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Hyundai Elantra 2001-2006

5565 messages,  Last post on Mar 24, 2013 at 3:24 PM

You are in the Hyundai Elantra Forum.

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Elantra, Sedan

Messages Page 372 of 557

#3710 of 5565 Lady9, just buy one... by tomofportland

Sep 14, 2003 (12:01 am)

I'm 6'4, 200 lbs and went from a 1998 Toyota Avalon XLS (BLECH!) to a 2001 Elantra GLS. I have everything but that AT and the ABS and have plenty of room (even with the moonroof). I love this car. At 46k and rollin' along the only thing I have had to worry about is nothing. I use synthetic oil (changed every 5k miles) and just bought my 1st set of tires about 6k miles ago (Les Schwab AquaTreads, very nice!). This car has seen it all and done it all and continues to amaze me every single day. There isn't a thing it can't do. I've owned Hondas, Toyotas and Ford products in the past. I'm a loyal Hyundai owner now and when the day comes to get this one replaced (NO!) I'll be the first one at the Hyundai dealership driving a new one off the lot. In truth I've experienced the brake issue and the hesitation issue with my little guy (Scrappy) and they were both fixed under warranty. The hesitation is still a problem but just keep the pedal down and it'll pass right through it and then really take off.
 
As for you all experiencing the headlight issue it kind of freaks me out. I blew a bulb at about 25k miles in the left headlight. They put the bulb in at no charge and I was spotting aircraft the next night. I drove back and they did the whole thing over again correctly and it's going strong still. Everything works great and the car is very tight. I moved to CA a few years back and drove that car in searing heat mid-day (101) loaded to the roof with the AC running on level 2, stereo (upgraded) blasting and the cruise control set at 85. He never missed a beat. Went right up the 'Grapevine' with cruise set at 70 AC blowin and up and over we went without dropping 1 mph. Stopped at the top and a guy in a Camry asked me if I was crazy. Said I made it no problem and drove away.
 
My Toyota ($30k experiment in frustration) was a nightmare. My car prior to that was a 96 Civic which wasn't nearly as comfortable, quiet, fast or fun to drive as my Elantra. Trust me, I feel very safe in this car and I drive comparitively fast and to some very fast. My thinking is this, I'm going to live if I hit someone because the car is built very well and the safety systems in place are designed to work together.
 
Okay, this is getting long. Sorry. I can't say enough good things about this car. I've owned 12 cars in 22 yrs and have to say that this is one I will be hard pressed to let go of when the time comes. But be sure that it will be replaced with another one. The best thing about this car is that I paid $11,888 for it and have not regretted it for one minute. 1/3 the price of my Avalon and 3x the fun.

#3711 of 5565 Used oil analysis-Super Tech 10w30-2001 Elantra by csandste

Sep 17, 2003 (4:18 pm)

Anyone doubting the durability of Hyundai products should take a look at how my engine is wearing.
 
Miles on oil 4070, Miles on Engine 48590 (ST filter)
 
Aluminum 2
Chromium 1
Iron 5
Copper 13
Lead 3
Tin 1
Moly 2
Nickel 0
Manganese 0
Silver 0
Titanium 0
Potassium 0
Boron 3
Silicon 13
Sodium 4
Calcium 1951
Magnesium 6
Phosporous 816
Zinc 934
Barium 1
 
SUS Visc.210 f 59.2
Flashpoint 385
Fuel .5
Antifreeze & water 0
Insolubles .5
 
Blackstone's Comments: Carl: No problems showed up in the initial sample from your Hyundai. All wear read well below averages for this type of engine, which is a very good indication of normal wearing parts. Insulables were fine at .5% showing good oil filtration. No fuel dilution or anti-freeze was found. The TBN read .8, on the low side, but still showing active additive present in the oil. We probably wouldn't go too much longer on this oil, but 4000 miles seems to be a good interval for the way this engine wears. Nice Engine!

#3712 of 5565 9k miles by kaz6

Sep 19, 2003 (11:01 am)

As my GT approaches the 9k mark, the mileage has improved as well as the smoothness of the engine's power delivery. My mpg has gone up 1 in both city and highway driving. The only problems I've had so far are cosmetic: both front door black trim on frame is starting to peel at the rear base; anchor for seatbelt buckle in back seat broke(this is the plastic clip that keeps buckle off seat cushion); some plastic film has started to creep out from under the rear spoiler(I had this happen on the rt. side now it's the left). The car is great mechanically and I love it for long trips! The leather has broken in nicely.

#3713 of 5565 Re film by backy

Sep 19, 2003 (8:03 pm)

Do you suppose that might be some protective film that they just forgot to remove?

#3714 of 5565 '04 Elantra up close by backy

Sep 20, 2003 (5:12 pm)

I got my first look at the '04 today, a red/grey GLS automatic base model Enterprise rental in a parking lot. The most prominent change is the new bumper, grille, and headlights. It is the black grille with horizontal bars and a chrome strip across the top that we saw in the pics from the UK. Very sharp! Also the new headlight clusters with grey surrounds and projector-style turn signals look good. The new wheel covers are a little racier looking than the old ones, with a swept-back look to the spokes, but they do leave a lot of the wheel exposed. The side trim strips have a detail line on them. And of course there's the circular pattern in the tailights that had been noted before. The red color looked a little lighter to me than did the old red color--looked very sharp to me (but I like medium red cars).
 
Inside, there's lots of little improvements but basically it's the same interior. The seat cloth has an embossed pattern to it and looks a little richer than the old cloth (also looks more "Buick" to me). The instrument cluster is new and has a 3-D look to it, with the dials raised a bit--looks more upscale. As do the new HVAC controls--big round knobs, should be easy to grab. The center vents get shutoff switches. The "H" on the steering wheel is highlighted in silver. It looked like there were two 12-volt power points: the cigarette lighter and another power point right below it. The ash tray said "Push" on it, so it's probably damped.
 
Coincidently I happened to see Motor Trend's 2004 preview mag today. They said the Elantra loses HP, which isn't exactly right. The SULEV engine option does lose 3 ponies, to 132, but the ULEV engine gains 3 horses to 138. And the EPA highway rating has gone up one, to 34. So not the big power increase we hoped for with the VVT engine, but lower emissions and higher mpg with a slight increase in power for most people is all good.
 
All in all, I don't think these changes will make a current '01-'03 Elantra owner want to run right out and buy a new one (at least not me), but it should be enough to keep the Elantra competitive with other compacts until its next redesign.

#3715 of 5565 backy by jimbeaumi

Sep 22, 2003 (3:48 pm)

Red with a grey interior instead of beige? That's a change, but I am curious if the grey is lighter than the current charcoal-dark interior. Mazda Protege has a shade of grey I prefer (which is why I bought my GLS with a beige interior). I like a brighter interior, esp. after my previous car's very dark grey.

#3716 of 5565 Shades of grey by backy

Sep 22, 2003 (6:32 pm)

It was a medium grey color. I couldn't compare it directly to the old grey color because I have the tan interior, but it didn't look real dark to me, and the seat fabric color seemed a tad lighter than the current grey fabric. Another reason the interior looks lighter is I think the plastic surrounding the gauges and HVAC vents/controls is a little lighter silvery grey color than in the '01-'03 models. I thought the medium red paint and the grey interior was a sharp combination. Now I'm wondering what the new tan interior looks like, also if they have added a tan leather interior for '04.

#3717 of 5565 backy by pzev

Sep 23, 2003 (5:38 am)

Did the torque change any?

#3718 of 5565 Re torque by backy

Sep 23, 2003 (6:32 pm)

The car I saw didn't have a window sticker on it. I was at the Hyundai dealer today (22,500 mile service) and saw a few '04 GLSes. I think the window sticker said 136 for torque, but I'm not certain. I did notice however that the automatics make only 32 mpg on the highway, vs. 33 for the '03s. Also noticed a hideous (to me) new color, a gold color that looked cheap to me. I'm not fond of the new aqua color either. I hope they didn't ditch some of the best colors from previous years: pewter, champagne, ocean blue, and cobalt blue.
 
FWIW, my dealer had to keep my car overnight for some warranty work (the tech had to go to a funeral) so I got a free loaner: a '01 Daewoo Nubria that makes my Elantra feel like a Mercedes in comparison. Oh well, it's free--they don't even expect me to refill the gas.

#3719 of 5565 Hyundai electrical system by terryj1

Sep 25, 2003 (5:35 pm)

My 13-month-old Elantra suddenly lost all lights the other night while we were driving...very scary experience. Luckily, they came back on almost immediately. Good thing we were traveling a back road and there was no traffic. Two days later the left turn signal wasn't working correctly, the wipers...I bring the Elantra to the dealer who says the computer can't find what's wrong, that I must bring the car in when the problem is happening. Okay, folks...here's a picture: I'm on an interstate; the lights black out again, and I cause a major pile up of cars. Is that when I call the dealer to run over with his computer?!?! Apparently, I am being unreasonable to expect to drive a safe car. Here's another dealer-ism: "We called a technician in New Jersey (I live in VA) and he said there is no record of any Elantras having this problem." MMMMMmmmm. Any help out there?

Messages Page 372 of 557

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