We have a 99 Sonata still under the 100K warranty. We have used Avondale (now Germain) Hyundai for the last few service issues, but never again. A few months ago our car's "check engine" light came on. It had problems with sluggish operation, transmission felt as though it was slipping and RPMs that suddenly increased allowing the car to either lurch forward from a stop or it could move up to 20 mph on it's own.
The scan indicated it was a bad catalytic converter. We believed we had already replaced the converter almost a year earlier. Apparently, according to Victor in service there are three. It was replaced under warranty but we were originally told it would cost over a thousand dollars to replace. Curiously, prior to last year's other catalytic conv. Replacement we were told how "lucky" we were that the mileage (almost 75K) was right at the borderline for being under warranty. Why was this suddenly under warrantly now (90K miles)? I don't want to underestimate that we are simply lucky but it seems suspicious that if we had not vociferously argued would the repair have been at no charge? And was there some kind of recall issue that we had not been told about. No dealer just gives in and gives you a repair because you argued but no explanation was given.
Since there was no charge we were then told that the coolant temperature sensor was bad according to the diagnostic scan and that part is not under warranty. It was explained that the temperature sensor is responsible for making sure the engine doesn't burn up due to overheating. My husband explained we've never had a single issue with the engine even running to the middle of the gauge. Victor said that if we chose not to replace it and the engine burned up then the engine would not be under warranty since it was now noted in our records. We decided to replace the sensor elsewhere since dealers typically overcharge. Curiously our receipt said the car "cleared codes" which I believe indicates there were no problem messages.
The car was brought home with the converter repair completed. We were told the check engine light would remain lit until the sensor was replaced which it was. The light stayed on and the car started having the same engine problems within days. It was brought back to Germain. Victor told us the sensor we had replaced was bad and that's what was causing the problem. We didn't understand how a sensor measuring coolant temperature could have anything to do with the way the engine was running and the power issues. All Victor could say was that the scan indicated the part was bad. I questioned why no service personnel could diagnose a car without relying only on the scan. It was in fact dangerous to be driving a car that lurched forward or sped up intermittently. He could give me no answer other than to say cars nowadays are very complex.
We asked for the service manager. The manager Clark eventually called us back and explained that he had personally gone over the car and found it was a different "coolant sensor gauge" that was in fact bad to begin with. He asked a number of questions relating to the symptoms and he explained that he is certain this sensor replacement would fix the problem. We questioned why we were given an entirely different explanation of the sensor that needed to be replaced. He had no answer as apparently Victor indicated that's what he had told us all along. We agreed to the $200.00 repair although it still concerned us that there might be something more seriously wrong with the engine that the dealership is covering with a band aid to prevent having to fix it under warranty.
The car seemed to run much better and we were thankful to have it behind us. Days later the car began to overheat. We pulled over. You could hear bubbling in the radiator and the reservoir appeared very low or empty which it hadn't been days earlier. There was fluid that leaked onto the ground. We had it towed there yet again. After two days, we finally heard from them saying that they had "run the car for a couple of hours without overheating. The service technician took it home for lunch (can they do that?) about 20 mins. Away and it didn't overheat, no leaks. They surmised that an air bubble must have gotten into the line when they replaced the sensor" and it could account for the overheating - we could pick it up in the morning but to call at 8:30. There was no charge. We called to arrange pick up. We were now told that the problem was in fact a radiator hose that had broken which will cost $150.00 to fix. Wait a second, it was running fine the day before, no leaks no overheating, now it was leaking and there was a break in a hose???
This is the second time we're given conflicting information and then made to feel as though WE misunderstood something. I'm not savvy enough with cars to invent what I'm told. I have to pay attention because I have no knowledge that I can simply guess an interpretation of what issues are causing the car to fail. It's extremely frustrating that when you attempt to call to speak with either the service person or the service manager all you can do is leave a voice mail and wait for them to decide to return your call. We've been waiting hours so far for either person to call.
We will not use this dealership again. We called Hyundai customer service and they filed a report and contacted the dealership when I complained about the danger of running the car with the rpms issue, but were uninterested when the issue was one of money and potentially scamming customers to make a buck.
Smlpal
Waddell, Arizona
U.S.A.
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