ever since I was a kid and this is the first time I've ever felt this. Although a minor issue, I'm just wondering if it will eat my clutch. Should I have the dealer adress it? Thanks!!

onyxismycar · June 2005

Hello! I purchased my Used Elantra about a year ago and I have no complaints with it. It's a pretty reliable car except for one problem. Every few months the following problem occurs: I'll come to a complete stop and the engine will begin to jump and the car will stall. It will start right back up again and will continue to do this for a couple more stops. Then the problem will fade. It might happen for another few days, but will stop completely for a good six months. Recently, the problem came back and happens every other day. I also notice that it has been happening when I reverse now. Does anyone know why this might be happening? I've brought it to the mechanic in the past and they could not find anything wrong with it. HELP!!!

smith20 · June 2005

When you say engine jumps do you mean it can't hold a stable idle? We had a problem with our other car (not Elantra) just a week ago not being able to hold a stable RPM at idle. The car would stall often stall when the RPMs wavered at idle too. But then we could restart it easily. Turns out PCV Valve was cracked/torn. Our mechanic guessed the problem just from our verbal description of the problem. Very simple fix . . . only cost us $58 for the mechanic to replace. This probably isn't your problem since, especially since you said a mechanic already looked at it. But, just thought I'd throw that out there since it does seem a little similar. You never know.

backy · June 2005

These are not normal sounds. The car is still under full warranty, you should have it checked by a dealer.

jlflemmons · June 2005

If this is an automatic, there may be a problem with the torque converter not releasing at idle. It would be wise to find out if the transmission was serviced at 30K intervals, and that the correct fluid was used.

Jim

jlflemmons · June 2005

I had a similar problem in an '02. It seems the third gear synchronizer is not quite right. I would show it to the dealer for documentation purposes and then see if it improves with time. The thing I noticed on mine was that I would get "gear scratch" if I shifted slowly, but if I did my usual snap shift the synchro had no problem. This is not a clutch problem as it only occurs on the 2-3 or 4-3 shifts. The problem improved as I approched 20K miles, but I would still get it documented just in case.

Jim

njdevil · June 2005

we have a 2005 elantra gt, bought november 2004. that has almost l7,000 miles.It also grinds sometimes when upshifting into 3rd gear. it also pops out of reverse. our other cars, including two other elantras that all had manual transmission never did this. we have bought the car back to the dealership two times and they could not get it to do it. they kept it two days both times and gave us a loaner. hopefully either it will stop in time or it will do it while they have it so they can correct it. It would be a good idea to let the dealer know. we also love the car and it does not do it all the time.

lebanonoz · June 2005

I have a 2005 Elantra GT Hatchback with an automatic transmission and had terrible AM reception as well. I have the factory whip antenna (not a window antenna and not an electric antenna). I too noticed interference related to the onboard computers, alternator, etc. Never did figure out exactly what caused it.

I replaced the factory radio with a reputable and popular name brand radio and don't have the feedback type of problems any more and the signal to noise ratio is much better. It is still AM radio so it isn't crystal clear everywhere but at least I can listen to it without the noise drowning out the broadcast.

I hope this information is helpful to those of you who, like myself, searched the web but never saw anyone post something that definitively stated that a new radio helped the AM reception problem. In my case, I consider the issue to have been fixed with a new radio.

Before I replaced the radio I took the car in to a dealer to have them inspect all of the grounding and antenna cabling to make sure there weren't any issues in those areas, which don't get replaced by swapping the radio. I don't know if it made any difference, but I soldered all of my wiring connections rather than twisting the wires and crimping them when the radio was installed.

I chose the radio that I purchased based on the tuner sensitivity and anti-feedback circuitry in the radio design. Now that I know that replacing the radio made a big difference in my particular case, I would imagine that just about any reputable aftermarket radio will give better results than the Hyundai factory radios do.

backy · June 2005

I expect your Hyundai's AM radio was defective, since my '01 GLS has not exhibited any of those problems in almost 5 years. It's too bad the dealer couldn't fix the problem to your satisfaction. Did they try replacing the radio? Did you try test-driving another '05 Elantra to see if it had the same problem?

tiflyer2 · June 2005

I saw an ad in the newspapre for a 2000 Elantra sedan with 74000 miles for 3200 dollars. The owner said it has had no accidents other than fender bender. Is this a good deal. Do Elantras last a long time. Can they last for more than 100000 miles? thanks.

newhartford · June 2005

If your FM and CD are OK I might be interested in buying your Hyundai Factory radio. I don't listen to AM anyway.

5port · June 2005

This may be a GT specific problem as my 01 GT AM radio acts the same way. I noticed the other day that anytime I activate a blinker,overhead light,etc there is a POP in the speakers when AM is used. It took me 3 and 1/2 years to notice this thats how often I use AM.

jlflemmons · June 2005

No problem with the AM in my '05 GT. I have noticed more atmospheric noise (ie sunspot) over the last couple of weeks. This has been a problem with cb radios for years as the sunspot cycles changed.

Anybody looked into the intensity of sunspot activity lately?

backy · June 2005

Any car can last 100,000+ miles if it's been well treated. Ask to see the vehicle's service history to make sure it's had regular maintenance. Be sure the timing belt was replaced--that was due at 60k miles. Have a mechanic check the car out to make sure the engine and major components are in good shape.

lebanonoz · June 2005

Just to clarify I should have mentioned that I only had interference in certain bands. I listen to two stations (550AM and 610AM) that experienced the problem but 700AM and up were ok. I did some testing and noticed the same issue in the top part of the AM band but I don't listen to anything above 1290AM to remember exactly where it started in the upper frequencies. I never had any trouble from 700AM through 1290AM, but one of my favorite shows was only available on 550AM during drive time at night and it drove me nuts trying to listen to it. I never had any trouble with FM, the CD player, or the middle AM frequencies - just fringe AM frequencies.

I imagine most people would never experience the same issue I did unless they happened to listen to AM stations in the lowest and highest ranges.

ritak · June 2005

I bought a 2004 Elantra GT back in Nov '04. Never had any problem and takes it regularly for maintenance. On June 6th 2005, without any sign of trouble the brake went out while iwas braking at a stop sign. The brake did not stop at all and in order to avoid hitting people or cars i had to crash the car on building. The air bag did not deploy and i sustained injuries to my face, neck and back. I was in the hosipital for 5 days and myt car is totaled. the car only have 12,000miles on it. Has this happenned to anyone and how did they go about filing a claim against hyundai? i have contacted lawyers and they kept saying if my injuries are not life threatning they can not take up the case. I mean the experience have left me so traumatized that i can sleep and i have a lot of neck pains and they are telling I can do anything. Can anyone please tell me how to go about this case. My car is still in the garage since the accident. I have contacted Hyundai and they sent me a bunch of papers to fill out before they can come out to inspect the car. And ideas would be greatly appreciated.

miamixt · June 2005

Hopefully you will get Pain Money from your Insurance Company, and a new Car too? I have a 2005 Elantra, and my Brakes/Front End makes a noise while Stopping. I am sure I will have some sort of horrible Failure sooner than later. My Dealer says everything up to specs. My next Car will not be a Hyundai!

backy · June 2005

You might ask your insurance company for help. I would think they'd be interested in getting reimbursed from Hyundai for the cost of the totalled car--for a six-month-old GT that would be a pretty good sum of money. Also for your medical costs, if insurance covered those. I would also think Hyundai would be very interested to inspect your car to find out why both the hydraulic brakes and mechanical brakes (parking brake) failed. It is good that the insurance company let you keep the car even after totalling it, so that it can be inspected. I hope you got a fair settlement from them. You should try some other lawyers, because I've never heard of lawyers turning down a case like this just becase the injuries were not life-threatening. It could easily have been a life-threatening situation, had you hit a pedestrian or another car due to the brake malfunction.

jlflemmons · June 2005

Another thing to consider is that in modern automobiles the occurance of a total braking system failure at low mileage is extremely rare. I am not saying it cannot happen, but most times a cause will be found such as road debris cutting a brake fluid line or such.

With today's modern manufacturing and test processes, it is much more difficult for issues such as this to occur, in autos, appliances, etc. With 12K miles on the car this may not be considered a "manufacturing defect" right off as the car has been on the streets for seven months and 12k miles. An independent inspection by an accident recontructionist would be warranted before persuing legal action.

Did you buy this car new, or used? From a dealer, or individual? There have been documented cases of used cars being sold which had been totaled in earlier accidents and rebuilt and sold with a fraudulent title. I ask this because of your indication that the air bags did not deploy in what appears to be a major accident. This is something that is seen often in rebuilt salvage cars where the airbags are not replaced.

Hyundai Elantra Maintenance and Repair

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