Hyundai Problems

THE mileage you got out of your first clutch is quite low and Hyundai mechanics say they have little trouble with the clutch in the Accent. Be sure you don't ride the clutch pedal when you are driving. This can lead to premature wear. The best practice is to move your foot right away from the pedal rather than leave it hovering over it. If you leave it there. you can easily end up with your foot resting on the pedal without being conscious of doing so.

THEY will be cheaper, but won't last as long. Platinum-tipped spark plugs are used for their longer life and are fitted mainly because America has laws about service intervals and the platinum-tipped plugs help meet the laws.

MY Hyundai contact tells me he has not experienced the clutch problem you have and says you would have to be riding the clutch hard to get that sort of wear. The clutch is generally regarded as a consumable item by most carmakers, but that presumes it wears out in a normal fashion. In your case, he reckons you should be pressing for it to be covered under warranty, and I agree. Unfortunately, there's not much choice but to replace it, so I would suggest you make it clear to the dealer and to Hyundai that you believe it is a warranty issue before it gets pulled apart, then be prepared to argue your case.

I WOULD be careful about doing anything that might hinder the deployment of the airbag. An airbag activates with enough force to blow covers off the steering wheel or dash, but it might not be enough to clear a seat cover, even part of a seat cover. A cover that doesn't intrude into the area over the airbags would probably be OK, but make sure it does not cover the airbag in any way.

IT SHOULD certainly be repaired under warranty, unless it has been damaged in the course of driving. Ask your Hyundai dealer to inspect the joint and replace it as needed. If he doesn't agree, go direct to Hyundai. You may face a battle if you have had your car serviced elsewhere. Hyundai may claim it hasn't been properly serviced, but if you believe it has, stand your ground.

THERE are two crucial dates on the car, the build date and the date of compliance to the Australian Design Rules. The second is more critical in terms of registration. The build plate is attached to the car when it is put together at the factory. The date used by the registration authorities to establish the model year is the one on the compliance plate. When cars arrive here they go into bond storage and come out only when they are delivered to dealers. That's when the compliance plate is fitted. A car could have been built in 2004 but, because of the time it takes to ship cars from Korea, it may have a compliance plate dated 2005, when it was taken out of bond storage and sent to the dealer. Your car could have a compliance plate dated 2004. That could be because it has been sitting at the dealer's since last year. Check the plates on the car. The ADR compliance plate is in the rear boot area. The build plate is attached to the body on the passenger's side door. If the compliance plate is dated 2004, the registration is correct and the dealer has not been honest. The car may be new, but it will be seen as an older model and its value will probably be affected. Some dealers, however, consider the date of first registration as the guide to its value and you won't be affected. If the date on the compliance plate is 2005 I would go the registration people and have their records corrected to reflect the later date.

IT SOUNDS as if you have a bent valve. The Sonata engine has to be correctly aligned when the belt is changed and it's difficult to do. The other thing to check is the balance belt -- it should also be changed, and needs to be correctly aligned when the new cam timing belt is fitted. It's easy to get the balance belt 180 degrees out.

THE 90,000km service is important, and part of that is changing the camshaft timing belt. Though it is done as a precaution, the consequences of not changing it far exceed the cost of replacing it at the recommended time. Should the belt fail, you will probably badly damage your engine, the repair of which would cost thousands of dollars.

THE aircon components are not generally a problem on the Grandeur, but rear window regulators are. Take it up with Hyundai.

THERE is no doubt Hyundai and other Korean carmakers are fast catching up to the rest of the world in build quality. Hyundai still carries, perhaps unfairly, baggage from the Excel recall over front-end problems, but they're a much better car than they were in those days.