2002 Hyundai Elantra GLS review from North America
"Terrible paint quality on new cars"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I really like this car up until last week. I was washing the car and noticed several spots on the hood. upon further inspection I saw that these "spots" were actually places where the paint had crackled and fallen off. The primer is actually visible. This car is only 10 months old so understandable I was upset. I immediately took the car to Morrie's Brooklyn Park Hyundai in Brooklyn Park, MN only to be told that either a bird had defecated on the car or tree sap had fallen on it. Either way the service rep told me that it was not covered by the warranty and would be $450 to repaint. He then said that I could just leave it and it would be fine. I am under the understanding that once there is damage to the clear-coat the car is susceptible to rust. This service person's ideas of "just leaving" whole in the paint is plain stupidity. The argument that this damage is from a natural cause alone is absurd. The car is garaged at night and not parked under any trees. The service was awful, I am now in contact with a regional service rep who is supposed to inspect the car. If that fails I will be contacting the BBB with regards to inferior paint quality. It sounds like Hyundai has a serious problem with their black paint and uses the "bird poop" excuse to cover anything.
General comments?
Hyundai has very poor paint quality. Service personnel is terrible upon confrontation about this problem. I will never purchase a Hyundai again purely from this incident.
Recommended Reviews:
![]() ![]() | A giant disappointment |
![]() ![]() | Tremendous value, and superior to all others who try to be in its class! |
All 2002 Hyundai Elantra reviews
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10/10 |
| Reliability marks | 10/10 |
| Comfort marks | 6/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 52 miles |
| Most recent distance | 16000 miles |
| Previous car | Pontiac Grand Prix |
| Date of Entry | 5th August, 2003 |

