Last summer (June 2008), I purchased a new Elantra from Absolute Hyundai in Mesquite, Texas. As always, I also purchased the extended warranties. (I know Edmund's and places like that recommend that these not be purchased, but I did it anyway). Plus, all my service is done at the dealership of purchase (as is the case with all my vehicles). About a week after buying the vehicle, a foam insulation strip mounted at the lower edge of the windshield and underneath the dash, came off. The dealer said it would take a couple of days to fix and they didn't offer loaner cars. About 3 weeks after buying the vehicle, I was activated by the National Guard. This caused me to quickly add on the miles. In Feb, I was reassigned to Ft Bragg, NC. In March, I was able to get my Elantra and take it out there. During the drive out there, my CD player stopped playing, displaying an error message. I immediately called the dealer and explained the problem. I was told the radio would have to be replaced and to bring it in when I could. I then explained my predicament about being activated and was not sure when I would be back in town. Tracy at the service desk told me not to worry, she would handle it when I got back. AND, incidentally, the foam strip was coming out again. I told her this also.

I returned with the car at the end of July. By now I had just over 36K miles on it. I went in for service, and Tracy came out to meet me, welcoming me back to town. We talked about the service needed and when I mentioned the CD player, she said that she couldn't do anything since I was past the warranty. She explained that the radio is only guarenteed to 36K miles and I had 36,244! I was taken by surprise at this. I mentioned the phone call from 4 months earlier, and asked if there was a log of me reporting the problem then. She said that they didn't track phone calls. I mentioned the extended warranties and she said that they didn't show that I had purchased one, but that wouldn't cover the radio anyway. I expressed my disappointment with her and asked who I could talk to about it. She gave me the number to Consumer Affairs. I called and spoke with a woman who seemed very sympathetic to my plight. She told me to have a new CD player installed at my expense and then submit the bill to her so she could try to get it reimbursed. I haven't done this yet and don't think I will. I don't have any faith that I will get reimbursed.

Incidentally, I get the error message about 75% of the time, whether I'm using manufactured CDs or burned CDs.

Write a letter to your local newspaper, also contact your local VFW they should be able to help

As Paul Harvey would say..."Now the rest of the story..."

I checked with the extended warranty company. They agreed to cover it. The car was taken in for service. The radio was sent out to a repair shop, as the warranty company wanted to repair rather than replace. (I have no problem with that logic. Seems more efficient than replacing if it can be repaired). Tracy of Absolute Hyundai called me every few days to update me on the progress. It took the repair company about a week or 8 days to get the repair done. Apparently, something had come loose inside. No parts were needed. Why it took so long is a mystery to me. The car was gone a total of about 10 days. Tracy seemed genuinely concerned and called me constantly to let me know what was going on.

The end result? Even though I still think Absolute Hyundai should've borne the "burden" of replacing/repairing the radio, I was impressed with their communication with me throughout the repair process. I will continue to use their service department.