The car has clocked over 43,000 km. Could the problem be a worn-out suspension setup?
BHPian roby.thomas recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
My Xcent is nearing it’s 7th anniversary with us and approximately 43,300+ km as of today on its odometer. I’ve had a pleasant annual maintenance service experience at VTJ Hyundai, Maradu wherein I was given a smaller bill than I was fearing I would get (Given ABS sensor etc were kaput). This was a couple of months back, and periodic maintenance had not been happening at the exact times due to the covid situation.
Years passed by, age has added on to people and not just the car, and now have a little kid who is 1.5 years old in the family. Now a major dilemma also has cropped up. There is a contention for the front co-passenger seat. My mother always had this vertigo problem that she prefers to sit in the front seat which is comfortable for her for longer drives. So far there wasn’t an issue. Now the contender is the new chap, who has this motion sickness problem. Into a few kilometers of the ride, the boy starts to act up. Whereas while on the front seat he is apparently more composed. It could be because he can see things up in the front, with better front-seat comfort. But still, I believe he will not tolerate really long drives. The longest we could do is Kochi to Kottayam which is about 70 kilometers, and we for sure can’t return the same day.
Also, this got all of us to notice that perhaps the car has become a very bumpy ride. The problem is we are not able to make out if it’s our perception, or if really the car’s suspension has worn out. I can certainly say when we bought Xcent, it had a superior comfort compared to our outgoing i10.
Our roads around are patchy and bumpy, and undulations on the road are being felt inside. Does anyone in this Xcent thread has experienced degradation in ride comfort, needing suspension overhaul? The last service advisor mentioned about an engine note problem without me complaining about it (he said throttle / some sensor related to that had to be cleaned). But he didn’t specifically pick on any shock absorber/suspension wear out.
Can we do something like re-upholstery with better cushioning to improve this ride comfort aspect? My mother and elder daughter feel that the rear bench left is compressed and lower than the right. When I sat in the rear seat, I couldn’t feel much difference though visually there appears to be a contouring difference. It really could be that way because there is always an occupant sitting on the left.
However, I did feel it’s very bumpy at the rear. While driving also, I can feel my stomach rolling on imperfect roads. But what I’m not sure is if it’s really a vehicle issue, or becoming sensitive due to my tolerance.
How to know if really there is a suspension wear out, or we are just needing something better (is there really something better)? I really wanted to keep this car if possible, I’m really not intending to buy another one unless this issue makes it absolutely necessary. In which case, I’m thinking of MPVs with second-row captain seats – Ertiga / Carens maybe? I’m though not sure they are any significantly superior in ride comfort than Xcent. Can anyone tell?
Here’s what BHPian CrAzY dRiVeR had to say about the matter:
It is not just your car.
By the time Xcent came, Hyundai had just learned how to sort out the front suspension, and had only read half the chapter on the rear! Same experience here – I never sat in the back for over 25k kms, and when I finally did – I just couldn’t believe it’s the same car as that of the front! The rear has a LOT more vertical movement than the front and is nowhere as composed as the front makes you believe.
It’s not as bouncy as the old generation Hyundai cars but surely is disconnected from the front. Things are almost sorted now with the Aura.
Keyword: 7-year-old Hyundai Xcent: Experiencing degraded ride comfort