Dealership changed trans fluid with wrong type and overfilled it-- can I get trans replaced under extended warranty now?

[Scamp]

Hey folks,

As part of the recommended maintenance, I had the transmission fluid flushed/replaced. Following that maintenance, I began to feel the car's transmission acting up from a cold start mostly. I brought it back for the next oil change, complained and told them I thought they did something wrong with the transmission fluid change last time. They check and confirmed. Wrong fluid, overfilled, but told me "our tech says transmission fluid is pretty much all the same." Well, if that's the case, why is one almost two hundred dollars more than the other?

Anyways, they claim they've done it right this time with the correct fluid, but the issue persists and may even be getting worse:

Symptoms:

• Lurches/hesitates a bit into second gear, sometimes others.
• Very whiney going into gears. More pronounced if higher RPMs and manually shifted.
• Occasionally downshifts very hard.
• If left parked for 2-3 days without running, the next start I hear an awful noise that sounds like the transmission whining.

It's less obvious to someone else driving it if the car has warmed up. At which point, there's less noise, the shifts get smoother, but as the owner I can tell it's not what it used to be.

Question:

Is this enough to force the dealership to replace the transmission under warranty? I fear that because the transmission hasn't completely failed, and that once warmed up, it's not super obvious something is wrong with it. Still, I am trying to avoid having it fail on a long trip.

I bought the car used, not CPO, but bought an extended warranty for the car through Hyundai (Platinum plan).

Whether they accept fault or not, this thing is clearly not happy and probably on its way out, I figure.

Thank you

 

[EdP]

Hey folks,

As part of the recommended maintenance, I had the transmission fluid flushed/replaced. Following that maintenance, I began to feel the car's transmission acting up from a cold start mostly. I brought it back for the next oil change, complained and told them I thought they did something wrong with the transmission fluid change last time. They check and confirmed. Wrong fluid, overfilled, but told me "our tech says transmission fluid is pretty much all the same." Well, if that's the case, why is one almost two hundred dollars more than the other?

Anyways, they claim they've done it right this time with the correct fluid, but the issue persists and may even be getting worse:

Symptoms:

• Lurches/hesitates a bit into second gear, sometimes others.
• Very whiney going into gears. More pronounced if higher RPMs and manually shifted.
• Occasionally downshifts very hard.
• If left parked for 2-3 days without running, the next start I hear an awful noise that sounds like the transmission whining.

It's less obvious to someone else driving it if the car has warmed up. At which point, there's less noise, the shifts get smoother, but as the owner I can tell it's not what it used to be.

Question:

Is this enough to force the dealership to replace the transmission under warranty? I fear that because the transmission hasn't completely failed, and that once warmed up, it's not super obvious something is wrong with it. Still, I am trying to avoid having it fail on a long trip.

I bought the car used, not CPO, but bought an extended warranty for the car through Hyundai (Platinum plan).

Whether they accept fault or not, this thing is clearly not happy and probably on its way out, I figure.

Thank you

Would be good to have something in writing that the wrong fluid was used.

No one here can say what the warranty company will do as it is not normal wear and tear but an accidental service function. They may go after the dealer for you but I don't know. You may have to call Judge Judy for help. Seems to be a negligence issue, not warranty.

 

[joegr]

...but told me "our tech says transmission fluid is pretty much all the same....

That could hardly be less true. The clutches and other parts have probably been damaged. The only correct solution is a new transmission. After you get this resolved, you should never go there again. This isn't really a warranty issue, Hyundai didn't do anything wrong here, the dealership did. This expense should be on their insurance. Of course, if you can get the warranty to cover it anyway, that may be the easier way to go.

 

[Scamp]

That could hardly be less true. The clutches and other parts have probably been damaged. The only correct solution is a new transmission. After you get this resolved, you should never go there again. This isn't really a warranty issue, Hyundai didn't do anything wrong here, the dealership did. This expense should be on their insurance. Of course, if you can get the warranty to cover it anyway, that may be the easier way to go.

I spoke with their manager today. He's claiming despite what the tech said, the correct fluid was used in the first job, and he knows that because of what's inventoried in the paperwork, which lists the correct fluid code. Obviously that's fallacious, but anyways.

He's also saying that it wasn't overfilled, but underfilled (contradicts what's on the paperwork). By how much? They don't know, but they think it was a quart.

So for 13k miles it's been over or under by an uncertain amount. If they don't think that's enough to cause damage, I'll reach out to Hyundai Corporate I suppose. If they do, I'm curious to see what they're willing to do to make things right.

 

[carguy75]

Hey folks,

As part of the recommended maintenance, I had the transmission fluid flushed/replaced. Following that maintenance, I began to feel the car's transmission acting up from a cold start mostly. I brought it back for the next oil change, complained and told them I thought they did something wrong with the transmission fluid change last time. They check and confirmed. Wrong fluid, overfilled, but told me "our tech says transmission fluid is pretty much all the same." Well, if that's the case, why is one almost two hundred dollars more than the other?

Anyways, they claim they've done it right this time with the correct fluid, but the issue persists and may even be getting worse:

Symptoms:

• Lurches/hesitates a bit into second gear, sometimes others.
• Very whiney going into gears. More pronounced if higher RPMs and manually shifted.
• Occasionally downshifts very hard.
• If left parked for 2-3 days without running, the next start I hear an awful noise that sounds like the transmission whining.

It's less obvious to someone else driving it if the car has warmed up. At which point, there's less noise, the shifts get smoother, but as the owner I can tell it's not what it used to be.

Question:

Is this enough to force the dealership to replace the transmission under warranty? I fear that because the transmission hasn't completely failed, and that once warmed up, it's not super obvious something is wrong with it. Still, I am trying to avoid having it fail on a long trip.

I bought the car used, not CPO, but bought an extended warranty for the car through Hyundai (Platinum plan).

Whether they accept fault or not, this thing is clearly not happy and probably on its way out, I figure.

Thank you

If a dealership performed the work; then I am surprised that they did not request you comeback and have the incorrect fluid flushed out if they admit to an error in the service.

Sound strange that the response to the error is that all transmission fluid is the same; especially coming from a dealer service department.

 

[Markymark]

I spoke with their manager today. He's claiming despite what the tech said, the correct fluid was used in the first job, and he knows that because of what's inventoried in the paperwork, which lists the correct fluid code. Obviously that's fallacious, but anyways.

He's also saying that it wasn't overfilled, but underfilled (contradicts what's on the paperwork). By how much? They don't know, but they think it was a quart.

So for 13k miles it's been over or under by an uncertain amount. If they don't think that's enough to cause damage, I'll reach out to Hyundai Corporate I suppose. If they do, I'm curious to see what they're willing to do to make things right.

I'll cut to the chase. You'll probably have to sue the dealership in small claims court to be made whole. I don't know where you live but the amount at dispute would put it in small claims court in a lot of jurisdictions. You probably won't need to hire an attorney.

Everyone will try to shift blame. The dealership will claim the paperwork is correct and that you must have screwed up the transmission after the fluid change. The warranty company will point to a tiny clause in the contract and say the dealership screwed up and it should be on their dime. Hyundai corporate will take weeks of reassuring phone calls to say it's the dealership and that they cannot help. Good luck getting any of these clowns to pay out.

Gaming this out.... If you subpoena the technician, he's likely to say he put the right stuff in. Also, the dealership has the documentation that says the right stuff was put in. Make sure you get everything documented (like cost to hire a transmission expert, any rental car costs, etc), get a final refusal from Hyundai corporate and the warranty company (so the judge doesn't have an excuse to toss the case), and make sure the damage to the transmission is verified by a third party. Preferably the third party is a transmission technician, and you may need him/her to testify. Like I said, I think the case may get tossed or stayed until you get the middle finger from both the warranty company and Hyundai Corporate. Based on the facts you have told us, I would give you even odds that a judge will rule in your favor and hopefully the dealership's lawyers will offer a settlement. I hope I'm wrong, but this may be something that lingers for months, and I don't think you're going to get 100% satisfaction on this one.

(Incompetence at dealerships seems to be the rule. In 2 years of owning my Genesis, I have had the techs fry a $2500 head unit and lose my fob. Things like this have happened 50% of the time I take my car in!)

 

[greekgeek]

Taking the charitable view of the dealer at face value, then the HPP should kick in and cover it.

 

[GarnetTy1473]

What fluid was put in it? Your invoice should have the part # and description of it.

 

[EdP]

I'll cut to the chase. You'll probably have to sue the dealership in small claims court to be made whole. I don't know where you live but the amount at dispute would put it in small claims court in a lot of jurisdictions. You probably won't need to hire an attorney.

Everyone will try to shift blame. The dealership will claim the paperwork is correct and that you must have screwed up the transmission after the fluid change. The warranty company will point to a tiny clause in the contract and say the dealership screwed up and it should be on their dime. Hyundai corporate will take weeks of reassuring phone calls to say it's the dealership and that they cannot help. Good luck getting any of these clowns to pay out.

Gaming this out.... If you subpoena the technician, he's likely to say he put the right stuff in. Also, the dealership has the documentation that says the right stuff was put in. Make sure you get everything documented (like cost to hire a transmission expert, any rental car costs, etc), get a final refusal from Hyundai corporate and the warranty company (so the judge doesn't have an excuse to toss the case), and make sure the damage to the transmission is verified by a third party. Preferably the third party is a transmission technician, and you may need him/her to testify. Like I said, I think the case may get tossed or stayed until you get the middle finger from both the warranty company and Hyundai Corporate. Based on the facts you have told us, I would give you even odds that a judge will rule in your favor and hopefully the dealership's lawyers will offer a settlement. I hope I'm wrong, but this may be something that lingers for months, and I don't think you're going to get 100% satisfaction on this one.

(Incompetence at dealerships seems to be the rule. In 2 years of owning my Genesis, I have had the techs fry a $2500 head unit and lose my fob. Things like this have happened 50% of the time I take my car in!)

I agree with everything you said. I have to wonder though, depending on how the car drives for a time, if it is better to shut up, let the trans die, have it fixed under warranty.

Certainly seems to be a dealer negligence issue but proving can be difficult.

 

[greekgeek]

I agree with everything you said. I have to wonder though, depending on how the car drives for a time, if it is better to shut up, let the trans die, have it fixed under warranty.

Certainly seems to be a dealer negligence issue but proving can be difficult.

Yep, could be a far superior option IMO.

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[Chad86tsi]

Yep, could be a far superior option IMO.

And you can even point to the fluid flush as evidence you were proactive about maintaining the car.

another thought, a flush never gets it all flushed out. There is still some "wrong" fluid in there, and a little of the old original fluid. It's diluted for sure, but you never get all the the old stuff out when you put in new.

 

[StarPower]

By using the wrong fluid, the dealership may have caused irreparable damage that permanently reduced the life of your transmission. The lurching/hesitating and hard downshifts are putting additional stress and wear on your transmission. These symptoms are often caused by the bands in the transmission slipping, which causes excessive wear. I agree with Markymark; if Hyundai or the dealership won't replace your transmission you should document everything and consider legal action.

I do not recommend waiting until the transmission fails to try to get it fixed under warranty, since your transmission may not fail until the warranty has already expired. I have driven other cars on slipping transmissions for years. I also recommend not letting the dealership touch your car unless they agree to replace the transmission, as they may try to cover up their mistake. For example, they might put in stop slip fluid (Lucas, Rislone, etc). These fluids may temporarily mask the symptoms, but will not fix the problem.

To add a little background information: An automatic transmission uses friction bands or clutches to engage the gears. The coefficient of friction for these bands is determined by both the band material and the transmission fluid. This is why using the wrong fluid can be so disastrous to an automatic transmission. Using the wrong fluid can increase or decrease the friction at the bands, which can cause them to slip. The fluid performs many other functions, like providing hydraulic power to the bands and transmitting power from the engine to the transmission in the torque converter, which also depend on the correct type of fluid to operate properly.

 

[TheBeginning]

Hey folks,

As part of the recommended maintenance, I had the transmission fluid flushed/replaced. Following that maintenance, I began to feel the car's transmission acting up from a cold start mostly.

I am going through this exact issue right now. Got a flush, transmission is now jerky and noisy. I also bought used with platinum warranty. I have not bought the car back at all and am looking for advice.

What is the update on your situation?

 

[carguy75]

Hey folks,

As part of the recommended maintenance, I had the transmission fluid flushed/replaced. Following that maintenance, I began to feel the car's transmission acting up from a cold start mostly. I brought it back for the next oil change, complained and told them I thought they did something wrong with the transmission fluid change last time. They check and confirmed. Wrong fluid, overfilled, but told me "our tech says transmission fluid is pretty much all the same." Well, if that's the case, why is one almost two hundred dollars more than the other?

Anyways, they claim they've done it right this time with the correct fluid, but the issue persists and may even be getting worse:

Symptoms:

• Lurches/hesitates a bit into second gear, sometimes others.
• Very whiney going into gears. More pronounced if higher RPMs and manually shifted.
• Occasionally downshifts very hard.
• If left parked for 2-3 days without running, the next start I hear an awful noise that sounds like the transmission whining.

It's less obvious to someone else driving it if the car has warmed up. At which point, there's less noise, the shifts get smoother, but as the owner I can tell it's not what it used to be.

Question:

Is this enough to force the dealership to replace the transmission under warranty? I fear that because the transmission hasn't completely failed, and that once warmed up, it's not super obvious something is wrong with it. Still, I am trying to avoid having it fail on a long trip.

I bought the car used, not CPO, but bought an extended warranty for the car through Hyundai (Platinum plan).

Whether they accept fault or not, this thing is clearly not happy and probably on its way out, I figure.

Thank you

The next step would be to take your Genesis to the same dealership that serviced it and have them check it out. If the dealership is a honorable business; then they would notice the issues and make it right for you either by replacing the transmission or repairing the damage to it caused by the incorrect fluid that used in it.

I would act on this ASAP. The sooner you officially address the issue with the dealership the most likely it will get corrected.

Note: I forgot that this is an old post, but the advice still applies to anyone in a similar situation.

 

[carguy75]

I am going through this exact issue right now. Got a flush, transmission is now jerky and noisy. I also bought used with platinum warranty. I have not bought the car back at all and am looking for advice.

What is the update on your situation?

How many miles was on your transmission?

I would take the car back to the dealership ASAP and let them know the about issues you are having after the service.

The longer you wait to notify the dealership of the issues, the more likely chance of the dealership not being willing to take repsonsiblity for the problem.

 

[Mcc]

NOTE: This thread (as interesting as it is) is from 2021 and responses are likely irrelevant to the OP now although they are still on the forum.

 

[carguy75]

NOTE: This thread (as interesting as it is) is from 2021 and responses are likely irrelevant to the OP now although they are still on the forum.

Hence my note in post #14 for anyone that just happens by this thread with the same concerns. This is a forum which means that even if the OP have left the forum years ago; many other current members may still need the advice for a similar situation like in post #15.

 

[Mcc]

Hence my note in post #14 for anyone that just happens by this thread with the same concerns. This is a forum which means that even if the OP have left the forum years ago; many other current members may still need the advice for a similar situation like in post #15.

I added my post because even after your post, posters were still asking the OP questions.

 

[carguy75]

I added my post because even after your post, posters were still asking the OP questions.

True!

 

[TheBeginning]

Hence my note in post #14 for anyone that just happens by this thread with the same concerns. This is a forum which means that even if the OP have left the forum years ago; many other current members may still need the advice for a similar situation like in post #15.

Do you know that the OP is off the forum?


Why you two are getting bent out of shape about me asking for an update? Im not spamming, I made one comment. I saw that the thread was old, but figured it was worth a shot.