Hello BHP'ians,
I could not find a relevant thread hence starting a new one. Mods may merge it with a relevant discussion.
Yesterday night my car key got stuck in the ignition lock switch at Level 2 i.e. the ACC (Accessories) mode. Not really sure on how this happened, as it was one of the valet guys who reported the issue while parking the car. Thankfully the steering was not locked, thus managed to get the car started and back home as well with the help of one of the drivers (he was a former mechanic). The guy hooked up the fuel pump to the battery and connected the starter solenoid with the starter motor with two keys, bingo engine comes to life. Went home with the escort car from the hotel.
By the way the hotel staff was very helpful and co-operative.
Hyundai Road Side Assistance, as expected was quite useless when i tried contacting them yesterday night when this thing happened.
First time i was told ‘car is more than 2 years old so it is not covered under roadside assistance, i will have to take the car to nearest HASS on my own to address the issue’. ‘Wow’ was my response, thanked and disconnected.
Second time my wife calls the same number and was told ‘yes we will help, but this issue cannot be addressed by Hyundai Road Side Assistance, we can arrange for a tow to the nearest HASS’. We refused to take help as we were not sure on the ridiculous amount they would charge for the towing service. Also the driver/mechanic guy was already on the issue and was confident of fixing it so no point wasting time and money with the Road Side Assistance guys.
Today morning, I called up The Garve HASS, they sent over the Garve Hyundai Road Side assist person. Garve guy told me that the key got locked in the ignition lock switch due to improper removal attempt while shutting down the car. So the valet probably tried a little too hard to remove the key without turning the key over completely to Level 0 i.e. Off.
Garve guy said that the HASS would ask for a full replacement of the lock set which would cost me to the tune of INR 14,000, alternatively he can get it repaired through his contact out side the service centre at a cost of INR 3,500.
Unsure I thought of taking a second opinion. I called up Mr Lonkar from TuneUp Plus(at Balewadi- Baner), he as usual gave me a cold but useful response. He said that he could not attend to my problem today due to prior commitments and would need at least a day. However he did agree that it will cost close to the same figure quoted by Garve guy.
With few options around i agreed to go with the Garve guy's unofficial contact. He got the thing fixed for me in 2 hours.
He was hesitant in sharing detailed information but did reveal that the ignition lock set lever had to be replaced. He did however share the diagnostics with me; the key was faulty, due to usage (wear and tear) over 3+ years the key does not fit properly into the ignition switch, to which i agreed. I was aware of this problem especially while unlocking the doors and at times the key would not smoothly fit into the ignition switch as well. He asked me to start using the alternate key for daily use and keep the other problematic one as a backup.
Wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. I am aware that the ASS guys push for replacements and not repairs. But was the figure of INR 14,000 correct for the ignition lock set and how about the INR 3,500 that I paid for the repairs, do these figures sound ok ?