[motorguy]

I have an Eon D-lite+ that I bought brand new in Kerala in Feb 2014. This car is kept in Kerala and used only when I am there which is about every 2 months. However, the car is started by the driver and driven around a couple of kilometers 3 days a week.

When I was there last month (April), I noticed a lot of foam pieces (about 5 or 6 making up a square like piece) in the leftmost AC vent (near the front passenger window). Seems like the foam pieces had come from the AC internals. To take it out, brought it to the Hyundai Service Center in Kottayam (Popular). They took the pieces out using a twig (jugaad!)

Since the car was under extended warranty, I asked them "now what?" . They said "Sir, we will have to take out the entire dashboard and stick some more foam pieces - anyway it is under warranty". I refused, having seen the quality of their mechanics in previous services (where I myself had advised them on service procedures). And, I know whenever a dashboard is removed, rattling and other problems can surface (since even the AC lines have to be disconnected).

Brought it to friendly AC guy outside the service center and he said it the pieces were coming from the heating coil inside due to the glue drying up and the pieces coming off, but said not to worry since the AC was cooling very well anyway.

Incidentally, on another note, a single piece came out of my 7 year old i10 when travelling to Kannur (hot weather). Brought it to Trident in Bangalore, and they said do not bother to do anything.

Has anyone else experienced this ? Seems the quality of Hyundai cars and material like glue, foam etc is getting poorer (have not encountered this abroad in my experience)?

Also can any Tbhpians share any advice?

P.S. I have also an Elite i20, which I picked up 4 months back and hope that this doesnt happen in that car.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by motorguy

Has anyone else experienced this ?

In my Maruti DZire I got only residues of old paper filter element which was destroyed due to condensation on it. But the quality of paper element was really bad and Non-MGP product.

After changing to MGP product, I haven't had this issue.

But my question is, how can they dislodge unless something scraps them off their place ?

The vents are usually moulded conduits.

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by motorguy

Also can any Tbhpians share any advice?

P.S. I have also an Elite i20, which I picked up 4 months back and hope that this doesn't happen in that car.

This is the insulation material which is coming off, better to get it fixed rather than wait till A/C is rendered useless.

[motorguy]

Originally Posted by prithm

In my Maruti DZire I got only residues of old paper filter element which was destroyed due to condensation on it. But the quality of paper element was really bad and Non-MGP product.

After changing to MGP product, I haven't had this issue.

But my question is, how can they dislodge unless something scraps them off their place ?

The vents are usually moulded conduits.

These are pieces from inside the AC. The Trident guy told me (for my i10), that these are materials to ensure that the heating coil does not rattle - so if 1 piece only goes it is ok.

I guess if more pieces come out, then I will look at having the foam replaced (still have the extended warranty for 1 more year). At present I am scared that the Popular Hyundai guys (given the quality of their mechanics will do more damage than good).

[Mortis]

Are you sure a rat hasnt gotten inside the ducts and has chewed up the insulation material ? Please double check as a rat in the car can do a lot more damage. Anyways get the repairs done by the ASS as it will be covered under warranty and you can blame them for any issues that crop up later

[createrkid]

Classic case of a rat finding its way into the vents. The same thing happened to my Getz and the damn rats chewed up all the foam and it used to blow into the cabin whenever outside circulation was selected.

[Leoshashi]

There are foam pieces(called as padding) inside the blower assembly, for preventing rattles and also for improving cooling efficiency.

Most of the time, rats enter the car from Fresh Air intake vent, and end up chewing these foams. So request you all to keep the car in recirculation mode when parking. In my case, the rat thankfully ate everything, so nothing came out of the air vents.

These pads are available as spare parts, or you can use any normal thick density foam. I got them replaced when recently my dashboard was removed for some work

The OEM adhesive was pretty weak, so I asked the mechanic to use some extra adhesive.


More details posted here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...ml#post4107603

In older cars, the foam can get damaged due to age and condensation. That also causes it to disintegrate into small pieces and come out of the air vent.

Regards,
Shashi

PS: For more inquisitive souls, this is the purpose of foam which is widely used around heat exchangers and AC systems, explained by Late Behram Dhabar. He once told me that the foam is used in AC systems for the very same reason, while ensuring a sealed system:

Let me tell you something about the "foam"! The fan pulls air through the radiator. The unit of measurement is mass flow in cubic meters per second. Reverse flow of air is not good as it creates eddies. Due to the micro-pressure differential in this area, reverse flow tends to take place. The foam is the member which blocks the path of reverse flow. In TD test (in R&D, we call it temperature difference or delta-T) maximum effectiveness on TD due to eddies prevention is around 2 degrees.

Link

[motorguy]

Originally Posted by createrkid

Classic case of a rat finding its way into the vents. The same thing happened to my Getz and the damn rats chewed up all the foam and it used to blow into the cabin whenever outside circulation was selected.

This is not a rat - there are not droppings or smell. Also, the pieces are not chewed up - they are square pieces that have clearly come out due to the glue being weak. I always keep the recirc on and have also checked the recirc filter (which would have droppings) if a rat had gone in.

The same thing happened on my i10 but the A.S.S clearly said that it was pieces coming out from the insulation of the heating coil to prevent rattles.

[motorguy]

An update: Finally decided to give the EON to Popular Hyundai, Kottayam for replacement of foam. This will involve dismantling the dashboard and of course the AC blower.

Initially they were giving excuses that I have to pay for the same (about Rs.5000/- total) despite telling me earlier that it would go under extended warranty.

I finally put in a Facebook post on the Hyundai FB page. After about 2 hours I got a call and explained the issue to the call center. After 1 hour I got a call from the SA asking me as to why I complained directly to Hyundai. I told him, because your guys have promised to replace the foam earlier without cost and now am telling me that I have to pay for everything despite having a 4th year extended warranty.

He asked me to send a mail to him and finally received a mail saying that they will do it for free.

Since I had to come to Kottayam for an emergency, decided to do it now. Car has gone in, dashboard removal in progress and I pray that there will not be any issues when I collect it back.

[motorguy]

Here are pictures of disassembly.







In the first picture you can see where the foam pieces have come out.

Foam replacement in progress. Am praying that the ac and other things work as before disassembly.

[prithm]

Originally Posted by motorguy

In the first picture you can see where the foam pieces have come out.

Foam replacement in progress. Am praying that the ac and other things work as before disassembly.

Phew... this has been running so long right ??? Hope they are using the right adhesives this time. Check if they are packing and sealing the A/C mechanism properly. Also the recirculation mode selector should work properly.

Check if there are any leaks in the joints, last week a Maruti Swift owner came dashing into my M.A.S.S and shouted at the SA for not sealing the joints properly resulting in mode selector going into fresh air mode and air blasting from the leg and vents.

[motorguy]

Just got the car back. They seem to have done a good job. Now hoping that the are no AC gas leaks and the sort. There was a slight misalignment with the instrument cluster trim but they corrected it right away. Only a bit sad that my certer console box got scratched on the driver's side. Probably when they removed the dashboard.

[saratjyo]

I faced the same issue in my i10 when it was around 4years old. They did the same above job and it is 7years old now and everything seems to be perfect still.

[motorguy]

Originally Posted by saratjyo

I faced the same issue in my i10 when it was around 4years old. They did the same above job and it is 7years old now and everything seems to be perfect still.

Over the last year 2 pieces and some random bits came out of my 2010 i10 Asta After that no more pieces have come out. Haven't replaced the foam yet, but after seeing your post and my personal experience with my Eon last month with Popular Hyundai, Kottayam, I'm a lot more confident of an AS* undertaking this job.

[saratjyo]

Originally Posted by motorguy

Over the last year 2 pieces and some random bits came out of my 2010 i10 Asta After that no more pieces have come out. Haven't replaced the foam yet, but after seeing your post and my personal experience with my Eon last month with Popular Hyundai, Kottayam, I'm a lot more confident of an AS* undertaking this job.

I have always had a good experience with them here. So I went for it as the foam started to come out everyday piece by piece. Also I was not aware of any other place which would perform this service without any issues.