Hyundai i30 - bought a used Hyundai 2009 having some problems

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Sat 23 Sep 2017 18:33
Hyundai i30 - bought a used Hyundai 2009 having some problems - car beginner

I recently bought a used 2009 Hyundai i30 from a used car dealer. Having had the car for 2 weeks now I've noticed some problems.

1. The coolant in the reservoir is black however the coolant in the radiator is a pale orange colour. The car was supposed to be serviced prior to me collecting it but this wasn't mentioned.

2. The aircon blows luke warm air and it ac button is always on when I switch the car on even if I switch it off.

3. The electric window is struggling to go up. It goes really slow and sometimes stops completely. I found this problem during the test drive and he agreed to fix it. When I collected the car he said it just needed oil but he didn't fix it at all The problem remains.

The car has a 3 month engine and gear box warranty. I'm just a bit p***ed none of this was addressed. He said the car was serviced before I collected it and he would fix the window. He didn't even mention the AC problem. I'm not good with cars and not sure what I should do next. Should I confront the slippery used car dealer or should I just take it to a local mechanic and pray for the best.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Sun 24 Sep 2017 06:49
Hyundai i30 - bought a used Hyundai 2009 having some problems - hardway

Coolant first,

God knows what has been poured into the expansion tank in the past,

Some of the things I've seen!

Everything from brake fluid to gearbox oil.

If as you stste the general fluid is ok then some monkey has been stupid.

Just lean the header and monitor it.

As fo the window try some WD40 sprayed into the rubber runners,

But it might be a motor on the way out.

As for the air/con your going to have to get a refigerant engineer to check that out.

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Sun 24 Sep 2017 11:18
Hyundai i30 - bought a used Hyundai 2009 having some problems - car beginner

Thanks for your reply. I just bought this car 2 weeks ago from a used car dealer. In your opinion do you think I should tell him I want them fixed or he will tell me to p*** off? I'm not sure where I stand or what rights I have if any.

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Sun 24 Sep 2017 11:45
Hyundai i30 - bought a used Hyundai 2009 having some problems - Galaxy

The orangey-coloured stuff in the radiator sounds like someone might have put a bottle of K-Seal in; it's used to stop and seal water leaks. From what you say it rather sounds like the whole cooling system requires draining, thoroughly flushing out and then filling with the recommended coolant.

The aircon probably just requires regassing, which is relatively cheap to have done. However, it could also be something more serious (and more expensive to fix!) like a failed condenser.

As far as the sticking electric window is concerned I would just spray both sides of the window with silicone polish. Run the window up and down several times, then wipe off the excess. You'll be surprised the difference doing this will make, I can speak from experience. If this doesn't improve things then you have a more serious problem, I'm afraid. For silicone polish you can use anything like "Pledge" or "Mr Sheen", they all contain silicone.

As far as your rights regarding the dealer, that's rather harder to answer. If they are something like a "Glass and Aluminium" palace then I would certainly have no problem in returning the car and asking for these problems to be sorted out. However, if it's more something like "Arthur Daley's Car Lot" then you might possibly have problems. But you can only ask. You do have rights to return the car for a full refund within 30 days of purchase; however none of these problems are likely to justify doing that.

Of course, you did check the operation of the windows, operation of the aircon and looked inside the radiator prior to purchase, didn't you? I can probably let you off the last item but the other two you should certainly have done.

Edited by Galaxy on 24/09/2017 at 11:50

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Sun 24 Sep 2017 12:31
Hyundai i30 - bought a used Hyundai 2009 having some problems - gordonbennet

I think the words ''The car has a 3 month engine and gear box warranty.'' tells us all we need to know.

You can but ask politiely but firmly for them to sort the issues out, but i wouldn't hold out any great hopes of this being done.

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Sun 24 Sep 2017 12:49
Hyundai i30 - bought a used Hyundai 2009 having some problems - car beginner

The window I tested and noticed and he said he would fix it. When I went to collect it he said it just needed lubricated but it's only gotten worse. I'm afraid to open it in case it won't close again and with no air con I need an open window.

The coolant I honestly didn't notice it. I asked him did the car have ac and he said yes. I asked him to turn it on during the test drive but honestly I was so focused on driving the car as id been driving an automatic for 2 years the clutch was taking all my focus so I didn't pay attention to the AC.

I'm mostly worried about this weird coolant thing. Typing black coolant into Google brings up all kinds of scary things like head gasket and cracked head issues.

Edited by car beginner on 24/09/2017 at 12:52

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Mon 25 Sep 2017 10:13
Hyundai i30 - bought a used Hyundai 2009 having some problems - pd

You're not going to get any sort of "bumper to bumper" coverage or warranty on a 8 year old car I'm afraid. It just doesn't happen as any such car will be less than perfect somewhere.

I'd concentrate on the coolant myself. Are you sure it is actually black in the expansion tank? Have you tried drawing some out and looking at it? Eventually the coolant will all mix so I can't see how it can be one colour in one place and another elsewhere long term. Coolant can look off colours in expansion tanks depending on what colour the tank is, particularly if the tank has got grimy with age.

Does it have any sort of oily film on the top of the water?

If ti isn't losing coolant or overheating then I wouldn't panic just yet.

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Mon 25 Sep 2017 14:21
Hyundai i30 - bought a used Hyundai 2009 having some problems - Gibbo_Wirral

Playing devil's advocate, I wouldn't expect a coolant change to be part of a service. A "service" these days usually amounts to oil change, air filter replacement and a quick vac.

The orange coloured coolant isn't anything to worry about - coolant can be orange in colour. But the different coloured one in the tank is a worry. Could there be a blockage and that coolant in the expansion tank gone "bad"?

The electric window motor could just be a poor earth. Cleaning the window channels and spraying with silicone spray should help too.

Air con might need regassing. It might have a leak though if there's no cold in it at all.

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