Hustedt Hyundai

Centereach, NY

Consumer Complaints & Reviews

Kathleen of Holbrook, NY on March 26, 2010

I purchased a car from them in February of 2009. When the finance manager filled out the paperwork for my car, he used my previous address. When I corrected him, he told me it was getting late and that he would mail me the corrected paperwork. I went back a week later, no paperwork. A month later, no paperwork. No one is ever around who handles that. It's over a year later, the dealership has since closed and I have no paperwork, no bill of sale, nothing. When I contacted the dealership that is there now, they gave me the name of the previous owner and where his new dealership in Brooklyn is located.

I called Premier Ford in Brooklyn. They must have transferred their incompetent staff to the new location. People were nasty and kept me on hold forever. When someone finally realized I wouldn't hang up, I was told that the paperwork from that dealership in Centereach is either long gone or in a box in some warehouse some place and it would take months to locate. Look, all I want is a lousy bill of sale so I can take advantage of the new car tax credit. It would be nice to have some paperwork from someone showing I own a car. Can someone help me?

Joseph of Selden, NY on Dec. 8, 2008

I own a 2002 Hyundai Sonata with 47,000 miles on it. This car just shut down and would not start again. I had it towed to a local shop. They told me that the engine was blown and Hyundai will cover it because they cover the powertrain for 10/100,000 miles. Now Hyundai says this is not covered because I did not change my timing belt.

I called Corporate Hyundai today to see if I can get a motor installed because a friend of mine said that either way it should be covered by the 10/100,000 mile warranty the boast in each and every ad to the consumer.

While on the phone they said they would contact the dealership (Hustedt Hyundai) The woman I was talking to said that the manager for service at Hustedt said that first of all when he saw it last over a year ago it had 49,000 miles on it. How is this? It has not been running for atleast 15 months and now has 47,000 miles on a DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER? Sounds like I was within my warranty and they wanted to assure I was not cover in short time or was it a mistake? Either way they are not honoring the 10/100,000 mile warranty.

Simon of Woodside, NY on June 26, 2007

My 2003 Hyundai Tiburon began overheating about a five months ago (February 2007) and my windshield washer jets were malfunctioning. I go in for the problem to be resolved and a few days later they say they resolved the overheating issue with a radiator flush and coolant refill. Because I was in a previous accident none of this was covered under, which was understandable.

However, what was not understandable was that they told me that my vehicle was ready to be picked up, only to realize a few weeks later that they did NOT fix my windshield washer jets when I needed them in a critical moment as a truck splashed my windshiled with mud on the highway. Also, my vehicle began to overheat again in a matter of weeks, so I brought the vehicle back in for service for overheating and this time they said I needed a new hose and kept the car at the service center for about a week. I picked up the vehicle and a few weeks later it began to overheat AGAIN and my windshield jets still do not work.

A customer service representative from the service department calls me a few days later to see how my experience at the service center has been, and so I tell them that Hustedt Hyundai has NOT addressed the issues I wanted them to(the windshield washers jets) and released my vehicle when it was not ready and IGNORED my car problems. The customer service representative tells me; I'm sorry to hear that, we will have a manager call you back soon... Of course there is no word from Hustedt Hyundai. So, I bring the vehicle back to service to address the overheating problem, the washer jets, a rusting problem in the trunk, and I needed a new timing belt (it was around 60,000 miles).

On the phone the service center worker STEVE told me there seems to be nothing wrong with the cooling system and that any further diagnosis would be from my own pocket, and they did not even address the rusting issue until I repeatedly called them about it. Rusting and leaking is only covered for THREE years under Hyundai.

Today June 25th, 2007 I go the dealership to pick up my car and as I enter the vehicle I notice the passenger side window is open, there are leaves, debris, and MANY insects in my car, and not only that, the car battery was DEAD. The car battery was replaced under a year ago. The receptionist calls MARIE (the Service Manager) and all she says is sorry we will check the battery for you and clean the car up and we will contact you tomorrow first thing in the morning. I can guarantee nobody will call me tomorrow and that I will get no REIMBURSEMENT for all the trouble they have caused or there own INCOMPETENTENCY and lack of consumer well being. I can also guarantee that my vehicle WILL overheat in the near future and Hyundai has gone the extra distance to IGNORE me and my problems and only address the issues when they will incur additional money from me.

I have had so much time WASTED going into service over and over again not to mention that they keep charging me for a problem that they supposedly fixed. I can understand them fixing the problem twice and it reoccuring but a THIRD time!? Should not Hustedt Hyundai be responsible for there INCOMPETENCE?

I am also coming from Queens which is about an hour away. There is so much frustration and I feel as though I am at the mercy of Hyundai and there is nothing I can truly do about it because I am just a young person..no, not even a person to them. I feel as though they only see me as a dollar bill, and do not care at all about the well being of my vehicle of I. I have spent too much time and money and sanity coming to this wretched place repeatedly. I am in aguish over these car matters, but more so for the lack of compassion that Hustedt Hyundai has for my car and their fellow man.

Michael of South Setauket, NY on Oct. 20, 2006

Just over 5 yrs ago I purchased my Hyundai Santa Fe. At that time I was asked if I wanted the paint protection package to preserve and protect my pudrchase. I did. A stamp was put on my receipt that it was purchased ant I paid for it to be applied.

In July I entered the show room and asked if someone could come out and look at my paint it was wearing off. A Mr. Cahrles Giamanlo came out and looked at my car. He asked me what year it was andhow many miles I had on the car. Then as I was showing him the faded spots all over my car he said Oh, I thought they stopped useing that paint! He said I would have to see the service manager. He brought out another man who said I would have to see the company rep. He would be in next week.

When I returned the next week and checked in the Assistant Manager Marie Diederich who told me that the Service manager was not in last week he was on vacation. While I told her my story about the paint she informed me I was not covered for 5 yrs. but only for 3 yrs.

The company rep from Hyundai looked at my car and proceeded to tell me I didn't take care of my car and that acid rain was to blame When I asked about the coverage under the paint sealent he just said that was a subcontractor and I would have to take it up with them. It was not a Hyundai product. I said When I purchased it form your company no rep from that compay was represented,just yours. There was no warranty material given, no maintenance guide, nothing to identify a subcontractor, just a stamp on my bill. Therefore, this was purchased thru Hyundai. All he would say was that he would not be able to do anything for me.

Marie Diederich did say she would research the name of the company but would have to go across the street to Hustedt Chevy and it would be a few days. I' still waiting.
I contacted Hyundai directly and they responded by phone. They told me that besides my warrentee being up, the paint was voided as soon as it was applied by the application of the after market product even though it was applied there at Hustedt Hyundai.

My paint continues to erode off car leaving faded spots that are getting bigger each day. The car is now devalued conciderably because there is nothing I can do to stop the paint from fading off. I will need to have it repainted.

Cheryl of Farmingville, NY on April 18, 2001

My van was totalled due to water damage and I was in a rent a car a single mother with three kids under 12 went to this dealer because of the sign that said credit no problem, was told that with my not so great credit history I could get into a new car for about 340 a month, when I told them that I couldnt afford that they began to treat me poorly, now they told me that the only thing I could get into was a used car and the only one they had was this 98 sonata, my sales girl was nice but new and really couldnt answer all my questions, I put a cash deposit on the car and told them I was concidering it, that evening I was called by the manager and he asked me my insurance info and told me to pick up the car by 11 the next morning, i said I wasnt prepared and I had not made a decision, he pressured me so that I called my insurance agent and left a message that evening not to do anything that they at the Hyundai dealership said, after going on car fax with my vin number and refering to my auto club manual I learned that there were dealerships that I could deal with that were recommended by the auto club, when I told hustedt of my findings and that the blue book value of the car was 8100 not the 9000 they were trying to sell the car to me for, they came back with a price of 7995 than told me I needed to make a decision, when I told them I had bad feelings about the deal they than reduced the price to 7495 as i told them I needed time to think about it I was than called by the manager Bobby that told me he was tired of playing games with me and that he was cancelling the deal and hung up on me. I reacted by calling the sales girl and they said if I got down within the hour I wouldnt loose the deal. when going over the paper work they made me sign a blank application for credit saying they needed to re-write it...when actually picking up the car I wanted to pick up on April 2 they said I must pick it up before the end of the month and they would throw in plates registration and mats but I had to take it that day. Oh I forgot when I asked to take the car for a test drive we couldnt go anywhere but around the block because there was no gas in the car. when I picked up the car I had to go right to the gas station next door and fill up my car for 24 dollars there was absoulutly no gas in it. After getting home and showing my car to the kids I sat down with my paper work I didnt understand it so I called. Was not alble to speak to Bobby than, but the next day got another manager that said I needed to come in with my paper work that they sent it to headquaters and they dont have it,I was told the 1295 warrentee I bought says 1500 on the paper work but it really isnt.. I didnt understand it.. than the following week my sales girl called and said I needed to bring my insurance info down I made arrangements with her that I would bring it on my way home from Church on Sunday and she confirmed that she would be there cause she knew I was afraid to see any of the men there. Those arrangements were made on Friday. (You see I run a in home daycare business and dont get out of the house much ) on Saturday Frank another manager called and told me if I didnt get my hard copy of my insurance down there asap that the motor vec. dept would cancell my registration. I told him of my arrangements with Erin and asked him if anyone spoke to one another there and he hung up on me.y the way all the insurance info was gotten by Bobby who was rude to my insurance agent who called me to tell me so.When I went to dealership on Sunday as promised I found it closed and placed my card under mat.and later phoned it into another person there that confirmed that he had recieved it. Immediatly I noticed a shaking in my steering wheel now that there was gas enough to take it over 40mph called service and told them brought it down and had to have my brakes cut and they had to change a fuse my engine lite was on all the time after taking it back having only put 200 miles on it my kids and I planned a trip to Conn. when turning the A/C on high the car filled with smoke, after pulling over on service rd smoke coming from left front wheel well I noticed a bubble like tuma out of the tire, knowing it would blow with highway driving I headed right over to service, the person there named Frank looked and smelt my car said I had a defective tire and called over to Hyundai they said they would not cover tires, Frank was the manager he spoke with, we got back into the car and drove to dealership and me and my three children marched in, asked if Bobby could come and see something, he hesitatade as if I was wasting his time, he came out and smelt the odor he said he thought it was my brakes and looked at the tire and said he would be right back out, he went in and came back out and said that they do not cover tires and that was normal wear and tear but he would be right back and see what he could do, we followed while he went and wispered with the men on the platform, I proceeded to ask customers if they were planning on buying a car there I told them that I have nothing nice to say and have had nothing but headaches since being conned into buying with that Bobby ushered us out of the showroom and said he will personally do this kind gesture for me because he is so concerned for me and my three children, he sent us to tire city to repace damaged tire at which time the nice man there told me that my sizes of my tires were wrong and that he couldnt replace just one tire he had to do both, at which time he looked at my spare and said they sold me a bald one... he so kindly called over to dealereship I thought I heard him ask for Himey, and got approval for two tires. My children and I than 3.5 hours later than we had planned headed for Conn. when returning that evening on the ferry some one told me that my car smelt like something was melting, I brought the car again in for service and that was today when I got the call from Gene that my cat. converter the o2 level was off and the manafold has a crack in it. he ordered the parts and they would not be in until at least monday, today being wednesday I asked if they had a loaner car he said call managaer at dealer, at which time I called Bobby again told him of the problem he said a used car is exactly that used, and continued with his condisending attitude that he is so much above me and said he went way out of his way to take care of the tire problem for me only cause I had my family in the car and there wasnt anything he could do for me as far as getting a spare car, its too bad that I didnt purchase the warrentee, I said I did and he said well call them and see if they can arrange for a rental, I said I had not yet recieved my paperwork for the warentee and he said it being so late in the day he would have to locate my paperwork and see if there was anything they could do. I mentioned it was only 20 days since I had taken the car and he said it wasnt thier problem, I than called back Gene in service who said he thought that I would be safe driving the car until the parts come in and they will call me to bring it back. If I could cancel this whole mess I would, had I known that I could have been approved for 10000 loan I would have definatly bought a bigger car and shoped around, I was pressured and made to feel less than normal because of my credit rating which was not the worst.and never shown anything except one car,I was scared, and alone and may as well have had a sign on that salesman just wanted to chew me up and spit me out.I just thought I would have to write this off as a live and learn thing for myself.If I could do anything about this I would, if not I would like to see that no one else is taken unfair advantage of as I was.

I cannot begin to tell you the emotional toll this has taken on me. I feel like I was unfairly taken advantage of number one reason because I am a female, number two cause my credit scared me and I wasnt sure what I would be approved for, because they knew I needed a car. I cried more than once in the dealership and just felt that I wasnt shown any car except one and that they hard balled me into the car. They treated me like I was below them.Since I am a single mom and my kids look up to me I just told them that this was the best car we could get right now until 8 to 12 months and than we would try to get something bigger,my sons are already saving there change in a car bank. The car is really to small for us but I am grateful for safety, I lost my sister in a fatal car accident in 99 and we are just doing the best we can day by day, I dont have the fight in me like I did at one time in my life, and I think these men at this dealership saw me as a vunerable target and wanted to get there monthly quota up.Thank you for hearing my story, I know there are some details I could fill in because I did complain twice to manager for being treated so rudely.