Genesis Service Nightmare

[BATTCHIEF]

When I bought a Genesis 4.6 to replace my wife's E320, I paid for the Hyundai Platinum service package to get as close as possible to the service experience she had received from MB and Lexus. This package included free rent car, bumper to bumper warranty for 10/100000, door ding repair and pre-paid maintenance. Although the other luxury dealers offered a variety of other perks, we were really just interested in good service with a minimum of hassle. So far Hyundai has failed miserably. I took the car in to Huffines Hyundai of Plano for the first oil change at 3500 miles. I handed the pre-paid service coupon book from Hyundai to the service adviser and he was totally unfamiliar with this program. After several minutes of discussion he went off with the book to get some assistance. On the next service at 7000 miles I took the car to Huffines Hyundai of McKinney, yep, same owner. I waited 20 minutes for the lone service writer to finish with another customer. the 7000 mile service calls for an oil change, multi inspection and tire rotation, all of which are paid for by the coupon. This service adviser noticed that the previous service adviser had pulled the wrong coupon and that I could either pay for the tire rotation or drive back to the dealer in Plano in rush hour traffic. Although livid, I drove to Plano and took up the issue with the service manager. He agreed that they had made a mistake and said he would take care of the matter. He also added that this could have been handled by the sister dealership. After getting the car serviced, I took it for a detail and returned home to find a message asking me to return the car to the dealership as they had left off the engine cover. On the way there I began to smell burning oil and by the time I got there smoke was boiling out from under the hood. Turns out that the oil fill cap was left off as well. Now the entire engine compartment was soaked in oil. They power washed the engine compartment, blowing oil all over the freshly detailed car. I am to return the car for a free detail and to make sure that the rest of the oil is removed from the engine compartment. The shop foreman made a feeble attempt to explain stating that the techs really weren't that familiar with the 4.6 and were still learning. Learning what? The basics of car maintenance. Where was quality control? Hyundai builds a good product, but they will never be able to keep customers with this type of service.


BattChief

 

[Soldier76]

Dude, welcome to the one in a million club. Your probably one of only a handful of people who will have that unique experience. Now you must give Hyundai another chance to redeem themselves and right there wrongs. I'm really sorry to hear about your experience and hope it never happens to anyone of us here.

 

[imaphaetonguy]

After owning many Lexus, BMW, and Audi vehicles - in 2005 I purchased a 2004 VW Phaeton (the Audi A8's brother).

This was supposed to be VW's entre into attracting 'premium' customers and providing hi-end ownership experiences. It didn't happen. There was no difference between a Golf and a Phaeton experience at the dealer. Which was to say, I might as well gone to Firestone or Goodyear for the same service.

No matter how much training they receive, I think once you experience the German/Toyota experience, its hard for main stream dealer to service up market vehicles.

Sorry for the bad experience.

 

[moose66]

First of all, sorry to hear about that crappy experience. Secondly, I find that hard to understand. I thought all manufacturers exposed their techies to new products well before they even begin trying to service them. I have a cousin who has been a Mercedes tech for over 20 years. I told him to read this and he couldn't believe what he read. That is just poor all around. Hopefully they will get you, and your car, back to normal asap with as little inconvenience as possible. As Soldier76 said, this has to be a one in a million issue that will probably not happen at Huffines again. Unfortunately it appears you were the guiney pig for their Genesis service! Good luck!

 

[ImInPA]

That experience is the result of a single, less than careful, service technician. Give Hyundai a chance to make good on this obvious screw-up. That tech may be working at Lexus, MB. or BMW in the not to distant future. It is pretty hard to imagine leaving off the engine cover and oil cap though. I had an acura that I had dropped off for service. When I cam e to pick it up, I was talking with the service tech. As I backed out, there was a rather large puddle of oil under the car. Turns out, the Tech had forgotten to tighten the oil pan drain bolt. Stuff happens. Unless you do the work for yourself, these things can happen with any brand. I bet the Hyundai tech that worked on your car will not be so quick to close the hood next time.

 

[speakthetruth]

this experience has NOTHING to do with hyundai, thats your dealership. dont blame hyundai for someone elses foul-up. hyundai does not instruct people to leave oil caps off and otherwise. i sell hyundais and own a bmw and have had mishaps at my bmw service provider. there will always be dummies where ver you go, you just ran into the wrong one.

 

[BATTCHIEF]

While i certainly recognize that accidents do happen or that a mistake by a single tech should not be the basis for judging all of Hyundai service, none of my service visits have inspired confidence. Poorly trained service advisers, inadequate staffing and little in the way of quality assurance has been the hallmark so far. (I own a 2007 Santa Fe as well and have had some poor service experiences with this vehicle also.) I am as troubled by the dealership that sent me packing (BTW it was the dealership where i purchased the genesis) as i was with the dealership that left the oil fill cap off. As the service manager of the second dealership pointed out, they are both owned by the same individual and any mistake could have been handled internally without inconveniencing the customer. I want Hyundai to be successful. I like their vehicles. But how would you feel about the reliability of their service if your brand new Genesis was left with an oil soaked engine compartment and the smell of burned oil still evident inside the vehicle a week later? Yes, I have had service problems at MB, Lexus and BMW, but nothing as serious and as basic as this. I should have never been advised to return the vehicle to the dealership risking further damage to the vehicle and even the possibility of an engine compartment fire. The responsible action would have been to tell me not to drive the vehicle and that they would come to my location to fix the problem. The oil cap incident may truly be a one in a million mistake, but the poorly trained service writers and long waits on the service drive suggest a more fundamental problem in the service department and one that Hyundai has to address. The shop foreman thought that telling me his techs were still learning about the genesis would help me understand how this might have happened. instead it makes me even more concerned about their ability to deal with any real problems that might develop. Perhaps Toyota, Nissan and Honda were right to separate their luxury lines from the rest of their products and establish a higher level of service. You won't be selling Genesis for long with Elantra level service. Will I give Hyundai another chance? Yeah I guess so unless I want to eat the loss on a new car with 7000 miles on the odometer. Any ideas on how to get the oil smell out of the interior? So far cleaning and air freshners have failed.

 

[moose66]

You make some good points. Still a tough pill to swallow. Best case scenario would have been for them to tow the vehicle back to their shop. Telling you to drive it back probably wasn't a good idea since neither you nor them knew what else may have been screwed up underneath the hood! Oil all over the place is never a good thing. Even the smallest spills, i.e. from changing your own oil, leaves a lasting smell until it burns off.

Hard to get rid of that oil smell until all of the oil is burned off of the engine block, etc. Internally you may ask them to replace all air filters. You may have that oil smell, or even actually oil lodged in your filters. That certainly won't go away until the filters are replaced. Even then that smell may stick around. An oil smell is a tough one to get rid of.

 

[BATTCHIEF]

Thanks for the tip about the filters. I had not thought about that. The smoke was bad enough that it was sucked into the passenger compartment and there was a visible haze inside the vehicle. It probably did go through the filters. I will get them changed immediately. Thanks.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

Thanks for the tip about the filters. I had not thought about that. The smoke was bad enough that it was sucked into the passenger compartment and there was a visible haze inside the vehicle. It probably did go through the filters. I will get them changed immediately. Thanks.

At THEIR expense!!
And I believe an email or letter to the owner of the dealers is in order. My guess is that the Service Manager isn't going to 'volunteer' this ****up to him, but he needs to know.

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[moose66]

At THEIR expense!!
And I believe an email or letter to the owner of the dealers is in order. My guess is that the Service Manager isn't going to 'volunteer' this ****up to him, but he needs to know.

Oh no doubt! This should cost the owners nothing! Not only send the letter to the owners/GM of the dealership, I would also cc Hyundai Motors NA corporate. Doesn't have to be a nasty gram. Just something stating what transpired. Good luck!

 

[CanukV6]

Some other things you can try to get rid of the Oil Smell inside the car.
1) Get some BBQ Charcoal Brickettes and lay them out on a cookie baking tray. Leave it on the floor inside the car with all the windows/doors closed. The Charcoal absorbs odours from the surrounding air.
2) Get some freshly ground coffee and put it in some small bowls. Add a slice of apple to each bowl and place them around the car, again with the windows/doors closed. I heard that truckers use this method to get the Diesel smell out of their cabs.

 

[netmag]

If the service has been consistently sub-standard and you've mentioned that to the dealer before, then you have to also make sure you let Hyundai know about it too. Tell them these stories and if they're serious about it, you should probably get a call from either Hyundai or the dealer {perhaps after Hyundai encourages them} offering to do a little bit more to help you rectify any lingering issues (like the smell).

At least that's what they should do. It would be a good test of Hyundai's commitment to quality service.

And if you let Hyundai know and there's still no improvement, then it is Hyundai's fault. No one's perfect. As mentioned, I'm sure BMW techs make mistakes too. However, it's all about the percentages. If the sub-standard service happens too often then I think it is indeed Hyundai's fault and they need to pressure the dealerships to raise the bar a bit more.

I'm ok with giving a dealer a pass if they are good most of the time and make an honest effort to correct any times that mistakes are made or do a little extra to make sure you're satisfied. If not then you should definitely take it to Hyundai because they can only do something about it if you let them know.

 

[kaberle]

this experience has NOTHING to do with hyundai, thats your dealership. dont blame hyundai for someone elses foul-up. hyundai does not instruct people to leave oil caps off and otherwise. i sell hyundais and own a bmw and have had mishaps at my bmw service provider. there will always be dummies where ver you go, you just ran into the wrong one.

I totally agree this is a dealer problem and not a Hyundai problem. Shit happens ! An oil change is an oil change is an oil change no matter what make of car. A Hyundai Service guy can do it as well or as badly as a Mercedes service guy. And before all you Lexus guys perk up, the task of changing oil in a vehicle is not a difficult one..... The argument cannot be made that somehow Hyundai is responsible for the error and therefore Hyundai is a pretender. That would be the same as saying the BMW service department has never made an error. Ya Right !

When I first picked up my car there was some environmental fallout crap on my glass and paint. The dealer removed it by "claying" the car. turned out a few weeks later I noticed a couple of small spots they missed...... so I took it back and they fixed it. This was not a Hyundai problem. This was a service technician buffer guy who made an error. How rediculous does it sound for me to say Hyundai is crap they can't even do a buff job without screwing it up.... they can't compete with the likes of Mercedes and BMW and Lexus. Thats rediculous!

Oh by the way did you get any Krispy Kremes !....... No matter if you didn't. HG is going in for service. He will get us some.

 

[kaberle]

If the service has been consistently sub-standard and you've mentioned that to the dealer before, then you have to also make sure you let Hyundai know about it too. Tell them these stories and if they're serious about it, you should probably get a call from either Hyundai or the dealer {perhaps after Hyundai encourages them} offering to do a little bit more to help you rectify any lingering issues (like the smell).

At least that's what they should do. It would be a good test of Hyundai's commitment to quality service.

And if you let Hyundai know and there's still no improvement, then it is Hyundai's fault. No one's perfect. As mentioned, I'm sure BMW techs make mistakes too. However, it's all about the percentages. If the sub-standard service happens too often then I think it is indeed Hyundai's fault and they need to pressure the dealerships to raise the bar a bit more.

I'm ok with giving a dealer a pass if they are good most of the time and make an honest effort to correct any times that mistakes are made or do a little extra to make sure you're satisfied. If not then you should definitely take it to Hyundai because they can only do something about it if you let them know.

Agreed.... two thumbs up !

 

[ImInPA]

Everyone makes a mistakes, but, remember, it can always be worse (see photo).

 

[USMA84]

That's a pretty disappointing account! I fully agree -- if Hyundai truly wants to compete with the big boys, service after the sale is as important as value, performance, features, etc.

It amazes me that the service writer admitted his mechanics were still learning about the Genesis. Even if that is the case, a statement like that doesn't exactly instill confidence in the customer!

 

[kaberle]

That's a pretty disappointing account! I fully agree -- if Hyundai truly wants to compete with the big boys, service after the sale is as important as value, performance, features, etc.

It amazes me that the service writer admitted his mechanics were still learning about the Genesis. Even if that is the case, a statement like that doesn't exactly instill confidence in the customer!

Go have a read here. I suppose if BMW wants to compete with the big boys in both before and after sales service they better pull up there boot straps.

Funny how the big boys have this reputation but if you do a search anywhere on the net the results are countless tales of where they are no better than the rest. Except you get Krispy Kremes of course.


http://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/Center-BMW-review-322/

 

[kaberle]

Probably shouldn't forget about Lexus....... go have a read...... wouldn't want people to think I'm picking on BMW


http://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/Jim-Falk-Lexus-review-7306/


This dealer is in Beverly Hills of all places

 

[kaberle]

Do you think maybe they were ganging up on this Mercedes Dealer?


http://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/Autobahn-Motors-Mercedes-Benz-review-15262/


Ok I'm done..............