More details about the pitfalls when buying Hyundai Solaris of the first generation (2010-2017 years of release).

 

Good day! If you are wondering Is it worth buying a first generation Hyundai Solaris and what problems you may encounter during operation, then you are at the right place.
So, Except for the roof, the Hyundai Solaris body is completely galvanized. So the places of chips should not be covered with a rusty coating. However, there are still exceptions. There have been cases when, after several years of operation, the owners found small spots of rust on the fenders, hood and roof. In addition, on a Solaris with a hatchback body, paint may swell in the area of \ u200b \ u200bthe cylinder of the trunk lid lock. Door handles peeling off the inside are another common problem in a Korean car. As well as the flimsy fasteners of the front and rear bumpers, because of which the latter shift slightly over time. The same happens even with light contact of the bumper with an obstacle. Fog lights also have weak mounts. If you drive exclusively on flat roads, then you may never know about this nuance. The same owners who often move on bumpy roads may one day find that the fog lamp has completely fallen out of its seat. Another weak point of fog lights is that their glass becomes cloudy very quickly. Dealers often changed dim lights under warranty, but owners of used Solaris can no longer count on this. The owners also complain about the badly closing trunk. Fortunately, almost everyone can independently adjust the boot lid lock. The appearance of squeaks in the passenger compartment of Hyundai Solaris is a matter of time. As well as the appearance of scratches on the pretty silver plastic trim on the center console. The same frame surrounds the "machine" selector. Scratches appear on it even faster. The front seats also creak in Solaris. Lubricating the slide and hinges solves the problem. Rattling is added to the creaks over time. The most common source of this is the rear shelf, the clips of which protrude from the mounting holes. Cold start problems are not new to Solaris owners. Some of them are familiar with the detonation at medium revs. Fortunately, these problems never became widespread. The Korean manufacturer promptly released a new firmware for the engine ECU, after which the detonation stopped. Otherwise, the two engines available for Hyundai Solaris - 1.4 and 1.6 liters - do not deserve unpleasant words addressed to them. Some owners note that with the arrival of summer, the engine begins to warm up in traffic jams, but most often this is due to a radiator clogged with debris. Another possible cause of engine overheating is a loose cooling fan impeller. It's bad that the impeller backlash does not show itself in any way. Accordingly, trouble happens when you don't expect it at all. Immediately after the purchase, owners of Solaris with a manual transmission complained about the difficult inclusion of the first and reverse gears. All due to the lack of synchronizers in quiet gears. Gradually, the gearbox mechanism is rubbed in, after which the gears begin to turn on much easier. Sometimes Solaris "mechanics" can scare you with an incomprehensible rattle. Its cause is the rotating bearing of the input shaft. Fitting the bearing on the sealant can be considered a temporary solution to the problem. But if you plan to drive the car for a long time, you will have to change the box housing with the bearing. At the same time, the official dealers did not admit the problem, citing the fact that the rattling does not affect the performance of the car. When shifting into third gear, the Solaris "mechanic" may crunch slightly. The source of extraneous sound is a plastic synchronizer. The box can also remind of itself when reversing. If you hear a distinctly audible hum, there is a good chance that the clutch disc will need to be replaced. The automatic transmission also has a number of problems. Sticky valves, as evidenced by jolts when switching, can generally be tolerated. But if the tremors are too strong, then the "machine" definitely requires major repairs. Sometimes, if the tremors began during the warranty period, the box was changed by authorized Hyundai dealers. In general, the Solaris "machine" should not cause big problems. The same cannot be said about the suspension . The fact that on cars from the first batches of its settings were frankly unsuccessful is no secret to anyone. In 2012, the Koreans made changes to the suspension settings. The latter became a little tougher, and the car itself on bumpy roads became more collected. As for the reliability, it has remained the same. Beginning to buzz with a mileage of 15-20 thousand kilometers, wheel bearings are more likely the norm for Solaris in the first years of production. Only a few years later it became clear that too little lubricant was put into the unit. The owners of Solaris also criticized the steering rack, which could start tapping even after a run of 10-15 thousand kilometers. Dealers changed the unit under warranty, but after about the same mileage, the allegedly modified steering rack began to knock again. Only in 2012, a modified rail was installed on Solaris, after which the problem disappeared. Front brake caliper problems can be solved by adding more grease to the caliper guide. The front brake pads will require replacement after 30-40 thousand kilometers. Rear brake pads can withstand 20-30 thousand kilometers longer. Despite the fact that Hyundai Solaris was sold in tens of thousands of copies a year, spare parts for it are on average more expensive than for domestic classmates. Many owners, trying to save money, buy used parts without thinking about their origin. Some of them were really removed from cars that had already left their own or broken in an accident, but it cannot be denied that Solaris is often hijacked precisely in order to then disassemble it for parts. Hence, a logical conclusion suggests itself - new owners, after buying a car, should spend at least on the cheapest alarm system. As for the expenses for the repair and maintenance of the car, they will not be large. A Korean car may be troubling for little things, but its main units have proven to be quite reliable. For those who switch to Solaris from an old domestic car, it may seem like a standard of reliability, dynamics and comfort. Don't forget about safety. Hyundai Solaris has not passed Euro NCAP crash tests , but a number of other independent tests conducted according to similar criteria have confirmed that the Korean car is ready to adequately protect its driver and passengers in the event of an accident. Another thing is that many Solaris sold have already had accidents of varying severity. You should be careful with these options. And it is better, given the mass of copies put up for sale, to refuse them altogether.