OT: Car repair advice

[S_Janowski]

As you already understand, it's time to get rid of the Tucson. The only question is whether it's more economical to replace the cat and quickly sell or simply trade-it-in "as is." It doesn't take an experienced mechanic (and, I'm not a mechanic) to tell you that it's time to cut your losses. Something caused the cat to fail and while it could relate to the CC, itself (or an attempted theft, etc.), there's obviously high probability of another, far more costly, cause. If you think your Tucson is worthless with an exhaust issue, wait until you throw a rod and blow the engine. Not worth the risk. Attempt to get accurate estimates for the value of each a working and dead 2018 Tucson. Once in hand, dump the vehicle, ASAP.

Unless you're savvy with cars and/or know a qualified mechanic willing to work with you on the cheap, a dealership trade-in is likely inevitable. In the old days, you could deal with mechanical problems by going to a salvage yard and buying used parts if you could install them yourself or knew a mechanic who would work with you to do the work. Here, even if you were an ace mechanic, I doubt that you could find a CC at a salvage yard. As suggested by others, I don't believe that they're even available for sale. In the absence of such cost-cutting measures, you're at the mercy of a garage, if you can even find an old school, independent repair shop. If not, you're limited to unreliable franchises like Midas, Mavis, etc. or unaffordable dealerships.

If it were my Tucson and the vehicle was drivable, I'd simply take it to a dealership, say nothing and see what's offered for trade-in. If you're ridiculously lucky, they might not fully appreciate the problem. But, assuming the problem is obvious, the value of the vehicle will be central to your negotiations. Unless you're a truly skilled negotiator, you should first negotiate the financing or lease for your new vehicle before swallowing the bitter pill of the low value of your trade-in, otherwise expect an amazingly generous offer for your shitty trade in exchange for paying top-dollar for the new vehicle.

For what it's worth, if the Tucson is in such bad shape that it's not even drivable, I would first call dealerships to explain the situation and attempt to get a guarantee for a minimum offer, sight-unseen, before absorbing the cost of having the vehicle towed for their inspection. Don't add insult to injury by having a wrecker take your vehicle to a dealership only to be told that they're not interested in a trade or are only willing to cough-up $500, etc. Remember, you've been dealt a bad hand, here. You shouldn't anticipate any favors.

Sorry for your situation. My advice, quickly address it and move-on. Regrettably, I've spent a good deal of time in my life dealing with these sort of concerns--even when I truly couldn't afford the consequences; even when I assumed that I was past such concerns; even when they only became my responsibility to help others. The faster you take care of the problem, the better you'll feel. In the end, it's only a car. There are far more worthwhile things worthy of your time and attention. Good luck.

Thanks!

Some good advice in this thread…sounds like general consensus is to sell the car and move on.

It’s been sitting at the Dealership for over a month as I’ve been trying to get them to work with Corporate to cover the repair, but that was denied.

I won’t ever be buying a Hyundai again so I’ll see what they’ll offer for a straight up trade in since it’s sitting in their lot. Unfortunately a CarMax type of place is going to want to inspect it since it has such as major issue and is pretty much not able to be driven at high speeds right now.

 

[Knightmoves]

Thanks!

Some good advice in this thread…sounds like general consensus is to sell the car and move on.

It’s been sitting at the Dealership for over a month as I’ve been trying to get them to work with Corporate to cover the repair, but that was denied.

I won’t ever be buying a Hyundai again so I’ll see what they’ll offer for a straight up trade in since it’s sitting in their lot. Unfortunately a CarMax type of place is going to want to inspect it since it has such as major issue and is pretty much not able to be driven at high speeds right now.

Won’t the Dealer just sell your car at auction? Auction prices have been going up in many cases due to lack of supply of used cars.

 

[rutgersal]

Thanks!

Some good advice in this thread…sounds like general consensus is to sell the car and move on.

It’s been sitting at the Dealership for over a month as I’ve been trying to get them to work with Corporate to cover the repair, but that was denied.

I won’t ever be buying a Hyundai again so I’ll see what they’ll offer for a straight up trade in since it’s sitting in their lot. Unfortunately a CarMax type of place is going to want to inspect it since it has such as major issue and is pretty much not able to be driven at high speeds right now.

Don’t waste you’re time with carmax as they’ll only offer you wholesale. See what Hyundai will give you.

But if you’re not satisfied, I would just get what I could from the new car dealer, and move on.

 

[RUenvsci]

My advice is #2. That's a big investment to make to simply trade it in. If you could find aftermarket or used part and get it done for less and then private sell I'd consider that. I highly doubt a dealer will give you the 2500-3500 more just because.

Private sales are no longer worth it. People basically want cars for free when privately sold. These are the people that look for absolute steals.

 

[MADHAT1]

Just a thought, if your neighbors had their CCs stolen and you are not sure thieves didn't go after yours and if repair would be covered by your insurance if they did and the damage caused the CC to go bad.
The dealer you brought your car to probably checked for damage from an attempted theft, but if you know any mechanics maybe it might be worth your while to have them check if they can see an attempted theft, in case the dealer missed it.
Cost of check might not be worth it, but can't hurt to ask how much to do it.

 

[DennisHajekRC84]

Private sales are no longer worth it. People basically want cars for free when privately sold. These are the people that look for absolute steals.

Tru dat

 

[RUaMoose]

Or he could just steal one from some other shitty Hyundai and put it in himself - it's not hard - and then he'll get much closer to full sale value. :>)

He should get a sensible sedan. Maybe a Toyota Camry. Very sensible

 

[RUaMoose]

Call area auto salvage yards and see if they have a used CC. If so, buy it, get it installed, then sell the car.

So fix the problem at a much lower cost then sell it? We’re talking a vehicle that’s only 4,5 years old. Love this “logic”

 

[RU4Real]

This is a strange scenario.

First, I'm not sure what "melted" means for a catalytic converter. But if the internal catalyst is compromised, it should be replaced under warranty if the car is less than 8 years old or has fewer than 80,000 miles.

If the vehicle has "just over 80k miles" (I believe that's what you said in the OP) then they should either a) replace it for free anyway or b) heavily discount the replacement.

FWIW, many manufacturers warranty emissions components for the life of the vehicle.

That's my 2 cents on the specifics, i.e. I would fight with them. Call Hyundai of America, get a customer rep involved, get your regional service account manager involved and shame the shit out of your dealer on socmed.

Secondarily, I have never purchased a Hyundai or Kia but have seriously considered it several times. Each time the total asshole attitude of the dealers sent me out the door and elsewhere.

Also, while I know it's probably futile, I would strongly discourage anyone from buying a Toyota product or most Honda products. All Toyota CUVs are now built with Continuously Variable Transmissions ("CVTs") and they are absolutely the worst thing that anyone has ever bolted to a car in nearly a century and a half of car building. Honda, likewise, uses them in the HRV and CRV. Plus, Toyota vehicles have generally inferior fit / finish characteristics and their paintjobs and trim pieces are also of comparatively inferior quality. If you keep cars for more than a few years, you absolutely WILL run into body integrity issues as well as annoying "this button keeps coming off and this widget no longer works" types of problems.

FWIW, I bought 2 Mazda CX-30s a couple months ago - one for my daughter and a CX-30 Premium Plus Turbo for myself. Outstanding. Can't say enough about the design quality and the build quality.

 

[Good-Knight]

A metals recycling facility is the place to find catalytic converters and the kind of people that -ahem- recycle them. I would be surprised if a replacement Cat Converter did not 100% solve your problems.
The science behind precious metals acting as catalyst for exothermic reactions in your compression engine is high level chemistry. I don't think it could be effectively repaired. Would need to be replaced.
Plus, I second what MADHAT1 speculates about theft and insurance. Even might try home-owners if the damage by theft occurred in your driveway.

 

[S_Janowski]

This is a strange scenario.

First, I'm not sure what "melted" means for a catalytic converter. But if the internal catalyst is compromised, it should be replaced under warranty if the car is less than 8 years old or has fewer than 80,000 miles.

If the vehicle has "just over 80k miles" (I believe that's what you said in the OP) then they should either a) replace it for free anyway or b) heavily discount the replacement.

FWIW, many manufacturers warranty emissions components for the life of the vehicle.

That's my 2 cents on the specifics, i.e. I would fight with them. Call Hyundai of America, get a customer rep involved, get your regional service account manager involved and shame the shit out of your dealer on socmed.

Secondarily, I have never purchased a Hyundai or Kia but have seriously considered it several times. Each time the total asshole attitude of the dealers sent me out the door and elsewhere.

Also, while I know it's probably futile, I would strongly discourage anyone from buying a Toyota product or most Honda products. All Toyota CUVs are now built with Continuously Variable Transmissions ("CVTs") and they are absolutely the worst thing that anyone has ever bolted to a car in nearly a century and a half of car building. Honda, likewise, uses them in the HRV and CRV. Plus, Toyota vehicles have generally inferior fit / finish characteristics and their paintjobs and trim pieces are also of comparatively inferior quality. If you keep cars for more than a few years, you absolutely WILL run into body integrity issues as well as annoying "this button keeps coming off and this widget no longer works" types of problems.

FWIW, I bought 2 Mazda CX-30s a couple months ago - one for my daughter and a CX-30 Premium Plus Turbo for myself. Outstanding. Can't say enough about the design quality and the build quality.

I’m pretty far past the 80K warranty (at 99K).

After having it towed to the dealership and waiting 10 days for them to look at it the only info they gave me was that it was “melted” and needed to be replaced at a cost of $3500.

I requested that they submit a “Goodwill” request to Hyundai Corporate to cover the cost (or a portion). I was assigned a “case Manager” from Corporate and then waited another 15 days at which point I was recently told it was denied and they wouldn’t cover anything.

I then called Hyundai Corporate and also submitted a complaint to Corporate and requested that they reconsider but my assigned Case Manager at Corporate (who delivered the initial denial news) again told me it was denied and there were no further avenues/options.

I probably could call the Dealership back up and talk to a Service Manager or Account Manager and try to continue to pursue this but at this point I’m done with Hyundai. My Tucson has been on their lot for over a month now.

Last year I had major engine issues with my other Hyundai (bearings we’re going at 9 years 102K miles). It took one Dealership 4 months to replace my engine last year on my other Hyundai and the customer service was dog $hit (was told they had 50 cars on their lot that needed new engines, false promises on time to fix, impossible to talk to service people on the phone, false promises for returned calls when I did connect with a receptionist……and then my alternator seized when they fixed my engine and they tried getting me to pay for that which I had to fight with them to cover).

I purposely took the Tucson with the CC issue to another Dealership and I’m experiencing the exact same fog $hit customer service…..(insanely backed up and slow, impossible to talk to service people, service people don’t return my calls etc).

As far as your point about Toyotas and Hondas - personally this doesn’t bother me that much. I’m not a car guy and would rather put my disposable income into travel, entertainment, real estate or investing. As long as the car gets me from point A to point B and I can get 150k-200K miles on it I couldn’t care less about the trim or body paint.

 

[RU Diesel07110]

My impression is that it's pretty easy to steal a CC. If somebody wanted it, they probably would have gotten it.

Cordless Sawzall

 

[Plum Street]

Will you be buying another car right now ?

If so, I would negotiate the car purchase as usual. Agreeing on price of new car first and then telling them you have a trade of the non drivable Tucson. (Obviously you don’t tell the salesman you got a trade until you have to) If you don’t like the terms, you can walk.

 

[RU4Real]

I’m pretty far past the 80K warranty (at 99K).

After having it towed to the dealership and waiting 10 days for them to look at it the only info they gave me was that it was “melted” and needed to be replaced at a cost of $3500.

I requested that they submit a “Goodwill” request to Hyundai Corporate to cover the cost (or a portion). I was assigned a “case Manager” from Corporate and then waited another 15 days at which point I was recently told it was denied and they wouldn’t cover anything.

I then called Hyundai Corporate and also submitted a complaint to Corporate and requested that they reconsider but my assigned Case Manager at Corporate (who delivered the initial denial news) again told me it was denied and there were no further avenues/options.

I probably could call the Dealership back up and talk to a Service Manager or Account Manager and try to continue to pursue this but at this point I’m done with Hyundai. My Tucson has been on their lot for over a month now.

Last year I had major engine issues with my other Hyundai (bearings we’re going at 9 years 102K miles). It took one Dealership 4 months to replace my engine last year on my other Hyundai and the customer service was dog $hit (was told they had 50 cars on their lot that needed new engines, false promises on time to fix, impossible to talk to service people on the phone, false promises for returned calls when I did connect with a receptionist……and then my alternator seized when they fixed my engine and they tried getting me to pay for that which I had to fight with them to cover).

I purposely took the Tucson with the CC issue to another Dealership and I’m experiencing the exact same fog $hit customer service…..(insanely backed up and slow, impossible to talk to service people, service people don’t return my calls etc).

As far as your point about Toyotas and Hondas - personally this doesn’t bother me that much. I’m not a car guy and would rather put my disposable income into travel, entertainment, real estate or investing. As long as the car gets me from point A to point B and I can get 150k-200K miles on it I couldn’t care less about the trim or body paint.

Fair enough. It's just that - and hear me out on this - not having to worry about shit and have that consume some amount of your energy could be a really good thing too, right?

Couple of anecdotes. As you may recall, we've had a bunch of Audis. The first one my wife had, a 2010 A4, went in for an oil change at about 86,000 miles. The dealership called and said they thought it had an oil consumption problem and wanted to run their TSB-mandated oil consumption test. They did. It failed. They replaced the engine. We had the car back 2 days later. I drove it to Detroit for the QuickLane bowl a week later.

My recently traded 2020 Volvo S60 went in for routine service back in March or April. 30k stuff - all of which was free, btw, because it came that way. I mentioned to the service rep at Volvo Manasquan that I didn't think the brakes were behaving properly. They checked them - and replaced the rotors and calipers for free.

That surprised even me, because generally speaking brake components are considered a wear item. Volvo service is unsurpassed - @Knight Shift can vouch, here.

You're looking to replace a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. If you were to do that outright, a top of the line Limited would set you back 36k. A Volvo XC40 will cost about 41k. It is in every single way a better vehicle. It's 5 grand. For a better car and limitless piece of mind.

For what it's worth, that same money will get you an Audi Q3, which I don't really recommend because I think they're just too damn slow to be an Audi. It will also get you a ridiculously loaded Mazda CX-5 Turbo or a somewhat less loaded-up (but cooler vehicle, IMO) CX-50 Turbo.

Or you can get a Rav4 Limited (fully loaded) for 37k. Or a CRV for 35k.

But neither of those are nearly the same kind of car you can get for spending an extra 5k. And I genuinely believe the whole not having to worry about shit is really worth the money.

BTW - The CX-30 Turbo is really great. And it's the same money as the Toyota/Honda/ Hyundai stuff - it's just smaller, which for me is fine but for you it might not be.

 

[Knight Shift]

Fair enough. It's just that - and hear me out on this - not having to worry about shit and have that consume some amount of your energy could be a really good thing too, right?

Couple of anecdotes. As you may recall, we've had a bunch of Audis. The first one my wife had, a 2010 A4, went in for an oil change at about 86,000 miles. The dealership called and said they thought it had an oil consumption problem and wanted to run their TSB-mandated oil consumption test. They did. It failed. They replaced the engine. We had the car back 2 days later. I drove it to Detroit for the QuickLane bowl a week later.

My recently traded 2020 Volvo S60 went in for routine service back in March or April. 30k stuff - all of which was free, btw, because it came that way. I mentioned to the service rep at Volvo Manasquan that I didn't think the brakes were behaving properly. They checked them - and replaced the rotors and calipers for free.

That surprised even me, because generally speaking brake components are considered a wear item. Volvo service is unsurpassed - @Knight Shift can vouch, here.

You're looking to replace a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. If you were to do that outright, a top of the line Limited would set you back 36k. A Volvo XC40 will cost about 41k. It is in every single way a better vehicle. It's 5 grand. For a better car and limitless piece of mind.

For what it's worth, that same money will get you an Audi Q3, which I don't really recommend because I think they're just too damn slow to be an Audi. It will also get you a ridiculously loaded Mazda CX-5 Turbo or a somewhat less loaded-up (but cooler vehicle, IMO) CX-50 Turbo.

Or you can get a Rav4 Limited (fully loaded) for 37k. Or a CRV for 35k.

But neither of those are nearly the same kind of car you can get for spending an extra 5k. And I genuinely believe the whole not having to worry about shit is really worth the money.

BTW - The CX-30 Turbo is really great. And it's the same money as the Toyota/Honda/ Hyundai stuff - it's just smaller, which for me is fine but for you it might not be.

To echo what you said, Volvo's service is fantastic, and we get 3 years of free old change/maintenance with the purchase of our plug in hybrid (Recharge) S60. After 3 Audis and the usurious service plan charges, we had vowed to stay away from "luxury" brands, but we have been pleasantly surprised by Volvo and the free service.

On to Mazda. Generally, a really nice car for the money in terms of finish and performance. IMO (and opinions vary), much nicer than the other Japanese and Korean brands. We bought each of our kids Mazda3 vehicles, one has a 2018, the other has a 2022. Both are extremely happy with their vehicles.

The service has generally been "OK" with Mazda. It seems every dealer has jacked up their prices for routine maintenance. Was surprised an oil change on the Mazda3 was $80 or $90. Even with synthetic oil, that's a lot for an oil change on a small sedan.

That aside, the 2018 Mazda just went off warranty last October. On the last service this weekend, the tech told my kid that the hydraulic belt tensioner was leaking hydraulic fluid. Quote to fix that was $600. I did a little digging, and it turns out Mazda issued a service bulletin on the hydraulic belt tensioner for a most of their vehicles, including the Mazda3. This was not shared with the vehicle owners, but the service departments knew about it. Of course, now that the vehicle is out of warranty, they bring this up. IMO, any upstanding company would have serviced this during routine service once the bulletin was issued.

Anyway, I found the replacement part online for $130, and we are going to a local reputable mechanic for the quote to replace it. I'm guessing the labor will be no more than $200, so the total cost will be about half of the dealer quote. Moral of the story is after you are out of warranty, don't get your service at the dealer. Find a reputable local mechanic.

 

[RobertG]

Fair enough. It's just that - and hear me out on this - not having to worry about shit and have that consume some amount of your energy could be a really good thing too, right?

Couple of anecdotes. As you may recall, we've had a bunch of Audis. The first one my wife had, a 2010 A4, went in for an oil change at about 86,000 miles. The dealership called and said they thought it had an oil consumption problem and wanted to run their TSB-mandated oil consumption test. They did. It failed. They replaced the engine. We had the car back 2 days later. I drove it to Detroit for the QuickLane bowl a week later.

My recently traded 2020 Volvo S60 went in for routine service back in March or April. 30k stuff - all of which was free, btw, because it came that way. I mentioned to the service rep at Volvo Manasquan that I didn't think the brakes were behaving properly. They checked them - and replaced the rotors and calipers for free.

That surprised even me, because generally speaking brake components are considered a wear item. Volvo service is unsurpassed - @Knight Shift can vouch, here.

You're looking to replace a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. If you were to do that outright, a top of the line Limited would set you back 36k. A Volvo XC40 will cost about 41k. It is in every single way a better vehicle. It's 5 grand. For a better car and limitless piece of mind.

For what it's worth, that same money will get you an Audi Q3, which I don't really recommend because I think they're just too damn slow to be an Audi. It will also get you a ridiculously loaded Mazda CX-5 Turbo or a somewhat less loaded-up (but cooler vehicle, IMO) CX-50 Turbo.

Or you can get a Rav4 Limited (fully loaded) for 37k. Or a CRV for 35k.

But neither of those are nearly the same kind of car you can get for spending an extra 5k. And I genuinely believe the whole not having to worry about shit is really worth the money.

BTW - The CX-30 Turbo is really great. And it's the same money as the Toyota/Honda/ Hyundai stuff - it's just smaller, which for me is fine but for you it might not be.

I’m going to second Volvo of Manasquan, great service department.

 

[kupuna133]

To echo what you said, Volvo's service is fantastic, and we get 3 years of free old change/maintenance with the purchase of our plug in hybrid (Recharge) S60. After 3 Audis and the usurious service plan charges, we had vowed to stay away from "luxury" brands, but we have been pleasantly surprised by Volvo and the free service.

On to Mazda. Generally, a really nice car for the money in terms of finish and performance. IMO (and opinions vary), much nicer than the other Japanese and Korean brands. We bought each of our kids Mazda3 vehicles, one has a 2018, the other has a 2022. Both are extremely happy with their vehicles.

The service has generally been "OK" with Mazda. It seems every dealer has jacked up their prices for routine maintenance. Was surprised an oil change on the Mazda3 was $80 or $90. Even with synthetic oil, that's a lot for an oil change on a small sedan.

That aside, the 2018 Mazda just went off warranty last October. On the last service this weekend, the tech told my kid that the hydraulic belt tensioner was leaking hydraulic fluid. Quote to fix that was $600. I did a little digging, and it turns out Mazda issued a service bulletin on the hydraulic belt tensioner for a most of their vehicles, including the Mazda3. This was not shared with the vehicle owners, but the service departments knew about it. Of course, now that the vehicle is out of warranty, they bring this up. IMO, any upstanding company would have serviced this during routine service once the bulletin was issued.

Anyway, I found the replacement part online for $130, and we are going to a local reputable mechanic for the quote to replace it. I'm guessing the labor will be no more than $200, so the total cost will be about half of the dealer quote. Moral of the story is after you are out of warranty, don't get your service at the dealer. Find a reputable local mechanic.

Funny you say that about Audi/Volvo. We were an Audi/Volkswagen loyal family for many years (Touareg, A4,a6,Q7). After Our last 2 Audis needing major service and replacements of parts at 80k. We decided to move away from the brand and settled on the Volvo xc90 and s60. We have had nothing but a great experience. We were the last purchase at Garden State Volvo with the xc90. Maintenance department is amazing at Manasquan Volvo.

 

[retired711]

Funny you say that about Audi/Volvo. We were an Audi/Volkswagen loyal family for many years (Touareg, A4,a6,Q7). After Our last 2 Audis needing major service and replacements of parts at 80k. We decided to move away from the brand and settled on the Volvo xc90 and s60. We have had nothing but a great experience. We were the last purchase at Garden State Volvo with the xc90. Maintenance department is amazing at Manasquan Volvo.

Your comments are very helpful. I have heard bad things about recent Volvos, but what you say makes me think we ought to consider them seriously when we next car-shop (which will be in the next year or two.) FWIW, I've never heard a good thing about Audi reliability even though they try to give the impression that their cars are built by elves in the Black Forest.

 

[iReC89]

apparently this problem can be caused by 'unburned fuel entering the exhaust system' - So that may be another angle to bust the dealers chops about - did they screw up or miss something on a previous service? but also, if you fix it, make sure they check for bad spark plugs, etc. .. which probably also would make things sluggish.

Just had an old forester tuned up at 200k - new spark plugs and injector cleaning. Mileage seems slightly worse after the work and a bit more sluggish. Hopefully I did not pay extra to give myself this problem.

 

[rutgersal]

Private sales are no longer worth it. People basically want cars for free when privately sold. These are the people that look for absolute steals.

You just have to be patient and advertise on Craigslist. It took me a month to sell a 2010 Honda Accord in great condition a while ago. Fielded so many inquiries from people who wanted to steal the car. There is a group of people who flip cars for a living. One offered to come to my doorstep and deliver a bag of cash.

Finally found someone who recognized its outstanding value. You just need one good buyer.

 

[kupuna133]

Your comments are very helpful. I have heard bad things about recent Volvos, but what you say makes me think we ought to consider them seriously when we next car-shop (which will be in the next year or two.) FWIW, I've never heard a good thing about Audi reliability even though they try to give the impression that their cars are built by elves in the Black Forest.

We were willing to give Audi one last chance. Came down to q7 and xc90. Wife thought the virtual cockpit of the q7 was too busy and liked the simplicity of the iPad dashboard system of the Volvo.

Get a follow up call from freehold Audi. When I told the salesman we have moved on and we’re going with Volvo based on preference, price and maintenance included. His response was “ can’t believe you are buying a Chinese car”. Needless to say we would never buy from that idiot or dealership again. But interesting the Volvo is still built in Sweden and the Audi was built in Slovakia and Romania.

 

[RU4Real]

Your comments are very helpful. I have heard bad things about recent Volvos, but what you say makes me think we ought to consider them seriously when we next car-shop (which will be in the next year or two.) FWIW, I've never heard a good thing about Audi reliability even though they try to give the impression that their cars are built by elves in the Black Forest.

Audi #1: 2006 A4. Kept it for 23 months, zero reliability issues.
Audi #2: 2010 A4. Wife drove it for 4 years, only issue was the aforementioned block replacement done under warranty to correct excess oil consumption.
Audi #3: 2014 A4: Wife's car, rock solid, no issues. Traded in at 100k.
Audi #4: 2015 A3: 6 years, 90k miles, never saw the dealership except for routine maintenance.

In addition we've owned 4 Volkswagens - none of them ever required any service outside of routine maintenance.

Personally, I think there's a subset of the car guy community that likes to dump on VAG and what stories do exist take on something of a mythical quality.

 

[Knight Shift]

Your comments are very helpful. I have heard bad things about recent Volvos, but what you say makes me think we ought to consider them seriously when we next car-shop (which will be in the next year or two.) FWIW, I've never heard a good thing about Audi reliability even though they try to give the impression that their cars are built by elves in the Black Forest.

This is our second Volvo (one was quite a few years ago) and we have owned our S60 Recharge for exactly one year. I believe the S60 is the base sedan model. Volvo was not our first choice, but at the time we were looking to unload another vehicle, and Volvo made us an offer we could not refuse, and they made it so we have very little out of pocket to get out of a Ford we did not like and into a Volvo. Very happy customers.

We were willing to give Audi one last chance. Came down to q7 and xc90. Wife thought the virtual cockpit of the q7 was too busy and liked the simplicity of the iPad dashboard system of the Volvo.

Get a follow up call from freehold Audi. When I told the salesman we have moved on and we’re going with Volvo based on preference, price and maintenance included. His response was “ can’t believe you are buying a Chinese car”. Needless to say we would never buy from that idiot or dealership again. But interesting the Volvo is still built in Sweden and the Audi was built

I had no issues with Audi. It was just the cost of the service plans that were ridiculously high. I had a diesel Q5 that was part of the Diesel Gate issue Audi/VW faced, and I received a handsome settlement check. When I did the math, that vehicle cost me about $150/month to drive for 3 years. But comparing Audi to Volvo and even Mazda and Ford, I thought the Audi entertainment interface was outdated and clunky. Perhaps it has improved.

 

[kupuna133]

This is our second Volvo (one was quite a few years ago) and we have owned our S60 Recharge for exactly one year. I believe the S60 is the base sedan model. Volvo was not our first choice, but at the time we were looking to unload another vehicle, and Volvo made us an offer we could not refuse, and they made it so we have very little out of pocket to get out of a Ford we did not like and into a Volvo. Very happy customers.

I had no issues with Audi. It was just the cost of the service plans that were ridiculously high. I had a diesel Q5 that was part of the Diesel Gate issue Audi/VW faced, and I received a handsome settlement check. When I did the math, that vehicle cost me about $150/month to drive for 3 years. But comparing Audi to Volvo and even Mazda and Ford, I thought the Audi entertainment interface was outdated and clunky. Perhaps it has improved.

Your experience with Volvo is similar to mine. We walked into th dealership not expecting to like the model or the brand. We test drove it and came back and the package they put together for us was too good to pass up.

We loved the first 2 Audis and Touareg from a driver and maintenance perspective. Our last 2 an a6 and q7 were great until they weren’t. We maintained the cars exclusively at Audi Eatontown. The A6 had 4 recalls that were minor and covered. On way home from last recall idiot light came on and immediately returned to dealer (water pump). They tried to claim it was not their fault and I asked to speak to the gm. I asked where in relation to the recall is the water pump? It was right next to the recalled part. They agreed to fix. From That point on the car was never the same. Got an additional 20k out of the car taking it to 80k. Then the fun began with drive shaft/engine mount issues. Didn’t think it was smart to throw good money after bad. Similar issue with Q7. Loved the drive and performance. Just not sure that they are extremely reliable without huge investments beyond 80k.

I would say Audis good to lease not to own beyond 50-60k miles.

 

[Knight Shift]

Your experience with Volvo is similar to mine. We walked into th dealership not expecting to like the model or the brand. We test drove it and came back and the package they put together for us was too good to pass up.

We loved the first 2 Audis and Touareg from a driver and maintenance perspective. Our last 2 an a6 and q7 were great until they weren’t. We maintained the cars exclusively at Audi Eatontown. The A6 had 4 recalls that were minor and covered. On way home from last recall idiot light came on and immediately returned to dealer (water pump). They tried to claim it was not their fault and I asked to speak to the gm. I asked where in relation to the recall is the water pump? It was right next to the recalled part. They agreed to fix. From That point on the car was never the same. Got an additional 20k out of the car taking it to 80k. Then the fun began with drive shaft/engine mount issues. Didn’t think it was smart to throw good money after bad. Similar issue with Q7. Loved the drive and performance. Just not sure that they are extremely reliable without huge investments beyond 80k.

I would say Audis good to lease not to own beyond 50-60k miles.

I could go on about Audi Eatontown. IIRC, they were owned by Penske corporate, but maybe that is not correct or has changed. I had enough of them trying to to sell me tires I did not need (tried to tell me I needed new tires at 25,000 miles, and I drove them for another 23,000 miles) and other customer service issues. Made the switch to Freehold Audi, and it was a night and day experience. Fantastic service--they told me the tires were fine. Everything was much smoother at Freehold Audi, and the service reps all seemed to be more upstanding and trustworthy than the Eatontown crew.

 

[RU4Real]

I could go on about Audi Eatontown. IIRC, they were owned by Penske corporate, but maybe that is not correct or has changed. I had enough of them trying to to sell me tires I did not need (tried to tell me I needed new tires at 25,000 miles, and I drove them for another 23,000 miles) and other customer service issues. Made the switch to Freehold Audi, and it was a night and day experience. Fantastic service--they told me the tires were fine. Everything was much smoother at Freehold Audi, and the service reps all seemed to be more upstanding and trustworthy than the Eatontown crew.

Maybe you're just not Penske material.

 

[kupuna133]

I could go on about Audi Eatontown. IIRC, they were owned by Penske corporate, but maybe that is not correct or has changed. I had enough of them trying to to sell me tires I did not need (tried to tell me I needed new tires at 25,000 miles, and I drove them for another 23,000 miles) and other customer service issues. Made the switch to Freehold Audi, and it was a night and day experience. Fantastic service--they told me the tires were fine. Everything was much smoother at Freehold Audi, and the service reps all seemed to be more upstanding and trustworthy than the Eatontown crew.

Yep issues were with when penske took over. They bought out a small family owned operation whose service department was great but the gm and sales team were awful.

 

[S_Janowski]

I don't know where you live or work. But if you're anywhere near Bucks County Pa, take the car to these guys and they'll fix the exhaust much cheaper. They charged me less than $300 to replace the cat on my Caddy.

https://lowcostexhaust.com/

By the way, years ago we had a Wrangler that has a similar problem. It would just bog down and kind of choke as if it wasn't getting any air. Turned out it was a known issue where the filter or whatever you want to call it that's inside the thing would crumble and choke off the air flow.

I called them and spoke to a real nice guy for about 10 minutes.

First - he was well aware of the issues with Hyundais and Kias and not surprised.

He agreed that if I have a CC issue on a car that’s only 5 years old there’s most likely something else at play that caused the CC to go (i.e. excessive oil burn).

He said without check engine light being on (which wasn’t on with my Tucson that couldn’t accelerate) or inspecting/taking apart things it would be hard to determine what’s the root cause of the CC getting clogged/melted.

Also - just like the two mechanics I’ve been talking with…he can’t find any after market CC’s for a 2018 Tucson and would have to get it through the dealership (over $3K).

If it was driveable I might have made the drive to Feasterville to this place look at it but since I would have to get it towed doesn’t seem like it’s worth it.

 

[S_Janowski]

Trade it in w/o fixing first. The dealership won't give two shits about what's wrong with it because they'll just dump to an auction for small local dealers. Given what's wrong (major), they may even give you more than it's worth because they won't check that.

Then try not to get screwed on the price of your replacement, but either way you'll come out ahead psychologically being rid of it.

If they do lowball you on the trade, at least get a good price on the replacement.

Do not pay to fix then trade in. You won't recoup that cost.

So the Dealership quoted me at $3,500 to fix.

Their offer to purchase was $5,000 “as is” which is a joke.

Used car prices are still up there and I know they would make the repairs and put that Lemon up for sale well above $10K since it’s only a 2018 with 99K miles.

It

 

[Shelby65]

So the Dealership quoted me at $3,500 to fix.

Their offer to purchase was $5,000 “as is” which is a joke.

Used car prices are still up there and I know they would make the repairs and put that Lemon up for sale well above $10K since it’s only a 2018 with 99K miles.

It

I highly doubt a new car dealer will fix and sell a 5 year old (maybe 6) car, let alone a car with problems and little or no warranty left. No way. That’s not how it works. Their business is new cars. They’ll resell clean cars coming off lease, or collectible cars on the very rare occasion those are traded in. they sell old cars cheap to an auction to get rid of them. They have no use for damaged or beater cars except to make a very small margin dumping to wholesale auctions.

 

[S_Janowski]

I highly doubt a new car dealer will fix and sell a 5 year old (maybe 6) car, let alone a car with problems and little or no warranty left. No way. That’s not how it works. Their business is new cars. They’ll resell clean cars coming off lease, or collectible cars on the very rare occasion those are traded in. they sell old cars cheap to an auction to get rid of them. They have no use for damaged or beater cars except to make a very small margin dumping to wholesale auctions.

I guess they probably won’t sell a 2018 with 100K…but I was recently car shopping and saw a lot of 2019/2020s for sale at dealerships…some with a lot of miles and probably barely any warranty left.

 

[RUenvsci]

You just have to be patient and advertise on Craigslist. It took me a month to sell a 2010 Honda Accord in great condition a while ago. Fielded so many inquiries from people who wanted to steal the car. There is a group of people who flip cars for a living. One offered to come to my doorstep and deliver a bag of cash.

Finally found someone who recognized its outstanding value. You just need one good buyer.

I appreciate the response, but I disagree. Everyone on Craigslist is looking for a steal. Plus with all the scammers, it just isn’t worth it to list on Craigslist. I sold an RDX on Craigslist a few years ago- it would have been easier and less hassle to have traded it in. Despite having listed the car for over a month, I probably sold it at less than trade-in value.

 

[rutgersal]

I appreciate the response, but I disagree. Everyone on Craigslist is looking for a steal. Plus with all the scammers, it just isn’t worth it to list on Craigslist. I sold an RDX on Craigslist a few years ago- it would have been easier and less hassle to have traded it in. Despite having listed the car for over a month, I probably sold it at less than trade-in value.

I found one person who wasn’t wanting to steal the car and that’s all I needed. Lots of people flip cars which is why sellers get inundated with lowball offers. Selling on Craigslist takes work.

If you want to say it’s not worth the effort, that’s fair. I sold my car for 3K more than what CarMax offered, so for me, it was worth it.

 

[RUenvsci]

Audi #1: 2006 A4. Kept it for 23 months, zero reliability issues.
Audi #2: 2010 A4. Wife drove it for 4 years, only issue was the aforementioned block replacement done under warranty to correct excess oil consumption.
Audi #3: 2014 A4: Wife's car, rock solid, no issues. Traded in at 100k.
Audi #4: 2015 A3: 6 years, 90k miles, never saw the dealership except for routine maintenance.

In addition we've owned 4 Volkswagens - none of them ever required any service outside of routine maintenance.

Personally, I think there's a subset of the car guy community that likes to dump on VAG and what stories do exist take on something of a mythical quality.

I

I found one person who wasn’t wanting to steal the car and that’s all I needed. Lots of people flip cars which is why sellers get inundated with lowball offers. Selling on Craigslist takes work.

If you want to say it’s not worth the effort, that’s fair. I sold my car for 3K more than what CarMax offered, so for me, it was worth it.

glad it worked out for you. As you state, selling on Craigslist takes work. I put work in, but the pay out is not worth it IMO.

 

[RUenvsci]

Car folks say ‘yiu can only get 2 of the 3: Cheap, fast, and reliable’. When you think about it, it really makes sense.

 

[Shelby65]

I guess they probably won’t sell a 2018 with 100K…but I was recently car shopping and saw a lot of 2019/2020s for sale at dealerships…some with a lot of miles and probably barely any warranty left.

Then those are just coming off lease. Another way to tell: I’ll bet they were the same brand(s) the new car dealer sells.

You won’t see a 5 year old Chevy at a Nissan dealer.

 

[yessir321]

First - I’ve only come to this board a couple times in almost 20 years for personal advice (but have benefited from threads/info by others).

Anyway - looking to see if anyone has had a similar situation or has any advice. I’ve never been a car guy and perfectly fine with running my car into the ground as long as it gets me from point A to point B.

My Hyundai Tucson (2018) was experiencing major acceleration issues. Took it to the mechanic who in turn advised taking it to the dealership as it appeared to be a bad Cat Convertor. The Dealership confirmed the CC is “melted” and said it would be $3,500 to replace. I fought with Hyundai Corp to cover the cost but it was denied because I’m past the 80K mile warranty (which is bs).

My mechanic hasn’t been able to locate an after market CC and would have to get it through the dealership (I’m asking around other mechanics for a cheaper option).

Long story short - I’m most likely going to trade this car in. I’m sick of Hyundai and their $hitty parts and customer service (my other car last year required a new engine from Hyundai and it took them 4 months to replace and was one of the worst customer service experiences I’ve ever had). If you’re in the market for a Hyundai - Google their engine issues and beware.

Everything I’m reading online is saying a CC doesn’t just go bad that quickly and it was most likely caused by something else (Oil or excess fuel that entered the CC and ignited). Hyundai has had major engine issues and I’m convinced my CC went because of engine misfires or bad oil burn (the car chugged through oil). So if I got the CC fixed my worry is that in the near future I’ll be in the same boat again.

If I trade the Tucson in do I:

1) Get the CC repaired (at cheapest cost…potentially $2500-$3500) and trade in or

2) Look to trade the car in “as is” (it’s not really driveable)

People aren’t gonna like this answer, but if you’re gonna run your car into the ground an extended warranty is worth it! They do warranties these days up to 200k miles normally in the $2500-3000 price range. That woulda paid for your CC and any other mechanical issues you might for the last 7 years.

It’s amazing to me how people have no issue warrantying their phones for $20 a month, but the minute the finance manager in a dealership talks to them about a warranty on their car flashing lights go off and people think they’re being fleeced….

Warranties are there to pick up the tab on the exact situation the OP is in…. Forget the permaplare and tire and wheel nonsense they offer, but always get an extended warranty these days on a car you plan to keep outside the manufacturers

 

[S_Janowski]

Then those are just coming off lease. Another way to tell: I’ll bet they were the same brand(s) the new car dealer sells.

You won’t see a 5 year old Chevy at a Nissan dealer.

Agree.

My Hyundai is currently sitting at the Hyundai Dealership right now so if they purchased it they may very well sell it to a Wholesaler but its only 5 years old so it I thought there’s a chance they could just make the repair and put it out on their lot for much more than what they pay me + the repair but could be wrong.

 

[S_Janowski]

People aren’t gonna like this answer, but if you’re gonna run your car into the ground an extended warranty is worth it! They do warranties these days up to 200k miles normally in the $2500-3000 price range. That woulda paid for your CC and any other mechanical issues you might for the last 7 years.

It’s amazing to me how people have no issue warrantying their phones for $20 a month, but the minute the finance manager in a dealership talks to them about a warranty on their car flashing lights go off and people think they’re being fleeced….

Warranties are there to pick up the tab on the exact situation the OP is in…. Forget the permaplare and tire and wheel nonsense they offer, but always get an extended warranty these days on a car you plan to keep outside the manufacturers

I just purchased a Toyota and the experience with the Finance Manager was exactly like you would imagine.

So gimmicky and straight out of a sales book. I let him do his thing and after I declined multiple times he got real pissed and his demeanor totally changed. Probably didn’t help that I was also paying cash.

The warranty he was offering wasn’t close to 200K (I think it was 7 years 100K limited power train) and the lowest cost he offered was down to 3K.

 

[Shelby65]

Janowski. Nope. Not what they do.