Scared to get my car back now
 

As much as I wanted it back from the dealer, I am afraid now. Let me give you some details and see what you think.

I have a 2002 Hyundai Sonata, 6 cyl, 4 dr sedan with approx 40,000 miles on it. I take very good care of it, regularly change the oil and other things that need to be done. Last week, it started hesitating when I started it and then on Wednesday it didn't start at all. That was a week ago. It has been at the dealer ever since. They said when they got it that there was no compression in the engine, leading them to think the crank case and timing belt (please forgive me, I know nothing about cars). It was supposed to be completed this past Wednesday and it was not. Yesterday the person handling my account was not in, and no one ever called me back. So today I spoke with the service writer handling my car. She told me that yesterday they got the car started, without replacing anything! She said they are investigating it further and will call me back later. What is going on with my car? She did lie to me? If she didn't, and they don't find out why my car did this, what do I do? Should I try to get rid of it? What if the trade-in amount is less than what is left on my car loan? Will my car be reliable?

Sorry for all the questions, I just don't know what to do now.

"An entity is much more than the sum of its parts."

I think I just made that quote up, but I'm not really sure. Diagnosing the problems with an engine can be a HUGE task, because there are so many interacting parts. Likewise, a symptom can appear and dissapear because of the interaction of these variables. It's truly possible that one day there was no compression, the next there was, the next there wasn't.. etc.. etc.. ad nauseum. Although it sucks that you haven't gotten your car back, to me it reflects that they're truly trying to find the source of the problem. Hopefully they don't charge you for all the labor. :)

And from our standpoint, its really difficult to tell you if the starting problem is even related to the compression problem.. or why they think the crankcase (?!?!) is causing compression issues.. :(

P.S. -- Being fairly literate in the workings of a car, I've noticed that I get an ENTIRELY different conversation than my girlfriend does when she calls in. If you want better details of what is going on, I'd simply have a person more schooled in automobiles call the shop the next time. They'll likely get a more detailed explanation than you, due to your percieved lack-of-knowledge. They'll jerk you around with the jargon until you think you need to replace the MAF, the injectors, the piston rings, timing belt, and a few other things.

Thank you JinnKai. You have helped calm my nerves. I hate not knowing anything about cars, maybe I should study up on it. Lucky for me all of this work should be covered under warranty. It has a 10 yr - 100,000 mile warranty. One good thing is I am saving on gas :)

They may have been talking about the vrank (not the case) and timing belt. If the belt stretches, slips, or breaks (the belt is attached to the crank) your car will be out of timing and not start/run.

First off.... relax. You have a good car there, and all cars have something go wrong eventually. My ex drives a 2002 Sonata just like yours, and it had a problem that sounded like yours, and ended up stranding her too. Hers ended up being a simple battery and alternator. Not to say that is the problem with your car, that's just what was wrong with hers.

The dealers are really under pressure to give people some sort of info on their car, even before they know what the problem is. But, they shouldn't have given you any info until they knew it to be fact. Now the car started without replacing anything... Let them finish their job first before doing anything. If it ends up getting fixed, just drive it and don't worry about it. If they give it back to you without doing anything with it, watch it closely, and if it goofs up again, take it to another dealer. At this point it appears as though your dealer isn't too hot on customer relations, but there competency in the shop remains to be seen.

As far as trading it...I knew when I bought the ex her Sonata, that the trade in for Hyundai cars has never been very good. And depending on what sort of financing and down payment that went into your deal, it is quite possible you could owe more than what it's worth. At 40,000 miles though, considering they warranty it for 100,000 miles, I would concentrate on getting the problem fixed and getting a lot more miles out of it before I started thinking about getting rid of it. Right now it sounds more like a crappy service dept than an unreliable car.

I'd be interested in hearing from you once you get it back from the dealer, and what they said about the car and/or what they fixed or didn't.

I know 4 or 5 people who all drive the 2002 Sonata....it was a major change in design from the 2001, and it is just a great looking car. Nobody I know has had any major problems with it, and I still see them all the time around SE Texas. The ex still swears by hers, and so does a buddy of mine who drives his daily.

Let us hear what the dealer says about the car when the finish with it, ok?

Jinnkai is right on here. I did the talking for my ex with the shop, and got no run around....after she did and they had her scared to death. It's not right, but women get a much different result than men do when dealing with service departments.

Well, I got my car back yesterday. They never found out why it would not start. This is what they wrote on the invoice:
"Customer states vehicle will not start. Cause: Found vehicle would not start - felt like no compression. 2nd tech went to check vehicle and vehicle started right away. NPF No problem was found at this time. Scan for codes - no codes in system performed diagnostic check and system check good."

I was told if it happens again, to call them right away, and they will make sure it gets looked at immediately. I programmed the roadside assistance phone number into my cell phone, just in case.

Oh and they replaced the speed sensor and fixed the dropping speedometer problem.

I wouldn't worry at all. ;)

1) Your warranty protects you for a lot more time.
2) What everyone said about it being a complex issue to diagnose the problem is true.

I have a few guesses myself to what it could be (sounds like you are losing spark in a cylinder, I'd guess a coil pack or something in the ignition is at least part of the problem), but the bottom line is that, though it's a hassle to have to deal with, you should be fine. Worst case you may have to take it back once or twice to get it nailed down 100%, but I'm guessing even that is a stretch. :)

If it happens again, take it to a different dealer. The statement on your invoice that said "felt like no compression" left me wondering sarcastically "just what does no compression feel like?". A compression check is a simple thing to do, and I've never been able to tell just how much compression my car had simply by sitting in the drivers seat and trying to start it. No compression is indicative of major problems (head gasket blown between cylinders, broken ring, valves not seating for one reason or another) but it isn't typically something that just goes away. I would likely be thinking perhaps a dirty fuel filter. A coil pack going bad wouldn't likely cause your car not to start, it would be more likely to cause your car to run really bad.

Most likely the timeing belt is just worn or slipped some or something and they just readjusted the timeing so it would get compression again. Since its under warrenty i wouldnt worry about it. just make sure they do tell you what caused it not to start and what they did to fix it. if they have no answers take it to a diffrent dealer and ask them to check it out.

could also have been a fuel delivery problem or even water in the gas that sorted itself out over time.