[pachchu]

I've cribbed a lot about i20 steering during TD if you look at my earlier posts.

well, I've driven the i20 for almost a year now. least I can say is, there's nothing to worry about. In the city traffic and while parking etc, it is actually a blessing to have a light steering. at higher speeds, the steering behaves itself by giving good resistance/firmness.

any concerns with steering are misplaced.

there are no issues with sudden braking as couple of others have pointed out, but you might wanna be extra conscious of slow-braking, i.e. when you are approaching a crawl to stop situation, which is more often the case, you might have to press the pedal a little harder bcos some times the car just refuses to stop even when your feet is on the brake.

Originally Posted by Yashodeep

Tsk & fiattarun

The reason I didn't quite like the i20 steering as I am coming from the ANHC, Opel Astra, TATA Indigo steering experiences.

The AC performance in the TD vehicles was at the least 'OK'. Nothing great to be noticed. Mostly all i20 TD cars in Bombay are 'ravaged'. So the initial experience of the car is disappointing.

The i20 steering was so light, it felt like i was handling a PC game steering wheel on my desktop. I just couldn't get a sense of the road surface or how far I need to turn to reverse the car to park or to take a U-turn. Believe me that's not a good feeling.

I'm waiting to get behind the wheels of my friends 2 month new i20 Asta. Let's see how it goes.

[abhibh]

Originally Posted by pachchu

there are no issues with sudden braking as couple of others have pointed out, but you might wanna be extra conscious of slow-braking, i.e. when you are approaching a crawl to stop situation, which is more often the case, you might have to press the pedal a little harder bcos some times the car just refuses to stop even when your feet is on the brake.

Well i20's steering is one thing i don't like about the car (specially on stock tyres 185). The car even handles well, its just the steering that plays a spoil sport.

Regarding braking i think i20 has one of the best brakes in premium hatchbacks. I have driven 2 CRDi's both with rear disc brakes. The brakes in i20 are progressive some what how i felt driving a 530D (yes a BMW). If people are complaining about i20's braking wait till you drive a FIGO!

[Sawyer]

As a very satisfied i20 owner of just over a year now, I have had no issues with any thing on the car, except a clunk noise on speed breakers or bridge joints at times, that feel like some thing is a little loose in either the steering column or the front suspension.
I have read about this rattle issue, and my question is - is the noise I hear the rattle people are talking about? On e way and decent road drives, there is nothing like any rattle, driving straight or turning. The car is very smooth and silent, it is only the sudden changes that catches it out.
I have also read that even after the fix, the problem has recurred for people, so unless I have a problem for real, I wouldn't want the dealership to touch these parts of the car.
Any guidance?

[sudev]

@Sawyer if you are satisfied who is any one else to tell something is wrong with your car.

The i20 rattle is sort of thudding noise from right front that comes only on undulating / bumpy surface. This was issue in my sons car and at last service (second) they claim to have replaced steering parts and the noise is gone for now. I do not know what was done as my son got his car serviced. Will update after a month or so if things are satisfactory or rattle is present again.

Also the noise increases if you hit bumpy surface during a curve to right on highway vis a curve to left.

[wildon]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

As a very satisfied i20 owner of just over a year now

Me to except the noise and a/c at Summer which came later.

is the noise I hear the rattle people are talking about?

Yes its the same. You can also check, Turn steering wheel on the left completely and then do a quick right and left , Any tak tak noise coming ? which was in my case.

I have also read that even after the fix, the problem has recurred for people,

I have gone for a fix last week and at present the everything is fine. Many complaint it reappears after some time.

The MDPS (Motor Driven Power steering) and related parts are made by a company called MANDO for Hyundai, so this company should be more worried about.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by sudev

@Sawyer if you are satisfied who is any one else to tell something is wrong with your car.

The i20 rattle is sort of thudding noise from right front that comes only on undulating / bumpy surface. This was issue in my sons car and at last service (second) they claim to have replaced steering parts and the noise is gone for now. I do not know what was done as my son got his car serviced. Will update after a month or so if things are satisfactory or rattle is present again.

Also the noise increases if you hit bumpy surface during a curve to right on highway vis a curve to left.

Thanks for the feedback and I look forward to an update as to any recurrence of the sound.

Re being satisfied, hearing that clunk even once in a while isn't something I am happy with, given how slick the car is in all other respects. So, if there is a reliable and permanent fix, it would make a very good car close to flawless, as far as I am concerned. The lack of engine grunt doesn't bother me at all since I am usually the only person in the car, and the shifter is a pleasure to use. And though Pune doesn't get as bad as the North, it does get up close to 40, and I have never had any AC issues.

@wildon, thanks for the feedback as well. I shall look up this useful thread from time to time and then decide what's to be done. My reluctance stems from not wanting the occassional clunk to go to something worse....

[Yashodeep]

Just drove a 2 month new i20 today. overall ride was very pleasant. AC did seem to take long to cool the cabin. no rattling or noise whatsoever from anywhere in the car. steering was very light at parking speeds n did toughen up after 40 kmph. the engine felt quite under-powered if you're looking at being the first to speed away from traffic.

however, there is quite a bit of body roll at tight turns. my friend (owner of the i20) told me about this peculiar feeling he has got while taking turn at higher speeds - 50+.. it feels as though the rear end of the car is sliding or moving out of line. that's all.

anyways, if finances permit, i'm all set for the i20. in my opinion it is the most practical choice for someone looking at a premium hatchback for city use.

[skanchan95]

After having taken my i20 more than eight times to the workshop in the past ten months with this steering rattle issue, all I can say is that the urethane bush/yoke pad installation did not work in my case nor did the initial steering rack replacement.

The rattling sound kept on cropping up again and again. On July 15th,this year, they installed a new steering rack(second time) and changed the tie rod assembly. Though the sound has now gone, I am not sure how long it will hold.

[wildon]

^^ Nice to see you here buddy.

Which one of this has been changed in your car?

Picture 1

Picture 2

[skanchan95]

Hi Wildon,

Good to see you too .

The steering rack(Picture 1) was replaced twice, the most recent being July 15. During the second replacement they changed steering rack again and the tie rod assembly as well. I was there near the car when all this work was being carried out, so I know.

They claimed that the steering rack & tie rod assembly was the one that goes into the new BSIV variants, so the sound will not come back again.
I had posted the pictures of the first steering rack replacement of my car at CW. Posting the link here

Attn : i20 owners. Steering rattling noise - Page 2 | Maintain Your Car | Car Forums - CarWale.com

The same part( steering rack) was changed second time also.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

The rattling sound kept on cropping up again and again.

Exactly my concern, and I don't want a minor clunking become a major rattle either because the dealership fiddled with things. As of now, I think I will not do any thing. I have the extended warranty on the car as an extra, so I can wait it out for more news and to see if it gets any worse. So far, it is just as it was a year ago, hasn't worsened.

[skanchan95]

Sawyer,
It is my belief that the steering rattle should not be there in the first place. It wasn't minor on my car, it used to rattle badly on rough roads and there were times when you could feel the rattle/vibration on the steering wheel. I owned a Swift ZXi prior to the i20 and it never had this steering rattle. The Swift had other relatively minor and easy to fix rattles(from doors and dashboard), but it never had such a persistent, difficult, time consuming and costly to fix rattle(steering). A friend of mine is the works manager in a Maruti workshop. As per him, some Swifts reported the same issue, but Maruti has clear and defined guidelines to fix it. They were able to rectify the issue permanently.

My friend who owns a Polo Petrol Trendline does not have this issue. That being said, another friend whose i10 Era's steering rattles badly, simply ignores it. A specific issue with Hyundai EPS equipped cars? Probably.

My point is what if it is a design flaw? They are changing/installing things and experimenting with the car under warranty. But what after the warranty expires? The workshop and Hyundai will tell us to either pay for a new steering rack or bugger off. For me, after speding 6.3 lacs on a premium hatchback, the rattle is too much to ignore.

[skanchan95]

Sawyer,
It is my belief that the steering rattle should not be there in the first place. It wasn't minor on my car, it used to rattle badly on rough roads and there were times when you could feel the rattle/vibration on the steering wheel. I owned a Swift ZXi prior to the i20 and it never had this steering rattle. The Swift had other relatively minor and easy to fix rattles(from doors and dashboard), but it never had such a persistent, difficult, time consuming and costly to fix rattle(steering). A friend of mine is the works manager in a Maruti workshop. As per him, some Swifts reported the same issue, but Maruti has clear and defined guidelines to fix it. They were able to rectify the issue permanently.

My friend who owns a Polo Petrol Trendline does not have this issue. That being said, another friend whose i10 Era's steering rattles badly, simply ignores it. A specific issue with Hyundai EPS equipped cars? Probably.

My point is what if it is a design flaw? They are changing/installing things and experimenting with the car under warranty. But what after the warranty expires? The workshop and Hyundai will tell us to either pay for a new steering rack or bugger off. For me, after spending 6.3 lacs on a premium hatchback, the rattle is too much to ignore.

[tsk13]

Originally Posted by pachchu

there are no issues with sudden braking as couple of others have pointed out, but you might wanna be extra conscious of slow-braking, i.e. when you are approaching a crawl to stop situation, which is more often the case, you might have to press the pedal a little harder bcos some times the car just refuses to stop even when your feet is on the brake.

Yesterday while coming home late night my brother taught me how to effectively brake, something which I never knew. Just try this on an empty road: Speed, apply the brakes, release and brake again immediately post-releasing. See the difference and let me know. The same can be easily practiced in daily driving, I've just asked for practicing it first on an empty road on experiment basis.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

As a very satisfied i20 owner of just over a year now, I have had no issues with any thing on the car, except a clunk noise on speed breakers or bridge joints at times, that feel like some thing is a little loose in either the steering column or the front suspension.
I have read about this rattle issue, and my question is - is the noise I hear the rattle people are talking about? On e way and decent road drives, there is nothing like any rattle, driving straight or turning. The car is very smooth and silent, it is only the sudden changes that catches it out.
I have also read that even after the fix, the problem has recurred for people, so unless I have a problem for real, I wouldn't want the dealership to touch these parts of the car.
Any guidance?

Sawyer, the additions which took place in my car are a latest update and not the ones which fellow members have got done on their rides before.

Originally Posted by skanchan95

After having taken my i20 more than eight times to the workshop in the past ten months with this steering rattle issue, all I can say is that the urethane bush/yoke pad installation did not work in my case nor did the initial steering rack replacement.

The rattling sound kept on cropping up again and again. On July 15th,this year, they installed a new steering rack(second time) and changed the tie rod assembly. Though the sound has now gone, I am not sure how long it will hold.

Since the last change took place on July 15th, I suppose you haven't got the Urethane Bush and Spring Yoke addition done as these are a latest update.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by tsk13

Yesterday while coming home late night my brother taught me how to effectively brake, something which I never knew. Just try this on an empty road: Speed, apply the brakes, release and brake again immediately post-releasing. See the difference and let me know. The same can be easily practiced in daily driving, I've just asked for practicing it first on an empty road on experiment basis.

Excuse me, why would one need to do that if the car is equipped with ABS?