New car - Hyundai Grand i10 Sportz is defective causing battery discharge. Demand for refund
I had booked a Grand i10 Sportz model car with Hyundai motor's dealer M/s Express Hyundai, Velachery branch and took delivery on 24th October 2013. The car registration no. TN 07 BV 8500. The cash memo/receipt number PR2013001929 dated 18/10/2013. The car came with a warranty of 24 months at the time of purchase.
Within the first two months, the car started giving problems - Whenever the engine is not started for three days at a stretch, the battery gets drained fully and fails to start. Even the keyless entry fails due to this. This problem occurred repeatedly – first time, just before the first servicing and again a week later.
After the first servicing, the car was returned to us on 21st December 2013 without replacing the battery and without any test certificates, parts replaced voucher or any other documents but only with an oral assurance by the technician that the problem had been taken care of and won’t recur.
The service team acknowledged that Grand i10 Sportz model indeed had a problem resulting in discharge of battery and assured me that loading software will take care of the problem.
I first reported the problem to the service center on 18th December’13 and service personnel took the car for first service on 19th December’13. Barely a week after that, the car again developed the same problem of total battery discharge when we didn’t start the engine for three days. On informing the service team, the car was again taken for repair on 27th December 2013. As on date, the car is still with the service center only.
I filed initial complaint with Hyundai motors (Complaint no. 1-********8) wherein I insisted on replacement of the battery. However this was not done. I lodged a second complaint (Complaint no. 1-********2) directly with Hyundai motors about my total dissatisfaction with the car and demanding refund for the failed car. As instructed in the auto response, I took up the issue over phone with Hyundai’s regional sales office staff Ms.Latha on 06/01/2014.
When my wife and brother-in-law met the dealer's GM and Service manager in this connection, the GM Mr.Rajaram had irresponsibly suggested that we sell off the car in the second hand market to overcome the problem. He even recommended the name of the agency.
I had booked this car relying on the assurance of great performance claimed by Hyundai's advertisement in the media and good brand name in the Indian market with full faith in Hyundai motor’s quality and reliability.
Due to the defective car, we had to frequently send the car to the service centre resulting in us not being able to rely on the car and put it to regular use causing extreme hardship besides much additional expense on petrol and hired vehicle.
After buying a new car incurring much financial burden, we were hardly able to use it for reasonably good distance because of the possibility of getting stuck up on the road due to the battery discharge problem. We could barely use it for 600 KM in three months.
This whole episode has caused enormous mental anguish to me and my family members incurring additional costs on petrol & hired vehicles besides the financial burden of spending about Rs. 6 lakhs on a car that is totally unreliable for which I demand a compensation of Rs.100000 including a simple interest @ 12% on the amount I paid for the car.
As such, having returned the car to the dealer, I now insist on getting total refund of the price I paid including the registration, life tax and additional options amounting in all to Rs.5,91,401 along with compensation of not less than Rs.100000 the rounded total amounting to Rs.700,000.