Hyundai UK customer service - not really

sillygoose

This country is depressing some times, fear of some sort of litigation or liability can make a simple thing unduly difficult.

I just got a newish IX35 and for the last couple of years they stopped coming with a spare wheel although there is space for one (the ultimate penny pinching! IMHO)

I can get a suitable spacesaver easy enough and will need a suitable jack too, had problems with SUV's and jacks before not going high enough due to ground clearance and wheel travel so I emailed the simple question to Hyundai Customer Support.

Reply back:

Thank you for your email regarding your Hyundai ix35.

I have spoken to our technical department regarding your question. They have stated that they are only able to recommend that you use genuine Hyundai accessories for your car. The use of a non - genuine jack or spare wheel can cause damage to your car, or personal injury.

I am sorry that I have been unable to provide you with the response that you may have been hoping for. If I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact me. Have a lovely rest of the day.

Of course they know but if they did just tell me 390mm, 450mm whatever I may go out and try to jack it up with a coathanger or something and kill myself then somehow sue them for telling me to do it, really?

So if anyone knows the answer I would be grateful, as its the wife's car I was planning on something simple like a bottle jack but many won't extend enough even after blocking up close to the body, perhaps a compact trolley, scissors are OK but a pain if the ground is a bit uneven and your not experienced.

Thanks

verityboo

Just got another Hyundai i10, one of the few cars in its class to have a spare as standard

I do find it hard to believe that you would really think someone sitting at a computer in a customer service office would really be able to advise how many mm high a jack would need to go. You also need to consider how it locates with the car and the shape the top needs to be

Have you tried looking on ebay for second hand genuine wheel & jacking kit?

sillygoose

verityboo wrote: »

Just got another Hyundai i10, one of the few cars in its class to have a spare as standard

I do find it hard to believe that you would really think someone sitting at a computer in a customer service office would really be able to advise how many mm high a jack would need to go. You also need to consider how it locates with the car and the shape the top needs to be

Have you tried looking on ebay for second hand genuine wheel & jacking kit?

If you read it again, customer service spoke to the technical department so yes I would expect them to know that.

I did look for a genuine spare but its more likely to come from a breakers yard of unknown history and I can get a new suitable wheel for the same.

There are sellers listing wheel/jack kits for the IX35 but I wanted to pair my own jack of a quality I like, not a generic chinese one they probably include

Space is not a problem, tons space under the floor, its not a Noddy car!

AdrianC

They sell an official jack kit. Why on earth are they going to suggest you buy something random from somebody random instead of that...?

sillygoose

AdrianC wrote: »

They sell an official jack kit. Why on earth are they going to suggest you buy something random from somebody random instead of that...?

I didn't ask them to suggest anything random. I just wanted the height to get a wheel off the ground, if I had a spare jack I would work it out myself!

AdrianC

sillygoose wrote: »

I didn't ask them to suggest anything random. I just wanted the height to get a wheel off the ground, if I had a spare jack I would work it out myself!

But what answer except "This is our official jack kit - buy that" did you really expect?

EdGasket

Just buy a jack and if it does not have enough height when extended; place it on a wooden block first. If you are pulled off the road on soft ground you'd have to do this anyway. Most jacks will have enough lift between compressed and extended to lift your wheel off assuming they do start lifting as you start to use them and not using all their lift before even making contact with the jacking point.

martinthebandit

I always thought that the lack of a spare, jack etc was more to do with reducing weight and a consequent improvement in fuel economy.

AdrianC

martinthebandit wrote: »

I always thought that the lack of a spare, jack etc was more to do with reducing weight and a consequent improvement in fuel economy.

Yes, that's the official excuse. But ask this - if you tick the "spare wheel kit" option box, does that affect the official CO2 figure...?

What's a space-saver spare and jack weigh? Maybe 5kg? In a car that weighs a ton and two thirds?

But it saves a couple of quid... Multiply that by the number of cars...

facade

Remember, the jack has to go low enough to fit under with a flat tyre, and jack high enough to get an inflated one on.

The usual jack for one of these new fangled independent suspension vehicles is a scissor jack with a slot in the pad to locate on the jack points. You can get bottle jacks with multi-stage rams that go quite high, but these work best with Proper Olden Days live axles- I have a lovely one from a Discovery 1 with a curved saddle to locate under the axle tube.

Have a look at the one stowed under the drivers seat in a MK1 RAV4, that should do the trick.

gilbert_and_sullivan

Will probably need a highish lifting scissor jack if the jacking points are in the normal spots at the ends of the sills.

I'd be inclined to have a poke nose underneath and see what shape the wishbones/bottom arms are right beside the wheels, if you can get decent purchase there (allowing for the bulge and lower height of a flat tyre) you will only need minimal lift to get the wheel off the ground because spring travel won't be a consideration.

I think you have a job to beat scissors jacks for general roadside wheelchanging, but as you rightly say you have to keep your wits about you due to them not being especially stable towards full height.

Some screw bottle style jacks are good, Toyota put a good one in the Hilux but whether it would go low enough to get under the normal jacking point i'm unsure, and with its large footplate might be a tight fit in the spare wheel itself when not in use.

I wouldn't buy a car without a proper spare wheel and kit, new or used, no spare no sale.