Hyundai Problems

How long is a piece of string? If driven with care and serviced by the schedule (at minimum) any well-built modern car like the Hyundai Santa Fe should last at least a decade and several hundred thousand kilometres. As with all cars there will be repair bills when consumable or wear items degrade through use, but the Hyundai shouldn't be as expensive to repair as top-end European or Japanese competitors.

You’re not doing many kilometres and only short trips, so would go for the petrol version.

All models of the Santa Fe are rated to tow 750kg of trailer that has no brakes, or up to 2000kg of trailer if it has brakes. Remember when measuring tow ratings to include the weight of luggage in the vehicle as well as what you're towing. For instance, when towing a boat include the weight of fuel, life jackets, tools, and more.

The dealer would have been aware of the upcoming updated model, but he would probably have been under an embargo that would prevent him from talking about it.

However, he should have told you, at least off the record, that it was coming, particularly because you asked about it.

Hyundai's new-gen Santa Fe has just launched in three model trims, all offered in all-wheel-drive in Australia. While other markets could have front wheel drive options, there are no Santa Fe models offered in rear wheel drive.

 Using a trim removal tool pop the vents out of the dashboard on either side of the radio. There are two screws on each side to remove, then the radio pulls forward and can be unplugged.

The fourth-generation TM-series Santa Fe was launched earlier this year, so a new model is not expected for another five years, or 2023.

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.

They have to drain the pan and drain the transmission to fix the faulty solenoid, so they’ll have to refill it with new fluid and use a new gasket. If the solenoid wasn’t faulty there would be no need to drain the pan or replace the gasket, so I think you have a good claim to be covered for the whole cost of the repair, including the new oil and gasket.

You should approach the dealer in the first instance, and then Hyundai directly if that fails to produce a satisfactory resolution.

The problem was caused by sludge building up in the oil and starving the engine and turbocharger of oil. It was recommended that oil changes should be done much more frequently than the recommended 15,000 km/12 months to keep the oil fresh and clean.

Buy the latest model you can afford and have it serviced every 5000-7000 km. Do that and you should have a good run.