Hyundai Motor India — engine damage by callous and careless mechanics

Address:

Keshav Hyundai, NH-6, Rupnarayanpur, Kharagpur, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal, 721301

Ardent fan of Hyundai Motor and owning two vehicle from their stable (i20 and Accent Executive), the pathetic experience I have gone through their one of their service centre, I am sceptic on how far I can resist myself from completely changing my view against one of the most successful automobile company which built up its Indian story more by servicing consumer rather than skinning them or shoving them to the danger which is just uncalled for and unwarranted anyway.

Sorry to repeat the words, it was just as traumatic, as terrifying experience as we have gone through the experience we had with Keshav Hyundai, Rupnarayanpur, and Kharagpur on NH NH-6, Rupnarayanpur, and West Bengal 721301 yesterday ie on 9thmorning. The car which I was driving Accent Executive have developed some snags (mainly on popping up of oil pressure low and engine system malfunction in the front console )in my return with my family way from Kharagpur to Kolkata and the nearest authorized service centre we found was Keshav Hyundai on Rupnaraynpur NH6. It was 8.30 am and the time of opening as uttered 9.30 so we waited till then and let our car in your service centre sharp 9.30am. The man in charge prepared the job card which clearly written my snags the car developed ie engine/system malfunction so checking it thoroughly and general check-up. One copy of the document they handed over to me has been attached herewith.

The car had been handed over to me by 1.30 and the voucher made of 7407.00 with replacement of brake cylinder one side and brake pads four sides. In between I repeatedly tried to communicate about my engine trouble (some symbols of malfunction and low oil pressure were continuously popping up). The mechanic there simply kept me assured the engine got checked up (as assured on general check-up exercise) and not to get worried and the trouble was with brake and to certain extent functioning of sensor.

After paying the money, I simply set out for the rest of the road and just after sometime the cranking sound started up from the engine, the malfunction symbol just resurfaced again by putting me in a fix not making out what to do in the highway. The clutch while being pressed started every time showing existence of low oil pressure which added to my panic much more. And the most dangerous was that the whole car inside outside started smelling burnt like. We just kept calling back their staff and being repeatedly answered in very strange narrative that they showed me everything correct and so nothing do if the whole trouble resurfaced after it got out of the workshop/centre! In fact in just 30 minutes the whole engine got terribly heated and we are at our wit’s end on what to do with it. We stopped intermittently and kept driving in highway in full trauma waiting for any eventuality as we were already late to our way to Kolkata. Near Uluberia we stopped again and found out one roadside garage of Swapan Manna who just got shocked to find out how my engine got so heated because of complete dried up of my engine either the coolant not reaching or got leaking from the engine . He advised to put the engine to rest for an hour which just enough was heated to put the whole coolant left out in the chamber boiling like anything. After getting the engine cooled down and watered after more than half an hour rest somehow the engine could have been restarted and we set out for the destination with some repeated caveat from the messiah mechanic Mr Manna if the whole episode gets repeated, we must stop again and get the engine rested and watered.

Surely being a novice and naive in automobile engineering (which was never my subject at all in my otherwise illustrious study of BE, MBA etc.)as most who owns their car but not the complete knowhow (!), how it is expected that after defining my problems to my best to their service centre(which is clearly written on the attached paper some legible and some illegible words), their people simple had been so careless or callous or just callow enough either to be indifferent or ignorant or just incompetent to even overall check which certainly includes coolant, heating of engine, sound etc. (which was noted to be main part in trouble to them) and done something else which could have been less priority at that time (taking the cognizance of importance of repairing brake pad cylinder ).

Even after repeated request to get into engine trouble how their people could give to me unrepaired and put the logic I should have said about the disease rather than the distress. Do they expect any patient diagnose its own disease itself then decide the medicine/ treatment and then go to doctor to tell to cure it or submit to the doctor completely to find what’s went wrong and get it treated? I am simply perplexed with the narratives of the service centre that also like Hyundai which is not only driven by value for customer but icon for others about care and concern about its car owners.

Their people were pathetic in their approach and pitiable in their knowledge. The whole module of servicing I observed is very unstructured and unorganized in execution. No plan, some random and hurried writing of problems without right inputs or assistance. Then a few mechanics surrounds the car and one or two gets engaged with some premeditated repair which normally had the less priority for customer but most priority for the service franchisee or personnel to get replaced some costly alignment while avoiding area of prime concern. Here they worked on braking system but put my engine system or and sensor checking on hold and sent me the car back unrepaired (which I saw directly connected afterwards) either because of their less knowledge or lack of sensitiveness. In both way it is dangerous and could have put my whole journey in danger on the high way which simply does not suit the value everybody believe in as a Hyundai Company.

The irony is that the datasheet for feedback (just after repair without having enough time to understand how it would really yield result after certain time) what they gave me I filled up in good faith that they agreed to what I said and appreciated my trouble committed to act on it! What a nonsensical feedback system about some service which could put you in danger once you are out of the centre. Stranger is the fact that after complain they are simply quoting the same feedback sheet written just after the repair which resurfaced again once on the road.

My car somehow arrived my residence in Kolkata and I am simply traumatized to think how the whole episode could be so terrifying for us which just put ourselves family we travelled as well as car in full danger where the speeding cars around us could simply cause any eventuality with our car having the engine in the state of ceasing anytime due to overheating. Somehow we got saved from more danger on the road with such an ill or unrepaired car from their centre by shelling so much money thanks to the service as well as skill of a road side mechanic who just appeared to be messiah against your so called well trained, well groomed mechanic or service personnel! The whole episode is a blot on their much flaunted customer care and bears every merit to be shared in this forum.

While summing up the points which naturally cropped up are as below:

1. While taking cognizance of the fact the engine /system malfunction and general check-up needed why it us left untreated or unchecked. And how an engine got dried up within 30 minutes after coming of such repair from your service centre.

2. How do they expect when a car owner complains about some problem must be knowing the root cause of the symptoms also. Is it desired by their service centre that owners will tell the cause and its cure also of any ailment of the car to their mechanic.

3. Why their service centre like this which is situated in highway are not extra careful whenever they release the car after repair where every moment the car can be susceptible to accident /danger if ill repaired and unrepaired of anything vital like sensor system or engine.

4. Why their service centre just not enough organized as professional multi-specialty hospital where the every angle to any complain is observed and concerned experts feed forward their knowledge input to get the right and best treatment possible. Why the whole system of checking the car, chronicling its history or trouble, caring for its best treatment or repair possible, concerning for its road fitness (especially when it is on highway) all these are not done in well synchronized and structured manner by some truly professional coordinator /integrator connecting its areas of trouble with right experts.

5. And where is the extra sensitiveness, the accountability and empathy of their service personnel about the car care. How the brand Hyundai could be so careless, so indifferent, so nonchalant.

Partha Mishra, Kolkata, WB, India

Last Update: The next morning when I again checked my car in the morning after allowing it get it to be cooled down whole night, I saw the coolant is at its nadir, the symbols(of malfunction is still there on the console)and the whole water coolant mixture has been dried up.
While one of their service engineer made the call me to feel my accountability not get it paid servicing in time without understanding the same could have been done in the Kharagpur Keshav Hunyadi that day depending upon the advice of their personnel. In the least case the general check-up could have covered the coolant engine oil etc. which they never did or just skipped.
The other person from Keshav Hyundai tried to console me but nobody (neither Hyundai own people or Keshav Hyundai Service people) else took the responsibility to get it repaired which is the need of the moment.
While showing the car to Mukesh Hyundai myself, it was diagnosed that due to overheating the gasket and others got damaged and need to be repaired immediately with an an estimate of Rs48000/- expenditure! I already spent Rupees 7407/ for whatever repair they have done in Kharagpur Service Centre and then went through enough experience so traumatic and terrible I love to forget as nightmare .
Now I need my car get repaired by that Kharagpur Service Center Keshav Hyundai, callousness of which had put me in such trouble and damaged my car so much
Whether the cost will shore up or sink down, it’s the Hyundai Service centre has to pay not the first one which I already paid, but surely the second one which they have to pay.

The attachment explains:
Keshav Hyundai Kharagpur
1. The paper they wrote and took in cognizance of what are the problems of car before repairing
2. The billing done with break and other repairs assuring the engine is ok in general check up as they mentioned and implied.
The Mukesh Hyundai Kolkata
1. The problem area which is diagnosed (coolant leakage which certainly lies in the general check up as the version of service personnel goes what KeshavHyundai were supposed to care but shelved carelessly putting the car and our lives on the road in danger)
2. The estimation for repairing as the break down as anticpated as to be aggravated for overheating of engine run on leaked coolant .

One registration of complain I have done in consumer forum no 1664454
the Estimate which needs to be paid by the negligent service centre for which ill/non treatment my car got damaged

Partha Mishra, Kolkata ;[protected]/[protected]