Car problems, what's going on?

Whenever I do this to my car I always wind up going to the repair shop and say “Please install the stereo and reassemble the car.”

@Grisson: hahaha yeah that’s basically the situation here. Given the condition of the car and the fact that the previous owner had already altered the audio system to begin with I wanted to just take it in and get it done the right way the first time around. HOWEVER! I just didn’t lock the doors and hide the keys fast enough before Mr.I’ve- stolen-plenty-of-car-stereos-how-hard-could-it-be-to-install-one decided to rip my car apart.

:D

The problem seems to be the step father and not the car! Good luck!

LOL My heart goes out to you.
I’m not sure how the Elantra is set up, but I would be looking for 1) blown fuses. 2) bad or mis-re-installed thermostat.
The trick will be finding what, under the dash, can effect the heater.
It might be worth investing in one of the repair manuals specific for your car from your local autoparts store. Also, some stores have a full blown ‘Chilton’s’ available to customers. (Detailed how-to info for cards by make, model, year).

Thanks so much for the input. I’ve been on Cartalk.com and they’ve suggested a few things that has pointed me in the direction of trusting the professionals. I’m taking the walk of shame into the garage on Wednesday to see what can be done, and hopefully I’ll get a workable audio system out of the deal, and of course some heat!

For future reference, for any Hyundai owners hmaservice.com has all the manuals (for free) technicians at the dealerships use to install/remove components as well as troubleshooting, specs, and wiring schematics. If you definitely know what the problem is and are just wondering how to go about it, this is the online resource to use.

check the temp gauge. if it is normal, the thermostat is working. (the heater gets the heat from the engine)

if the engine temp is normal, the heater inside is turned off. (may have been disconnected during take-apart)

Because you’re taking it in, I won’t bore you with the details, but this will tell you if the service guy is honest about the thermostat.

@DrBill to tell you the truth I haven’t even paid attention to the temp gauge, and if I have it’s been right as I started the car up (and of course since the starting temp. is cold that’s basically all I’ve seen). When I take it out tomorrow, I’ll pay attention to see if there is any fluctuation in the gauge.

Thanks!

I feel your pain.

Yah money says your step father pulled something he shouldn’t have in the wiring. The plus side is as long as he didn’t cut a cord it should be as simple as just opening it up and plugging it back in. The downside is that those wires tend to be buried in very un-reachable spots.

Check all the fuses first just in case.

@westy81585 Yeahhhh, I took it to a shop and they laughed at me while explaining that yes, they could reassemble it, but that I couldn’t afford the labor. The thing is a mess. For now, I have heat again (I have to reach behind the console to adjust it, however), still no stereo, and my dash is still ripped apart, but hey, adding that to the taped up rear window, scratched-to-hell body, and virtually destroyed hubcaps, I’m at least ghetto-fabulous enough that no one in their right minds would want to steal it. :D