Have since taken the car to two independant mechanics for a ’second opinion’ and to check on the viability of sourcing secondhand parts (which Hyundai won’t source or install). Both advised that this fault is far from unsusual, and was actually the result of an inherant fault with the [mitsubishi] engine. They also warned against using a secondhand part, as it would already be well on the road to the same sort of failure - it would just be a matter of time.

Furthermore, finding a replacement part is next to impossible - in fact, both mechanics refused to search for the spare part themselves, as they’d had enourmous amount of trouble on the one-and-only previous occasion they’d each been foolish enough to waste time trying.

Long of the short, it looks like I’m out to the tune of about $2000 (incl labour), all because Hyundai refuse to sell the individual component part that requires replacement as a result of apparently flawed construction.

Incidentally, for those out there experiencing similar probs who may be umm-ing & err-ing about whether to bother fixing the prob, a word of warning - both mechanics I spoke to advised that the car should absolutely not be driven until the problem is fixed. Both had horror stories of having seen similar problems (in Pajeros, which aparently share the same engine and flaw) whereby the loose valve has fallen into engine and irreprably damaged the valves. If this occurs, you’re up for a new engine.

Finally, I should point out that no-one at Hyundai uses the words “inherant flaw” or “regular fault” … in fact, they showed a similar level of surprise as experienced by others who’ve posted on this blog. It seems highly unlikely to me that every mechanic except those that work at Hyundai seemed to be aware of an ongoing problems with their vehicles. Culture of silence?

While you don’t hear so often about the problem in Grandeur’s, if what the two independent mechanics is said is true, I can only assume this is because there are fewer of these car types on the road. All in all, this is a real shame, as we’ve been really happy with the vehicle until now. This just damages our faith in Hyundai vehicles.