3rd Nov 2017, 20:11
I am the owner of the original post. I'm at 74k miles and the car is still going strong. I'm just doing the manufacturer recommendations at the scheduled miles (coolant flush, tranny flush, oil, etc) and I will have this car for a while. At the 70k mile marker, the dealership did a recall and made sure my engine was still solid. They did a test to make sure my engine is not prematurely wearing out. (I.e. "engine knocking"). I passed. :) I will keep trying to update every so often on this post to make sure readers are getting all the correct info.
3rd Nov 2017, 23:52
How are you finding the headlamps? I've read some reviews saying some customers find the standard headlamps not good enough.
13th Nov 2017, 04:26
I also do not like the factory standard low beam H7 bulbs. However, my Sonata has the factory fog/driving lights which helps a lot, filling more light onto the road. I bought upgraded H7 bulbs (in retail stores and online) and all the bulbs I received did not live up to the advertising. Retail store bulb was still yellow on a advertised white color bulb. And on a internet was holy moly blue color on a also advertised white color bulb. So I went to aftermarket HID, but I made a huge mistake. I thought the OEM H7 is a 55 watt bulb, so I bought an HID 55 watt kit, BUT it got so hot in the housing that is dis-formed the projector glass caused more problems. After hundreds of dollars, I found myself back to using the OEM 55 watt H7 low beam and 35 watt fog light. :(
13th Nov 2017, 08:14
Looks like there isn't much you could do - it's probably the design of the reflectors or the limitations of that shape of headlamp which determines the kind of light the thing will throw out. I've read the current Ford Mondeo (Fusion in Nth America) also has similar problems with the low beams - they also have slim headlamps. You wonder at times if these people who design cars actually test their products in the real world. At least you have the foglamps which supplement it.
6th Jul 2019, 14:38
I am the original owner of the post. As of 07/06/2019, I am now at 100,800 miles.
At 95k, I needed both front axles replaced; it was making this clicking / knocking sound; it was covered under warranty.
In a couple of days, I have an appointment to replace my passenger front inner tie rod (not under warranty) and replace my rear brakes.
Within the last couple years, but noticeable in the 2018/2019 year, I've noticed the rear driver door window doesn't roll up on its own. I have to roll it up on my main driver's switch.
One thing that bothers me is at 94k I was in a minor accident. The front headlight was broken. The body shop replaced it with an OEM Hyundai assembly, but it is defective and Hyundai doesn't want to help me figure out what's wrong. Body shop are telling me to go after the dealer... while the dealer is telling me the body shop improperly installed the housing, causing my problem.
8th Jul 2019, 15:38
You have got to be tough and determined. When I had my Hyundai it was like going to war with the dealership to do any warranty work. They would sometimes play around or tinker with different things and the problem would come back. You have actually got them to fix and replace items. What is your secret, or is it just a great dealership?
11th Jul 2019, 03:03
Now before I explain the warranty, I don't always get my regular maintenance at this dealer. There have been some times when their service prices are WAY too high and I go elsewhere.
I have a free warranty through the dealership itself since I bought the car from them. Kinda an in house warranty deal. The warranty itself didn't cost anything, it was free. You may say the price of the warranty was build in the cost of the car, but I actually paid market value. Haha. No joke, I didn't pay even 500 over market.
Anyways... "Certified for life. We'll repair or replace covered components for as long as you own your vehicle. No Deductible, Unlimited Mileage, Unlimited time." Q: How much is the deductible? A: No cost to you if you repair your vehicle at (dealer name). Q: How can the dealer afford to do this? A: Our dealership receives a volume discount that isn't available to the general public. Q: What is the catch? A: As an added value to our customers, we pay the cost on the warranty for every qualifying vehicle. We prefer our customers have peace of mind rather than an additional charge.
Things that are covered -- timing chain, belt tensioner and idler pulley, camshaft, crankshaft, water pump, fuel pump, harmonic balancer, oil pan, bearings, front axles, U-joints, hub assemblies, (things in the transmission) torque converter, valve body, reaction shaft and governor AND MANY MORE!!
I'm not a fan that I'm now in the range of this known engine seizing problem. Do I keep my car knowing I have this amazing warranty in the hopes I'm a lucky one and I have a good engine. Do I sell my car and if so, what time and mileage? I have the Sonata Limited model (leather with heated rear seats, side mirror turn signals, moon roof, etc) and since I bought the car November 2015, I currently still enjoy driving the car.
29th Jan 2020, 13:09
I am the owner giving an update:
At 105k, I did my spark plugs, etc; I am currently at 113,700 miles. All hell has broken loose after 110k. I took my car to the dealer at 110k miles for oil change and tranny flush. After service, my car has this metal tinging flappy sound only at highway speeds; almost like the pistons aren't getting enough oil. Original dealer can hear it, but blamed it on a broken fender liner, so I replaced the suggested part, but it didn't fixed anything. I took my car to a small independent shop who also can hear it, but doesn't have the foggiest idea on what it could be. Told Hyundai corporate the original dealer mis-diagnosed my car; who then sent me to a 2nd Hyundai dealer, but even that one isn't positive on what the problem is. I was told (no joke) the problem will have to get worse before we can find the problem. So... I might be looking for a new car soon. I don't want to be down the road and BAM, either the engine dies or the tranny all due to a dealer mishap.
03/29/2020 UPDATE!!! On Friday March 13 (yes, Friday the 13th) at 116,738 my engine SEIZED up and died on me driving down the highway at 70mph!! I had zero warning. I still had headlights, radio, interior lights, just no engine. I had to coast to a stop at 10:30pm, had to wait till midnight for the tow truck. The car was finally looked at on Monday evening and they did confirm the engine was dead. Tuesday, corporate replaced my engine under warranty! I got my car back with a rebuilt engine. Now, I was a little worried about getting a rebuilt motor, however I found out if I had a new engine put in, it would still have the same problems as the original and might die again in 100k miles. With a rebuilt motor, they can add updated parts that would actually make it more reliable than a new engine.
05/20/2020 update: Since replacement of the engine, my A/C wasn't working right. Took it in to get it looked at, turned out the cooling fan socket was melted. Hyundai dealer declined warranty repairs, so I had to cover the cost of new cooling motor and resister. PLUS since I have front and rear heated seats, the rear heating coils malfunctioned and burned a HOLE in my rear passenger seat and started on my driver rear. Had a mechanic unplug the heating system.
11th Apr 2021, 21:47
Hyundai has somehow improved the initial quality, but in the long term you still get that low quality korean car. I was looking at the front subframe and suspension components of my 4 year old Sonata and I could not believe how cheap metal and how many hand made welds were used for the subframe, and the worst part is every single weld was badly rusted already. I don't see this car lasting 15 years.
10th Feb 2017, 09:47
There must be a reasonable number of differences in cars being produced in different countries. The issue you had with the 2.4 engines is unheard of here in New Zealand. A friend bought a 2005 brand new, admittedly a 3.3 V6, but the lack of noise was the first thing I noticed - even on "coarse chip" country roads here, the car was very silent inside. I think the noise insulation for cars sent here and Australia have been upgraded due to the pavement. In your case, perhaps change the tyres to quieter ones, they do make a difference. For road noise, I also noticed that Japanese cars sold brand-new here tend to be quieter than the exact same model brought in as used imports from Japan, I was told it was because the roads in Japan are smooth and so cars don't need as much sound deadening. Perhaps that is how US-built Sonatas are configured.