OT: Hyundai info needed

[awp101]

The Old Man just called and told me my Great Aunt is looking for a new car. A friend of hers has a Hyundai and she's pretty convinced she wants one and asked my Dad about them. He doesn't know anything about them so he asked me. I know nothing about them so I'm asking y'all...

She's 80ish so we're talking about a sedan, not the Tiberon.

Anyone have experiences with them one way or the other?

Thanks!

[DuggaBoye]

Have a cousin living in the Heart O' Texas area that has whipped one mercilessly for almost 300K.

Everyone I know with them has been happy.

They're kinda out Toyota-ing Toyota,

overall good JD Powers Ratings and Edmunds Ratings.

[TedH]

The Hyundai/Kia group has come light years in quality in recent years. I work for Kia and can testify that their cars are not even comparable, quality wise, to the cars they made just 10 years ago. For those that don't know Hyundai and Kia are kind of like Chevy/GMC. Same thing, but different tags. I certainly wouldn't have any problem recommending one.

[gamekeeper]

The Hyundai/Kia group has come light years in quality in recent years. I work for Kia and can testify that their cars are not even comparable, quality wise, to the cars they made just 10 years ago. For those that don't know Hyundai and Kia are kind of like Chevy/GMC. Same thing, but different tags. I certainly wouldn't have any problem recommending one.

My last car was a Kia and my current car is a Hyundai, found both to be very reliable but much preferred the Kia.

[piller]

I have 3 Techs who all own Kias and they get good gas mileage and have not had any mechanical failures to report. Not much to go on, but nothing bad.

[Streetstar]

i have an uncle in Dallas who is slavishly devoted to the brand almost. At first i thought it was curious, as i am a long time full size pickup and SUV driver.

His remark to me was "for the price of a Denali, i can buy 2 Santa Fe's, one for me and one for the wife" which is what he did, but he has owned sedans in the past and liked their reliability and reasonable price compared to the competition.

I had absolutely no argument ---- if your not towing heavy or need the extra room, but still sometimes need the capability of a medium size SUV, his decision made sense to me. (although not necessarilly the vehicle decision i would make, i'm fairly inflexible on supporting Ford with my pickup purchases -- but the wife drives an Accord, go figure)

close to the '11 roll out time -- she may be able to wrangle a sweet deal on a '10

[awp101]

Thanks guys! The only "experience" we have is from the relative of a friend. As I understand it, the front wheel bearings went out.

When he took it in, they found the front underside rusted (and I guess the CV joints maybe?) and refused to honor the warranty. They claimed the front end had been submerged. The owner says the only water the car has seen has been rain or the car wash and a bad seal would cause what they saw.

I suspect it's a dealer issue though (nothing against you TedH! ). I read enough about Chevy dealerships trying to avoid warranty repairs on the 355 forum, I think if he took it to a different dealer it probably would not have been an issue.

[Blaine]

We've had a company KIA station wagon for many years....it's been highly abused and still runs. Parts are a problem and expensive. Usually, just a dedicated KIA part will fit. No one seems to make aftermarket parts that are cheaper than factory. Little knobs and stuff seem to fall off or break. BUT, like I said, this one is about 6 years old, and runs good.

[.45colt]

In 2001 the Wife and I went to the car show in Cleveland.She saw the Hyundai Santa Fe. and fell in love.We bought one with the 4 cyl and a 5 speed stick.it doesn't have alot of power for the mountians but it's pretty flat around here. We drove it to the UP of Michagan four times getting 27mpg on the freeway. it had three or four warrenty issues and Hyundai fixed it right,.....and right now.with no BULL S***. last year I bought a new Santa Fe V-6 5 speed. the first one We gave to my Boy has 170,000 mi and is still running well. it is the best money I ever spent on a car.
unlike my '05 product of Detroit that now has 2 warrenty issues that I am nearly begging them to fix, and is starting to rust with 58,000 mi on it.
The people at Hyundai Service have always treated us very well. I will buy another once I get the Detroit problem fixed.

[Blaine]

In 2001 the Wife and I went to the car show in Cleveland.She saw the Hyundai Santa Fe. and fell in love.We bought one with the 4 cyl and a 5 speed stick.it doesn't have alot of power for the mountians but it's pretty flat around here. We drove it to the UP of Michagan four times getting 27mpg on the freeway. it had three or four warrenty issues and Hyundai fixed it right,.....and right now.with no BULL S***. last year I bought a new Santa Fe V-6 5 speed. the first one We gave to my Boy has 170,000 mi and is still running well. it is the best money I ever spent on a car.
unlike my '05 product of Detroit that now has 2 warrenty issues that I am nearly begging them to fix, and is starting to rust with 58,000 mi on it.
The people at Hyundai Service have always treated us very well. I will buy another once I get the Detroit problem fixed.

Which product of Detroit do you have?

[TedH]

When he took it in, they found the front underside rusted (and I guess the CV joints maybe?) and refused to honor the warranty. They claimed the front end had been submerged. The owner says the only water the car has seen has been rain or the car wash and a bad seal would cause what they saw.

I suspect it's a dealer issue though (nothing against you TedH! ). .

I can't imagine it would be a "dealer" issue. I hear people all the time saying their dealer wouldn't make good on warranty this or that. That goes for any manufacturer, but it just doesn't make any sense. The dealer get's paid from the maker for all work that is done under warranty just the same as if the customer was paying for it. Why would they turn down work? The shop could be worried that a claim would be kicked back by the maker for whatever reason, and then they're just out the cost of the repair. Tell them to call the manufacturer's consumer affairs hotline and tell their story to them. That will get some action in a hurry most times. At least the DPSM (District Parts and Service Manager) should/would talk to the dealer and find out what's going on.


On the other side of the coin, we can get our hands slapped for selling warranty work. That is performing warranty repairs that the customer was not complaining about or aware of. I do it all the time though. If I know it's a problem that is going to need attention eventually, why not save the owner a trip to the shop? Besides, it lets them know that we are looking out for their best interests in keeping the vehicle up in top shape. It also helps form a trust that is hard to keep, and even harder to earn back once it's broke.

[John in MS]

TedH, you are a wise man. If I ever went to a dealer who did warranty work pro-actively
for me, instead of trying to jam me every chance they got, I'd be a customer of that dealer
for life (or until they changed for the worse...) Plus, I would send every friend I had to them, with the highest recommendation. You are thinking long-term, the others are thinking short term. Good for you!!

John

[iceman]

I have a 2009 Sante Fe and I have 40,000KM (approx 25,000 miles) since last September no issues. V6 automatic 2.7 liter and I get approx 25 mpg. I find it very comfortable, and quiet. I would buy another, but I want to see how far I can drive this one before I start having issues.

[Barcelona Rick]

Just finished reading an article in Automobile mag about the Hyundai Group....was impressed. I am a die hard Ford man but my 2005 F150XLT SuperCrew which is loaded has just had $700 worth of work...three sparkplugs broke off....design flaw with the Triton 5.4 V8.....cam phasers are raising cain.....design flaw.....153,000 miles and just looked at a used car....my trade value $7000.....this for a fully loaded outstanding condition other than the cam phasers truck...

rick

[.45colt]

BlaineG Wrote;"Which product of Detroit do you have?" Well..... I don't need any more bad mojo with this SUV,all I want is it be fixed like the warrenty says.
It isn't a Ford or a GM product.so You can fill in the blanks. it's like it had a 5 year time bomb built in. I really just want it .........................................................................GONE.

[JReed]

As Ted said. Hyundai has come a long way since their first days of bringing cars here. They are a great car for the money. Dollar for dollar you get more car then if you bought a Toyota or Honda.

[Blaine]

BlaineG Wrote;"Which product of Detroit do you have?" Well..... I don't need any more bad mojo with this SUV,all I want is it be fixed like the warrenty says.
It isn't a Ford or a GM product.so You can fill in the blanks. it's like it had a 5 year time bomb built in. I really just want it .........................................................................GONE.

SIL bought a 1500 Hemi used with about 70,000 on it.....nothing but trouble and he got rid of it PDQ. I've had several used and new Ford PUs and never had a problem with any of them.

[awp101]

All the research and questions asking and he just texted me that she went with an '07 Taurus...

Ted, I suspect there's more to the story. That's how it was relayed to me third hand so who knows what really happened.

[crs]

WE have two, both purchased new. My son drives a 5 year old Accent 4 cylinder (basic transportation) and is pleased with it. Absolutly no service except new tires and a battery.
My wife drives a two year old Tuscon V6 and we relaced the tires at 40,000 miles and it has had a battery replaced (the OEM was undersized for the 4 cylinder). It is peppt and cruises well on the highway, even on runs from Dallas to Mississippi.
So far, they look OK to us.

[Big Bore 94]

At 0400 on a empty Korean mountain highway at 140 KPH with a huge upward cliff on one side and a downward cliff to a rice pattie below. The right rear brake locked up! The car went to three shops before repairs were completed. The metal had welded itself from the heat.