turns out if you go to the Kearny Mesa Hyundai dealership for a 4 wheel alignment, they tell you the cost will be 150 bucks. But they will email you a quote for 100... is our email address really worth that much to them?

After 110000 miles, it was in need of a tire alignment, the fronts had been smashed by potholes too damn many times, and that had bent the drivers side off enough to wear on the tires enough cause them to get bald on the outside in 20k miles. Not that there was much more on the inside

Anyway, it feels BETTER after the alignment, and I figure that we owe it to the people we like to tell them about any way they can save money, that we learn of. 

My perspective is that it's us consumer/spenders - against the companies and services that will rip us off. 

the 9th circuit court of appeals reversed a dismissal and ordered the case reopened over insurer claims over immobilizer-free Kia and Hyundai models, raising fresh questions about theft risk and future anti-theft tech.

Kia and Hyundai are back in federal court over a theft wave that made national headlines for years, and this time insurers hold the wheel. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a dismissal on September 14, ordering a Santa Ana judge to reopen claims worth more than $1 billion.

 About 200 insurance companies allege that the automakers' Korean parent entities knowingly shipped vehicles without engine immobilizers into California ports.

The theft spree traces back to a design gap nobody outside the factory noticed for years. UCLA anthropology professor Jeffrey Brantingham put it bluntly: "Thieves didn't know these Hyundai and Kia cars were easy to steal until about 2020." Once TikTok tutorials spread, that changed fast.

Los Angeles saw thefts roughly double between the summer of 2019 and the summer of 2020, a spike researchers tie to idle cars sitting through pandemic lockdowns across the county's nearly 8 million registered vehicles. A UCLA study now projects elevated theft rates for these vulnerable Hyundai and Kia models will persist through 2042.

https://www.motor1.com/news/808629/ninth-circuit-revives-1-billion

here's an upclose look at the cheap bullshit parts Hyundai built my Veloster cooling system with, that began leaking from bullshit cheap manufacturing process that was likely designed to fail after the warranty was over, so car owners were likely to get the dealerships to do repairs

the pipe nipple was soldered into the manifold part. That does not hold up for more than 103,000 miles and 10 years. The solder oxidized and failed between the nipple and the manifold (or whatever that part is called) and I think it was part of the heater bypass 

 

this failed at about the time the radiator cracked, and so did the upper radiator support bracket.  3 parts of the cooling system broke at the same time, at 10 years and 103000 miles.

just how bad did I hit a pot hole to break this bracket and crack the radiator? I do not know

Hyundai and Kia must offer free repairs to millions of models under a settlement announced Tuesday

Under the nationwide settlement, the companies will offer a free repair to all eligible vehicles at a cost that could top $500 million, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said. Hyundai and Kia must also outfit all future vehicles sold in the U.S. with a key piece of technology called an engine immobilizer and pay up to $4.5 million of restitution to people whose vehicles were damaged by thieves. 

 The settlement was reached by 35 states, including California, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The vehicles eligible for fixes date as far back as 2011 and as recently as 2022.

Thefts of Hyundai and Kia vehicles soared in part because beginning in 2021, videos posted to TikTok and other social media demonstrated how someone could steal a car with just a screwdriver and a USB cable. Minneapolis reported an 836% increase in Hyundai and Kia thefts from 2021 to 2022.

https://apnews.com/article/minnesota-kia-hyundai-theft-settlement-d2dc13dcee3fa65494d4df9f089dd386

Hyundai says it's given away 277 million since 1988 in cancer research funds grants. I hope that's true. Wouldn't it be more useful to just pay for the kids cancer treatments instead? Or build your own medical education center focused on cancer research?

Frankly, I don't see how the past 3 or 4 decades of cancer research has resulted in billions and billions of dollars worth of results. 

Sure, the lab equipment it takes to do cancer research is the most expensive part, and the scientists wages are likely the least expensive part. 

But it's been decades, and from what little I know, cancer treatment is still where it was in the 70s, radiation, and chemo. 

So, what has the money done in all that research, but likely misspent, when instead, it could simply pay for pediatric cancer treatments instead? 

https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/why-hyundai/hope-on-wheels

here's some strange news... immigration authorities have arrested 475 people at the Hyundai manufacturing site at Ellabell, Georgia... the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations

The arrested individuals worked for several contractors as well as Hyundai, said Steve Schrank, a special agent in charge of Homeland Securities Investigations Atlanta

https://abcnews.go.com/US/450-people-ice-custody-hyundai-plant-georgia/story?id=125286055

Unreal. In 2025 that a factory in the US has that many people on payroll who aren't in the the country legally, or not legally able to work in the US... how's that even happen? 

I just went through the job hiring process, for the umpteenth time, and there ain't no way that you get hired without a birth cert and drivers license. So how were 475 people on someone's payroll? 

the South Dakota Highway Patrol stopped a Hyundai for speeding, on the I 90, in Sturgis, and found more than 207 pounds of crystal meth worth an estimated $12 million

 

https://www.kotatv.com/2025/08/11/south-dakota-highway-patrol-makes-record-breaking-drug-bust/

update on the Hyundai's with pealing pearl white paint - Hyundai did a recall! On June 28th!

and this is the Hyundai white peeling paint facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/2688059091262990/

total respect! Hoa Mechanical, Vietnam

https://www.youtube.com/@Hoa-Mechanical

the Genesis GV60 Crystal Sphere is a shifter when the car is on, a crystal ball when off

Ship to 1:40

and the GV 60 Has 429 HP, but 483 when you press "boost hp" button. 10 seconds of aDDITIONAL 50 HP, Good for getting the GV60 Performance model to 3.4 seconds in 0-60 races https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBf5SYtFpeU

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/cars/autos-technology-gear-shifter-design-tesla-44d79694
https://www.genesis.com/worldwide/en/models/luxury-suv-genesis/gv60/highlights.html

Finally, the news is out that the last decade of pearl white paint put on Hondas and other cars was a screw up. First, Hyundai engine oil consumption, then massive thefts due to no immobilizer, now the paint peeling issue. My Hyundai has been a problem

A class-action suit was filed this month against American Honda Motor Company alleging defective paint was used in 2013 and newer model-year Honda and Acura vehicles. Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the lawsuit alleges that some white paints are so poor that the finishes “inevitably fail, peel, delaminate (that is, the separate paint layers separate due to adhesion issues), bubble, and flake.”

The four shades of white currently named are: 

White Diamond Pearl (paint code NH-603P) used on Acura MDX, Honda Odyssey 

Taffeta White (NH-578) used on Honda Odyssey, Honda Pilot 

White Orchid Pearl (NH-788P) used on Honda Fit, Honda HR-V 

Bellanova White (NH-788P) used on Honda Fit, Honda HR-V

A similar class-action suit filed in Canada was settled in 2022 for upwards of $27 million

The affected vehicles are found nationwide, meaning the paint issue is unrelated to specific regional climates, for example. The suit alleges that the paint defect “existed in latent form when Honda manufactured the vehicles and when Plaintiffs purchased the vehicles” but will “manifest itself” during vehicle ownership. Also, per the filing, the vehicles were manufactured at Honda’s plant in Lincoln, Alabama, with the paint applied via a “robotic paint system.”

The plaintiffs have requested a jury trial and seek a host of remedies, including but not limited to compensation for repainting work, reimbursement of counsel fees, and “restitution, compensatory damages, and costs for economic loss and out-of-pocket costs.” Honda has yet to comment on the class-action filing.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/honda-owners-file-class-action-lawsuit-over-peeling-white-paint

https://www.odyclub.com/threads/white-odyssey-peeling-paint-poll.353181/page-3

https://www.reddit.com/r/Hyundai/comments/wtnrvr/i_have_seen_many_white_hyundais_with_peeling

https://www.hyundai-forums.com/threads/paint-delamination-pearl-white.598761/

https://autos.yahoo.com/hyundais-just-sloughing-paint-180000540.html

Why is this something I'm posting? 

Same paint problem happened to Hyundai, and I happened to buy one, with pearl white paint, and JUST last week, I was talking to people at the dealership, and found out that they already know that the problem is the primer under the paint. The formula was wrong, and the pearl white paint didn't stick to it like it should. 

Class action lawsuits have been filed against Hyundai for this issue in different countries. The issue seems to be with only pearl white vehicles, with Quartz White Pearl and Frost White Pearl paints cited in the Technical Service Bulletin. the vehicles which have suffered from this all originate from the same plant in Alabama

maybe even Toyotas

Hyundai ALMOST made an El Camino... but made it a 4 door. They call it the Santa Fe. Seems very similar to the Chevy Avalanche... Maybe next time they will get it right and make a 2 door car sized truck!

 

https://www.saffordbrownhyundaifairfax.com/2024-hyundai-santa-cruz-in-stock-near-fairfax-virginia/

a 2019 Elantra that State Farm and Progressive won't insure... ? Yup. Too many are stolen

 

https://www.wral.com/video/woman-dropped-by-insurance-due-to-car-s-make-model/21527513/

I have neither seen, nor heard of, the Walking Dead edition of the Tucson

This special-edition Hyundai got all-wheel drive, a black paint job with red show-themed graphics, mudguards, custom floor mats, roof rack rails, and a 72-hour "survivalist's backpack."

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g6424/12-of-the-weirdest-special-edition-cars-ever-made/?slide=6

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/walking-dead-hyundai-tucson-backpack-1721458376

https://i0.wp.com/zombieresearchsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Hyundai-Tuscon-The-Walking-Dead-Backpack_2.jpg

corporate Hyundai had a booth at CES for ocean cargo logistics, and called it "mobility"...

impressive booth design

two robot arms with flat screens moved around to block the view of this scale model of a advanced tech model

If I recall correctly the flat panels that get raised on the ship act like sails, and reduce fuel use by 20 % 

and these are clever ways to point out that the "gifts" inside the blue balls are something you can get one of, IF, if you want to listen to 4 different talks about whatever the corporate Hyundai shipping is

clever use of Hyundai construction equip to get attention though. 

this is what 700 miles of oil loss looks like on my car's engine... 1.6 quarts lost in 700 miles of normal use, a round trip from San Diego to Vegas and back, for the CES convention

 and for the past 10000 miles, I've had to get the dealership to measure how much oil my 2015 Hyundai Veloster is losing, because it's under warranty, BUT, the dealerships do not diagnose and repair engine oil excessive consumption. They do a series of tests to measure and document the amount of oil the engine is losing, leaking, or burning. Since they haven't found a leak in 2 years, it must be getting burnt up.

But that is not something that gets diagnosed and fixed. 

Instead, the engine is replaced if after all the time, tests, and effort can not figure out what the cause is of the excessive oil consumption. 

so, I've had to waste time at the dealership every 1000 miles, to wait while they figure out how much oil it's burnt up lately. 

this upcoming one will be the 6th test it has proven to use up more than 1 quart, PER 1000 miles driven

and this is the survey they email to customers.... 

well, last time I was there, last Thursday morning because on getting my car back from the 7 weeks after I had proven that no magic had yet occurred, to reduce the amount of oil my car was burning up - as the trip to SEMA finished off another 1000 miles, and due to the trip, I had driven 1254 miles, and it used 1.72 quarts of oil... but I digress. The dealership overfilled the oil, and starting a test to measure how much is used, with more than it is designed to be filled with, changes the outcome of the test. 

So I had to go back and get the oil drained to precisely "Full" and no more, no less. That is how you start a test of liquid measurement loss, you must know exactly how much you start with. So last Thursday morning I was 1st customer of the day, so it would take the least amount of time, as the tech/mechanics would have no workload yet.

And it took them 90 minutes until I lost my patience and had to ask what was taking so long. 

That was the 1st indication to the service manager that his repeat customer that has an oil loss problem, was waiting 3 times longer for an oil change (drain to proper level) than is normal (20 minutes)

Now if you look at that survey again:

was my Service Experience Truly Exceptional? Not unless they consider 4 times the normal amount of time exceptionally strange. 

I believe it was retaliation, vindictive behavior, for being a pain in the ass. I could be wrong, but, over filling the oil on an oil test, and then making them fix that? Might be pissing off the people at the dealership. 

What causes me to think so cynically? I worked at a car dealership for 5 years. 

Lemme vent a moment, and advise you all to not trust dealerships until after you've checked their work

 what you see above, is either an innocent mistake by a professional dealership mechanic, who can't help but overfill my engine oil when I am on the 6th 1000 mile excessive oil consumption test, OR the stacking of the deck to prevent the accurate test result which will prove that for a 6th time that my car's engine is STILL in violation of the warranty 

now, I am so frustrated and mad that I am getting the run around, and results have already been faked on one test, and now this? 

It happens to be one quart from bottom L marking, to top F marking, AND by my estimation based on that distance, this is 1/3rd to 1/2 a quart overfull, which coincidentally, is possibly enough to cause the 1000 mile excessive oil consumption test, which, works against my proving the consistent and consecutive excessive oil loss that an engine under warranty is not allowed. 

faking the test result would (again, it's been faked once as a pass) call into question the valid claim I have to a repair that prevents oil being used at a ridiculous rate, 1.5 quarts per thousand miles, which is more oil disappearing per typical/normal oil change rate of once per 5 thousand miles, as that would be 7.5 quarts. 

See how bad this engine's oil problem is? It's unable to get from one oil change to the next without burning/losing/leaking more oil than the engine holds. 

if you need help with your Hyundai in San Diego... go see Nick! At Kearny Mesa Hyundai on Convoy

Best service advisor I've had! 

after 3 consecutive tests, that proved my 68k mile 2015 Hyundai engine was losing more than 1 qt of oil per 1000 miles, the dealership (!) suddenly found that it magically was fixed, just in time to prevent my engine replacement under warranty. So I used the past 2k miles to see if it was fixed, it's not.

upper right shows the mileage WAS 72832 when they found it magically (after at least 3 tests at the dealership) didn't lose more than .43 quarts in the lower left

 

Here is the mileage exactly 2003 miles AFTER that miracle fix (where they could point to NO thing they'd done that could account for reducing the loss of one quart of oil per 1000 miles

and here is the oil container showing that I've had to add 3 quarts in that 2003 miles, to keep that Hyundai engine topped off. 

That's proof to me, and anyone that doesn't have to get a paycheck from Hyundai, that my engine is STILL losing over the minimum legal amount to qualify as "excessive" oil consumption per Hyundai policy. 

So, why post this? Because now that I've proven that I've been cheated out of the warranty replacement engine, the dealership tells me that in order to prove that it's still in violation of the allowable amount of oil consumption per warranty replacement I have to go through the 4 dealership visits again... and that means at least 2 times where I have to leave the car there at my expense for a rental car, and that was about 200 dollars. (For the cheapest rental car)

Time to consult with Hyundai warranty dept honchos on this. 

it's been over a year, since last May, when I began the frustrating process of pushing the Hyundai dealership warranty process to discover where my car's engine was losing between 1 and 2 quarts of oil per 1000 miles

one year, one month, and one week later, after 4 or 5 trips to the dealership to pursue the oil consumption testing regime, it was FINALLY solved when by happy accident, the valve cover gasket was replaced incidentally to taking apart the head to look for cracks, or some such idiocy... when I had INSISTED that the mechanics look for a fucking leaky gasket!

Well, there it is, I fucking called it. It took this long, and 2 car rentals, that cost ME about $250 total, over the course of 4 or 5 wasted stops at the dealership for them to measure how much oil my engine was losing, etc etc 

Tell me again how logical, and cheap, it is to take the valve cover off, inspect the gasket, and look for evidence of 5 or 6 quarts of oil that have been leaking or burning on the outside of the engine block

how frustrating has it been? http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2022/04/it-took-4-days-for-hyundai-dealership.html

was I rough on them? Or, did they earn every word by being incompetent?