Hyundai Elantra GT 2004

[patkins296]

:cry: Worst ever purchase to many problems to soon and a dealership that thinks they did a favour selling me car and customer service is not present. Delivered with pull to the left, Burr in the throttle body, door tapes peeled on rear doors, brakes rusted, radio reception not found,clunky transmission, creeky noises from left front suspension and damage to left front tie down with lots of rust. All these problems under 1000 kms of ownership.

[woohoo!]

That's not good. I got a friend of mine that bought an Elantra GT, and since day one, the clutch slips. The dealer doesn't want to change it.

I don't understand why dealers don't realize how only a few hundred dollars of repairs (in your case, warranty-covered repairs) can make a customer happy and refer his/her friends and family to that dealership, and generate more sales and a better reputation.

[The General]

I hate to say this but it's not impossible that the car was delivered accidented. It can sometimes even happen without the dealer although they would easily find out if they tried. I would strongly suggest to have the inspected by someone to start building a case against Hyundai. You want to document evrey trip to the dealer, every repair they attempt and all the stories (explanations) they might give you.

In the Toronto area, you can go to Priority Plus Inspections in Concord. (905) 669-1110

Once you've done this, I would recommend you contact the APA and they will be able to suggest a concrete course of action to take against the dealer and the manufacturer. Don't wait, the sooner you get going, the better it will be for you.

[patkins296]

And for all those people that are thinking of a Hyundai look somewhere else customer service from Hyundai Auto Canada is terrible. If you do have a problem they will not do a thing for you the customer my car has been looked at by another Hyundai dealership and they say there is a problem and selling dealer denies the problem and hyundai does not call you back to help you with the problem that has to be fixed by selling dealer which does nothing. SO MUCH FOR THE BEST WARRANTY.


Just thought I would add to my post from yesterday so flipping mad about this car.

[The General]

Have the car checked out. Get something in writing from the other dealer and bring to your selling dealer or send to it Hyundai Canada.

You don't have to "suffer" like this forever.

[patkins296]

I must add and update on this headache of a car and tell people that hyundai might say they have the best warranty in the business but try and get it...... car is now 8 months old hood is rusting at latch pin on hod pretty bad reminds me of the pony days.. both headlights are filling up with warranty very visible A/C has frozze up causing ice to fall into the fan making noises of cocktails being made at the bar! rear hatch the wants rip your head off will not stay up in our cold canadian winters -15 good day... this is what has happened in last month and 22,000 kms pretty scarry and hyundai not there to help.....And I have gotten help will have to wait and see what happens next month, we need the lemon law in Canada! :twisted:

[The General]

I would recommend you contact the APA and they will be able to suggest a concrete course of action to take against the dealer and the manufacturer. Don't wait, the sooner you get going, the better it will be for you.

I still suggest you do this. They have lawers that may be able to help you.

416-204-1444

www.apa.ca

[patkins296]

Well since I wrote this article I have taken Hyundai Auto Canada to Arbitration and they only had to repay money for a radio I purchased since all of there radios were junk. I was told in the hearing that because I drive my car 40,000kms a year that I am a severe driver and will have more problems example the Hood is rusting in the seams and under trim, defog system is poor freezes up and many other issues. Also in the hearing I purchased 4 Cooper weather master snow tires and rims for the winter and was told by the Hyundai rep that they were not Hyundai tires and rims and they are the reason for the pulls I experinced and front end issues, that was the best respose by a manufacturer not that front end has been out of alingment 3 times from brand new it had a pull and wore tires. So what I have learned from dealing with a Korean Manufaturer that brags about best warranty in the business and a better made car, try getting warranty and you will always have the pony, stellar issue rusting before the car is a year old, the new Hyundai is still the old just better advertising.

[The General]

Did you go through CAMVAP or CAA arbitration?

If you did not go through CAMVAP, you can still take them to Small Claims Court.

This is ridiculous and this is the problem with arbitration. It is usually easier to side with the manufacturer 'cause they are the "big guys".

Don't give up.

[patkins296]

Well after still having huge issues with this car and being told that the tires are bad and causing my vibration by the dealership. I have taken my car to a Michelin Dealer for tire warranty and they have found that with no front tires on it and 6 feet off the ground the wheel shakes, off to dealership and was refused to work on my car and refused warranty work........What do you do now gone through CAMVAP and I WON. still no help with my car problems! ALL I CAN SAY IS DO NOT BUY HYUNDAI....

[jww]

Well after still having huge issues with this car and being told that the tires are bad and causing my vibration by the dealership. I have taken my car to a Michelin Dealer for tire warranty and they have found that with no front tires on it and 6 feet off the ground the wheel shakes, off to dealership and was refused to work on my car and refused warranty work........What do you do now gone through CAMVAP and I WON. still no help with my car problems! ALL I CAN SAY IS DO NOT BUY HYUNDAI....

Your experiences with Hyundai have just scored both Hyundai and Kia off my shopping list for a vehicle in the forseeable or long-term future. Sorry to hear about your bad experience, but thanks for sharing it with us as a warning.

jww

[The General]

What do you do now gone through CAMVAP and I WON. still no help with my car problems!

What exactly is indicated on your judgement from CAMVAP?

There are options. I'm looking into it.

[apl16]

patkins....i've heard of this vibration problem in elantras before. i have some friends that cured the problem by using a Hunter GSP 9700 wheel balancing/vibration system. the difference with this system is supposed to be that the wheel is tested with a load on the tire, simulating weight against the tire.
i just checked on hunter's website. its says that Centennial Chrysler ,395 Dunlop Street West in Barrie owns one of these machines.
ph. - 705-726-0393

i have no relationship with the hunter company. i just heard it worked for others and noted the machine and website for future reference.

i hope it helps because this problem has frustrated others in the past.

good luck!

[The General]

http://www.gsp9700.com/

Very interesting machine!

http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/images/video/gsp9700_T1_video.cfm

What have you got to loose?

Did you try my suggestion?

[patkins296]

This is a follow up for all people looking at Hyundai products. I now have 85k on the car the clutch has now failed and according to the dealer it's abuse, every car I have drove in 22 years of driving had a clutch done above 300k. All of the problems I have had with this car were clutch transmission related since the first work order at 999 kms on it now that it is at a high amount all warranty is off according to hyundai. For myself having to pay for clutch that failed so early and this car is driven on the highway NO CITY DRIVING is a joke. What I found a joke is taking the car to Mister Transmission and on the road test the vibration through the steering wheel almost made the guy loose his teeth and he said you have a problem, I told him hyundai refeers to this as road feal, a quote taken from the work order that says the elantra GT has stiffer suspession. For all people that are going to say tires and rims for the vibration changed both and tried also no tires on it this car off the ground on a hoist vibrates the same as on the road, that is some road feal 3 feet off the ground. If you are looking at a hyundai and you think the warranty is great..... and you think they have come a long way since the pony shake your head buy something else.

[JOHNB]

:cry: Worst ever purchase to many problems to soon and a dealership that thinks they did a favour selling me car and customer service is not present. Delivered with pull to the left, Burr in the throttle body, door tapes peeled on rear doors, brakes rusted, radio reception not found,clunky transmission, creeky noises from left front suspension and damage to left front tie down with lots of rust. All these problems under 1000 kms of ownership.

here is a good one had a lot of prob with parts from a Hyundai dealership so rang the head office in Ireland local dealer got the hump and banned me for going over his head now head office refuse to get involved with local prob. good way to get rid of unsatisfied customers.never buy Hyundai crap cars crap after-sales

[tgt1]

Ok...this looks like a problem many folks are having.

I bought my 2002 GT brand new with < 20 miles on it. Drove it off the showroom floor. Test driving before purchase up to 60 mph, and no problems. So I bought it. Noticed a very slight vibration in the front end after a few days once I got above 65-70 mph, but it comes and goes, depending upon hills, turns, and speed. It's almost like a harmonic vibration in the front end steering or suspension. I just attributed it to wheel balance and figured it wasn't a big deal. So, I just drove it. Well, I now have 30K miles on it. And I'm going on a long road trip, so I figured I'd get the wheels balanced because I plan on extended 70+ mph driving.

I get it balanced, and it isn't any different at all. Same vibration. So, I figure that my tires must be crap. I've always disliked the Michelins MXVs anyhow. They are slick in the wet and useless in light snow. So, I go with the Kumho Solus KH16 from www.tirerack.com. I get them installed today with 4 wheel balance. Same vibration. In fact, a little worse. So, its not the tires. Installer says my wheels are true. I took it back not 15 minutes later to get re-balanced and watched the guy carefully. I watched the computer balance machine true out each wheel. We put the wheels back on the car for another test drive. This time it seemed good. Almost no vibration up to 80 mph. So I do a U-turn to go tell the guy's at the shop that the vibration seems to be fixed, and all of a sudden, here we go again with the vibration. I accellerate up to 70 mph, round a gentle curve, and the vibration returns. I take my wife out to show her later that day, and it is smoothe for about 2 minutes at 70 mph, only to start vibrating again...off and on...every minute or so. By the way, smooth as glass at 60 mph.

This has got to be some kind of design flaw in the front end suspension/steering components. If the tire or wheel was out of round or out of balance, the problem wouldn't just "go away" and "come back" depending upon whether I just rounded a curve or up or down a hill.

Ok. So, here's some more info. My wife has a 2003 Elantra GLS. I haven't noticed any vibration with her car...she's already worn out the Michelins and has the KH16s now - brand new tires. Well, this all got me curious, so I took her car for a high speed test. Above 65 mph and on to 80 mph, her Elantra has a very slight vibration that, get this, comes and goes based upon random chance? or a slight turn in the highway or whatever. Every 30 seconds or 60 seconds, it goes away, only to return...just much less noticable than my GT.

So, I read Hyundai's Technical Service Bulletin about front end vibration...here's the text to that from www.hmaservice.com:

---------------
Technical Service Bulletin Group
50 - Chassis

Number

01-50-008

Subject
Date

Tire and Wheel Vibration and Radial Force Variation
10-2001

Model

_All Models 0



TIRE AND WHEEL VIBRATION ANDRADIAL FORCE VARIATION
DESCRIPTION:

This bulletin provides guidelines when using a dynamic wheel balance machine capable of providing road force measurement data, such as the Hunter GSP9700 Vibration Control System.


Tire and wheel vibration may be caused by:

Imbalance
Wheel Damage or Out-of Round
Tire RFV (Radial Force Variation)

Imbalance is normally addressed first because it is the most common cause of vibration. A well maintained off-vehicle two-plane dynamic wheel balancer can accurately correct this condition.


If a vibration or shake still exists after an imbalance has been corrected, a possible wheel out-of round condition should be addressed next.


Wheel Damage or Out-of Round conditions should be measured and corrected using the procedure outlined in the appropriate Shop Manuals in the Suspension System, Tires/Wheels section.


If the vibration condition still continues, there is a possibility that a tire may have Radial Force Variation (RFV) in excess of specifications. RFV may be defined as the amount of change in stiffness of the sidewall and footprint when a load is placed against a tire. Subtle differences in the position of the cords and belts in a tires construction can create stiff spots that make the tire roll unevenly. The stiff spots act like runout to cause vibrations at various speeds. The vibrations caused by RFV tend to appear at certain speeds and then disappear as the speed changes.


To address RFV, a wheel balancer capable of measuring RFV, such as the Hunter GSP9700 is recommended. If you do not have the recommended equipment, you may locate one in your vicinity through the Hunter website (www.gsp700.com).



Follow the machine manufacturers procedure to measure RFV.


The following assembly RFV may be used as a guide:

P-Metric passenger car tires ---> 18 lbs or less
P-Metric tires on Santa Fe --->is 24 lbs or less.

If match mounting tires to in-specification wheels produces assembly RFV values that are higher, then tire replacement may be necessary. Replacing tires at lower values will probably mean good RFV tires are being replaced needlessly. Since tires can sometimes become temporarily flat-spotted, the RFV should not be measured until the vehicle is driven at least 10 miles. Tire pressure must also be adjusted to the usage pressure on the vehicles tire pressure label on the drivers door or B-Pillar.


In cases where the wheel vibration condition cannot be improved to an acceptable level using the above procedure, the Hyundai Technical Assistance line should be contacted for further instructions.

--------------

Ok, so it talks about using the Hunter GSP9700 Vibration Control System. So what!!! Obviously, it's not my tires! I've had the exact some problem and symptoms now with the original Michelins and the Kumhos I just installed. I think Hyundai knows it has a problem with the Elantra font end, but doesn't want to deal with it.

Anyhow, I'm going to be a good little consumer and go get the GSP9700 service tomorrow and will post the results on this message board.

I hope all this info helps other people who surely have this problem.

[patkins296]

Well after making the worst purchase in my life buying a hyundai and the fastest depricating car in history for me it's gone. I have learned lots of valueable info on buying cars especially brand new and one thing is for sure just beacause they say they have the best warranty does'nt mean they will fix your car. My one thing I will say is if you think something is wrong or does'nt look right take the car to another garage before you sign anything, do a test drive and visual before you sign a purchase or lease agreement you can get more done if something is wrong once you sign they are less likely to help and in my purchase of this Hyundai that is what happened. Bought a 2008 Impreza and followed my own rules and all is well.