2018 Hyundai Elantra Value Edition - $15,488

Hi All:

While still waiting for the $536 refund from my BoostUp down payment to be credited to my Discover, I ordered the Elantra Eco trim specific mini-spare kit and tire from Russell Westbrook Hyundai for $247 incl. tax. The parts associate said the mini-spare tire will be in mounted, pressed up, the jack kit installed on top, and the package will be placed under the trunk cargo floor cover like the rest of the Elantra lineup when I come to pick it up on the 26th, 27th, or 28th.

I am still looking at all-weather mats for the front and rear seat passengers to cover Uber/Lyft worst case scenarios. You know what I am talking about.

The Husky brand popped up for the trunk and appears to have a higher lip for the trunk/cargo area floor than the WeatherTech brand, but I am not fond of the taller ribs across the entire mat. The Husky fronts appear to have a higher lip for the front and rear seat passengers and less rib height making them possibly more desirable for both spill protection and passenger comfort than the WeatherTechs? Aries StyleGuard passenger mats appear to have the best technology for their look, foot comfort, and noise abatement but there are none available for the Elantra. Anyone have any comments regarding any brand all-weather mat(s) you or your family may have purchased in the recent past?

Vehicle: 2018 Hyundai Elantra

WeatherTech

WeatherTech Front and Rear all-weather mats (Retail $179.90)
Part Number: 44925-1-2

WeatherTech Cargo/Trunk Liner all-weather mat (Retail $109.95)
Part Number: 40872

WeatherTech 2nd Row Bench Seating(Retail $159.95) <-- While these may offer fabric protection to the nth degree, they look sterile and uncomfortable.
Part Number: DE2011CH

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Husky

Husky Front and Rear all-weather floor liners (Retail $139.95)
ITEM# 98871

Husky Cargo/Trunk Liner all-weather mat (Retail $109.95)
ITEM# 48861

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I will pull the trigger on accessories when I actually have the two keys in my hands and it is parked in my drive as a guarantee that the purchase went as expected.

Wayne

 

Hi Bill:

Great points!

No smoking is allowed under either Uber or Lyft platforms so that is a good thing. If the car is not pristine or really clean, your driver rating is at risk. Drop to low and the two platforms boot you so washing the car every day to every other in IL and/or every third to fourth day in Southern Calif. is mandatory. Vacuuming out the car is a once to twice a day mandatory addition. At least it would be for me. Pups will not be able to see the inside of the Elantra ECO except or very short trips unfortunately.

I just want to provide the best Ride Share experience for the customers and add to this story. I just added an unlimited plan on my phone (55 or older? T-Mobile 55+: 2-Lines for $60 Unlimited Everything incl. Taxes!) so I can provide free WI-Fi with a few minor caveats, 4 different charging cords for a variety of phones customers may have, Aux port access, free Pandora, XM, or AM/FM channel selection, free water, maybe even some cooled sodas and some Granola bars for a small extra charge. Most Uber/Lyft drivers I have spoken with or follow online cannot provide all of this let alone cannot afford a new car. All to complete a story on this "Ride Share" with a new car experiment.

I think I found out where they came up with $6k in total rebates appeared vs. $5,500 I had calculated previously. Hyundai has a $1k Holiday bonus for Hyundai Finance vs. the $500 previously. I think this is a standalone rebate however.

If you are going to purchase a new car, I cannot tell you what a great deal can be had on a brand new 2018 Hyundai Elantra. Jump through a few hoops w/ Uber and BoostUp and the price gets downright ridiculous. To bad the full discounts were not offered on the Ioniq. If they were, I would be screaming about it too!

Wayne

 

I have the WeatherTech floor liners (http://www.weathertech.com/hyundai/2018/elantra/floorliner-digitalfit/) in my Civic, and had the rubber all-weather mats (http://www.weathertech.com/floor-mats-all-weather/) in my Golf. The all-weather mats were still in good shape after 6 years, I can't comment on the durability of the floor liners yet. The floor liners have much higher lips at the edges to contain more liquid, but the ribbing along the bottom surface is not nearly as deep compared to the rubber mats. In slushy weather, this means that I end up with a small pool of water that I need to empty or else my pants may get wet near my heels. The rubber mats didn't need emptying as frequently. The floor liners aren't as grippy as rubber either, so sand and grit that I track into the car makes them feel slipperier, compared to the rubber where the grit mainly accumulates in the grooves. If ordering again, I'd probably save the money and get rubber mats, that's more of a personal preference than anything. The floor liners will definitely do a better job containing large spills.

 

Hi Edwin:

Do not go out after midnight as that is when the drunk vomiters can be found.

Actually speaking with a number of Uber drivers over the years about this, it occurs about once very 3,000 to 5,000 rides for those that drive deep into the wee hours of the morning. Uber and Lyft have a hefty cleaning policy for a customer that does and most of the pros carry air sickness bags or the plastic expandable containers for this contingency. That $125+ fine goes to the driver. You have to take a ton of pics, send an e-mail back to Uber and Lyft with the pics attached, and get to cleaning up any mess immediately. You cannot have that kind of leftover or smell in your car as the next ride could be your last.

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I will have a sign hanging off the back of the front headrests explaining that if they need me to pull over, do not wait, pull a bag, and yell in hopes I can get stopped in time and they can open their door even faster.

Bill, so cool that you got that 55+ T-Mobile plan!!! I am still trying to work around the 3G Wi-Fi limitations but did work around the 4GB tether limit with some minor SW hacks on my laptop and USB Debugging mode on my S8+. More to come with this as the latest global update disabled some of the PDANet/FoxFi users hidden Wi-Fi Hot Spot capability?

About patrons who have the smoke stench embedded, I hate that smell too. Believe it or not, the Uber/Lyft pros carry a large can of the latest Fabreeze spray concoction and to a driver they swear it will knock any customers residual smoke or "other" smell back into the dark ages.

Wayne

 

Hi Mike:

I was hoping you were going to provide some insight into this given your harsh winter location.

Do you find it hard to remove and reinstall your Civic's floor liners to empty/clean them when they do get wet? I assume by the following morning you would have an ice rink on those mats if you were out with a lot of slush being dragged in the night before?

When you are driving during the warmer summer months and you take your shoes off, do you find the soft ribs to be annoying?

Wayne

 

It's pretty quick to remove and reinstall the mat. There are two clips that I twist 90 degrees to release the mats, then I push the seat back as far as possible and the mats lift out easily. Reverse the process to reinstall them. I do end up with an ice rink sometimes, but then it's easy to break up the ice and scoop it out.

 

Hi Mike:

Thanks for that information! I installed some Weathertechs into the Sonata HEV last January but here in Calif., they only need to be vacuumed out about once every month. The Elantra will be in IL for a Jan - March winter weather experience which will surely require more cleaning. As well as the remote possibility of a rider making one hell of a mess in the back seat.

How about that Weathertech floor liner rib question? I rarely drive Marian's Sonata and have not really minded them?

Wayne

 

I liked my rubber mats with the deeper ribbing, it left more space for sand and debris to accumulate in the grooves. The shallow ribbing on the Weathertech liners is good in dry weather but in wintery weather with sand and salt, it just accumulates on the surface and the mats start to feel gritty. I personally don't like that gritty feel on the floor mats.

 

Hi Mike:

Thanks for the WeatherTech liner details!

James, I am not sure how well it will work in IL but in Southern Calif., there "may" be a few nuggets of gold to be made in dem der hills???

Hopefully with the upcoming San Diego Auto Show $500, an 18 Hyundai Elantra Value Edition "may" be yours for just $13,488 + TTL and DOC before 01/02/2018 is up. Just saying...

I found the Limited's lower beltline chrome trim pieces for the 18 Elantra SE/SEL/VE - not the Eco for some reason??? - to match for just $55 shipped out of Korea on EBay. I am not sure if they are OEM quality or not but they can be easily removed. Double sided 3M foam tape is all that attaches them to the lower black rubber molding. I would love to have the Limited's side mirrors with the embedded turn signals as well but that might cost more than a few $s too.

Wayne

 

Hi All:

I am still waiting on my $536 BoostUp down payment to be credited which the salesman said they will resolve by Monday, Dec. 26th. I placed a hold on $536 of my Discover down payment as a short-term remedy for now.

I also spoke with the owner of POWAPOD. What is a POWAPOD? As a preview, it is a single point of use in-car charger for back seat passenger’s w/ smartphones, tablets, or other devices using either a Micro-USB, USB-C, or Apple Lightning connection from a single attractive box.

The POWAPOD itself is attached to the passenger side headrest making it convenient for back seat passengers whether they are your own children or Ride Share passengers to charge/power their devices as they see fit. All three smartphone/device charging connectors can be used simultaneously in case you have multi-passengers, more than one child, and/or more than a single device that needs to be charged/topped off while on the road. It retails for $39.95 and is sure to be a conversation starter.

POWAPOD


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I will not know how robust the headrest connection, the spooled charging cords, the main cord back to a 12V outlet, or the 12V to dual 5V USB step down power adapter are until I get the chance to complete a full review over the course of a few days and weeks. It is by far the best looking multi-device charger I have seen without the tangle of a short 3 ft. long, 1 USB to a 3 or 4 micro USB, USB-C, Lightning, or heaven forbid an ancient Apple 30-pin breakout cord hanging off the back of the armrest.

Is the POWAPOD an automotive grade product meant to stand the rigors of years of Ride Share, your children in the back seat, or CleanMPG road warriors the world over or is it a show piece meant to attract the consumer to purchase but soon afterwards heads into the garbage can w/ failed electronic internals, locked up spools, and/or broken cords? That is the question I hope to answer shortly.

Wayne

 

Hi Dave:

I have not yet since I have not taken a single rider anywhere. Here is some information on Rideshare insurance pulled from a Nerdwallet blog post.

Rideshare Insurance for Drivers: Where to Buy, What It Covers

A personal auto insurance policy is unlikely to cover any expenses arising from accidents that occur when you’re driving for Uber or Lyft. Your insurer could even cancel your personal policy if you have not disclosed that you work as a driver for a ridesharing service.

If you are a rideshare driver for Uber and Lyft, they provide basic automotive insurance when the app is turned on to a more robust policy once you have accepted a ride all the way until its completion. You should purchase rideshare insurance to cover those periods between Ride acceptance and Ride completion. Rate additions on top of your standard policy I have found online appear at first glance to be very affordable.

Allstate: $15 to $20/year
Erie: Between $9 and $15/month
GEICO: Approximately $150/year
Mercury: $6/month
Safeco: < $10/month
USAA: $6 to $8/month

Both LYFT and Uber provide insurance from Ride Acceptance to Ride Completion that covers their drivers, passengers, and vehicle to the level shown in the infographic below. From the time the app is switched on to the time you have accepted a Rideshare request, Uber supplies only a very very basic Liability of 50k injury/100k total/25k Damage. Clearly not enough for most automobile owners.

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If your insurance does not cover the gap between Rideshare activities, you should consider one that does or do not work for a rideshare company. You can also choose to purchase a full commercial driver policy for a passenger car which costs on average between $4,500 and $6,000 per year. Non-rideshare/courier drivers are commercial drivers in every respect and therefore should purchase a Commercial automobile insurance policy.

Regarding residence, I am a very unique case for Rideshare as I have homes in both CA and IL, have an IL DL, and travel between the two. IL is less expensive so that is where I will title my vehicle over the short term.

With Uber, when you register your car, the signup and inspection process require the plates and proof of insurance with your name on it to match the locale. I am registered on Marian's 17 Sonata Hybrids title, it has CA plates, and CA insurance. I can provide Uber Eats (food delivery) and Rush (package delivery) anywhere in the country but I cannot provide personal Uber rides in CA. A CA licensed/registered driver cannot provide passenger Rideshare in IL either.

Lyft on the other hand requires you to register with your state DL, plates, and insurance but you can Rideshare anywhere they have a market.

I have other ideas in mind for this car that have nothing to do with rideshare but would like to gain some short-term experience in two major markets that could prove to be invaluable going forward. That is until full Level5 Autonomous automobiles finally appear - if ever, sometime in the mid to late 2020s.

Wayne