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Hyundai Warranty

mfisher1mfisher1 Member Posts: 2
Do not buy a Hyundai under any circumstances. They do not honor their warranty and do everything they can to avoid paying for repairs. I am incurring over $400 of repairs for an item that I have had prevuis issues with on my 2007 Sonata but just when the warranty expires they make stuff up to stick the repair on me.

Comments

  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    It is no secret that Hyundai is very stringent with their warranty. They are definitely not DIY mechanic friendly. They will frequently deny coverage to people who do their own oil changes, coolant flushes, spark plug changes, etc. People who use the dealer for routine maintenance and other services typically do not have a problem while the car is under warranty.

    No manufacturer is going to provide ongoing free support on a vehicle once the warranty expires. They may provide one or two free goodwill repairs for loyal customers (again, good to have a relationship with the dealer) but they will cut ties eventually. Once the car hits 60,000 miles (or 5 years old) the bumper-to-bumper is gone. When you hit 100,000 miles (or 10 years) the powertrain is gone and Hyundai has no further warranty obligation to the customer at all. You are on your own. If you purchased the car second-hand, 5yr/60K is all you get. The 10/100 warranty doesn't transfer to the second or subsequent owner.

    Just because a problem is ongoing, and fixed several times under warranty, doesn't mean it will continue to be fixed for free forever. It just indicates a weak point with the car that is important to note if you keep the car past the warranty.

    Perhaps you can save money by finding a reliable independent mechanic. Cheaper parts and cheaper labor.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    They will frequently deny coverage to people who do their own oil changes, coolant flushes, spark plug changes, etc.

    Can you cite some examples of where that has happened, please? Because it's illegal for a car company to deny warranty coverage under those circumstances.

    As long as the owner can provide evidence of the manufacturer's required maintenance being followed (e.g. maintenance log and receipts for parts), that's all that's needed. The manufacturer cannot demand that maintenance be performed by a dealer. Even if the required maintenance were not followed, the manufacturer would need to prove that lack of maintenance was a likely cause of the mechanical problem that led to the warranty claim.
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    It would take me hours to go back through the web and provide links to the numerous sites where people have been denied warranty coverage due to DIY maintenance. Hyundai does not consider a cash register receipt for parts to be proof of maintenance. Their position is that a receipt doesn't mean the parts were ever installed, or installed correctly. They will accept work orders from an independent mechanic as proof of maintenance. It is DIY'ers that have a hard time.

    I know all about the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and that it is illegal for dealers and manufacturers to deny warranty to DIY'ers. However if the dealer and/or manufacturer fight you and attribute the failure to bad parts or poor installation, you end up in a battle against the dealer and/or the manufacturer.

    If you buy a brand new car and do all your own maintenance, and then 2 years/30K miles later show up at the dealer with an engine problem and no vehicle history in the service network, the dealer is going to really be tough. Customer #2 shows up and has a complete service history in the database. Their car will be serviced under warranty no questions asked.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    edited August 2012
    How about just 1-2 examples/links of cases where Hyundai denied warranty coverage even after a DIYer provided receipts for parts, and they were OEM-spec parts and there was no evidence that the parts were installed improperly?

    However if the dealer and/or manufacturer fight you and attribute the failure to bad parts or poor installation, you end up in a battle against the dealer and/or the manufacturer.

    The parts used by DIYers must meet factory specs. A warranty claim can be properly denied if they don't and the non-spec parts contributed to the problem. The best way to avoid that issue is to buy only OEM parts, e.g. oil filters. If the installation was "bad", the manufacturer must prove the installation was faulty and contributed to the problem.

    From a less-worries standpoint, yes, it's going to be easier to get routine maintenance done by a dealer or a mechanic who can provide receipts as to the work performed, and stand behind their work. Since my local Hyundai dealer provides free oil changes as long as I own the car, for both new and used cars purchased there, it's an easy decision for me to have scheduled maintenance performed there. But I don't have all maintenance performed there, if they charge too much. For example, the dealer just quoted me $500 for a front brake job on my 2004 Elantra. When I said, "no, thanks", they said it would be about $350 if they used NAPA parts vs. OEM parts. Better, but not good enough... I know a good mechanic who did it for $125, including parts. I have a receipt. Not that it matters, warranty-wise, as brakes aren't covered under the powertrain warranty.
  • bestkeeperbestkeeper Member Posts: 2
    My wife has an 09 Santa Fe, She bought it used and it was even used as a rental originally. We just had a cylinder coil drop out, our mechanic said it was $500, however it should still be under warranty. We went to the dealer, they checked the car in, we had never been there before and within minutes guy was like everything is good, its under warranty and they would fix it no problem. It was a saturday afternoon so they had it done monday morning, car rides like a champ now! Best warranty experience I have ever had!
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