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Hyundai Sonata 2005 and earlier
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Car Update: I am now at 11,000 miles and have only had to take the car in once for non L,O,F service. The mass air flow sensor had to be replaced and was done so under warranty. I have also had a piece of door trim come loose and they will fix it when I come in for my next L,O,F.
Anyone have any thoughts on this??? I have no problems with the car, I change my own oil and filter. Check everything and even rotate my tires at each oil change......... I have not seen a dealer yet because I see no need....
Am I missing something? Am I gonna 'get it' stuck to me when I do?
Til I hear of someone draining oil better and neater than I do on my own cars, I am doing it.
Lets hear it and go ez on me!!
Tony
Does anyone know the difference between these fog light sets? I know the Canadian one includes an interior trim replacement piece for dash mounting. I wonder if the other kit is meant to mount on the column as originally designed?
Hyundai will honor the warranty as long as the proper maintenance schedule is followed. Even when some problems does occur and you haven't done all the required maintenance, they will still honor it so long as the missing maintenance items have not caused the problem directly or indirectly. For example, if you can't prove you changed the oil/filter as specified and your wiper motor goes, they will still fix it under warranty since there is no possible way the two things are linked.
Hope this makes you feel a bit more at ease. Feel free to call HyundaiUSA Customer Service if you have further questions. Every time I called them they've gone out of their ways to answer my questions. Just be sure to return the courtesy and not bother them with every pettily little question. IAW, it probably would not be nice to ask: "Would fuzzy dice be a factory option for the 2001 Sonata?"
I think I missed my calling...should have been a car salesman/dealer.
On the maintenance issue---I shoot for 5K as a compromise between the 3K (hard duty) and the 7.5K
(factory). Having followed this oil/filter change routine, I have to say that the engine on my '95 Sonata 4 cyl.is just as strong as ever.
On the paint issue---the '95 is Dark Rosewood and we still get compliments on it. If it wasn't for the door dings, it would almost look new. Dated, but new.
http://www.carreview.com/reviews/midsize_compacts/
My car manufacturing date is Dec 31, 1999. A car finished on new year's eve? I don't know what to think of it. I'd better assume Robots in the assembly plan don't drink champagne.
Anyways, I am pleased with my purchase and driving experience so far. I looked everywhere for possible paint defects many of you talked about.
Didn't find any so far even after numerous trials of pressing against trunk hood with my gigantic right thumb.
If anything, I noticed a touch of wabbliness when you give gas during sharp cornering at high speed, let say 30-40 mph at 80-90 degree angle.
Or, Maybe am I asking too much?
Anyways, I stopped at a Seven Eleven on the way home this afternoon. Interestingly, there were TWO sonata GLS' parked at the customer lots, therefore making it total of three sonatas GLS(including mine) at the same time. I thought that was weird considering the small population (40K)of my town. Anyway, I thought mine looked the best out of three (of course parked side by side) because mine is Ebony Black exterior with mysterious Florida tint job on the windows, not to mention the handsome driver
I read about the Grandeur XG and saw the preview on the Hyundai Korean website. I am extremely happy about my Sonata but I will be the first one to own Grandeur XG when that beast hits the states. I have to admit that I was salivating when I saw the European Advertisement intro.
Few days ago, after my salivating with XG ended when I found this picture of the Equus on the spy site of T-H-C.
http://www.t-h-c.org/pressreview.htm
"Hyundai's ultimate weapon against them. 4.5-liter gasoline-direct-injection (GDI) V-8 makes 265 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque respectablely. This GDI engine is a brand-new which Hyundai and Mitsubishi developed over the years. The amazing thing about this GDI engine is that it saves fuel dramatically than conventional engines. The wheelbase of this car is 210 inches overall and the weight is 4641 pounds, which it outweighs the Lincoln Town cars. Hyundai already launched the car in April 1999, Korea. Hyundai currently has no plan to sell this car on the US market. " -- T-H-C --
Now, here is My gripe with Hyundai Motor Company.
Why are they keeping all their best cars available only in Korea. If the EQUUS
was available in the states, I would certainly bypass the Grandeur XG. I want the experience of what the best of Hyundai could offer.
Equus would be a good trade in target for me.
I love flames.
Aux
Here's hoping your dealership is decent and can service your new prize competently.
P.S. Of course you thought it looked best...my wife's Silver GLS is the prettiest one in Maryland...I'm certain.
The interior features that impressed me the most are
1. comfortable leather seats:
Front Driver Power Seat Adjusts 8 Ways Total Including Fore/Aft, Slide, Recline and Adjustable Seat Height. I think the driver seat lumbar (low back) support on this car is excellent.
2. Premium ETR AM/FM Stereo With 120 Watts, 18 Presets Total Including 12 FM and 6 AM Presets and 10 Speakers Total; Auto-Reverse Cassette Player; Single Disc CD Player Integral To Radio.
I still can't believe I got 10 speakers in this car.
Aux
In case you haven't seen them, there are some excellent review sites out there on the new Sonata. A couple of my favorites are:
http://www.t-h-c.org/articles/sonata1-1.htm
http://www.t-h-c.org/pressreview.htm
I especially like The Car Place. I find I agree with Bob Bowdens' approach to things. I just got an e-mail from him telling me "the new Hyundai Sonata was one of the most impressive values I tested. Period. And I would be proud to own one. 'nuff Said".
As to your comments I agree about the leather interior. I think it is impressive looking and comfortable while many competing ones are either one or the other.
Too bad about the ABS. But you should not miss it if you live out of the bad weather zones.
I find that the Sonatas have usually had good sound acoustics, no matter the revision. This upgrade package has excellent sound quality and my CD has yet to skip a beat.
Throw a cargo net in the trunk if you didn't get one. You will use it. Enjoy your purchase.
Thanks,
Tony
You can maybe clear the code yourself by removing the battery cable for a bit and while the battery is disconnected I hear turning the ignition key on a few times and even trying to turn headlights on will drain any residiual power that may be stored in some component and allow the computer to be reset.. As well as your radio presets !!
Maybe it is/was a fluke thing. Maybe a bad batch of gas.
If it is spark plug related, this would be the SECOND occurance I have read about. Spark plugs just dont go bad with such few miles.
I would expect mine to look like new even after 50k miles.
I may just go out and take one out and see. Maybe its time for those new BOSCH platinum-4's. I have them in my Ranger and they DO make a difference in mileage and power.
Good luck with problem!
Tony
By doing resetting the computer by power cycling it, it may clear the error code and the problem may never come back IF it was triggered by something like cheap gas or extremely hot outside pulling a 5 ton boat up hill etc.... You know, something out of the ordinary that happened just for the moment and was trapped and stored in the diagnostic computer.
I just dont want to mislead anyone. I know Sonatafan is really into his cars and just wondered if he tried this yet.
Tony
http://www.alldata.com/recalls
Tony
I have been a member of Alldata for a few years but i haven't logged into the archive for almost as many. I may just to poke around in the TSB's for the Sonata on the Alldata database.
Tony: I did in fact reset the check engine code and it hasn't returned. I wasn't in the car when the code set so I don't know the conditions. My wife is far from being a hard driver so I'm sure it wasn't her doing.
The guy at the dealership also acted like I was stupid for changing my own oil. He just all around ticked me off. Sorry to see people like this in the business.
Surprised he did not elaborate and specify that the spark bearings were beginning to seize or the tires still had spring time air in them.
Good job ! I hope the light dont come back on, BUT if it does. you can tell them what you did and it came back.
Good luck,
Tony
By the way, my Sonata is getting 22 mpg driving 50/50 city/highway, A/C on. No other problems to report at 2000 miles. I changed my mind about the car, its a great little car. The dealer is what left the bad taste in my mouth. I'm over it.
See ya,
Rammit2000
Tony
However, about the gas, I accidentally filled up with mid grade. (And it cost me dearly because my Priceline purchase only applied to regular). But my 4-cyl Sonata actually ran much better and accelerated much more smoothly. This has me worried, because the car is supposed to run fine on regular octane, but will cut performance if there is any knocking detected.
1.) So what could be causing knock in a brand new car with 4,000 miles on it????
2.) Also, the dealer serviceman said the new low-emissions gasoline has much more ethanol in it than the prior limit of 10% (he said sometimes 30-40%) and that this can cause problems and low mileage such as this. Therefore, he said, stick to higher grade gas. Has anyone else heard of this? I'm a big ethanol supporter, but I always thought concentrations above 10% could damage non-flexible fuel vehicles.
Try a different brand before using a higher octane would be my first suggestion.
Tony
Daewoo and they will bend over backwards and do
tripple somersaults to please you. When my wife was looking for a car we told the Hyundai dealer that we are looking at the Daewoo Nubira and the monthly lease rate on the Sonata base GL suddenly dropped by $70 dollars and he changed it from $2600 downpayment to ZERO downpayment. My wife still went for the Nubira because she did not like the Sonata base seats (too soft, mattress like cloth). But with Hyundai you sure can bargain.
The Alero has the equipment but does not have the safety rating of the Sonata nor the interior room and is usually a good deal more expensive (sunroof). The Malibu, I believe, does not offer side air bags but is comparable in final price. The Altima, while a very fine car, is also small inside and expensive for a 4 cyl. and offers no traction control.
You need to expand your search area. It is true that 13's are in short supply but that is more a localized situation. Source your car from the web or any number of services available.
Don't be dissuaded from a vehicle you have your sights on simply because of some A-hole dealers.
As for gas, I've run lots of 87 octane regular, 90 ethanol, and some 91 premium. Never noticed any differences in performance or fuel economy. She's never knocked on anything.
i found out that the car that my sister had that was horrible was also a hyundai. i wish she would have warned me!
Why do I still have the car when I dislike it so much? Hmmm...lets think about that. If I REALLY prefer a Porsche, why did I buy a Hyundai? Why didn't I just buy the car I really wanted & liked? Because the Jaguar dealership was closed when I drove by, so I went for the "next-best" -- Hyundai? Ha! Anyway, I won't have it for too much longer.
You people take my complaints about the '95 Sonata much too seriously, it's not like I'm dissing your best friend (at least I hope not). Besides, as I said twice before, my complaints are simply based on my experience, which does not necessarily mean today's Sonatas have not come a long way since then -- they must have, if they now offer such a long warranty. I don't work for a dealership, and even if I did, posting compliants to this message board would be a REALLY ineffective way of detracting business from Hyundai. I really don't care who "wins" in the Corolla-Taurus-Sentra-Accord-Sonata debate.
No need to get so defensive ... especially over a car of Hyundai's mediocre caliber.
I had a similar experience when I bought an 11 year old VW GTI as my first car. Right after I bought it, it was very difficult to start. This went on for a month or so. I was furious I had spent all my money on a car that wouldn't start. Instead of being childish, giving up, and cursing all VWs, me and my Dad worked to find the problem. It turned out the fuel pump was not operating and it cost $80 to replace it. My dedication paid off and the car has been extremely reliable ever since (now has 200K miles). I have now owned the car for 6 years and never plan on getting rid of it. I love the car to death! So, my initial bad luck worked itself out. This is just another example of what can happen when you buy a used car with an unknown past. Thats why you have to be extemely careful in choosing an older used car.
As I have stated before, I have owned a 90, 95 and 00 Sonata. The still running 90 went to charity in April with 128,000 miles. The 95 is away at college with 92,000 miles on it. The 00 now has 11,500 miles and is just purring away.
What I have not mentioned on this forum was that I also owed a 90 Excel that had 89,000 miles on it when it was totaled by someone doing 45 mph and failing to notice that I was stopped as a school bus crossed the highway.
I bought all these Hyundai products new and changed the oil every 3,000 miles and did most of the routine services.
Am I so "lucky" that my cars last and don't give me problems? I don't think so. The difference as I see it, is that I know that my cars have been maintained.
When you buy used, what do you really know about the car? Usually, only the good news. Is the guy going to tell you how busy he was and that a couple of time he missed the oil change by just a few thousand miles; or that he never had the cooling system flushed; or that the original fuel filter is still there - I doubt it.
Original owners who have problems with their Sonatas, I relish the exchange of information.
I started reading the Sonata posting a few weeks before I bought my 00 GLS package 12. Learned about the three clicks of the gas cap - my sales person was very particular in pointing out the need for three clicks by the way. I have learned about the "dents" that seem to be a problem - I don't have any, but the information was valid and it made me inspect my car. I have learned of the grille and fog light availability - again good useful information even if I choose not to do anything about it.
I almost gave up on the Sonata forum when isellhonda was active and diverted everyone away from the theme of valid information exchange.
By the way, I'm not perfect - I was also one of those people who bought the 86 Chevy Caprice Station wagon DIESEL - dumped it after 67,000 miles. Had any problem, took it to my dealer, he kept it a week each time and never fixed anything.
You're the kind of person who will always have an excuse in your defense, some nit-picky point you will use to try and damage someone's credibility. I can only assume that your 128K Hyundai was indeed in "charity-donation" condition when you donated it.
As I've stated multiple times, you should take at face value ANY individual's accounts of their experiences with a car -- good or bad. You will likely find in every forum that for ANY car ever made, you have people like me who have had bad experiences and will never buy that make again, and you have people like you who are satisfied and are repeat buyers.
If I've learned one thing from these car chat forums, it's that individual accounts are not worth very much to me -- although for obvious reasons, I should rely on my own experience foremost. It would make no sense for me to buy or recommend a make & model of car that I've had so many problems with, no matter what others say. For car buying tips, I will rely on more creditable authorities that use more sophisticated, tried-and-true ranking methodologies than the average consumer.
Defensiveness is a sign of weakness, and I will no longer waste my time on you people, my car's having engine trouble again and I have to take it to the shop.
Killercancer---PLEASE DON'T BUY HYUNDAI. That way someone with a brain that works will able to make the purchase and be happy.
'BooHoo1'---You have a '95 Sonata and have had problems with it. I've had problems with my '95. So what? MSN Carpoint shows the reliability improvement from '95 on. Those are STATISTICAL facts. You say yourself that you are rarely affected by an individual testimonial for a car. You rely on experience. Then what is point of your posting? 'Sonatax3' said in his/her first response that some reliable data provided by an owner would be useful.
I bought an '83 Prelude w/75K back in '89. Wonderful little coupe but had more than it's share of maintenance repairs. Got it to 150K when I traded it on my '95 Sonata. Damn thing was expensive to maintain but I don't find myself thinking 'I'll never buy another Honda". Used cars are a crap-shoot no matter what the make. Make that ALL CARS NEW OR OLD are a crap-shoot. You do the research and hold your breath.
Go check the ownership review sites out there and compare. Why does the '99-'00 Toyota Camry rate so low among owners? Why does the '99-'00 Sonata do so well? One of these manufacturers is in the business of 'de-contenting' cars while the other is doing just the opposite. I wonder which of these strategies is the right one?
My wifes' choice of a new car---a GLS V-6 with auto---runs like a champ. There are no performance issues, no hard shifting. If you are going for a 5-speed you need not worry about performance with either engine. If you are considering auto only then I strongly suggest the V-6.
There are many reviews on the GLS out there. Some of them make complaints about things that no one else does. One even called the 2.5L 'breathless'. LOL. I have read many, especially from Canadian sites, where the performance of the V-6/auto combination was NEVER questioned. Bear in mind that many reviews are written by people who prefer 5-speeds. It is easy to tell which you are reading by the descriptions used(gear hunting on steep inclines, confusion over situational gear selection, 0-60 performance, etc.
Here is but one example of the automatically challenged:
You are driving in rolling hills or even low mountains. You begin an ascent. You are presently doing 60mph. As the climb continues you notice a falling off of speed and revs. Now---STOP THIS PICTURE---if you are driving a manual tranny, what do you do? DUH! Why, you downshift! But what happens with the automatically challenged? They do one of two things ONLY. They either continue with no adjustment in throttle attitude (which leads to the famous hunt and peck situation) or they continue to press into the throttle all the while slowly losing speed and revs so that when the tranny downshifts it does so in a harsh, sometimes two-gear dropdown. DUH! The tranny reacts to throttle pressure! Who'd a thunk? Now here's the clincher---WHAT SIMPLE TECHNIQUE AVOIDS ANY OF THIS MESS? I'd love to get some responses.
Go and drive the versions you are interested in yourself. Then you will know what to do.
However, I have driven the automatic GLS V-6 and was sadly disappointed in the performance. Most 0-60 mph tests of auto V-6 Sonatas have time around 10 secs. That's poor for a 170 hp V-6. Since manual tranny time drops almost 2 secs, it is indicative of the tranny sapping too much power. And many reviewers have commented poorly on the automatic finding and keeping right gear at right time.
Only problem I have, which I've seen a couple reviewers comment on, is that cruise control won't hold speeds well. I'm talking about small inclines. I live in Iowa and the interstates I drive on are darn near flat. Even then and even if in 4th or 5th (both are overdrives), she'll routinely fluctuate up to 10 mph going up and down a very small incline. None of my other manual or automatic cars has suffered same problem on the exact same roads at the exact same speeds.
Good to have you back. I promise this will not be another flame war.
I understand your situation with stick shifts and recommend them myself where warranted. You are in a small minority of buyers looking about for larger support and community. I wish you luck. So you will know, I just threw a grenade into the mess over at T-H-C on your favorite thread. See what you think.
As to the cruise control, I believe many of these varying complaints have more to do with production run, as with most cars. I have experienced excellent performance in and around mountainous country in Western Maryland. My build date is 3/21/00. It would be interesting to see those with different Cruise control or any other issues post their build dates so we could get a better handle on these things. I believe this may well extend into the dreaded 'automatic transmission performance' issue as well. Many of the reviews of the Sonata were written in '99. There may well have been changes made to the computer programming and control chips which may account for this disparity in individual experience. Many of the reviews of the Sonata were written in '99, some even late '98.
Just a thought.
2. Yes, I often find myself in a minority when it comes to performance. I desire and demand the most from anything I buy and won't buy anything but the maximum of any specific car I buy. Even if it's for wife. Just means I get auto for her and manual for me. That's why GLS 5-speed and Pkg 13 is all I'd consider in Sonata.
3. Think your thoughts about build date and possible modifications are probably right on. Given the hits Hyundai has taken over auto tranny performance, they should be addressing. Same would hold true for any cruise control issues.
4. Will be interesting to see if anyone will test or review a '01 Sonata. Guessing not, unless as part of a multi-car comparison test. But given that Sonata came in last place when C&D did a big comparison test late last year, doubt anyone has much desire to include an unchange Sonata. Too bad they don't test GLS V-6 w/5-speed & Pkg 13!!!
What is it with these jokers? If Toyota comes out with a V-6 Camry with a manual tranny (which they did) then every rag out there has at least a two page spread on it. I've rarely seen an article on the Maxima that wasn't of the '5-speed SE' variant. Same with the Altima, etc.
I ask how meaningful is it to put a vehicle in a multi-car round-up and not have it equipped with ABS like all but one of its' competition? Even with ABS it still would have been less expensive than half of the competition, most of which were under-equipped relative to the Sonata.
It is these obvious disparities in treatment which lead me to usually disregard these people.
All they want to do is go 'vrooom, vrooom'. There's nothing wrong with a performance orientation but it is silly to apply it to family sedans with relatively generic engineering. And then, adding insult to injury, they use different standards of performance for different cars.
Oh well. Maybe someone will test a manual GLS
with the 2.7L whenever it arrives. It seems Hyundai is standing pat for now. I guess they figure it is silly to argue with success.
Before this, any pictures I had seen had ugly body colors and made me think the Santa Fe would be very "boxy" and small.
Seeing it in person completely changed my opinion!
It is a very handsome SUV! The Sonata's motor is listed as standard, and the 2.7 liter was optional. There's plenty of room inside, lots of features, AND it doesn't have Firestone tires!
I was invited to read their only copy of 2001 Product Literature for Elantra, Sonata, and Santa Fe.
After just 2 years, the Elantra has been completely redesigned for 2001! It now has a waterfall grill, and 4 headlights. It seemed to me that a couple of the lights are projector lights. It is very aerodynamic, and I thought it looked more sophisticated than before.
I didn't see any appreciable changes for the 2001 Sonata. It will have the waterfall grill, too.
I didn't notice any additional options being offered, i.e. heated seats or fog lights.
Appearantly the XG300, Sonata, Elantra, & Santa Fe will all have a similar look to their front ends, as all were shown with waterfall grills and all had aerodynamic headlights. That will give better brand recognition to all of them.
There were many features and specs, but my brain got full before I could absorb them all!