Hyundai Tucson actuator failure, just out of warranty - will I have to pay in full?

Just over two months ago my Hyundai Tucson diesel had its final service within its five year warranty, having done just under 26,000 miles and received a clean bill of health/MoT.

Today an engine management fault light was displayed and I noticed a loss of power on acceleration.

I took the car to my Hyundai dealership and they carried out a diagnostic investigation which showed a wastegate actuator seized/not moving which required replacing at a cost of £948 inclusive of labour/VAT.

Additionally, they said that if this replacement was done it is possible that as they found a small amount of play in the turbocharger but presently not needing any attention a new turbocharger would be needed - no mention of what this would cost.

Bearing in mind the car is just a few months out of its 5 year warranty, not a high mileage and has been regularly serviced on time by this dealership I am minded to make a complaint to Hyundai's HQ customer service on this basis and there is a general customer expectation that their parts could be expected to last much longer than this.

I would appreciate your view on this situation and what kind of approach I should take with their customer services dept in order to give myself the best chance of a reduction in cost here on a fair basis?

Asked on 10 December 2021 by faceless999

Answered by Dan Powell
The key thing here will be identifying the cause of the actuator failure. If it's due to a manufacturing fault then I'd expect Hyundai to contribute towards the cost of the repair (especially if they want to retain your business).

However, if the problems are linked to a build-up of carbon due to the car's low mileage then neither Hyundai or the dealer will contribute towards the repair.

A modern fuel injected diesel engine, such as this, needs at least 15 miles per journey to reach its optimum operating temperature. Lots of short journeys will ultimately result in the engine running on a rich fuel mixture that will cause carbon build up.
Similar questions
Following an accident, my car has substantial damage to a rear wing, wheel and suspension components. The insurer's suggested repairer will not repair the car. They say there was a previous repair and...
I had a crash over Christmas, luckily I wasn't at fault. He hit me from behind at a roundabout, causing minor damage to my bumper. We exchanged details and agreed not to claim via insurance, but that he'll...
I purchased a Citroen C4 Picasso on 10 August, it's three years old and had 21,000 on the clock. On arrival to my viewing and during the test drive I noticed a few things - one alloy was particularly badly...
Related models
Cabin is spacious and comfortable. Lots of family appeal with affordable running costs and huge boot.