[CrAzY dRiVeR]

The Hyundai came back from the 30k service with a big bill once again - as has been the norm with the car!

Work done on the car -

1. A/c Issue - No issue was found with the compressor or gas. Seems coolant line had blockage leading to less volume of air through the circuit. This was removed and cleaned. Improvement? Slightly. Not enough for the summer still - so I also got Garware Fronty (70% VLT) installed on the front windshield.

2. ABS Sensor? Part not available. Ordered and paid 200/- as advance. Fingers crossed.

3. Silencer was found to have some rusting, which has been patched up.

4. Had forgot to mention that the rear brakes where making the occassional noises and both the rear cylinder and drums were found faulty and changed.

The damage to the wallet -





In for Garware fronty 70% VLT installation for the windshield alone. Hyundai really need to work on their ac!



Took the opportunity to install Roots Windtone as well -

Originally Posted by motorlover

Did they tell you to replace the sensor? My xcent is 7 years old and i too was getting the indicator when it was around 3 years old but i didnt had to replace the sensor. They replaced an electric part.
AC will always remain an issue. Since mine is anyway not under warranty i had done it from a local person. He did a good job though. My odo is 85000. Other then AC and now suspension, its been such a comfortable car and an issueless companion over the years

Sensor is to be replaced, but no part was available (have heard this before too!). Hopefully, will arrive in a few days.

AC was always an issue - but became horrible recently. Had to open the windows for some relief and was sweating properly even with the a/c on! Post service + Garware installation on the front windshield, it is still pathetic - but atleast the sweating has stopped.

Glad to know you have a good ownership experience. I would say mine has been quite a mixed experience! Still continues to be absolutely brilliant for the purpose we bought it for - for parents to use in the city and their regular medical visits, but otherwise I have an average opinion of a Hyundai ownership.

Combined with the suspect safety - Certainly giving Hyundai / Kia a miss for my personal car upgrade.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Updates for 2022 - The mediocre experience continues...

ABS Sensor fixed

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

2. ABS Sensor? Part not available. Ordered and paid 200/- as advance. Fingers crossed.

As mentioned in the previous post, the ABS sensor was not available when the service was performed in the first week of January. Had paid an advance back then itself, and was replaced by the 3rd week of Jan.

The car was finally back without any errors and only one major issue remained - a/c performance.

A/c fixed

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

1. A/c Issue - No issue was found with the compressor or gas. Seems the coolant line had blockage leading to less volume of air through the circuit. This was removed and cleaned. Improvement? Slightly. Not enough for the summer still - so I also got Garware Fronty (70% VLT) installed on the front windshield.

Have been complaining about this to Popular Hyundai service multiple times, and never got any resolution. Finally fed up, approached a local a/c specialist - who connected all these gauges (Gannu's thread explains those!) and showed that the refrigerant pressure is zero, nil, nada...



Now that's even worse than it sounds because the Hyundai dealer has been regularly telling me they have verified gas is correct and been charging various other stuff every time I complain of a/c performance. Just a couple of days before too - they had done some cleaning of the pipes to clear up restricted airflow. Cost for doing nothing to help - Rs 3000/-

Anyways, as for the a/c performance - it's better than ever post gas refilling and filter cleaning. Cost Rs 800/-

Finally running with low fan speeds on a hot summer day. Have always been running at full blast for the past few years -



That's it with Popular Hyundai's lies! Decided to visit Pothens Hyundai from here on...

A couple of days after, Popular Hyundai Sales team called -

SA: Sir, would you like to upgrade to the new Hyundai Alcazar?
Me: No. Currently not looking at that type of car.

SA: If budget is a concern, would you like to take a look at the new Creta or Verna?
Me: Budget isn't a concern. In fact, I might be picking up a Jeep Compass soon.

SA: But sir, don't you know Jeep has service issues?
Me: But I'm fed up with your Hyundai service. So that is not an advantage for me!

SA: Why sir? What happened?
Me: Explains my service experience.
SA: Sorry sir, but in case you change your mind, do call me on this number.

Tyre Change

Now, this was supposed to be a simple job, but somehow - turned out to be a treasure hunt with the Xcent - courtesy of a rare tyre size. No, I was not looking for any specific tyre! All I really wanted was a basic set of tyres (No point in spending top dollar when it will be used only for very short city runs).

The tyre size - 175/60 R15

To cut a long story short -

Shop 1 - Generic showroom. No tyres
Shop 2 - MRF dealer - No tyres.

Shop 3 - Rare size sir. But we can source Bridgestone B250. It will cost 6400 each!
Shop 4 - No tyre, but we can source in a couple of weeks.

Shop 5 - CEAT dealer - Ceat Securadrives available. 3700 only. But only two are available in stock and not sure when another two will arrive. Will contact you.
Shop 6 - Rare size, but we have Goodyear Assurance tyres. 4800/- each.

Shop 7 - No tyres
Shop 8 - Out of desperation - I called up the CEAT Shoppee in the nearby district. Same story - Ceat Securadrives available. 3700 only. However stock is in transit and not in the showroom. Decided to wait.

A week later, no calls. I stopped at the nearby CEAT dealer (Shop 5 above) once again and to my luck, he had received another two in stock.

Total cost - Rs 15200/- for tyres and Rs 1500/- for fixing, balancing and alignment.

Yet another reliability issue

In the first week of March, started noticing that the car has become sluggish and on one particular occasion - I felt it almost barely made its way up an incline! Could not narrow down the issue at first, but after a couple of drives - realised that the transmission is getting stuck in 3rd gear, and the small engine is just not able to make up for this!

There was also a major jerk in the cabin while shifting to reverse.

Here is a short video that I made to explain it to the SA -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F72rTAmsBjg

Having been fed up with Popular Hyundai, I took the car to Pothens Hyundai this time around. On the initial scans, they found two errors of which the ECM one seemed more culpable. Anyways, they informed me about the errors, erased them, test drove the car for a few kilometres and asked me to get back to them in case the issue re-occurs, because in that scenario - they would need some time to investigate further detail. No charge for the service provided.

At Pothens Hyundai on the 10th of March -

And yet, yet another reliability issue

-

On the 25th, the car was back again at Pothens Hyundai for a different issue, very rough noise from the silencer, experienced only when revving the motor.





Turns out the CATCON was in this state inside, crumbled up like cookies!



Pothens Hyundai provided excellent service once again, cleared the debris properly - ensured there are no error codes recorded due to this and sent me home without any charge levied. However, they also informed that any error codes could cause the engine to go into limp-mode and would require a major expense (and lost time) for sourcing a non-moving part such as the catalytic converter.

The return of both issues!

-

On the 31st, while parking the car after a short drive - both issues returned together to haunt - Reverse suddenly engaged with a big jerk, and the check-engine light came on as well!

Returned the car back to the service center on the 1st.

As of today, investigations are ongoing and they are waiting for a replacement ECM from an old TD car to check. Looks like a couple of major expenses incoming! At least the service attitude is much better here.

Service Expenses

Speaking of expenses, the steadily rising maintenance costs over the years -

[greenhorn]

While popular may seem to be incompetent, I think pothen's as a business group have a short supply of ethics. This started from my experience with kulathunkal, and I've interacted with a lot of ex kulathunkal folks in other establishments and they all say the same thing .

I was recently shopping for a hatch and while at popular they had proper demo cars for all models, Pothens Hyundai had the car with a disconnected odo at a Honda showroom which used to be the old kulathunkal tasc, and all those bad memories came flooding back

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

This started from my experience with kulathunkal, and I've interacted with a lot of ex kulathunkal folks in other establishments and they all say the same thing .

Never knew about this Pothens - Kulathunkal connection. Popular service has always been heavy on the wallet, and we have seen this from the M800 days. However, earlier they used to do proper work and bill extra! With Popular Hyundai - seems only billing is done!

The only way out seems to be a competent FNG!

[padmrajravi]

Oops, you seem to be having a nightmare experience with the Xcent. An ECM failing is very rare and I haven't heard many instances of it unless the car has been exposed to water. I hope it is not that and something related to the catalytic converter itself.

[shatananda.k]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Have been complaining about this to Popular Hyundai service multiple times, and never got any resolution. Finally fed up, approached a local a/c specialist - who connected all these gauges (Gannu's thread explains those!) and showed that the refrigerant pressure is zero, nil, nada...

I too face similar AC issues with my Xcent (2015). Fed up of the service centre unable to diagnose the problem. Glad you were able to resolve it for your car.

Do you recommend any local specialists in Bangalore? This seems like the last option.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Never knew about this Pothens - Kulathunkal connection. Popular service has always been heavy on the wallet, and we have seen this from the M800 days. However, earlier they used to do proper work and bill extra! With Popular Hyundai - seems only billing is done!

The only way out seems to be a competent FNG!

So I reached out to a couple of local bhpians who have Hyundais and they both recommended pothens - and that popular is lacking. So I guess pothens it is. But this does want to make me take out Hyundai from my list of preferred brands in Trivandrum. Thank god i ended up buying a Toyota and not a Hyundai.

[micky]

Sad to see a fellow Xcent owner going through such troubles. My experience has been fairly good for 110k kms with my SX(O) Petrol.

Following are the issues I have observed
1. ABS sensor - Twice - Replaced the sensor which costed around 5k
2. AC - Twice leakage in condenser and once a leakage in a pipe - All costed around 5-7k for repairs (the first one was under warranty)

On the performance of the AC - I wouldn't say its the best in class but it does the job. On peak summer months in Delhi I use window shades to reduce the sunlight entering into the cabin.

Apart from this haven't faced any mechanical issues yet. All services were done on time. First 4 years were with the authorised service provider and the last two years with Gomechanic. On an average I have spent around 8-10k per year (Excluding the tyres and battery).

[AkMar]

Sad to see the reliability issues on your car. Your review was one of the factors that led to us finalising the Xcent in 2015, and our ownership experience hasn't been great either. Thankfully it has not yet left me stranded on the road. I am also wary of Hyundai ownership experience & usually don't recommend Hyundais to anyone who asks for my advice.

Did the AC shop check evaporator/condenser for leaks? That is a common problem with the Xcent. We had to change it in our car in 2019, when the car lost all cooling.

[Sasanka_Sanga]

Jerk while shifting to reverse gear in an automatic vehicle could be due to accumulators being worn out or could be the vehicle is low on transmission fluid.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Updates for 2022 - The mediocre experience continues...

Pretty unfortunate and makes me jittery about the reliability and "fuss free" nature of newer Hyundais.

IMHO isn't the Xcent the "Crazy Driver" in this case ?

Ditto on the AC part, had a similar experience where an expert AC guy fixed a relative's wagonR for ₹800 which had already costed over 3k, 2 years and no solution. I was surprised how the other people had messed up such a simple thing.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

I hope it is not that and something related to the catalytic converter itself.

Yes. Hope not! Along with the earlier issue of the crankshaft bolt failure - not been a stellar track record otherwise too.

Originally Posted by shatananda.k

I too face similar AC issues with my Xcent (2015). Fed up of the service centre unable to diagnose the problem. Glad you were able to resolve it for your car.

Do you recommend any local specialists in Bangalore? This seems like the last option.

May be this thread can help? https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...epair-c-4.html (Bangalore : Please suggest a Good Workshop to repair A/C)

Originally Posted by greenhorn

So I reached out to a couple of local bhpians who have Hyundais and they both recommended pothens - and that popular is lacking. So I guess pothens it is. But this does want to make me take out Hyundai from my list of preferred brands in Trivandrum. Thank god i ended up buying a Toyota and not a Hyundai.

Where Hyundai excels is in the ease of driving, along with all the features offered. It's like a WagonR with a boot and the parents love it.

Toyota service is brilliant. Have experienced the same multiple times in Bangalore. Taking a friend's (who was abroad for a couple of years) Fortuner for service used to be cheaper than servicing my Punto.

Originally Posted by micky

My experience has been fairly good for 110k kms with my SX(O) Petrol.

Good to hear.

The car is still absolutely perfect for our use case and we have no plans of replacing it, but the failing parts have put a big question mark in my mind regarding Hyundai reliability.

Originally Posted by AkMar

Sad to see the reliability issues on your car. Your review was one of the factors that led to us finalising the Xcent in 2015, and our ownership experience hasn't been great either. Thankfully it has not yet left me stranded on the road. I am also wary of Hyundai ownership experience & usually don't recommend Hyundais to anyone who asks for my advice.

Did the AC shop check evaporator/condenser for leaks? That is a common problem with the Xcent. We had to change it in our car in 2019, when the car lost all cooling.

Oops! Sorry you've had a bad experience as well. The product is still perfect for our use case, and if not for the issues - will certainly not be leaving the house till legally forced to! But Hyundai should take care of their long term quality.

The local mechanic also mentioned leaks being common with modern Hyundai and Honda cars. However, since the loss of cooling was very gradual and occurred over a period of an year or more - we decided to go ahead with a refill for now, and do a deeper check if the issue reoccurs. Has been running fine for a month or two now.

Originally Posted by Sasanka_Sanga

Jerk while shifting to reverse gear in an automatic vehicle could be due to accumulators being worn out or could be the vehicle is low on transmission fluid.

I had asked them to verify transmission fluid. Will get them to cross check both again. Thanks.

Originally Posted by shancz

Pretty unfortunate and makes me jittery about the reliability and "fuss free" nature of newer Hyundais.

IMHO isn't the Xcent the "Crazy Driver" in this case ?

Their long-term loss! At least lost one customer who skipped Creta/Seltos (for poor crash safety as well!) despite making a strong case for itself on paper with the 1.5 diesel AT combination.

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Where Hyundai excels is in the ease of driving, along with all the features offered. It's like a WagonR with a boot and the parents love it.

The product is still perfect for our use case, and if not for the issues - will certainly not be leaving the house till legally forced to!

Fully agreed. The features offered were very good for its time. Apart from need for better suspension, cannot really fault anything in the car. We too do not have any immediate plans of replacement. But can't say about the medium term future. Since it is parents' car, the itch to own the first car purchased with my own money may lead to a change. When? I don't know yet

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I had asked them to verify transmission fluid. Will get them to cross check both again. Thanks.

Might be a good idea to replace the AT transmission fluid as well if the last replacement was done more than 5 years ago.

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Where Hyundai excels is in the ease of driving, along with all the features offered. It's like a WagonR with a boot and the parents love it.

Toyota service is brilliant. Have experienced the same multiple times in Bangalore. Taking a friend's (who was abroad for a couple of years) Fortuner for service used to be cheaper than servicing my Punto.

While I agree that Hyundais have the best in class features across the board, ease of driving is a bit more subjective. I'll agree that the santro and i10 grand are easier to drive than their maruti counterparts, my dad in law had an i20 Elite petrol that was a pain to drive. Finding the clutch engagment point in it was incredibly hard to find and visibility was extremely bad. So bad that wifey vetoed an i20 from her end as she was very uncomfortable driving it.

Service experience though, they had it good because they were in Kochi and seem to have had a good experience with VTJ. Toyota seems to be a different class though altogether. I took my car for its service and all the issues seemed to be from a rat bite attack and didn't see any age/wear related parts failures like i used to see on my indica - it would have been unbelievable except for the fact that i had the same experience with my Civic in the US.