Well I hope the Tucson works well for you. If you’ve got one that has been looked after and the under bonnet plastics last, it could be good. I might add that I wouldn’t own an EU, US, or AU car either. Chinese depends on the brand, the reputation at the time, and the cost. I might end up owning one yet.
In the end, if the manufacturing costs are approximately the same and they are offering more features at a lower or equal price. Then the sacrifice would likely be quality of parts used.
What plastics am I worried about? They appear in as good a condition as any car we’ve owned.
I fail to see what plastics problem applies to Korean cars over any other cars?
It drives well, is quiet and comfortable and only uses about 1.5ltr/100km more than the Swift, that is comparitively noisy and less comfortable on our crappy roads. The Swift is 20 years old now and has had a few issues lately. Ignition coils and front suspension strut mounts flogged out. All fixed myself but the Tucson is just nicer to drive and no reliability problems I am aware of.
Hmmm. On second thoughts, I thought I’d have a look;
https://www.drive.com.au/news/hyundai-kia-compensation-failure-class-action/
Well that sux. There was a class action in the US apparently. I think the Tucson may be going before the Zuk despite being much nicer to drive. The 2.0ltr engine in it is on the list as is the model and year. I take that back Nobody. 
There isn’t smoke without fire. Hopefully smoke doesn’t start pouring out of the bloody thing soon.
Not just Korean cars.
True. Many problems. Especically in the US.
Some mechanics say it has to do with the 0W20 oils used for meeting fuel economy, combined with long 15K km service intervals - which is a bad (marketing, not engineering) idea. While other mechanics dispute the claim. Meanwhile in the rest of the world, many mechanics are still using 10W30 on new cars. The RAV4s are 0W16, although they have provision in the manual for 10W30. We have one at work I drive home while I’m on recall, about third of my working life.
Then there is looser piston rings for fuel economy which also increases oil consumption. With long service intervals, engines can run out of oil before the next service. I know the recent Honda CB1000 Hornet was suffering from high oil consumption.
Add all these together - along with the listed manufacturing failures being more prevelant - and it makes me wonder why anyone would buy a new car. Overall though, some manufacturers are still better than others both in number of problems and what they do about it when it happens.
This is why I find it simpler to keep an old durable car running. Rather than all the newer more expensive and difficult technical problems that will inevitably arise with the complexity and inherent lower durability of modern vehicles.
If anyone has a newer car. Don’t follow the kms for service intervals. Do it at least twice as much and change the filter each time. Cheap insurance against early oil consumption issues (at least more than new anyway).
I’ve got a 2016 Tucson. It’s OK. Hasn’t caught on fire yet.
The worst thing is the electronic handbrake switch keeps breaking. I’ve already replaced it once and it needs replacing again. Not sure if there’s something else going on or it’s just a shit design.
With the ignition coil failing issue. Have you still got the engine covers on? If so, get rid of them. They’re just asthetics and generally increase the ignition coil temperatures. It was the first thing I did when I got the Corolla. 22 years old now and no coil problems yet.
Ultimately the Swift is going to be easier to live with at the same age and kms as the Tucson. Even if the Tuscon doesn’t catch fire.
Probably got to do with the component quality - which obviously relates to their design philosophy. As said above, if getting more for less, then component quality is probably compromised in places.
By now there might be an aftermarket switch available which could be better.
Got an oil leak in our 2012 Skoda Fabia. Half the bloody engine has to come apart to fix it… FML. Ah well, this is the first major repair it’s ever had over 130k kms. Can’t complain too much, but if this is the start of things failing I’ll look to offload.
There is a plastic cover that sits over them but leaving it there. Don’t think it will make much difference and easy to replace. Not expensive. Just intermittent missing below 2k rpm. Fine above it. Cost about $100 for two coils I think it was.
Chat GPT says check the high tension leads first as they tend to go earlier than the coils. Just a multimeter resistance check against the specs should tell you. Cheaper than the coils too.
This is the problem with European cars. It’s not necessarily that they fail more often. But when they do they are expensive to fix. Some have suggested that they design them to be difficult to fix. I remember decades ago looking at a cheap secondhand Peogeot as a family hack. But I found out that the timing chain was placed between the engine and the gearbox. As it had a significant number of kms on it, I bought a Toyota instead. The Toyota didn’t turn out great either, but I’m sure I saved some money on repairs.
If there is, I can’t find it. Looking at nearly $300 for a new one; wreckers aren’t much cheaper. The problem is my Tucson is the top end model (blame my wife) so the specific handbrake switch assembly is pretty thin on the ground.
The first replacement I found was from a wrecker in Tassie for $75, so you can see why I’m baulking at $300.
It still works, but there’s a bit of a knack to it.
Cars, huh.
The coils have been replaced and it’s fixed.
which wrecker? Can collect and post if it’s near hobart.
Thanks, but that was the first one I bought and replaced.
Plus it was in Rocherlea, and nobody wants to go there.
Now I understand why you need to replace the switch a second time. Unfortunately for things that wear out, the wreckers is not a great option. In the likely case it’s a pattern fault, the wrecker’s switch will probably be on its last legs too.
How many pins does the switch have? If it’s fairly simple, it may be worth consulting with AI and then an auto-elec before going any further. The auto-elec may be able to replace the switch with something else that’s generic, durable, and cheaper.
What is your time worth to you for all the above mucking around? $300 might work out to be a better option for a simple fix. But then, how long is it going to take for Hyundai to get the switch to you?
I had a Euro car years ago, crikeys it was prone to leaking oil … but I learned that if I parked it nose downhill, it didn’t leak oil.
That was 25 years ago and apart from that, servicing was relatively affordable.
Because the vehicle (Volvo 940) was well out of warranty and so I got a highly competent mobile mechanic to do the services. Heaps cheaper than dealer servicing !
Most expensive service item was replacement brake pads. It was an automatic and it really chewed through brake pads.
Things started to come apart at about the 200 K kilometre mileage.
Drivers power window mechanism broke.
Drivers door spring broke
Speedometer broke.
Front shock absorbers broke.
All of these issues were fixed without breaking the bank but of course it took time and inconvenience.
Final verdict - plenty of good miles and few complaints. Biggest running costs petrol and brake pads.
It did run out of petrol once or twice but both times that didn’t result in any great dramas. I was able to walk to a service station and get a jerry can of fuel 
.
The only really bad car that I have ever had the displeasure of owning was my FIRST car.
Which was a 1970 Toyota Corona that I purchased 2nd hand in 1980.
I paid one thousand dollars for that heap of 
In 3 years of ownership it spent so much time off the road due to breakdowns.
Road handling and brakes were very mediocre (by today’s standards - even yesterday’s standards !)
It had to be towed 3 times in 3 years !!!
But it did result in one positive (I think) outcome.
Because of its repeated breakdowns, one day I had a brainwave - I decided to take the backseat out and put a BICYCLE there instead.
So that I could complete my journey to Uni in the event of the inevitable “next breakdown”
And I soon discovered that the bicycle was (in those times and places) quite a practical and even enjoyable way to travel.
And here I am today.
Still driving motor cars and still riding bicycles.
But I know which of those I prefer to be doing, most of the time !
My first car was an Austin 1800 for $250. Just bought it for the rego and it didn’t last long. Died on the F3/M1 between Hornsby and Gosford with a suspected big end bearing failure.
Next up was a Ford XB ute that I had most of the 90s. I converted that one from auto to manual and ran it on straight LPG. Then an '82 Nissan Pulsar. Centura. A '92 (IIRC) Celica. Then the current 2004 Corolla.
Plus my wife started with a 200B which broke down 5 times with 5 different faults between Sydney and Cairns. Then a Ford XD wagon. '90s Corolla. 2002 Camry. VZ Commodore. 2008 Mazda 3.
Why my wife’s or family cars matter to my car history is that I needed to service and repair them all. So eventually over decades - like most who do it themselves - I became fairly proficient at it.
Bikes and to a lesser extent motorcycles were my main forms of non-public transport in my younger years. Even when I owned cars. In Sydney, it would often take not much more time to ride a bike as it did to drive in some circumstances. There was a time in my late teens that I was riding a BMX bike from Balmain to Watsons Bay daily for work. About 250 km a week.
Apparently the first viable electric car that can run on solar only - but doesn’t have to. Whether it’s successful only time will tell. I hope so.
