In response to Robert's (2 Uniq) posting, I feel that there is a lot of information which he has failed to include, which distorts the situation greatly.
As background, Hyundai fitted with a manual gearboxes have a 2mm spacer plate fitted between the engine and bellhousing. This spacer is fitted, or requried, on Automatic Hyundais. When changing the transmission from automatic to a manual, it is essential for a spacer plate to be sourced with the manual gearbox, or purhcased through Hyundai spare parts. Failure to fit this spacer plate will result in contact being made between the pressure plate and the bellhousing.
The problems experienced by Robert appear to be the result of his mechanic failing to fit the spacer plate in the first case, or fitting an incorrect spacer plate of inadequate thickness . This is clearly something that HVE cannot be held accountable for, as we were not the people fitting the clutch or manual gearbox.
All along, we have made it clear to Robert that if the pressure plate which was provided with the brassbutton clutch kit is the incorrect size, or faulty, then we will replace it for him.
To date we have not been provided with any evidence that the pressure plate is the incorrect size. Despite asking on numerous occasions, Robert has to date failed to provide measurements of the pressure plate to confirm his claim that the pressure plate is the wrong size. How anyone can make the claim that the pressure plate was the wrong size, when they have no measurements of the pressure plate to compare to the standard Tiburon pressure plate is beyond me.
When the problem of noise first arose, Robert's mechanic advised that that it was a 'faulty thrust bearing', which had been supplied as part of the clutch kit. Based on this diagnosis, we arranged for a replacement thrust bearing to be sent to Robert.
As it turns out, the diagnosis by Robert's mechanic was incorrect. Even with the replacement thrust bearing was fitted, the noise and scraping inside the bellhousing was still present. This incorrect diagnosis by Robert's mechanic caused delays and further expense for Robert, as well as a HVE and our supplier for the new bearing and shipping to Robert.
After several weeks, and no doubt a lot of frustration to Robert, the problem was ultimately solved by Robert's mechanic fitting a spacer plate between the engine and the bellhousing, something which should have been done in the first place. It seems that the problem arose due to the mechanic who was fitting the manual transmission and HVE clutch kit to Robert's car, which was previously an automatic.
As with anyone who purchases parts, be they from HVE, or your local auto store, has to ensure that the person who is engaged to fit those parts knows what they are doing.
Also, be careful how much you beleive of what a mechanic tells you when things don't work out right nad it costs you more money. 9 times out of 10, a mechanic can tell a customer what has been done to your car, and you, the customer, will not fully understand it, and if it was necessary. I am sure you have all heard stories about brake pads being changed because they were almost worn out, even though you were sure they were only changed 6 months ago, or seals needing replacing to stop a leak you never had. You have to basically trust everything the mechanic tells you, and charges you for. Unfortunately some mechanics will abuse this trust and there is not always a lot you can do about it, as it hard to prove them wrong unless you know as much about your car as they do, or claim to do.
As for conerns regarding email response time, this issue should now be overcome. Since May I have only been working at HVE 2 days a week, and would spend a few hours each night trying to get through other emails for the other 5 days. Unfortunately I was not able to respond to all the emails that came in, and often had to wait til I was back in the office at HVE to find out additional information, such as shipping weights, etc before responding to the email. The good news is, I am now here at HVE 5 days a week, so hopefully all the emails can be responded to within 48 hours.
Regards
Bretton Coghlan
HVE Motorsport
