Hyundai Problems

Everyone should check his or her new car before taking delivery of it, no matter the brand. You shouldn’t just assume that because it is new that it is without flaw. Having taken delivery you have much less power to have problems corrected, leaving you in the situation of having to negotiate with the dealer and the carmaker to get a satisfactory outcome. If you feel they are not interested in your concerns you should contact your state’s consumer affairs department and seek their advice.

On the surface it does seem unreasonable that the new transmission is not covered by the warranty. I would press Hyundai for an explanation of the problem, and an answer as to why the replacement transmission isn’t covered. If that doesn’t get a satisfactory response I would contact the Consumer Affairs people in Victoria and enlist their help.

You don’t tell us what happened, which makes it difficult to be of help.

Reducing speed isn’t a satisfactory answer, as driving at 70 km/h when the rest of the traffic is doing 100 km/h can be dangerous. It would appear that there is nothing obviously wrong with the car, or it would have been found in the inspections. You could try increasing the tyre pressures by 5 psi and see if that has any affect; you could also have an experienced mechanic drive the car over the section of road in question so they can see how it behaves.

It’s always a risk to use a secondhand part, because you have no guarantee of its condition, but if you don’t want to spend the full amount for a genuine factory part then the risk might be worth it. If sold privately it would be worth $9000-$12,000.

The radio reception in Hyundai cars has been a regular compliant over the years, and there's never been a satisfactory solution. Being a relatively new car I would persist with Hyundai and request a replacement head unit as a gesture of good will. I think Hyundai would be crazy to refuse you and risk damaging its reputation.

There were two models in 2009, the S and the SX. The S didn't have ESP (stability control), but the SX got ESP with the MY2009 upgrade in October 2008.

The iLoad was plagued with turbocharger problems, but that was put down to inadequate servicing. It was determine that more frequent oil changes were needed to avoid the problem. Check the car you’re looking at to make it has been regularly serviced, and preferably every 10,000 km at the maximum, not the 15,000 km that was recommended.

Clutches do wear out and need to be replaced, and you will need to do that in the future when yours wears out. The mileage you quote is within the normal range.

It has a timing belt.

The diesel is rated to tow up to 2.5-tonne so it should handle your camper with ease. There are a few reports of transmission/transfer case failures, as your mechanic has told you, but it’s not widespread, and with a warranty that lasts for five years with unlimited kilometres you should be well covered if something does go wrong.