[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Abeer

Can you explain what is "sump" as I also own a Accent GLE (Petrol) and want to be aware of this?

In simple terms, a sump is a pan-like structure at the bottom of the engine structure, that acts as a reservoir for the engine oil.

Most passenger cars/bikes use a pump-based system from the oil-sump to lubricate the engine and its internal moving parts.

If you look under your engine bay, you'll notice a metal/plastic plate covering the bottom-most parts. This is normally called a sump-guard/skid plate, used to protect the sump from damage and consequent oil leaks.

[Fornax]

Originally Posted by lynx

...
And insurance would cover only the bent frame which he now thinks is probably unrelated and an oil cap!

Also, when I asked if I can apply for insurance for the entire amount, he said he doesn't know how that will work since they have disassembled everything prior to inspection...

It basically boils down to whether the alloys were installed before you bought your current insurance policy, or after-wards? If you had the alloys before the policy was bought, the insurance company owes you 70K.

Insurance policy assures you against any damage/loss of your vehicle, as it exists at the beginning of the term. Whatever explanation the Insurance company demands for the disassembled engine is owed by the service center rather than you.

Here are my two cents - Get the Insurance company involved asap, as it'll bring this matter from verbal hearsay to formal & binding level.

Also - do buy a new car if you cannot do without one, but consider a top-end version as they come loaded with features you might add one day anyway. That brings in some peace of mind, although screw ups are equally likely at all service centers.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by lynx

I went to the service center today. And all that happened was me losing my temper at the end of two hours of talks. The engine is completely disassembled and kept in a separate room. The entire engine bay was empty save for the frame near the periphery which had a very small bend.

The service manager today said when they found the vehicle, the "oil cap" that is screwed in and used to drain engine oil out was missing which was the reason the oil had spilled out fully and the engine damaged in a matter of minutes. But he flatly refused to give any of this in writing - not even a written reason why warranty would not work for this. He had the nerve to say you can't even appeal about this in a court of law since alloy wheels account for modification and as the owner's manual states any modification voids all warranty.

And insurance would cover only the bent frame which he now thinks is probably unrelated and an oil cap!

The maximum he can do is give a list of parts to be replaced and the estimated costs. Also, when I asked if I can apply for insurance for the entire amount, he said he doesn't know how that will work since they have disassembled everything prior to inspection.

I am really cross and I am now thinking of selling the vehicle. It is an Accent Executive bought in January, 2009. Petrol. Run ~ 25,000 km. Has 5 Neo Sports 14" alloys and Yokohoma tyres, which was changed at ~ 19,000 km and cost Rs. 38,000. Has 3M films on all sides costing Rs. 11,500. And insurance is renewed for next year for Rs. 10,000 just a few weeks back. Given the estimated repair cost of Rs. 70,000, will it be a good price if I can sell it off at Rs. 3,10,000 including all the above, BEFORE repair? Or should I expect more?

I am thinking of going for a hot hatchback with a better after sales service, like a Maruti Swift Vxi.

A.S.S. cannot deny providing a written damage assessment. Insist on it, and escalate if they still refuse. One error from your end is you should've taken pictures & documented the damage before letting those guys open up your car. Now there's no way to refute any claims they make, as you don't have substantial evidence to prove otherwise.

Keep updating this thread.

[lynx]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

A.S.S. cannot deny providing a written damage assessment. Insist on it, and escalate if they still refuse. One error from your end is you should've taken pictures & documented the damage before letting those guys open up your car. Now there's no way to refute any claims they make, as you don't have substantial evidence to prove otherwise.

Keep updating this thread.

Who do I escalate to? I went up till the service manager of the service station. He also refused to give any written statements of the condition of the car when it was brought in. They only agreed to give a list of parts that need to be replaced. In other words an estimation bill with breakdown.

How would I have known what to do? :( I work in a mission hospital in a town 25 km from the nearest city (small though it is). It broke down near my place so I called the on road hyundai helped and they picked it up. This was a Sunday. The next day I called them up and they said they will start the work and see what has gone wrong. They called that evening saying they have disassembled everything and found the crankshaft and two connecting rods broken. All I knew was there was oil leak on the floor and the engine had stalled. I didn't even think it could be this serious. :(

[lynx]

Originally Posted by Fornax

It basically boils down to whether the alloys were installed before you bought your current insurance policy, or after-wards? If you had the alloys before the policy was bought, the insurance company owes you 70K.

Insurance policy assures you against any damage/loss of your vehicle, as it exists at the beginning of the term. Whatever explanation the Insurance company demands for the disassembled engine is owed by the service center rather than you.

Here are my two cents - Get the Insurance company involved asap, as it'll bring this matter from verbal hearsay to formal & binding level.

Also - do buy a new car if you cannot do without one, but consider a top-end version as they come loaded with features you might add one day anyway. That brings in some peace of mind, although screw ups are equally likely at all service centers.

I changed to Bajaj at the start of second year of ownership (23rd month now) but changed to alloys only 6-8 months back. I have renewed it for another year a few weeks back though. But anyway, doubt it will help as I am told they wouldn't cover the engine unless the engine has directly suffered an impact.

For now I have sent a mail to people in Hyundai. Will wait for the responses. Hopefully things will work out. If not, I am quite sure I will sell it off and never purchase a Hyundai again. Will keep this thread updated for sure. Thanks everyone for all the help so far.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by lynx

He had the nerve to say you can't even appeal about this in a court of law since alloy wheels account for modification and as the owner's manual states any modification voids all warranty.

Another example of how poorly these supposed "authorised" service stations think & work. IF alloys were the issue, why is Hyundai selling Hyundai genuine Alloy wheel rims(for the Accent) as an accessory?

Also, what are the chances that some mechanic at the service station goofed when your car was serviced last time. May be he did not tighten some nut or oil cap. Now all this opening up of the engine and giving all sorts of stupid reasons is their attempt at a possible cover up?

[abhipuru16]

@lynx- Don't lose hope.
As of now, you're banging your head in the same "vicious" circle. Talk to Hyundai India, get them involved, send them a "tight" mail. Also, get your insurance company involved. If it wasn't your fault and you always serviced your car at regular intervals, it shouldn't be you who should be blamed. Simple!

It would just take some time to escalate the matter to higher authorities, they will surely help you thereon. Don't lose hope, I say again.

[Chetan_Rao]

Already thinking about getting rid of it?

And what exactly would you achieve by migrating to another brand? What happened to your car doesn't seem to be a product quality issue, and Hyundai aren't exactly the worst in the market.

Get the insurance guys involved immediately (it would be best if you ask the A.S.S. guys to stop work on your car until the insurance guys do a survey). Things should work out. They're just trying to play hard-ball, and you're playing right into their hands by thinking of giving up so soon.

I hope things work out. Did you use the contact information from the other Hyundai thread?

[nandans2005]

I am sorry to know about your car. Should be horrifying emotionally.

A few days back I was told the frame (?) on which the engine was resting had a bend (?) and oil had fully leaked out

This was the time, you should have got a little more proactive and got into details. Hopefully you wouldnt have seen these things happening.

For one, there was no oil low indicator. Two, the engine temperature indicator even after it stalled was nearer to cold than hot.

Does this mean both the oil level & temperature indicators were/are malfunctioning ??

And three, if it was a chronic problem with a slow oil leak, the service center should have picked it up.

Didn't you ever notice a oil leak at your home, whenever you removed the car every morning?

The service center said the company won't cover warranty because they have evidence of an impact and the insurance would only cover the bent frame and not the engine!

i dont think, any manufacturer will agree to replace engine under warranty, since it is the wear and tear part. This can happen only when one can prove that the components used are of sub-standard quality.Proving this could be an Herculean task.

[thedreamcatcher]

I think the service guys are trying something funny here and only landing you in a catch 22 situation. The whole thing about alloys is utter rubbish. Some manufacturers have a clause against alloys, but that is only pertaining to up-sizing.

I also have an accent, So eager to see how this settles out.

[CPH]

To me this soinds rather fishy, being a professional.

I would go back and seize the engine parts. A loos engine oil drainage hole plug will fairly quickly unscrew itself.

If I have all components of the engine I can prove why and where the engine oil was leaking from.

My advise would be to jump and continue threaten them with legal action. If it does not work let them knoe that you have been offered to have this covered on TV (feel free to come back to me about it).

The initial story that the frame is bent and therefore the crank seal was leaking is the dumbest story I have heard so far. But some idiot at the dealer seems to think that engines are made of rubber.

We might be able to play on the string that when Hyundai plays stupid it will have more of a negative effect in financial terms than sorting the problem.

[lynx]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Already thinking about getting rid of it?

And what exactly would you achieve by migrating to another brand? What happened to your car doesn't seem to be a product quality issue, and Hyundai aren't exactly the worst in the market.

Get the insurance guys involved immediately (it would be best if you ask the A.S.S. guys to stop work on your car until the insurance guys do a survey). Things should work out. They're just trying to play hard-ball, and you're playing right into their hands by thinking of giving up so soon.

I hope things work out. Did you use the contact information from the other Hyundai thread?

Yes, I sent a polite mail to every single email address I could find. The only reply I received back to my email address so far was from the local service center (I hadn't directly mailed them though). This is all that was mentioned:

This has reference to your HMIL complained dated 06th January 2011 regarding your Hyundai ACCENT.

We would also like to clarify to you oil leakage due to external impact, affected parts will not come under warranty though the vehicle is under warranty. All necessary repairs / replacement of parts, if any, have to be carried out on chargeable basis only. Please do not have any apprehensions in this regards.

For any further clarification or assistance, You can be contacted any time on above mentioned telephone numbers or on workshop.

Regards,
SENIOR SERVICE MANAGER.

I have asked them to not start work on the engine until I can fill out the insurance form. I intend to do this as soon as they give me an estimate in writing - most likely tomorrow. I have replied to the above mail asking for more details and/or evidence backing their claim. But I highly doubt this is going to lead anywhere. :(

[lynx]

Originally Posted by CPH

To me this soinds rather fishy, being a professional.

I would go back and seize the engine parts. A loos engine oil drainage hole plug will fairly quickly unscrew itself.

If I have all components of the engine I can prove why and where the engine oil was leaking from.

My advise would be to jump and continue threaten them with legal action. If it does not work let them knoe that you have been offered to have this covered on TV (feel free to come back to me about it).

The initial story that the frame is bent and therefore the crank seal was leaking is the dumbest story I have heard so far. But some idiot at the dealer seems to think that engines are made of rubber.

We might be able to play on the string that when Hyundai plays stupid it will have more of a negative effect in financial terms than sorting the problem.

I did tell them that if they won't give me a written statement why it would not be covered under warranty (that is, stating the cause was an impact so I could try claiming the cost under insurance), the only recourse I will have is to take legal action against the service center and they replied calmly that since I have upsized alloys, it counts as a modification and according to owner's manual, any modification voids warranty in full so the case would not have any weightage. I am not sure how well the TV idea would work though.

[jigbarai]

Sad .. Bunch of losers.
And Hyundai service is praised all over. Wonder why.

Like most have mentioned - get insurance guys involved ASAP.

Next - Send another stinker of an email, this time preferably to every top notch Hyundai fellow you can find on this site (using other thread references).

Provide them a link to this thread as well.

And, dont bail out so soon, leaving it dangling - unless you already have a buyer who is <surprisingly> willing to offer you a decent deal for the situation the car is in right now.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by abhipuru16

@lynx- Don't lose hope.
Talk to Hyundai India, get them involved, send them a "tight" mail.
It would just take some time to escalate the matter to higher authorities, they will surely help you thereon. Don't lose hope, I say again.

Well, having sent HMIL so many e-mails and a detailed report, I have come to know that Hyundai India is full of thick skinned officials who are not bothered about the customers concerns at all. They have no work ethics at all and they are in Hyundai to recieve their monthly salaries and to to boast that they are in Hyundai. Customer's woes and concerns are least of their priorities. When a troubled customer comes their way, they turn their back on you and run away.


You will be lucky if you have a good Hyundai service centre with competent WM , SAs and technicians and this is the key to a trouble free service experience.

lynx,
Your service centre people are a pathetic bunch of losers. How can switching to alloys possibly effect the engine???? Arguing with these idiots is not going to get you anywhere and it will further add to your agony.
Try getting your car repaired under insurance and switch to some other Hyundai service centre.