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My first impressions are: I love this car! The gauge and center console lighting is very VW and looks classy. This car is chock full of nice little features, like lighted vanity mirrors, driver's padded armrest, separate idiot light for loose gas cap so people aren't freaked out over a check engine light for something so minor, ipod and aux inputs for the radio, and I love how the radio display conveniently shows the radio station listed above the corresponding preset button no matter what station you are listening to. It's the attention to detail Hyundai bestows on their cars that impresses me so much. Power is plenty adequate, in fact, it's quicker off the line than my old Integra. The Accent is very roomy and comfortable. This car simply blows the Yaris out of the water in features and looks!
I do have one problem and I'm hoping it can be easily fixed. A loud squeak started coming from the back of the car every time I hit a sharp bump. My dad was sitting in the back seat and couldn't pinpoint it. I'm thinking the hatch isn't tight enough as I encountered a similar squeak with my old Accent and the squeak started after I closed the hatch sorta hard. It was a bit of a buzz kill because I was enjoying showing off how quiet the car was and than this squeak popped up. Has anyone else had this problem and knows a simple fix?
Suggested improvements? Well, for one thing, I don't understand why the cargo cover doesn't have cables hooking it to the hatch so it raises up when the hatch goes up. This is the first hatchback I've seen that doesn't do that. The cover is totally in the way and when you flip it up manually, it comes off the hooks. This was one area Hyundai backtracked on and needs to reverse. Second, I miss the cloth door inserts that used to come on the GS. The flat plain plastic just isn't as appealing.
Anyway, I will be putting mileage on this car rapidly (about 3000 miles per month) and plan on checking in often so I should be able to provide an informative long term ownership experience. I'll be able to tell you how well the Accent holds up under harsh daily delivery conditions....Let's hope I don't have to use the famous warranty.
One thing to keep in mind is that adjustments (like squeaks/rattles) are covered for the first year or 12k miles, so be sure to have the squeak addressed before then.
The hatch could be loose--a minor latch adjustment could fix that. Also can try using WD-40 on the gasket (good idea anyway, to protect it from weathering). Another thing to check is that everything is tightened down in the spare tire well. That would probably be a rattle vs. squeak, but doesn't hurt to check. Could be a suspension component also. Did you check to make sure the back seat is firmly latched?
Very strange that the cargo cover doesn't lift automatically--two straps don't cost very much!
Anyway, I could practically choke my mom because the squeak started after she requested to see the trunk space. I opened the hatch and lowered the seats to show the impressive cargo space. After I put everything back together and we drove off, the loud squeak started. My dad was sitting in the back and he said it sounded like it was coming from behind him which would point to the hatch. We did check the spare tire area and moved the stuff out of there, but the squeak continued. Putting pressure on the seat made no difference either. I'm going to play around with it a little more before taking it back, mainly because I hate going to the dealer.
I agree about the cargo cover. Every hatchback I've owned from an 84 GTI to a 00 Accent had straps that connected the cover to the hatch. My 04 Lancer Sportback had a retractable cover. I'm not sure why Hyundai deleted this simple feature. I'll probably just take the cover out because you can't put anything in the hatch with it in the down position.
When is everyone else's low fuel light turning on?
Gas mileage so far: 29, 27, 28, and tonight 30.7 mpg! I was very happy to see the mileage so high, especially since I've been driving the car a little more aggressively.
I'm loving this car the more I spend time with it. It's quiet, solid, rattle free, roomy, handles good, and the dashboard's design, ergonomics, and build quality would easily make you think the car is more expensive than it is. The high level of features is still surprising. The doors close with a solid thunk and the hatch only needs a light touch to close. Nothing about the car leads you to believe you actually need the long warranty. The AC gets nice and cold. The stereo sounds pretty darn good, especially after I turned on the Pbass, which is a bass booster that I didn't know it had until I read the manual. You can adjust bass, treble, AND midrange, quite unusual at this price range. I love the way the power windows will continue working for 30 seconds after you shut off the ignition. My old Acura lacked that feature.
My only beef with the car is the tendency of the automatic to shift to overdrive way too soon. I'm sure its tuned this way to get the best mileage possible, but its a bit annoying. Under light throttle, the tranny seems to shift directly from 2nd gear to 4th overdrive. When it does this, the engine bogs down at 1400 rpms and is very slow to gain speed. I have to push down on the gas a little to kick it out of overdrive and get it to accelerate at a reasonable pace. I just find it odd that it seems to skip 3rd gear. If I start off a little more aggressively, it shifts through 3rd gear like it should, but I also notice a slight shift flare (a rise in rpms) when it goes from 4th into overdrive, almost as if it briefly shifts into neutral. I'm not concerned about the shift flare yet as the tranny is still learning my driving behavior, but I'll keep an eye on it and see if it gets worse. Overall, the automatic is mostly smooth and is obviously efficient based on my gas mileage. It's just not the most refined tranny. The Accent has plenty of pep when you step on it. I can't wait to rev the engine past 4000 rpms once the break in period is over.
Suggested improvements? Make cruise control available on the GS with the premium package! Add cloth door inserts to make the door panels looks less like a large slab of plastic. And for god's sake, please connect the cargo cover with the hatch lid so that they go up and down together! Twice, I've left the cargo cover up only to get in and see my entire rear view blocked. Oh, I would also like to see adjustable lumbar support. I was disappointed to see my car lacked it, especially since my old base 2000 Accent had it. The seats are comfortable for the most part, but they have a bit too much lumbar sticking in my lower back. The seats would be perfect if I could just reduce the lumbar a little bit.
That said, up until this tank, my Accent has been pretty consistent with 29 mpg city with the AC on and 30 mpg city with the AC off. 27 mpg is the lowest I've seen and that was only on 1 tank. I'm quite enjoying this exceptional gas mileage, especially since it manages to outdo my old 00 Accent 1.5 5 speed despite being an automatic attached to a larger engine producing 21 more horsepower. Hyundai has really made some big improvements in 10 years!
As for my 2010, I now have 25,500 miles with absolutely no problems!! It's only been to the dealer for oil changes. It's definitely been a better car than the 2000. My only complaints with the car are the unrefined automatic with occassionally bad shift habits, the lack of power when running the AC, and the so so gas mileage at highway speeds over 65. Otherwise its a solid little reliable car.
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feels like its not getting gas or air or something because it barely moved was so scared to drive home in the freeway thinking its gonna stop in the middle. Also what's weird is that this happened a few seconds after I had the heater on. When I turned the heater off, it sputtered along a while, slowly reducing in intensity, and then disappeared. It happened again when I turned the heater on, at full blast only though. Can anybody tell me whats wrong with it? I need Help!! :confuse:
That was Aug 17 and it just died on him again and he had to have it towed again. I think he has run out of tows with his insurance at this point. Initially the mechanic said it ws the fuse again but the haven't looked over the whole car yet. We have (or I) have already spend $1500.00 in repairs for this thing and needless to say he is paranoid as hell about driving it. Can't say that I blame him. I am now scared that they will find something else that they will deam unrelated and it will cost even more.
Any ideas of what this may be??? Any advice is greatly appreciated.