1 year Ownership report - 2005 Hyundai Accent GLS 1.6

Its been a long time since I wrote.. perhaps 2 months or more. Life has been pretty much the same, nothing exciting or worth mentioning in the blog. To kill boredom on a lazy sunday afternoon, I couldn't find any other hot and happening topic to blog about now, so I decided to do an ownership report on my (now 1 year old) Hyundai Accent.

It has been almost 1 year now since I got the Accent (October 2008). It had run somewhere around 18,000 kms when I purchased it. In 11 and a half months, I have added 11,000 km more to its age. The odometer stands at 29,200 km now. The car has been mostly glitch-free and running like a new machine for all I care. But then again, as any 3 year old car (now 4 years) does, this one has started showing signs of age now with a few minor issues popping up time and again.

The battery had been running low ever since Jan this year and the service technician assured me during the routine checkup in Feb, that he had topped up the distilled water and checked the acid levels and they were fine. Starting problems were cropping up sometime after July this year, soon I find out that they were caused by a burnt out Starter Magnet. Meanwhile the weak battery was dying down gradually with every drop of juice extracted, and this was evident from the slow cranking I experienced during cold starts. It finally conked out earlier last week, at an odd time too- when my family and I went out for dinner! My parents were in the car fortunately and with some help (read as pushing), we managed to push-start the car and reach home that night.

Some time earlier this year, my parents and I had been to a wedding and I had parked the car in an empty site next to a wedding hall. It had been pouring heavily that night. After attending the wedding, the headlights simply refused to switch on during the return journey. After a couple of unsuccessful prods at the headlight lever, I was forced to drive with the fog lamps as replacement. A visit to the service center the next day solved the problem- a faulty headlight Relay Switch. In June some time, one fine morning the ABS self-diagnostic notification light started flashing on the dashboard LCD a few times (much to my horror!) but it was discovered to be a problem with the sensor and not with the actual ABS system (thankfully!!). No more glitches have been experienced except for a burnt right side indicator switch in April which made the right indicator blink once in every 250 milliseconds instead of once every second! The tyres have been replaced to fully tubeless ones now so I can drive in peace without having to worry about punctures. Also, I have replaced the stock engine oil (Servo premium mineral oil) to Mobil 1 fully synthetic performance engine oil (Mobil1 SuperSyn 10w30). The engine and gearbox have become silky smooth after the switch to Mobil1. But the additional expense has drilled a hole through my pocket.

Model - 2005 Hyundai Accent GLS 1.6 DOHC ABS

Color - White

Voluntary modifications / changes made after purchase :-

Stock tyres have been changed from 175/70R13 tubed ones to Bridgestone 185/65R13 tubeless (still haven't been able to get rid of the stock rims.. need to upgrade to alloys as soon as possible)

Stock Halogen 75W lamps changed to Philips Xtreme Halogen series lamps

Stock Air filter changed to K&N Free flow Air filter

Stock Oil filter changed to K&N Gold Oil filter

Stock Exide battery changed to Amaron Pro

Engine oil changed from Servo mineral oil to Mobil1 fully synthetic performance engine oil (SuperSyn 10w30)


Servicing jobs done after 30,000 kms of running :-

• Air-Conditioner coolant replacement
• Engine coolant top-up
• Wheel balancing and alignment check
• Interior vacuuming and Exterior cleanup
• Teflon coating
• Underbody anti-corrosion coating
• Engine assembly anti-corrosion coating
• Spark plug replacement
• Inner wiring replacement
• Battery replacement
• Clutch & Engine overhaul
• Starter Magnet and coil assembly replacement
• Headlight relay switch replacement
• Timing belt replacement

No body changes / damages /scratches experienced at all (touchwood!)

Total servicing expenses incurred till date = Rs. 15,000/-


Pros-

• I loved the torquey yet refined engine.

• The silent & sophicticated sedan can turn into a raging bull at the slightest nudge of the throttle pedal. Switching on the additional load of the A/C does not seem to reduce low-end torque

• Superb passenger comfort with minimal vibrations. Excellent damping

• Sound insulation is perfect. Hardly any sound enters the cabin with all windows up.

• Although low in stance, it offers superb driving posture and comfort. I did not experience any cramps even after 5-6 hours of continuous driving.

• Powerful A/C and defogger. Cools the car within a few seconds, even during peak summer afternoons.

• Well sorted gear ratios. I never need to make frequent gear shifts. I am somehow always in the powerband and rarely need to downshift to regain lost momentum.

• Reliable as hell. As long as I get it serviced regularly, I don't need to bother about any problems

• Handles better than the swift.. much better..

Cons

• Although powerful, I feel it is not exactly one of those cars that can be used for racing / rallying even after extreme modifications.

• The brakes lack bite. The ABS helps a bit during wet braking but that's about it. Nothing to write home about.

• The steering lacks feel and feedback. It feels too light and unresponsive.

• Dashboard looks too old-fashioned with the dull-grey plastic interiors looking totally out of place. Cockpit lights provide good contrast though with light green and red backlit displays.

• With 5 people in the car, expect the underbody to occasionally scrape against speedbreakers and potholes.

• Rear seats cannot be folded down to increase boot space, something that is found in most modern sedans today.

Fuel Efficiency performance-

City - 10-11 km per litre with a/c, 13-14 kmpl without a/c
Highway - 15-16 kmpl with a/c, 17-18 kmpl without a/c
Fuel used - Shell Premium Unleaded

It has been a great car to own and drive around. Hyundai's servicing has turned out to be very pricey. Apart from the significantly higher costs for spare parts and the labour itself, trivial issues like washing and polishing the car cost a whopping 1,000 Rs. ! Interior vacuming costs another near 700 bucks. Compare this with Maruti who charge you 100 bucks for wash + polish regardless of the model. Apart from the minor glitches that came to light, nothing much has changed. I have added a few performance enhancements and modifications, all of which seem to have fitted well. I want to get my hands on a good aftermarket Reverse parking sensor . I had it in the Swift and parking in crowded areas and parking lots was a breeze. Now with this additional rear boot and no parking sensor assist, I have to be extra careful.

Overall, a no-nonsense, amazing and very pleasant car to drive. I haven't really done many long distance trips with the Accent. I will be embarking on the first long one to Pondicherry this coming weekend. The 800 km drive (to and fro) and a stay at the attractive, little coastal capital of the former medieval french colony sounds like a nice weekend getaway.

Looking forward to many more years of reliable service from the Accent :)

KK