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Checked the owners manual. It states that use of 10-40 oil or other grades without API "starburst" emblem will violate warranty. 5W30 is preferred, 10W30 allowed. Haven't driven an Accent but the Elantra engine is much smoother than the old Cavalier 2.2 which moans more than I remembered after 3 weeks in the Elantra.
I think use of API approved oils is required by most manufacturers. Anyone know why Hyundai doesn't follow this pattern? I can't believe that the tolerances are greater than my Cavalier.
Any info?
Leland
Wal-Mart's filters are Champion Labs.
I always beg Wal-Mart to slap those on at every oil change rather than the standard Fram with its bad construction. They usually miss my instructions and put a Fram on anyway. Next time I'm going to slap a sign right on the instrument panel.
Who makes Hyundai's filters?
http://members.nbci.com/minimopar/oilfilterstudy.html
is a good comparison of filters. Anyone reading that would never put a Fram filter on his car. Also see the linked page from a person who used to work at Fram regarding the crappy construction of their filters. I guess Wal-Mart's supposition is that this is a name brand, so people want it. Hah!
Thanks for the link. It's nice to have that kind of info. I'm not a fram fan, but on my 17 year old, 175,000 mile corolla I used fram. Changed out every 5,000 miles. Never had a problem with burning oil or leaking. Was I lucky???
Sometimes people talk about "name brand" oil and filters like that's something magic. Companies like Wal-Mart obviously don't refine their own oil and are purchasing it from another source. For the most part that's either Quaker State or Valvoline.
Most third party filters tend to be Champion Labs or sometimes Puralator. I've heard some discussion that Fram's quality may have recently improved. That may be, but historically Fram (along with Quaker State and Pennzoil-- same thing as Fram) have put some pretty sub par filters on the market.
I'm also looking forward to the easy winter start (I need that in Chicago winter), and extended drain period. Synthetic oils last way longer than conventional oil, I won't have to change my oil until next May.
Be careful about the oil you buy in the stores. If you decide to switch to synthetic, please make sure that you buy "Full Synthetic" oil. Be aware of the "Synthetic Blends", they are just mixture of Synthetic oil and conventional motor oil.
Thanks
The Accent is fine, its not fun to corner hard in an Accent, but thats not really its purpose. The interior is actually a nice place to spend time in, doesn't feel horribly cheap like the Suzuki Swift, which is the same price.
Minor gripes: The tires are terrible, I am changing them this weekend.
The stereo opening is not standard, after market head units don't fit well.
Spare tire well cover is cheap cardboard, bends easily (I remade a new one out of plywood).
Good things: Seating position is high, good visibility. Hatch holds a surprising amount. Tip, take the rear seats out for more space, only attached by 8 bolts, easy to put back in.
Fantastic mileage.
I love the Miata, its a great toy, but glad I have the Accent for practicality.
Only draw back is radio reception. Had to buy a signal booster from Radio Shack. Didn't have this problem with my other cars, but if this is the worst, I'll live!!!
At hyundaiusa.com it says I should be getting 27-37 mpg.
Now I know there is some break-in time to account for but I can't believe I'm getting that kind of mileage. I've stopped using the AC except for 5 min on the freeway on the way home from work.
I only use Chevron 89 octane. Should I use 92?
I can't really think of anything else....Can anyone help??
Or should I just wait to break it in a little more?
My first 1000 miles I got 31 mpg, but after that it's been around 36/37. I use 87 octane. I don't have air, but as little as you use it that shouldn't affect your mpg.
Its been about 3 or 4 months since I posted anything to this board, so you may not remember me. Anyway, I bought a 2001 Accent in January and it currently has around 7000 miles. Lately, however, problems have started to mount up. First, the brakes continue to get worse and worse. They thump, they screech, they ping, they grab, but they still seem to stop the car alright. Two trips to the dealer changed nothing. Any comments or suggestions?
Second, and maybe more seriously, the check engine light has started coming on intermittently. It is always when I start it after sitting a while. The car starts fine, then it seems to choke and stutter, sometimes dropping to what looks like two or three hundred rpms. Then it suddenly races back up to 1300 or so, and the check engine light flashes. I am no expert, but I have heard that flahing is worse than simply coming on, and I think it means an emission problem. Sometimes it does this only once, sometimes two or three times. Eventually it stops, and the light stops blinking, and then it seems to run ok for the rest of the day, although sometimes it feels a little sluggish after this ordeal. Anyway, my two trips to the dealer have also failed to fix this issue at all.
Finally, it may be my imagination, but the car seems to do this more often when using Amoco Ultimate gasoline. This made me wonder about using high-octane gas in the Accent at all. I have used 95% premium gas since I got this car, naively believing it was at least cleaner, but now I understand that octane only refers to a fuels resistance to spontaneous combustion, not to its level of refinement.
Anyway, what I really want to know is this: what are you guys using? Anyone else had any similar problems using premium? I also understand that some states and even some gas stations' premium gas can vary in octane, and I believe Amoco Ultimate is either 93 or 94. Is this just too high? Finally, I have heard conflicting ideas as to whether the Accent can adjust its timing to take advantage of higher octanes. Anyone know for sure, one way or the other?
Sorry for the long winded post, but this has all been building within me for some time.
Thanks,
DW
Dbwells: Sounds like you could have a problem with your mass airflow sensor, oxygen sensor, or spark plugs (either a fouled plug or a bad spark coil). The computer should have stored codes when the light came on and flashed. Take it back to the dealer and have them read the codes. As far as gas goes, I have always used 89 octane. I tried 87 and the car seemed to run a little slower and got less mileage. Anything above 89 is a waste of money as this is not a performance engine with a high compression. I really doubt the car is capable of adjusting its timing to take advantage of premium. Cars that do that recommend premium to begin with. This car only recommends 87. I haven't had any brake problems except for a thump a couple of times that was caused by the emergency brake shoe not fully retracting. Other than that, they have worked fine and are quiet. Good luck and I hope you get your problems fixed.
I don't think the dealer filled it up all the way, so I'll get my first real mileage check soon.
I commute 600+ miles a week. My old Toyota Tercel gave me 244000 reliable miles.
I've been on an unexplainable Korean kick lately (bought a Kia Optima last month!), so I bypassed the ugly Toyota Echo for the Accent. Its probably a gamble to expect 244000 good miles out of the Accent, but guess I'm committed.
So far, I enjoy the comfort of the GL seating, especially the right arm rest. Just sat thru a 4-mile backup on the beltway this morning and "tested" the clutch and shifter. Tho it always is a pain to have to shift in traffic jams, the Accent does it comfortably enough. I was surprised that I need to put the seat forward to be able to extend my leg to push the clutch to the floor. Seems like a long throw for the clutch. Usually I have to put the seat all the way back to accommodate my long legs. But luckily I can adjust the seat tilt to properly support my legs.
All in all, I'm happy with the comfort, with the relatively smooth ride, with the handling, and with the pep of the 5-speed and 1.6 liter combo. By the way when I test drove a GL with automatic, I was not happy with the jerky shifting in the lower gears. The 5-speed allows proper use of the engine in acceleration. I never had a tach before either, so I'm having fun using it with the 5-speed.
On a side note, the dealer had TWO 2002 Sonatas on the lot, and they looked very nice, VERY upscale. On the first one I did a double take, initially thinking it was an XG300. Didn't have time to look to closely, but I may go back when we get back. Also, for those of us also looking at the Elantra GT, my dealer here in Michigan had I believe 7 of them, so take heart, they are increasing in availability.
DW
On a side note, I validated Hyundai's claim for the top speed of the Accent last night. I hit 111 mph!! Amazing that its little 92 horse engine can push it that fast, especially since the 140 horse Elantra can only do 120mph. I believe its high top speed has to do with its good aerodynamics. It has the lowest drag coefficient of the whole Hyundai line. I ran into a gentle curve at over 100 and though the car began to float a bit dangerously, the tires never sounded any warnings of loss of adhesion and the car held its line. The car didnt even vibrate or shimmy at that speed, and I have a bent front wheel! A car has to be built pretty solid to run at that speed with no shakes and rattles. And the cheap Kumho tires continue to impress me with how well they hold up to extreme conditions. As you can see, I have taken my car to the limits of its engineering, so if any corners have been cut, they will show up on my car. So far its held up admirably and continues to impress me.
The windows to my 2001 accent won't close all the way, noticable especially on the freeway, so I have this annoying whistle in my ear all the time.
I took it to the dealer & they said it was normal for the window to go down due to the vibration, but they did try to fix it. It seemed fine until I got onto the freeway again & now I have to hold the window handle to keep the driver side window closed, which doesn't help when the window behind me does the same thing.
Does anyone else have a similar issue? I think the service manager is just trying to punk me, I mean, why should I have to put w/ that on a new car?
immediately after posting that message i called some other dealerships & i found a couple that will give me a loaner car while they work on it (i'd have to drop it off after business hours), so after i go on my trip to portland they'll take care of it for me.
i even have a print out of the shop invoice where this service manager claims that this is normal.
i certaintly won't go back to that dealership.
Thanks again
Its amazing how they can sell this wonderful car for so little. The car is way underated. Yahoo auto lists the accent second among the top ten least expensive cars. Toyota echo is 5.
The car handles real well on the road. Acceleration is more than adequate. The car I have has a 1.6 L 105 HP engine . The engine shows no signs of straining. The manual transmission shifts real well.
The car has a real nice looking interior. The seats are comfortable and the instruments are real nice looking and easy to understand. This car doesn't look cheap by any means. I'm still amazed at the price I paid for this car.
The only gripe I have about this car is that it doesn't have a steering wheel tilt. I'm 6-6 so getting in around the steering wheel involves some manuvering on my part, but its not to bad. I get in real well and I have plenty of leg room.
I've seen the toyota echo and the saturn base model. They aren't any better than the Accent.
I thought the saturn and Echo were really cheap looking inside. The Echo looked good with 4 doors, but the 2 door model is so horrible looking. The echos interior is super cheap looking. The saturn looked real plain on the outide and inside. The only thing I liked about the Echo and Saturn is the steel timing chain. The Accent has a rubber belt. That will save you about $500 in timing belt replacements.
I checked out the Echo pricing and the saturn pricing and I figure I got my car for about $4500 less than the Echo and Saturn.
If your looking to buy a nice economical car for real cheap, the Accent GL is the answer. Not one American car comes close. They all start over $12 grand. Hyundai makes a wonderful built car.
I thought about buying a Toyota Echo and a Saturn. I'm glad I chose Hyundai. I'll use the $4500 dollars I saved and buy a new 16 foot rowboat with a 10HP motor and trailer. (all for $4500) I'll get a new car and new boat package. Who cares what people think when they see me in a Hyundai.
Hyundai has a neat service manual online at www.hmaservice.com. It looks real good. Another good thing from Hyundai. It saves me $40 .
Admire.