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2006 Sonata GL heater

Anyone else have a GL Sonata (manual heater controls)? I just got mine this week and am finding that the heater leaves much to be desired. On the floor airflow setting, it doesn't keep my feet warm at temps below

35F and it still blows air out the defroster vents and the side "face" vents. I thought something was wrong, but upon reading the manual again, this is the way it was designed. The only way to keep my feet warm is to keep the car at 80F or above at face level, which puts me to sleep.

So far, I've found little to not like about this car, but this is the most significant. This is the dumbest heater design I've seen in a car in 30 years (since the 1975 Beetle I owned). Doesn't Hyundai know that heated air rises?

Does anyone know if there is a way to reprogram the heater controls to blow only out the floor vents when on the floor setting?

Also, the rear seats don't get heat well at all. I thought I read that the Sonata had rear heat vents, but apparently that was the Accent brochure I was reading as I can't find any vents for the rear seat area. I know one of the brochures mentioned this explicitly, and I was looking at both models and don't remember for sure which one said it, but I'm guessing it was the Accent. Seems odd that a smaller, less expensive car would have this feature and the Sonata wouldn't.

Matt

Reply to
Matt Whiting
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Well, at least I'm not the only one who's not happy with floor/lower level heating.

I've got an LX, and its my knees that are constantly cold. My feet are kept above freezing (never getting hot), while the only way to keep my knees from freezing is to set the controls on bi-level and direct the dash vent down into my lap.

The wife & kids haven't complained about back seat heat, but with them in the car the windows fog up much quicker than I've experienced in other cars.

/ L.J.

Reply to
nevejl1

Yes, I've noticed the fogging as well. I'm going to crawl under the dash and see if I can design a deflector to force the that comes out at mid-calf to be redirected forward towards my feet. I find that if my feet are warm, the rest of me is warm. And the warm air rises after warming my feet so my upper body gets plenty warm as well.

I guess I have just been spoiled by my two Chrysler minivans and my Chevy pickup, all of which have excellent HVAC systems. Both of the minivans also have the read heat/AC. I think the vans that lack this aren't all that great.

Matt

Reply to
Matt Whiting

It's interesting to hear of the heater problems with the Sonata. Is this primarily a problem with directional/distribution control of the heat, or is the heater not putting out sufficient temp levels? Just wondering, as we're considering the purchase of a Sonata later in 2006.

We owned a Honda Civic which never put out much heat, and it seemed it was due to the aluminum block. Of course, the Sonata has an aluminum block as well. Normally, this shouldn't matter, but it certainly did with the Civic.

We have a 2006 Elantra - which uses the older Beta engine with a cast iron block - and, the heater will run you out of the car, and its distribution works very well.

Don

Reply to
w9cw

Don,

I read these posts and wonder myself. I have a 2006 Sonata GLS, test drove one when under 20F out and driven ours several times at 15F or lower.,

Neither my wife or I find the heating anything but excellent! I can't say if this is personal preferences or ours has some recent change.

Yes, we had to change the outlet controls, my wife and I differ in preferences yet both find comfortable settings.

Ours has the conventional heater, not the full automatic system offered one option level up.

gerry

Reply to
gerry

I'm not sure who you are replying to (it helps if you quote a few lines of the message to which you are responding), but with my Sonata, I believe it is poor distribution rather than lack of heat output. I can get warm enough to sweat, but still have cold feet.

I had an 84 Accord that had a lousy heater also. I think it is more of a Honda problem than an aluminum block issue. Even with an aluminum block, much of the heat still has to go through the water passages on its way out.

Matt

Reply to
Matt Whiting

Do you mean closing off the vents on the dash? Or are their other controls that I haven't found yet? I've closed off the dash vents trying to get more air to my feet, but even that hasn't helped. The floor vents exit mid-calf, rather than near the floor pedals on my other vehicles.

Same here. I have the base GL with the manual HVAC.

Matt

Reply to
Matt Whiting

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