24th Jan 2009, 22:29

I have a question for other '08 Accent owners. I hope someone can help.. has ANYONE figured out how to disable that annoying chime that goes off when the doors are open or the seat belt is not on?? I can't stand that thing. My last few vehicles simply had an indicator light, which I like. I do not enjoy listening to that stupid little chime. Yeah, I know I can put tape over the pin on the door jamb to stop it, and I do wear my seatbelt, but it's annoying, and with the cold weather, I haven't bothered to work outside long enough to find out where it is and bypass it. Has anyone done this?

4th Apr 2009, 23:11

Just an update... about 16,000 miles on the car and one very minor problem... the dome light has stopped working in the 'door' position. It turns on when you turn it on, but will not light up when the door opens and closes now. I'll get around to taking it in eventually. Other than that, no problems.

The car returned 38 mpg last tank, since the weather has been warm enough that I'm not letting it idle for a few minutes before driving it every time.

Other minor complaints... I know this is an economy car, but it really should come with mudflaps. You can wash it, but the first dirty puddle you hit sprays the whole side of the car.

Minor complaints, but it runs great, smoothly, quietly, good gas mileage, good heater A/C, good radio, very nice controls for an economy car, loaded with airbags.

Good car. The manual shift needs another gear, it needs mudflaps and that's about it.

23rd Apr 2009, 12:31

This is a post addressing the high RPM at 60-70 mph. Hyundai put in a poor quality air filter in the car as the stock filter. I have noticed a 400 RPM drop after changing the air filter. So at 60 mph I get about 2600 RPM instead of the 3000 RPM I got when I first used the vehicle, so there is nothing wrong with the engine or itself, just the disposable air filter.

27th Apr 2009, 12:14

The very FIRST thing I do with any car I buy, new or used, is switch to a high-flow K&N air filter. This not only improves fuel mileage a very tiny bit, but it improves power a tiny bit too. They last forever (1,000,000 miles) and all you have to do is clean them every 5,000 miles or so. It is well worth the extra cost (usually $45-$70).

29th May 2009, 22:19

I also put in a K&N air filter right away. However, it was explained to me that while it does for sure boost horsepower, it actually decreases gas mileage. Makes sense to me. It allows more air flow, and the car's sensors compensate by feeding it more fuel. Which is where the hp boost comes from. I may switch back to the stock filter and see if I gain anything.

7th Jun 2009, 21:09

No air filter can change the ratio between road speed and rpm's. The match between the engine speed and the gear ratio doesn't change regardless of how much or how little air the engine is getting. I wish it were that simple.

8th Jun 2009, 20:53

My dealership advised me to switch to a K&N air filter to IMPROVE fuel mileage. I've done that on all my vehicles and found a very tiny improvement in power and a very tiny improvement in fuel mileage. Also, after market suppliers are now coming out with tube fittings that allow most cars (I'm not sure about Hyundai) to have cold-air induction systems very easily fabricated for them. I fabricated a short-throw intake system for my 4-cylinder Grand Am and the improvement in performance was amazing. It felt like an additional 15 horsepower. The whole setup cost me less than $50.

My Mustang has an expensive bolt-on system that gave nowhere NEAR the power of the fabricated system. The secret is using a VERY short intake tube and shielding the filter from the engine's heat (use sheet metal and put a sliced-open 1/4" rubber hose around the edges to keep it from cutting you accidentally and to help seal it to the hood padding).

11th Jun 2009, 20:57

I'd like to see what the actual difference is between stock air filter and the K&N, but the difference seems so minimal that it's impossible in actual driving conditions to have any, 'constant' basis for a test. Too many variables; temperature changes the tire pressure, which affects mileage because of resistance... outside of a constant, controlled environment there's no way to gauge it accurately. This is all really picky, I know, over what might be a mile per gallon (or even less), but I'd like to know if the K&N actually helps or hurts the mpg. There is no question about the gain in power.

16th Jun 2009, 12:24

I take mileage very seriously and have kept track of the mileage before and after with all my vehicles since I started using K&N filters. At one point my wife and I both owned identical vehicles and it was really easy to see with those. My wife DIDN'T have a K&N filter on hers and I did. In general there was only at best 1/2 mpg difference. I also later added a Flowmaster muffler to mine. This did nothing really noticeable for the mileage, but appeared to give me a tiny edge in power. On hilly areas near our home my wife's required downshifting to maintain the 40mph speed limit while mine could remain in 5th gear (both were 5-speeds).

I do recommend the K&N filters simply because they last forever. That alone can save you the cost of replacing paper filters and offset the higher cost of the K&N. I no longer use Flowmaster mufflers because of the annoying, incessant drone at cruising speed on the highway. There are newer high-performance mufflers that really do boost power, give a great sound taking off and don't deafen you while traveling.

21st Jan 2010, 20:18

Love reading all the comments. I have never owned Hyundai. But I am seriously considering it down the line. I have 3-dr 1.5 ltr Toyota Yaris. And the car has never disappointed me thus far. It is reliable to own and easy to maintain. No major problems since I've had it. Taken it for long distances and back with 4 adults and no dramas. Not fast, but it isn't boring, it has adequate power and agile handling to make the driving well fun.

The Hyundai may have some similarities and even better in some areas like larger interior/ boot space for cargo etc. More power and better brakes. Which ever you choose, Toyota, Honda and Hyundai, you can't go wrong. Money wise nothing can match Hyundai's pricing, and what they offer is good value.