Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car?

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Mon 26 Sep 2011 23:03
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - Dingle232

I bought my i30 in January of this year with 19k miles on the clock, full history and one owner from new. I bought it from a main agent as one of the primary attractions with the car was the fact that it had a full warranty until September 2013 (car is a 58 plate diesel). I had had a nightmare with my previous 3 cars so this was my safe bet to keep trouble free for a few years.

A week after I bought it the windscreen was motor packed up; fixed under warranty. 2 months later the bolt securing the lock to the rear door sheared off rendering the car unsecured; again fixed under warranty. 2 months after that the glow plugs failed - warranty.

Today, at ironically the latest 2 month (ish) instalment, it's been back to the dealer to have the air con looked at as was not pressurising and not blowing cold. Topped up with gas and told to 'see how it goes' as it may have a leak that will require a new air con unit - warranty job again. Or apparently they need re-gassing every year???

I like the car and am trying to think of the above as no more than niggles (are they?) and the dealer has been truly fantastic. However I just wonder at what point you start to lose confidence in a car and simply wait for something else to go wrong? The irony is I would have another i30 tomorrow as they are generally excellent but have I bought a bad one or is the above 'catalogue' not worth worrying about?

It's not the 'getting it fixed' that's the issue as the warranty is honoured - it's the inconvenence and not knowing what next. It could now be fine for 3 years or have something else tomorrow.

Views?

Edited by Dingle232 on 26/09/2011 at 23:04

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 27 Sep 2011 09:03
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - daveyjp

"Or apparently they need re-gassing every year???"

Nonsense. If it is used every day and doesn't develop a leak aircon will work for years. 58 reg and 19,000 miles isn't high and the previous owner may never have used the aircon hence the problems now - without use the system fails.

Sounds like a bit of a problem car, but I'd only get concerned if the same item keeps failing.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 27 Sep 2011 14:30
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - jamie745

I'd have lost confidence in myself the moment i bought a Hyundai. But that stuff about the Aircon is nonsense.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 27 Sep 2011 20:49
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - Dingle232

I'd have lost confidence in myself the moment i bought a Hyundai. But that stuff about the Aircon is nonsense.

And exactly how does the former part of your post help answer my question? I was desperately searching for humourous/tongue in cheek content to give you the benefit of the doubt but I actually think you reckon that's a helpful answer....

They are pretty good all told unless you can't ignore the fact that it's not a 'badge' or it's Korean (which I can to both). I want something that gets me from A to B. That's all they're for at the end of the day.

Additionally, not everyone can afford a badge or indeed a Ford/Vauxhall/VW; for people who can't then the likes of Hyundai, Kia etc present a pretty compelling argument.

Edited by Dingle232 on 27/09/2011 at 20:52

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 27 Sep 2011 21:14
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - wrangler_rover

Here's another angle on this post:

All cars have problems, regardless of the make. The important thing is how the manufacturer or dealer deals with the problems. From the original post, it looks like there is no problem with the dealer resolving problems under warranty.

Several years ago, I took delivery of a new car, one of the mass market repmobiles, within a month the drivers seat had jammed in my wife's position nearest the steering wheel resulting in me being unable to drive the car comfortably, all the supplying dealer suggested was I call the AA to sort it out as for me, the car was undriveable, not the response I wanted.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 27 Sep 2011 21:51
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - madf

I would lose confidence if something failed and the dealer blamed me.

See Mazda diesels ...or VAG injectors... or Subaru diesel clutches Or Vauxhall 1.2 camshafts..Or Mercedes rust . or Mercedes A class failures. Or Mercedes diesel injectors.. Or any Range/Land Rover.

All examples of major failures where the manufacturers tried to evade responsibility for design faults...

So far the faults you list have been relatively minor and fixed quickly.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 29 Sep 2011 16:30
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - barney100

Had three Mercedes and none of your faults ever showed up! Think some people get their facts from the Brothers Grimm............................................Present Merc 11 years old and no rust.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 28 Sep 2011 00:18
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - jamie745

And exactly how does the former part of your post help answer my question? I was desperately searching for humourous/tongue in cheek content to give you the benefit of the doubt but I actually think you reckon that's a helpful answer....

No that actually was meant to be tongue in cheek, perhaps you're too new here to 'get' me. Calm down dear. I didnt need the rhetoric about how 'oh but Korean cars make alot of sense...' and the whole paragraph which universally goes with it (i think every Korean car owner has it printed in their sun visor to cut and paste to naysayers).

:)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 28 Sep 2011 09:02
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - Craigdm

Hi Dingle232, in time you will learn to simply ignore all Jamie's postings. They very rarely add anything to the topic.

His lack of technical knowledge is almost matched by the ferocity of his posts.

HTH

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 28 Sep 2011 13:20
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - KB.

"Hi Dingle232, in time you will learn to simply ignore all Jamie's postings. They very rarely add anything to the topic.

His lack of technical knowledge is almost matched by the ferocity of his posts.

HTH"..............

..........Agree totally with above. There are, I'm sure, many who would post on here ..... or at least, post more often, if every topic wasn't drowned, dominated, degraded, by the relentless posts of a certain person. Just my opinion though.

Re, Hyundai. I had a troublesome i10 in 2009. Would / could / have been a nice liitle car but was marred by niggles and relatively minor - but annoying problems. Hyundai UK and, ultimately, the local dealer's management, were often frustratingly evasive and difficult to relate to. I sold it after having sorted it but having lost confidence and got fed up with them / it.

But, silly me, I've just bought another one (automatic, this time) and, again, find HUK Customer Service frustrating to deal with when asking basic questions but the car itself seems OK. I suggest persistently keeping on at the dealer AND HUK Customer Service and emailing Mr Tony Whitehorn, the MD at HUK. He won't answer it, but someone at Head Office will....and at least you'd have done your best. You want and need to have your confidence restored and if they can assure you that they will ensure that the car can be sorted and remain sorted, perhaps by extending the warranty for you, then you might be sufficiently reassured to keep and enjoy it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Wed 28 Sep 2011 14:23
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - jamie745

So you dont think the thread has been degraded by mouthing off about me instead of sticking to the topic? Quite how you're all allowed to gang up on me to spout rubbish which has obviously been on your mind for some time, without Avant deleting your posts i dont know.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 27 Sep 2011 23:01
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - ed81

I think you've just been unlucky! My 54 reg Focus 1.6tdci bought about 3 years ago have had more problems than your i30. Steering rack needed changing since when I bought it, cracked intercooler pipe at 70k miles, warped disc (still not 100% fixed but it's now a lot better than it was!), aircon that didnt work (still doesn't as I cant justify paying to fix it as I can still put up with the summer heat). I won't tell you how much I've spent as it will only annoy me. The car was 40k miles and it's now 90k miles, although I did regret buying it I have to say I am now pretty much happy with it as the engine still feels good and it has the power when I needed it and it is economical too (60mpg is achievable, on the motorway that is :-).

All I am saying is your problem is minor compared to mine! You're just having bad feeling about the purchase, don't rush into making a decision to get rid of it..

Edited by ed81 on 27/09/2011 at 23:03

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 27 Sep 2011 23:43
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - Avant

Hyundais get generally good results in the customer satisfaction surveys, so I don't think this example condemns Hyundais as a whole: in fairness the OP isn't trying to.

The problem is that any used purchase has an element of risk. even 'one owner, low mileage' - because when a used car is nicely valeted by a dealer you just don't know how that one owner drove the car and whether (s)he cherished or neglected it.

In very general terms I think Japanese cars are best at standing up to neglect, French cars probably worst.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 29 Sep 2011 07:05
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - Dingle232

Generally agree with the views posted so thanks to all for the insight (apart from the obvious one which from hereonin shall be ignored). The car tself is pretty good and, as I mentioned, the dealership have been nothing short of excellent; on at least 2 occasions getting me booked in and fixed on the same day so I can't speak highly enough of them really.

I am gonna give it a little more time and see how it goes before even thinking about swapping it with any degree of conviction. I am just about to shell out for some winter tyres for it so I guess that's a mark of faith!!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 29 Sep 2011 11:55
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - rogue-trooper

Aircon - I have had my 5 series for 11 years and never regassed it and don't use it everyday. It blows out cold air perfectly well, although I do reckon that it could be better so might need a re-gas. As it is adequate I haven't done anything about it.

As for your car, when do you loose confidence? I think by just asking that question, you already have. Maybe it is a lemon and it be best to get rid of. Have you talked to the dealer to see if tyhey can P/X it? I know, why should you as it would surely cost you. But.....

As for Hyundai in general, there does seem to be some poo-pooing of the brand. Sure they are cheap, and sure you can see where they have saved some money. But in general they do exactly what they say on the tin and do it, in my case with a MY2010 Santa Fe, very well. I weighed up it's initial cost and where the money was saved and came to the conclusion that it was still good value, especially the discount offered by the dealer that goes with a blue badge.

If I was to go on a ramble, I find it amazing that we still worry about what car we drive in this country, and what message it is supposed to portray about you. I have no idea what the detractors of Hyundai drive, perhaps they are in VWs. I guess that those who drive Audi/BMW/MB can in turn poo-poo VWs. And those who drive say Porsches/Range Rovers can poo-poo those in Audi/BMW/MB. And those in Ferraris can poo-poo Porsches. And those in Buggatis can poo-poo everyone's choice of car. Does it really matter? I find I have more important things in life to worry about than the make of car that I drive. The Santa Fe is perfect for the wife and kids and does what we need, with its modicum of off-road ability. The other cars in that sector were the Discovery and the XC90. Both are ££,£££ more expensive to buy, thirstier, slower (for the DERV models) and don't have a 5 year warranty. I didn't feel the need to shell out tens of thousands more to portray an image about myself......Sorry for rambling off topic!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 29 Sep 2011 12:26
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - KB.

Pleased that you've settled your mind a bit and have a reasonable and fair outlook and wish you well with it. Still think you should pursue anything that is clearly not right whilst it's under warranty, whilst staying on amicable terms with the dealer. They're a really popular car and well thought of, so ultimately you should be OK with it. You can always ring HUK Head Office 01494 428600, rather than Customer Services on the 0800 and 0870 numbers and ask them to intercede on your behalf if you feel you're not being treated fairly. (I called them yesterday and had a sensible conversation with them and they seemed to be helpful and diligent - I think it's a matter of luck who you speak to, sometimes).

I also have winter tyres on a spare set of steel wheels on the Yeti and All Seasons on the i10.....it remains to be seen whether it snows this year :-) Again, you've done your best - which is all you can!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 29 Sep 2011 16:27
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - barney100

Providing they keep fixing things under warranty then you have no problem. Is it right you have to have dealer servicng to keep the warranty going? All you can do is hope this is the last thing to go wrong.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 29 Sep 2011 16:38
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - KB.

You don't HAVE to have dealer servicing. The stipulation is: VAT reg. garage plus use Hyundai parts and recommended spec. oil. However, they say quite clearly that if your car hasn't had dealer servicing i.e. you haven't shown "loyalty to the brand/ dealer network"...then when the warranty expires you MAY not receive the same level of "goodwill" when they consider whether to repair something or contribute to the cost of something that they don't HAVE to do due to the warranty expiring.

All this has been the case, to my certain knowlegs for years - right up to this morning, when they (Head Office / Customer Service) reminded me of it.

I'm also fairly sure that during the warranty period they would look less sympathetically at issues if you'd gone to an independent garage...rightly or wrongly.

Edited by KB. on 29/09/2011 at 16:39

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 29 Sep 2011 19:17
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - mlj

Interesting thread that raises the thorny issue of concerns over the quality of customer service one might get if you buy brand X over brand Z. I concur with Rogue re the Santa Fe: a mate at work had exactly the same choice two years ago, went for the Hyundai and has never regretted it. I had two Golfs in the 90s and loved both. Smashing cars. However the local dealer proved 100% unreliable, untrustworthy and incompetent. hence no more VWs for me. As far as the OP is concerned i would wait a while and perhaps, if the excellent service continues, look to change at the back end of 2012. I accept this might not be either feasible or desirable. Finally, I would concur wholly with avant - my first Toyota had no service for three years but suffered little from it. I had it serviced for my four years of ownership and it never missed a beat. Probably why, (add in the excellent service I had when I had the Avensis) I will look at Toyota first next time. Probably not the first choice if I wanted to buy what I really wanted but hassle, poor service and support from a dealer would turn love to hate pretty quickly.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 29 Sep 2011 21:27
Hyundai i30 - At what point would you lose confidence in a car? - Dingle232

That's where my head's at. I have faith in the dealers and the brand even after a few niggles and, as aforementioned, I don't give a hoot about the badge. My cunning plan is to run the car until the end of 2012 (hopefully flawlessly) and sell it with a year left on the warranty with a FSH. Assuming my impression of the dealer experience is still as positive I may even invest in the new i30 which looks very nice indeed.

If not then there'll be second hand bargains aplenty for the current variant. Can't lose really. Oh and got a bargain on its winter tyres today too :-)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

10 warranty myths exposed

Here’s how to sort the fact from the fiction when it comes to car warranties.

Cheap Car Warranties