Hey gents.

Looking for some advice.........

2007 Santa Fe LTD
2.5 Years old with 20,000 Miles

My A/C stopped working.........took it in to the dealer and they say damaged condenser.
Non warranty, normal wear and tear.

I am by no means a novice with autos, I have 3 Vintage Cars that I maintain.

So,

Is this a a reality with the Santa Fe, lightly driven in the city, less then the national average in regards to miles driven.

Doesn't the car have a belly pan, wouldn't stones be thrown in the wheel house, not towards the front of the engine? Even so, enough stones thrown in 20K of light driving to make it inbetween the belly fan and cooling ducts to damage a condenser to point of not working?

Seems very suspect to me.

If that car can not handle 20k in 2.5 years of light driving, then maybe they need to rethink the design of the a/c condenser.

Should this be a dealer repair under the warranty? Hyundai is claiming no, so says the dealer..........this is the 3rd Hyundai I have owned in 6 years and 4th new car purchased from this dealer in 6 years, I feel as though I am getting the shaft.

Please share your comments.

Thanks.
Shawn

 

No, it doesn't have a belly pan but what makes you think the condenser was damaged by a stone thrown by your tires? How do you know it wasn't damaged by a stone kicked up by a car in front of you?

No, that's not a common problem with Santa Fes but it can happen to any car. Sorry for the bad luck but that's all it is, bad luck.

 

I think that's all a load. If the condenser is damaged, then they should be able to show you the damage someplace. Other than that, I would say it's a warranty issue. Usually it's the connections that leak, not the condenser. The condenser is a solid unit.

You can fill the system with the freon with the blue dye and determine where the leak is. Did the dealer do that? Or did they just give you the shaft. Go see another dealer.

Anyway, there is a system to appeal these decisions. I think Novaresource or Ken99 could tell you about that.

 

I've got a 2005 Santa Fe and have replaced the condenser three times due to apparent "rock/stone" damage since 2007. (it's actually in the shop today for it's 2009 condenser replacement).

I'm advised every spring when I take it in that it's not a warranty issue. They ask me the standard do you live on a gravel road etc. Nope, I drive 45 min to work all completely paved roads. I can understand this issue occuring once...........but three times........it's getting a bit much.

I've owned other Hyundai vehicles and never had any issues, this Santa Fe has me at my wits end. I either get rid of it or start saving now for the 2010 condenser replacement.

 

So you didn't tell us if they cover it under warranty, or if you had to pay for it? How do they "know" it's the condenser? Did they test it? Or is this a "known" issue?

Like I said before, it sounds like a huge load. Reason enough not to buy Hyundai.

 

According to the Service Centre and Hyundai Canada replacement of a condensor does not qualify under the warranty. I've had to pay for all three replacements out of my pocket (approx. $650 each time). My husband actually was able to look at the 2009 Condensor - there was a small pebble sized mark on the condensor that was leaking.

When I approached the subject of a design issue, Hyundai Canada actually suggested installing the decorative grill cover to try and help with the "stone" issue. All I was able to do was register a complaint and they wished me a nice day.

 

Jeeze!

I'd be replacing it myself. Or take it to another shop and get aftermarket.

 

Judging how fragile the OEM condensers seem to be, you'd probably be better off with an after market. Here's one from eBay for about $150, the refill could be done for about $100.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/07-08...Q5fAccessories

 

Over here there is a thread about putting gutter guard mesh over the four GIANT holes in the bottom of the front bumper. This seems to be a pretty bad design flaw. I wonder what it would take to push for some sort of recall for this issue?

I'm doing this mod on my new '09 Santa Fe ASAP.

- Jasen.

 

Same for me, my palisade is just few weeks old and the condenser got perforated by a minuscule debris, the dealer pointed out a very small dent in the center of the coil, less than 1 mm, they claimed that it created a perforation that’s is not covered under warranty, the car will stay at the dealer for more than 4 weeks because the part is not readily available. They are charging me $940
I was able to inspect all my vehicles 2018 Mini Cooper, 2019 BMW X1, but none of them show dents on the condenser the way this one does.. I presume that Hyundai is equipping those vehicles with poor quality materials.