Dealer blames me 'flooring the throttle' for Verna's overheating issues

My Verna 1.5 turbo DCT overheats suddenly, then in under 10-15 seconds returns to normal.

Thanks to Mukul for sending this in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP share page!

Hello Team-BHP,

I am writing this to inform you & seek advice from you guys about Hyundai's claims.

1. I am driving a Verna 1.5 Turbo DCT & when I accelerate my vehicle and under spirited driving, my vehicle overheats suddenly and then in under 10-15 seconds, it returns to normal temperature.
2. This issue was also reported on the Team-BHP forum by Blackbandit - attaching a copy below.
3. When contacting my Hyundai dealership they told me that it is your fault that you are using 100% throttle hence the car overheats.
4. I am attaching a mail from Hyundai below.

I want to ask that if Hyundai is making 1.5 turbo engines and taking on the performance segment in India - then why are they claiming a user shouldn't use full throttle, else the car will overheat and stop functioning?

I want any advice on this, please.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

On a 158-BHP 1.5L Turbo-Petrol that is marketed for performance and used in their performance variants? This is the most RIDICULOUS response I have ever seen from a car manufacturer. I frequently redline all my cars, and also redline about 40 media test-drive cars a year, and have NEVER seen them overheating because of hard driving.

Better Hyundai fixes the problem / engine / cooling system, or detunes the engine.

Also, issue an advisory to Creta N-Line owners that their performance crossover shouldn't be driven with 100% of the throttle a lot.

Hyundai, pull your socks up and FIX IT. Accept that it is a problem first.

Here's what BHPian IshaanIan had to say on the matter:

Seems like Hyundai has yet to build a proper petrol motor; I thought it was just their old NA engines that were weak but now it looks like even their new DI Turbo mills aren’t up to the task. I redline my 2.5lac kms done F10D WagonR on a daily basis in fact it doesn’t even have a rev-limiter or an rpm gauge so I probably breach the redline considering I need to wring its neck out to overtake vehicles sometimes also considering its tall boy stance and floppy chassis, I even rev match to downshift in order to control the weight balance yet it has never given any issues. Considering what Hyundai is saying, the redline needs to be revised on this turbo petrol Vernas since I always thought that the redline indicated the safe upper rpm limit but I guess on a Hyundai it means ‘don’t go there’ at least it is a turbo petrol so I suppose one can just ride the torque wave in the mid-range and be satisfied with just that much.

Here's what BHPian careind had to say on the matter:

I am guessing it is the service center that is selling this drivel and not Hyundai per se. But definitely not without the taciturn nod from Hyundai.

If this becomes a big issue, then HML would step in and clarify or make a gesture to help.

Hyundai is selling a car, that too a high-performance one, and as long as the product is used within the framework of guideline usage, it should work as expected.

I would ask the OP to reply back to the service head who sent that mail to quote the relevant sections in the user manual that say the throttle should not be depressed to 100%.

He could also try the same manoeuvre with a TD vehicle in the presence of ASC guys, to make it clear whether it is a generic product issue or an issue specific to his vehicle.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter once again:

You are correct, it is indeed the dealership, but the "service head" of Berkeley Hyundai - Mr. Ashok Sharma - no less. Service head giving such an explanation?

Here are BHPian BlackBandit's posts on the same issue:

I reported the overheating issue that I faced a few weeks back. They found no issues with the car but apparently, the hose connecting to the coolant reservoir is troublesome and they have placed an order for the part to replace the same under warranty.

Another issue I have been facing since is a while is slight vibrations when braking in high speeds. They told me they would replace the disc and pads under warranty. But again they did not have parts to service the same. I was asked to keep the car for a day because they wanted to check with other service centres for the parts. But today I got a call and they told me it's not available anywhere and they would place an order for it and I was asked to take the car back.

I don't understand why Hyundai service centres don't have parts like these in stock. I am in Bangalore and not some tier 2 or tier 3 city. Comparing my experience with Ford they had parts well stocked all the time and replacements were always a breeze. In 6+ years of ownership, I've never faced an issue where I had to take my car and return back to the service centre for repair. And this is even after their exit. Last December I got the steering rack of my Figo replaced within a day and they had the part in stock with them.

Coolant reservoir Hose replacement is apparently being done on all cars due to a potential bulging issue. Got mine replaced today along with the brake discs and pads.

I don’t have the exact details. But I assume there is a QC-related issue and there’s an official recall. Because on enquiring about the hose replacement that was done on my car with the SA, he mentioned it’s being changed on all cars that come for service irrespective of any issue reported. You can probably check with your service advisor and enquire about the same.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.