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Comments
There are only so many possibilities if this is the area. The trunk tension rods are a possible source as they can rattle in the guides when the lid is closed. I wrap the contact area with any thick tape and pop them back in. Also, the rear spools for the seat belts can be a source as well as the latch bodies themselves. I try to keep them tucked into their seat pockets. It may be that a speaker cover is vibrating in place but the tightness of the mounting of the speaker itself is easy to verify. Lastly, it may be the doors as my problem sound came from the rear passenger door. All the doors buzz a little when going over choppy, broken pavement, most especially the rears. My solution was posted a little earlier under service and vibration.
As to wax, I always suggest a hard wax, brand be damned. Since last July, our GLS has gotten exactly one coat of hand rubbed Turtle Wax Emerald Series Paste applied in August. The paint is flawless despite the winter salts and the best efforts of various aerial bombers including CROWS
which like to visit the tree over our parked car at home. Nothing seems to stick.
Good Luck with the noise.
Same manufacturer can have different warranties in different markets at same time and different warranties in same market over time. That Top Gear Sonata review you disseminated showed that in Europe, in early '99, Hyundai using a 3-yr warranty versus the 1 year warranties for Vauxhall (General Motors) and Renault. They did this for similar reasons as in US. Not sure what has happened to their European sales. Has it boosted market share? Market perception?
Who knows what will happen in USA over next 5 years. Buyers may keep demanding better warranties. If so, and if Hyundai wants to maintain some form of competitive advantage in this area, Hyundai could conceivably increase the warranty coverage. Without internal data all is mostly sheer conjecture.
I said 'bear this in mind.' I didn't say run screaming off a cliff. I said MAY not WILL. WHO KNOWS? What the hell is conjectural about people being informed of a HYUNDAI PLAN in the first place? SURE THEY CAN ADAPT as they go along but the original idea had an END DATE. What is wrong with giving a heads-up? Until we hear from Hyundai, we have to go with what is known. And what IS KNOWN is that there is a five year plan starting with the '99 model year.
No one would like the present warranties to continue ad infinitum more than yours truly but we all know that the long term strategy is to place Hyundai as a mainstream choice in the marketplace. This MAY be difficult to achieve with certain of the things we currently take for granted.
Forget the Grand Am. Take a walk on the Hyundai side.
Also, what's the deal with the standard trans. GLS? Does it really exist as the Hyundai site shows? If so where can you get one? The dealer in Daytona said they were not shipping any stick GLS models to this part of the country.
Others have found them by having the dealer do a wide multi-state search. It can take a long time.
Giowa, cdhse, among others that post here have the V-6 manual. They can do a better job of telling you their stories. I know they love their cars though.
I've had Sonata's both 4 and 6 cyls as rentals and
never had this sensation. Plus I know I had more room in the Sonata than the Honda. Ride quality of the Sonata was much better as was pickup and transmission smoothness. I was so impressed by my Sonata rentals that I began looking at them for purchase but ended up buying an XG300 without even dirving one.
I'm also 6'2" tall. Pkg 13 has sunroof. Headroom is a bit tight but I've figured out the one exact seat & tilt steering combo that lets me get along fine. Problem seems to be that the power seat won't go down as far as it really should. Hyundai needs to adress this. Don't think I could've gotten mine if I was even 1 inch taller (maybe even 1/2 inch).
http://members.nbci.com/sonatafan/index.htm
Sonatafan has thoughtfully provided a step-by- step in pictures. He also has a forum for Sonata owners you might want to check out.
I've already emailed Sonatafan, but has anyone else had success with installing a remote starter system on their Sonata? I recently had a Code-Alarm SureStart LX system installed and there was a problem with the range for the remote, which they originally thought to be electronic interference. Turned out to be the antennae not plugged in, but I'm still not getting a decent range on it. The shop in Culpeper, VA that I used, also did my window tinting with Llumar film (they messed that up too). I've already started the process with my credit card company in debating the charge for both the poor tint job and the alarm system, and will probably install a remote starter/keyless myself once I have the SureStart removed. I noticed HDK Autosport now has a genuine Hyundai remote starter.
I highly recommend making it clear to any shop that they need to return the car as clean as they received it, because it seems like people just don't care anymore. If you're going to have your windows tinted, make sure to clean the windows inside and out to help with prepping the surface because the slightest speck of dirt will cause a bubble to appear.
First, have you had the recall work done on your Sonata? If so, you could still have some kind of debris causing a loss of electrical signal in the MAF(Mass Air Flow Sensor). It happened to me after the recall work. If not, you need to get the car in there and get it over with.
Second, you are still tightening the gas cap after fill-up at least three clicks, right? Failure to do so can cause hard starting and occasionally some stalling.
I would still take the car in and have them run a diagnostic. If there's a code, they will find it.
And I must make the following negative comment on the 5-spd manual: you will never mistake the shifter to one installed in a Honda. The throw is excessively long and vague. And the clutch is so light it is devoid of all resistance and feel. I don't own vehicles with automotive transmissions, but after purchasing this Sonata it was as if I had to learn to operate a manual transmission all over again. I don't mean to sound too negative here, and I would purchase a 5-spd car over an automatic again. But Hyundai engineers need to do something with their shift linkeage. They need to take a drive in a Honda.
I assume you took your car for a nice long test drive? Did none of this bother you at the time? Some reviewers have said that their right elbow can make contact with the armrest at times while shifting. I guess it would depend on seat position, among other things.
Yes, Honda is the master of the user-friendly 5-speed. But with tiptronic trannys coming to more and more cars (like the '02 Sonata and current '01 Optima), I guess Hyundai no longer considers it important for the US market. Any advances they make in manuals will likely be more appreciated in the rest of the world markets.
The new V-6 sports coupe in England is slated for a 6-speed manual. Spy reports have it pegged with the 2.7L and 200Hp. Whether it will make an appearance over here is an open question.
Would be interesting to see how the tranny action is in the Sonata I-4 manuals versus V-6 manuals.
Now my air bag lite is on again and it was 74 degrees yesterday and it was around 65 today. So does the temperature really have something to do with this or not?
I also occasionally hear a noise coming from my back end when I start the car. The best way that I can describe it is: when you are on an airplane and they lower the wheels, that's kind of what this noise sounds like.
My husband is also considering selling the Sonata because of the bad service we have gotten since we bought the car. The next closest dealership is about 40 mins away.
Any suggestions or advice for us?
Thanks
green101
Congrats on fixing your door rattle problem!
I have the same problem as you... I have a 2000 GLS and the rear doors, particularly the right-side door, rattles irratably over certain bumps and knicks in the road. It is quite frustrating and I want to fix it. I can often temporarily silence the problem my slightly lowering my window. Also, I find that if someone rides in the back-seat and presses lightly on the leather padding above the inside door arm-rest, the rattling stops. I would like to take off my door pannel and take a look. Could you please give me instructions on how you took your door pannel off and how you fixed the problem? I am not a car buff so I will need real specific directions. If you prefer, you could email me off list at jdubois@canada.com.
Thank you so much!!
]d
The panel removal is quite simple. Most of the screws are visible except for three---two of which are hidden under trim caps on the outer edge and the third under the small trim tab in the door/lock handle. Be careful with the caps---they will spring quite a distance if you're not careful. A simple small hollow ground screwdriver, the type supplied in eyeglass repair kits will suffice to pop them out. The same can be used on the trim tab. I usually insert at twelve on the top of the cap (any mark will be less noticeable at that position but don't worry---mine have been on and off 3 times without a scratch) and the handle tab has a visible slot. Removal of any small plastic pieces means you just go slowly but these are not tricky.
After all screws are removed around the edge, in the door handle, and the one in the armrest, you can remove the surround trim to the door handle mechanism by pulling the handle first. Then insert a flat blade screwdiver or even a butter knife anywhere along the bottom of the panel and pry outwards. It will feel tight as there are three round push clips (I believe they are yellow) along the bottom edge. They will easily pop out if you work your way along the bottom edge roughly in thirds. Once the bottom is free you can go to the black window corner trim panel. This also has three push clips roughly located by dividing the panel into thirds from top to bottom. Any flat screwdriver or butter knife will suffice to slide in and pop the panel out. You can't hurt anything and the push clips are quite resilient. Sometimes half of the clip stays in the hole and sometimes not. For those that do, simply pop them out and reassemble. Everything should be in place in the respective panels before remounting. Anything else and you may encounter trouble with alignment.
The last area you need to attend to is the armrest. There is a flat spring retainer clip which the interior of the armrest snugs into when reassembled. By pulling far enough out from the bottom you can reach up and make sure the armrest is free of the clip. Then simply push the entire panel up and out. BUT NOT TOO FAR. You still need to disconnect the power window connector.
You will see a plastic sheath which is sealed all around with thick mastic. The material is not sturdy and will tear so show the kind of care a busybody would if steaming open someone elses mail when peeling it back. You will notice the lock rods. You should see some small foam pieces glued to the door across their run. I added more, especially to the area leading to the lock mechanism on the inside of the door. You will find the lock mechanism itself to be a rattle zone as it is made up of large plastic bits. There is not much more to be done however without tearing things down further than is prudent. The foam I used was common household weatherstripping. The thickness is up to you. If too thick, the rods slide back and forth with a good deal more friction. Bear that in mind.
I suggest you drive on a road surface that causes the noise after panel removal and before anything is done. This may help you to pinpoint whether your particular problem is directly caused by internal parts or simply the result of a tension vibration that arises when the panel is in place.
After reconnecting the power window plug, reassembly requires only that attention be paid to the top of the panel as it slides into the window opening. You want it as flush against the glass as possible. At the same time, you must reach under again and make sure the inner armrest can clear the flat retainer spring by pulling the spring down. I found that pushing in the center at the top was most helpful. After that, all clips simply pop back into place with a good rap on the panel edges. Make sure your panel is fully down in the window opening. It should be even with or lower than the outer window seal when properly in place.
Best of Luck.
What is your dealership and is it Hyundai only?
This is laughable as I had taken printouts to the dealer back in January pointing out the recall. The answer was `we know nothing about it'.
Pretty poor communication if you ask me
Just in case misery likes company, this afternoon I have to pick up my '00 Lincoln LS Sport. It, too, has been having intermittent airbag light issues. (They have had the car in the shop since 3/22/01. I do get a nice loaner.) This is about the 5th or 6th time they have tried to fix this problem. It originally started shortly after they worked on a malfunctioning heated seat.
Whatever cars are considered lowest on the totem pole are treated that way. The brands you mentioned are all Japanese and German, with the single exception of Hyundai. My dealership is similar to yours except the top dogs there are Toyota and Daimler/Chrysler. It has taken it years to put the proper resources into delivering quality service with Hyundai trained mechanics. Before, you always knew that your car service needs weren't being taken very seriously. Behind everything was the unspoken attitude of 'what did you expect? You bought a Hyundai.'
I was just at the K&N website and took the measurements of the air cleaner that was in the car and none on their chart comes close.
Thanks
Tony
Anyone have any ideas????????? HURRY
Thanks,
Tony
You simply pry slowly and evenly and out it will come. You also need to pop out the little coin tray where the aux switches would go and this exposes a couple of screws which allows the plastic trim piece with the hvac controls to come out and expose radio.
Unhook the connectors to the clock and A/C controls and ya got it made.
It went back together too with no rattles either.
Trust me, it was scary BUT accomplished the mission.
I put in a Jensen rf10dc . I dont know if it is supposed to be good or not, I bought it based on name and cost of 150. It sounds great, looks great in trunk space under speaker deck.
I took back seat bottom out too and it was held in by two bolts and a couple of clips. I did this to run wire from cd changer to radio up front.
I also had glove box out too. SonataFans web page helped me know what I was getting in to by removing the glove box. IF the base had an air filter like the GLS models, I could now change it in about 10 minutes complete.
take care,
Tony
Actually, I came across an unused connector under the drivers' seat on my wifes' GLS a while back. I always thought it was the pre-wire for a CD changer. Maybe not.
I can see how people would need to get to the antennae input if they're using an FM modulated system like Tonykrapil. But for simplicity I think I would prefer to use the existing head unit as controller rather than worry with a remote. I personally think all Sonata sound systems are above average and are helped greatly by speaker location and general acoustics. This seems to be something Hyundai has always prided itself on with the Sonata going back to '89.
Just my .02.
IF I had a cabin air cleaner handy I surely would have thrown it right in. I have been giving this some tought too and I cant decide if I lke the idea or not. Sure, it keeps the airborne particles trapped, but aside from air restriction (unless using a k&n) I just dont know.
The 10cd changer sounds soo good and no skips or anything funky about it yet, we got one for my teenager to install in our Ranger.
IF someone is considering doing an install of a changer, the only thing I can say that YOU could do that would make things a bit nicer and easier to some degree is get a unit with a wireless remote. Reasons being you can place it anywhere and when parking somewhere you could place remote in armrest console or anywhere out of site.
I have the wired one, and it is by no means BAD, it would just be a bit nicer is all.
See ya's
Tony
No cables for the CD stacker go under the seat.
I posted awhile ago (#809) while I was searching for the right car. Well I finally decided on a '01, 4 cylinder, 5 speed Sonata. Had to have the manual trans! Anyway, I picked up the car Saturday and so far I am ecstatic! I've heard complaints about the shifting but I think it is smooth as silk and the throw is not too long. And quiet? I can't believe how quiet the passenger compartment is. I bought the base version for $15,500 and the dealer is installing a power sun roof and upgrading the stereo to a cd/cassette/AM/FM for free. I also got the 60 month at 4.9% financing on $16,000 that I had to finance. Did I do OK? It matters little really as I love the car and I feel it is worth much more. Anyway, I hope I don't sound over enthused or like a ad for Hyundai but I'm very happy with my purchase so far. One other question , the dealer said that installing the sun roof would not effect the warranty. Is this true? I hope it is because it is the only way that I can have a sun roof and still be comfortable with the head room.
Finally, they agreed to do it while the new pump order was not coming in.
They told me this is problem they never faced before and that those fuel pumps are used since 1999 with no history of failure.
I am therefore asking around.
The car is fine otherwise.
I WAS WONDERING IF ANY ONE ELSE HAD THE SAME THING WITH THE BRAKES ON THESE CAR
If I was you, I'd reconsider on the sunroof. OK to have 'em when they were designed and built that way from ground up by the manufacturer. My '00 Sonata GLS Pkg 13 has one and I love it. But allowing someone else to cut a huge hole in the roof and install a complex system is an entirely different matter.
Will Hyundai cover this under full warranty? If not, I wouldn't do it at all.
I've just been checking out the new Sonata on the Korean Hyundai web site. It looks great. I'm hoping that it will be released soon here in Australia. I guess it will be soon since they are haveing 'run-out' deals on the current model. I also managed to download a copy of the Korean ad for the new model which shows it from all different angles. The front looks like a C class Benz, the bonnet like an S Type Jag and the rear like an S Type Jag with a hint of Ford Falcon (Aussie model Ford).
I'd be interested in your comments.
I have an ACS moonroof installed through a nissan dealer on a 98 Altima. It was completely fine, and covered under ASC lifetime warranty. That included headliner work....
It was cool because when you turned off the ignition, the roof closed automatically.....you could override that and leave it open if you wanted....but a neat feature, i thought.