[GDTourer]

I'M PUTTING OUT A RENEWED AND DESPERATE CALL FOR ANY HELP OR ADVICE ON THIS ISSUE, AND ANY POTENTIAL CAUSES / FIXES.

Well guys, I've returned from my holiday with nothing but more bad news, aside from the fact I completed over 3,500 kms at 5.2 l/100km with a fully loaded car - brilliant economy.

However the car still has serious issues - driving through the Snowy's and the Great Ocean Road was annoying and, at times, frightening. Trying to drive around the noise / vibration under load without revving the crap out of the car was impossible, although I did modify my driving as much as possible to avoid the conditions under which the noise / vibration is most apparent. I also couldn't tell you the number of times my girlfriend's and my hearts jumped when cornering at speed and hearing yet-to-be diagnosed front end clunks, which got progressively worse throughout the trip.

To top it all off, my windscreen cracked - and it wasn't from an impact to the screen.

I've just spent three hours at the dealer again, taking people for drives and discussing our options.

The new engine mount fitted under warranty did nothing. It made the clunks on startup / shutdown quieter for about 3 days, but made no difference whatsoever to the noise / vibration under load as described above and in many other threads on this site.

Also, front end clunks are now worse than ever, and coming from both the left and right sides. Constant clunks on gravel roads and/or any sharp bumps in the road surface. Less apparent when braking. The service manager and foreman now agree there are noises from both sides, and they don't know what they are. Their response to this has been pretty average. They had another customer complaining of similar clunks and replaced a brake caliper for him today, and want to wait to see what he says about whether it made a difference. New calipers take up to a month to arrive from Korea. They also want to drive a couple other i30's to see what they drive like. I said I don't care about any of that stuff - it drives like crap. You acknowledge this. It's under warranty. Fix it.

Essentially, they think the noise / vibration under load is the clutch but can't guarantee that is the case, and as such can't guarantee that it won't cost me $1,400 to put a new clutch in which may or may not fix the problem. I pointed out that they already had the gearbox out and should have inspected the clutch then (not only for the cause of this problem but also for wear on the friction plates to tell me what condition it was in), which they apparently didn't do and don't seem to care about. I also pointed out that the only things NOT covered by warranty are the friction plates, and that everything should be replaced under warranty if faulty. I suggested that maybe they put it on a dyno, stick it in fourth gear and look & listen to see what's going on. They didn't think that was a good idea.

They're hoping that a foremans meeting tomorrow will provide more examples of clutches being replaced and fixing the problem (and hear more about other cases of front end clunks), in which case I may have more chance of getting it fixed under warranty. Also, if anyone on here can tell me that having their clutch replaced fixed the problem I would love to hear from them, because this may also help my cause.

Otherwise I'm faced with a monumentally shitty choice - potentially fork out $1,400 for the new clutch and have it not fix the problem, have it fix the problem but Hyundai say there was no problem with the clutch and have to pay for it anyway, buy an Exedy clutch for less than half the price of the Hyundai clutch kit and have it fitted privately in the hope that it fixes the problem even though the clutch still works perfectly, or just put up with the noise / vibration until I sell the car. All of those options suck.

This is costing me sales, time and money - none of which I can afford to lose. I'm angry...really angry. What the hell am I supposed to do here?!? For the first 45,000kms this car was the best car I've owned, and I wanted to keep it for 4-5 years, now it seems plagued by these shitty problems that are seemingly too hard to fix.

Back in the dealer again on Thursday, hiring a car because they don't have courtesy cars, see what happens.

ANY help or advice would again be greatly appreciated. Don't taunt me with any suggestions like insurance fraud...it's pretty damn tempting at this point. 

Thanks again,

[Phil №❶]

Really sorry to hear of your continued troubles. There's not much we caqn help yo with because these clunks would have to be something fairly obvious to a trained technician, yet they are stuck for a solution. Maybe you need to get to Tamworth, to see member @cruiserfied. Surely a car can't go from A1 to crap, so quickly.

[crayman]

The dyno idea sounds OK but would be a OWHS nightmare, and rightly so. 
Bloody dangerous to be around those rollers plus they make a hell of a racket from tyre noise.
A hub dyno would be just as dangerous.
Surely conventional fault finding can sort this out, it's not the space shuttle.

[cruiserfied]

A dyno wont really do much for diagnosis. You cant hear a damn thing over the rollers and you cant move around to listen and feel.

Sounds like you might have 2 different issues. You have mentioned vibration under load and knocking from both sides.

I really cant give any assistance without experiencing it. All i can recommend is to be patient, sometimes it can take a couple of goes to properly diagnose noises like this. And you could give customer care a call.

[Dazzler]

I think it is time to document everything in an email and send a copy to Hyundai Australia and the dealer Principal. Tell them you are at the end of your tether and looking at all options for a fair outcome...

[GDTourer]

Thanks guys, agree that the dyno idea is an OH&S nightmare, but at least if they wanted to attached those sensors around the car to diagnose it they wouldn't have to keep driving it before moving sensors.

Dazzler - yep, that's what I'm going to do next.

cruiserfied: I have been very, very patient with these guys. Front end clunks first identified at 45,000kms and all they've replaced is one front wheel bearing which has made no difference. Vibration under load first identified at 65,000kms and they're still scratching their heads. Now 96,000kms and worse that ever, and I'm still expected to just keep driving it and put up with it.

Crayman I've lost faith in conventional fault finding with these guys - they couldn't even correctly identify what bloody flywheel was fitted to the car, then didn't check the clutch for wear or links to this issue when they unnecessarily replaced the (solid) flywheel anyway, and still can't tell me unequivocally that they've eliminated everything but the clutch in being the cause of the issue in the first place, which would make a $1400 replacement of the clutch seem like a more sensible proposition.

Phil No1 - they still haven't dropped the struts to see what's going on at the top, and as I keep saying to them - "if it's something you can't see, it's something you can't see".

Anyway, I'm off to spend yet another day in my i30 cursing every time I hit a bump or accelerate mildly in 3rd and 4th gear from low revs.

[Dazzler]

 

[Lakes]

disapointing to read, what condition are the roads you mostly drive on , in?
Also what would you say your driving style is like? Like are you a slow or a more spirited drivers? Do you ease out clutch or drop the clutch? Do you drive it heavy traffic a lot or more rural area?

[crayman]

Any chance you can post a video of the noise, 3rd to 4th power on?
Might have to link via Photo bucket or similar.

[GDTourer]

Lakes - I drive throughout South Australia as a sales rep, so it would be best described a mixed driving on a variety of road surfaces and in a variety of traffic conditions. The car takes some pretty big hits on poor quality country roads, which is probably why my shock absorbers feel so worn and useless. As mentioned previously there are very few options for replacement shock absorbers, and despite the fact they are not mentioned ANYWHERE in the warranty exclusions or literature I don't think I would have a hope in hell of them being replaced under warranty. I would consider myself to be very easy on the clutch and gearbox, I've always driven with a lot of mechanical sympathy, and never thrash my cars. This can be partly proven by the fact I return such low economy figures, but also by the fact that my car is still on original pads & rotors at 96,000kms.

crayman - I'll see if I can get a video of the noise for you tonight and post it on here. It sounds like a loose exhaust mount or something similar, but they assure me they've checked everything externally and that it must be the clutch - weak / broken springs or something faulty with the pressure plate. Interestingly, the car shudders loudly on start-up and shutdown. The noise changes slightly depending on whether I shut it down with the clutch in or clutch out (can only start with clutch in), so this would seem to support the fact that there is an issue with the clutch and that this is causing both the noise / vibration under load AND the noise on startup / shut down.

The dealer has ordered two new front calipers for my car (to address the front end clunks) which will take about 2 weeks to arrive. They've done this based on reports from another customer that his car, which was making similar noises, improved once the new caliper was fitted. I'm very dubious about this because they still haven't dropped the struts and eliminated strut tops / bearings as the cause of the clunks. It seems to be like a very wild stab in the dark, and I still have to drive the car around for two weeks and possibly have another caliper fall off or worse because they still haven't fully diagnosed the problem. Not happy.

What I'm most annoyed about, however, is that they expect me to either put up with the noise/vibration under load or risk forking out $1400 for a new clutch and it doesn't fix the problem (or it does and Hyundai say there was nothing wrong with the old clutch). I'm flabbergasted that these are my options - surely the onus is on them to fix the problem at all costs and not my concern if they don't know what the problem is.

I'm pretty sure that if I wrote to Hyundai Australia and pointed out the history of this issue (especially the fact that they already had the gearbox out and could have inspected the clutch then) that they will have no choice but to endeavor to fix the problem at their cost, but honestly I don't have the time or patience and am more likely to just trade it in once the front end is fixed.

[Asterix]

Have you considered trying another dealer..? Like Doggie's EPS problem where he had to write to Hy Aus because the 1. one couldn't/wouldn't acknowledge the problem..?

Might be time to have a pair of fresh eyes to look at your car..? (Sorry if this allready been tried, too lazy to reread the whole saga) 

[GDTourer]

Asterix - agreed totally, and this will be the next step after writing to Hyundai Australia. Until now it has seemed like a rude / inappropriate thing to do, but they have left me with little choice.

Going to see if I can get a video today of the car doing its thing.

[Dazzler]

If you do try another dealer I would give then a concise but detailed account of problems and actions taken so far and make it a challenge type scenario for then to fix it.

Make them aware that hundreds of members on the i30 owners club worldwide site are following the saga and a successful outcome would be a real feather in their cap! 

I think Hyundai need to be made aware that Scenarios like this could cost them dearly. An i30 Diesel tourer was on a very short list of cars that I have to replace my Calais. I bought Trish a tourer, as from my observations on here the GD tourer was even more reliable than the GD hatch, but this thread has put the scares into me (and no doubt others) big time. 

[GDTourer]

Took a video today but the audio wasn't captured clearly enough to be useful - sorry! I might try again but get a friend to hold the phone on something in the car - that might help pick up the vibration.

Dazzler - that's not a bad idea but I feel that for the time being the right thing to do is to continue to deal with the people who sold me the car. But yes I can see the benefits of the challenge scenario!

I wish I could recommend the GD Tourer to you, I really do! Fuel economy is nothing short of brilliant, the diesel engine is responsive, smooth and refined and produces good power and oodles of torque (there aren't many hills where you need to take it out of 6th gear), and it will tow a fair load comfortably. Gearbox feel and gear spacing is perfect. Road noise is quite good. Ergonomically the car is very comfortable and has a nice "sporty" feel to it. It is also well proportioned externally and looks quite smart in my opinion. The adjustable EPS is a brilliant feature, steering is direct and responsive, ride is firm but reasonably compliant and the handling in general is very good. I can't comment on the multi-pink rear end because I haven't driven a GD Hatch (with the torsion bar rear) before, other than it seems to do its job fine. In general the build quality, particularly in the interior, seems very good and there have been no interior complaints or issues with electronics.

However: The build quality might seem good, but is dependent entirely on the quality of components being used. The rear springs are WAY too soft from factory, and the rear end sags badly with 4 adults and nothing else in the car. Shock absorbers seem to wear quickly and the ride quality / road handling ability in mine has deteriorated significantly from new. And of course things like the noise / vibration under load which it seems now is probably a faulty clutch, failed wheel bearings and yet-te-be-replaced failed brake calipers are problems one just shouldn't experience in a car of this age / kilometres / purchase price. Also my dealer is replacing pads & rotors on cars as new as 30,000kms (hatches and tourers), so keep that in mind if you do a lot of stop-start driving or you're considering an automatic transmission. That said, because of the nature of my work and sensible driving mine have lasted 96,000kms and are still going.

I've decided that financially it is probably best for me to keep the car until at least June so I can pay the loan down a bit more, so I have renewed enthusiasm to push ahead and get it fixed rather than just passing the problems onto someone else. Financial, moral and ethical peace of mind.

I've said to my dealer that if they think it is the clutch, then I want the clutch replaced. Regardless of the outcome (whether it fixes the issue or not, or whether the old clutch is deemed to be faulty or not), I don't think I should have to pay for any of this as the car is under warranty and is agreed to be defective. Before then I will be writing a letter to Hyundai Australia giving them a detailed account of what has happened so far, unless my dealer can give it to me in writing that I will not be charged for the replacement clutch. He said he can't do that until they can see the old clutch. I pointed out they already had the opportunity to do that when they (unnecessarily) had the gearbox / flywheel out, but they were firm on this. Either way, I'm not paying for it!

Let's see how we go!

[rustynutz]

The rear springs are WAY too soft from factory, and the rear end sags badly with 4 adults and nothing else in the car. Shock absorbers seem to wear quickly and the ride quality / road handling ability in mine has deteriorated significantly from new.

The first GD Tourers came with stock European tuned suspension, it wasn't until later on that it was "Australianised", do you know which suspension your Tourer is running? 

[GDTourer]

rustynutz - I'm not sure. I was led to believe if they had the multi-link independent rear that they were the Aussie tuned version. That said, mine was purchased not long after they came out so I don't really know - it probably is a very early build though.

[Dazzler]

Trish's tourer is pretty much identical to yours but was built in April 2014 and has the 1.6 GDi motor. Great little wagon to drive but would be nicer with the Diesel torque (like my first FD had)

Trish's hasn't done 9000 kms yet in nearly 18 months.. Hopefully short trips on reasonable local roads wont wear the rear suspension out too quickly!

Edit: sitting at 9,888 kms!

[CraigB]

The rear springs are WAY too soft from factory, and the rear end sags badly with 4 adults and nothing else in the car. Shock absorbers seem to wear quickly and the ride quality / road handling ability in mine has deteriorated significantly from new.

The first GD Tourers came with stock European tuned suspension, it wasn't until later on that it was "Australianised", do you know which suspension your Tourer is running? 

I think even the current Tourer still has the Euro suspension as does my 3dr, the ride is a bit more comfortable with the Euro tuned suspension imo.

I also thought it was only the SR that received a dedicated Australian tune

[rustynutz]

rustynutz - I'm not sure. I was led to believe if they had the multi-link independent rear that they were the Aussie tuned version. That said, mine was purchased not long after they came out so I don't really know - it probably is a very early build though.

The rear springs are WAY too soft from factory, and the rear end sags badly with 4 adults and nothing else in the car. Shock absorbers seem to wear quickly and the ride quality / road handling ability in mine has deteriorated significantly from new.

The first GD Tourers came with stock European tuned suspension, it wasn't until later on that it was "Australianised", do you know which suspension your Tourer is running? 

I think even the current Tourer still has the Euro suspension as does my 3dr, the ride is a bit more comfortable with the Euro tuned suspension imo.

I also thought it was only the SR that received a dedicated Australian tune

If the info from this review is to be believed, it backs up what I said earlier...

Hyundai i30 wagon gets retuned Australian suspension for first time

[CraigB]

Thanks for that Rusty, for the limited amount of tourers they bring in I wouldn't have expected a specific aussie tune but it's good to know they did

[GDTourer]

Hi chaps, bit of an update:

I've been driving a Camry hire car for a week and a half now - I wrote a 5 page email to Hyundai Oz and refused to drive my car anymore based on the fact faulty brake calipers = potentially unsafe car. Hyundai Oz agreed, kicked my dealer into action and got me the hire car. They went as far as suggesting I stop driving the car immediately and even wanted to send a tow truck to pick it up!!! I said don't bother - my dealer is less than 2km away, so I just drove it there straight away.

The new clutch has now been fitted, and I was able to test drive my car briefly on Friday. The noise / vibration under load is now completely gone!  Still waiting for brake calipers to arrive, so I'm still refusing to drive the car until this is done.

So now begins the argument to convince Hyundai Oz that I shouldn't have to pay $1,400 for the new clutch.

Incidentally, I was able to see my old clutch and am pleased to report that the friction plates were barely worn for a car with 97,000km - something which will surely help my case as it proves the car has not been driven hard. The suspected cluprit is the clutch springs - I was lucky enough to have a member on here contact me privately to share his experiences, and this ultimately gave me the confidence and evidence to pursue Hyundai Oz over this issue. His clutch was replaced, under warranty, at 90,000 of kms with the same fault, and soft clutch springs were deemed to be the cause.

There is a broader issue here though - these clutches are CLEARLY not up to the task of dealing with the torque of these engines. In my opinion, Hyndai should be recalling these vehicles to fit a stronger clutch - even my dealer admitted the noise / vibration will probably return eventually.

Whatever though, I just want my car back and don't want to pay $1,400 for this. If they do try to charge me, they are admitting to me that the clutches in these vehicles are only designed to last 65,000km before these noises / vibration begin to occur, and I don't think they have a leg to stand on here.

Will let you know how I go!

[Dazzler]

  for the update. Got fingers, toes and everything else crossed for a good outcome.

Hopefully the DCT "Auto" in the new models will be better...

[h20melon]

Hi GDTourer,

My 2011 FD will be going in on the 11th April to the local dealer for them to find the vibration in my car - same as what you were experiencing.  I had been on the phone to Hyundai head office for well over 2 hours the other day asking lots of questions.  They tell me that in the clutch area the only thing NOT under warranty is the friction plate.   My car has done 88,000kms but this is the second clutch (first being replaced under warranty at 38,000) so really the clutch is only 50,000km old (and not driven hard or anything).

It will be interesting if it is the same problem as you had with the springs.  Am I right with the springs are attached to the friction plate?  Hopefully they will replace under warranty as I'm sure there wont be anything wrong with the friction bit....

I don't really want to go down the path in another 50,000km time to replace it again if it happens (will be doing it myself then though as the car is out of warranty this November).

If they do try and charge, I will be pointing them to this forum.

[GDTourer]

Hi h20melon, sorry to hear you've also has issues!

You say your first clutch was replaced at just 38,000kms - was that for the same sort of noise / vibration under load that I've described?

If so, it's just more evidence that the clutches fitted to these vehicles are simply not strong enough to deal with the torque of this engine.

Given the new clutch only lasted you 50,000kms, I would perhaps be suggesting they replace it with a heavy duty version and perhaps you could pay the difference? I don't like your chances (one of the options given to me was to buy a clutch myself and have it fitted privately at my cost) however.

The warranty is very ambigous at best - the exclusions to the warranty "include, but are not limited to" ..."clutch friction plates". I was told that actually the entire clutch unit is not  under warranty after 20,000km, but I can't believe this is the case and what they've told you seems to support this.

The other problem is that someone with the necessary testing equipment has to test the old springs against the rate of the factory springs to determine if they have softened- a complicated task which requires specialist tools.

That said when the new clutch fixes the problem, as it has with my car, one can take an educated guess that the springs are at fault. Hyundai should simply acknowledge that there is an issue with these cars to save the time and resources wasted on diagnosis, and save the time of owners like us going through the hoop to get it fixed.

Recall + Stronger clutches = Happy owners.

[h20melon]

My clutch was replaced due to oil getting onto it from a leaky seal, by same symptoms that you have and I now have again.  It would be good to get a heavier duty clutch. Does Hyundai have such an option?

I will be requesting the parts back if they have me pay for the items and work, as after all I still own them.  I might be able to test them if I get hold of a new set at some stage.

In a way, I can't wait till it is the it of warranty as it would only cost me a few hundred dollars to change the clutch myself (and possibly a weekend).

I just can't believe the difference between dealers with the prices they quote.  There is a $300 difference between the cheapest and most expensive clutch change from my ring around.

[GDTourer]

Yep - Hyundai OEM Clutch kit $770, Exedy clutch kit $280 last time I checked on fleaBay.

I'd see what your dealer can do for you in conjunction with Hyundai Australia - in my opinion, it's a warranty issue and they should give you a car to drive while they sort it out.

[GDTourer]

Hopefully picking up my car today.

Hyundai Australia have agreed to pay for the parts, however I'm still being charged $311 for labour - apparently this has been discounted.

I'm gobsmacked that they didn't offer to pay for everything, particularly given the evidence of other owners and my ongoing tales of woe with this issue. They've had so many opportunities to make this right, and they haven't.

So I'm left having no faith in the quality of the components used to build this car, and no faith in Hyundai or their dealer network to adequately diagnose, assess and rectify faults in their vehicles.

It has guaranteed the following:
1. I will NEVER, EVER buy another Hyundai as long as I live
2. My close friends and family will probably never buy Hyundai
3. Many of my customers will probably never buy Hyundai

I'm tempted to take this further and take this to social media land, but frankly I've lost the energy and motivation - I just want my car back so I can trade it in.

I sincerely wish all of you better luck with your cars, and at a minimum I would recommend you stay away from Diesel Manual i30's due to the piss-weak clutches that are fitted to them. That, or be prepared to fork out for a heavy duty clutch at your own expense. Of course if you don't expect your car to last more than 65,000km before becoming horrible to drive, then ignore everything I've said.

I'm out.

[Asterix]

Hmm, I'm not sure all clutches fitted to the CRDi i30's are bad.

I just passed 250.000 km in mine and I tow 1400 kg caravan at least 4000 km every year. If it was a general problem we would have heard a lot more about it.

Having said that, I'm sorry to hear about your trouble...

[Phil №❶]

Yes, there have been some problems with this vibration issue, however, our Moderator's Asterix and Doggie1 have both done a lot of kms in their Diesel I 30 manuals, without any of the problems you have encountered. Perhaps there was a bad batch of springs and if so it should have been covered by Hy to maintain customer relations.

I agree, that the customer treatment could have been a lot better. It's an area that Hy globally seem to have difficulties with. Considering their sales performance, they should do better.

Remember also that these cars are mass produced and for a competitive price, all in all most people are very happy with their selection of vehicle. There are many much more expensive cars, which have a much worse mechanical reputation.

Sad you have a bad taste about the I30 now. Both our Diesel FD's are performing extremely well. We had an injector problem with the older one which was fully repaired under warranty by Hy, loan car supplied while in garage, too.

[h20melon]

Thanks GDTourer

Will be interesting to see what happens with mine.  Maybe there is a bad batch in Australia...


Basically for me, this is really the only issue I have had with the car (twice), and once the warranty runs out in November I will be back doing my own servicing.

I wish I could get a loan car, but as the dealer keeps telling me, because I haven't been getting it serviced with them the answer is no unless I pay for it.