Hyundai i40, issue with battery

marvin80

We have a 161 i40, 1.7 diesel.
Last October we had issues with the battery so got it replaced under warranty.

We usually drive a few times a week to Dublin (100km each way). Last week we drove up Wednesday and Thursday. Friday we drove a short spin to town (15km each way).
Yesterday the battery was completely flat.
Got it to the garage and they checked the battery and said it looked fine.

Has anyone had similar issues with Hyundai batteries?
The car was sitting up on the driveway for 4 days without driving it - would this deplete the battery?

biko

Car sitting unused a few days should not drain the battery. Even a few weeks should not be an issue.
If mechanics checked, and cleared, the battery it is probably fine.

Two possible reasons for flat batteries are either it's not being charged up (the alternator is not working) or it drains (there is too much draw when car is off).

What was the issue last October?

marvin80

From what I remember the garage said the old battery wouldn't hold the charge properly.
We haven't had any issues with the new battery till yesterday.

What would cause the battery to drain when the car is off?
Everything is switched off in the car from what I can see - lights, radio, air con etc..

We're very weary leaving the car parked up for a few days now - very annoying.

Alun

New batteries can be faulty too. My wife's Yaris had a new battery fitted by the Toyota dealer (after the factory fitted one lasted 13 years!) which failed within 3 months, it was replaced free of charge, and worked perfectly after that.

marvin80

They tested the new battery in the garage and they said it was working fine.

Maybe my issue was just a once-off/blip - that's what I'm hoping anyway!!

v240gltse

hi

seems like an issue have a read here . quick search showed other owners having the same issues as you.

marvin80

Thanks I read that yesterday. The post below from it - I was told something similar in the garage and feel the same way about Hyundai's now:

"To be told at the Hyundai garage that I should charge my battery once a week was an absolute joke. Never, ever, have I heard anything so unbelievable from any dealer in the past. I have told this story at other dealerships and they were amazed too. My car has been fine since I returned it to the garage and they fully charged the battery, but I fear a 'repeat performance' sometime in the future. It's sad really because I love the car, but my next purchase will not be Hyundai and I will certainly be asking about battery drainage!"

marvin80

Had this issue again tonight - flat battery. I even ran the car for an hour or so on Friday night to make sure the battery would be ok because of the bad weather and the car sitting up for a few days.

I'm rightly pis*ed off now - never had to ring the AA so much in the space of a year.
Can anyone tell me what my options are or any suggestions?
We're thinking of getting rid of the car altogether and getting something different (even though it'll mean taking a hit moneywise).

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Doesnt it have a 100 year warranty? bring it to the main dealer and get them to fix it and get a loaner in the meantime. Probably something is draining it, could take a while for them to tract it down.

punisher5112

I've a 2005 Mondeo sitting up since November and only drove it today. Started 1st kick. Battery hasn't been disconnected.

thebiglad

2015, I had an I40 and on early morning return from transatlantic flight got to DAA car park to a flat battery on a 2 year old car - not impressed, tired and cold wait for AA to come start the car.

Went to Hyundai who said simply battery was gone (no comment on why) and new battery was required - no problem until they said it was no longer in warranty and expected me to pay - so much for the Hyundai long warranty...

I found on motor factor websites that most commercially available batteries have a warranty longer than 2 years but there was no moving them

Paid for the replacement battery and when I traded the car 1 year later didn't go near to Hyundai.

Clearly problem still ongoing and still Hyundai deny it - they really must see this a lot and yet claim no knowledge!

Bruthal

Make sure no lights are staying on, boot light etc.

JohnBoy26

thebiglad wrote: »

2015, I had an I40 and on early morning return from transatlantic flight got to DAA car park to a flat battery on a 2 year old car - not impressed, tired and cold wait for AA to come start the car.

Went to Hyundai who said simply battery was gone (no comment on why) and new battery was required - no problem until they said it was no longer in warranty and expected me to pay - so much for the Hyundai long warranty...

I found on motor factor websites that most commercially available batteries have a warranty longer than 2 years but there was no moving them

Paid for the replacement battery and when I traded the car 1 year later didn't go near to Hyundai.

Clearly problem still ongoing and still Hyundai deny it - they really must see this a lot and yet claim no knowledge!

It doesn't cover batteries or things like the radio for the full 5 years.

marvin80

punisher5112 wrote: »

I've a 2005 Mondeo sitting up since November and only drove it today. Started 1st kick. Battery hasn't been disconnected.

Funnily enough my 2 previous cars were Fords and never had battery issues with them!!

Bruthal wrote: »

Make sure no lights are staying on, boot light etc.

Everything is off to the best of my knowledge but maybe there's something staying on that I'm unaware of and draining the battery.

I'll bring it to the main dealer AGAIN tomorrow and see what they say.

ohnonotgmail

marvin80 wrote: »

Had this issue again tonight - flat battery. I even ran the car for an hour or so on Friday night to make sure the battery would be ok because of the bad weather and the car sitting up for a few days.

I'm rightly pis*ed off now - never had to ring the AA so much in the space of a year.
Can anyone tell me what my options are or any suggestions?
We're thinking of getting rid of the car altogether and getting something different (even though it'll mean taking a hit moneywise).

The guy from the AA should have been able to tell you if the battery was knackered. They have the kit to test it. If it was me i would take it to another dealer and get their opinion.

Bruthal

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

The guy from the AA should have been able to tell you if the battery was knackered. They have the kit to test it. If it was me i would take it to another dealer and get their opinion.

It is tricky to do tests on a flat battery. They are damaged when run flat as well.

nailer54321

Bring uour car back ti the hyundai garage and leave it wiyh them for a few days, tell them to leave it alone for a few days and then try start it up. If the problem is there they will see it at this point,

Tazio

there was a fix for one car on the thread reference by v240gltse a few posts above:

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/showpost.php?p=5627114&postcount=13

The problems emerged with us after a recall of Hyundai where a cable in the boot lid was replaced for the back parking camera.
When it rains (or washing) and one opens the trunck it causes water to enter the wiring.
Sometimes the camera will stay in operation, causing a loss of +/- 2A, so your car will not start after +/- 35h.

marvin80

nailer54321 wrote: »

Bring uour car back ti the hyundai garage and leave it wiyh them for a few days, tell them to leave it alone for a few days and then try start it up. If the problem is there they will see it at this point,

Thanks, that's what I've done so hopefully they'll find the issue.

Tazio wrote: »

there was a fix for one car on the thread reference by v240gltse a few posts above:

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/showpost.php?p=5627114&postcount=13

Thanks, I saw that and mentioned it to them in the garage so they can check it out.

NBar

Every Hyundai we use have had battery problems and engine and gearbox issues, and now they are rusting in parts. They don't wear well inside either. What would one expect from Korean pieces of crap. Their spare parts are horrendous in price as well.......rant over

punisher5112

NBar wrote: »

Every Hyundai we use have had battery problems and engine and gearbox issues, and now they are rusting in parts. They don't wear well inside either. What would one expect from Korean pieces of crap. Their spare parts are horrendous in price as well.......rant over

And we have a government that is purchasing these for defence forces, gardai, fisheries, customs/revenue, HSE and so on.

Fann Linn

NBar wrote: »

Every Hyundai we use have had battery problems and engine and gearbox issues, and now they are rusting in parts. They don't wear well inside either. What would one expect from Korean pieces of crap. Their spare parts are horrendous in price as well.......rant over

Heard an ad today about Hyundai Tuscon being no1 here. Are these battery problems confined to i40 or are they prevalent across the range?

Toyotafanboi

punisher5112 wrote: »

And we have a government that is purchasing these for defence forces, gardai, fisheries, customs/revenue, HSE and so on.

Most cars can give "engine or gearbox" trouble to be fair.

punisher5112

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Most cars can give "engine or gearbox" trouble to be fair.

They are not up to policing.

1.7 diesel ain't no high powered vehicle yet they make them out to be.

Clutches are terrible I've heard too.

Nissan Primera and Almera gave gearbox trouble to the extent they would literally sh1t themselves.

I agree there are many different cars with faults etc but they do seem quite a soft one.

Much better vehicles out there and probably less maintenance also.

Toyotafanboi

Yeah you could be right. I do feel though that any i40 sized car you can possibly think of, you'll find someone who would argue that it's not suitable for the police work. In reality no vehicles are purpose built for police work, at least not in Europe, they are all just family cars subject to a harsh life.

Anyway, back to i40 batteries.

Issues aren't unknown with them to be fair. That said if you're onto you second or third battery in quick succession it doesn't take a genius to decide it's likely that the battery is a symptom and not the cause. Are you using the same dealer each time or have you want to two different dealers who don't know that another dealer has already replaced the battery?

Del2005

punisher5112 wrote: »

They are not up to policing.

1.7 diesel ain't no high powered vehicle yet they make them out to be.

Clutches are terrible I've heard too.

Nissan Primera and Almera gave gearbox trouble to the extent they would literally sh1t themselves.

I agree there are many different cars with faults etc but they do seem quite a soft one.

Much better vehicles out there and probably less maintenance also.

They are patrol vehicles not pursuit so don't need to be fast. The response Gardai are in powerful vehicles, the untrained are in patrol cars.

NBar

A lot of people bought or have bought these cars thinking they are Japanese. The warranty is great until it comes to servicing and buying spare parts that have to be original and if the service is not done properly and on time Hyundai will find a reason to invalidate the warranty. The build quality is the worst I have seen since Ladas first came to Ireland, cheap plastic interior trim that breaks off and the exterior is just made fit etc. They might be the best selling for now but that’s the marketing they do and fair play to them, offer great deals and prices but as they say buy cheap and you will pay for it in the long run and we have with our Hyundai’s, a match is too good for them

marvin80

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

Issues aren't unknown with them to be fair. That said if you're onto you second or third battery in quick succession it doesn't take a genius to decide it's likely that the battery is a symptom and not the cause. Are you using the same dealer each time or have you want to two different dealers who don't know that another dealer has already replaced the battery?

Just the one dealer but to be fair this is the first time I've left it with them for a few days. I'm collecting it tomorrow so I'm hoping/expecting they have found the issue and rectified it.

I'll keep this thread updated anyway!

punisher5112

Del2005 wrote: »

They are patrol vehicles not pursuit so don't need to be fast. The response Gardai are in powerful vehicles, the untrained are in patrol cars.

No they aren't.

Traffic corps now roads policing were given high powered....... Not..... 1.7 diesel i40 only recently and still are.

These are pursuit vehicles.

Not up to standard in my very honest opinion.

I've driven many cars and owned quite a good few and there are much better equipped cars out there.

marvin80

Update on this:

The garage rang me today and after a few weeks of running checks they've discovered it related to the towbar not being wired correctly.

This is not covered under warranty and between labour and if I wanted to get the wiring fixed it will cost €500.

To complicate things I bought the car and towbar off another Hyundai dealer down the country and rang them saying I'd be expecting them to cover the cost - there contacting the other Hyundai garage now so I'm waiting to see what happens.

biko

Did the original Hyundai dealer install the towbar, or just sell you the car with it already installed?
Was car brand new when you bought it?
If so the original dealer should fix it for free (isn't car still under original warranty)?

marvin80

biko wrote: »

Did the original Hyundai dealer install the towbar, or just sell you the car with it already installed?
Was car brand new when you bought it?
If so the original dealer should fix it for free (isn't car still under original warranty)?

I bought the car second hand last year (bought in March 2017, a 161) off Hyundai Dealer A.
It didn't have a towbar so I bought it off them and got them to install it for me.

When I had battery issues I brought it to Hyundai Dealer B because there a lot closer in distance.

The issue is Hyundai Dealer B have spent a lot of time trying to figure out the issue. Because it's towbar related it's not covered under warranty so they want payment for the labour they've carried out - which I'm fine with.

However because Hyundai Dealer A's didn't wire it properly I want them to cover it.

Toyotafanboi

That's logical. Just sit tight now until you see what A's stance is.

FUBO

car dealers are all the same try to wiggle out of everything and blame everyone but themselves

marvin80

Just an update on this.

Dealer A washed their hands of responsibility with the issue so I paid for the work myself and brought a claim through the Small Claims Court.

Dealer A accepted liability and I got my money back.

The Small Claims process took months - not sure if it varies depending on the location but not a great impression considering the procedure is meant to be cheap and fast!

Haven't had any other major issues with the car - just a few small bits under warranty and services.
Very happy with the car overall.

Edited: Forget to say thanks to people who commented here, for your help and suggestions - much appreciated.

CorkMan_

Fair f**** for sticking to your guns and getting the money back. Too many people don't want the hassle of going to the claims court etc so the dealers have this attitude of they can get away with it.

marvin80

CorkMan_ wrote: »

Fair f**** for sticking to your guns and getting the money back. Too many people don't want the hassle of going to the claims court etc so the dealers have this attitude of they can get away with it.

Cheers.

In fairness the Small Claims is online now so very little hassle lodging the claim.

Had to ring the District Court office numerous times for updates which was frustrating (no answer a lot of the time) but anytime I was talking to someone they were very helpful so I'd commend them on that side of things.

lalababa

The people I know that are less well off or well off but frugal never go to a dealer for repairs/maintenance. They go to independents. Even if they buy nearly new from a dealer they don't bring small problems back to them. Only major things covered in warranty. Coz the dealers are too busy/interested in selling. And their overheads are too much. Glass to ceiling etc.

Toyotafanboi

lalababa wrote: »

The people I know that are less well off or well off but frugal never go to a dealer for repairs/maintenance. They go to independents. Even if they buy nearly new from a dealer they don't bring small problems back to them. Only major things covered in warranty. Coz the dealers are too busy/interested in selling. And their overheads are too much. Glass to ceiling etc.

Is the independent workshop working for free or what? Everyone running a business is selling.

Waterson

Glad that this issue worked out for you OP, I have to add that its great you pushed for your money back.

I'm not familiar with Hyundai service workshops troubleshooting procedures, but am familiar with a few other marques.

Technicians faced with driveability problems often have these troubleshooting 'trees' to follow that SHOULD bring them to a logical conclusion and correct diagnosis. For example, "Does the vehicle crank...if YES go to section 2, if NO perform BATTERY VOLTAGE TEST etc.

With this in mind, surely given your symptoms and the recurrence of them, there must be a 'Hyundai parasitic drain test', even a non invasive one with a hall effect current clamp that would have registered what must have been at least a 0.5 A discharge to drain down your battery.

I use this test all the time and within a couple of hours max (not weeks) I usually will have isolated the circuit/system that is causing the drain.

The point is, why on earth are problems like this not being resolved quicker? Is it an issue of dealership training? Lazy techs? Factory information not being disseminated amongst technicians?

If anyone works for a dealer can shed some light on this?

slave1

marvin80 wrote: »

Just an update on this.

Dealer A washed their hands of responsibility with the issue so I paid for the work myself and brought a claim through the Small Claims Court.

Dealer A accepted liability and I got my money back.

The Small Claims process took months - not sure if it varies depending on the location but not a great impression considering the procedure is meant to be cheap and fast!

Haven't had any other major issues with the car - just a few small bits under warranty and services.
Very happy with the car overall.

Edited: Forget to say thanks to people who commented here, for your help and suggestions - much appreciated.

Good man, I've taken 3 SCC and won them all, you just need to lodge it and forget about it, don't let it play on your mind, in each case I just phoned every two weeks for an update and let it play out, Lidl and Dell twice