Hyundai Sonata Care and Maintenance

drimple · August 2001

Just had my 2000 light moss GLS detailed yesterday at a shop. I get it detailed once every year to keep it in top shape. So far so good. There were a few minor stains on the cloth seats, but the steam cleaner had no problem getting them out. The mats seem to be easy to clean as well. Despite all the mud accumulated into the mats during the winter, they are as good as new now. No cracking or other nasties on the dash. The car has aged real well so far despite 27,000 miles and 2 Wisconsin winters.

kingrw · April 2002

Just reached 40,000 on my 2000 Sonata GLS. Decided it was time to change the spark plugs. The front 3 are easy because you only have to remove the plastic cover. The rear 3 are in an impossible location that can only be reached by removing the top of the engine. Can anybody provide any advice on this matter?
Thanks

nuancegls · April 2002

"Just reached 40,000 on my 2000 Sonata GLS. Decided it was time to change the spark plugs. The front 3 are easy because you only have to remove the plastic cover. The rear 3 are in an impossible location that can only be reached by removing the top of the engine. Can anybody provide any advice on this matter?

Thanks "

Please go here I posted your question here...

http://pub12.bravenet.com/forum/show.php?usernum=950089089

kingrw · April 2002

Thanks for your assistance. I seen the article posted, and I've already received a response.

palbri · April 2002

Hello all. It has been awhile since I posted anything on my 2000 Sonata GLS V6. Anyway, I always took my Sonata to the dealer for all minor maintenance, i.e, oil changes, etc. However, because of a change in job locations the past year and a half, I took my car twice to a local Jiffy Lube JUST for oil changes. Today, I finally took my Sonata which has @33,000 miles in for oil change to a new Hyundai dealer (at least in the past 3 years) much closer to my home. Alas, I was charged $448.00!! Categorically, this is what was done (labor and tax inclusive):
1. Cooling System Flush
2. Replaced Air Filter
3. Perform Oil flush**
4. Oil Change and Body Chassis Lube
5. Driver's Side Headlamp Replacement+++
6. 4 Wheel Balance/Tire Rotation
7. Transmission Flush Service.

I was told the oil was very dirty and opaque due to "inferior oil used at places like Jiffy Lube"(I was shown under the car and mechanic dripped the oil for me) and he said an oil flush was needed to clean out the gunk. I opted for the transmission flush because I was told it was needed to be done after 30,000 miles in order to keep the car in tip top shape. The headlamp did burn out and needed replacement.

Were these rates acceptable? Was I "had?" Was all of this really necessary? Comments are appreciated.

csandste · June 2002

"I was told the oil was very dirty and opaque due to "inferior oil used at places like Jiffy Lube"(I was shown under the car and mechanic dripped the oil for me) and he said an oil flush was needed to clean out the gunk."

I assume your oil changes were with Pennzoil, which has one of the best spec. sheets for a dino. oil. Quaker State and SuperTech (not applicable here) have adequate spec. sheets and only Wolf's Head is sub-par.

If you were doing 11,000 oil change intervals, however, with dino. you were letting things go WAY to long and your oil probably was dirty. I change at 4000 mile intervals, I believe Hyundai has a 7500 mile change cycle in non-severe service. Most cars are in severe service. If you are using an 11K change cycle you may have voided your warranty. Certainly would have if it was a Toyota.

If you had 2 Jiffy-Lube changes and 3 others from other places, your dealer's full of it and was scamming you based on your oil change sticker.

csandste · June 2002

Didn't notice that post was 2 months old. Hopefully the car is still running.

sammy35 · July 2002

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to express my sadness. Last week I was in a car accident, I rear ended a non moving 96 Toyota Avalon in Los Angeles last week. Luckily I have car insurance. But a damage cost is incredible. The Toy suffered it appears minor damage to the visual eye to the rear bumper. Driver with whiplash!
My 2001 Black Sonata V6 with 11K miles suffered considerable front end damage. The grill slammed into the radiator. Front hood crinkled. Does not look like any frame damage. The drivers air bag did go off. Etc. Auto Repair shop estimates costso far to be $7700 with no promise that more may be need. The car cost about $17K. When would it be considered a total loss instead of re-building????.

sonatava · July 2002

Totaling a car, I think is up to your insurance company as far as payout is concerned. It usually happens when the damage amount is close to the current bluebook value, taking into account any deductible. Check out what your current value is compared to the repair, what you paid for it doesn't really matter. It also might be up to the bank if you financed it. Best to contact your insurance company.

The low resale value is one of the gambles with a Hyundai. Your car might be out, but at least you're ok.

dougndo · July 2002

Really sorry to hear about your accident--I have a 2001 Ebony black GLS myself, and I'd hate to see it smashed.

Unfortunately, the rear car in a rear end collision usually suffers the most, especially if you put on the brakes. The front of the car tends to dive and expose vulnerable points of the car. It's not uncommon for the front bumper to go completely under the rear bumper of the car in front, and there goes your protection. Also, the front of your car generally has more "crush" in it than the rear, so things can look even worse.

Did you ever hear somebody brag about how tough his/her car is when someone hit 'em? Many times it's somebody who got rear ended. "You shoulda seen the guy who hit me!" If the roles were reversed, they wouldn't be bragging.

The main thing is you're safe and your car protected you. I'm guessing they'll repair it, and even though some people would look askance at a repaired car, you'll be getting back a faithful friend who gave it up for you.

Good luck.

de1029 · July 2002

been a while since i posted anything here.
but, about to make appointment with dealer for 30000 mile maintenance...and was wondering what i can expect cost wise. if anyone cares to share with me i would be grateful. car is sonata 2000 v6. thanks, joe.

kingrw · September 2002

I own a 2000 Hyundai Sonata GLS.
I am in the military and currently stationed in Belgium. I recently tried to get some warranty work performed and was told that the warranty was only good in the USA, because that's where I purchased the car. They said they would fix it and bill me and then I would have to recover the cost by going through Hyundai USA.
I find this really hard to believe and I'm wondering if anybody has any experience or ideas on this matter.

FYI...the reasons I brought it in are for the following:

1) The left rear power window is broken. The cable mechanism inside the door needs to be replaced.

2) The front brakes act as if the rotors are warped. When slowing down from high speeds, the brakes are not smooth. I know pads aren't covered, but the pads are fine.

Thanks,
Richard W. King

chollie · September 2002

This is similar to an appliance like a fridge or stove. Included in the MSRP price is a portion reserved for warranty work. Buy something in the States and move to Canada or vice versa ; well in all likelyhood you're stuck with the bill. The same thing applies for bringing a car overseas. Hopefully Hyundai USA will work out a deal for you.

frohling · October 2002

Does anyone have a how to for changing the spark plugs.

sally19 · November 2002

I was just on a car accident last week. I (front) collided with a 96-Toyota pickup, mostly the driver's side. I was about 25-30mph. The air bags at driver's side did not deployed. At what speed and how hard one needs to be hit in order for a sensor to deploy the air bag?
Also, on 6/2002, I was also hit on the Driver's side by the gate access of the apartments where I used to live. The gate hit almost just past the front tire, making a nice dint into the driver's side door, and scratching the car all the way to the rear end. At this time, the front side air bags did not deployed either. Few weeks later, I got a recall notice from Hyundai advising me to bring the car for the sensor to be repair because the side air bags will not deploy.

I called Hyundai, they told me they will be mailing me some brochures about air bags, they would not discuss it over the phone.

any feedback on this issue?

Thanks
Sally

nato1 · November 2002

The drivers 'side' airbag will not deploy on a front end impact, unless the impact is at about a 45 degree angle or more off of the centerline of the car. The side air bags are mainly for the occurance of a 't-bone' crash.
The recall on the side airbags wasn't for non-deployment, it was for premature deployment (ie someone forcefully slamming the door shut), I had my '02 sonata done.
Hope this helps.

nato1 · November 2002

http://www.howstuffworks.com/airbag1.htm

I posted this link to help everyone understand the theory behind the airbag(s).

The front airbags should deploy if your vehicle is hitting an object with the force of slamming into a brick wall at 10 to 15 mph, or approximately 15 - 22 feet per second into something that won't move.

The side airbags will deploy if and an object hits the side at 10 mph, 15 feet per second.

If an airbag doesn't deploy, you probably didn't need it. Airbags deploy at approx 200 mph. The idea is for the airbag to get between you and the car in the event that your going to get hurt.

jk27 · November 2002

Actually, it depends on the manufacturer and model as to how fast you have to be going to deploy the airbags. I was driving an Isuzu Oasis (rebadged Honda Odyssey) and hit a car with my front end at about 25mph ... no airbag. Checked the owner's manual and it stated that collisions of approximately 30mph would trigger the front airbags. 10 mph seems a bit extreme for airbag deployment.

nato1 · November 2002

I suppose manufactures are going to to the airbag deployment ratings in Kilo-Joules per second, or KJ/S. This would be the most absolute rating.

frohling · December 2002

Does anyone have a how to for changing the spark plugs for V6 Sonata. The previous link is no longer any good.

acelink · December 2002

chollie · December 2002

For any Canucks out there who are in the snow/ice belt and who happen to be driving a 2002 Sonata with 16 inch mag wheels; I went down to our local Canadian Tire store and purchased their in stock 15 inch winter wheels ($45 a rim)for a 2001 Sonata,(Hyundai don't have a 16 inch winter wheel). I then installed 215-65-15 Toyo GO2 Plus winter tires. I've always driven on Michelins since 1968 but these Toyo's have surpassed my expectations for icy conditions.

chollie · December 2002

Try Goop...sold in auto/hardware stores.

ray_h71 · January 2003

"frohling", you're in for an unpleasant job if you intend to do this yourself. Obviosly the forward-facing bank is a no brainer - remove the engine cover, pull the cables and unscrew the sparkplugs with a 6" extension on the proper socket. (ALWAYS on a COLD engine to avoid aluminum's nasty habit of warping if you remove the sparkplugs while the heads are still hot!) The rear bank is the problem. They're buried under the plenum chamber/runners unit that's bolted to the intake manifold and a rear brace. The plenum chmber/runners have to be disconnected from the throttle body and then removed from the intake manifold and a rear support bracket after removing and moving the throttle and cruise control cables and any cabling clips bolted to the plennum chamber/runners unit. At least four of these bolts are "blind" - you'll be feeling for them and will likely have to use a universal joint-type socket to access them. All the while with the attendant threat that one or more of these hidden bolts will fall and lodge somewhere in the framework before they hit the ground. (Why are autobodies bolt "magnets"?) At reassembly it'll probably be desirable, if not outright necessary, to reinstall the plennum chamber/runner assembly with a new gasket. (An air leak will be very frustrating to track down if you end up with drivability problems - not at all unlike an intermittant "firing" problem of a defective sparkplug.) The throttle and cruise control cables will probably have to be readjusted when reinstalled, too. Hyundai strongly "recommends" that owners let a Hyundai dealer service shop do the sparkplug changes for good reason. Hyundai conservatively recommends that spark plugs be changed out at 60,000 miles. Since these are platinum tipped sparkplugs from the factory, it seems odd that they'd have to be changed out at that short a mileage interval. I've never gotten less than 100,000 miles off of platinum sparkplugs on any car I've used them in. If you're thinking of changing out at less than that, you may be wasting your time and money. But, if it really is necessary for you to changeout your sparkplugs, just be sure you use platinum replacement sparkplugs.

ray_h71 · February 2003

Anyone know whether the base Sonata AM-FM/CD player ("H260") head unit requires keying in an anti-theft code to reactivate in the event of a power interruption or battery replacement? I'm not having any problems, but the owner's manual is mum on the subject. Someone on another Hyundai forum said there should be a credit-card sized card with instructions packed in the owner's manual but he failed to mention whether this was applicable to all Hyundai audio head units. I'd rather know sooner rather than later if this could be a problem down the line. TIA!

nod4rog · February 2003

I have a 00 GLS with 45k miles. Recently after jump stating it, the radio and CD no longer work. The audio fuse was not burned out. When I turned it on, the radio lights on the display pannel comes on and the power antenna extends. However, I get no sound. The dealer told me that the warranty ran out after 3yr/36k miles. Does anyone know if this problem could be fixed by simply replacing a fuse on the radio or resetting a switch?

hjr2 · February 2003

your dealership is lying. How do I know this? Simple.
2 months ago, my stereo was not working at all. I got t new battery, not it is ok, except cd player works when it feels like it(luckily, I have cassettes/and player in my 99 gls).

I called Hyunai and asked about a radio replacement/cost. First Thing the guy said was "it's under warranty". I told him I had 90,000 muiles and he said,"No, th warranty on that expired at 60,000 miles"...Not 36K, like your crooked dealership told you.

Either that, or the 2 dealerships here in Ohio are just nice guys who want to fix things for free ;-)

ray_h71 · February 2003

"An original equipment radio, cassette tape mechanism, and compact disc player are covered for the first 3 years from the date of original retail delivery or date of first use, or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first."

That's a direct quote from the Hyundai "2003 Owner's Handbook & Warranty Information" booklet. Whether previous model years differ could only be verified by access to earlier editions.

frohling · March 2003

Ray, Thanks for the feedback.

spaza · March 2003

i just took my 98 sonata with 67,000 miles in for an oil change. the mechanic pointed out to me that my rack & pinion joint is loose. the rubber boot has slipped on the rack allowing salt and dirt from this winter to corrode the interior seal of this unit. unfortunately this means that the seal is now leaking my power steering fluid, and they are telling me the entire unit has to be replaced. this involves dropping the exhaust unit and following up with an alignment, as well as a min. of 4hrs of labor. i have an initial quote of $750. any helpful hints are welcome.

ray_h71 · March 2003

spaza, Hyundai uses two suppliers for steering racks on the Sonata. One of them makes a unit that can be field repaired, the other requires sending the unit back to the manufacturer for a rebuild. Even the first type requires some special tools, so it's not considered a do-it-yourself project unless you're a veteran tinkerer since high school autoshop days (and, even then...). Your mechanic is right - the exhaust system has to be partially dropped for clearance to remove the rack. As you've probably already surmised, all of this is a labor inten$ive job. Rack$ aren't cheap, either - even rebuilt. Not just for Hyundais, either. You could always request a second opinion about the need and the cost, and perhaps a shop specializing in front end and steering work would be a better choice if your mechanic only occasionally does this type of work. But, if his diagnosis is correct (and it probably is), you are going to have to bite the bullet on this. With the system leaking, you run the risk of running low enough on fluid that your PS pump could be at ri$k of running dry and failing (doesn't take long once it starts sucking air). The one bright(?) spot is that there's really only one alignment adjustment possible on most cars with strut front suspension systems. In the case of the Sonata, it's a modified strut front suspension system with both upper and lower control arms (VERY similar to the Honda Accord's setup). Nevertheless, both caster and camber are effectively welded into permanent specification during vehicle build. Unless you have impact front end damage, all you should be looking at is bringing the toe-in/toe-out into spec. after re-assembly.

ray_h71 · April 2003

Dunno if this has been covered previously, but for anyone interested in maintaining their Hyundais themselves, read on. Just after I purchased my Sonata last December, I paid a visit to the HyundaiUSA web site. In addition to all the slick graphics and advertising text extolling the styling and technical virtuosity of various Hyundai models, theres a nifty entrance into a registration-required area (youll be prompted accordingly, but, its free) of interest to Hyundai techno-geeks. Heres a step-by-step:

http://www.hyundaiusa.com/ --> Owners --> Maintenance --> Scroll down the page and click on Hyundai Webtech --> This opens a new session of your browser. Now choose your Hyundai model, year, and engine at the top. --> An outline format listing of topics with book icons to the left will appear momentarily. Clicking on a listing of interest will bring up a sub-listing of more book icons and topics. Maneuvering through these will eventually bring up listings of document icons. Clicking these will open the salient page(s) of the topic youve selected with full on-screen text and graphics. This site contains the various complete Hyundai Shop manuals as near as I can tell as far back as 1986 (the first Excels to reach the US). Furthermore, if you look towards the top of the page, youll notice in faint gray TSB. Clicking on this will open numerical listings for various models and years technical service bulletins. These listings contain the text of the selected bulletins, so you can keep up with service advisories that may pertain to your vehicle. Also in this same area of the page youll find in faint gray, TechNet. This is another nugget. It contains service notes that Hyundai techs get throughout the year for hints and tricks, but, more importantly the TSB topics with their individual numbers that youd need to investigate in the TSB section mentioned above. Two other gray listings are TS and ETM. Unsure of the former  nothing came up for my Sonata, but ETM brings up the Electrical Technical Manual (I guess thats what the initials stand for) with various schematic diagrams for the electrical systems on the car.

None of this will make you an instant certified Hyundai technician, but it is a treasure trove of official information if you do your own maintenance and want an indication of the complexity of a procedure before you tear into an unfamiliar job, or just want a no-cost reference source if you have a dispute with a dealers service department. (Might even find out they were right! <grin>) The bad news is that I was unable to do a cut-and-paste into my word processor (Word 97 - It choked and required closing and restarting the program.). Maybe youll have better luck, but I suspect that Hyundai buggered their pages to prevent wholesale printing of their shop manuals. Cant blame em for that since the material is- copyrighted.

ray_h71 · April 2003

Has anyone ever replaced one of these on a 2000 - 2003 Sonata? I bought one to add to a base Sonata, but I'm having trouble removing the glove box assembly so I can access the filter access hatch. I've removed two self-tapping screws at each corner along the glovebox top, and a machine bolt at the lower right, but there still seems to be something holding the assembly at bottom left, near the console. I haven't found anything using a flashlight and mirror to peer up into the dash innards. The shop manual seems to indicate only two screws holding the assembly in place in a fuzzy diagram, so it isn't much help Did Hyundai start with the glovebox and then build the rest of the car aroound it?

ray_h71 · May 2003

Finally figured it out. It was NOT intuitive. For any of you contemplating adding an in-cabin air filter to a base Sonata or replacing on that came with your car, and willing to invest a 1/2 hour of putzing, the trick is to release the glove bin so that it can swing ALL the way down to the floorboard. There's a black nylon cord looped around a black plastic hold.* I manueuvered the plastic hold to slip it through its hole in the glove bin to release it. You'll need to support the glove bin up from its normal fully opened position to do this but it CAN be done. Once that cord is no longer helping support the bin, the bin will still NOT fully open down to the floorboard, though! There are two black plastic support thingies on either interior side of the bin. You literally have to pull and angle them until they pop off into the bin. Takes some doing, but they will come. Once they're out of the way, the bin WILL finally drop down unencombered. You'll see two self-tapping phillips heads screws along the top of the dash glove bin opening. Leave 'em for last. Along the bottom of the now exposed hinge plate are two self-tapping screws and two machine bolts. Remove 'em all. The bolts take a 10mm socket. Once you lift the bin clear and place it out of the way, look for a rectangular hole in the now exposed plastic interior chamber. You'll see a nut (10mm socket again) that appears to hold an unrelated dash pad metal brace. It ain't unrelated. Remove that nut. The brace is for that inner chamber and screwed in four places to the exterior of that interior chamber, so to get that chamber out, the nut does have to come off. (Once off, don't remove that brace, itself, from the chamber - 'tain't necessary.) Now go after those two self tapping screws mentioned above. Once they're removed, the whole glove bin inner chamber can be manipulated free. Watch for a gold colored metal clippie attached to a tab on the right outer dash trim cap. Mine flew clear and I had to figure out where it went. In a way that was a blessing in disguise since I've had a minor dash rattle from day one with this car whenever the right front wheel encounted a sharp jolt. Apparantly that clippie may not have been installed correctly at the factory 'cause my rattle is now a quickly fading memory... (Sweet silence!) There are a total of four wires on three connectors that need to be disconnected from the exterior aspect of that inner chamber if you want to get it out of the work area completely - one set to the switch that turns off the glove bin light when the bin is closed, and the other to the light socket, itself. However, you can probably do either of the two procedures detailed below with the inner chamber just lying immediately below on the floorboard.

With the glove bin and inner chamber out of the way, you can replace the glove box light if it ever burns out. Or, you can add an in-cabin air filter to the HVAC system to the base Sonatas or replace one included from the factory on the GLS and LX models. The filters run about $35.00 U.S. at the dealer. Champion Labs ("Lee") makes in-cabin replacement air filters, but they don't appear to make one for Sonatas. Yet. The Hyundai filter I bought appears to be a HEPA-type filter, though there's no evidence of activated charcoal to control odors. (Rats!) There's a door covering the filter chamber on the blower case. The molded-in latch is at the bottom. You may think you need some offset pliers to get adequate leverage to unlatch it. In reality if you just press inward with sufficient force against the door simultaneously, you should find you're able to unlatch the door without resorting to the pliers. Swing the filter door up and off its hinge at its top. The filter has a little handle and a protrusion molded in the plastic end cap and there are corresponding wells molded in the door to accomodate them. Just slide the filter into chamber with its protrusion located at the bottom so the door will fully close. To properly latch the door, you'll need to simultaneously press in against the door again. Carefull with the hinge plate when re-attaching the bin. There's a sharp enough corner at its left end that I gouged the left inner footwell trim piece slightly when the hinge plate scraped against it. With 20/20 hindsight, putting some tape over that hinge-plate-corner-that-eats-trim-pieces would be a good idea. (The tape would be completely invisible once everything is back together.)

*This is a bit of trick engineering Hyundai went to in itself. The other end of the cord is attached to a spring-loaded plastic "piston" in a transluscent plastic "cylinder". Apparantly the idea is that trapped air in the cylinder acting againt the cord-activated piston will restrict how quickly the glove bin drops to its normal open position. It only seems to have an effect on an empty bin on my car as far as I can tell. The weight of the owner's manual packet, alone, seems to negate any practical retarding of opening speed. I reconnected everything, but in my opinion this was one area where Hyundai could save some unnecessary expense. I'm sure the assembly guys would appreciate it, too

sambojoho · May 2003

Why didn't you just go here:

http://www.geocities.com/sonatafan/filtpage1.htm

Sorry, I didn't see your post until now. Otherwise I could have saved you a lot of trouble.

ray_h71 · May 2003

WOW! Thanks for posting. Those are wonderful screen shots. Same color as my car's interior, too!

josephm2 · June 2003

A critter, probably a mouse, got into my heater blower fan causing is to jam up. I have a 2002 Sonata LX with 5700 miles. Is this problem common. The dealer says it is not covered under the warranty. Is this problem common? The service manager says that is happens often.How to I gain access to the heater fan? What can be done to prevent further occurences.
Besides getting rid to the critters, what can I do to prevent this happening again since the dealer bills me for accessing the blower motor housing and cleaning it out. Thanks for your help. Jsnowe

ray_h71 · June 2003

Joseph, go to the following website describing adding or changing the cabin air filter. The step-by-step illustrated procedure to drop the glovebox will also allow access to the fan's mounting. The fan motor is located to the right of the filter and attached to the bottom of the blower housing by three or four screws. Disconnect the power connector before removing those screws. Once you can drop the fan motor and impeller clear of the blower housing, you shouldn't have any trouble fishing out your stowaway's remains.

http://www.geocities.com/sonatafan/filtpage1.htm

josephm2 · June 2003

Ray: Thanks for your help. I did as you suggested and did okay until I reached step #8 which refers to a l0MM bolt stated to be at the upper middle section as described in the photo. I simply do not have such a bolt located in my 2002 model. I simply could not find a bolt that would allow me to remove that plastic shield in fron the filter housing and that put an end to my project. Joseph

killerk · July 2003

Hey, guys. I own 2000 Sonata V6 GLS.
My battery went caput at 54K in 32 months.
I've never had battery die this early(?) b4.
This is my 4th vehicle.
.
At first, I had to call for roadside assistance not realizing that it was a battery problem. The dome light and other electrical accessories were working. They jump started the car no prob & advised me to drive around for a recharge. I did as told & parked the car overnite in the driveway.
.
The following morning, the car wouldn't start so I had to jump start again to get to work. Then again at work.
.
So I thought it may be the alternator that was not working properly to charge the battery & dropped off the car at the dealer for service.
The next morning I called the service dept & the guy tells me the car started fine, but he'll check for any problems! Go figure.
.
Later, they told me that the battery was shot & charged me $135.58 (46-labor, 79.95-battery, 7.68-tax) for the replacement battery. It was another Hyundai battery (without the eye to check for the status) and had HUGE "48 Month" written on it.
.
Obviously, had I known it was the battery, I would've replace it myself & saved the aggravation of jump starting & some $$.
.
.
So here are some questions I have:
1. Would it have been possible for me to tell whether it was totally dead battery vs. an alternator problem?
2. What are life expantancies for the batteries? Are most 48 months?
3. What particular brand of replacement batteries do you recommend? Or are they all same like consumer AA batteries? Thx.

ray_h71 · July 2003

Re: ac & heater blower critter debris

josephm2, you DO have that bolt (nut?) as referenced in step 8. It's recessed from the inner plastic chamber behind that rectangular hole. (You may have actually seen it and mistakenly concluded it couldn't possibly be related to removing that inner plastic chamber from the dash - I almost did myself!) Get some light on it and you'll see what I mean. It's been awhile since I installed a cabin air filter, so I'm not certain whether that 10 mm fastenrer is in the form of a bolt, or possibly a nut screwed onto a threaded stud. The step-by-step I referred you to was for a '99, I believe, and my Sonata is an '03, so this has been a running glove box removal procedure for this model's entire run, so far. Have another go at it.

Re: Dead battery

Battery life can be affected by climate and driving conditions. (Hot and cold weather are both very hard on battery life, as is short hops.) You could have a bad alternator. Most auto parts stores can test your alternator in the car and report if you have any blown diodes. Whether your Hyundai dealer would accept their report is another matter. There's a very detailed procedure in the Hyundai Sonata shop manual that service techs are supposed to follow in assessing the health of an alternator, but, personally, I question whether many of them follow it. It's possible to have one or more blown diodes and still show at least limited, but insuficient, charging taking place. If the dealer tech starts the car and merely notes that the battery "icon" on the dash is not illuminated, he could get a very false impression that all is well. ALL defintely may NOT be well. I found this out the hard way on a Toyota truck I owned through an error in hooking up cables to jump another car's battery. I blew two diodes in the alternator, but according the dash's charge indicator, all was well. The truck wouldn't start four days later...

albanybuddy · July 2003

I have had my 2002 Hyundai Sonata for less than a year. I have 19500 miles on it. I heard this awful metal grinding noise in the back. I was told that my brakes had worn out and ruined my rotors. They say it is not under warrenty for normal brake wear. They are now charging me $400 for new rotors and brakes. Youch! I have never heard of brakes wearing out in less than 20000 miles. and in less than a year. I live in the country and rarely use it for city driving
Is this normal??

ray_h71 · July 2003

That term covers a myriad of possibilities - extending from broad flat expanses that require braking only at the destination to steep mountanous terrain which requires more frequent and hard braking than typical city driving. And, if you've put nearly 20,000 miles on your car in "less than a year", you're considered a high-mileage driver, too. Ask your dealer what actually wore - the rotors or the cast in "top hat" drum of the parking brake system. If the parking brake drum, your parking brake cable may have been misadjusted to tightly from the factory.

albanybuddy · August 2003

Well The dealership thought it was a little unusual as well and made me an offer to pay only 1/4th of the repair cost. I did investigate and they only cover to 12000 miles. New York State lemon law covers 2 years or 18000 miles. I was still over the milage and am grateful only to pay 1/4 the costs. Rotors and all. I also did not have my tires rotated or brakes inspected at the 6000 mile intervals. I thought it was part of the regular and 15000 mile service. I was wrong. So make sure you know exactly what is being done before it costs $$$$$$. Thanks Town Hall

vbonamo · September 2003

The 2003 Sonata manual recommends a break-in period of 1200 miles. Isn't this excessive? My '99 Grand Prix required only a 500 mile break-in. 1200 miles under 55mph is a long way to go before letting it loose on the highway!

ray_h71 · September 2003

Yeah, I noticed that, too. I don't know whether Hyundai is intentionally setting these motors up with tight clearances or whether they're just being conservative in their recommendations. While I can intellectaully accept that driving a brand new engine like a bat out of hell won't cause undue wear what with the trend toward factory micro-polishing of the cylinder walls, bearing and rod journals, and near clean-room, temperature-controlled engine assembly areas, emotionally I'm still tied to at least observing even a marginal break-in recommendation. I kept mine (V-6) from galloping faster than 55 mph for the first 1,200 miles*, changed the factory-fill oil and filter at 600 miles, again at 3,000 miles, and have stuck to 3,000 mile oil and filter changes ever since. If something breaks now, no one's gonna convince me it was due to my negligence or abusive driving technique. I don't know whether observing Hyundai's fussy break-in had anything to do with it or not, but my fuel mileage has settled into a nice 25 mpg in town and 32+ mpg on the highway at my customary cruising speed of 70 mph (A/C on most of the time). On one trip from L.A. to Phoenix, I got 35 mpg, but I had a tailwind. But then, again, from L.A. to Phoenix is net uphill, too...

*minus a couple of unintentional forays to nearly 65 mph briefly before I realized I was going that fast. These suckers do wanna cruise...

ansfield · September 2003

Am close to purchasing a Sonata LX 2003 and would appreciate any feedback about service and repair at Hyundai dealerships. Positive/negative experiences? Advice?

thx. -- Alice
(I'm looking at an out the door price of $18,850 for a 2003 LX Sonata with leather, moonroof, etc. etc. etc. -- tax, lic. registr., rebate included).

ray_h71 · September 2003

Like to halp ya' out, Alice, but I haven't had much experience with repair work at my dealer. The only warranty work was replacement of the interior dome light due to a faulty switch. 7,500+ miles and purring like a well oiled kitten. The dealer even washed and vacuumed my baby before returning it. I wish something else would go wrong. It's dirty again...

jimpimms · September 2003

I'm afraid that's something you'll have to find out for yourself. Some dealers are good, some are OK, and some are downright dangerous. My local dealer is of the latter type, so I travel 60 miles each way to a dealer I trust. Hopefully you have a few choices in your area. Good luck.

kaleb475 · November 2003

I recently purchased a 2004 Sonata and did not opt for the rust protection and paint protection services offered by the dealer. I am now having second thought. In todays day and age is this extra protection necessary?

ray_h71 · November 2003

Hyundais are warranted against rust-through for 5 years/100,000 miles. Hyundais are also undercoated at the factory. As for paint protection, read the fine print before you sign on the bottom line. I've never seen any of these so-called paint protection products that warrant against stone chipping. They ALL have to be renewed yearly by the owner. At that point, you'd be money ahead to just do your car yearly with one of the year-long protection products from any auto parts store. "Nu-Finish" comes to mind, but, there are others. The BEST paint protection you can use is to either garage the car or cover it when it's not in use. Going with the dealer's paint protection stuff merely makes you his newest best friend - until you drive off and the next buyer rolls in...

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