Whats the opposite of a Piston Head?
Whats the opposite of a Piston Head?
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Discussion

AcademyL

Original Poster:

6 posts

33 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Whatever it is, I'm the exact opposite. I know practically nothing about cars, which is why I'm turning to all of you for your thoughts!

I'll try to keep this as brief as possible, but in July 2022 we purchased a Hyundai Tuscon (automatic). It was second hand and it had been driven for around 19,000 miles at the time we took ownership.

In August 2023 (ie one year and one month later), my other half was trying to reverse out of a supermarket parking space, and the car wouldn't reverse at all. The car then needed to be towed home. The mileage at this time was around 23,000. We'd had no problems at all until this point.

I spoke to Hyundai and they agreed to collect the car from my house and tow it to their local dealership for repairs. This was in early September.

The dealership wasn't able to even look at the car until mid October due to their heavy workload.

It wasn't until late December when the dealership told me that the fault couldn't be repaired, that the entire gearbox needed to be changed, and that they'd applied to Hyundai for permission to replace the gearbox under warranty, because the warranty doesn't expire until 2025.

Its now mid-January - 5 months after the car wouldn't reverse - and one month since the dealer applied to Hyundai for the warranty work to be approved. Hyundai is indeed replying to the dealership, but instead of coming back with a yes or no, they keep coming up with new questions in an apparent attempt to delay and delay and delay.

My question is this: is it even remotely possible, just by driving a car, to completely wreck an automatic transmission, or does this sound like a manufacturing issue? Because we're in a panic about the financial side of things. We added only around 4,000 miles to the car over a 13 month period, and at 23,000 miles, its still more or less a brand new car. We've had it fully serviced according to Hyundai requirements and we've had no accidents in the vehicle or anything like that, so I'm really just asking for gut feelings as to whether its even possible that we broke the gearbox?

Obviously, if we'd driven the car in to a brick wall and tried to claim the repairs under warranty, I wouldn't blame Hyundai for laughing in our faces, but for an entire transmission to need to be replaced on such a new car sounds very much like a manufacturing issue to me, but am I right about that?

Many thanks for your thoughts smile

Sebring440

3,214 posts

126 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Don't understand the thread title?

AcademyL

Original Poster:

6 posts

33 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Where I come from, a piston head is another term for a car expert, which is something I'm not (ie, the opposite of a piston head).

Robertb

3,856 posts

268 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Under normal use and with that kind of mileage and age, it would be very unlikely that you have damaged the gearbox.

It would be possible to damage a gearbox by, for example but not limited to, putting it into reverse or park whilst moving forward at speed, or overheating it holding the car stationary on the brakes and pressing the accelerator whilst in gear for a prolonged period.

Provided the service schedule has been adhered and you've not obviously maltreated the car then I don't think you have anything to fear.

FourWheelDrift

92,306 posts

314 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Rotor Bum.

AcademyL

Original Poster:

6 posts

33 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Robertb said:
Under normal use and with that kind of mileage and age, it would be very unlikely that you have damaged the gearbox.

It would be possible to damage a gearbox by, for example but not limited to, putting it into reverse or park whilst moving forward at speed, or overheating it holding the car stationary on the brakes and pressing the accelerator whilst in gear for a prolonged period.

Provided the service schedule has been adhered and you've not obviously maltreated the car then I don't think you have anything to fear.
Thanks very much smile We're both senior citizens and we haven't done any crazy driving, so hopefully it'll work out ok but the whole thing has been very stressful. I never would have believed that it would take 5 months (or longer) to repair a car.

Donbot

4,194 posts

157 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
If Hyundai are being difficult I'd be looking to trading standards on this one.

AcademyL

Original Poster:

6 posts

33 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Donbot said:
If Hyundai are being difficult I'd be looking to trading standards on this one.
We spoke to Citizens Advice today, and they suggested we speak to the finance company, which we did and they said they'd be liable to pay for the repair if Hyundai refuses to pay, but we'd have to prove that the gearbox was faulty when we bought the car, which we obviously couldn't do because we didn't experience a problem until last August. The dealer seems to agree that it must be a manufacturing fault because there's no sign of us having mistreated the car in any way, but after 5 months, the whole thing is really getting to me.

Vsix and Vtec

1,416 posts

48 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
In short, yes, but it's going to have been through constant neglect . Standing on the footbrake in D at the lights, shifting whilst moving from R to D or visa versa instead of coming to a stop before selecting the opposite gear, not getting the gearbox oil and filter replaced when it should be, these are all things that contribute to the shortening of the life of your automatic gearbox. Keeping it in D at the lights is one of the most common mistakes, because the oil heats up and reduces its viscosity, and exceeds the cooling capacity of the oil cooler in the stationary air (if it even has one fitted, some cars don't). This is worse obviously if the car is driven mostly in town/city traffic. A short stop doesn't raise the heat that much, but frequently doing it between lots of short sets of lights will do just as much harm as one long 2 minute stop in D, especially if it's at the end of a long run where the oil has got to optimum temperature on the drive down to the destination.

Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.


Nurburgsingh

5,538 posts

268 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Exhaust Bottom

alscar

9,881 posts

243 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Fwiw if I was in your position I wouldn’t be thinking I’d done anything wrong and would be far more concerned at how long the repair is taking.
Getting spare parts has been an issue generally but given your car is under warranty what are the manufacturer and or dealer doing to keep you mobile whilst yours has been off the road ?
I assume nothing.
If this was a common problem or indeed a recall I could understand that but my advice would be to ask the garage after sales manager and possibly the Dealer Principal ( perhaps email ) when they expect the new transmission to be fitted or alternatively what can they do to keep you mobile ?

AcademyL

Original Poster:

6 posts

33 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Vsix and Vtec said:
In short, yes, but it's going to have been through constant neglect . Standing on the footbrake in D at the lights, shifting whilst moving from R to D or visa versa instead of coming to a stop before selecting the opposite gear, not getting the gearbox oil and filter replaced when it should be, these are all things that contribute to the shortening of the life of your automatic gearbox. Keeping it in D at the lights is one of the most common mistakes, because the oil heats up and reduces its viscosity, and exceeds the cooling capacity of the oil cooler in the stationary air (if it even has one fitted, some cars don't). This is worse obviously if the car is driven mostly in town/city traffic. A short stop doesn't raise the heat that much, but frequently doing it between lots of short sets of lights will do just as much harm as one long 2 minute stop in D, especially if it's at the end of a long run where the oil has got to optimum temperature on the drive down to the destination.

Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
Thanks very much. We generally use the car just to go to the supermarket and back, and we live in the middle of nowhere so its about an 8 mile trip each way with very few traffic lights. I never keep the car in D when stopped though, and the car was fully serviced (including oil and filter replacement) a month before it broke down, so I dont think any of that is to blame but I really appreciate your input.

Vsix and Vtec

1,416 posts

48 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
AcademyL said:
Thanks very much. We generally use the car just to go to the supermarket and back, and we live in the middle of nowhere so its about an 8 mile trip each way with very few traffic lights. I never keep the car in D when stopped though, and the car was fully serviced (including oil and filter replacement) a month before it broke down, so I dont think any of that is to blame but I really appreciate your input.
Sounds like you've been using the car exactly as Hyundai intended, nothing to place the blame with you. Fingers crossed they stop faffing about and get your car fixed!

mmm-five

12,379 posts

314 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
st-on Foot?

BertBert

21,270 posts

241 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
AcademyL said:
Thanks very much. We generally use the car just to go to the supermarket and back, and we live in the middle of nowhere so its about an 8 mile trip each way with very few traffic lights. I never keep the car in D when stopped though, and the car was fully serviced (including oil and filter replacement) a month before it broke down, so I dont think any of that is to blame but I really appreciate your input.
So do you have the use of another car or have you been car-free for 5 months? If the latter then ask the dealership to provide a courtesy car until yours is fixed.

Donbot

4,194 posts

157 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Vsix and Vtec said:
In short, yes, but it's going to have been through constant neglect . Standing on the footbrake in D at the lights, shifting whilst moving from R to D or visa versa instead of coming to a stop before selecting the opposite gear, not getting the gearbox oil and filter replaced when it should be, these are all things that contribute to the shortening of the life of your automatic gearbox. Keeping it in D at the lights is one of the most common mistakes, because the oil heats up and reduces its viscosity, and exceeds the cooling capacity of the oil cooler in the stationary air (if it even has one fitted, some cars don't). This is worse obviously if the car is driven mostly in town/city traffic. A short stop doesn't raise the heat that much, but frequently doing it between lots of short sets of lights will do just as much harm as one long 2 minute stop in D, especially if it's at the end of a long run where the oil has got to optimum temperature on the drive down to the destination.

Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
No. Leaving the car in drive is what the transmission is designed to do.

Spare tyre

12,567 posts

160 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Posh Detain

Pica-Pica

16,606 posts

114 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
Donbot said:
Vsix and Vtec said:
In short, yes, but it's going to have been through constant neglect . Standing on the footbrake in D at the lights, shifting whilst moving from R to D or visa versa instead of coming to a stop before selecting the opposite gear, not getting the gearbox oil and filter replaced when it should be, these are all things that contribute to the shortening of the life of your automatic gearbox. Keeping it in D at the lights is one of the most common mistakes, because the oil heats up and reduces its viscosity, and exceeds the cooling capacity of the oil cooler in the stationary air (if it even has one fitted, some cars don't). This is worse obviously if the car is driven mostly in town/city traffic. A short stop doesn't raise the heat that much, but frequently doing it between lots of short sets of lights will do just as much harm as one long 2 minute stop in D, especially if it's at the end of a long run where the oil has got to optimum temperature on the drive down to the destination.

Other than that, there isn't much other than material defects and chance that harm them. They're much more reliable than they used to be.
No. Leaving the car in drive is what the transmission is designed to do.
Agreed. Autos are much better designed at surviving accidental (or even deliberate) misuse than manuals. You are not at fault, and you should get a replacement car while you are waiting.

anonymous-user

84 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
AcademyL said:
Whatever it is, I'm the exact opposite. I know practically nothing about cars, which is why I'm turning to all of you for your thoughts!

I'll try to keep this as brief as possible, but in July 2022 we purchased a Hyundai Tuscon (automatic). It was second hand and it had been driven for around 19,000 miles at the time we took ownership.

In August 2023 (ie one year and one month later), my other half was trying to reverse out of a supermarket parking space, and the car wouldn't reverse at all. The car then needed to be towed home. The mileage at this time was around 23,000. We'd had no problems at all until this point.

I spoke to Hyundai and they agreed to collect the car from my house and tow it to their local dealership for repairs. This was in early September.

The dealership wasn't able to even look at the car until mid October due to their heavy workload.

It wasn't until late December when the dealership told me that the fault couldn't be repaired, that the entire gearbox needed to be changed, and that they'd applied to Hyundai for permission to replace the gearbox under warranty, because the warranty doesn't expire until 2025.

Its now mid-January - 5 months after the car wouldn't reverse - and one month since the dealer applied to Hyundai for the warranty work to be approved. Hyundai is indeed replying to the dealership, but instead of coming back with a yes or no, they keep coming up with new questions in an apparent attempt to delay and delay and delay.

My question is this: is it even remotely possible, just by driving a car, to completely wreck an automatic transmission, or does this sound like a manufacturing issue? Because we're in a panic about the financial side of things. We added only around 4,000 miles to the car over a 13 month period, and at 23,000 miles, its still more or less a brand new car. We've had it fully serviced according to Hyundai requirements and we've had no accidents in the vehicle or anything like that, so I'm really just asking for gut feelings as to whether its even possible that we broke the gearbox?

Obviously, if we'd driven the car in to a brick wall and tried to claim the repairs under warranty, I wouldn't blame Hyundai for laughing in our faces, but for an entire transmission to need to be replaced on such a new car sounds very much like a manufacturing issue to me, but am I right about that?

Many thanks for your thoughts smile
At face value, shocking service
Thanks for the heads-up, will avoid Hyundai in the future.

kambites

71,483 posts

251 months

Wednesday 17th January 2024
quotequote all
The opposite of a Piston Head is a Crank Pin, at least in terms of the reciprocating mass.

getmecoat