Hyundai i20 clutch problems

DavidFx

stephenluscombe wrote: »

I have been advised that when the clutch on your vehicle was examined it was found that spring with in the friction plate had snapped due to wear and tear.
Hyundai Customer Services

If something has snapped then it has been over stressed. Springs do not suffer from wear and tear - what is there to wear out?

stephenluscombe wrote: »

It must be appreciated that all modern vehicles are much lighter on the clutch than those found on older cars. With this in mind older vehicles tend to have heavier clutches, and therefore if you rest your foot lightly on the clutch it can cause the failure you have experienced. Older heavy clutches need a great deal of pressure to engage, and therefore some drivers may have got into the habit of lightly resting their foot on the clutch without being aware of the damage that can be caused.
Hyundai Customer Services

Think about this one. A new clutch will fully engage when the clutch pedal is (say) 1/3 way up from the floor. So if you rest your foot on the clutch and the clutch is partially disengaged (causing the wear), then in fact you would be pushing the clutch 2/3rds of the way to the floor. I think you would notice this.

stephenluscombe wrote: »

I must stress however that this situation is not only true of Hyundai cars but any new vehicle. Please do not feel that I am saying this applies to your driving style, this is merely a statement.
Hyundai Customer Services

So why aren't we seeing this problem with other manufacturers?

EdGasket

I would say springs definitely suffer from wear and tear. They are stressed metal, subject to repeated movement and temperature fluctuation. The force of the spring will degrade as will the metal itself over time, possibly to the point of breaking. I have had to renew clutches more often due to the pressure plate having insufficient 'spring' force on the clutch plate than due to the clutch plate itself being worn out.
Regarding resting your foot on the clutch, hardly any pressure is required for the initial clutch pedal movement; by the time you are 'resting your foot', you will be wearing the clutch.
Notwithstanding the above, it does seem that Hyundai and Kia have fitted clutches to some models that are too 'light' by which I mean that the pressure plate does not exert enough force on the clutch plate to prevent it slipping and causing premature wear.

beev

We have an i30 edition, registered end December2010. we have just been told the clutch friction plate is likely to be the cause of the whining noise it makes when reverse gear is selected and engaged. The car is booked into the garage for Thursday, at the moment they are saying if this IS the problem then it won't be covered undered their warranty. The car has done 9000 miles. I hasten to add we are in our late 30's, do not screw the car around and, believe it or not, tend to drive in forward gear rather than reverse. So, how can this happen? how can it not be covered by warranty and how can it be wear and tear? The car is reversed twice a day, once at work to park up and once when we come home from work onto the path.

Other than insisting they keep the part to one side for our inspection what else can we do to ensure if we need to take our claim further that it will have some substance?

Really worried now we are going to end up with the £650 repair bill in our hands and not theres. We only purchased the car on the basis of the warranty giving us some unexpected expense free motoring for 5 years.

linni

I'm really worried too. I've just put a deposit on an almost new (9,000 miles) i20 1.2 Active. Is there anything I can do to cover myself in case this happens. Can I insist on a new clutch in or something? I doubt they will put anything in writing...

EdGasket

linni wrote: »

I'm really worried too. I've just put a deposit on an almost new (9,000 miles) i20 1.2 Active. Is there anything I can do to cover myself in case this happens. Can I insist on a new clutch in or something? I doubt they will put anything in writing...

I don't think there is tbh, other than checking that the clutch is not already slipping before you agree to buy it.

linni

I don't think there is tbh, other than checking that the clutch is not already slipping before you agree to buy it.

Oh dear, I had to test drive another car because they couldn't get it out without moving loads of cars, so I haven't been able to test the one i'm buying and if I cancel I'll lose my deposit.

Richard53

Your purchase should be conditional upon a test drive. If they can't be bothered to move a few cars, you can't be bothered to buy it.

KTF

linni wrote: »

Oh dear, I had to test drive another car because they couldn't get it out without moving loads of cars, so I haven't been able to test the one i'm buying and if I cancel I'll lose my deposit.

Why did you put the deposit down without driving it? There could be squeaks/rattles, pulls when driving or under braking, hidden damage, etc.

If they are too lazy to do their job then you should have gone elsewhere.

linni

Why did you put the deposit down without driving it? There could be squeaks/rattles, pulls when driving or under braking, hidden damage, etc.

This was on Wednesday, the guy was off yesterday and I'm going to phone him today, but I'm not sure if I have a right to cancel because of this or not? I know we were silly, we did ask to drive the proper car but it was in a line of cars, with a line of cars behind it, the car we drove was the same model, year etc but it was on the end of the line, so easy to get out. I don't think it was done deliberately but who knows! It is a main dealership not a back street garage, if that makes any difference!

I will of course ask to drive it before we do the final deal but any advice please on what I should do?

KTF

linni wrote: »

I will of course ask to drive it before we do the final deal but any advice please on what I should do?

When we bought our i10 there were several to choose from and there was a difference between them - some had the 'rattling' seatbelt that the i10 is known for, others had interior damage.

This was also from a main agent and they had no problem at all shuffling the cars around to let us test them all.

I would call the dealer up, explain the situation and ask that the car be made available to test drive sooner rather than later.