[Gansan]

I have been getting free service camp calls right from the first month I bought the car. It is some kind of target they have to fulfill and is just a FGF for the customer. They may also try to sell you something on the sly. I avoid them like the plague.

[manishalive]

Free Camp / Free Checkup is basically a marketing strategy and is supported by the manufacturer (financially). With this they tell you what's wrong and needs to be set right. In many cases the dealer acheives parts sales with this excersise. In turn helping achieve the annual target. This also gives the manufacturer more reach.

However for the customer nothing is free as the parts and labour still do apply .

[radiokidb]

Guys i need some help. I have an old 2001 model Santro which has done about 60k kms. It was used by a cousin of mine for two years(2007-2009). I bought it from him then and have been using it after that, i.e. since mid 2009. He had not maintained it very well so i got a comprehensive service done from Advaith Hyundai, Millers road at the time (paid a total of 24k including some minor painting and tinkering). Since then have been getting it serviced regularly from Advaith and it was running fine.

Two months back(end December) i started getting a weird sound from the engine. Not sure exactly how to describe but it was like some plastic piece was rubbing against the wheel or something. It could not be heard at low revs but as soon as it was revved a little higher it would start.

Got the car checked at Advaith and they said i need to do an engine overhaul and gave an estimate of 35-40k! I was shocked, engine overhaul at 60k kms?? I suspected they were trying to rip me off and didnt want to spend that much at the moment so the car has been lying unused since then.

So after reading this thread I was wondering if anyone knows a good independent service centre for hyundai where i can get it checked out again and get a proper opinion. Would be really grateful if anyone could help. Thanks

Bumping this from a few pages back guys, would really appreciate it if someone could help. Thanks

[Jaggu]

Did you get this checked outside at any of the multibrand garages? I suggest you do a quick check with one of them, bosch authorized centers might be a good place to start with. I will also update if i get some info, last few weeks all my time is lost at work or with DwArF and hence not worked on the Undai issue

[saurabhkanchan]

just rememberd one more thing while going through my e-mails today. during our car's inspection by the engineer from Chennai, we had been given a replacement car by the dealer Om Hyundai, an Verna diesel. We were expecting guests so we took the Verna to Diu to pick them up. Being the dealer's demo car, I expected the car to have all papers in order. On the way, to our horror, we realized the car didnot have any papers(RC book, Insurance). As soon as we reached Diu, we called up the very learned Works Manager and instead of admitting his mistake this was his reply :" koi puche to bol dena Om Hyundai ki gaadi hai"(if anybody asks, tell them the car belongs to Om Hyundai). I didnot take any of the horse crap he had to give and asked him to mail me the copies of the RC book and Insurance immediately.

Does running an authotised dealership give them the right to violate traffic rules? Just goes to show how the dealerships appointed by HMIL are blatantly flouting the RTO rules on the pretext of running an "authorised dealership". There is absolutely no cap on these people, HMIL doesnot even check the credibility and integrity of people running such dealerships. People running authorised dealerships should set examples of road safety, not blatantly violate them. I do not think the vehicle had undergone PUC either. Furthur it only proves how the authorised dealerships bend the rules for their advantage.

[cuboid]

Getting SMS/calls about Hyundai Free Service Camp in Bangalore. The March'10 i10 is my first car. Should I venture to attend the Free Service Camp? My 3rd Free Service is due in a week's time anyway.

[radiokidb]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Did you get this checked outside at any of the multibrand garages? I suggest you do a quick check with one of them, bosch authorized centers might be a good place to start with. I will also update if i get some info, last few weeks all my time is lost at work or with DwArF and hence not worked on the Undai issue

Had got it checked at Fast Cars near Atria hotel, but i wasnt expecting any better from them as i havent had good experiences with them earlier. They said the same thing, engine overhaul and gave an estimate of 35k. Didnt try Bosch as there wasnt any service centre close to my place.

Sent it to another service centre, Popular Auto Garage and they said they would fix it for approx 8k and will give 6 months guarantee as well. Went ahead with this, car should be back on monday

[nukeblitz]

I read the first few pages and i'm beginning to realize that it's not the brand, but rather the dealer.

This is a little OT but i have a tata vista. Tata's known for their bad service but i'm happy to tell you that i have gotten the most amazing treatment from the guys at urs kar motors in mysore. I'v gotten multiple things replaced under warranty. No questions asked even though my services were a little off schedule due to an accident. I've gotten the entire radiates replaced for a coolant leak which happened due to a crack in the radiater at the accident. No questions asked. Funny, i got my car fixed at concorde in hyd.you would think they'd give me new parts instead of doing patchwork on something that's not repairable. They even fixed my center console under warranty which got damaged by leaking car perfume - something that's my fault. I've tried to get some things done in hyd in both concorde and malik motors but i have never been satisfied.
Conclusion? If i had to buy car, tata's reputation of having bad *** doesn't scare me off anymore. But that's only if i'm in mys. If i was in hyd, i'd be looking at my options.

And it's beginning to look like it's the same with any other brand.

[vivekgk]

I think that it's high time that the myth that the quality of A.S.S depends on the manufacturer is shattered. The cold hard fact is, let the buyer beware. If you're careless, you'll be taken for a ride by anyone.

I was not suprised that Toyota slid down in ratings when it came to A.S.S. My father and some friends recently went on a tour in a hired Innova. They had to visit a service centre for some reason, and dad tells me that he was disgusted by their attitude.

When it comes to Hyundai, parts have only just now begun to be available outside of the ASC, and that's just for the Santro.

Originally Posted by radiokidb

Sent it to another service centre, Popular Auto Garage and they said they would fix it for approx 8k and will give 6 months guarantee as well. Went ahead with this, car should be back on monday

I might be able to throw some light into this. See, engine overhaul doesn't have to happen at some fixed kms. If the car has been maintained badly or driven roughly, the engine can wear out sooner than normal. If a simple part like a thermostat fails, it is possible that the radiator fan won't turn on, resulting in overheating and possible seizure of engine. Even if the seizure wasn't complete, the piston rings are likely to score the cylinder sides. This can result in a lower compression, the permanent solution for which is an overhaul. A sure indicator of needing overhaul is visible smoke from engine in regular operation (after warmup in morning).

A temporary solution is to just change the piston and the rings, which will last for six months to a year depending on the usage. The car will start emitting smoke again when the rings have worn out. This will be considerably cheaper than a half-engine replacement, which is usually what is done for an overhaul in modern engines. 6-9K sounds about right for this.

How do I know this? Well, this is what happened with my uncle's 800, which lost compression after just 70K, possibly due to the load of the huge Sanden 507 AC compressor fitted aftermarket. Then the poor thing went into hydrolock after uncle overfilled it with oil following the advice of some idiot at the local petrol pump. And our own 800 had overheated due to a bad thermostat valve, ruining the head gasket. Thankfully, I stopped the car before the engine seized.

[radiokidb]

Originally Posted by vivekgk

I might be able to throw some light into this. See, engine overhaul doesn't have to happen at some fixed kms. If the car has been maintained badly or driven roughly, the engine can wear out sooner than normal. If a simple part like a thermostat fails, it is possible that the radiator fan won't turn on, resulting in overheating and possible seizure of engine. Even if the seizure wasn't complete, the piston rings are likely to score the cylinder sides. This can result in a lower compression, the permanent solution for which is an overhaul. A sure indicator of needing overhaul is visible smoke from engine in regular operation (after warmup in morning).

A temporary solution is to just change the piston and the rings, which will last for six months to a year depending on the usage. The car will start emitting smoke again when the rings have worn out. This will be considerably cheaper than a half-engine replacement, which is usually what is done for an overhaul in modern engines. 6-9K sounds about right for this.

How do I know this? Well, this is what happened with my uncle's 800, which lost compression after just 70K, possibly due to the load of the huge Sanden 507 AC compressor fitted aftermarket. Then the poor thing went into hydrolock after uncle overfilled it with oil following the advice of some idiot at the local petrol pump. And our own 800 had overheated due to a bad thermostat valve, ruining the head gasket. Thankfully, I stopped the car before the engine seized.

Thanks for the reply Vivek. Yes im pretty sure it is the bad maintenance which caused it. I suspect my cousin did not get it serviced properly (if at all) in the time he had it. The car did not emit excessive smoke as far as i remember but im not entirely sure. Will check once with my driver as it was driven primarily by him.

I dont have any experiences with engine overhauls but thats what my father told me as well, that a full overhaul is needed but they will just change some parts so that it runs fine for some time. As i dont plan to keep the car for more than six months, i didnt get the full overhaul done for now. I hope there wasnt much damage to your car because of the failure.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by nukeblitz

I read the first few pages and i'm beginning to realize that it's not the brand, but rather the dealer.

That is what i also thoughts, but in this case it was not to be. Hyundai as a manufacturer IS standing with the dealer. Rather dealer is just following company policy. I have email proof of the same.

Originally Posted by vivekgk

I think that it's high time that the myth that the quality of A.S.S depends on the manufacturer is shattered.

Am not discounting the fact that dealerships do kill the experience. But in my case the dealership or the workshop was just stating out the policy of the company.

On the other hand, dealership has been following up with me right after the first escalation. I give dealership 9/10. Hyundai 0/10 for its unreasonable long term service practice.

My belief in Hyundai as a common man's car manufacturer was shattered. Hope others also realize it before its too late. Trust me dealerships are relatively better compared to other brands, so have fun with Hyundai's during warranty period.

Then sell it off, for peace of mind and to avoid BIG holes in your pocket.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by radiokidb

Guys i need some help. I have an old 2001 model Santro which has done about 60k kms. Got the car checked at Advaith and they said i need to do an engine overhaul and gave an estimate of 35-40k! I was shocked, engine overhaul at 60k kms??

You think 60K kms is early? Same diagnosis and overhaul was suggested for my friend's Santro at 35K kms!!! There exists a thread for that on the forum created by me.

[partha379]

Did anyone watch today's news in ET? They were reporting that competion commision of India is investigating Hyundai, Honda regarding their improper spare costs. The commision has started this enquiry based on a lot of consumer complaints about the cost of spares and lack of availability of these spares in the open market.

The law sited was competion commision act 2002, any idea about this?

[architect]

I know very little about technical details like engines, but modern a car driven with basic amount of care and serviced regularly should not need an overhaul at 60,000 km, definitely. At 62,000 km the engine on my car is just beginning to give its best.

The question is (a) whether the authorised service centre is recommending an overhaul so early or whether (b) the quality of the parts is such that an overhaul is needed at 60,000 km (c) the car needs an overhaul after 10 years regardless of the number of kilometres it has done.

There is clearly a gap here.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by partha379

Did anyone watch today's news in ET? They were reporting that competion commision of India is investigating Hyundai, Honda regarding their improper spare costs. The commision has started this enquiry based on a lot of consumer complaints about the cost of spares and lack of availability of these spares in the open market.

The law sited was competion commision act 2002, any idea about this?

Here's the link: Honda, Hyundai, Volkswagen come under CCI scanner - The Economic Times