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In 2016, my 2012 Hyundai i20 developed an issue with its air conditioning, so I took it to my local Hyundai dealer, J&J Motors in Swansea, which xed it under warranty.
However, the fault reoccurred this June, so I contacted J&J Motors again, but was told that it was no longer a Hyundai dealer. I then went to Hutchings Hyundai, also in Swansea. Upon inspection, Hutchings told me that the initial repair had been carried out incorrectly, invalidating my car’s manufacturer warranty.
The issue was caused by a split in a exible hose that connects the air conditioning unit to the air vents. Instead of replacing the hose, J&J had glued it back together. I’m now being asked to pay £344.50 to have my car repaired.
I contacted Hyundai UK Customer Services and was told that as this is a workmanship issue rather than a manufacturing defect, my warranty doesn’t cover the cost of the repair.
I then emailed Hyundai UK’S CEO. His reply offered to cover the cost of the part as a goodwill gesture, but not the £90 for labour.
This seems very unfair; the work was done by a franchised dealer, so surely Hyundai is responsible for the standard of workmanship. Philip Ayres WHAT CAR? SAYS…
We agree that car makers should be responsible for the work of their franchised repair centres, so we contacted Hyundai to see if it would cover the cost of both the parts and the labour.
We received this response: “The dealership that carried out the original repair is no longer a Hyundai dealership, so we are unable to investigate the situation further. Hyundai UK will therefore pay for this repair in full.”
Although it took longer than it should have to get the repairs done under warranty, this is a good result for Mr Ayres, whose car has now been fully fixed for free.
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