[RNeil]

I have a 2013 Veloster Turbo with 64,000 miles. I am the original owner. There are no modifications.

My car would seem normal up to about half throttle. Just when you think it is going to be awesome, the car would jerk and there would be almost no power. I found that it takes a lot to set the fault codes, but I eventually got P0301, P0303 and P0300. I replaced the plugs and the coils. One coil had a burn mark, but I replaced them all. I still had the trouble. I took it to the dealer.

I had cleared the codes after replacing the coils. The CEL was off when I took it in. The dealer said I needed a new turbocharger. It would cost about $2,200 and I would need to pay about $1,700 before they would order the parts. I told them I would think about it. I arrive at the dealership expecting to pay $150 for diagnostics. The guy says maybe it is covered by the warranty. Strange that he didn't think of that before. He fiddles with the computer for about 5 minutes and says it is covered. He ordered the parts and I didn't even have to pay for the diagnostic work. He said he will call me when the parts come in. I will give you an update after the work is done.

The CEL was on when I drove it home. It had a P0234 overboost code. It disables boost if the pressure is above a threshold for a certain length of time. This forum says that a lack of boost can be caused by a bad bypass valve. Now I understand how that can cause overboost followed by no boost. I have also read that a sticking wastegate can cause this problem. I guess the wastegate is part of the turbocharger.

I always worry that the dealer will try to fix a problem by throwing parts at it. I am glad that I won't have to pay for a new turbocharger, but I am suspicious.

Has anyone had experience with P0234? If you had the no boost problem, was there a fault code?

 

[RPW00Mirage]

wastegate solenoid would be my first choice as a culprit. then wastegate / turbo

overboost code will put the car in limp mode, and then it will have no boost.

 

[RNeil]

Did you think I forgot to do the update? They said it would take a couple of days to get the parts. It was more like a week. Then I needed to make an appointment. I took the car to the dealer Sunday evening. Monday afternoon they said that they would not be finished until Tuesday. Tuesday they said it is still not working right and they are doing some tests, maybe it's the boost sensor. Then they said they would try cleaning the intercooler. Then they said maybe it's the wastegate. I asked if the wastegate is a part of the turbo and is it new. Now it is Wednesday afternoon. They say they know what it is, the wastegate solenoid valve. It is not covered by warranty, but $133 including labor is not so bad. They said it would take "a couple of days" to get the part. He recommended against driving it because overboost can cause damage. Also, if they keep the car, they will fix it immediately instead of scheduling an appointment. It's not so bad because I am working from home and my wife has a car.

So it seems RPW00Mirage and others know more than the "professionals." I can't be sure if the turbo was bad or not, but I am glad that I didn't have to pay for it.

 

[RPW00Mirage]

We aren’t professionals either, just sharing stories of fixing our own cars that have possibly had the same trouble.

 

[RNeil]

Update #2
Here I am about a month after I took the car in for serviceing. I just picked up the car almost 2 weeks after I dropped it off for turbocharger replacement. They kept on saying another couple of days or another day. Today I resolved that if they had not replaced the waste gate solenoid, I would do it myself. I thought it would be done yesterday. Yesterday afternoon they would not return my call. This morning I could not get through. But my wife said she could drop me off. When I arrived, the bumper was off the car. They were suggesting I should replace the intercooler at a cost of $600. They noticed that the bumper was not original and that a collision might have damaged the intercooler, in spite of the fact that they could not see any damage and it worked perfectly for years after the low impact collision. Talking to these guys lead me to believe that they do not really understand how the system works. They get on the phone to Hyundai support and they are supposedly guided by experts.

He said that he checked on the warrenty. Hyundai has the best warrenty, provided the people doing the work know what they are doing. He said the intercooler was covered by a 5 year 60,000 mile warrenty. He said that Hyundai can sometimes streach a warrenty's limits, or they can "help out." My car is 7 years old with 64,000 miles. He said it would be "a couple of days" before he knew.

I said that based on their information, I did not want to replace the intercooler. They had a 10% discount on service promotion, so I paid $129.

I drove home. The CEL was off. I heard a hissing sound at low power. It had very little acceration. This was different from the original problem. Before they messed with it, it had good acceleration, then a sudden lack of power. Now I do not have the sudden decrease in power, but I don't have anything like normal power.

Not sure what to do next. I could demand that they fix it, but I can't demand that they know how. It is a long drive to the next closest Hyundai dealer.

 

[RNeil]

Update #3
I looked at my paperwork and thought about it. The wastegate solenoid is part number 39410-2B100, which is the part number mentioned elsware in this forum. It is located near the bottom back passenger side of the engine compartment.

I am confused about what part they were saying I needed. They were saying intercooler and intercooler duct, then they said the intercooler and duct were integrated together. My "additional service recommendations" says I need a $40 air filter and a $617 "turbocharger - intercooler duct." They have two pictures. One is clearly an air filter. The other one does not look like a VT part. It looks like duct work, not an intercooler or an intercooler with a duct. I would need a lot more explaination before buying it. But I think I know enough to reject it.

I called the service manager and told him that the intercooler story does not make any sense. I told him that I thought there was a leak caused by how they reassembled the system. He said that they could check it again. I got him to say it would be at no charge. I will bring it in Monday.

 

[RNeil]

Update #4
They called me right at their quiting time. I am going to pick it up tomarrow.

They say they checked it out. They refined the story. They say I need a new intercooler, not an intercooler duct. They say the old turbocharger leaked oil, which clogged the intercooler. They say they tried, but were unable to clean it. They asked if that made sense. I said no. They could not explain why the blockage is so much more after they worked on it. I told them that if the old turbocharger caused the trouble, and that was covered by warrenty, the intercooler should be covered. They said Hyundai says no. They said the $617 estimate is still good. They just messed up the name and the picture.

I am not sure what to do next. I hope the guy turning the wrench knows more than the service manager, but it's supposed to be the other way arround. Several months ago I had a missing problem and I used the intake valve cleaner treatment. That should have cleaned any oil reside out.

• Has anyone had trouble with an oil clogged intercooler? How did you fix it?
• Has anyone had sucsess taking a car to a non-Hyundai mechanic?
• Is there a mechanism to complain to Hyundai?

 

[SVTfocusO3]

Contact Us | MyHyundai

Please contact us today with questions or feedback for your Hyundai vehicle and your overall MyHyundai experience.

owners.hyundaiusa.com

 

[RNeil]

Thankyou. I will use the link.

 

[RNeil]

Update #5
Hyundai has acknowlaged my complaint.

Where I live, I don't often get on the highway. And I don't drive much since I am working at home. Today I installed a new air filter and drove it on the highway to see how fast it would go. Acceleration was smooth, but underwelming. I had the pedal to the metal in 6th gear. For a while, I thought the top speed would be about 75 miles per hour or 120 km/hr. But it did get past 80 before I backed off.

The CEL is off, but I still have the P0234 code. The clear code function on my code reader does not clear it.

 

[RNeil]

Upadate #6
I got an answer from owners.HyundaiUSA.com. They said that they do not handle technical issues. So they can't say if the dealer's story sounds reasonable. For the question of if the intercooler replacement should be covered by warrenty, they said the dealer makes that determination. He also said that the dealer is independent from Hyundai and Hyundai USA. So the inquery was a waste of time.

My CEL is off. My code reader says 0 codes. If I read codes, it says P0234. The clear codes does not do anything. Today I disconnected the battery and let it sit for about an hour. I drove it and still did not have any boost. The code reader still says 0 codes, P0234.

Fortunately I don't have much need to drive lately. In December, I plan to retire and relocate. I will have more time to mess with it. I plan to take a good look at the wastegate solenoid and see if it is installed properly. I will look at the boost bypass valve and the intercooler. If I can't figure it out, I will take it to a different dealer.

 

[RNeil]

Today I looked at the boost bypass valve, aka intercooler valve. I have read that you need to remove the front bumper to do this. I found that I did not need to disconnect the right side fender. With the right side connected, I could move the bumper enough to access the valve. I also did not need to disconnect the fog lights, but I saw that they were already disconnected. This reinforces my theory that the dealer will forget details.

I understand that the bypass valve has a rubber diaphragm that can tear. I removed the valve and the diaphragm looked good. With the valve off, I could see the inside of the intercooler. It looked very clean.

So I am still wondering.

 

[RPW00Mirage]

Did you pressure test the diaphragm? If you push it all the way in and hold your finger over the vac hose outlet it shouldn’t move at all

 

[RNeil]

No, I just looked at it. I should try that.

 

[RNeil]

I'm sorry. I should have posted two months ago that I did the pressure test RPW00Mirage suggested and it was good.

The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that Pechelas Hyundai in Greenville, NC does not know what they are doing. I now live in Richmond, VA. Today I took the car to a different dealer. I told them what happened and gave them a copy of the invoice. Their diagnosis: it needs a new turbocharger. Apparently if a turbocharger is leaking oil, they will say it needs to be replaced. I asked if the one on my car was new. He didn't know. It is not so bad because it is covered by warranty. Pechelas needed a month to replace the turbocharger, if they did it at all. These guys say it will take two or three days.

To be continued ...

 

[RNeil]

I am out of town, so I haven't driven the car. They say it is fixed! I suspect that Pechelas Hyundai did a fraudulent warranty claim.

 

[RNeil]

I picked up the car today. I stomped on the gas and I was happy. But before I got it home, the check engine light came on. It had a P2261 code. I took it back. About a half hour later, they said it was fixed. They said it was a loose vacuum hose. It behaved on the way home and the CEL remained off.

 

[RPW00Mirage]

promising