[camchennai]

Folks - A sad thing happened to my friend who bought his brand new i10 from KUN Hyundai 2 weeks back, he was travelling towards his house and in Koyambedu flyover a stranger thing happened to his car. He was driving the car with his family (Wife and 2 kids, one kid 3 years old and another 5 months old), smoke engulfed his entire car, and smoke came out from bonnet, under belly and from rear. He went clueless on what has happened to his new car and all of his family members including him jumped out of the car and public stared to intervene, one of good soul came with a fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire. For my friend this is the first car in India and he is not sure what to do or how to react, he called me up and unfortunately I was unable to reach the spot as I got stuck in some other place. I asked him to check the vehicle whether any fire coming out from any side of the car, there were not fire but smoke was coming out. After few minutes he tried to open the bonnet with the help some of few people around him, there was no fire but smoke was coming out. I called up the road service and they were stuck in some other place and they would take another 2 hour to reach, so called up the 1-800 number stuck on the car windshield and they came to the spot within 1 hour and they towed the vehicle. The person who came to pick up the vehicle said there should be some problem with the radiator fan or clutch however he was not sure.

Next day, I asked my friend to write a mail to HMIL on this and report to them. He wrote a mail and was shocked to see the reply. HMIL says due to excessive clutch usage, clutch has burned down which caused smoke. HMIL says this is due to driving style and they cannot do anything about it. They have asked him pay for the repair. Please read the below mail for further details.

From: Suyamburaj, Rajalingam
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 2:55 PM
To: 'B.sudamani'
Cc: ASM balaji; sudamani@kunhyundai.com; 'CR@HMIL.net'; 'sivabkd@hmil.net'; 'salonibajaj@hmil.net'; rajagold@hotmail.com; Suyamburaj, Rajalingam
Subject: RE: Your Hyundai i10 TN-02-AQ-1189
Importance: High

Sudamani,

I am not approving this proposal and I have some concerns on the same.

I understand that this happened due to excessive usage of clutch, if that is the case I would assume that the entire car will catch fire along with the passenger if I continued then what is the safety for the passengers. I haven’t owned a car in India but I had a car (Toyota Corolla) in US for the past 5 years.

Here money is not a problem, but safety concerns me (to my family). I have asked for a written statement that smoke came and parts burnt due to usage of clutch. In near future what is the guarantee it will not catch fire if I take my family in this car. The burning is noticed by public and has been recorded, and I haven’t gone to police, media or consumer court yet.

I will contact you people later.

Thanks and Regards
Raj


From: B.sudamani [mailto:kunsudamani@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 2:16 PM
To: Suyamburaj, Rajalingam; rajagold@hotmail.com
Cc: ASM balaji; sudamani@kunhyundai.com
Subject: Fwd: Your Hyundai i10 TN-02-AQ-1189

Dear Mr. Rajalingam,

This has reference to the trailing mail and the recent telecon had with you by our Front Office in Charge, Mr. Ravi Kumar today morning on the subject.

Regarding your reported concern, we would like to clarify that parts like brake pads, clutch disc, brake lining etc.
Are normal wear and tear items and their life depends on various factors like driving habits, operating conditions etc.
Such parts are beyond the purview of warranty and any repairs / replacement needs to be carried out on chargeable basis.

Therefore, please do not have any apprehension in this regard.

As per your request, pls find below the cost involved with regard to the reported job for your kind reference:

Parts:
Clutch plate - Rs. 850.00
Cover assembly - Rs. 750.00
Fly wheel - Rs.1,700.00
Release bearing - Rs. 600.00
Total - Rs. 3,900.00 + Tax @ 12.5% extra


Labour - Rs 895.00 + Tax @ 10.36% extra.


We request your earliest approval to proceed further.

For any assistance, pls contact Mr. Thiyagarajan @ 9500126523

Thanks & regards,

B. Sudamani
Asst. Manager - Customer Care
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: B.sudamani <kunsudamani@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 12:12 PM
Subject: Your Hyundai i10 TN-02-AQ-1189
To: Rajalingam.Suyamburaj@xxx.com, rajagold@hotmail.com
Cc: ASM balaji <kunbalaji@gmail.com>, sudamani@kunhyundai.com
Dear Mr. Rajalingam,

This has the reference to your complaint made to HMIL, Delhi (SR. No: 1-41624251 dt: 17.01.11) and the
telecon had with you by our Service Advisor, Mr. Thiyagarajan today morning on the subject.

During the telecon, Mr. Thiyagarajan had intimated to you that your vehicle work is in progress at Ambattur
Service Centre and would update you on the further proceedings after necessary inspection by us.

We assure you that you would hear from the concern as and when it is required.

Hence, we request you to kindly bear with the inconvenience till then.

For any assistance, pls contact Mr. Thiayagarajan @ 9500126523.

Assuring you of the best service at all the time.

Warm regards,

B.Sudamani
Asst. Manager - Customer Care.


Original message........................................... .............................................

From: Rajalingam.Suyamburaj@xxx.com [mailto:Rajalingam.Suyamburaj@xxx.com]
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 9:24 AM
To: CR@HMIL.net; sivabkd@hmil.net; salonibajaj@hmil.net; kuninsurance@gmail.com
Cc: rajagold@hotmail.com; Rajalingam.Suyamburaj@xxx.com
Subject: Hyundai - I10 Smoke
Importance: High

Hi All,

This is to bring to your notice that my two weeks Hyundai i10 car emitted full smoke on Saturday 15Jan2011 and not moving (total halt). Hyundai road assistance team came and took my vehicle I was informed that clutch failure is the reason behind the smoke and vehicle is in complete breakdown. My family was running out from the car when we noticed the smoke coming out from the vehicle in a flyover ( Koyembedu Flyover in Chennai).

I submit my strong protection and demand a reasonable solution.

Vehicle details:

Date of delivery: 01Jan2011
Registration No: TN-0x-xx-1189
Hyundai report request no: 01676
VIN no: MALAM51BLAM766601
Registered in the name: Rajalingam S
Dealer: Kun Hyundai
Taken to : Ambattur service center , Chennai.


Thanks and Regards
Raj

Now, folks please help me understand this.
1. How can clutch worn out so soon??
2. Vehicle is only 2 weeks old
3. Vehicle has done only 150 KM
4. Why does Hyundai doesn't wants to own this?? Will there not be any manufacturing defect in the car??

Where else we can escalate to get a solution for this problem?? anyone has media contacts so that we can bring this limelight??

[esteem_lover]

Cam, i guess your friend was driving an AT in Corolla before this. There is a small percentage chance that he burnt the clutch, especially with the start stop traffic here. I am sure the smell would have been a dead give away for a trained nose. Since there was no fire, I think all's well that ends well. It was nice to see someone come out with a fire extinguisher though.

P.s. Your friend, if he was so worried about the safety part, why did he ever go near the car and open the hood ?

[changaez]

i feel sorry for your frnd, for sure your frnd should take this forward with media. The reaction from Hyundai is really surprising.

I always thought that Hyundai would have been more responsive to customer problems. For starters mail to the National Dailies should get some attention.

all the best

[Soccerfan]

Dont think with whatever driving style clutch will get fried in 150kms? There must have been something wrong in the car and they are trying to cover it up. Take them to the court if they are not willing to accept the fault

[thedreamcatcher]

Well actually, be it a new clutch or an old one, improper use of a car can result in malfunction of any of the operating parts

Please understand, just because it is a new car, does not mean it is insulated from abuse. They are even more prone, becaue it is a fresh engine and has to go inconsiderable period of run in.

If one constantly rides the clutch, yo are definitely looking at lower mileage and under stress, even a worn clutch. I have seen a person frying a clutch, becaue he ws trying to reverse his car over a slope and everytime he was trying the car would roll forward. So he kept grinding the car in first gear, grinding the clutch and in no time the whole cabin was filled with the smell of burnt metal.

Now, i am certainly not saying you friend was at fault, but one quick way indication is that this generally occurs when it involves a slope. like going up a bridge, incline or so on. With ref to the mail from hyundai, not sure about how to treat this. One question is ask them to prove that he wrongly used the clutch.

[nitrous]

It is only fair that your friend pays for the clutch job.
And this time, let him drive the car after learning how 'to and not to' use the clutch.

[ph03n!x]

@camchennai - can you confirm if your friend drove an AT Toyota or was it a stick shift? If he drove an AT (which is what most in the US do), I suggest he get himslef an AT car here too.

[thedreamcatcher]

Well, it wont take too much time to learn a manual tranny. He will just need to learn some of the basics. Especially riding the clutch and improper use during incline / decline

The latter is one of the biggest causes of messing up a clutch

[@400Kph]

Guys i saw what others have said.But i am very much interested to know if a clutch can really wear off inside 150 kms assuming he would've actually started driving after 30 km i.e after delivery ??
Even if he did ride the clutch few times would such a thing happen ?

[camchennai]

Thanks for your reply folks.

Just to make things clear, my friend was driving an AT in US.

Yes, he could have bought an AT here however considering the Chennai traffic and the mileage he opted for MT.

Now my question is how cans a clutch worn out so soon??

Most of the entry level hatchback buyers are new to driving and if improper clutch usage is the culprit then we should see many new cars having similar issues. However that’s not the case, I am hearing this for the first time and many can agree with me on this. I suspect there is some manufacturing defect in the car. What you say folks??

[nitrous]

The flyover is a pretty good clue of what happened.
Its very much possible to burn out a clutch.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by nitrous

Its very much possible to burn out a clutch.

Question: Assuming that the guy rode the clutch all the time, and also revv's the engine high (common for newbee's), will the clutch of a new-gen hatch wear off in 150kms?.

[Cyrus43]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Question: Assuming that the guy rode the clutch all the time, and also revv's the engine high (common for newbee's), will the clutch of a new-gen hatch wear off in 150kms?.

YES.


Although this could very well be due to a clutch issue, there can be other factors at play. So let us not jump to conclusions shall we.

[noopster]

Wow I never knew riding the clutch could have ramifications so fast! But if it is technically possible (improbable though, since I know several people who ride the clutch merrily but have never faced this problem) then Hyundai has a case. To be honest, 4K is a small price to pay. Your friend should thank his stars he and his family are safe and sound. Altering one's driving style is difficult but with discpline and commitment, it can be done.
I suggest your friend put this behind him. Maybe he got stuck with a dud clutch from the outset. But courts, media etc. don't seem waranted in this instance.

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by nitrous

The flyover is a pretty good clue of what happened.
Its very much possible to burn out a clutch.

Exactly. I have seen guys doing such stunts on the Nelson Manikam road sub-way. Especially, when they are stopped on the slope due to the signal, and then they try to take it from first gear.

So, the KM does not matter for the clutch. All it needs is the improper usage.