About 130,00 miles on car, and I'm the original owner. Transmission was serviced at 118,000 at Hyundai Dealership.
After driving home from work on a Friday (2/21) afternoon I got off the interstate, started to break for the traffic light and BAM! My car dies without so much as a sputter or a previous symptom. I too was awarded the 'don't yew better not thinking of startin this heara cara' warning indicator. My emergency flashers worked.
After a long weekend scrambling for a repair shop for diagnosis, I was told to take it to Hyundai. The car was towed to Hyundai on 2/24 and I rented a car until repairs were completed. Waiting almost THREE days for the shop to 'figure out' what was wrong with my car, I found myself searching the net for 'mysterious transmission breakdown/repair' columns or blogs and 'Hyundai' clubs replete with VERY angry owners speaking in militant tones about their dissatisfaction with Hyundai. By now, it was Wednesday afternoon (2/26) and I was told 'perhaps' the following Monday I 'might' have my car back... but not so fast, a mechanical breakdown insurance adjuster had to verify the needed repair... and of course, I had to be contacted again because I had to authorize the $83 difference between a NEW and RECONDITIONED transmission.
Hyundai 'suggested' a new transmission would be better... ARE YOU KIDDING? Better? $83 is the DIFFERENCE between reconditioned and NEW??? taking an additional (you guessed it TWO) days. By now, it's Friday 2/28 afternoon. I had to wait a day for my representative to come back from her day off and I'm told the shop has to order the parts and they 'should' expect the new transmission sometime the FOLLOWING week (I'm guessing they probably had a shop foreman dialing their fingers off day and night looking ALL OVER the Washington DC area for a transmission....'cause they sounded very concerned that this was taking so long...). I was also told it would be good idea to replace the radiator hoses and serpentine belt as well.
I ordered the parts myself and delivered them to Hyundai BEFORE the transmission arrived. The weekend comes and goes... half of the following week goes also....On 3/3 my agent texts me to say the belts and hoses look 'okay' and Hyundai only 'recommends' replacing them every 60k. and... I would have to pay for the labor cost to install my own parts... an additional $1,137! To loosen/tighten 4 clamps for the hoses an additional 2 tension bolts for the serpentine belt!! You would have thought my 4+ years of customer loyalty AND the transmission job I dropped in their laps would have been rewarded but alas....
Hyundai doesn't make much money selling cars. It's pretty common knowledge Hyundai makes money by selling parts and performing repairs. I understand billable hours, shop fees, parts marked up 20% above retail and a 'team' of auditors breathing down the repair managers neck to hold the bottom line. I understand the kind words and compassion my 'service advisor' consoles/manipulates me through God knows how many hours of 'training'.
I mentioned my entire 'experience' with this breakdown (above) because it appears I am not the only one with transmission problems, dealership repairs completed in an un-timely manner or problems with communication from Hyundai employees to customers. Through my research of transmission problems, I learned that there appear to be many attorneys and legal firms willing to fight Hyundai over poor craftsmanship such as I encountered. Hundreds if not thousands of potential customers have been put off by a 'devil-may-care' - we've got your money posture.
In closing, I wish to say the shop manager failed to acknowledge the $770.00 I personally had to pay for the RENTAL car, during this weeks-long adventure. No quarter or consideration was offered to me. My 'bottom line' in this matter was $330+ for my insurance co-pay (mechanical breakdown) AND $770 for the 14 day car rental... Considering I had PREVIOUS major breakdown in this vehicle (yep, more hybrid problems) and LESS than 18 months ago I am doubtful re: continued ownership of this vehicle or considering a Hyundai in the future.
About 130,00 miles on car, and I'm the original owner. Transmission was serviced at 118,000 at Hyundai Dealership.
After driving home from work on a Friday (2/21) afternoon I got off the interstate, started to break for the traffic light and BAM! My car dies without so much as a sputter or a previous symptom. I too was awarded the 'don't yew better not thinking of startin this heara cara' warning indicator. My emergency flashers worked.
After a long weekend scrambling for a repair shop for diagnosis, I was told to take it to Hyundai. The car was towed to Hyundai on 2/24 and I rented a car until repairs were completed. Waiting almost THREE days for the shop to 'figure out' what was wrong with my car, I found myself searching the net for 'mysterious transmission breakdown/repair' columns or blogs and 'Hyundai' clubs replete with VERY angry owners speaking in militant tones about their dissatisfaction with Hyundai. By now, it was Wednesday afternoon (2/26) and I was told 'perhaps' the following Monday I 'might' have my car back... but not so fast, a mechanical breakdown insurance adjuster had to verify the needed repair... and of course, I had to be contacted again because I had to authorize the $83 difference between a NEW and RECONDITIONED transmission.
Hyundai 'suggested' a new transmission would be better... ARE YOU KIDDING? Better? $83 is the DIFFERENCE between reconditioned and NEW??? taking an additional (you guessed it TWO) days. By now, it's Friday 2/28 afternoon. I had to wait a day for my representative to come back from her day off and I'm told the shop has to order the parts and they 'should' expect the new transmission sometime the FOLLOWING week (I'm guessing they probably had a shop foreman dialing their fingers off day and night looking ALL OVER the Washington DC area for a transmission....'cause they sounded very concerned that this was taking so long...). I was also told it would be good idea to replace the radiator hoses and serpentine belt as well.
I ordered the parts myself and delivered them to Hyundai BEFORE the transmission arrived. The weekend comes and goes... half of the following week goes also....On 3/3 my agent texts me to say the belts and hoses look 'okay' and Hyundai only 'recommends' replacing them every 60k. and... I would have to pay for the labor cost to install my own parts... an additional $1,137! To loosen/tighten 4 clamps for the hoses an additional 2 tension bolts for the serpentine belt!! You would have thought my 4+ years of customer loyalty AND the transmission job I dropped in their laps would have been rewarded but alas....
Hyundai doesn't make much money selling cars. It's pretty common knowledge Hyundai makes money by selling parts and performing repairs. I understand billable hours, shop fees, parts marked up 20% above retail and a 'team' of auditors breathing down the repair managers neck to hold the bottom line. I understand the kind words and compassion my 'service advisor' consoles/manipulates me through God knows how many hours of 'training'.
I mentioned my entire 'experience' with this breakdown (above) because it appears I am not the only one with transmission problems, dealership repairs completed in an un-timely manner or problems with communication from Hyundai employees to customers. Through my research of transmission problems, I learned that there appear to be many attorneys and legal firms willing to fight Hyundai over poor craftsmanship such as I encountered. Hundreds if not thousands of potential customers have been put off by a 'devil-may-care' - we've got your money posture.
In closing, I wish to say the shop manager failed to acknowledge the $770.00 I personally had to pay for the RENTAL car, during this weeks-long adventure. No quarter or consideration was offered to me. My 'bottom line' in this matter was $330+ for my insurance co-pay (mechanical breakdown) AND $770 for the 14 day car rental... Considering I had PREVIOUS major breakdown in this vehicle (yep, more hybrid problems) and LESS than 18 months ago I am doubtful re: continued ownership of this vehicle or considering a Hyundai in the future.
- Tom D., Bowie, MD, US