Team-BHP - Engine failure in brand new Hyundai i20

Quote:

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj (Post 5118040)

Thanks to Santanu Kumar for sending this in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Source: Hyundai India i20 Owners Club

Really sorry for the owner but I had to read that sixth point in the list of demands put forth a few times. While I understand the concern of resale I wonder if manufacturers are able to delete entries from their centralized database in this manner. What a terrible situation to be in. Especially in a close-knit community like that becomes difficult to make eye contact with your neighbors with no fault of yours.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj (Post 5118040)

Thanks to Santanu Kumar for sending this in.

I really feel for this gentleman. To have a brand new car, knocked out of action so soon. I hope it is not his first car, just for the sake of his mental anguish.

Quote:

A day later, I received a call from the service advisor (Blue Hyundai, Hesarghatta Road, Bangalore), stating the engine of my brand new has a manufacturing defect and will need a replacement, which could take at least a month's time.
7. Do come out with compensation from the manufacturer for pushing us onto the edge of nightmare, insult & embarrassment and also factor that we cannot be using our own new car for a month's time.

Agree with all the points raised by him. Will also like to add another one:
The company should provide a replacement car. Why should the customer be left without mobility after spending their hard earned money?

Any update on why the engine failed? Bad Fuel/ Wrong Fuel? Pistons gave up?

Quote:

When we had newly bought the car, I remember people from our street was looking out in joy and happiness, and when being towed away like this (as if the bank is ceasing our car forcefully), it was such a moment of shame and insult to our family. We were unable to face our neighbors after that. Embarrassing!

Hyundai should be embarrassed not the owner. It's not the owner who manufactured the car. Owner should be embarrassed only when he is the reason the car failed.

As far as the engine no is concerned, I guess its possible and here is
a thread where Chevy Enjoy was given a new heart with the same engine no and one of the reason this engine failed seems to be

Quote:

1 cylinder is under compressed for an unknown reason. They have already parceled my faulty engine to Chevy factory, as informed by the SA

As a couple of BHPians have mentioned, the soot developed is very much high on an almost brand new car. A lemon indeed.

OTOH, it’s high time our reviews include the reliability issues of the current crop of Hyundai/Kia. Off late, Hyundai/Kia have been facing a lot of issues with respect to reliability.

Regards,
VaishaK MurugesaN

1. We need a lemon law. 90 days / 5000 km or some such.

2. If I recollect, something like this had happened to a Suzuki (a-star or WagorR) owner 10 odd years ago and was mentioned on Team BHP. (Consult the archives to be sure). Maybe that thread can give pointers to how the issue was resolved.

3. Hyundai is certainly better than the like of VW / Skoda in offering a new engine right away. One month is a tad too long and they should certainly give a loaner car.

Shame really. No one likes a new car having such issues.

I think we should read demands 2 & 3 from the owner jointly, probably coming out of frustration. I believe the sentiment is to replace the car as is as was expected for a new car or else a different one. IMHO, it's a bit fair as well. Yes, manufacturing defects happen, but the customer shouldn't be at the receiving end for that.

2. While replacing the engine with a new one, I would strongly recommend you maintain the engine number as similar as the old one. Else, the vehicle is absolutely illegal on road with a different engine number on the RC (Registration Certificate)

3. If you are not able to produce a new engine with the same engine number, do replace the car with a new one, where the customer shall not bear even a single penny on its registration, insurance and any other value-added packages.

Quote:

Originally Posted by praveen789 (Post 5118054)

It is definitely bad luck to get such a major problem within 1 month of ownership but I think Hyundai is handling it well by replacing the engine and not doing a repair job.

I feel the owner is blowing it out of proportion with such statements:

"and when being towed away like this (as if the bank is ceasing our car forcefully), it was such a moment of shame and insult to our family. We were unable to face our neighbours after that. Embarrassing!"

-- really? technical issues do not happen? what is to be embarrassed about that?

"Instead, it is the one that lifts the front axle and pulls the rest of the car on the road, just like how the traffic police forcefully pull an offensively parked car"

-- most of the towing vans are such. Unless you want a flat bed for a rear wheel drive, normal towing vans are totally ok for a front wheel drive for short distances.

"which resulted in throwing all the mud slush on our white car’s bonnet and front bumper. Painful isn’t it?"

-- see the pictures. More muck flies on the vehicle when driving behind a truck or a bigger vehicle. Nothing that a simple wash cannot clean.

"While replacing the engine with a new one, I would strongly recommend you maintain the engine number as similar as the old one."

-- what does this request even mean? It is not a PAN card that a new one will be issued with the same number

My feelings exactly, but was hesitant to voice it till I saw your post.

Failures in cars are expected, and, as long as the company handles the issue, I don't think we should be ready to lynch Hyundai yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by praveen789 (Post 5118054)

Fully agree. I have noticed the number of photos appended in a post is directly proportional to the high emotion and blowing out of proportion syndrome, when it comes to posts.
Hyundai offering a new engine is much better than the likes of other manufacturers, who may just repair it and give it back, promising it is good as new.

And the Hyundai/Kia shenanigans continue. What happened to them lately? We are hearing all kinds of issues cropping up in brand new cars. I agree with other BHPians about a lemon-law. New car owners should not be subjected to such headache. Infact with such a law in place automatically QC effort will shoot up.

I empathise with the owner and understand his state of mind. But buddy if you are reading this, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Its Hyundai who should be embarrassed and your experience should be an example for your neighbors that even the so-called ultra reliable brands(in india) can produce lemons.:Frustrati

In India, full engine transplants are not legal anyway. So whatever these companies do, they have to retain the old engine number anyway and pass on the full replacement job as some kind of block repair or head replacement etc.
Shoud the company not pay attention to this, an informed owner may use this argument to make them do it lest he files a complaint against company for illegal engine replacement. But this should always be treated cautiously lest the company refuse to solve the problem by refusing replacement.

What was the engine failure? What actually happened? And what is the feedback from Hyundai?

Manufacturing defects happen. And if our car happens to be the one, we will feel very bad and angry, after all it is a big ticket purchase. But does the failure rate from Korean brands appear to be higher than others? Going by TBHP threads and posts, it does seem so. Hyundai should replace the engine at the very least and ensure the dealer takes care of the subsequent RTO hassles.

Maruti has the half engine concept, where I think the same engine number is stamped. I wonder if Hyundai has something like that.

If the compression checked out okay then I believe it could be just a malfunctioning crank-shaft sensor resulting in offset ignition timing. Hyundai will know better and I hope the owner posts the actual cause because if it was compression loss then it would be difficult for anyone to call it a reliable engine worthy of recommendation.