Location/place: Navi Mumbai
Name of company/service: Hyudai Motors
Hyundai Motors and it’s authorized service centers (ASCs) are engaged in several malpractices, and intentionally delay or refuse rectifying defects discovered and reported during the warranty, and start charging after the warranty at exorbitant costs. The ASCs charge much higher than authorized amounts, and also carry out repairs which were not even required, authorized or related to reported issues. I had very painful experiences with Hyundai and their ASCs, and on several occasions experienced their unethical practices, incompetence with incorrect diagnosis, delayed deliveries after repairs, not carrying out specified work, and spoiling interiors / improper cleaning after car’s delivery.
1) I purchased one Hyundai Accent Viva Crdi car bearing Registration number MH43A8869 through your dealer ‘Phoenix Hyundai’ Mumbai in May 2005. I was informed that car has 2 years of warranty against any manufacturing defects.
2) After driving the car for a month, I discovered the following manufacturing defects, which were communicated to Hyundai’s dealers, as well as Hyundai Motor’s official customer care address [email protected] on June 7, 2006
a. Improper wheel alignment
b. Noise from the front left of the vehicle
c. Sudden loss of acceleration / engine power while driving. This also accompanied with sudden shutdown of AC compressor during driving and reduction in fuel efficiency.
d. Loss of headlamp intensity
e. Ineffective parking brake
3) In spite of taking the vehicle to Hyundai’s ASCs multiple times since Year 2005 (initially Auto Care Center BKC, and later Sharayu Motors Navi Mumbai), the problems related to loss of acceleration and front noise were never resolved. In fact, the ASCs could never detect the source or root cause which resulted in the acceleration/mileage/AC and headlamp problems. Hyundai’s ASCs especially Sharayu Motors Navi Mumbai, kept charging me for repairs which never corrected the reported issues. On certain occasions, the car was returned without repairs after 1-2 days, or delivery delayed by 1-2 days, or returned with interiors spoiled.
4) Me and my family (including 2 infants) had to face immense mental and pain due to the detects in the car, and deficient services and unethical practices from your ASCs.
a. Ineffective AC (shutting down compressor) every time I drove more than a few Km, or drove the car outside the city – although paid fully for the Air Conditioned car. It also accumulated fog on internal glass surfaces during rainy seasons (due to shut AC compressor and high humidity inside cabin), making visibility dangerously poor, always forcing me to stop driving when it rained.
b. Sudden loss of engine power during overtaking other vehicles – very close to accidents on many occasions. The engine power and acceleration would suddenly drop with a feeling that engine will just stall, not just during overtaking but also on other normal cruising whenever I drove more than a few Km.
c. Sudden loss of headlamp intensity while driving at night – again I missed several accidents multiple times with poor visibility and confusion due to own car’s shadow in the front.
d. Numerous visits every made to Hundai’s authorized workshops, changing lamps multiple times, lamp connector, and others. Hyundai’s ASC representatives always refused to acknowledge the problems related to loss of acceleration, AC and headlamp issues.
5) Finally I performed my own research and found some correlation between engine power, AC issues, and coolant level, and concluded than the AC compressor shuts down and engine power suddenly blocked/limited whenever the car’s coolant level is lower. I also found I had to refill coolant more often than usual in other cars, thus, a possibility of coolant leakage. I reported this finding to Sharayu and HMIL immediately, and was called for leaving the car for inspection. Shockingly, after a day, I was handed over a bill for ‘repairs’, which were never required or related to the reported problems. The car continued to bleed, and problems continued unless I refilled coolant.
6) On July 11, 2012, I gave the car for just paid service (PMS), and was provided estimate of Rs. 1200 + taxes. Sharayu’s car was delivered / parked at my society late evening. I was charged Rs. 8238 for repairs+delivery, and after payment, I was handed over the car keys. The car is just refusing to start since then.
Leave a Reply