Thinking about buying XG350

I do not know much about the car but do like the looks, warranty and size of
the XG350L. I would appreciate current/past owner comments, good and bad.
Thinking about a 2003 or 2004 model year.

Thanks.

 

I have had a 2004 since Oct 2003 (new) and haven't had ANY problems. We
have taken two trips in it and got about 28 MPG on the highway with the A/C
on. I would definitely buy again.

 

I have a 2002 XG350L with 25,000 miles and it has been into the
dealer for a multitude of problems, some many, many times.

1 When cold the engine bogs under mild acceleration - pressing
the accelerator pedal slightly has no resulting increase in
speed/power - pressing just slightly further results in car shooting
forward. Never fixed. You will HATE this drive-by-wire throttle.
2 Also has very poor throttle control when warm. Accelerator
pedal movement does not always sync with engine output. Pressing the
gas does not always result in corresponding acceleration, especially
in turns. Pressing slightly further causes too much acceleration.
Never fixed - the electronic drive-by-wire throttle SUCKS!
3 Had to replace power seat track drivers side during which
dealer damaged the interior.
4 Rough idle often. Both when cold and when warmed up.
5 Shudder/vibration felt through car upon mild acceleration.
Finally, after two years this was repaired after I found a TSB issued
this year - they replaced both front drive axles. That is good but now
one of the CV joints has failed (three days later) so it needs to be
replaced yet AGAIN. They replaced it and so far it is holding up and
the vibration is now gone.
6 Shifts from gear to gear are abrupt, especially when the car
is running hot in stop and go traffic. They have replaced the
transmission FOUR TIMES. Last trans is the best so far.
7 Delay before shifting into reverse after a drive, one to two
seconds before shifting, does not drop immediately into reverse after
selecting it. They say this is normal for this transmission.
8. Loud noise (LIKE AN ALTERNATOR WHINE) coming from left front
speaker when radio is on during a hard rain.
9. Wiper's chattering across windshield . They replaced wipers as
they were warped.
10. Bad skunk-like odor comes from air conditioning when turned
on. Takes a long time to moderate. They sprayed Frigi-Fresh into AC
inlet but now it's coming back again and they only spray it free the
FIRST time. Now it's a charge.
11. Automatic climate control fan speeds have a mind of their own
- change constantly. During the winter the "fan delay until engine
provides heat" function does not work after car has been sitting
during the day. The fan comes on immediately and blasts cold air. When
the car is started cold in the morning the heat is delayed and does
not come on even when the car shows it is fully warmed up.
12. Front suspension has a persistent knock/clunk when traveling
over mild pavement dips. Finally fixed after finding a TSB about sway
bar bushings - they replaced front sway bar and mounts/bushings.
13. Windshield wiper one-wipe button causes wipers to stop halfway
up glass. This happens on Sonatas also. Hyundai defect.
14. Front left speaker buzzes when radio is playing. Never fixed
15. Front left glass misaligned. Never fixed.
16. Front brakes have rotor runout - severe brake pulsation and
vibration when stopping, especially from speed. They cut the rotors to
fix but now they are warping again and they only fix the brakes free
ONCE. Now if I want them fixed they will charge me. The new XG's have
12.1" rotors; mine are 10.9" so Hyundai undersized the originals on
2002 and 2003 and owners have to pay for it. Only the 2004 have the
bigger rotors!
20 The already-replaced left sun visor is now splitting at the
seam. This has been replaced THREE TIMES.
21 Mirror trim pieces on both sides have paint flaking off. These
have been replaced THREE TIMES plus they messed up the weather
stripping so now I have wind noise.
22. Battery is now starting to show signs of failing - slow starts.
After two years they pro-rate the replacement so I will have to pay if
Hyundai replaces it.

More notes:

Autochromatic mirror does not have a manual override (needed for
daytime glare).
Accelerator pedal drive-by-wire horrible.
Automatic dipping mirrors do not completely return to their home
position if engine is shut off while they are moving.
Vanity mirrors do not light if engine is not running.
Vanity mirrors only have one bulb and it is of too low wattage.
Trip computer cannot display average MPG. If it knows gallons left in
tank (which it does) and can compute the distance to empty (which it
does) why is average MPG not provided in display?
Rear seat ventilation needs its own fan with speed control - output is
poor.
Car feels heavy and ponderous - steering is heavy and slow.
Lot of wind noise through sunroof and windows when open.
Steering is dead - cannot trust the car is going where you steer.
Not enough directional control for A/C vents. They need more
adjustment range so they do not blow air onto passenger or driver.
Displays wash out in sunlight including the dashboard.
Parking brake needs to be of more modern style - a pull-handle - not a
foot pedal.
Transmission shifts poorly one moment and correctly the next - no
consistency.
Slippery steering wheel - the fake wood may look pretty but it is too
slippery.
The doors do not open, if locked, just by pulling the door handle. The
cheaper Elantra opens the locked doors just by pulling on the door
handle. Why do they not include this on the XG?

Hope you have better luck! but I would NEVER recommend this car unless
I hated the person thinking of buying it.

 

jbd-
As with Ms. De Viney- I too have a rather newly purchased XG350L. For me,
absolutely NO issues... Couple of notes:

1) Throttle control on the XG can be "different" for some people: sensitive
acceleration, etc.
2) The XG does have rather strong torque on initial low-speed acceleration;
some people view this as an "issue". For me, it's nice to know it's there
when I really wish for it and need it..

Most importantly regarding the posting from "KR"- he religiously posts his
excessively bad experiences with his 2002 (!!, NOT 2005..) vehicle. Simply,
it's extremely unfortunate for him, and I've mentioned this previously to
him via this newsgroup. However, his experience unfortunately can occur on
ANY Make-Model (there are always "lemons"..) and is NOT indicative of the
majority of XG350L owners; verify owner comments at Edmunds, Carpoint-MSN,
etc. Additionally, his experiences are with an XG model year that is now
THREE (3) model revisions ago- so assess accordingly..

Finally, would like to point out that Hyundai came in #2 (just behind
Lexus..!) in the recently announced Total Value Award issued today:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2004-10-03-car-value_x.htm

Just my opinions and experiences...
Regards,
Robert G. Ragosta

 

Man - wouldn't this car fall into the lemon law??

Anyone else with this type of horror story?

jbd

 

While it looks to me like there's a large unfortunate combination of
vehicle problems, normal conditions you don't like, and dealer mishaps,
two things stick out:

1. The a/c odor is not a warranty issue. While unfortunate, there is no
fault on Hyundai's part if some creature crawled inside and died or if
other things have begun to grow inside. Why the dealer won't spray it for
free, I don't know. It's a matter of spraying some aerosol into the fresh
air intake. To do it yourself, go to the store and buy some aerosol
deodorant of your liking, turn your climate control to fresh air, high fan
speed, and max heat, and spray the air freshener into the cowling at the
base of the windshield on the right side of the vehicle.

2. What gives with the rotors? They are warranted for 5 years or 60k
miles, whichever comes first. Don't let your dealer hand you some crazy
story about how they're not covered against warping. Take it to another
dealer or call Hyundai customer assistance.

 

About a year ago we went through the painful process of finding my wife a
new car. It took a long time, but we finally settled in on the Hyundai
XG350. We bought a 2 year old (2002) with 15,000 miles because the savings
over a new one were just too good to pass up. Especially since it still had
3 years and 45,000 miles of bumper to bumper warrenty on it. A few months
after buying it, my car developed problems that I decided wern't worth
fixing so all of a sudden I was in the market for a new car. I quickly
realized that during all the time we were looking for my wifes car, I had
come upon no other car that I liked better for myself. So about 6 months
ago I bought our second 2002 - XG350. Both have had some issues and have
had to go in for some warrenty work, but I don't think its been excessive
and I expect some of that when buying a used car. In gereral we are quite
pleased.

 

I Have a 2002 XG350 with 22,000 miles on it now. It has been to the shop
once for a factory re-programming of the computer. I use mobil one oil in
it. It is changed every 3,000 miles. It is the nature of the beast to idle
rather rough, according to mechanics I know. It will do 100 mph faster than
any 6 cylinder automobile I ever owned. I bought my wife a new Buick regal
in 2000 with the 3.8 litre v-6 in it. It is supercharged. The Hyundai will
run circles around it, and is easier riding too.

Other than that, no problems whatsoever. I would buy another new one just
like it.

Gary

 

**My Mom has an XG350L (bought it earlier this year) and is totally in
love with it. It's big and boaty like her old Buick. Not my cup of
tea, but it's a pretty decent vehicle and it's fully loaded. She had
her steering rack replaced but I'm not sure why. It was leaking. It's
a great highway vehicle with a strong engine. It has a great interior.
One thing I didn't like when I was driving it, the gas pedal vibrated
like mad under my foot. It was annoying, but I'm not sure if this is
something that they all do or just Mom's car.

kaboomie

 

I post my experiences when people ask. Thats it. If they want to buy
the car let them.

I agree that I purchased a lemon and now I suffer for it. I do not
want anyone else to suffer also.

The drive-by-wire is not "different" for some people. It just plain
sucks. Worst throttle I have ever experienced and I have driven
everything you can imagine from Yugo's to Peterbuilts to Rolls Royces!

The acceleration is just dandy but try pulling while stopped from one
lane and merging into another. The car hesitates greatly until the
throttle gets its message from the computer and then it lunges and
lays rubber. Pretty scary.

Yes it is a 2002. Purchased May of 2002. It has received well above
average care from this former mechanic and should not have had 1/10th
of the problems it has experienced.

I owned my last car 11 years and it was in almost as good shape when I
sold it as when I bought it. Yes, it had a few problems, most of which
were fixed THE FIRST TIME by the dealer and never surfaced again.

Thank you Hyundaitech for the rotor feedback. I will not let the
dealer con me on this.

Do you work for Hyundai Bob? I have never heard anyone so Rah Rah for
a car maker until reading you.

 

Count me in as a happy owner. My 3/2002 model has had a few issues, some
fixed with reprogramming, some not. The 4b warranty (which includes a rental
car), made it all pretty painless. I imagine the dealer you choose will also
make a difference. I've been VERY happy with the service manager at Glendale
(CA) Hyundai.
-B

 

KR-
Responses to your comments embedded below:

No problem, never asserted or stated any difficulty with you are anyone
posting at their discretion..

Again, most unfortunate that you've encountered the experiences that you
did- which I've repeatedly stated and do so again now..

Your experience is based on YOUR specific vehicle and most importantly YOUR
particular Model Year (2002). The original poster's query was concerning a
new XG350L (i.e., 2005 Model Year)...

Unfortunate specific experience and your prerogative to post such...

Again an unfortunate specific experience and your prerogative to post such..

Glad you had at least one positive and lasting experience in vehicle
ownership...

To be as direct as your query- NO! No association with any automotive entity
(direct or indirect).

As regards your "..Rah Rah.." assertion- don't believe I was on that post or
any other. Just posting my OPINION and experiences, as you have and do; if
I'm "rah, rah" does that make you "ugh, ugh"? And if you think my postings
are blindly promoting an automotive product from any maker- then I can
absolutely state such assertions are wildly inaccurate and blatantly (if
not maliciously) false..

As for the link regarding Hyundai's Total Value award reference- had just
encountered mention of such on another Hyundai forum and was just utilizing
my active post to inform other Newsgroup readers (no "rah, rah" about it..)
Regards,
Robert G. Ragosta

 

I've posted my results before, but you'll never find them buried in all the
threads, so...

We bought an '04 in Feb. of this year. We've got about 9K miles on it now.
So far, absolutely no problems. My only gripes involve the stereo (a little
weak by my tastes), overly-sensitive automatic headlights if you use that
feature, the fact that the memory seats on our L-series don't work unless
you either have the key in the ignition or set the parking brake when
exiting it, and relatively low gas mileage (averaging about 21) which I knew
going in. Other than that, we think it's a great value and have no regrets
about our decision to purchase it. We've not experienced any of the
drive-by-wire throttle issues that seemed to have plagued earlier models.

 

My wife and I also purchased a 2004 XG350L last March. As with most people,
we have had absolutely no real problems, outside of the mechanic forgetting
to replace the oil cap. That, of course, lights the "Check Eng" light
because it appears as a pressure drop in the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation)
system. I also completed a 1650-mi trip from our home in Washington State to
Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, San Francisco, Napa/Sonoma, and back to Washington
with NO problems - not to mention EXCELLENT road manners (all tires inflated
to 35-psi cold) and great gas mileage (425-mi per tank) with 87-octane Union
76 or Chevron gas.

As for the stereo, I went to our local car audio franchise (Car Toys) and
had a set of JL Audio 3-way 6x9 speakers installed in the rear. Needless to
say - WOW! The clarity and punch was like night and day. Perfect for the
road trip. Just set the fader to emphasize a little more to the rear and
pump the bass up a little (I listen to a wide variety of music centering on
acoustic and electric Jazz) and the system cooks.

 

Thank you to all who replied to my original post for owner experiences. I
have read them all and do plan to look seriously to finding a nice used
XG350L.

Thank you all.

jbd