Car repair takes a long time

Hi guys,

please help me with suggestions. My new car got broken more than 3 weeks ago (it just stopped in the middle of highway). It is being fixed in the service shop. They say there is a problem with engine and they are going to replace it. Meanwhile I rent a car and pay my own money (since rental is not covered). I keep on going to service shop and check the repair status. It is so-o-o slow. They do not do anything! They take their time by sending car photos to Hyundai main office back and forth and doing no actual work. But I cannot waste my money for endless car rentals. How can I expedite the repair process? Where should I complain about the situation? Thanks a lot in advance!

Contact people further up the food chain at Hyundai. Your owner’s manual or the Hyundai website will have information on their regional and national offices. Do you have any paperwork as to what the actual problem is or what the dealer has tried to fix the problem?

I have all the paperwork from the repair center. They sent photos of the broken engine to the Hyundai main office and currently are waiting for the Hyundai’s decision (whether change some parts of the engine or replace the whole engine). Main office keeps on sending more questions to the repair center, repair center replies and we wait again for the next question… The whole waiting process takes a while (3 weeks to be exact). Since Hyundai main office is already involved, should I call them anyway?

I am sorry for bothering with another question. Is it possible that if I wait too long for my car to be fixed, I can get my car replaced with a new one (or get money back)? I bought my car less than 2 years ago, it has 26000 mi, we are in NY state. Thank you!

check with ny state about the Lemon law, I live in CA and had a 05 F350 with 6K mile and it took Ford over 3 months to figure what the problems were. but here in CA the Lemon Law states that if the dealer has it in there shop for 30 days I had the choice of either receiveing a new truck or ALL of my money back, Ford agreed to replace the truck but would not refund my rental of around 6K dollars they told me to sue them, which I did, I contacted a CA Lemon Law attorny and file, it took about a year Ford had to pay ALL expences related to my truck, includeing purchase price, all previous matiantance and rental, any money I had spent on it except insurance, than they charged me a vehecle use fee for the mileage on the truck at time of break down. now this was my only vehecle it served as my personal and work truck, I had no other form of transportation. Good Luck

New York Lemon Law states that a car can be replaced with a new one if it is 30 days out of service for repair, within 2 years or 18,000 miles. My car is less than 2 years, but it has more than 18000 mi. Does it mean that I can not get my car replaced after 30 days because of mileage?

you would have to contact an attorney, but I think your ok because it is less than 2yrs. they may charge more % for the vehecle use.

Thank you very much!!!

You do not own a new car. You own a used one.

Some details about this engine problem may help. From your post I get the inference that the engine stopped because it was run out of oil. Is this the case?

If that is the case then it also brings up the following questions.
How often do you check the oil level?
How often do you have the oil changed?
Are you expecting warranty to pay for a new engine or are you prepared to foot this expense out of your own pocket?

It’s not the repairs that are taking so long,
it’s the warranty approval that’s dragging it out.
The dealer won’t invest in repair time or parts until they prove they’ll get paid.

YES, call Hyundai yourself.
– again –
-and again –
really poke a stick in their craw for some action.

Maybe the reason for the delay is that Hyundai is trying to make sure that an engine failure due to not checking the oil, a botched oil change, etc. is not being laid at their doorstep.

Hopefully the OP will fill in a few blanks.

Oil level was normal. Well was clean. In the repair center they first changed TPS sensor and performed an ECU upgrade, then tried to start engine and heard a loud sound. Next what they detected was the bank 1 timing chain broken and wrapped around the crank pulley. Engine got jammed and valves were bent, motor was unable to be turned. The photos of engine they sent to the Hyundai main office.

Warranty covers the repair and a new engine.

if you bought this car new from a dealer it is under the new car lemon law even though it’s 2 years old.

The Time To Do Something About Poor Customer Service Is Before You Purchase A Car. Many Car Manufacturers Would Include, In Their Warranty, A Car For You To drive.

The manufacturer of our newest car offers courtesy transportation or transportation reimbursement whenever warranty repairs are necessary.

In my opinion, if the manufacturer won’t give you a car to drive or won’t reimburse you for a car and the dealer won’t give you a car to drive then this is neither a car company nor a dealership that anybody should deal with.

I’d put some pressure on the dealer. They’ve got a car you could use. This is a valuable lesson for both you and others reading this conversation. Just like buying cheap insurance or using a bargain travel agency, some bargain vehicles turn out to be not such a bargain.

CSA

I don’t understand why Hyundai is getting the blame on this problem seeing as how the OP has provided zero information about the problem.

The back and forth photos and requests for information tells me in a roundabout way that the OP has a seriously damaged engine and is expecting warranty to foot the bill. Warranty is for the repair of factory defects in materials or workmanship; not for the repair of an oil starved engine if this is the case.
Sorting things like this out does take time and if the OP is being as forthcoming with the Hyundai dealer as they are about providing any info on this forum then I can see it taking a lot longer.

The OP has the time to post repeatedly about a car complaint, wants to expedite the process, curious about a Lemon Law issue, etc, etc and yet has no time to fill in a few blanks about the oil level.

There’s much more to this story than has been told and from the looks of things that story will never be known; maybe not even entirely to the dealer and Hyundai.

I posted this info earlier in the discussion: Oil level was normal, well was clean and engine was not sludged when the car broke down. In the repair center they first changed TPS sensor and performed an ECU upgrade, then tried to start engine and heard a loud sound. Next what they detected was the bank 1 timing chain broken and wrapped around the crank pulley. Engine got jammed and valves were bent, motor was unable to be turned. The photos of engine they sent to the Hyundai main office.

The repair hasn’t started yet. For some reason Hyundai and the dealer aren’t lined up and they don’t agree about something. You need to get a “case number” or have the VIN number of the car handy and call Hyundai customer relations department.

Perhaps Hyundai feels the dealer is somehow at fault. They attempted to run the motor and that could be when the valves got damaged. The dealer wants Hyundai to pay. This isn’t about parts or a new engine being available. It is all about money.

At the moment you are left out in the cold while Hyundai and your dealer are fighting with each other. Make copies of the rental car bills and send one copy to the dealer and another to Hyundai and tell them someone needs to pay for your rental while your car is out of service and they fight.

Time for you to get on the phone and make some noise.