Accessories I added

1. Cross bars
2. TuxMat Floor Mats
3. Dual Channel Dash Cam
4. Advanced first aid kit
5. Reverse light LEDs
6. Roadside Assistance kit
7. Cargo Dome LED
8. License plate LEDs
9. Handle scratch protector
10. Door Nudge protector
11. Silicon license plate frame
12. Faraday key fob pouch
13. Front Windshield Shade
14. Custom plates
15. Snow Cable
16. Seatbelt pads
17. Screen Protector
18. Ambient lighting
19. Cup Holder Pads
20. Console Organizer
21. Curt Trailer Hitch
22. Magnetic Phone Mount
23. Leather Steering Wrap
24. Hitch Cover
25. Kuat Bike Rack
26. Kuat Transfer Lock
27. Frameless Wiper Blades
28. TuxMat Super Trunk
29. Wireless Android Auto
30. Magnetic Phone Holder 2
31. Rear seat entertainment
32. Weather deflectors
33. Curt trailer wiring
34. Spare wheel hoist

Chrome Delete & Black Out

1. Blackout Rear Badges
2. Rear lower Silver trim
3. Front Grille
4. Lip under Grille
5. Rear Boomerangs
6. Door Side Moldings
7. Front lower Skirting
8. Roof Rails
9. Headlamps Tint
10. Rear Reflector Tint
11. Front Windows Tint

DIY Projects

1. AVAS Sound Reduction
2. Duel Opening Cargo Mat
3. Cabin Air Filter replacement
4. Engine Air Filter replacement

Accessories my Car came with

1. Cargo Shade
2. Cargo Net
3. Carpet Floor Mats
4. Mud Guard
5. Rear Bumper Applique
6. First Aid Kit
7. Aluminum Valve Caps
8. VIN Stickers

Add-ons we took from dealer

1. Gap Insurance
2. 8 Year Maintenance
3. 10 Year Feature Warranty

Future plans

• Black Alloy Wheel
• Locking Lug Nuts
• Upsize Tire
• Full Size Spare
• Fog Lights
• Marker Lights

 

Accessories I added

1. TuxMats Floor Mats
2. Viofo A129 Dash Cam
3. Advanced first aid kit
4. Reverse light LEDs
5. Roadside Assistance kit
6. Cargo Dome LED
7. License plate LEDs
8. Handle scratch protector
9. Door Nudge protector
10. Silicon license plate frame
11. Faraday key fob pouch
12. Front Windshield Shade
13. Custom plates
14. Phone mount
15. Snow Cable
16. Seatbelt pads
17. Curt Trailer Hitch
18. Kuat Bike Rack
19. Screen Protector
20. Ambient lighting

Chrome Delete & Black Out

1. Blackout Rear Badges
2. Rear lower Silver trim
3. Front Grille (Not Done)
4. Lip under Front Grille (Not Done)
5. Door Side Moldings (Yet to decide)
6. Window Surround (Yet to decide)

DIY Projects

1. AVAS Sound Reduction

Accessories it came with

1. Cargo Shade
2. Cargo Net
3. Carpet Floor Mats
4. Mud Guard
5. Rear Bumper Applique
6. First Aid Kit
7. Aluminum Valve Caps
8. VIN Stickers

Add-ons we took from dealer

1. Gap
2. 8Y maintenance - Hyundai
3. 10Y warranty - Ally Feature guard
4. Cross bars

Future plans

• All-weather Cargo Mat
• Front window tint
• Cup holder pads
• Central console divider
• Steering Wheel Cover

On the fence

• Full Size Spare tire
• Smoke Tints (lights & reflectors)
• Wing style headrest
• Fog / Marker Lights
• Weather deflectors
• Black locking lug nuts

Have you thought about replacing the red plastic strip between the two tail lights with a red glowing strip so that one the headlights are on or maybe even as a rear daytime running light?

 

Accessory : Viofo A129 Dual Dash Cam
Total Cost : 180$ including a CPL filter.

One of the first things I added (moved from previous car) was this one. This was my 5th time installing a dash cam in a vehicle and by far the easiest one. Most difficult part was finding a good location for the front camera. Black dots around the mirror base really made it challenging to find an ideal location.

Picture shows driver view (top), rear view (middle) and any visible wires (bottom).

This one shows the cable routing for the rear cam. Installation is done only with a trim tool came with the dash cam. Special care taken so that the wires go behind the side curtain airbag, if it has to deploy.

No plans for hardwiring, as the bottom charge port provides the ideal location and meets the power needs for my use case.

 

We had a Rexxing front and rear camera installed. We had an installer put it in. Having had a cable hanging down in our last car, we wanted this set up. I’m happy with it.

 

Accessory : Hyundai Cross bars
Total cost: 290$ with self installation.

Always wanted it, so when it was available from the dealer at a lesser price, I took it. It's was going in with the 0% finance. They are of good quality and comes with two locking keys.

Now that I look at it, I should have bought it online at half price, especially mine is just for the looks and no plans for mounting anything on it. Also they are a bit too high/tall for my liking. May be some fog lights there might fix the looks.

Happy that I said no to the hitch from dealer at 450$.

 

Accessory : First Aid Only Kit

It's a mix and match of items from multiple kits.
The one with came with the car is now a bag for knick-knacks.

 

Chrome Delete & Black Out: Rear Chrome Badges
Cost: $0 (used Left over plasti-dip)
Time: 1 hour, not counting drying time.

Sorry about the dusty car and image quality.
I did it first, because it's the most easy ones to do. Front grille is going to be a nightmare for masking.

 

DIY: Blackout Rear Chrome Badges
Cost: $0 (used Left over plasti-dip)
Time: 1 hour, not counting drying time.

View attachment 3013

Sorry about the dusty car and image quality.
I did it first, because it's the most easy ones to do. Front grille is going to be a nightmare for masking.

So it looks like you brushed on the plasti-dip. How did you remove the part off of the paint?

 

Accessory : 1960 California Legacy Plates on Silicon Frame
Total Cost : 90$ plates, 12$ frame

One more step towards making it all dark.
Front plates are waiting till front grill gets dipped.

PS: Its an edited image. My plate doesn't say Yo Yo .

 

Accessory : Cargo Dome $ License Plate LEDs
Total cost : 0$ (leftovers from Old set)

Decided to leave the vanity mirror lights as it is. Prefer the warm light over the bright white in that area.

 

Accessory : Cargo Dome $ License Plate LEDs
Total cost : 0$ (leftovers from Old set)

View attachment 3016 View attachment 3017

Decided to leave the vanity mirror lights as it is. Prefer the warm light over the bright white in that area.

So maybe I’m misunderstanding your post. You should have a cargo “dome“ light. Doesn’t it already have the overhead dome light? Did you mean you added the two lights on either side? If you did, what brand did you get and where did you splice in for power?

 

Accessory : TuxMat Custom Floormats
Total Cost : 200$

I'm a big fan of this one. Had it in my previous two cars, so I went ahead and ordered it on their website.
Shipping was fast compared to the last two times as well.

Attached Images are after a months use and after 5 mins quick cleaning.

The best part about it is the ease of maintenance.
It will look as good as new with a quick vacuum and cleaning with a damp cloth.

This shows the size comparison with my OEM carpet mats. (Need to sell them now)
Shows the larger coverage TuxMats have compared to OEMs.

Still need to get one for the cargo area.
I wish I can get something similar that supports rough use and allow me access to the under load floor storage.
So far i don't see anything in the market that fits my use case.

 

Accessory : Reverse LED
Total cost : 11$

From outside : looks nice and goes with the rest of the led lights.

From inside : I can't notice much difference from the info screen.

When it's dark Outside, they shine much brighter than the incandescent bulbs.

I installed them without completely unplugging the tail light module from the vehicle. But need to be careful while inserting the long LED lights back into the slot. There is not much room, because of the short wires.

 

Accessory : Tools
Total cost : ~ 50$

1. Roadside assistance kit
2. Portable tool kit

It's a combination of multiple sets and tools. Most of it fits inside a bag, that slots into the space next to the tire repair kit. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done.

 

Accessory : Tools
Total cost : ~ 50$

1. Roadside assistance kit
2. Portable tool kit

View attachment 3027

View attachment 3026

It's a combination of multiple sets and tools. Most of it fits inside a bag, that slots into the space next to the tire repair kit. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done.

What are the white looking rods that are above and to the left of your tire pump in that slot? Mine has nothing in that slot.

 

Accessory: Scratch/ Dent protectors
Total cost: 30$

I have a Scratch protector pad for door handles area. And a Nudge guard for the door edge.

They are a bit thick and hence standing out for my liking. But since it's a black car, is blends in when you are looking from a distance.

I would have gone with the transparent 3M stickers, but I was not confident enough with the installation.

Anyway, they work well and come at a fraction of the cost what usually a dealer charges for them. I had lot of left over from the Nudge guard and so I applied it for the liftgate lower edge as well.

PS: Sorry about dirty car. My car has not seen a car wash yet, and the rain here is not helping. This is why we wanted to stay away from black.

 

I like those items.

 

What will you do when there is nothing left to mod on the car? Trade it in for a new one and start again?

 

Fortunately or unfortunately,
That's exactly what has been happening with me.
Third car in the last three years.
The last two, I brought it to were pretty much what I wanted it to be, then had to say bye (for multiple reasons).
When I bought this one, I said to my wife 'I'll not do anything on this one'. Yet, here I am.

PS: I do enjoy my hobby.

 

I'm afraid all I've done to ours in the 4 months we've had it was to install WeatherTech mats all around. I'm quite happy with the car as is though.

I will be putting new Thule Bars and Hullavators on it as the weather warms to transport our sea kayaks.

Your ideas have given me - and I'm sure others - food for thought though and the info you supply on how you did them is very interesting.

Mod away!

 

Hullavators are awesome... BUT get used to wind noise coming from the roof rack. Hullavators have mounting plates for the roof rack and leave a small air gap between the plate and the cross bar. I was able to remove the wind noise by cutting and placing grey pipe insulation into those gaps. It did help a bit. This year I will be playing around with the spacing on the roof as I think I might have had them spaced wrong making the wind noise much more prominent.

 

Accessory : Faraday pouch
Cost : 12$

Look and feel is all good. But it lost the Faraday box effect over time. I no longer have to take the key fob out of the pouch, to unlock the door.

 

Curt Hitch is delivered to the door by Amazon+UPS.

Good box outside, but zero packaging material inside. I could see lot of places it tore the box, with all the movement with transportation. Hitch itself looks good.

Deciding if to do self installation (I don't have all the tools, ramp or a proper garage to do it) or take it to a friend's shop (an hour drive). It doesn't look very difficult to do it, but I am hesitating to do it without all the right tools.

 

It is pretty easy to do, but you will need a jack to take the weight of the hitch and you'll definitely want a torque wrench. The wiring harness is a cinch.

 

Ok. I'm a bit confused now.

Car says I got a new software update.
Release note says it got wireless Android Auto among other things.

Notice | Official Hyundai Motors Navigation Update Website

Check out the latest update of Hyundai Motors navigation

update.hyundai.com

But I see that it still only work with a USB cable.
In fact I could only see the sounds of nature got some updates, and a key pad for FM radio selection.

Am I missing something? or it is just a common release note and I should ignore it?

 

Ok. I figured it out.
Basically only Kona received that update.
All I got is some more sounds of nature..
Just waisted 30 minutes of my life.

 

Long term Blackout plans.

I'm trying to do the bottom silver part first. Looks like the one with most impact.
SoCal climate now is not really helping to do these changes.

 

Long term Blackout plans.

Since the rear is almost done. I thought will try out front options.

Also some trials with lights.

 

Accessory : Windshield Sunshade
Cost : 15$
Inherited from ST, who inherited it from CRV.

Again nothing fancy. Just does it's job.
But very rarely used. My car always remain in the covered garage or when parked outside, I would drive a little more to find a better parking with shade. Also in SoCal, I want more sunlight to come in.

My 5 year old (passionate owner of hundreds of hot wheels, monster trucks and Hasbro transformer toys) was behind me for a transformers sticker on the car. I am not very happy about putting something like that outside, so I decided to 'transform' the Sunshade.

Work in progress.

 

so I decided to 'transform' the Sunshade.

Very happy so far, for what I could do with a sharpie. Will explorer adding a bit more color and details later.

Need to ask the insurance guys to reduce my premium, if the transformers can act as a theft deterrent.

 

Accessory : Radial Snow Cable
Cost : 50$ (I bought it with deals)

This is a back-up and remains at home. Only time its is used is when I test fitted on my CRV.
I throw it into the trunk, if a snow mountain trip is on.

Inherited from a 235-60 R18. So practically, no difference compared to 235-55-R19 on my Limited Hybrid.

 

Nice!

Snow is pretty rare here on the South Carolina coast. And mountains are even more scarce.

I could have used them though when I lived in Canada many years ago.

 

Accessory : Seat belt Pad
Cost : 12$

I don't really like anything on my seat belt.
But both wife and my 10 year old complain about seat belt rubbing.
So I had to get one of these based on online reviews.
Not heard any complaints after using these.
I have seen, they stops the belts from retracting in a normal way.

 

When you buy a Hyundai Hybrid Limited, it means your are limited as to what more you can do,lol. This SUV comes packed with so much luxury they dont leave much left over to do.

 

When you buy a Hyundai Hybrid Limited

Meanwhile Hyundai product planners thinking "Lets limit the hybrid to a lower trim, with Limited features, so that my 2.5Ts + DCTs can have more sales with the Calligraphy trim.

True story, when we did Hybrid Limited vs 2.5T Calligraphy decision

1. Quilted Nappa Leather seats - I wanted it but the Limited is pretty good as well.
2. Rear Windows Auto Up/Down - Don't miss them at all
3. Head-up Display - I liked it, and wanted it from Factory and don't like to add it as a third party an accessory
4. 20 inch Wheels - Makes no difference to me. 19s have better ride and I don't really love the looks of both. 20s can accommodate wider tires for later upgrades compared to 19s.
5. Premium Door Trim - Don't care - Limited is equally good.
6. Premium Grill Finish - I wanted it and I hate the chrome front grill of Limited. Calligraphy would have saved my plasti-dipping time. In-fact I prefer the lower trims black grill compared to my Limited and would have traded with anyone here, if the facia removal was easy.
7. Microfiber Headliner - Don't care - Limited is good and better for people with kids.
8. Ambient Lighting - Wanted it, but mine is getting a functional one very soon. Its not going to be as well integrated as OEM
9. There might be subtle differences - cabin insulation/acoustic glass/ wiper assembly/internal parts/etc . This is what I miss the most and I know I cant do anything about it.

Finally the refinement and integration of hybrid powertrain won the battle, against 2.5T+DCT+auto start/stop, and was the tradeoff we were willing to make to get our Limited trim.
If the hybrid was available in Calligraphy trim, 100% I would be driving that one (mainly for reasons #9 and #6)

 

We - well mostly my dear wife - were less than enthralled by the caramel colour of the Calligraphy interior trim.

We also didn’t care for the mouse fur black headliner and I really had no interest in the auto start/stop.

The HUD looked like it is version 1.0.0. I’ll wait until it gets to be a bit more sophisticated.

The rest I really don’t care about.

The thought of a hybrid did appeal to us, and we are very pleased with the 32mpg economy and almost 600 mile range on a full tank.

Of course whatever floats anyone else’s boat is just fine.

 

Accessory: Screen Protector
Cost: 16$

No more smudges and fingerprints on the screen.
Much easier to clean and don't need to worry about scratches. It has the same gloss effect as the original screen, but hardly noticeable when the screen is on. Fix it, forget it, kind of item.

 

That was one of the very first things I did after quality floor mats. Worked out very nicely.

 

I like it! I’ll order one too.

Thanks.