Has anyone installed a HID converison kit for their fogs? Is there room there to fit the ballast? Im thinking of getting digital slim kits, also upgrade my older analog low beams.

I have Santa Fe SE for 3 month and put on 5K already. Car is awesome in and out. The only concern I have is the sort of clunking nose coming from front suspension. I can only notice it at small speeds 10-20 mph, when car is going over large speed bump. It is similar to a worn strut, but they are fine. I brought car to a “certified Hyundai repair shop”, mechanic looked at suspension, test drove it and told me that suspension is good as new and the noise is normal for MacPherson strut. Did anybody experience this or know what might be the problem?
Thanks
Anthony

O.K., I admit I get obsessive compulsive with my new cars for a few weeks after I buy them. Just got the '08 Limited and am trying to find where a few little noises are coming from. I've eliminated most now, but the 1 thing really bugging me is the seat belts. The rear belt part that you grab and then buckle into the seat latch rattles like crazy over bumps. It's just the piece hitting that plastic grommet in the middle of the belt. So, short of leaving the belts latched in place or (hubbys suggestion) turning the radio up, is there something to prevent them from making this racket? I almost never use the rear belts. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this and found a solution. Compared to my 2004 I'm surprised I am bothered by it, but it is so quite it really stands out. That cheap plastic liner in the back also bugs me as the "wings" at the wheel wells rattle. I had a super heavy duty plastic liner and a really nice carpet mat in my 2004 that I really miss. Oh well, I guess they have to cut costs somewhere. Oh, almost had a near heart attack last night when I used my spare key and it got STUCK in the ignition! Took hubby 10 minutes to yank it out. I think it was a faulty key as they gave me 3 keys instead of 2. I think they knew it was bad, cut another and never discarded the bad one. Other than that no complaints so far and hope to stay as trouble free as my last one which never saw the inside of a repair shop in the 4 years I owned it.

Anyone else have trouble screwing the rear plate into the plastic lugs? Both lugs started spinning in the hole when I screwed the plate in place with the supplied screws. They weren't overtightened because the nut never got close to bottoming out against the plate.

I think the problem is that the temporary tag was screwed in a plastic dealer frame. The thick plastic (about .10") prevented the tapered screws from penetrating the lugs by that amount. Would have reused the plastic frame for my metal plate but the metal plate is just a little too wide (1/64") and I couldn't force it in there. So.... screwing the plate in place without the thick plastic frame, which amounted to a spacer, got a little hard to tighten (before getting really easy to tighten.... when the @#$ words started). The plate was hanging just there and I guess I could have stood back and admired the secure, theft proof install but that ain't me.

The older and wiser part of me kicked in to stop me from messing around with it any more. It's going to the dealer where I'll sit and fume while they come up with a solution.

I still have had nothing but compliments on my new '08 Sante Fe. Best vehicle purchase that I can remember.

I have one interior issue though that concerns the Infinity Logic 7, 6-disc multi Cd changer that is found in the Limited version.
Two weeks ago I load just three CD's. On switching to the 3rd disc from the 1st that was in play, the stereo locked up and "loading CD" was showing in the display non-stop and never came off. I switched between XM and AMFM all was fine but when switching back to CD...nothing but "loading CD" in the display. After turning the engine off then later back on, everything cleared up and all worked fine. This happened just one more time and since all has been functioning great.
Anyone else with this CD locking up issue on their new multi-changer?

By now, some of you have had experience with LED lighting for the interior of your Santa Fe.

I am interested in Blue lighting and I want to replace every interior light possible.

Any suggestions?

Is there any ONE single source for all of my needs where someone here has actually had experience with that particular vendor?

Thanks,

David <><

My 08 has a leaking rad cap.

Dealer replaced...hopefully thats all.

My first post (be gentle ;-)

I collected my new Santa Fe (CDX Auto) last week here in the UK. I ordered front and rear parking sensors which the dealer has duly fitted, but I don't think they're working correctly.

When they're active (by going into Reverse) they are constantly beeping even when there is nothing in front or behind the car. When I get close to something they do change to a continuous tone but only when quite close. My brother has parking sensors on his BMW X3. They are silient until he gets within a couple of metre of something then they start to beep slowly with the frequency increasing until they sound continuously when very close.

My dealer tells me mine are working the way they're supposed to work. The engineer also says they are genuine Hyundai parts. However when I called Hyundai London (they are owned by Hyundai and were recommended to me by Hyundai Customer Services) they said the sensors should work as I expect, i.e. silent when nothing there.

Has anyone else got these fitted, and if so how are yours working. I don't know whether to argue with the dealer or just accept them as they are! If anyone has some technical documentation they can share with me that explain the correct operation and installation instructions I'd be most greatful.

Otherwise I love the car! Hope you can help.

Based on your vehicles performace, reliability and fuel consumption would you buy it again if yoiu had the option?

If you could specify your drivetrain specifics in your reponse it would be apprechiated.

I'm considering the 2.7l.

Hi Guys:

After about 54K km. in just over a year my ride and handling are starting to deteriorate. I need new shocks and struts. None of the a/m catalogues have a listing for an '07 SF. And I'd rather not go back to the stealership.

Are the shocks and struts the same as the '06 or did they get changed?

Thanx, Stewart

It would be interesting to hear about the winter driving experiences from those who drove their '07 Santa Fe's with the stock tires this past winter.

I've looked for reviews of winter driving performance (related to the stock tires) from sources like CanadianDriver but found little information was available.

A couple of forum members (excerpts below) seem to have had very good winter driving experiences with the stock tires.

(Caribou | Feb 28 2007, 11:03 AM | Post #5) -- "Took the 3.3 GL AWD for one final test drive last night. There was 4-5 inches of new snow and lots of icy roads (Winnipeg). The Santa Fe easily out performed the AWD Equinox and the AWD X-trail in these conditions."

(capt canuck | Apr 4 2007, 01:41 PM | Post #3) -- "We live in a serious snowbelt region where when it snows the average per day is 15-20cm (6-8 inches). My backyard was at least 4 feet deep at any given time. I had no issues at all during this entire winter - and that was with All-Season's."

For those who drove this past winter with the stock tires, what did you think of the stock tire's performance when starting, driving and stopping on icy and snowy streets/roads?

Look, I'm a very mechanically inclined guy who, for the very first time, changed the oil and filter in a 2008 Sante Fe Limited where i had no idea of what to expect in a cannister filter system. This is not your normal spin on filter!
That may seem wierd but I have never changed a filter that was a cannister type as in this Sante Fe but OH...what a breeze!
I purchase the Fram CH9999 and 6 quarts of Mobil 1 5/20w synthetic... I have 3200 miles on this new car.
It was freaky at first but so simple and I hope someone here will reference this post for a quick "do-it-yourself" maintenance item. Again, it was a breeze.

Yes, first, take a 10mm socket with an extension an unbolt the 4 hex screws and two bolts that hold the plastic cover on the engine top.
Next, take your open end 17mm wrench and unscrew the oil pan drain plug, drain thoroughly.
Now, unscrew that round plastic black cover on the right side of the cover you just removed. that is the cannister. You will find that the filter is inside and easily accessed. Remove the filter, toss aside and remove the two rubber o-rings that are on that cannister cover you just unscrewed. That cover is actually an assembly that holds two rubber O-rings and will hold the new replacement filter.
Your new filter should come with two new O-rings that you should properly lubricate with the new oil you are about to use. Toss the old one and lube and replace with the new.
Now, take the new filter and place ONTO THE CANNISTER HOUSING....NOT into the exposed engine port. You'll find that the new filter actually snaps in. Now, with new filter and O-rings in place all encapsulated into the assembly you are holding, gently rescrew this back into that port. Should go in way too easy. I hand tightened until it bottomed out but without over torqueing.
Replace oil drain plug. Remove oil filler cap. Load in the new oil to a tune of 5.5 U.S. quarts of fresh oil. Replace cap, re-install the cover and six bolt/screws and pat yourself on the back. You did it!... and you can't even light the BBQ in the backyard.

Good day Alaska SF'ers
My family and I will be moving up to Anchorage soon and we are going to trade in her Mazda 3 for a Santa fe, we now have two kids so the extra room will be welcome. If we do make the trade it will be our third SF so I know what the vehicle is like, and they have done well here in the OK winters - anyway my question to those of you living in the anchorage area - FWD or AWD? I have never lived in Alaska so I don't know how well the roads are maintained or how bad the weather really is so I would like some input - Thanks, all replies are appreciated!

I have been trying for over two weeks to get into the "Garage". Also, I cannot get into "My Garage".

Has anyone else tried and failed.

I have written several notes to this web site but apparently no one is home.

David <><

I spent a lot of time looking in the seach section but could not find what anyone has replaced their factory speakers with. I am looking to upgrade my stock speaker system (no infinity sound) to get a little bit more boom and or Volume. Any idea on what you guys have replaced into your SFs or does anyone have a good post I missed.

Evening all,

This is my first post to the forum, having spent the last week perusing the vast amount of information contained within.

I recently acquired my 2008 Santa Fe 3.3l Limited and so far have to say I'm pretty pleased. Admittedly my 2005 Nissan Murano LE was a more refined (and polished) ride, however the lease buyout was to rich for me.

I've just read the owner's manual cover to cover and have to say I'm pretty disappointed with how little it tells me about the specific model I've purchased. On every page seems to be the reference "if equipped", however it never goes into any details to indicate features of a specif model. The Canadian Hyundai website was equally as ambiguous with specific details. Although the US website is slightly better I understand there are significant differences between Canadian and US models.

So here are my questions:

- Does the Canadian SF LTD come with the Tire Pressure Indicator feature?

- Can you switch the trip computer and climate controls from Metric to Imperial? I hate the litres/100km and miss my MPG.

- Has anyone noticed an appreciable difference in fuel consumption based on grade of fuel?

Thanks,

Rob

Just noticed on my 2008 Santa Fe that the weatherstrip on passenger door frame (not the door) is loose and not attached for about 12 inches. How does the factory install these, are there built in clips that hold it in or something like 3M adhesive? Would like to get idea on how the stealer will fix this before taking it to them, thanks.

Found this link about the Hybrid Santa-Fe http://www.leftlanenews.com/hyundai-santa-...lue-hybrid.html to be seen at the Paris Motor Show

-SF

I was driving home from a friend's birthday party tonight and crossed the Hawthorne bridge which is split into three sections. One lane is on each outside and the center lane is double wide and striped for two directions of traffic so a total of four lanes. I was on the outer right lane and saw a pretty new Santa Fe on the inner lane (it was displaying August tags so I can assume they bought it last month). I stopped at the light at the base of the bridge next to a big black Ford F-350 towing a decently sized U-haul trailer. The new Santa Fe fell in behind me and a Scion xB behind him. The light turned green and about midway up the block, the truck changed lanes and I heard a shrill 'beep' that sounded like my original Santa Fe horn. In looking in the mirror, I surmised that the truck had cut the new Santa Fe off and the driver had honked to get his attention.

Now call me crazy but when I test drove the new Santa Fe in August of 2006, I tested the horn and it was very clearly a honk (very American car sounding) rather than the Asian beep. I initially assumed that maybe the driver of the Scion was honking at the Santa Fe for stopping short but that didn't really make any sense. I haven't had my factory horns on my car in over three years so I really don't recall what they sounded like exactly. Does anybody here have a new Santy that beeps instead of honks?

Thanks for the replies.

P.S. It was a US-spec GLS model. Don't know if that makes a difference.

I was curious as to what goes between the two seat warmer switches? I seem to remember that there was a standard plug outlet on some models, but mine doesn't have it. Does anyone else have it?

And if so, would it be possible to install one there? I can see some uses for something like that for a few road trips this summer.

Thanks!

I am not sure if this is a problem or a Santa Fe idiosyncracy.

My wife while out shopping parked the Santa Fe and inadvertantly turned the ignition off and removed the key without going into "Park". She exited the truck only to have it start to roll as she was on a slight incline.

I tried it myself when she got home and there are no warning ie chimes, nor any problem removing the key.

I tried a Toyota Highlander and the key could not be removed and chimes sounded while I was trying. Impossible to leave the Highlander in that condition but very easily done in the Santa Fe.

Anyone else have the same thing?

2008 Santa Fe Limited 3.3

I recently noticed that when my girlfriend sits in the front passenger seat the light will randomly indicate that the passenger airbag is off. I took it to the dealership, they ordered me a new light to see if that is the problem.

Its really weird, she will be sitting in the same position for over a hour sometimes and then it will suddenly say that her airbag is off. the dealer said they tested the seat switch and it was working properly.

I will be bringing it in this week sometime and we will see what they say about the light. For now I have decided to take a picture/video everytime it happens to document it.

Anyone else face this problem? Thanks

Does anyone else have an issue with the front side windows squealing when opening and closing?
Any solutions would be welcome whether the dealer took care of it or if you found a good solution yourself.

Does anyone make aftermarket side rails for the santa fe. Looking for slat Thule or Yakina bars that attach to the factory side rails, or is the factory side rails my only option.

I wanted to do a Fuel system cleaning on my 07 Santa Fe. I s the seafoam safe for the 3.3L. I used it on my old Santy with the 2.7 but I just wanted to make sure.

my 2007 santa fe fwd ltd has suspension noise on the pass side dealer says its normal anyone else experiencing this. thanks rjt

I just had my 08 santa fe headlight aim corrected at the dealer. They were aimed far too high. Now the lowbeam aim is great but the highbeam aims where the low beam aims, making a bright spot in front of the car.
Can the high/low beam lights be aimed independently???

Ok, so I have a annoying creak sound coming from the passenger windshield pillar area somewhere.

Anyone else have this?

It creaks when I first start off (when the body lifts or rolls I hear it).

does anyone know what the best product is to clean the cloth seats on the 07 Santa Fe? I'm just not sure due to the type of cloth.

I have a new Santa Fe, my dealer said I have to stop and put the car in neutral before I engage the 4WD lock button, but I can't see this mentioned in the manual.

Has anyone engaged the 4WD lock button while the car is moving?

Hello, Just wondered if any of you like to share your thoughts/experiences with installing a after market trailer hitch. Mostly,
- Finish- paint quality seem durable with good welds?
- Fit- does it stick out from the bumper about right, too much, etc.?
- Installation- PIA or no big deal?

Most importantly, do you know the brand of hitch you bought? Drawtite, Hidden-hitch, Reese, Valley, Curtis seem to be available for '07-'08 Santa Fe's.

Thanks, Dan

hi any suggestion for lowering the santa fe 2008 model. eibach or other model. and what drop mm.

Hi...
Here is my problem...
My wife took the new '08 Santa Fe for the first oil change at the dealer a couple of weeks ago. After the free service, they gave the car a run through the car wash... So far, so good...
Two weeks go by and I am following her car back to my house and I notice that the antenna looked funny. Sure enough, when I got home, I realized that the antenna was gone. It was torn off from the base of the unit. On close examination, I can see that the antenna was broken off and even damaged the antenna base assembly. The car was sitting in the garage for most of the last two weeks and since the antenna was intact the last time I checked it, I am 100% sure that the car wash at the dealer was what caused the antenna to be torn.

I contacted the dealer service and sure enough, they are not owning up to the deed. They did say that they would install the antenna assembly for free if I paid them $150 for the parts... What a crock of S!!!... BTW, I looked online and found the OEM replacement part for $61 for the antenna assy. and $16 for the mast... They told me that they can give me the rubber antenna mast for free, though... hahaha... Anyway, I wrote a long email to the sales manager that sold me the car about what's going on... And since I am looking to purchase another vehicle from the dealer, I am hoping that they would do the right thing and fix the antenna for me.

Anyway, the reason that I am posting this is to see if any of you know if I can replace the antenna assembly of the Santa Fe with the ones from a different car from the Hyundai line up. I looked into the diagrams and it seems that I might be able to use any of the XM antenna assemblies from either Sonata or even Elantra. The reason for this is that I want a lower profile XM antenna. After all, if I replace the antenna with the same Santa Fe unit (same as the ones on Veracruz) I might be facing the same broken antenna problem as the one I am dealing with now.

So, any suggestions and/or, hopefully, an experienced insight would be greatly appreciated.

In the mean time, the dealer that caused this headache for me is the one in Troy MI... The Suburban Hyundai... Real nice Sale people but unhelpful and rude Service staff...

Thanks

p.s. I am thinking about writing or calling Hyundai Customer service and complain about the poor design of their antenna as well... I can't believe it can be torn off so easily by simply running the car through a car wash!!!

As much as we like our 2007 Santa Fe I'm starting to think we got a lemon. We've been plagued with intermittent electrical problems.

1 - The outside temperature guage went crazy. Repaired under waranty

2- Power door lock on driver's side works only 50% of the time when using the switch on the arm rest (works fine with key fob). Four trips to the dealership so far, three to 'clean conections' and one to replace the switch. Still not fixed

3 - Airbag warning light on dash board lit up. Two trips to dealership so far, one to check connections and one to replace the right front sensor. Still not fixed. Couldn't get a straight answer when I asked if my airbag would work correctly if I hit something with the right front.

4 - Panic alarm sometimes goes off by itself when it rains. This is NOT an accidental push of the panic button. Just today I parked outside a store in the rain. As I walked into the store I heard my panic alarm. I went back out and stopped it. Walked back to the store and it went off again. Went back and reset it. Walked back to the store and it went off a third time. Reset it again while trying to avoid the stares of everyone around who must have thought I was some kind of idiot.

The dealership has been good about it so far but every trip is a 60 mile round trip and wastes a good part of my day.

Apparantly they know of no other customer having any of my problems - has anyone on this forum experienced any of them?

A facelift is due end of 2008 in the UK. Speaking to the dealer there will also be a limited edition with 19" alloys, etc. There is also a revamped radio with USB / Ipod connection. But, looking at this site, it still looks like there is still no RDS
http://worldwide.hyundai-motor.com/common/...fe/driving.html

Picked up my '08 Santa Fe last friday and started going over the vehicle, found a bag with 4 oval shaped plugs. Before asking the dealer, thought I would ask here first. What are they for? Wasn't there was a thread about this a while back? No luck after a few searches and browing topic titles on 21 pages. Any help woud be appreicated, thanks...Joe.

Hi everybody,

I'll be moving to Finland in a few weeks and, because cars are so expensive over there (and because I love my Santy), I'll be taking me '07 Santa Fe Limited AWD with me. To make the car legal in Europe I'll have to make several changes, including adding rear fog lights.

I've seen that KoreanAutoImports sell the bumper-mounted fog lights, and people here have installed them wired to the main rear lights. What I need to do is slightly different, as I'll need to add a separate switch just as the front fog lights have.

I wondered if anybody can give me any tips on how to do this, and how to route the cable and whether the wiring harness for this is already present?


Many thanks,


Mark.

Hi,

I need to decide (and quickly) if I should go for the OEM Santa Fe cross rails or third party ones such as Thule/Yakima. I will need to mount either a cargo basket on the roof or one of the cargo bags (basically add some way to carry additional luggage).

I have an 08 SFE, 7 seats, towing package, roof rack rails installed.

I did some reading here and am a bit confused whether I will be able to use cargo baskets such as the Thule M.O.A.B basket with the OEM rails.

Does anyone know? I'm OK with spending a bit extra cash for the OEM rails, they look good in my opinion, if standard Thule/Yakima equipment will fit on to them.

If on the other hand, if using the OEM rails means I always have to go with Hyundai accessories such as