Head Unit Problems

[scottdk]

I'm getting pressure on this forum to buy one; while, in th real world people are telling me, "do not buy a Hyundai!" Of course these people are largely uninformed, but attorneys in Southern California simply do not drive Hyundais (unless they're in their 20's and fresh out of law school - I nearly bought an Elantra 10 years ago, but people probably would have frowned on that too).

The locals are expressing their disapproval in advance. I can swim with the current or I can swim against it. Still deliberating...

Please see this thread

http://www.genesisowners.com/hyundai-genesis-forum/showthread.php?t=431&highlight=takes

 

[sarge]

I am an attorney who specializes in the lemon law in California. My office receives tens of new potential client inquiries weekly, but we haven't had a single call on the Genesis since its release. I figured the Genesis was reliable and was seriously considering a new Genesis with tech package, but this thread gives me pause.

A lemon law attorney should know that all car models have lemons.

My Genesis is a genuine lemon - no sound/navigation/steering wheel controls for months now. The Genesis is a fine car, however. HMC is failing me - but that is a businees decision, not a reflection on their merit as a manufacturer. If you were to purchase a Genesis, in all likelyhood it would give you years of trouble free service.

 

[nearwater]

I'm getting pressure on this forum to buy one; while, in th real world people are telling me, "do not buy a Hyundai!" Of course these people are largely uninformed, but attorneys in Southern California simply do not drive Hyundais (unless they're in their 20's and fresh out of law school - I nearly bought an Elantra 10 years ago, but people probably would have frowned on that too).

The locals are expressing their disapproval in advance. I can swim with the current or I can swim against it. Still deliberating...

I see what you're trying to say.
I think the Genesis will fit in with the other luxury vehicles pretty well.
Ride is smooth(although some owners tend to disagree), interior's fit and finish is pretty good, and the sound system is just awesome.
All this(V8+tech package) for under $40k OTD is a VERY good value.

But then again, there are a lot better cars out there for more money.
If money was no concern for me, I'd opt to get an Audi/BMW/Lexus/Jag.
Other lux/sport sedans that I drool all over;
- Audi A8/S8: Just beautiful. Elegant, classy. B&O sound system is pretty good, I hear. Although a lil harsh.
- BMW M5: The ultimate sport sedan. Can still have a lot of fun while being practical. Manual transmission availability is a huge plus for me.
- Lexus LS460: Very well-made car. Although I don't see the appeal over the Equus other than the "L" badge.
- the new Jag XJ: Some don't like the rear, but I love the way it looks. Interior is awesome!
- 2011 VW Phaeton: Looks like VW is being brave again and decided to bring over the '11 Phaeton to the US. Awesome car, unjustly underappreciated car.
- Porsche Panamera: Lots of people and the press seem to hate this car, but I LOVE it.

Your colleagues will not like the fact that it's a Hyundai, but if they get to see the vehicle in person, I'm sure they'll be impressed.
It's up to you. I'd say go for it, but if you're comfortable spending some more $$, why not get something better?

Dan

 

[Matt Z]

I've been in practice for 23years and next to the porsche 928S I drove for 10 years this is my favorite of 47 total vehicles I've owned

 

[Socrates]

Your colleagues will not like the fact that it's a Hyundai, but if they get to see the vehicle in person, I'm sure they'll be impressed.
It's up to you. I'd say go for it, but if you're comfortable spending some more $$, why not get something better?

Dan

I was at the BMW dealership yesterday. There is just something about a German car that the Japanese, and now Hyundai, have failed to capture. It goes beyond the emblem and the prestige. My Audi had a certain charm that my Infiniti lacks. Having said that, the Audi had electrical problems which culminated in my having VW repurchase it. The Infiniti has had no problems whatsoever.

Yesterday, I went from the Hyundai dealership straight to the BMW dealership. The Hyundai feels like a Japanese car to me. Very functional but it lacks a certain emotional appeal. However, I reviewed my office database, and over the years my office's BMW cases have outnumbered our Hyundai cases by a ratio of more than 7 to 1. Not great odds for BMW.

I can get a well equipped 3 series for the cost of a Genesis Lambda with tech. At this point, I want to move beyond the smaller entry level cars; I can pay $15K+ more and get the new similarly equipped 5 series. I can easily afford the 5 series, but throwing that kind of cash at a value-plummeting asset is hard to justify.

At this point, I'm really leaning towards the Hyundai. The gasps and giggles from the cash-stretched collective may get annoying, but I just may find joy in doing something very unexpected.

 

[nearwater]

I was at the BMW dealership yesterday. There is just something about a German car that the Japanese, and now Hyundai, have failed to capture. It goes beyond the emblem and the prestige.

I agree. There is in fact something that feels different when you drive a German car. Hard to describe, but it has that.. "it factor".

At this point, I'm really leaning towards the Hyundai. The gasps and giggles from the cash-stretched collective may get annoying, but I just may find joy in doing something very unexpected.

Well, good luck with your decision.

Dan

 

[ASHDUMP]

Go with the V8!

Just make sure you feel comfortable at the dealer as when things arise you want to know that the service you get will be like your Infinity/BMW dealership.

This is a fun and nice to car to drive. There will be no shortage of people asking you what it is and what they think it looks like. If you don't mind the attention, the Genesis is for you.

Every time I drive by someone in a 3 or 5 series, I just think of the value they lost out on. And you know their checking out my ride as well!

 

[Bocatrip]

I've owned my car since November of last year and I've only had a couple instances when the volume would cut out. A restart of the car fixes this. If I called a lawyer ever time I had to restart my computer because of glitches I'd have a new one ever 3 months.

I'm sure, if you purchased a Genesis you'd be on the side of 95% of people who have no issues with it. Most people go to forums to find answers to problems thus why there are a lot of seekers on here to find out how to fix the problem they are having.

I wouldn't trade my 17 speaker Lexicon for any other sound system on the market.

I like that 95% Stat.

 

[Bluewind]

Just wanted to echo previous comments about the radio, telephone, and NAVI acting strangely. I have a 2009 Genesis. All was working fine until this weekend which coincidentally was the expiration of my XM Radio one-year trial. Now when I try to make a phone call or navigate using the voice recognition system the unit almost always ignores the request. Often I cannot change AM or FM radio stations. The wheel on the NAVI system becomes non-responsive. Pressing the phone disconnect button does not work. Sometimes things work.

Since the XM subscription expired at the same time, I'd strongly suggest a correlation with these problems. Now the question is if I don't want the XM paid subscription, will my head unit be mostly inoperable?

 

[sarge]

Just wanted to echo previous comments about the radio, telephone, and NAVI acting strangely. I have a 2009 Genesis. All was working fine until this weekend which coincidentally was the expiration of my XM Radio one-year trial. Now when I try to make a phone call or navigate using the voice recognition system the unit almost always ignores the request. Often I cannot change AM or FM radio stations. The wheel on the NAVI system becomes non-responsive. Pressing the phone disconnect button does not work. Sometimes things work.

Since the XM subscription expired at the same time, I'd strongly suggest a correlation with these problems. Now the question is if I don't want the XM paid subscription, will my head unit be mostly inoperable?

I suspect that there is no correlation between the problem and the expiration of the XM subscription.

In my case, the XM subscription did not expire - I was only 4 months into the 12 month period. Since the initial failure, 4 amps and 1 head unit have been replaced, to no avail. My original symptoms were roughly equal to yours.

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[Bluewind]

I suspect that there is no correlation between the problem and the expiration of the XM subscription.

In my case, the XM subscription did not expire - I was only 4 months into the 12 month period. Since the initial failure, 4 amps and 1 head unit have been replaced, to no avail. My original symptoms were roughly equal to yours.

When you leave the dealer after the four or five replacement visits does the head unit work for sometime and then fail OR does it not work when leaving the dealer? This seems like a very expensive repair for Hyundai. Hard to make a profit when this much equipment gets replaced along with warranty service.

 

[nearwater]

When you leave the dealer after the four or five replacement visits does the head unit work for sometime and then fail OR does it not work when leaving the dealer? This seems like a very expensive repair for Hyundai. Hard to make a profit when this much equipment gets replaced along with warranty service.

I get the feeling that those units that are swapped out because of defects get refurbished and get used on other cars with similar problems.
I wonder if they even get sent into Harman Becker for inspection.

As long as mine works fine most of the part, I won't opt to have it replaced because of small glitches like I have right now; sound cutting off intermittently after initial power-up. It cuts off for a few seconds and comes back. But works perfectly otherwise. *knock on wood*

Dan

 

[Bocatrip]

Are you guys saying that after the head unit replacements the problem still exists? Isn't this getting a little old? This car has been on the road for awhile, why no fix yet?

 

[sarge]

When you leave the dealer after the four or five replacement visits does the head unit work for sometime and then fail OR does it not work when leaving the dealer?

The head unit has only been replaced once - presumably with a new unit. On that occasion, the unit worked for a short while, then failed again.

On the other 4 occasions that the DIS system failed, the amplifier was replaced. All but one of these was a remanufactured unit.

This seems like a very expensive repair for Hyundai. Hard to make a profit when this much equipment gets replaced along with warranty service.

I don't know how much the amp replacements cost the manufacturer. I do know that the dealership charged the manufacturer almost $5K for the one head unit replacement. I'm making a wild-arsed guess, but I'd be suprised if my Genesis had not already cost Hyundai more than 25% of the total cost of the car - certainly more than the profit margin. This is before I get reimbursed for the incredibly frustrating experience, and before my lawyer gets her pound of flesh from Hyundai.

I think that if I get a cash settlement, I'm going to go to a different Hyundai dealer and trade the thing in on a 2011 Sonota. That way, any new owner of the car would be able to confront Hyundai with warranty issues as if it is a new car - they'd wind up paying for it all again if the DIS should fail.

 

[sarge]

Are you guys saying that after the head unit replacements the problem still exists?

After one head unit replacement and (at least) 4 amps replaced, the problems still exist.

Isn't this getting a little old?

Well.....yes. It is getting a little old paying for a $40K car that hasn't had a functioning radio/XM/DVD/Nav system for 5 of the 8 months that I've owned it.

This car has been on the road for awhile, why no fix yet?

According to both service departments I've been to, my car is the only one in the whole world that has had this problem. Apparently, the rest of you are making it all up!

 

[Bocatrip]

After one head unit replacement and (at least) 4 amps replaced, the problems still exist.




Well.....yes. It is getting a little old paying for a $40K car that hasn't had a functioning radio/XM/DVD/Nav system for 5 of the 8 months that I've owned it.



According to both service departments I've been to, my car is the only one in the whole world that has had this problem. Apparently, the rest of you are making it all up!

Sounds very disheartening. I've seen a zillion complaints on the website that gathers all the repair reports (not sure if allowed to mention other sites here) with regards to replacing Amps and head units. Many owners mentioned doing it numerous times and getting the same issues. You can be sure that I'm not going ahead with any purchase until I see a more positive outcome.

 

[GripperDon]

WOW, Interesting thread, Glad the rest of the car is OK for you guys, The 17 speaker system is without a doubt the best part of the vehicle for me. I play lots of Audio DVD's and have a 16gig USB stick that provides music for longer drives. Without it, it would be a real bummer.

 

[sarge]

WOW, Interesting thread, Glad the rest of the car is OK for you guys, The 17 speaker system is without a doubt the best part of the vehicle for me. I play lots of Audio DVD's and have a 16gig USB stick that provides music for longer drives. Without it, it would be a real bummer.

On the rare occasion that I have a functioning DIS, my Girl Friend and I really enjoy sitting at a Sonic drive-in, eating ice cream and watching the DVD-A of the Eagles Live.

 

[Bluewind]

THE FIX (for those who prefer not to read the whole note): XM radio subscription

This is a long thread so I wanted to summarize my earlier complaint and solution. I complained that my navigation system, radio, voice recognition, etc., would work fine most of the time but occasionally would freeze or the voice recognition would say, "please wait." Coincidentally this started happening when my XM radio trial subscription ran out.

I took the car to my dealer and they could not reproduce the intermittent problem. I understand intermittent problems without logs are hard to troubleshoot.

I complained to Hyundai's customer service who suggested I was the only one in the world with this problem until I told the agent to visit this website. What a surprise when he found a number of customers with similar problems. of course he was going to check on the problem and call me back the next day. Four days have elapsed since then.

For one week I experienced this problem. Then I decided to test my "XM radio theory." I subscribed again. Perhaps it is another coincidence but after XM radio started working the problem disappeared.

During the course of my conversations with XM I found out that the car radio tries to authenticate with the XM "mothership" about every 15 minutes. This authentication determines what capabilities your radio has which is stored in an XM data center. Then I realized that my head unit malfunction occurred
in a 15-20 minute pattern. Maybe its more of a coincidence. My theory is that the authentication process causes the head unit to slow down just like the CPU on your PC when it has a heavy load. It cannot process anything except for the authentication so the head unit becomes unresponsive.

Glad its now working for me.

 

[Bear]

The questions that needs an answer is why the head unit fails on some cars and not others. Why is a replacement a fix on some and not others? Why is XM part of the problem on some and not others? Will the head unit fail in all cars at some point? I personally feel the problem is up steam of the head unit and Hyundai either doesn't know how to fix the problem or what they are doing is their best business solution. Better business decision to pay under the lemon law? There may be only a 30% failure rate at 50,000 miles. There is only a three year, 36,000 mile warranty on the head unit.

Considering the number of units sold, before the internet, you could have a 50% problem rate and no one would know.