[Antonov32]

Hi everyone,

I'm writing on behalf of a friend, seeking help from the community. My friend had bought an i10 about 3 years ago. It's a white colour vehicle and since the beginning they have been facing a strange problem - the interiors of the car have been turning orange. everything that is white gets a strong orange tinge, I have attached photos for your reference. The first time it happened was a few months after the car was bought. They took it to the service centre and they did nothing. But, then within a year things became really orange and after much fighting with the dealership staff they took the vehicle back, gave them an interim vehicle and made some changes to the AC unit and returned it after removing all the orange colour. This was about a year or so ago and the problem has resurfaced. Hyundai was not able to provide any justifiable reason behind why this was happening and honestly we are also very confused. My friend is a doctor and he is worried if the emissions from the AC (assuming that theory is true) could be harmful for the family in any way since it is a really strong thing and doesn't really wash off.

I would really appreciate if someone could tell us what to do and how to approach the matter. Please ask me for any more information that could help in diagnosing the problem. The vehicle is in Karimnagar, Telengana. The Hyundai people are being very dismissive of the concern and even last time around my friend had to resort to using social media to get Hyundai's attention. They keep saying it is something in your atmosphere and we will check the air of your city; which they never did. I'm sure that is not that case and we are worried that for all we know this could be something carcinogenic and not safe for the kids to drive in.

Thank you all.

[N4Nikunj]

Dear Antonov32,

I think its a manufacturing defect because if colour is changed due to AC emissions, then the colour of pendrive, AUX Cable and hatch should not be changed because A/C of any car is not that powerful enough to reach to the hatch and door panels.

[Antonov32]

Hi Nikunj,

Thank you for your reply. Last time around the colour of seat covers had also changed and they are again beginning to show the orange tinge. What kind of manufacturing defect are you suggesting? I can try and put a filter paper at the AC exhaust to check if the emission is because of it. Any ideas you'd have?

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by Antonov32

Hi Nikunj,

Thank you for your reply. Last time around the colour of seat covers had also changed and they are again beginning to show the orange tinge. What kind of manufacturing defect are you suggesting? I can try and put a filter paper at the AC exhaust to check if the emission is because of it. Any ideas you'd have?

Air coming out of the AC appears to be the first place to start with. Just stick a tissue paper or even better, a thin moist white cloth in front of the AC vent, drive around for some time and check.

It is very confusing though, since the inside of the boot door seems the most impacted - a place where the air coming out of the AC will be the last to reach. Most of the orange matter should subside before it reached the boot. But at the same time, pen-drives and seat covers are also impacted.
Honestly, I have never heard of such an issue ever. I went on to google it and came out with NIL results.

Do keep us updated on this.

[Antonov32]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

Air coming out of the AC appears to be the first place to start with. Just stick a tissue paper or even better, a thin moist white cloth in front of the AC vent, drive around for some time and check.

Thank you for the reply. I'll get them to do the moist white cloth test and come back with the results. I'm also equally baffled at this. It's very strange.

Will get back with the results of the test and any information that I can find. We are thinking of getting the emissions tested from somewhere. Any ideas what we can possibly do? Also, I was thinking if there is a leak of the AC gas into the main air suction could it do this? Not sure which gas is used as coolant in the unit.

[Antonov32]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

Any update on this issue?
Resolved?

Hello,

We got a certificate of fitness from Hyundai saying the foot mats were causing some fumes to form. However, someone from the inside said they made changes in the AC unit without putting it on the job card. We are planning to sue them. It's clearly a problem they don't want to acknowledge.

Moreover, the dealership staff threatened my friend so I guess going down the legal route would be the best decision.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Antonov32

...a strange problem - the interiors of the car have been turning orange. everything that is white gets a strong orange tinge,

2 quick questions:

- what is the colour of the coolant being used in the car?

- is he losing coolant and needs to top up the level occasionally?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Antonov32

the interiors of the car have been turning orange. everything that is white gets a strong orange tinge

This has got to be the strangest problem I've ever read about on Team-BHP.

Moving your post to a new thread.

My primary concern would be the health of this car's occupants. Clearly, something is being emitted here.

[ninjatalli]

Something is being emitted from the vents for sure. The panels that are exposed on the inside of the car have the orange tinge; but not the panels that are hidden (e.g. the rear door, the main doors). Even your rear seat back seem to have slight orangish tinge.

Also if the service center were able to clean it up; it's a temporary coat that is getting deposited on all surfaces; and clearly visible on the white background.

Keep a white cloth hanging in front of the vents for multiple days; or keep it fixed somewhere on the dashboard; and observe if this is happening. I would be concerned on the quality of air inside the car while driving. But get a second opinion asap from local reputed garages if possible.

[KiloAlpha]

Totally weird! And I would agree with the diagnosis of previous posts - seems to be something coming out from the air conditioning vents.
Here is how I would approach the problem if it was happening in my car.

STEP 1
Answer these questions.
- What exactly did the A.S.S. do with the air conditioning?
- How has the performance of the a/c been?
- Any weird noises/etc from the air conditioning system?
Then, get the air conditioning system checked out by an independent a/c specialist mechanic. Since the tinge is orange, I am wondering if the oil in the compressor is getting atomised and sprayed around the cabin?

STEP 2
Get a new white thing (like a cloth, cable, etc) and keep it in the car.
Drive around for a few days with the windows open, vents shut (can the i10 vents be fully shut??), and the air conditioner switched off.
If the white thing becomes orange, then it is a problem with something in the atmosphere.

STEP 3
Repeat Step 2, but with the windows always shut, vents open and air conditioning always running.

This should give you a proper diagnosis. I would recommend that your friend find a really good outside mechanic who has the patience to methodically diagnose problems, and take his/her help in this.
Finally, approach the service manager in the A.S.S. directly and get the issue fixed. Or, find another garage that will do the correct job? If mechanics in Karimnagar cannot fix the problem, try one in Warangal or Hyderabad?

[Traveler]

Please get the AC condenser coil removed and checked. Also get them to remove and check the hot air exchanger which is located inside the dashboard. All air from the conditioner passes over the condenser before coming out of the vents. I can think of a couple of things. Something is stuck on the coil and slowly getting dissipated with the air, or there is a microscopic leak in the hot air radiator inside the dashboard that is causing coolant leaks which is getting dissipated.

[sanjeevgpc]

Look for following areas:

1. Did you get your AC vents cleaned? What was used to clean the AC vents?
2. Any perfumes etc used in your car.
3. Seat covers, foot mats.
4. Any solvents, chemicals used in past to clean car interiors, dashboard.
5. Any kind of wax used inside your car specially on plastics.

A.C can cause issues only if something was used to disinfect, clean the AC system otherwise nothing else should effect the interiors considering that A.C just compresses air and has nothing else and I am assuming that there are no leakages in AC system

[itwasntme]

Strangest story yet so far in TBHP history?

Another suggestion: Has your friend or other regular users of this vehicle complained of any nausea, headaches, eye irritation or come down with any series of unexplained maladies? If this orange coating is so visible in the car, the same amount must be in the lungs, windpipe and ultimately bloodstream of the regular users! Which is a very scare thought altogether.

I would also suggest running the AC for some time and collecting the air inside for a proper air sampling and analysis at a competent laboratory. It should not cost too much but will conclusively prove the presence or lack of 'foreign' particles.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Antonov32

My friend is a doctor and he is worried if the emissions from the AC (assuming that theory is true) could be harmful for the family in any way since it is a really strong thing and doesn't really wash off.

From these pics, I'm also thinking he is right about the a/c being the culprit. Reason? Just look at that perfume which holds on to the a/c vent. It almost looks like the colour of blood there. While other parts specially towards the rear are lighter in comparison.

That said, which brand of car perfume is that? Has he tried removing it? Could be one reason, as the a/c is blowing it every where.

Brands like Ambipur has been known to melt through plastics when leaked, and I am thinking it could be a possibility if he's been using one particular brand for a while. a/c works overtime in a hot state like Telangana

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by Antonov32

We got a certificate of fitness from Hyundai saying the foot mats were causing some fumes to form. However, someone from the inside said they made changes in the AC unit without putting it on the job card. We are planning to sue them. It's clearly a problem they don't want to acknowledge.

Moreover, the dealership staff threatened my friend so I guess going down the legal route would be the best decision.

Disagree with foot mats theory. Just remove them for a few days and see the result.

Who gave fitness certificate : Hyundai or Hyundai Dealer ? This makes a difference as I found out that both are different things. What Hyundai dealer told me was not honored by Hyundai when I raised issue faced during my Grand i10 ownership.

Legal cases are long and an activity that drains resources particularly when its individual vs corp. Be it dealer/Hyundai vs your friend.

Originally Posted by Antonov32

Thank you for your reply. Last time around the colour of seat covers had also changed and they are again beginning to show the orange tinge. What kind of manufacturing defect are you suggesting? I can try and put a filter paper at the AC exhaust to check if the emission is because of it. Any ideas you'd have?

I agree with Nikunj. A/C strong enough to cause change in seat color is something serious. Manufacturing defect could be faulty AC unit. Any issue with refrigerant ?

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

- what is the colour of the coolant being used in the car?

IIRC, my Grand i10 had blue colored coolant.

Originally Posted by Traveler

All air from the conditioner passes over the condenser before coming out of the vents... hot air radiator inside the dashboard that is causing coolant leaks which is getting dissipated.

Could be true. But such an amount of leak can cause the car's paint to turn orange ? Its high risk to move family around in that car, we dont know what quality of air occupants are inhaling.

Not an expert and this is probably the most baffling concern ever that I have read.

Could this orange content coming from A/C vents have some correlation with paint of any sort ?
Turning car's paint from white to orange isn't an easy task. Something harsh is leaking out of A/C which is causing reaction with paint and other exposed areas or is quite sticky resulting into all exposed areas turning orange. Could this orange content be paint ?

Does Grand i10 have an incabin A/C filter ? What is color of it ? If the car has an in-cabin air filter, it should also have this orange content on it IMHO.

EDIT : Is it possible to get that orange content deposited on the perfume holder tested at lab ?