Dealership took my engine apart without my consent
Hi, this is my first time posting. I’m in Location: Florida , and I have a 2019 Hyundai Elantra, I got it in March and it is not yet paid off.
My car had started having an issue a week or two before July, where my engine was vibrating very aggresively, I took it to Autozone to get it diagnosed and they had said it was my crankshaft and camshaft censor positions. I did not have the time or money to get it fixed because of my hectic work schedule, so I was still driving it to and from work (roughly 20 miles one way) . July third I went to crank my car and it would not start. I called pepboys and got it towed to them, they called me back and said it could not be fixed by them and that my engine was under recall. I looked up the recall for 2019 Hyundai Elantras and it was the exact issue pepboys said my engine had, which was the piston and piston ring. I got it dropped off at the dealership July 3rd, I spoke to the Manager and he said they would call me Monday to talk about WHEN they could diagnose it. I never signed ANYTHING telling them they could touch or diagnose my car. I was expecting a call telling me a date they could. I never recieved that call so I called them Monday evening, they said they would call me back wednesday. I never recieved that call either so I once again called them. They said they still didn’t know and they would just call me when they could get a time to diagnose it. I still hadn’t and haven’t signed anything with them. I then decided thursday that I would just get it looked at elsewhere since the dealership informed me it was not under warranty. I called Hyundai to inform them I was calling a tow, they responded with “Oh well, be care because your car and engine are in pieces.” He then emailed their diagnosis, with a photo of my engine in pieces, and a quote of 8.5k for an engine. The diagonsis said nothing but “Engine concern”. I immediately called my warranty to see if they would cover it, they would not. They said it was due to “sludge build up from lack of oil”, there was plenty of oil in my car up until July 3rd supposedly. I am still stuck in a loop because i cannot afford a 6-8k fix engine fix, and still do not have my car. So the dealership is quoting me a fix of $8.5k for something they had 0 consent to even look at, and have basicslly totaled my car.
Posted Aug 5, 2025, 10:11 PM UTC