Second Opinion on Car Issue

BewareOfThe Dog on 25/05/2023 - 18:51
Last edited 26/05/2023 - 09:14 by 1 other user

So, I have basic skills when it comes to dealing with a car.

A friend of our family copped the warning light, that there was an issue withthe temperature (On Tuesday).They did the correct thing and pulled over. I said there is either a leak in the pipes, or it needs refilling with coolant. This is a 21 yo that does not have much automotive knowledge and leaves it in the trust of the Mechanic /Dealership. I gave advice where possible, but I had band practice, so they contacted a senior family member. The vehicle was towed via the NRMA to the nearest Warranty repairer. It's a 2 year old Hyundai.

Status update yesterday afternoon - Cannot look at it, however there is no Radiator Cap present? How the heck could this has happened? She doesn't drive over bumpy roads, as far as I know, and given the spring usually on a cap, they are a tight fit/twist.

Today's Update - The dealership is blaming this person for removing the radiator cap, and want to charge them for the towing, cleaning up of coolant, refilling coolant, and cap. My response is whoever last serviced this should be responsible for not sealing the cap correctly.

IMO - They should meet partially, and pay for a new cap, and coolant, based on SCA pricing, not overinflated dealership pricing.

Feel free to have your popcorn/favourite chips on standby. I'm not at name and shame status yet, but this depends on the outcome

;)

So should they have to pay the full amount of this?

Poll Options

  • 26
    Yes
  • 11
    No
Automotive Hyundai

Comments

  • SBOB on 25/05/2023 - 19:12
    +6

    If it's a 2yo Hyundai, do they service it with the dealer? As if so, they have roadside assist with Hyundai, which would have seemed like a better choice than nrma.

    As for missing radiator cap, going to be hard to prove blame on any recent/previous service. I think paying repair/radiator coolant costs seems likely unavoidable (whatever a couple hundred seems like cheap lesson on occasionally checking under the bonnet), but not sure why towing costs wouldn't be covered by regular roadside assist inclusions.

    "based on SCA pricing" is a pointless negotiation starting point though.

  • Illyria on 25/05/2023 - 19:16
    +5

    Was the service recent? If not then it would be unlikely that the cap is missing because whoever did the last service didn't put the cap back on. But if the car hasn't been driven much since the last service then that could be the culprit.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 25/05/2023 - 19:53

      My thoughts exactly - same dealership apparently.

  • Malik Nasser on 25/05/2023 - 19:39
    +1

    If the cap was not on, then internal pressure of the cooling system would not be established, causing the cooling system to overheat if longer trips were done.
    Pressure in the cooling system allows the coolant to achieve higher temperatures before phase change into a gas. Liquid coolant has a much higher thermal conductivity than a gaseous coolant.
    Either this car had the coolant cap removed recently, or otherwise the car was only used for short trips, preventing the cooling system to come up to temperature.
    As others have said, it will be nearly impossible to prove fault here. There is no way the dealer is going to take blame on this.
    How recently was this car serviced?
    There is no way the coolant cap would come off under any type of driving scenarios, provided it was installed correctly previously. Chances are it was not installed correctly previously. Likely whoever was working on the car just sat the cap on top of the threads, as they may have wanted to top up the radiator fluid, but got distracted or called away, then returned later and forgot to finish the job properly (if done during a service).
    The best thing that can come out of this now, is to educate the driver of the car about basic maintenance. As such things like this are less likely to happen in future.

    Also, generally a yellow/orange dash light does not require an instant pull over. It is a warning light only, letting you know that something has tripped and is outside of pre-set specifications. The car should be driven to a mechanic or dealer to get checked out.
    If however it was a red dash light, then that is urgent, and the car should be pulled over immediately (when safe to do so).

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 25/05/2023 - 19:58 
                 Most of the time they are driving to work.

      Then a 1 hour trip on a Friday, then a 1 hour trip on Sunday or Monday.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 25/05/2023 - 19:58
    +1

    I'm waiting for it to need a 'Powerflush'

    • Protractor on 25/05/2023 - 22:23

      The driver needs and has earned that. I believe it's called reverse flushing

  • Transient on 25/05/2023 - 20:29
    +2

    The vehicle was towed via the NRMA to the nearest Warranty repairer.
    The dealership is blaming this person for removing the radiator cap, and want to charge them for the towing,..

    This is odd. When my X-Trail had an engine check light and could not start, we called NRMA. NRMA roadside assistance confirmed it could not be started and organised a tow to the dealership without charge as part of membership.

    I would have thought: (1) NRMA roadside assistance would have had a quick look and noticed the missing cap especially as there was a temperature warning and usually the first step would be to check the radiator (2) the towing should be free as part of membership?

  • garetz on 25/05/2023 - 20:32

    It's the owners responsibility to check the car after a service, if the cap is missing there is no way to prove who is at fault.

    You think a mechanic is stupid enough not to tighten a Radiator Cap ? Once you leave the lot as the owner after a service everything is your fault.

    • donga100 on 25/05/2023 - 21:36
      +1

      You think a mechanic is stupid enough not to tighten a Radiator Cap ?

      Yes?

      • garetz on 25/05/2023 - 21:37
        -1

        Then find another mechanic.

        • Protractor on 25/05/2023 - 22:23

          No, such a genius should self maintain. Save the internet space

    • Leanne59 on 26/05/2023 - 10:42
      +2

      I’ve never hear of anyone opening the bonnet and checking the car after a service. Other than in this instance where is would be obvious that a cap was missing, most people wouldn’t have a clue what they were looking at. I personally have never opened a bonnet to “check” and nor has anyone in my family so I don’t believe that too many people would.

  • elgrande on 25/05/2023 - 21:53
    +2

    I once broke down, got towed and by the time it got to the dealer it was missing the radiator cap. It was there before it left, I saw it.

    Perhaps there is a lucritive radiator cap trade in the tow truck industry.

    • Protractor on 25/05/2023 - 22:25
      +1

      I'm thinking ppl are confusing radiator caps for catalytic converters. I REALLY< REALLY worry about this country's future.

  • Protractor on 25/05/2023 - 22:22
    -5

    Jesus H Christ, is this thread for real?
    ( "she" is """good looking"""", isn't she, Uncle ?)
    Explain how anyone could ever prove who TF was responsible for this 'if it ever happened,radiator cap omission' scenario?
    Clueless car owners like this should NEVER use one. Stick to uber,taxi,walking,cycling,public transport or anything but car ownership.

    • Tech5 on 26/05/2023 - 01:08
      +5

      That is an interesting way of seeing things, isn't it? For one to use something, they must understand how it works.

      Can't catch a plane unless you know how to refuel it
      Can't get on a bus unless you know the weight limit
      Can't get on a train unless you know how to disconnect and reconnect carriages
      Can't use a phone unless you can take it apart and put it back together

      Not everyone knows everything about everything. Knowing how to fix a car is no more impressive than knowing how to do your taxes. It is just a different facet of knowledge.
      People hire professionals for a reason - to do things they do not know how to do.

      Why gatekeep?

      • Grunntt on 26/05/2023 - 10:30
        +2

        Not everyone knows everything about everything.

        Have a stroll through Protractor's comment history and you may find someone who thinks they do.

        Member since 06/02/23
        0 Posts/973 comments

        Can't easily find too many that actually contribute much to the conversations.

  • Euphemistic on 26/05/2023 - 07:09
    +1

    Any chance of compensation from the person who did the service hinges on how recently they touched the car. If it’s months ago you are out of luck. If it was a week ago, you’ve got a decent argument as to them being at fault.

  • Mumbles on 26/05/2023 - 12:39

    Too many information gaps for this story. Only your friend knows the service history of her car, who the family paid to service it last, who in her family is lifting the bonnet to check and top up the fluids daily (eg. boyfriend, uncle, family friend, father, other drivers of the car, etc).

    As it is not a warranty issue or a recall the owner has to pay the dealership and for the towing and radiator cap at whatever the dealership invoices her (ie. full dealership rip off pricing). The only exception is if she can prove it was the dealership mechanics fault.

    Take it as a lesson. There are plenty more bad mechanics than there are good ones. Choose skilled professionals you trust rather than the cheapest/dodgiest. Dealerships have all kinds of insurances so they are more able to pay mechanics and 3rd parties to fix their own mistakes/faults if they know they're at fault.

    Falsely accusing the wrong business works against her in the long run. Its a near new car, still has Hyundai warranty and be serviced at a Hyundai dealership in future.

    Hyundai Australia has to evaluate and choose which dealerships join their servicing network. It's rare that they choose dealerships that have a terrible reputation. Mechanics who specialise in car servicing day in and day out are already doing very basic work. Its rare that a junior mechanic can be soooo bad at a Hyundai dealership. But if its truly a bad dealership then make sure to complain to Hyundai Australia so they are aware the dodgy dealerships in their network.

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