I have just contacted Hyundai customer services, via email. Have asked them, as follows:- If I use a none franchise vat registered dealer in the future to service my car to manufacturers (or above), specifications, using OE standard parts. Would my warranty still be protected?
Certainly could save £'s in future on servicing costs, if using an independent.
Not saying that I would, just interested to find out.
I'll let you know the answer when I receive a reply back from Hyundai.

Best prices I've found for servicing through Hyundai franchise dealer.
These all based on an i20, 1.2 Classic. As follows:-
1st service £129 (all in), inc bodywork stamp.
2nd service £276.
3rd service £129.
4rth service £276.

I have had variations in service prices from Hyundai franchise dealers, ranging from up to 10% more than above prices shown.

Now awaiting cost for a service plan with my local Hyundai dealer, to include, first 4 services & first two MOT's. Will let you know when I get monthly cost back.


This post has been edited by Boroboy: Nov 13 2009, 10:40 AM

An update.
Local dealer just got back with price for service plan, to cover next four services. Roughly £20 per month for 43 months, intrest free & fixed price servicing & todays prices. Not inc cost of MOT's, but a written assurance that they'd only charge me £35 per MOT in the future (first two).
They've also thrown in for free 2nd year RAC breakdown cover, including home assist.
Giving it some thought.

This post has been edited by Boroboy: Nov 30 2009, 09:51 AM

that sounds around the same as the paperwork i was given when i picked my car up, just haven't had the time to check through the details properly to decide if i go for it or not. will have to double check but was around mid £600's or ~£18/month though was a bit surprised that all of the petrol versions were around £100-150 cheaper than my diesel is (can there really be that much of a difference with servicing a diesel??)

Scottie,

Only variants I can see in service schedules between petrol & diesel engines:-
Diesel engines, engine coolant needs changing every 5 years, petrol 6.
No plugs to change on D engines, every 2 years on petrol engines.
Fuel filter change every 3 years on D engines, petrol engines every 6 years.

I may stand corrected.

So not allot between the two. Have you tried different Hyundai franchise dealers? I've noticed up to a 10% difference in price.

Regarding the service plan, I shopped about between 3 local'ish Hyundai garages. Managed to get best price, with 2nd year RAC breakdown cover thrown in for free. My local Hyundai garage was the cheapest, just by luck. Prob will stay with franchised dealer, due to future warranty.

Given the choice. I'd rather service my own car myself, want to keep warranty. So will prob stick with Hyundai.

I hope to achieve you mpg with my petrol engine (1.2 Kappa). Won't start until my car has covered 2000 miles. Then will post figures. Official fuel figures (as far as I can gather), not calculated until Hyundai engines have covered 3000k. Won't gain best mpg from a brand new petrol engine. 50 mixed, I'd be happy. 54 stated (under ideal conditions). No cold starts, no aircon use etc or cold climate running engines. More a comparison between manufacturers, than actual achievable mpg.

This post has been edited by Boroboy: Nov 17 2009, 07:54 PM

Another update.
Supprise! 5 days on & no reply to my email to Hyundai customer services.

Just to through a spanner in the works.
Came across the OFT website, read on regarding servicing info:- http://www.oft.gov.uk/news/press/2004/85-04
At least theoretically we have the choice to take our i20's to none franchise dealers & may save £'s & keep our warranties.

Hyundai customer services never got back to me. That's very reassuring (not). Will now give the Hyundai service plan a miss.

This post has been edited by Boroboy: Nov 25 2009, 08:23 PM

We've had our I20 CRDI Style serviced this week, and frankly speaking I'm absolutely livid at the service we received.

Unfortunately it was my younger brother that went to drop and collect the car - if it was me, I would have refused to pay the bill.

The car has covered 10k and we decided to take it for it's first service earlier than the 12.5k recommended.

Dealer used, Hyundai Bradford (St Enochs).

Looking at the invoice, they've supplied Shell Helix Oil (Grade not specified), Oil Additive - why?, oil filter, screenwash, and a service kit for £2.95?

The total cost for doing this oil change including the labour.... wait for it...





£170 !!!!


The car wasn't even washed or vacummed and although it wasn't in the cleanest condition when it went in, it's come back with grubby marks on the bonnet, wheels etc.

I called the dealership and spoke to their 'service manager' John somebody or other. Not even interested - surprise surprise.

I'm going to write to Trading Standards and Hyundai. To be honest we should have clarified the cost before the service, I know that. But we were told when we bought the car new 6 months ago that the first service is less than £100 as it's basically an oil change.

I'm quite mechanically minded myself and run another large car forum so I know how the industry works. That cost is unjustifiable, and as a minimum if a customer is visiting a dealer once or twice a year for a full service, the least they should expect is for the car to be cleaned!!!!

Can anyone provide me with the actual breakdown of the service schedule please? The next services will be done independantly, I'm never using this pi55 poor dealership again.

In fact, does anyone have the workshop manual for this car?

Good grief! They really gouge the heck out of you across the pond, don't they? I just service my own Sonata using Wal-Mart oil and filters. Must cost all of about $15 and I just rotate the tires myself. The clean-up at the local Ford dealer which will also service any car is about $30 and they do a great job. I would avoid these after market oil change chains, however. I always worry about some green kid leaving off the oil plug and driving off with no oil in the engine. Most cars today don't even have any grease applications to worry with so it is just an oil change and filter. Sorry to butt in on this exchange but I guess business practices are different over in Europe with these outrageous prices. With the pound at about $1.60 you are really getting taken to the cleaners. We call that highway robbery here.

It is not necessary to take the car to the dealer for service here. Don't know about there. Just keep receipts or other proof of service if ever required. Actually, I doubt that would even be necessary. It is really tough to tear up modern equipment unless it is really abused or not maintained. I should think they would need to do an oil analysis to establish that the oil was substandard anyway. Just read the sticker on any oil container and it will tell what it complies with and look at the owner's manual. And I just apply my own window sticker I get from Autozone or NAPA to remind me when to service the vehicle.

Most American cars use platinum plugs that don't need to be changed for 100,000 miles. The fuel filters need to be changed out occasionally and the air filters are a simply in and out process; again available at any auto supply store including Wal-Mart. I guess diesels require more work but those prices you quote are absurd. That sounds like what over the road truckers would pay but those engines use 12 gallons of oil to change and other maintenance items but they have warranties for 500,000 or even a million miles.

This post has been edited by rmissourimule: Nov 28 2009, 10:37 AM

F6HAD,
If you do use an independent next time, make sure they use Hyundai approved parts & you can prove that or you may loose warranty.
Yes I agree maindaeler servicing is over the top pricing & sometimes poor service.

I would rather service my car myself. Don't fancy future warranty hassle though.

Unfortunately your second service would also be more expensive than your first with an Hyundai dealer, due to changing spark plugs, clutch & break fluid, airfilter. Service schedule in your owners handbook 7-8.

I'm thinking about going with a service plan, £20 a month for 42 months to cover first 4 services & 2nd year rac breakdown cover. Also first 2 MOT's fixed at £35 (payable on day).That's with a Hyundai franchise dealer. I shopped about for best deal.

Rmissourimule,
Sounds a much fairer system in the US to me.
As far as I can gather, if we use an independent garage to service our cars whilst in warranty in the future, we would need to prove that they have used parts approved by Hyundai. For me the system should be simplified, parts of equivalent quality should be used & fitted by a VAT reg garage.
From past experience, even when using main dealers for servicing, been a fight to have warranty work undertaken. Wouldn't like the hassle of taking my car to a dealer for warranty work, when not serviced by them.
Unfortunately that seems to be the way here in the UK. Even after 2004 OFT ruling.

A lot of Americans are of the belief they have to go back to the dealer; perhaps even the selling dealer. In truth, neither is true. My local Hyundai dealer is 70 miles from where I live and is a very good dealer. I purchased the 2009 from another dealer 100 miles from where I live. I have never been back there for service. although I have no issues with him. When I had about 4,000 miles on the odometer I took it to the dealer 70 miles away and the oil change and filter was $24. On my other one, the 2008, I simply changed the oil and filter myself in my driveway. Total cost was about $14 and it complies completely with Hyundai's warranty. Recently, I needed to have my car cleaned up, so I took it to the local Ford dealership and they did a splendid job for $29.95. They also swapped out a set of tires and wheels for me at a nominal cost of about $24 or so. None of this will reflect on the warranty of which I have not the slightest concern.

My neighbor has a GMC vehicle and he has never taken his truck back to the dealer. He has always done his own maintenance work. I used to do that myself but I've gotten lazy in my old age. Typically, on my last Ford, I used to pay $19.95 for an oil change and filter and every sixth change was free. I don't see where the value is in all these excessive charges. I can't remember the last time I had a significant issue on warranty work done on any of my vehicles. Most cars today, if reasonably driven and properly maintained should last 200,000 miles easy. I never keep them that long because I just like new cars so I send them on their way before the warranty expires anyway. People, Americans anyway, look on cars as mere appliances and they don't want hassles with problems so the bad ones go out of business. Most of the Japanese and Korean nameplates simply don't break. You really have to work hard at it to tear one of them up these days.

If you want to know how tough these cars are today, look at one of the examples on the internet of the "Cash for Clunkers" where they had to destroy the engines by draining out the oil and then pouring in this stuff to destroy the engine. Even with that it took about three minutes to ruin the engines. And these were supposed to be "clunkers." The oils of today are remarkable in their ability to lubricate the engines. It is only a small film of oil between the bearing surfaces anyway since the clearances are so tight and it gets the job done.

I don't know what your warranty laws are where you live but in the back of the warranty books in American cars are the capacities and specific requirements for the lubricants, coolants and other items in the vehicle. So long as what you put in the vehicle it complies with the warranty. This does not need to be performed at the dealership.

Now there is one thing that can ONLY be done at the dealership to my knowledge or at the least a very well equipped private garage. That is if there is an issue where something goes wrong with one of the emission items or other electronic gizmos that inhabit the engine compartment of a car. There you have to put it on the computer in the dealership in order to read the code to tell you what is wrong with the vehicle. You are otherwise just guessing. The engineer who built the car could be stranded in the middle of a desert somewhere and he couldn't even know what went wrong. It could be one of a myriad of things that might be faulty. But in general, this stuff simply doesn't fail today. If they do, the car will get a bad rap and the marketplace will take care of the problem and the car will fail to sell and be discontinued. People, here, anyway, don't want to deal with vehicle problems and don't. They will just dump it and get something where they aren't bothered.

Rmissourimule,
Obviously the laws must differ here in the UK, regarding servicing & warranty issues.

I've had previous new cars (none Hyundai), none have been 100% reliable within their warranty period. Mainly electrical issues, ECU probs etc. Mechanically fine, poor electronic components, inc fuel injection issue's. So for me, over the last 20 years (showing my age :-), car makers have improved mechanics, body corrosion probs, fuel efficiency (slightly). Electrical systems, perhaps not so. Run very efficiently, but when they go wrong, can be very expensive to repair. As the UK consumer now demands cheaper cars, cars now have more integrated components, which in turn are becoming more expensive to replace. This for me is one of the main reasons I have gone for the longer warranty. Hopefully Hyundai build quality will be good. Early days yet.

May also be difficult to look at car running cost's between countries, as cost of a new Hyundai in US may be more expensive? Obviously petrol/gas & servicing cheaper in US. Is there any import duties on Hyundai cars exported to US? I know that Hyundai now have a foot hold in the Australian market, where as most exporters have to pay import duties to the Australian government. More of a free market in UK. Could that be said for the US car market?

This post has been edited by Boroboy: Nov 28 2009, 07:33 PM

Boroboy, thanks for the response.

My own car is a Honda Accord ICTDI - a much more complex beast than the Hyundai, and I recently completed a major service on that including the fuel fitler (2 hour job), gearbox oil, engine oil/filter etc.

It's not beyond the competence of the average mechanic to be honest.

I totally agree, genuine parts is the only way to go and on my Accord, I only ever use genuine dealer sourced parts - that way the warranty is preserved and when the car is sold on, the new owner knows only genuine parts have been used. In fact, a parts invoice is much more valuable than a meaningless stamp in the service book.

Hyundai couldn't even be bothered to specify what grade of oil they put in our car. It's wrong to assume dealers will use the right grade of oil - Honda main dealers are well known for using 10/40 or 5/30 in all the cars they service, wheras the diesel engine requires a much more expensive 0w/30 due to the very tight valve clearances on that engine..

Anyways, back to the point in hand - how can they justify this price! The interim service on my old Z4 by BMW was slightly less than that.

I agree on most of your points made.

First of all, I like accords. Especially the v tec engine :-) I used to own a Rover 216 with Honda engine, great engine.
Think Hyundai have invested heavily in the UK market. Especially in the 1.2 petrol Kappa engine.

I'm also unhappy with dealer servicing costs.

I'm prob going to go with an Hyundai servicing plan to keep warranty for 5 years on my car.

I have also emailed Hyundai customer services to explain why Hyundai franchise dealers charge so much for their servicing.

Prob won't get a response.

Like yourself, I'd rather service my own car. This is my first new car, will miss servicing. If I gain 50mpg mixed driving I'll be happy, especially from a 1.2 petrol engine. Will have to wait until my car has covered 2000 miles before I can be sure. Official figures, 54 mixed on 1.2 engine.

Just bought wife a nearly new Tigra.

To be honest,I new I'd prob have to keep servicing up on my Hyundai to keep warranty. I have noticed an up to 10% difference between main dealer prices.

No need to thank me for response :-) but thanks.

Another edit :-0

This post has been edited by Boroboy: Nov 28 2009, 09:01 PM

To be honest, my issue is not just about the pricing.

It's the overall service received. We bought the car only 6 months ago brand new from them. The 1st service should be an opportunity for them to prove themselves to us and ensure they keep our custom for the next 5 years we plan to keep the car.

Instead, they couldn't be bothered explaining the work they had done, and hadn't even cleaned the car - which I'm sorry but is a minimum by any main dealers standard.

Looking at the invoice - £23 for an oil filter, what the **** is it made of? It's probably a paper element like my Accords, and that's £15 from Honda brand new...

When did Hyundai become a premium brand?

Found this interesting on Hyundai's FAQ section, go to question 12:- http://www.hyundai.co.uk/owners/5YearWarra...aqs/#warranty14
So from what I can gather, if we use an independent for future servicing & they use equivalent quality parts, following Hyundai service schedual. Then our warranties will be protected. Good news :-)

I've read over the warranty requirements and although it is written in somewhat different wording that we in the states are used to reading it is essentially the same. If a person wants to save some money, why not simply do the work yourself? Changing oil and filters is within the capability of anyone with a modicum of mechanical skills. You can also rotate your own tires at no expense if you have a couple of inexpensive floor jacks. To do it properly, you should have a torque wrench, and breaker bar (only use a torque wrench in one direction) and check your specifications and do it safely. That saves even more money. Probably the only work you should have done at the dealer is such things as setting valve clearances. That is something that can be very dicey if you don't know what you are doing. If you have hydraulic lifters, there is nothing to adjust. If you have an automatic transmission you may want to have the dealer do it. If you have a manual transmission, you probably don't need to do anything. Truth be known, most people don't change their automatic transmission fluid either here in the states. Changing out brake pads can be somewhat difficult depending on the design but again within the capability of most owners if you support the vehicle properly. Changing an air filter is an easy in and out process. The gasoline filter may need the dealer to do that unless you can get at it easily. I prefer to let the dealer handle it myself and recommend that they do it. Most people can change their anti-freeze but again this is something you might want the dealer to handle as the old fluid needs to be properly disposed of as it is harmful to the environment and will be lethal to dogs and cats if they get into it and drink it. Replace your tires at 4/11ths"of tread. That can be done at any tire dealer and you can't do it yourself. (Actually you can, but you don't want to try, as it is too difficult.) Keep the tires at the proper inflation which should be on your door sticker. Changing out brake fluid is best left to the dealer. You can get water in the brake lines which will corrode them leading to expensive repairs. And bleeding them is beyond the capability of most home mechanics. Check your manual for recommended intervals. Changing a clutch is something best left to the dealer. You can do it but you don't want to. Changing out spark plugs shouldn't even have a bearing on the warranty at all. Most people should be able to do that easily enough.

Getting ripped at the dealer is entirely the discretion of the owner I suppose. Anytime I pay more than $30 or so I get aggravated. I prefer to let the dealer clean the car than fool with it. Other than that I can't think of any maintenance item I can't do on my own vehicle. But perhaps the vehicles designed for Europe are less customer friendly than the ones marketed in the states. We just drive them until we get bored (very few people wait until they are worn out) and trade them in or for the less affluent they drive them until the wheels fall off. And most any car will be be good for in excess of 200,000 miles if given any kind of maintenance at all. Oil changes and filter changes are the most important. Just follow the maintenance schedule in the glove box. You can't go wrong. Keep the receipts and the proof that the work was done and you should be home free. Of course you'll want to dispose of the old oil and fluid in a responsible way. Several of our auto parts houses will take that free of charge. I don't know what they will do in Europe.

I'm curious why they are charging so much for oil filters? These is showing up on ebay for about $30 for six delivered. These are the actual factory filters.

I found the exact same filter on ebay UK. The part # of the filter is the same as well. I found 66 listings for oil filters on ebay. The first listing had a complete service pack with the filter, air filter and plugs for 6 pounds plus shipping.

This post has been edited by rmissourimule: Nov 29 2009, 06:14 PM

Rmissourimule,
With the i20 being a new model, there's no service kits available at the moment on Ebay.
If we go to an Hyundai dealer for over the counter parts we seem to pay over the odds for them. On the i10 forum, think I guy paid £44 for oil from an Hyundai dealer. Presumably in time parts will become cheaper else where.

Think the OFT in 2004 stated that we have to use an independent VAT reg garage to perform future servicing, using dealer authorised parts. May be able to save cash going to an independent for future servicing, using dealer authorised parts (applies to all manufacturers). Perhaps independent garages have access to these parts, at trade prices.

I am now tempted to use a trusted independent to service my car in the future, using authorised parts. Would save some cash. They can also stamp the bodywork book.

This post has been edited by Boroboy: Nov 30 2009, 06:52 AM

Another update. After much consideration, have decided to go with service plan from my local Hyundai dealer (4 services to cover 5 year warranty). If I sell car, would cancel plan. If any cash owed, would be paid back to me. If dealer was to go bust, potentially most I'd loose would be 12 x £20 instalments (worst possible scenario). As dealer has been in business now for over 20 years, Hyundai sales last few years have gone through the roof.
Just don't want any future warranty hassles. As I know what UK main dealers can be like to deal with. Going for the safe option.

SERVICE PLAN NOW OFF.
My local Hyundai dealer tried to charge me an extra £80, said they had forgoton to put the cost of brake & clutch fluid replacement on my original price quotation. I explained to them that it wasn't my fault & that I don't expect to pay extra for their mistake. They wouldn't cover extra cost. So I walked away from service plan. Usual Hyundai customer service.
Back to square one, will pay on day for service & shop around.

This post has been edited by Boroboy: Nov 30 2009, 10:48 AM