- #16 of 51
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Re: Catalytic Converter skid plate installed backwards at factory [flytedhy]
by targettuning
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May 18, 2006 (9:12 am)
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Replying to: flytedhy (May 17, 2006 4:20 pm)
Sorry, I got carried away with the radio non-issue and forgot to address your reply to my advice to "trade it in". Now that I have thought about it maybe the best thing to do would be to take it to the dealer, point out any problems you may have including your reversed heat shield to the service manager, retire to the waiting room, watch some T.V., have a coffee and wait a while until they come out to tell you your car is fixed. Then dig into your wallet...WAIT!! the car has "America's best warranty" so that part probably won't be necessary and that is that. In this you will be doing what tens of thousands of automobile owners do each and every day...getting their cars fixed with one possible exception, many do not enjoy "America's best warranty" so they WILL have to fish into their wallet...
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- #17 of 51
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Re: Catalytic Converter skid plate installed backwards at factory [targettuning]
by flytedhy
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May 19, 2006 (12:31 am)
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Replying to: targettuning (May 18, 2006 9:12 am)
Had you read all of my message, I said the Cat plate might not have been a problem IF there had not been air vents in it. There were air vents, I mentioned that. Hyundai does not make there own radios, never said they did, nor do any OEM's that I'm aware of. They do however have 100% control over what quality they chose, and Hyundai made a poor choice. A warranty is only as good as the company that backs it, and my experience is that Hyundai has decided to spend more on advertising "america best warranty" than they have on building a quality product or actually fixing all the defects. Its also better to not have to be at the dealer because your vehicle is not broke than to have it replaced 3 times for free. As mentioned earlier by another poster, Tucson sales are down and I would reason thats because many, like myself, bought into reasonable expectations for a 20K vehicle and have been disappointed by the quality, dealer experience, and overall deception Hyundai tries to sell about how these vehicles are competition for Honda and Toyota. A marketing strategy that owners quickly see is not true.
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- #18 of 51
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Re: Catalytic Converter skid plate installed backwards at factory [flytedhy]
by targettuning
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May 19, 2006 (5:01 am)
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Replying to: flytedhy (May 19, 2006 12:31 am)
Final word, from me anyhow, on the radio issue. Hyundai tells Clarion, or another mass electronics producer, build us 100,000 radios with these dimensions, those knobs etc. make it have a single play CD and AM and FM. Do all this for lets say the Korean equivilent of $60.00.. they haggle and end up at $55.00 per unit. Clarion builds these per the price per unit and spec. contract and subjects them to their quality controls.. ships them to Hyundai who installs them on the line. Each and every radio may, or may not, be run through a full range of tests when in the car. You buy the car and don't like the quality ( maybe you are an audio snob? maybe not), you complain to the dealer who may, or may not, agree with your acessment. If he agrees he swaps it out for a new radio.. if Hyundai gets word that 90% of the radios installed are faulty some changes in the contract with Clarion will happen. If 20 people complain maybe 10 radios will get swapped out for new ones and 5 of the remaining 10 will get changed out for an aftermarket unit..the remainder will just bitch to no avail. Oversimplification? you bet but that is probably what happens.
Correct, better not to be at the dealer at all...if you find the vehicle that fulfills this PLEASE let me know and I will abandon Hyundai in a hearbeat but you know, and I know there ain't no such animal. But,if like any mechanical thing it breaks it IS better getting it fixed for free AND many Hyundai owners do not have to endure "three" tries for a fix, which by the way is FREE!!
Finally, although Tucson sales may be down, I haven't independently confirmed this, it is most likely due to a trend that all SUV manufacturers are experiencing..high fuel prices..lower SUV sales... this is as plain as the, well, LCD readout on the gas pump..
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- #20 of 51
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Re: Catalytic Converter skid plate installed backwards at factory [targettuning]
by flytedhy
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May 19, 2006 (8:07 pm)
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Replying to: targettuning (May 19, 2006 5:01 am)
What you fail to understand is that Hyundai knows what sensitivity/selectivity and S/N ratio are on the radios they chose to install. I've repaired electronics for a long time, seen the insides and repaired about all makes and have the highest FCC repair license, highest Amateur radio license and am a certified electronics technician. There is no random choice of quality. They know what quality radio they have. They also know that the long coax run to the antenna weakens the signal. Hyundai chose a cheap radio and poor design, and you simply can't defend that.
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- #21 of 51
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What difference does the radio make?
by mikdee
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May 20, 2006 (5:09 am)
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Replying to: flytedhy (May 19, 2006 8:07 pm)
Coming from a previous 2002 Santa Fe LX 4WD V6, to a simliarly equipped Tucson, the O.E. radio is 100% better! the previous one had the weakest Bass I ever heard. So, the particular radio in the Tucson LX is quite an improvement, it is fine to me. Besides the only people that care that much about this item, will probably change it out anyway. I'm more concerned about the fact that the Santa Fe got better gas milage then my Tucson??? But, to those people who never owned a Santa Fe as I did (for 3yrs & 87K miles) before trading for a Tucson, they would never be able to know, or understand this. Another difference is the Tucson rides abit harder (not as smooth) as the Santa Fe, I guess you could call it "Sportier", and the luggage capacity is less, But I still love my Tucson, just can't figure out for the life of me, Why this lighter, more aerodynamic vehicle, then the Santa Fe gets worse gas milage???
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- #22 of 51
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Re: What difference does the radio make? [mikdee]
by flytedhy
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May 20, 2006 (8:23 am)
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Replying to: mikdee (May 20, 2006 5:09 am)
What transmission did the Santa Fe have? Its also not to uncommon for a larger engine, despite the initial thought of more HP less mpg, to actually get marginally better mpg as they turn at a lower rpm and hence better efficiency. The more gears the better and 5-speed transmissions seem to be the standard for a lot of cars, even smaller ones and it makes sense. I've seen 6 and 7-speed automatics but only on sport models. Especially with high fuel costs, I think its an inexpensive way for OEM's to increase mpg at very little additional cost. The technology is certainly there.
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- #23 of 51
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Re: Catalytic Converter skid plate installed backwards at factory [flytedhy]
by targettuning
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May 22, 2006 (5:53 am)
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Replying to: flytedhy (May 19, 2006 8:07 pm)
OK.. so "there is no random choice of quality" but there is a cost per unit verses "how good do you want this thing?" issue and every manufacturer faces it. Since there is only you trying to prove how bad Hyundai is, me, defending Hyundai again, and one other guy here nobody else seems to feel it is worth worrying about so I guess it isn't really that big an issue. It absolutely stands to reason though the more you expect to sell the car for the more can be expended in details...lambs wool carpet...hides from 1 year old, indoor raised Alpacas for the seats etc. So I expect Hyundai had a price per unit for each radio in mind at the 19-22K (or whatever it is exactly)price point. Some persons here may actually have an individual radio that IS faulty and those will be replaced as required. Regarding line loss Geez how many manufacturers mount their antenna on the rear fender..rear glass...a rubber stick on the roof? A longish antenna lead isn't a real issue however especially when an amplifier, such as Hyundai uses, is installed after the antenna...before the radio. And yeah, I can defend it until you can absolutely prove Hyundai utilizes poorer quality components..designs...specifications...and a choice of a company to subcontract these out to that has poor quality control on a consistant basis. Probably no better or worse in these regards than any other auto manufacturer. The end!
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- #24 of 51
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Re: What difference does the radio make? [mikdee]
by targettuning
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May 22, 2006 (6:08 am)
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Replying to: mikdee (May 20, 2006 5:09 am)
As stated I also had Santa FE's two (2) to be exact. I had a 2002 AWD 2.7 liter(4 speed auto) and a 2003 AWD 3.5 liter(5 speed auto). I can, for once, agree with flytedhy. The 3.5 actually got better highway (not city though) mileage 24 verses 22MPG. This was, I believe, due to two things. At any given road speed the 5 speed 3.5 liter ran at more than 500 RPM slower. This translated into better fuel economy. Second, the 3.5 simply had much more torque and almost never downshifted on hills and grades that had the 2.7 in 3rd gear. I find that the Tucson gets about the same mileage as the 2002 2.7 liter Santa Fe. Also, the Tucson isn't all that much lighter nor is it physically much smaller. It is an optical illusion that the Tucson is a lot smaller. Cargo space was sacrificed for passenger space on the Tucson and it(passenger space) is actually larger than the Santa Fe as measured in Cubic feet.
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- #25 of 51
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Re: Catalytic Converter skid plate installed backwards at factory [targettuning]
by flytedhy
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May 23, 2006 (10:21 am)
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Replying to: targettuning (May 22, 2006 5:53 am)
Hyundai DOES NOT use an antenna amplifier on the Tucson like you mentioned, that is incorrect. So you can defend Hyundai all day, thats obvious, you just can't seem to get the facts correct, thats obvious also. Since I'm qualified to talk about these vehicles in technical terms, it may be best for you to have discussions with others who enjoy more general non-technical issues. No offense meant, were just talking on two levels of knowledge here.
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