[ACM]

The Title may seem a bit misleading. Nope I haven't bought Hyundia Stocks and nope I don't think they are listed out here in India.

A bit of history: Have always been a fan of bigger vehicles and have always been a fan of bigger vehicles - Safer, Respect, People move out of the way etc.. - Have always had an SUV and a Sedan in my garage. Had the Safari and the Cielo AT GLX earlier, later the Safari and the Laura AT L&K, and finally the Aria Pride and the Laura AT L&K. Things should have been fine with the criteria of SUV and AT both being met in fair style with the existing cars at our disposal. Wifee should have been comfortable with the Laura AT. If only things in real life match up to how they are on paper.

As time progressed the -ve Aura around Skoda Service, Turbo and DSG Horror stories and our own scary experience with the Turbo, Intercooler, EGR, AC Compressor, Flywheel, Part DSG failures gripped us. The Reliability quotient of the Laura - an otherwise lovely to drive vehicle - did not really give us the peace of mind that Wifee and I both desired. Also delicate and expensive ornaments like the heated door mirrors with indicators that don't really show much of what is around you but cost a bomb to replace if as much as nudged by a biker or for that matter the Auto Balancing Xenon Headlamps that look real cool but are a bit like entering a jam packed Mumbai Local Train wearing Spectacles (No offence to those brave ones who actually do so) - was just not our cup of tea. Yep the Laura was a dream to drive but a slight missed heart beat invariably let loose undesirable palpitations.

The Aria though fine - infact ideal - for me (Oh! for an AT) is just too ponderous for my better half (expecially as it an manual).

The Solution: - "Lets go for the Hyundai i10 AT Sportz" - Add some reverse parking sensors, Fog Lamps and the Keyless entry fob - We are good to go. Sportz seemed to be the model to go with as it did not have Airbags and in the odd chance that our kiddo forced his way into the front seat somehow the non airbag version seemed better suited for our requirements. Well at least that's how it all started.

[ACM]

Nope am not going to post a lot of pictures of the newer Red i10 AT on this thread - there would be a few coming in some time later but this thread is not about i10 looks. We already have those on TBHP and there is seriously not much different from one i10 to another. Boring, Convenient and Reliable - Well are they?

Why Hyundai? - Close to Japs by all reports on global reliability standards and in the Small car segment globally Hyundai seems to be doing quite well besides being No2. in India. So why not a Maruti - AT; Man - Oh! I just don't fit into an A-Star. Yep it is not mine, Wifee bought it but who's she going to take on drives?

Also the i10 just seemed to be the best second / third car (especially for the homemaker) both out neighbours have one and yes both are AT. (Both crib about the fuel efficiency - why did they not cry out earlier)

The i10 seems to be the best Auto box option in it's price segment and comes with reasonable specs and though priced a tad higher than the options on hand seemed worth it for the "peace of mind" promise that it came with.

[ACM]

Yep we did.

We got the car in Dec 2011 and it done just about 1500 kms in 9 months- When I drive it's the Aria that we take and wifee still loves the Laura besides all the reliability reasoning has gone for a toss ever since we actually got hold of the i10.

It's been for the first and second regular services. The Service center experience has been AVERAGE overall. But feel that it was average thanks to the car rather than the service centre itself, an average car calls out for average service. OK OK - the only option in a perticular segment can't really be called average but still Somehow felt that "Modi Hyundai Thane" - where the car is serviced would not have been that capable if they had to service say a TATA or SKODA vehicles which would come with their fair share of niggles. Actually got me to appreciate JMD Skoda and Wasan TATA a bit more for the kind of issues they manage to handle without getting a hyper guy like me rattled.





Am going to cover the following issues in the next few posts about the i10 we own:

I) Accessories Purchase and Usage experience - (Fog Lamps, Reverse Sensors & Keyless Entry) - Below Average.

II) An Accident & the Repair work experience - (A School Bus reversed into Wifee while she was picking up our kiddo) - Superb

III) Reliability issues with the i10 - (Just stops working in the middle of a drive) - What an i10? - Yep - Poor - Very Poor. So have already spelt out what should be expected in the next few posts / days.

Once the above issues are covered will dwell upto the Hyundai Stock / Brand Value theme for this thread. And would then lastly move on to the driving experience (fuel efficiency, tyres etc.) for the i10 vs other vehicles in general.

Nope the i10 & Hyundai Brand Equity will not move up in the eyes of those who glance upon this thread (suspense out) but it could balance out the expectations that people have of vehicles in general. I will keep cross referring to the other brands vehicles that we own for the sake of a comparative view.

Before any of us jump to conclusions the i10 is also well loved by the family but it has not been what we expected it to be.

[ACM]

The i10 Sports comes quite well loaded. Has Leather Steering & Gear Knob, Rear defogger, intermittent wiper, motorized side view mirror adjustment, and power windows along with central locking. Also the Music system with CD changer allows for ipod and USB connectivity.
Yet it misses out on:

1) Keyless Entry:

Got this fitted before the car was delivered. It is a standard official accessory.

It stopped working after about 4-5 months. Got it checked again during the second service - they reported a fused Fuse and that got it working again. Was told that if it was something major then I would have to contact the supplier of the unit myself and that the service center would not repair the unit as it was not part of the equipment supplied by Hyundai - Didn't get the point of buying an original accessory if it would not be supported in the Service center itself. Thankfully it was just a blown fuse.

2) Fog Lights:

Got the original wiring and switch fitted with the original fog lamps. Tried to get them fitted during the first service along with the reverse sensors but since they did not have the wiring in stock they infomed me when I went to collect the vehicle that they have not installed the units. Also they back tracked on the pricing at the time of delivery. I escallated the issues to the Center head (Mr. Singh) who left by the time of the second Service. He had promised to get the vehicle collected from my residence and the accessories fitted at the previously comitted price but did nothing of the sort. The fog lamps them selves are quite nice and I tend to keep them on when we have the high beam on. The High beam of the i10 results in the low beam getting switched off (unlike in the Aria and the Laura) so the short distance visibility goes down when the high beam is switched on - necessitating the use of fog lamps along with the high beam for short distance visibility.The Fog lamp switch needs to be separately switched off.



3) Reverse Parking Sensors:

Got these fitted along with the fog lamps during the second service. The combined cost for the two (fog lamps with switch and wiring & Reverse Sensors) was Rs. 8500 (earlier commited price at the time of the first service was Rs. 8000 with the sensors being painted in body colour). The sensor display mentions Hyundai and it slips on top of the reverse mirror. The distance indicator itself is not bright enough and though this helps a bit the overall experience of parking sensors after using the Laura and Aria leaves a bit to be wanted. Most importantly Wifee (for whom mainly the sensors were installed) was not comfortable with the display and found it to be a bit confusing and distracting. Yet it is an additional safety aid and we should be able to get used to it in the long term.





You would guess why we (wife and I) felt the overall experience of Accessories Purchase and Usage has been average.

We prefer the Cloth upholstery in the i10 to the pseudo leather covers that are available.

I believe the detailed MID with Gear indicator, ABS, Tilt Steering and Seat Hight Ajustment can't be added on in the Sportz model. But we can I guess live without this stuff for pottering around town.

I do hope that I will be able to convince my wife to add Black alloys (with a Red Lip) along with wider profile tyres at a later stage. She does not see the need for it currently, and she decides what goes on or off this car.

[ACM]

The car met with an accident when a School bus reversed into the front right fender. Required the fender to be replaced and of course the new one had to be painted the matching colour.

This happened just prior to the car being due for the first service, so we got this work done along with the first service and also happened to place the initial request for our accessories at the same time.

The repair took 3 days and was done well enough for us to find it difficult to figure out on which side the repair work was carried out.

It cost Rs. 4400 including taxes (Estimate of Rs. 4500) and that we felt was quite reasonable for the amount of work. We did not go for the insurance claim since the cost of repair was quite low and also since the insurance company did not have cashless facility with Modi Hyundai it felt more convinient to not lose the No Claim Bonus and pay for this out of pocket.

Would rate them quite high on this body shop work.

[ACM]

We bought the Hyundai keeping reliability and AT convenience as the key selection criteria.

On a return trip from Baroda to Mumbai with the car at just about 300 kms on the odo and with me at the wheels. The car suddenly sputtered and stalled after one of the toll booths I rolled to a stop on the side of the road.

The car would restart but stall in N & Positions after some time, and immediately in D & R positions as soon as I released the Brake to move the car.

We called the toll free support and the solution offered was to tow the vehicle back to Baroda and to abondon our further journey. Further probing for technical support resulted in them suggesting that I remove and clean the Air Filter and retry. Well I did as suggested and voila the car started and the problem seemed solved. At the next petrol pump we got the Air Filter cleaned with pressurised air and moved on with no issue all the way upto Bombay.

The car was used for the next month in Bombay before being sent for the first service and the issue was reported. They supposedly checked the vehicle and found nothing amiss.

The car then went for the 6 month service at 1250 kms.

The issue came up again last week when at about 1400 kms the car again stalled after a 25 kms run late at night again with me on the driver seat.

This time it being quite close to home (1 km) , I gave the car some extra revs and managed to get it home and park the car for the night. (It did stall twice again on the way.)

Next day on starting the car it did start though it seemed a bit rough. Again cleaned the Air Filter by banging the same against a wall. It did not seem that dirty. Drove it around a bit in the complex and got the confidence to drive the car to the service center located 8 kms away. The service guys suspected overheating though I did mention that there was no indication of the same on both occations. They drove it around for 35kms at one go and found nothing wrong with the car.

I asked them to escallate the issue to Hyundai (and inform them that the customer is refusing to take the car with out a resolution to the issue and if the same were not possible to replace the vehicle). The solution offered was to reflash the ECM. That done the car has been returned back to me.

The twin instances of the car stalling in such a manner has undermined our confidence in the reliability of the i10.

I do plan to take it for an extended 70-100 km drives within the city itself next to test it out.

But as one would guess the satisfaction level has dropped to new lows. The basic premise of getting a Hyundai as a reliable alternative to the Skoda Laura DSG AT that we already have is proven wrong. Neither the Skoda or my TATA Vehicles have till date left me stranded in the manner the Hyundai has and that too with extended use and abuse vs the really limited and definately proper use of the i10.

Yep the Hyundai Stock has devalued in my mind in the last 9 months since this purchase. Automatically the TATA and Skoda stock goes up.

Yes the above statement is purely a reflection of the relative state of mind a vehicle can place us in. More on this later. I guess basis the past record the i10 will not be putting up too many kms in a hurry (Expecially with risky outstation trips out of the way for now.)

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[PranavDesai]

Hi ACM, I am totally newbie when it comes to cars, but judging by your experience of i10, Aria, and Laura, and from what I have learned on this forum, I can safely say that when it comes to long-term reliability the Japs are hard to match. Toyota missed the opportunity by not launching Liva Auto, it would have given the i10 a tough fight. Brio AT is around this Diwali as it is said on this forum, if and when it is launched would you considering switching from the "slanted H" to "straight one?"

[kaka46]

How do you find the performance of Kumho's ? I got them with my i10 and they are good as long as the roads are good and I don't find the wet grip to be very good.

[vkaul1]

Hi ACM.. Congrats on your i10. One of the 2 ATs that we can get in hatch backs. I was looking for one for my dad for intra-city commutes & fuel efficiency is one of the things that is driving me towards A-star vis-a-vis i10 (pls do share the fuel efficiency that you are getting in the city)

Interesting to note the reliability issues in virtually a new car. We are so used to thinking of Hyundai as reliable vehicles & experiences like these make us think twice & not take anything for granted.

But the fact remains that such issues with a new car does leave a bad taste in the mouth. Hope flashing the ECM resolves your issues & you n wifely have many safe miles.

[KALSANKRPAI]

Originally Posted by ACM

We bought the Hyundai keeping reliability and AT convenience as the key selection criteria.

On a return trip from Baroda to Mumbai with the car at just about 300 kms on the odo and with me at the wheels. The car suddenly sputtered and stalled after one of the toll booths I rolled to a stop on the side of the road.

The car would restart but stall in N & Positions after some time, and immediately in D & R positions as soon as I released the Brake to move the car.

We called the toll free support and the solution offered was to tow the vehicle back to Baroda and to abondon our further journey. Further probing for technical support resulted in them suggesting that I remove and clean the Air Filter and retry. Well I did as suggested and voila the car started and the problem seemed solved. At the next petrol pump we got the Air Filter cleaned with pressurised air and moved on with no issue all the way upto Bombay.

The car was used for the next month in Bombay before being sent for the first service and the issue was reported. They supposedly checked the vehicle and found nothing amiss.

The car then went for the 6 month service at 1250 kms.

The issue came up again last week when at about 1400 kms the car again stalled after a 25 kms run late at night again with me on the driver seat.

This time it being quite close to home (1 km) , I gave the car some extra revs and managed to get it home and park the car for the night. (It did stall twice again on the way.)

Next day on starting the car it did start though it seemed a bit rough. Again cleaned the Air Filter by banging the same against a wall. It did not seem that dirty. Drove it around a bit in the complex and got the confidence to drive the car to the service center located 8 kms away. The service guys suspected overheating though I did mention that there was no indication of the same on both occations. They drove it around for 35kms at one go and found nothing wrong with the car.

I asked them to escallate the issue to Hyundai (and inform them that the customer is refusing to take the car with out a resolution to the issue and if the same were not possible to replace the vehicle). The solution offered was to reflash the ECM. That done the car has been returned back to me.

The twin instances of the car stalling in such a manner has undermined our confidence in the reliability of the i10.

I do plan to take it for an extended 70-100 km drives within the city itself next to test it out.

But as one would guess the satisfaction level has dropped to new lows. The basic premise of getting a Hyundai as a reliable alternative to the Skoda Laura DSG AT that we already have is proven wrong. Neither the Skoda or my TATA Vehicles have till date left me stranded in the manner the Hyundai has and that too with extended use and abuse vs the really limited and definately proper use of the i10.

Yep the Hyundai Stock has devalued in my mind in the last 9 months since this purchase. Automatically the TATA and Skoda stock goes up.

Yes the above statement is purely a reflection of the relative state of mind a vehicle can place us in. More on this later. I guess basis the past record the i10 will not be putting up too many kms in a hurry (Expecially with risky outstation trips out of the way for now.)

I bought my Hyundai i10 1.2 Sportz Blushing Red color on 24/12/2010
and as on date the ODO has recorded nearly 15,000Kms. My ownership report about the Car is excellent practically no issues of any sort and I have been getting a mileage of around 21.30kmpl on highways. I have driven the car from very good to very bad terrains and the car and its suspension has responded exceedingly well beyond my expectations. I have been driving for the last 42 years and in my honest opinion this hatch back is really good The only drawback that I noticed rahter I would have wished, is that the Headlight is little weak especially on the Highways and tyres are little under sized. I do not know what are the constraints the company has to set right this.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by KALSANKRPAI

I bought my Hyundai i10 1.2 Sportz Blushing Red color on 24/12/2010
and as on date the ODO has recorded nearly 15,000Kms. My ownership report about the Car is excellent practically no issues of any sort and I have been getting a mileage of around 21.30kmpl on highways. I have driven the car from very good to very bad terrains and the car and its suspension has responded exceedingly well beyond my expectations. I have been driving for the last 42 years and in my honest opinion this hatch back is really good The only drawback that I noticed rahter I would have wished, is that the Headlight is little weak especially on the Highways and tyres are little under sized. I do not know what are the constraints the company has to set right this.

This makes the brand value indeed go a bit more +ve in my eyes to see it perform reliably for others. But then Mine was an Auto which does give very low fuel effeciency and yes the tyres are really skinny and yep it has failed totally on two occations in it's limited 1750 km life. So it will take a while for this to come on trump.

The arrival of the Brio AT in India with 5 speed AT is sure to impact the i10 which does seem to have a diesel option coming to save it in 2013. Recently the i20 has been selling a bit more than the i10 and that is a much more expensive vehicle.

[Simhi]

Hi ACM. I have i10 AT Magna (no longer this variant is available) for close to 3 years. No reliability issues so far. touch wood. The longest drive I have taken the i10 AT is 400kms drive in a single day and not once did it stop. Your issue does not seem to be related to Air Filter, may be related to some electronics. I hope Hyundai resolves your issue and you enjoy i10 AT drive going forward.

[KALSANKRPAI]

Originally Posted by Simhi

Hi ACM. I have i10 AT Magna (no longer this variant is available) for close to 3 years. No reliability issues so far. touch wood. The longest drive I have taken the i10 AT is 400kms drive in a single day and not once did it stop. Your issue does not seem to be related to Air Filter, may be related to some electronics. I hope Hyundai resolves your issue and you enjoy i10 AT drive going forward.

The longest drive I have taken is close to 740 kms recently in a single day that to me only behind the wheels and it was a night drive all through and believe me the car behaved so very well Like this I have undertaken similar long drives on more than 20 occasions My Hyundai i10 1.2 Sprotz is almost years old and touch wood till date absoutely no issues at all Bridgestone tyres {OE} are the best one in its class. The only draw back of i10 is its weak headlights { on the highways specially during rainy days }visibility is very poor and the tyres are totally under sized . I hope Hyundai will take note of such feedbacks seriously and upgrade/address the same

[gururaj r]

I have an i10 sportz manual model purchased in Feb 09. So far no reliability issues. Taken the vehicle from Mumbai to - Bangalore, Madurai, Solapur, Phandarpur, Pune, shirdi etc. Each one a different trip. Stock tyres are Bridgestone doing a good job.

Find the servicing cost quite high. All services carried out in their service station at Cottongreen.

The vehicle behaved nicely in all my trips above.