Viridian5's House of "...What?"'s Journal

Upset

https://viridian5.livejournal.com/2223774.html

The epic story of my car and Hyundai's crapsack oil-burning engines and crapsack policies took a new twist this morning that has me trusting Koeppel Hyundai's service department even less than I already did.

Having run up my most recent 1,000 miles, and with my car engine having more struggles to accelerate up to highway speeds and having those little engine kicks trying than usual the night before, I brought my Elantra to Koeppel Hyundai service at 7 a.m. for an oil consumption check and top-off, the second one since I got the certified Hyundai oil and filter change in July that started the mandatory warranty process needed to try to get Hyundai's approval to replace my oil-burning engine. But unlike my first 1,000-mile visit in August, suddenly there are problems! The service department woman who checked me in during my July visit, who's no longer at Koeppel, supposedly hadn't sent in the approval request to Hyundai she was supposed to and somehow the maintenance records and title showing my ownership of the car she took copies of in July weren't in their system at all. Imagine my anger and incredulity.

Paranoid kitty that I am, I happened to bring the maintenance records with me today even though I shouldn't have needed them but not my title because why would I? Their system didn't list me as the owner of my car, even though I gave them proofs and came in to Koeppel for a recall thing before this current situation, and even though Hyundai recall orders for Elantra stuff come to my name and address.

I had the same service woman I did in August and somehow she didn't know what she was doing. I was hearing bs about maybe I'd have to start the 1,000 miles, 1,000 miles, 1,000 miles thing all over again, and that it was perfectly normal for a car to burn half a quart of oil over 1,000 miles like my Elantra had during the last visit. ("Like hell," my mechanic said when I called him today for a second opinion. Also, the owner's manual says my Elantra should be able to go 6,000 miles or 6 months without an oil change.)

Today's service woman didn't think burning oil was my car's problem and that I should have them check my car's engine. "Maybe it's the O-ring!" she said as I was wtf-ing over it all. As I briefly put my head down over my crossed arms in frustration and rage, woman says there's no need to get upset over this. My last my-mechanic's invoice didn't list the burnt two quarts of oil, just that he did an oil change, which made me promptly say that I could call him right now and was sure he'd provide a written account if I asked. But before we did any of that, they would check the oil. I said I wouldn't approve them looking into--and charging me for looking into--my car's engine for other stuff before that. They said I could leave the car, I told them I was staying right here, hoping that would help light a fire under their asses.

As I waited, I called a family member to let him know what bs was going on, then my mechanic for a possible reality check. Both of them were incredulous at this whole thing. My mechanic suggested I call Hyundai corporate since Koeppel was looking so sus, and when I called a Hyundai service department in Jamaica, Queens in August (when I couldn't get Koeppel service to answer the phone or call me back during my five phone calls over a week) they said that since I started with Koeppel I'd have to go the whole route with Koeppel and couldn't switch to them. Hyundai corporate is on Pacific time, so nobody was taking calls there at 8:10 a.m. Eastern time, which meant a call to corporate would have to wait.

When I was at Koeppel in August, they didn't finish the oil check and top-off until I was in the ladies' room, so I went in today with the smirking thought that maybe that would work twice... and it did! When I got out the service woman was looking for me, and when she saw me said the oil thing was done by 8:20 a.m., my Elantra had burned a whole quart of oil this 1,000 miles so they were taking the oil thing more seriously, they'd topped off the oil, they would send an application to Hyundai about the warranty and I would hear something about it within 24-48 hours, and I could go home with my car. I asked for an invoice and she said I wouldn't get one yet because the case is still open.

With topped-off oil, my Elantra is driving better again.

Tired and drained, I rested the rest of the day, then called corporate at 7:10 p.m. Eastern time (4:10 Pacific), telling them all the bs and suspicious stuff I dealt with at Koeppel and what was going on with my car's performance. The woman at corporate looked to see if Koeppel had put in the request application yet, and they did not. Hyundai corporate knows I own the car as its second owner. (She also said she doesn't get her own car's oil changed at a Hyundai service department because it's too expensive!) She said that given everything that was going on and for how long, she would try to expedite the request, gave me a case number, said they'd be in contact with Koeppel, and told me a case manager would contact me within three to five days and that if I had any concerns or Koeppel was doing anything I found weird, I could call the corporate service line, give my case number, and report. She seemed to take the situation seriously. (

grey853, the 1,000 miles, 1,000 miles, 1,000 miles thing has been confirmed by corporate as a real thing the engine warranty requires.)