[NerDriver]

Hi Fellow BHPians, sharing the plight of a friend as he's not on team-bhp,

26,000 KM driven, 2019 Hyundai Elite i20 CVT Transmission Failure: Authorised Service Canter Estimates 4.62 Lakh for Replacement Gearbox

"What is the Issue:*

On February 24th, during my regular commute home, I encountered a disturbing screaming and scrubbing noise from my vehicle. Seeking assistance, I visited Advaith Hyundai Whitefield on February 27th, 2024. Upon inspection, they discovered a broken metal part and metal scrub in the lower sump of the gearbox. They informed me that, due to the nature of the CVT gearbox, repair is not possible, and replacement is necessary. The cost of the new CVT transmission is Rs. 462,000. Unfortunately, the car's warranty expired in October 2023, and as a result, the entire replacement cost must be covered by the customer.

Details of Vehicle:

"I find it unfortunate that, with the recent expiration of the warranty, I am confronted with these challenges. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that a critical vehicle component should not fail within such a short timeframe, particularly when designed for long-lasting performance. There is no physical damage to the gearbox, nor is there any leakage of gear oils. This issue raises significant questions about the reliability of such an essential part. All routine services for the vehicle have been diligently carried out through authorized service centers, and it has been driven exclusively, accumulating only 26,000 km over the last 4.6 years. It is worth noting that the service booklet explicitly states that the CVT gear oil is designed to last the full life of the car without requiring replacement or refilling."

Current Status:*

As of now, my vehicle remains at the service center, and they are evaluating what to do next, i have been told i will have to bear the out of warranty expenses but the discussions are still on with Hyundai


My expectations are straightforward – I simply want my car to be back on the road at a nominal cost, which I am prepared to bear. But this exceptionally*high cost is neither justifiable nor* am I capable of bearing it.

Most importantly - is it worth paying 4.6L for a car that has just done 26K Km's ? is this the reliability we should be expecting from a car that costed well over 10.5L ? Something looks terribly wrong with how we perceive the reliability of the cars vs how much paying for extended warranty shields is worth.

I am attaching the relevant documents to this email. Which contains the estimation, Service history, Vehicle Pictures and video.

[Ranabegins]

Originally Posted by NerDriver

26,000 KM driven, 2019 Hyundai Elite i20 CVT Transmission Failure: Authorised Service Canter Estimates 4.62 Lakh for Replacement Gearbox

This is scary, I also own a Seltos IVT and I already had an idea of the price of the CVT gearbox but I was thinking the gearbox would easily last a few lakh kilometers. I have taken the maximum available 5-year warranty but paying 5 lakhs for a gearbox down the line would not be affordable. I hope this is a one-off case.

[Aditya]

CVT failure in Hyundai i20 at 26,000 km | Hyundai Service estimates Rs. 4.62 lakhs for replacement - Post moved to a new thread.

[SanjayW]

Since the car was maintained at the dealership from the beginning, the warranty ought to cover this. It is shocking that the transmission failed at 26000 km.
If I am right, Hyundai just began to give warranties up to the seventh year?

[manjubp]

This is one reason why I decided to go for the Amaze CVT. The replacement costs are still relatively cheaper. My previously owned Getz's maintenance was more expensive than my VW Jetta's.

The Amaze's interiors are just okay compared to any Hyundai, but Hyundai's major services or spare parts are still very expensive for entry-level cars.

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by NerDriver

Details of Vehicle:

It is worth noting that the service booklet explicitly states that the CVT gear oil is designed to last the full life of the car without requiring replacement or refilling."

First thing that came to my mind reading the title was CVT oil change, but if booklet states its lifelong, this is painful. Honda recommends changing CVT oil every 2 years.

CVT gearboxes while relatively smooth & reliable, are very expensive to replace. The reason I stick to 6 month service schedule for my jazz cvt and keep buying extended warranty.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by NerDriver

It is worth noting that the service booklet explicitly states that the CVT gear oil is designed to last the full life of the car without requiring replacement or refilling."

Originally Posted by SoumenD

First thing that came to my mind reading the title was CVT oil change, but if booklet states its lifelong, this is painful. Honda recommends changing CVT oil every 2 years.

Comes back to the basic point

Transmission oil filled for life is a scam, designed to fleece people

This has been discussed at length in various threads on the forum, and involving multiple cars.

Filled for life basically means that the oil will last the warranty period, and whatever happens after that is on the customer. 2019 model car means 5 year old oil. Ideally should have been changed a while back.

CVT transmissions in particular are very temperamental regarding oil change intervals. Keep changing it every other year and they will last a lifetime. If not, then, well….

[Guna]

This is very scary.
I have the same car (2019 i20 CVT, done 20k) and I had decided not to extend the warranty when it got expired in Dec 2023.
Bloated cost could be because this transmission is no more produced?
This makes me believe that any car (from any brand) out of warranty is a ticking time bomb.

[Redex]

This is one reason why I never buy a new car. I always wait for a new model to come out. Then buy the highest spec, low mileage used version of the last model.
All of the niggles have been sorted. The last car I bought has covered over 300 thousand kilometres. In that time I only had one breakdown. The car still drives like new and I am expecting to reach at least 400 thousand kilometres. Ford Focus 1.8 TDDI Ghia Estate, now a 20 year old car !!!
Most important thing to do is change ALL oils, engine, gearbox, diffs, transfer box etc regardless of "filled for life" claims.
Regards Neil

[kaps454]

Well you can approach a consumer court with an average lawyer along with some good technical consultation and the chances are that the verdict will go in your favour, but be ready for appeals and escalations. Hyundai will not look for a speedy resolution of the matter but look to prolong the case.
So getting you car fixed is going to be a hassle. Do try to work out a middle path with Hyundai or just sell the car off as it is and buy a different one. Might not seem like the right thing to do at the moment, but it will work out cheaper in the long run.
regards
kaps454

[jjp@chn]

It is simply unbelievble that the transmission (CVT or otherwise) costs more than 45% of the vehicle's price. I used to believe that spares of German cars are expensive, but looks like every manufacturer is the same nowadays. There is no point in spending almost 5 lakhs on a 10 lakh car that is already 5 years old.

May be OP should find a good FNG who specializes in transmission rebuid/repair and get it fixed. I am sure it will cost only a fraction of what is being quoted by the dealer for replacement. Another option is to scout for used transmission from any totalled vehicle at nearby scrapyards and find a good FNG to help with the swap.

Both these options, while cheaper, comes with some risk which the OP should evaluate before taking a decision. But these options are still far better than what he is getting from the service center. He can also try negotiating with the service center and Hyundai to cover part of the replacement cost under goodwill (something like 1/3 by dealer and 1/3 by Hyundai) given that warranty just expired few months ago, vehicle has good service history with the service center and has only done 26.000 kms.

Beyond this, I am quite surprised that the Hyundai transmission failed at such a low mileage. In the US, Hyundai offers a 10 year/100,000 mile (1,60,000 kms) Powertrain Warranty, which is considered one of the best in the entire industry - may be they should extend it to India as well.

In general, after sales service is how car manufacturers fleece customers in India, either through costly spare parts replacement or by insisting on doing regular maintenance only at authorized service centers at inflated costs to be eligible for warranty coverage.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by NerDriver

All routine services for the vehicle have been diligently carried out through authorized service centers, and it has been driven exclusively, accumulating only 26,000 km over the last 4.6 years. It is worth noting that the service booklet explicitly states that the CVT gear oil is designed to last the full life of the car without requiring replacement or refilling.

If this doesn't qualify for a goodwill warranty then I don't know what does.
Clearly a mechanical failure has happened within the CVT and obviously in an automatic car the customer cannot mess with it.

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

CVT transmissions in particular are very temperamental regarding oil change intervals. Keep changing it every other year and they will last a lifetime.

I am not a buyer of the sealed for life argument but every 5 years based on a 10000kms/year cycle seems reasonable.
Also, looking at the repair estimate, they charge 18000 for 7 liters of CVT fluid. I don't think that expensive a fluid is intended to be changed every other year.
At least I won't have the courage to do such a thing when the owners manual is explicitly against it.

[themonster]

Originally Posted by NerDriver

Hi Fellow BHPians, sharing the plight of a friend as he's not on team-bhp,

26,000 KM driven, 2019 Hyundai Elite i20 CVT Transmission Failure: Authorised Service Canter Estimates 4.62 Lakh for Replacement Gearbox

-snip-

My expectations are straightforward – I simply want my car to be back on the road at a nominal cost, which I am prepared to bear. But this exceptionally*high cost is neither justifiable nor* am I capable of bearing it.

Most importantly - is it worth paying 4.6L for a car that has just done 26K Km's ? is this the reliability we should be expecting from a car that costed well over 10.5L ? Something looks terribly wrong with how we perceive the reliability of the cars vs how much paying for extended warranty shields is worth.

I am attaching the relevant documents to this email. Which contains the estimation, Service history, Vehicle Pictures and video.

Hello NerDriver,

I have looked through the entire sequence of events, and I just have to say, it's plain bad luck that the CVT transmission failed just after the expiration of the warranty.

I just have a few questions for your friend:

1. I saw that the last service was done in December 2022, and then the current repair is now in February 2024. Has the yearly service been missed in December 2023/January 2024 for any particular reason? While I agree that the oil change can be pushed to 10,000 km, I feel that approximately 7,000 km of stop-and-go traffic takes its toll on the oil and engine components.
2. Also, in continuation with the above post, was the December 2022 service a major service? I see that the amount was slightly over Rs.10000. Did they change the brake pads or any other component? Or did they pad up the bill with disinfection, wheel alignment, wheel balancing, etc?
3. Was the vehicle towed anytime during the ownership (For example; by the Bangalore Police for parking violations) or had any accidents/underbody hits?

Anyways, The best resolution for your friend is to speak to the Service Manager at Advaith Motors, followed by escalation to the Hyundai higher-ups. Ideally, they should change the CVT gearbox for you under a goodwill warranty at least, and I feel there should be an 80% chance for the same. It would be time-consuming, to say the least, but latest he is not spending one-third of the cost of a new automatic i20. Also, regarding keeping the vehicle for future use and questions regarding reliability; there is no need to worry. The Hyundai i20 is a fairly reliable machine and the current car is practically new for just 26000km.

If the dealership does not agree for a goodwill warranty, then you could get the car to a competent FNG for a transmission rebuild or a swap the CVT transmission with a totaled i20.
Here is an example of CVT failure in a 2016 Honda City https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...56-500-km.html (Honda City 1.5L Petrol | CVT failure at merely 56,500 km)



I would also like to add, as we are on the topic of CVT transmissions; we cannot blame any manufacturer regarding the failure of the gearbox. In the USA and other countries, CVT gearbox failure is common even in Nissan, Honda, and Toyota.

I am attaching a video explaining the teardown of a Honda CVT transmission/gearbox.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncqYjOll7EQ

Please forward to the 16:30 (16-minute 30-second mark) to see the pieces/fragments of the CVT chain.

As others have said, always change the respective gearbox oil in time. (CVT/AT/DSG/AMT). There are numerous threads on the forum with the failure of AT gearboxes (All types)

Also, make sure the correct Gear oil is used. Another example of incorrect gear oil used and its consequences. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...nsmission.html (Honda dealership fills the wrong oil in my City's CVT transmission!)

P.S. I initially doubted whether the quantity of fluid needed is 7 liters. It seems like it is. I have enclosed an attachment for the same, taken from the owner's manual of the Hyundai Elite i20.

[Turboaddict]

Originally Posted by NerDriver

Current Status:*

As of now, my vehicle remains at the service center, and they are evaluating what to do next, i have been told i will have to bear the out of warranty expenses but the discussions are still on with

Cvt gearbox can be repaired outside. Truth of the matter is that official service centers do not have the expertise to perform any component repairs as the mechanics that they hire are trained to do only basic part swaps. An avg salary of Hyundai mechanic is below 20k a month. So do you really think they will know anything about mechanical engineering?

That cvt can be repaired for a few thousands outside. I can provide you a few transmission experts contacts if you dm me. Worst case, just find a donor car from salvage and do a gearbox swap. Later exchange your car to a new one at Hyundai or anywhere else.

One mistake that you did is by going straight to Hyundai svc after warranty. Now their estimate will be recorded in their system which makes it near impossible for you to sell your car.

Always ensure you never go to official service center for any problems after warranty runs out.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Not surprised that this has happened on a Hyundai.

I would suggest two things -

1. If you have the financial, mental and legal capacity then please fight this out legally. You have all available service records. Please click pics on the time stamp app ff the underbody showing no physical impact on the gearbox housing. By now, Hyundai should have come up with a discount.

2. Move the car to a competent FNG. They will try repairing it or swap in with a used unit. Get the car running and use it for a month to analyse the performance. If all looks good, might as well continue using it or just selling it off.

I have a dislike for Honda India because of their attitude and product lineup but I have immense respect for them when it comes to taking care of their CVTs where they explicitly mention replacement of the CVT fluid every 2 years. Hyundai India on the other hand will continue with their monkey practices of fleecing gullible indian customers.