03 Elantra A/C

Hello everyone,

My uncle's A/C on his 2003 Hyundai Elantra has not been working lately so he
brought it today to LIA Hyundai of Hartford, CT. Before he called the dealer
and asked if the A/C is covered under the warranty and the rep said "yes".
My uncle has about 20,000 miles on his car so its is fair new. Well he
brought it today only to find out that it is not covered due tot the fact
that there is a hole in the condenser. The rep said that a rock must of hit
the condenser and put a hole in it therefore leaking out the freon. Total
estimate from dealer is 350.00 for the condenser and 500.00 for
installation. Like many, he is on a fixed budget(retired) and does not have
the money to get it fixed. He did have to pay a lousy 79.00 diagnostic fee
because the problem with his a/c was not covered. I myself have had the
worse luck with Hyundai's warranty coverage. My uncle and I both bought are
cars the same day mines a sonata which I do liver very much but I have a few
complaints with the things breaking down for example the passenger side door
opener knob (the metallic piece) is warped and flaking of the handle. That
is not covered because the knob needs to be totally broken. There are a few
more negative things that I encountered but I won't get into it right now. I
was wondering if someone could give me an alternative as to how I can get my
uncle's car fixed at a cheaper price (I am going to pay it for him). He
really needs the a/c (Heart Disease). If anyone is living in New England
right now you know what I am talking about this HUMID weather we are having.
Thanks group.

 

For your uncle's a/c, I'd do the following:
1. If he has comprehensive insurance, contact his insurance company.
They should cover the damage less his deductible.
2. Shop around for price. Call a few places in the area that do a/c or
radiator work. Since the problem has already been diagnosed, you'll
already know what it needs for them to price it for you.

For your Sonata-- no, it doesn't have to be broken to be covered. Factory
warranty covers your vehicle against defect in material and workmanship.
If the dealer refuses to repair the vehicle, call Hyundai Customer
Assistance and make a complaint. The peeling chrome is a well-known issue
to Hyundai. To my knowledge, we've never had a claim refused on this item,
and I've replaced several handles for this very reason. Not only is it
annoying, it can injure you-- the peeling chrome is SHARP!

While the dealer is most likely correct about the A/C condensor, they're
feeding you pure B.S. on the door handle. If they refuse to give you
proper warranty service, don't give them any service work you'll need to
pay for, either.

 

If someone is unhappy with customer service. Can they walk out of the
dealership without paying the diagnostic fee first?

In some places it's permissable to do this at restaurants. If
customers are unhappy(fly in soup) and the workers will not fix it for
them, they have the right to leave without paying.



<<<<While the dealer is most likely correct about the A/C condensor,
they're
feeding you pure B.S. on the door handle. If they refuse to give you
proper warranty service, don't give them any service work you'll need
to
pay for, either. >>>>

 

This is worth a try : Get some JB WELD (original version) from the
hardware store . It has been tested to withstand 4000 psi pressure and
has sealed exhaust manifolds permanently. They have a website you can
go to. Just make sure the area where the hole is , is very clean before
you apply the JB WELD ; id allow it to set up for 24 hours then apply a
second coat and wait another 24 hours before preparing the A/C system .

 

Dave has quite a history of giving out piss poor advice in both the
repair and HVAC fields....the guys in alt.HVAC consider him quite the
professional hack

If you're gonna fix something, do it right
And I'd advice NOT to use AC stop leak compound for AC leaks as repair
shops won't service your auto system if they find that you're used
it..(it screws up their equipment)

 

The dealer did diagnose the A/C problem and is most likely correct about
the cause, so they're entitled to the diagnostic fee. It's not an
uncommon occurance and some Elantra owners have taken to installing
black plastic mesh behind the grill to prevent this type of problem.
I'll be doing it to mine as soon as I can find the right mesh, which is
supposedly available at Lowes (it's used as rain gutter cover material).

 

I installed the mesh a couple days ago. The product is called "Gutter
Guard" and it's easily installed using cable ties and a few adhesive
mounts where there aren't any handy holes or frame members to use. I
probably spent a couple of hours doing the job. There is a DIY on the
Elantra GT club website and I've sent them another one with more detail.