St. Charles Automotive
St. Peters,#2UPDATE Employee
Thu, December 22, 2011
This customer came in as we were getting ready to close. Our Express Service Adisor explained that it was too late to get his vehicle into the shop. The customer told him about his difficulty in shifting and as written in his complaint, "struggling with the shift unit I was able to engage park". Since putting it in gear to pull it into the shop seemed unlikely at that point, the advisor brought a Hyundai technician out to look at his vehicle. Our technician immediately observed the damaged rubber dust cover that surrounds the shifter. It appeared 'accordion-like', bent and mangled from repeated attempts at jamming it into gear. The technician pointed out the sticky residue on the rubber piece. The customer metioned in his complaint that on the morning of Dec 1, 2011, that "the shifting unit popped loudly and caved in". What that means is that the rubber piece came apart from the track where it normally moves freely. We see this type of problem often in many makes and models; when a customer accidently spills liquid into the shifting assembly, the liquid runs down into the tracks. Many times, this 'gums up' and can bind the rubber piece to the track. According to our technician, the best thing to do when this happens is bring the vehicle in by tow truck to prevent any damage (versus attempting to force the vehicle into gear). The technician explained that since this rubber piece was already damaged beyond repair, he could cut away a portion of it so that the shifter would move freely for now. Then tomorrow, Mr. Merideth should bring it back in to be repaired correctly. The customer agreed to this temporary solution, waited for the technician to retrieve the tool from his toolbox, watched as he freed the shifter, and left; to the best of our knowledge satisfied and thankful for the assistance. He has not returned to our dealership for this repair. This customer did not purchase this vehicle at our dealership and has never been to our service department before this time. Ironically, every new Hyundai comes with Roadside Assistance for 5 years/Unlimited miles. Mr. Merideth could have called them and they would have towed the vehicle in at no charge. We have tried repeatedly to contact him and he does not return our calls. The satisfaction of our customers is our primary goal each and every day. Thank you.