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Old 27th May 2011, 18:00   #166
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

Quote:
Originally Posted by skanchan95 View Post
Anyway, I have just wasted too much of time, money and patience with Hyundai. We will see what happens in the court. Those Hyundai people had told us that they would come back again to see the car if the rattle crops up again. Since then there has been nothing but silence from them inspite of the issue being made clear to them so many times. It is foolish to expect anything from Hyundai
this is quite a catch 22 situation. I can only imagine how you feel now. While you may consider passing on the car and getting rid of all the headache you may also think this is unfair to the guy who buys your car as it is not really as safe as their marketing strategy makes it out to be.

If I were in your shoes, I would consider selling off the car and buying a more reliable one overall. What is the point in driving with an insecurity? I also presume you wont be touching another Hyundai with a bargepole anymore.
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Old 28th May 2011, 10:15   #167
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

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Originally Posted by selfdrive View Post
this is quite a catch 22 situation. I can only imagine how you feel now. While you may consider passing on the car and getting rid of all the headache you may also think this is unfair to the guy who buys your car as it is not really as safe as their marketing strategy makes it out to be.
That is something we seriously considered some time back. But with the number of problems in the car(which are largely due to Om Hyundai,Junagadh 's incompetence), it'd be like cheating to sell the car as it is. This is one of the reasons I want to get the entire central dashboard console changed. It looks so ugly now that It causes great irritation to me and will put anyone off.

It was Hyundai's reluctance in accepting the steering issues in my car and their inability to fix it( plus the damages caused to the car by Om Hyundai, Junagadh and Hyundai's casual approach when the EPS malfunctioned ) that forced us to go to court.

Now , I provided them with proof of the steering rattle which has been backed up by Shreenath Hyundai, Rajkot. I recently got a mail from the RO stating that they understand the steering issue the car and once a modification/upgradation of the concerned part arrives, I shall be informed.

I don't know whether I should feel angry or happy or cheated. So many experiments and replacements were done in the car over the past one year. I wonder if it will ever be fixed.
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Old 28th June 2011, 19:13   #168
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

The car completed 30,000 kms today. Steering Rattle is back to its loudest best.Dust has again started creeping into the speedometer. The situation with the car is becoming hopeless and I feel completely helpless .

Last edited by skanchan95 : 28th June 2011 at 19:42.
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Old 28th June 2011, 19:37   #169
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

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Originally Posted by skanchan95 View Post
The car completed 30,000 kms today. Steering Rattle is back to its loud best.Dust has again started creeping into the speedometer. The situation with the car is becoming hopeless and I feel completely helpless .
I urge you to consider referring the matter to the regulatory/administrative departments/ bodies concerned with (1 ) road transport, (2) road safety and (3) automotive sector regulation. This reference should be made with full exposure of the matter to the press. Having done that, you must allow the stipulated time to pass and then seek clarifications from these entities regarding the actions they have taken/plan to take in response to your reference of the matter to them, under the RTI Act.

Please realise the fact that the administrators in our country are loath to take action against their patrons in the private sector. The RTI Act is a weapon that can prove very effective in tackling such recalcitrant private sector entities who are using the delays in the legal system to their advantage. A litigation by a private citizen is no match for regulatory action by an organ of state.

It will be even more effective if all the owners of the vehicles who are suffering from this problem take this action in tandem with each other.
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Old 23rd July 2011, 13:24   #170
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

Wow! What a story! I'm sure this is no consolation, but we did decide against getting the i20 based on this and Wildon's thread. We're still hearing about it [mostly from my in-laws - they have an i20 and are loving it], but I stuck to my guns. It seems like there are too many people reporting this problem and it boggles my mind that someone the size of Hyundai has not acknowledged it or figured out a fix for it yet.

Dad wanted an i20, wife wanted an i20 [obviously not a surprise - she has a biased opinion ], a few friends also suggested getting an i20 but this is too much of a concern to me.

We stretched our budget and are getting a new Honda City - SMT
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Old 24th July 2011, 09:57   #171
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

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I urge you to consider referring the matter to the regulatory/administrative departments/ bodies concerned with (1 ) road transport, (2) road safety and (3) automotive sector regulation. This reference should be made with full exposure of the matter to the press.
I appreciate your concern, but I feel even I chose to do what you mentioned, it will just be another fruitless exercise. Its been more than seven months since the case was filed in the consumer court. To this date, there has not been a word from the respondents. We have keep asking our lawyer again and again about the case. He just replies that they(HMIL/Om Hyundai, Junagadh) haven't filed a reply yet and that he will be sending a reminder again. It isn't easy living with it nor with the fact that the car is still having so many issues that remain unsolved.

Besides, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, we can neither match these big companies either legally or financially and that is the point that these people take advantage of. What is the point of spending so much money and mental peace when one knows that dirty tricks could be resorted to by these big companies?

Trust me, there are people in T-bhp who are holding senior positions in HMIL and are closely monitoring this thread. I know who they are, but out of respect for their privacy, will not reveal their T-bhp forum handles.

As for going to the media, tried that too. A prominent auto magazine published a full page story about my car but in the subsequent edition of that mag, they carried a booklet praising the i20. Quite shocked, I sent them e-mails to the mag asking them if they recieved any response from HMIL regarding my case. Obviously, they did not answer. Again, I will not name the magazine.

Since then , I have lost faith in these so called "independent" auto magazines. It made me highly suspicious that a car company pays them to publish positive reviews and hide the defects. When the time comes for a magazine subscription renewal, they will beg for your money by sending you repeated letters and e-mails, but when you ask them for help, they will not bother!!!

I do not buy or read auto magazines any more and rely solely on Team-bhp and other websites for automotive news and reviews.

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Originally Posted by alam86 View Post
We're still hearing about it [mostly from my in-laws - they have an i20 and are loving it], but I stuck to my guns.
Good choice. Its much better spending a lakh more and buying a reliable sedan that buy the i20 that has such serious issues with the steering.

After I uploaded the steering rattle video on youtube, I recieved many e-mails & PMs from many i20 owners stating that they too are hearing the same rattle sound in their i20s on rough roads. Again ,like me they were given the same lame excuses by their respective HMIL worshops when they reported the issue - "it is normal", "it is suspension noise","your roads are bad", "it is a mental block sir, it is not so serious", "tyre pressure problem", but the fact of the matter is that it is a design/manufacturing defect and the company damn well knows this. Some of them got the problem fixed by the workshops, but the rattle resurfaced later.

Don't be surprised if Hyundai completely changes the steering system in the i20 "fluidic" facelift( I like to call it Darth Vader facelift), apparently coming in Oct/Nov 2011(as per HMIL's FB page).
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Old 24th July 2011, 14:58   #172
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

I often regret having bought a FIAT because of the A.S.S but after going through this thread, I'm happy I didn't get the i20.
Your case shows clearly that Hyundai have deteriorated. I remember, and you'd agree that Hyundai servicing till a couple of years back was very good.

Anyway, I came across this link today. It deals with manufacturing defects in cars. Take a look and see if it helps in any way.
Overdrive • View topic - Manufacturing Defect can land company head in JAIL
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Old 24th July 2011, 16:33   #173
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

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Originally Posted by skanchan95 View Post

Besides, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, we can neither match these big companies either legally or financially and that is the point that these people take advantage of. What is the point of spending so much money and mental peace when one knows that dirty tricks could be resorted to by these big companies?
Your frustration and anger is justified. Also at a certain level we feel let the buggers rot and let us move on with our lives.

However there is a dividing line between [1] civil offences and criminal offences , and [2] the litigation for damages by a private citizen and the prosecution launched by a government authority for an offence which is a criminal offence as per the law.

This is where using the right strategy in your legal fight determines success or the lack of it. You fight Hyundai and you are not going to find success for a long long time - both of us know that. You take a government official to Court for not prosecuting a company for an offence that is criminal, the picture changes completely. Needless to add this can be very stressful and expensive.

I will give you an example. When DSL broadband was introduced in Delhi, I was one of the first 1000 or so people to sign up. The service was crappy with atrociously high monthly bills. I was at my wits ends with no relief from the company in question. Then I read up the terms of issue of the DSL license. I approached TRAI. They refused to do anything. I downloaded some software created a log of service delivery quality. I then approached the senior people in TRAI and made a reference of the matter to the ministry. Believe me, I was inundated by calls from the comapny's top managers to settle with them. My misfortune was that my sister's husband was a classmate of the company's lawyer in law school and he prevailed upon me to let go of the matter. Else I had these jokers right where I wanted them and they were looking at litigation not by me, but the prosecution by the government with the possibility of severe penalties as per the license clauses.

So if you are ready to move on with your life, do so by all means. If however you have some fight inside you, change the direction of your fight.

Last edited by RS_DEL : 24th July 2011 at 16:49.
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Old 25th July 2011, 20:16   #174
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

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Originally Posted by RS_DEL View Post
This is where using the right strategy in your legal fight determines success or the lack of it.
I guess I could try giving it a shot, atleast write to the concerned government authorities about the issues.

Here's a sequence of events that forced us to file a case against Hyundai:

1. Inspite of several visits( 180kms to & fro/September 2009 to October 2010) to the Hyundai A.S.S( M/S Om Hyundai, Junagadh), they were unable to fix the steering rattle issue in the car.

2. The gave many number of false assurances to me that the steering rattle won't occur again( right from late 2009). I wasted too much time & money taking the car again & again to Junagadh.

3. The poor quality of service and troubleshooting work by M/S Om Hyundai, Junagadh forced me to give repeated complaints to Hyundai.

4. In September 2010, it was proved and acknowedged by the Hyundai RO in Ahmedabad that poor fitment of the sunflim by those Om Hyundai chaps lead to damage to the rear defogger, the entire rear glass had to be replaced - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post2096312

5. In October 2010, when the car visited Om Hyundai A.S.S for the last time(to get the rear glass replaced), they purposely damaged the car and fitted the rear glass so poorly that water is still leaking into the cabin from the rear glass and it led to rusting due to water accumulation. Details of the damage caused here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post2107001 . I have no doubt in my mind that they did this damage purposely because I kept on complaining about their poor service standards.

5. When they were confronted, they simply washed their hands off the entire issue saying it was outside their "preview"( which should have been purview in the first place!!!!).

6. I escalated the matter with Hyundai by sending a detailed report(a file)/photographs and a Video CD about the circus that went on with the car since we bought it. As per the courier co whic hwas used to send the report, the Ahmedabad RO chaps were initially refusing to accept the courier even!!!) . None of those fellows to whom the report was addressed to even bothered to reply.

7. In December 2010, the EPS malfunctioned in the middle of traffic, not once but twice on the same day. I barely escaped an accident. Details of that incident here : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post2178493 . Repeated requests to Hyundai to send qualified people to check the car went unanswered. Instead, I was asked to drive the car as it( with a rock hard steering) all the way to the HYundai A.S.S.( which was nearly 90 kms away - Junagadh/190 kms- Rajkot, from my place).

Quite angry,disgusted and frustrated at this, we went to court.

The main reason why we went to court was because Hyundai became had become so arrogant that it took a serious safety isssue like EPS malfunction so lightly. They were not at all moved by the fact that I had driven that car nearly 400 kms (to & fro) to Rajkot with my Dad just couple of days before the EPS malfunctioned. They had no concern for someone's life or safety. Its still gives me goosebumps thinking what would I have done had the EPS malfunctioned at 90-100 kmph on the highway.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RS_DEL View Post

You fight Hyundai and you are not going to find success for a long long time - both of us know that.
Yes, I understand this clearly. A friend of mine who works in a private bank told me what would happeen in these consumer court cases. He said these consumer court cases are "normal" for them. They( the respondents) will delay replying till the last possible moment, in an attempt to prolong the issue and to see if this delay can break the victim's will to fight. The case will keep dragging on and on, if not in the district level, in the state or even the national level. He has been quite supportive and says not to give up without a fight. It is not as if I have given up, atleast not yet. We did not drag Hyundai to court just to back down after all these antics. We will atleast fight till we can.
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Old 25th July 2011, 20:47   #175
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

lodge a Grievance with the PG Portal :: Grievance Redress Mechanism in Government ::

Lodge it with the Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Road Transport and Highways separately. You have a certain word limit, be short, specific and try to cover the history of the car and the company's response, especially the last one where the mail has implied the company's acceptance of the rattle. Direct them to this thread too.

If they respond well and good , if they don't, you at least tried
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Old 25th July 2011, 21:42   #176
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

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Originally Posted by saurabhkanchan View Post
lodge a Grievance with the PG Portal :: Grievance Redress Mechanism in Government ::


If they respond well and good , if they don't, you at least tried
Very true. All we can do is attempt our very best to fight back. The complaints to the government departments are best sent in via surface mail/email/fax - so that you have proof that you have approached them in the first place. Look up sarkaritel.com and Council of Ministers - Who's Who - Government: National Portal of India for contact info.

Sit quiet for the stipulated time and then file an application under RTI act with the designated RTI Act responder in each department asking what action they propose to take. Then the file will start moving.

Another link - Road Safety India, NGO on Road Safety in India, Traffic education material, road safety programs, campaigns.

If you think it ok you can refer the entire history to them including the ongoing litigation on the consumer forum. Remember it is also about getting the word out to anyone who can pursue the ministries - all NGOs' need a raison d'etre and this is a valid issue for them.

Last edited by RS_DEL : 25th July 2011 at 21:48.
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Old 27th July 2011, 00:38   #177
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Guys,

We have a one year old i20 in our house. Well maintained, carefully used and regularly serviced needless to say.

Had the most bizarre experience yesterday. When we went to adjust the steering wheel using the lever below, it refused to relock in the changed position. Result: the steering wheel kept moving up and down without locking in the desired position.

I've absolutely never faced this issue in any car we've owned previously and am quite surprised (not to mention disappointed) at the quality of parts.

Will get Hyundai service to investigate tomorrow morning itself but in the meantime:

- has anyone faced such an issue with an i20 (or any other vehicle)?

- any insights into the reason. Presumably it's simply an internal mechanical part that has failed I guess?

Any inputs would be welcome.

Cheers
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Old 27th July 2011, 09:19   #178
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

It could be any of the following reasons

1. You were not able to lock the lever back into position. When adjusting the lever for the first ever time, it will seem like a bit hard to lock the lever back into position. You may fear that putting too much pressure to lock it into position may break the lever.

2. The lever may have broken( unlikely)

3. Was the steering column ever opened by the workshop? I ask this because during one the many times that the steering column was opened up in my i20, the fools at Om Hyundai, Junagadh had completely messed up the steering adjust lever position. After they fitted back the steering column, the lever position was placed too much inside. Adjusting the steering for rake & reach had become a pain. The car had to be taken back to the workshop, steering column had to be opened up again and the lever re-adjusted. The incident was recorded below in the e-mail which was sent to Hyundai. Pictures are of the steering adjust lever that the Om Hyundai greats had goofed up.

Quote:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sandesh Kanchan <xxxxx@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 3:24 PM
Subject: Pictures of Hyundai i20 GJ 11SXXXX
To: xxxx@hmil.net
Cc: Customer Relations <xx@hmil.net>, <xxx@hmil.net>, <xxxxxx@hmil.net>, xxx@hmil.net


Dear XXXX

With reference to our telecon today morning, please find attached herewith the pictures of the "problems" in my car. Please judge for yourself if the "Authorised Service Centre" has carried out a satisfactory job. The pictures here are of the tilt steering and the front brakes.

On 15 July 2010, when the rack and tie rod assembly of the vehicle was replaced, the steering column had also been removed. Last week, when I tried to adjust the steering, I found the lever was very difficult to reach. As it would be evident to you from the pictures, adjusting the steering is a big pain as the lever has not been correctly aligned. The other pictures are of the driver's side front brakes which looks as if somebody has made a fine cut on the lathe machine. All four brakes have been replaced over a period of 4 months beginning April 2010, because the "Authorised Service Centre" could not locate the exact "problem". The "problem" I had brought to the notice of the people at the workshop was that of a screeching noise emnating from what seemed to be the rear brakes, which after two visits turned out to be form the front brakes.

As you had rightly asked me, "which car does not have problems", I completely agree with you, but the car in question is not even a year old. This car was bought on 28 September 2009 and in less than a year this car has frequented your "AUTHORISED SERVICE CENTRES" 12 times, 9 of those with the same steering rattle problem. And the explanation given to me for this rattle ranged from 'fault with EPS' to urethane bush to colorless grease tested in the scorching temperatures of Arizona and finally design flaw!!!!

We had owned a Hyundai Accent GLX, bought from Shreenath Hyundai, Rajkot in September 2001, which was a car with almost no "problem" for the six years we owned it. Then, it was a Suzuki Swift ZXi bought in January 2007, which too did not give us much trouble. Before asking one of the customers 'which car does not have problems', please take a look at the service HMIL had offered 6 years back and now being offered by your competitors.

After talking to you I am convinced that everybody at HMIL has taken this issue very lightly. This is the car's third year since launch and if the technical team has not been able to find a solution, i really regret my decision of having thought of this car. I am a marine engineer, I work on ships which have 4 engines: 3 auxiliary for power generation and 1 main for propulsion. When the engine runs with a problem mid-sea, we troubleshoot and rectify the problem within a day. A car has much lesser moving parts than that of a ship and if the technical team has not been able to rectify the fault in three years, it is definitely a shame calling them engineers.

XXXXXX is a keen follower of Team-BHP, even he may throw some light on this issue.

No doubt the Hyundai i20 is one of the best cars on Indian roads today, but this shoddy service and the attitude of the customer service exectives brings a bad reputation to this Korean giant. My client from Korea owns a Santa Fe and he just cant stop raving about the service committment of the company there and then just laughs off at the replies he has read from the Indian counter-part. When that gentleman does, he laughs at the attitude of the people here in this country, saying 'it can happen only in India'. Just goes to show how well we Indians are preceived abroad. Very shortly HMIL will be run like run like one of the many government organisations.

My request to you for visitng me in veraval was not to insult any of you. It was just to highlight the problems of customers who are located miles away from one of your "Authorised Service Centres". After spending over six and a half lakhs on this vehicle, I do not have any peace of mind. XXXXXX, step into a customer's shoes and you maybe able to handle this issue with a little more sensitivity and please do not ask any customer 'which car does not have problem'

Regards

Saurabh/Sandesh Kanchan
Attached Thumbnails
Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced-img_6605.jpg  

Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced-img_6607.jpg  

Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced-img_6608.jpg  

Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced-img_6609.jpg  


Last edited by skanchan95 : 27th July 2011 at 09:23.
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Old 27th July 2011, 10:35   #179
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Quote:
Originally Posted by skanchan95
It could be any of the following reasons

1. You were not able to lock the lever back into position. When adjusting the lever for the first ever time, it will seem like a bit hard to lock the lever back into position. You may fear that putting too much pressure to lock it into position may break the lever.

Thank you so much for your useful reply.

This issue got resolved when we tried again today morning. Although I wasn't there, I understand it was sort of on account of point 1 above. Spot on for identifying the cause though sirji.

No points deducted from hyundai on this one I must confirm.
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Old 24th September 2011, 09:29   #180
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re: Hyundai i20 1.2 Asta - A rattled up year of ownership- UPDATE: rack replaced

Noticed something bad yesterday while driving the car back from Rajkot which further adds to the steering troubles in the car.

The steering rattle sound which is now loud as hell, is now being accompanied by a pumping sound, as if something is getting compressed & then released.The pumping noise is more prominent while going over speedbrakers, though it can be heard lightly on rough roads(with the rattle sound). The pumping sound is very much akin to the sound that those cycle air pumps make when you compress it.

Unfortunately, I was more than 3/4th of the way back to Veraval, or else I would have shown it to the workshop in Rajkot.
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