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Hyundai Starex Owner's Review


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#1
Opositive

Posted 30 June 2010 - 03:54 PM

Opositive

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Hi there.

The day came when i noticed that my Discovery was just not big enough to ferry my family around comfortably. Although it was a 7 seater, it could not accommodate 3 kids in child restraints, the helper, a 12 year old, the wife and me so i had to get myself a MPV. First up, my requirements:

(1) Below myr150k (2) Factory Warranty, (3) spacious (4) fuel economy

After going through a list of Estimas, Alphards, Rias, Exoras, Espace, etc.. i set my sights on a hyundai Starex 2.5 litre turbo diesel. The test drive was pleasantly suprising, it did not feel lazy, there was very little body roll, it was rear wheel drive (this was great for something that long) and it came with a great 2.5 turbo diesel power plant, which meant that i had decent enough power and i would spend less on fuel.
This MPV also came with a host of other pluses. 300k km factory warranty, full leather seats, decent I.C.E, 16 inch alloy wheels, automatic lights, 4 disc brakes plus ABS and best of all the 2009 model was going to mean that i can get this on the road for less / under 130k.
Big plus point here - The salesman also told me that the MPV recently got an award for the best fuel consumption in it's class going for 1100 kilometers on a single tank full. Well, so i bought one.

Delivery -
The MPV was finally delivered to me. No fuss, no hassle i had no complaints. I managed to complete the running in within a week and sent it for it's first service.

So far i noticed that:
1) there is a judder on the steering wheel when the brake is applied.
2) i could not achieve the 1100kms on a single tank of fuel.
3) there were just too many seats (3 rows) of 3 seats in the passenger cabin.

Labour was free but the oil, etc was chargeable. They did not do any other rectifications then as it was only a week old and i was told they will make repairs at the 5000km service.
2 weeks later @ 5000km service i sent the Starex back and got them to rectify the wheel allignment, judder and fuel consumption which i felt was really heavy.

They did some rectifying and returned it to me saying:
1) the judder cannot be rectified, it's a common problem, we dont know why.
2) we did some adjustments and resets, your consumption shud get better.
3) i removed one row of seats and it's now much better and comfortable for everyone.

Recent -
My starex's mileage is nearing the 10k mark now and i can say, you will get no more than 600km per tankful under everyday driving conditions irregardless of weather it is town driving or long distance.

I have gotten used to the judder on the steering wheel upon braking, it has some how lessen.

Whats good about the Starex?

1) it's got space, if you buy it for this purpose, you've done the right thing.
2) it's a comfortable ride when fully loaded. Body roll virtually none from the driver's POV. The I.C.E is good, A/c is cold even on those hot days.
3) 600km per tank ful @ myr 1.70 is cheap travel for now. It shud have been 1100 kilometers per tank ful.

what i dont like about the Starex?

1) Service intervals are too short @ 5000km and can be costly. Hyundai Malaysia should relook into this. Calculate your service cost for the next 60,000 kilometers and you'll see what i mean.
2) have to get the tyre preassure right. The sticker on the door not good enough. You'll need trial and error.
3) wish there was no judder upon braking.
4) some seats rattle. sound like a cheap bus.
5) plastic steering wheel feels uneasy on long drives.

#2
tpl

Posted 14 July 2010 - 11:15 AM

tpl

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One word - big. Alphard parked next to this the alphard look so small.. lol
2012 NMT President

#3
mym575

Posted 14 July 2010 - 12:32 PM

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starex also caught my eyes...but the problem is that i dont have rason to change my present MPV ...run smoothly and no problem at all...

regarding the brakes juddering is common not on starex but most heavy mpv/car (but yours new is it) ...change the brake disk and brake pads it will solve your problem...change by ria to a new sets of discs/brake pads upon reaching 53k...problems of juddering when applying brakes solved

#4
Kevin

Posted 14 July 2010 - 01:24 PM

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I'm surprised you actually believed the 1000+km figure. You should read those FC claims with a large tablespoon of salt. 600km on a full tank (and with that kind of performance) is very good for a large 2+ tonne MPV. You should see what those 2.4 and 3.0 Alphards get on a full tank smile_approve.gif

What engine oil do you use? Doesn't Hyundai allow you to extend the service interval to 10k km if you use fully-synthetic oil?

I am not familiar with modern diesels but I've always assumed that you can use the same engine oils as petrol engines.

#5
AC19

Posted 04 September 2010 - 02:44 AM

AC19

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consumption - when you get the ballpark 600ish for city driving for 2+ tonnes metal on 2.5 diesel powerplant rather reasonably good. highway - if you stay on economy speed 90 km/h to 110 km/h - should get more. dmax (4wd) commercial and roadshow also claimed achieving 1K kms. You sure can because those driving being conditioned with nos of stops allowed and speed along with all other criteria such as tyre pressure checks, loads permiited, limited idle interval during the journey etc. in real life, dmax average can hit around 600 - 800 kms instead of 1K kms on highway. in short, even if you get 500ish kms for such powerplant and if you don't your driving style as you would have in petrol engine, it should be reasonable.

lub oil change interval - you should be glad that malaysia had changed to euroII diesel. the sulphur contents will do enough damage (medium/long term) to your engine if you prolong the interval. using semi syn and fully syn give you a longer interval for our kind of diesel is a myth but if you are rich why not satisfy the psychological needs with semi or fully syn. there were alot of discussions (some get into heated debates) on other threads about the lub oil and recommended interval for diesel engine with some facts, comparison of key properties of the lub oil etc., and rather educated ones and some can earn you an enginerring degree. in short, I stick to 5K interval to drain the lub oil and I use multigrade mineral that is cheaper and c/w the desired key properties contents. I am using caltex delo400 and recently someone said mobil delvac came close in term of price and specs. I don't buy the usual 5 litres bottles, I buy a pail of 18 litres cost less than RM200 (2008 about RM160ish and recent purchase 3 months ago around RM180ish)

BTW, you can feel the world of different if you try euro III/IV in thailand and singapore and suddenly your 2+ tonnes metal become very powerful, and smoke is less visble even on hard acceleration.

my elaborated 2 cents

#6
byebye2u

Posted 04 September 2010 - 05:33 AM

byebye2u

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agree with what AC19 said, figure of 1K per tank is done at constant 90km/h, not just that it is also done without any passenger and all electrical item switch off such as radio and aircond. same goes to 0 - 100 figure, you can't achive with passengers and electrical item switch on.these goes with any car actually..and all the latest diesel engine is made for at least euro III !!!

#7
EvolutionZ

Posted 05 September 2010 - 10:24 PM

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as u mentioned the service is expensive, so in order to maintain the 300k km warranty, u have to send the car to hyundai service until it reaches 300k km....pricey ohh

#8
Opositive

Posted 17 July 2012 - 03:30 PM

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Thanks for all the feedback and discussions. The starex has been fine. The brake judder problem was traced back to the Front discs. They wear out before the brake pads do. The service centre has not agreed to change the disc although the vehicle is now only 30,000 kilometers. They're recommending that i first have it skimmed and replace the pads at my own cost. According to them, the vehicle is heavy (as if i did not know) and the disc is softer than the pads are. I would consider this a manufacturer's defect but they dont. The vehicle is going in for it's 35,000km service and i will try again to make them change it. What is the point of promising a 300k warranty when you dont own up to it?

I have no other problems with the vehicle, except this.

#9
Opositive

Posted 17 July 2012 - 03:33 PM

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AC19, i tried Thai Diesel and found no apparent difference. I thought that Thai diesel was a higher quality than ours. Might be wrong.

#10
wingman7

Posted 25 July 2012 - 03:20 PM

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QUOTE (Opositive @ Jul 17 2012, 03:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
AC19, i tried Thai Diesel and found no apparent difference. I thought that Thai diesel was a higher quality than ours. Might be wrong.


Hi bro Opositive,

You might wanna install a fuel catalyst like Broquet to assist your Euro 2 diesel to burn more complete, thus engine feels more powerfully and responsive.