[arjunrudra]

Dear All,

I am narrating my story which happened last Friday ,26th Feb, 2021 on my 2015 November Hyundai Creta Diesel Automatic.

I am from Chennai and one of the cars we own is a Hyundai Creta. We use this car quite a lot and we have clocked around 1 lakh kms on it.

We get the car serviced only by Hyundai and we follow the service intervals as advised by Hyundai.

Our last scheduled service was only on the 17th of February and we got all the things done as advised by the service advisor as we knew we were going to take it on a long trip the week after to Goa.

We typically do a Goa road trip every year and we have been doing this for the last 10 years or so. We have always travelled my road and used many different cars for the same right from the humble Sumo to even a Porsche cayenne from the family.

We make it a point not to exceed 120 kmph and generally we cruise only at the 100-110 KMPH mark.

We started on Friday and we were doing the same 100-110 KMPH cruise and we were just around 550 kms into the trip nearing Chitradurga in Karnataka.

The engine suddenly started vibrating and there was a metal clunking sound which got loud. We stopped the car immediately on the side of the road and there was a little smoke coming. No leakage of any sort (oil or water) and the coolant temperature was also normal.

We believe in preserving cars so we didn't drive it any further. Oil level was also normal from the last service.

We contacted KJ Hyundai in Chitradurga and they organized for a tow truck. They then towed the vehicle to their workshop about 20 kms away from where we were. They then advised to tow the car to KJ Hyundai in Davangare as it was a bigger workshop. This was a further 70 kms where the vehicle was towed.

Once there upon inspection, the very friendly and good service head told us that the half engine ( basically the piston, piston rings, connecting rod etc.) had failed and he has to replace the entire half engine.

We had no other choice but to leave the car there and stayed the night in Davangare and proceed taking a local taxi to Goa.

We are told that it will take upto 45 days to repair it and it will cost us around 2 lakhs plus taxes and labour for the same.

This is very disappointing particularly after maintaining the car so well and getting it regularly serviced. The same car about a year back, the AC had failed and we also had a steering column replaced under warranty.

Our extended warranty has expired which was 4 years and 80k kms.

couple of points:
1. How can an engine fail like this ?
2. For such cases is paying out of pocket the only way ? its a really hefty amount of 2 lakhs plus
3. Is this common ? What should I be asking Hyundai ?
4. I will be back in Chennai tomorrow and now have to make a special trip to Davangare to get the car back once ready ?
5. With Such a massive Failure, Shouldn't Hyundai take care of this service costs. I don't think its my fault at all.

The car was just serviced a week back (Bill was approx 20k), we were doing only 100 though and through and the car wasn't even loaded. We also got new tyres for the same in the intnetion of keeping this car for while.
We also take great care of our cars and any small noise or issue is immediately sorted out.

Kindly help me on finding a solution for the same. Its a lot of money and lot of hassle that we are being put through.

Thanks in advance.

[Kosfactor]

Its usually the engine oil or the lack of it that can cause a catastrophic failure like this - was there any oil in the engine when the car reached the service station in Davangere?

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by arjunrudra

....clocked around 1 lakh kms on it

Most Likely timing chain.

But if at all any, you cannot hold anyone (Hyundai or Service center) accountable for this mess. Better to find a used engine from Scrap markets (try Delhi) and move on.

[arjunrudra]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Its usually the engine oil or the lack of it that can cause a catastrophic failure like this - was there any oil in the engine when the car reached the service station in Davangere?

Yes there was oil and it was at a good level as it was just serviced last week.
No leakage of oil at all. Thats what is surprising.

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Most Likely timing chain.

But if at all any, you cannot hold anyone (Hyundai or Service center) accountable for this mess. Better to find a used engine from Scrap markets (try Delhi) and move on.

Why is this ? Hyundai engines don't fail like this or rather shouldn't. Car is in a remote part of Karnataka so this might not be an option. Which means Im stuck with them ?

[akshay380]

Originally Posted by arjunrudra

Yes there was oil and it was at a good level as it was just serviced last week.
No leakage of oil at all. Thats what is surprising.



Why is this ? Hyundai engines don't fail like this or rather shouldn't. Car is in a remote part of Karnataka so this might not be an option. Which means Im stuck with them ?

Isn't there a famous scrapyard somewhere around Chennai? You should be able to source an engine there. That said a failure is surprising. What service guys think of as root cause?

[balenoed_]

What is the reason that the service center is saying for this?

Like said, very likely timing belt/chain snapped off, that could cause this catastrophe. Does your manual says to replace it during 1 Lakh service?

[arjunrudra]

Originally Posted by akshay380

Isn't there a famous scrapyard somewhere around Chennai? You should be able to source an engine there. That said a failure is surprising. What service guys think of as root cause?

The service guys aren’t giving me a cause. Just quoting it was a engine engine failure. Yes there is a Scrapyard but I’m a little apprehensive. Also, the car is now 600 kms from Chennai.

Originally Posted by balenoed_

What is the reason that the service center is saying for this?

Like said, very likely timing belt/chain snapped off, that could cause this catastrophe. Does your manual says to replace it during 1 Lakh service?

The service which we had done last week, we specially asked this question as it was a 1 lakh kms service.

The service advisor said these are chain driven and need not be replaced.

[Kosfactor]

Timing chain failure would destroy the top half of the engine usually, valves and top of the piston etc. This is the bottom end, piston, rings and connecting rod where I suspect either the oil or oil pump has failed. Of course we`ll get to know one they finish the tear down I suppose.

[gkveda]

I suggest to take second opinion. Cannot really rely on the diagnosis made by Service centre.

Did he open full engine and give his diagnosis report? Were you there when he opened the engine?

Suggest to take another opinion before proceeding with any other analysis since money involved is huge

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Most Likely timing chain.

But if at all any, you cannot hold anyone (Hyundai or Service center) accountable for this mess. Better to find a used engine from Scrap markets (try Delhi) and move on.

Originally Posted by balenoed_

What is the reason that the service center is saying for this?

Like said, very likely timing belt/chain snapped off, that could cause this catastrophe. Does your manual says to replace it during 1 Lakh service?

I think a timing chain failure in the worst case would lead to the valves getting bent and warrant an engine head rebuild. I don't see how it can damage connecting rods and piston rings especially.

It seems to be a classic case of oil starvation to me. You have clearly mentioned the car was serviced only a few weeks back.

Was an engine oil flush carried out by any chance? An oil flush on a high mileage car can cause catastrophic damage. It can accumulate sludge and deposit it onto the engine oil sump strainer, thus choking it and depriving the engine of oil. I would suggest you check the sump strainer once.

It seems to be a case of blockage in the oil galleries which has led to this failure since you have mentioned the oil levels were normal even after the engine siezure.

[J4J]

Originally Posted by arjunrudra

We get the car serviced only by Hyundai and we follow the service intervals as advised by Hyundai.

Can understand this. We, as customers religiously follow manufacturer guidelines and service intervals to avoid facing any issue. But this is of no use. If anything happens, we have have to face the brunt.

I've reported issues and made the S.A write down these points and taken vehicle back after a few months as the issue I reported (during warranty period) caused some more serious issues later. Still they are least bothered.

What I have learnt is that there is ZERO benefit a customer gets if he follows service manual and services his/her vehicles from ASC. Its much better to get these done outside at trusted FNG and to follow a proactive maintenance/replacement schedule.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by vishy76

Was an engine oil flush carried out by any chance? An oil flush on a high mileage car can cause catastrophic damage. It can accumulate sludge and deposit it onto the engine oil sump strainer, thus choking it and depriving the engine of oil. I would suggest you check the sump strainer once. It seems to be a case of blockage in the oil galleries which has led to this failure since you have mentioned the oil levels were normal even after the engine siezure.

Yes, this is unlikely to be a timing chain/belt failure.

Very true about flushes. I get tired of telling TBHPians NEVER to use engine flush especially on high mileage engines. Don't understand why people think a flush is a panacea for better engine performance or a must-do when shifting from mineral to synthetic or vice versa. Regular oil changes with good quality mineral/synthetic oil are all that is required to keep the engine clean.

[PratikPatel]

In such cases it’s difficult to pinpoint the actual cause for failure by a mere cursory look at the engine and its internals. There is no way to pinpoint the actual chain of events unless someone with enough knowledge in all spears of mechanical engineering knowledge works through a methodical process of investigation of each damaged component. SAE has a Engine Failure Analysis textbook which is part of Engineering courses for Mechanical (with Automobile) and Automobile Engineering. That’s the level of knowledge required to do a proper analysis of such failures.

If you really want proper answers for the failure, you need to ask Hyundai to send a bonafide engineer to examine the engine and give you a proper engine failure analysis along which states the exact chain of events that took place in the engine to cause such a catastrophic failure.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Timing chain failure would destroy the top half of the engine usually, valves and top of the piston etc. This is the bottom end, piston, rings and connecting rod where I suspect either the oil or oil pump has failed. Of course we`ll get to know one they finish the tear down I suppose.

Correct, The same thing has happened to me, and I had to get an engine from a salvaged car. It worked out much cheaper than a new half engine and works perfectly fine for the most bit. I think the peak power output is a little lower, but fuel efficiency and refinement (NVH levels) is on par with a engine of comparable mileage.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by arjunrudra

The service guys aren’t giving me a cause. Just quoting it was a engine engine failure. Yes there is a Scrapyard but I’m a little apprehensive. Also, the car is now 600 kms from Chennai.




The service which we had done last week, we specially asked this question as it was a 1 lakh kms service.

The service advisor said these are chain driven and need not be replaced.

A lot of good feedback on above posts on the potential cause/problem at hand. With regards to the situation at hand and considering your car is out of warranty (hence limited chances of getting goodwill from Hyundai), I'd suggest getting the car towed back to Chennai - atleast you'll have some visibility of seeing/hearing what is the damage and a realistic view of the next steps to be taken.

Of course it goes without saying - the towing charges are something you will have to absorb. Unless of course you feel you have some leverage in getting the work managed out of the service station in Davangare. Do you have a quote/range on what could be the towing charges?