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Originally Posted by greenhorn

Not sure if it's a DIN or an M bus. Can you check diameter?

If you're feeling lucky you could try this. See if there is any alpine labelling on the head unit

https://www.amazon.in/CALANDIS-Easil...dp/B0BFJNJK1X/

While I'm sure that will match the port I have, I'm wondering how the car will actually take it as input. You can insert a CD in the dash to start playing the CD, but how do you force the car to read from the "CD changer"?

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by ads295

While I'm sure that will match the port I have, I'm wondering how the car will actually take it as input. You can insert a CD in the dash to start playing the CD, but how do you force the car to read from the "CD changer"?

Select the CDC mode by pressing the CD/CDC button (you may need to do it more than once)
https://www.hyundaibook.ru/en/Elantr...zher-h280-h290

Seems like it requires some electronic signalling and this adapter I have shared earlier seems too simple to be capable of it.
Edit. Seems too complex and was available only in Korea for a short while. Looks like Your head unit is a h290

How about this
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255746865827

Try PM ing the seller

[ads295]

Homecoming

After months of scouting, spending, waiting, troubleshooting, waiting, and waiting some more, the Sonata is finally home! She returned on 1st November but I couldn't write up since I was busy with our firstborn

Without further ado, here are some pictures.

Interiors:

How is it like to drive?

In a word - dreamlike. The car purrs to life in a single crank, moves forward without a sound, and you feel shielded from the outside world when the windows are rolled up.

Press the throttle though, and she seems eager to move, always waiting for the next tap to drop a gear, ready to pounce...
Floor it, and she lunges forward with a restrained roar from the V6, and you hit 3 digit speeds in no time. This car is seriously powerful! I'm having to re-learn my throttle inputs, coming from a car with half the cylinders and a third of the power!

During a routine traffic check, a policeman stopped me and straightaway started checking out the car itself. After a thorough look round back and front and inside, he commented that it was a "filmy car". I cracked up and explained how it was a year-long ordeal to get it to this spec. (It didn't save me from paying a fine for not having a valid PUC though)

While there is some minor work pending, it shouldn't take more than a week to sort it out.

Epilogue

Our family experience with Korean cars goes back quite far. We owned a Daewoo Cielo, and one of my uncles a Matiz. I have particularly fond memories of the Cielo because I thought it was a sedate, boring family car until my brother (then in his teens) once snuck me out on a night drive with it and actually floored the throttle and redlined the car. It was quite the rush despite having only 80bhp or so (how much does a 10yr old need, anyway?)

Our family was actually contemplating purchasing a Sonata brand new, back in the day when it was launched. I remember seeing brochures of the car when my late grandfather was considering it.
Thus the story turns a full circle as I see this car parked in my driveway. The feeling is settling down but it still feels surreal sometimes. I look back everytime I walk past it.

It has been quite the ordeal getting to this point, and it's certainly not everyone's cup of tea. It would've been impossible without my gearhead mechanic and his relentless drive to take things to perfection. To give you an idea, I just expressed my wish to have black rims but with a polished outer rim, and he found contacts who would be able to do it. I met them and they refused, stating it was too detailed work. He took the initiative without my pressing, and spent 3 weeks researching on buffing pads, building a custom buffing tool, and actually buffing out the rim to my liking.

That, coupled with my scouting skills and my tendency to take above-average risks, has paid dividends as the car is good to drive and we have a bountiful spares cache to cover any issues that may crop up in the future.

The way forward

I'm going to drive it! I plan to drive out 100km away next weekend to meet family, and I'll report on the highway manners of the Sonata.
I also want to do a proper video with a walk around, covering the driving experience and the features of the car. Let's see if I get around to it soon.
The spare parts are scattered in various boxes; I'll organise those by labelling and packing.

Thanks everyone for your support! The Korean cat is ready to prowl. I'll post some long term updates once I've racked up some kilometres!

[vaibhavyagnik]

Congrats! I will check it out in person next time I am in Rajkot

[Utopian]

Amazing to stumble on your thread once again to get 2 good news. Take care of both the family additions. Sonata looks very elegant after all the refurbishing and seems ready to go with you on the highway.
2 queries:
1. If you can share what would be the total moolah spent to bring the car to speed
2. The steering seems larger compared to what we get in contemporary cars. Is it really a bother?

[skb1811]

That looks stunning, have been following this project and now that its complete, that sonata can definitely go 10-15 more years! Congratulations! (And good luck with the fuel economy )

[BABABOT]

Congratulations

I would like to appreciate how meticulously you have made this Gem. I would appreciate if you could share the complete breakdown of cost. TIA

[InanDevva]

Been following this thread for a while now,great stuff man and congrats on the child, In the world of heavy taxes on cars that may not even satisfy you, restoring an "old" car is not only something of petsonal but also of a financial benifit (or so i hope!). Would like to know how much the entire restoration costed you if you don't mind?

[Rshrey22]

You're such an inspiration to the car community in India. The fact that you restored such a rare car to full spec is fabulous.

My best wishes to you for the miles ahead.

[Akki272]

What an amazing car that was back in the time! I remember as a kid when my father was a Ship breaker at Alang, one of his business partners had a 2002 Sonata V6 and boy, it looked stunning to me and I always wished we got it sometime in the future but it wasn’t to be since my Dad preferred Toyotas at that time which promised to be more reliable and we ended up getting the Qualis, we were a family of 5 back then (now 7 &#128522.
But the design spoke volumes of luxury right from the front facia with the long bonnet, to the side and the rear end all in all a very understated pure luxurious sedan.
Great Job!!! Kudos !!
In a generation where pseudo-SUVs are everywhere and the sedan market dying, I feel so happy that there still exists Sedan lovers like you and Me. I own a 2012 Skoda Superb Ellegance 2012 purchased by my Father and I plan to maintain and keep the same for a good few years .. will be more than happy to take insights from you on how to maintain a sedan so pristinely.

[ImportedLlama]

[quote=ads295;5874390]

Homecoming

After months of scouting, spending, waiting, troubleshooting, waiting, and waiting some more, the Sonata is finally home!l/QUOTE]

What an absolute euphoric feeling this must be, and what a beauty she’s turned out to become. This is an absolutely incredible milestone and i can’t imagine the dedication and effort that went into doing this. Maybe some day our V6’s will cross paths, until then enjoy your beautiful creation and keep the posts coming!

[ads295]

200km drive

I went to meet my in-laws where my wife and kid are, currently. It's a pretty good highway from Rajkot to Jamnagar (SH25) with straight roads.

I did notice a drip from the coolant outlet elbow prior to the journey, but my mechanic okayed it so I went ahead with the plan. We eventually finished the coolant job, which I'll cover later.

This was the first time I properly floored it and saw some serious speeds. The car is very stable at speed, and where I could keep 70-80kmph in the Alto, this cat is just as stable at 120kmph+. I thought of testing my V-rated tyres to their fullest but remembered that I've just become a father and I have responsibility on my shoulders

And man does she like a drink! I was used to spending ₹400 on a round trip for CNG in my Alto, haha. I'd mentally prepared myself for poor fuel efficiency even while considering the Sonata, so it wasn't a big shock, but it was with a heavy heart that I parted with ₹2,000-2,500 on petrol for this journey. I can't measure it tank to tank because my driving is pretty limited on this car and I don't want fuel to stagnate in the tank (E20 attracts water and starts to cause rust). My best guess is that I got around 9kmpl on this trip. That the journey took 1h10m in the Sonata where it normally takes 2h on the Alto, is a different matter however...

My in-laws were suitably impressed by the car, of course.

Small AT test

It always crossed my mind as to whether my transmission was completely OK. I racked my brain and came up with an impromptu test.

The highest load on a drivetrain is in first gear when the car is just starting to move. It's the reason why dumping your clutch over and over causes it to burn out - it's a shock load, yes, but also a load of the highest order of magnitude. So I thought of emulating something like this.

If I kickdown the accelerator from standstill and the transmission slips, it's a good sign that there is at least some wear and tear that needs looking into. The engine will immediately try to transfer all the power to the wheels, but the trans should be able to keep up.

I did this "test" and actually got a little wheelspin, which is great news, especially considering that the tires are brand new, meaning that the engine and the trans are both in good shape

Cooling system overhaul

This was long overdue but we had so much on our plate, we decided to postpone this until the time was right. Here's what was done:
- Thermostat removed from the system to enable quick heating of the engine
- Coolant flush added, engine started to circulate coolant everywhere and get the engine up to temp
- Engine stopped, coolant drained, and the system flushed with clean water a couple of times. Pressurised air is used to spray the system after the water is drained.
- Swap out the inlet and outlet elbow joints for new ones. There are 2 radiator hoses and 1 of them was bulging at the tip - it was done for. It was just my luck that the 1 rad hose I could source from Korea was this one! The other one isn't in stock.
- Swap out the rad mounting bushes for new ones - OE replacements were ready.
- General clean up of the rad area as below.

Radiator taken off and mounting member is cleaned of rust with a grinder.

Painted with rust preventive paint for long-term peace of mind:

Old coolant elbow vs the new one

This is just the one for inlet, the outlet elbow joint was swapped too but I don't have pictures.

The car turns 1!

28/11/2024 marked a year the car has been under my ownership. I found myself laughing at how I've driven it for less than 300km in the time I bought it. We're still not done with the work, as only 1 speaker in the car out of 4 is working, but the repairs part of the chapter is finally coming to a close, and I hope to be able to enjoy more of the beast going forward. I took 2 friends out on a drive, and their jaws dropped when I floored the throttle. My friend's wife was giggling by the time the drive ended, and she thanked me a couple of times for the ride!

There was an intermittent smell of petrol coming into the cabin while driving, which turned out to be a rotten evap canister line, now duly replaced. There's another small niggle wherein I'm getting warm air in the cabin through the AC vents and also the footwell vents even when the AC is off, recirculation mode is off and the temps are set to cool. This needs looking into, as my mechanic couldn't replicate this issue. It's not such a problem during winter months, though.
Also, if you'll see the second picture in this thread, you'll notice a patch of rotten metal. This is the part below the battery, and while the battery tray is brand new, the body shop fellas didn't remove it when they were working on cutting off the other rotten parts (why would they anyway?) and we missed this portion. It's a day's work, tops, so I'll get around to it in due time.

Coming to the expenses, I'm still piecing together my notes from different purchases, and I'll post a thorough breakdown of the figures once they're fully ready. I know for sure I'll be adding insurance as a repair cost because they forced me to buy it in order to get the car transferred to my name and I haven't driven it for 11 months of the insurance term

I'm used to the size of the car now and can comfortably weave between traffic like I'm used to with the Alto. (OK perhaps not THAT comfy, but you get the idea...)
She's quite a discreet looker, so anyone whose gaze lingers on for a while ends up observing the car more.

All said and done, this project was a long time coming and I'm glad it's drawing to a favourable close. I really couldn't have asked for more. In an era of hard lines, jagged edges, downright ugly designs (I'm looking at you first, Hyundai) and boxy, tall cars, the Sonata stands apart with its simple design, BSII-compliant V6 engine, and a nutcase behind the wheel who's used to an Alto...

Onward, and upward.

[ImportedLlama]

Originally Posted by ads295

200km drive

I went to meet my in-laws where my wife and kid are, currently. It's a pretty good highway from Rajkot to Jamnagar (SH25) with straight roads.

I did notice a drip from the coolant outlet elbow prior to the journey, but my mechanic okayed it so I went ahead with the plan. We eventually finished the coolant job, which I'll cover later.

This was the first time I properly floored it and saw some serious speeds. The car is very stable at speed, and where I could keep 70-80kmph in the Alto, this cat is just as stable at 120kmph+. I thought of testing my V-rated tyres to their fullest but remembered that I've just become a father and I have responsibility on my shoulders

And man does she like a drink! I was used to spending ₹400 on a round trip for CNG in my Alto, haha. I'd mentally prepared myself for poor fuel efficiency even while considering the Sonata, so it wasn't a big shock, but it was with a heavy heart that I parted with ₹2,000-2,500 on petrol for this journey. I can't measure it tank to tank because my driving is pretty limited on this car and I don't want fuel to stagnate in the tank (E20 attracts water and starts to cause rust). My best guess is that I got around 9kmpl on this trip. That the journey took 1h10m in the Sonata where it normally takes 2h on the Alto, is a different matter however...

My in-laws were suitably impressed by the car, of course.

Small AT test

It always crossed my mind as to whether my transmission was completely OK. I racked my brain and came up with an impromptu test.

The highest load on a drivetrain is in first gear when the car is just starting to move. It's the reason why dumping your clutch over and over causes it to burn out - it's a shock load, yes, but also a load of the highest order of magnitude. So I thought of emulating something like this.

If I kickdown the accelerator from standstill and the transmission slips, it's a good sign that there is at least some wear and tear that needs looking into. The engine will immediately try to transfer all the power to the wheels, but the trans should be able to keep up.

I did this "test" and actually got a little wheelspin, which is great news, especially considering that the tires are brand new, meaning that the engine and the trans are both in good shape

Cooling system overhaul

This was long overdue but we had so much on our plate, we decided to postpone this until the time was right. Here's what was done:
- Thermostat removed from the system to enable quick heating of the engine
- Coolant flush added, engine started to circulate coolant everywhere and get the engine up to temp
- Engine stopped, coolant drained, and the system flushed with clean water a couple of times. Pressurised air is used to spray the system after the water is drained.
- Swap out the inlet and outlet elbow joints for new ones. There are 2 radiator hoses and 1 of them was bulging at the tip - it was done for. It was just my luck that the 1 rad hose I could source from Korea was this one! The other one isn't in stock.
- Swap out the rad mounting bushes for new ones - OE replacements were ready.
- General clean up of the rad area as below.

Radiator taken off and mounting member is cleaned of rust with a grinder.

Attachment 2691668

Attachment 2691670

Painted with rust preventive paint for long-term peace of mind:

Attachment 2691669

Attachment 2691671

Old coolant elbow vs the new one

This is just the one for inlet, the outlet elbow joint was swapped too but I don't have pictures.

Attachment 2691672

The car turns 1!

28/11/2024 marked a year the car has been under my ownership. I found myself laughing at how I've driven it for less than 300km in the time I bought it. We're still not done with the work, as only 1 speaker in the car out of 4 is working, but the repairs part of the chapter is finally coming to a close, and I hope to be able to enjoy more of the beast going forward. I took 2 friends out on a drive, and their jaws dropped when I floored the throttle. My friend's wife was giggling by the time the drive ended, and she thanked me a couple of times for the ride!

There was an intermittent smell of petrol coming into the cabin while driving, which turned out to be a rotten evap canister line, now duly replaced. There's another small niggle wherein I'm getting warm air in the cabin through the AC vents and also the footwell vents even when the AC is off, recirculation mode is off and the temps are set to cool. This needs looking into, as my mechanic couldn't replicate this issue. It's not such a problem during winter months, though.
Also, if you'll see the second picture in this thread, you'll notice a patch of rotten metal. This is the part below the battery, and while the battery tray is brand new, the body shop fellas didn't remove it when they were working on cutting off the other rotten parts (why would they anyway?) and we missed this portion. It's a day's work, tops, so I'll get around to it in due time.

Coming to the expenses, I'm still piecing together my notes from different purchases, and I'll post a thorough breakdown of the figures once they're fully ready. I know for sure I'll be adding insurance as a repair cost because they forced me to buy it in order to get the car transferred to my name and I haven't driven it for 11 months of the insurance term

I'm used to the size of the car now and can comfortably weave between traffic like I'm used to with the Alto. (OK perhaps not THAT comfy, but you get the idea...)
She's quite a discreet looker, so anyone whose gaze lingers on for a while ends up observing the car more.

All said and done, this project was a long time coming and I'm glad it's drawing to a favourable close. I really couldn't have asked for more. In an era of hard lines, jagged edges, downright ugly designs (I'm looking at you first, Hyundai) and boxy, tall cars, the Sonata stands apart with its simple design, BSII-compliant V6 engine, and a nutcase behind the wheel who's used to an Alto...

Onward, and upward.

That’s awesome man i’m so incredibly happy for you. I understand exactly what you mean but the stability and confidence of a car like this. Here’s to hoping my car comes back working perfectly and hopefully we can meet some day. Cheers!