How can a brand new car, right after second servicing, just break down after minimal driving.
BHPian akshaysehgal recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Quick Update on i20N line – Breakdown right after service
Sorry for the lack of updates, life has been quite busy and unpredictable recently, but I wanted to share this update + an incident that actually happened out of nowhere.
TLDR; The 1-year, 7000km almost new, freshly serviced i20N Line temporarily broke down in the middle of the road after minimal driving, roadside assistance couldn’t figure out the reason. Taking the car to the servicing to get it “scanned”. Will keep this group updated.
Background:
About 2 weeks back I had my 2nd free car servicing at Dee Emm Hyundai Gurgaon. The car has completed its 1 year and is right over 7000 Km. I am yet to make any long-distance trips in my N-line (in fact one is planned for the next week!). During servicing, according to them, the car was in top condition. I felt there might have been a very very minor wheel alignment issue (which they test-drove and denied), but I requested them to get that aligned regardless, which they did free of charge. This is my second service with them. Over and above the service, I additionally got a few things done (paid for them separately) –
- Extended warranty for engine and gearbox (this was pending on my part for some time)
- Anti-rust paint in the underbody for rust and scratch resistance
With my car feeling brand new, I happily rushed to fill its belly at my primary petrol station which I have been using ever since I got the car. I have been using xp95 throughout the previous year and am super happy with it.
Incident:
Here is where things took a turn for the worse. The following week, I was traveling to my in-laws in Faridabad from Gurgaon. The car drove like a charm all the way. However, on reaching the highway (NH19/44) after Pahadi road, out of nowhere, the car’s engine stopped in the middle of the lane. I was luckily able to steer the little beast to the side of the road.I tried starting the car again using the auto-start button. It kept trying to bring the engine back online but in vain. Reminded me of the sound our ambassador made in the good old days when my dad had to pull the choke to get it running on bad days.
I was 2 minutes away from our destination (luckily) so I got my wife to take an auto and reach home with some of our luggage, while I spent the next 10 mins calling roadside assistance (my first time ever asking for them btw).
While I was waiting for roadside assistance, I noted a few things –
The gauge had the battery, the seat belt, and the oil lights turned red.
The car shouldn’t have overheated since I was literally driving just 35-40 minutes on a main road which I regularly travel every two weeks.
The weather was hot but not that bad because it had rained recently that week. I was safely standing outside the car in sun for the next 30 mins waiting for the assistance
After 15 minutes I opened the hood and checked if the engine oil was there. It was.
I avoided checking the radiator fluid for obvious reasons.
When the assistance arrived 30-35 minutes later, he started his regular diagnosis and after some time asked me to try the ignition. For the first few tries it didn’t turn on, but on the 4th or 5th try, it half-heartedly turned on. Since I was 2 minutes away from home, I requested the guy to follow me on his two-wheeler to the location so we could continue this in a “safer” location. After reaching home, parking in the shade, and drinking some cold water we both got into the root cause analysis.
He was kind enough to walk me through his step-by-step process and diagnosis, which was inconclusive. His final recommendation – take the car to the service center and get it “scanned”. If there is a deeper issue with electronics they would be able to detect it.
Call:
With that, he took his leave and I immediately called Mr P from Dee Emm Hyundai who was my service manager during the last visit. After few times of trying to call him and a few numbers, I got through to a random number which someone else picked up. I requested them to bring Mr. P on call and told them what had gone wrong. Of course, he was apologetic the only thing he offered me was the number for roadside assistance which I didn’t need.
I was furious. Just to share some context around this – after the service, I have received around 4-5 follow-ups from Dee Emm Hyundai Gurgaon to rate them at “10 out of 10”, with the usual sweet talk. But, when a customer is actually having issues right after servicing, they don’t really bother.
It’s now been a week since Mr. P promised to “call me back asap” after checking internally.
Conclusion:
Unfortunately, I had some personal health issues this week to follow up on last week. The car seems to be running fine now and so am I. But I am being extra careful not to drive “us” too much.
Today though I have escalated this to Dee Emm Hyundai customer care, Hyundai customer car, and am posting this here so I can keep the community here informed and request some advice from the more experienced BHPians.
My case to them is – “How can a brand new car, right after second servicing, just break down after minimal driving. At least help me diagnose why this even happened?”. My goal is to get to the bottom of this, understand the root cause, and ensure that my car is in a safe condition to drive for the upcoming trip that I am making with my family next week. Their attitude of “ab toh chal rahi hai” or “ho jata hai sometimes”, doesn’t work for me.
None of this changes the love I have for this car. Will share my side of the updates as they come in. Appreciate advice and tips from the veterans here.
Keyword: My i20 N-Line break down & shoddy experience dealing with Hyundai RSA