Hyundai Problems

You took a share of the responsibility when you went to a clutch place and had a non-factory clutch and flywheel fitted. By doing that you opened the door for Hyundai to walk away from the problem. Had the dealer done the work they might well have found the gearbox problem and could possibly have fixed it under warranty. The only thing you can now do is to go to Hyundai and request goodwill assistance to fix the gearbox problem.

Our trade contacts don't report any significant issues on the Santa Fe auto at this time; they've only done low kays to this point. Hopefully Hyundai replaced the transmission under warranty, so you're not out of pocket. Maybe if other Santa Fe owners have had this problem they might contact us and tell us about their experience.

My best suggestion would be to find a window tinting company to put a strip across the top of the screen to cut the glare. It needs to be done carefully to ensure there is no legal complication or obscuring the view. No one makes the old-school external visors as they are noisy and adversely affect fuel economy.

In order, I would suggest you consider the VW Tiguan, Kia Sportage, and Mazda CX-5. All are reliable, drive nicely, and are well equipped.

While I imagine that it's possible to modify the electronics to do what you want, I doubt it's as simple as you seem to think. To do it now on a 2012 isn't something I imagine Mazda would be interested in. Perhaps you could take it to an auto electrician and see if they could do it for you.

I can understand your concern but there is a growing number of cars that now run on premium unleaded. You won’t use much in the Veloster, which is pretty economical.

As I am sure you have been told clutches are considered wear and tear items and as such are not covered by the warranty. If it's found the cause is something other than a worn clutch rectification would possibly be covered by the warranty, but if it's shown to be a worn clutch you will be up for the cost of repairs, which will include the cost of tearing it down. I don't see there's any escaping that cost.

The peeling of the wheel covering is a known problem on some Hyundai models and Mr Wood got a replacement wheel after I contacted Hyundai. We will just bypass the dealer, who probably deserves a kick, and I will do the same for you with Hyundai headquarters.

I would say don't sell it; fix it. It will be very hard to sell when it needs a new engine, so I would take it to a wrecker specializing in Hyundais and they should have a suitable replacement they could install for you. If you sell as it is you will take a bath on it.

The Veloster should be fine and I have a nephew who has driven 40,000km in his and loves it. It's not a sports car but a stylish coupe that's practical as well. It gets The Tick from me.