The car industry is often divisive, as consumers have different ideas of what their ‘ideal’ vehicle should look like.
Factors such as brand loyalty, driving needs, and personal experiences heavily influence preferences. This leads to debates over what makes a car truly valuable.
The popular TikTok account for car repair shop Royalty Auto Service (@royaltyautoservice) posted a video showing an example of this division, explaining why they swear off Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
Why does the auto shop dislike these brands?
The clip, which has garnered over 819,900 views at the time of writing, shows Sherwood Cooke Jr., the owner of the auto shop, walking toward a vehicle.
His son, who is behind the camera, tells Cooke that people are unfollowing them because they “don’t like Hyundai and Kia.”
The son then tosses a set of car keys to Cooke, saying, “So I got you a surprise… We’re going to check this Hyundai out.”
He adds that the Hyundai is a 2020 model and has had “regular services done to it.”
“Take a listen to it,” the son says.
Cooke enters the vehicle and checks the mileage, which reads 154,000. When he turns the car on, it makes a loud, struggling noise. “It’s over at this point,” the son says, to which Cooke responds, “It is over.”
Ruling out any issues from neglect, Cooke asks again whether the car has been serviced.
The son confirms, saying, “Based on the Carfax, pretty regular, I think it was about a 7,500 to 8,000-mile average.”
“It’s not even due for an oil service now,” Cooke replies.
The vehicle needs an engine replacement
The pair then heads toward the new engine that just arrived for the Hyundai.
Cooke’s son explains that a previous engine had been sent but was returned because it was missing the timing cover—an engine part that protects the timing components from dirt, dust, and debris.
While the current engine had all the necessary components, there was a visible hole on the side of it.
“That’s not from the engine being bad,” Cooke notes. “That’s from them—the salvage yard—dropping it or something, or leaning it against something.”
Cooke assures the issue can be fixed, but remarks, “I will tell you now, you don’t see too many Toyotas or Hondas with 150,000 miles on them with bad engines.”
He concludes the video by saying he “doesn’t want to hurt your feelings,” but only wants to share their honest experience and opinions as experts.
As far as Kia goes, the auto shop has criticized the brand in the past. For example, they recently fixed a Kia that had driven over a puddle of water, which caused all four of the engine coils to short simultaneously.
What are the most common Hyundai issues?
As reported by Service4service, the main issues car owners of this brand face include engine problems, ABS malfunctions, automatic transmission failures, steering issues, and self-healing paint defects.
In fact, engine issues reportedly make up 28% of all issues Hyundai owners complain about, with Sonata being the most problematic model.
While the car brand is generally considered to be reliable, affordable, and of high quality, these issues have caused the public perception to waver over the years.
Commenters are split
In the comments, some users defend the mentioned brands fiercely, while others fully agree with Cooke’s opinions.
“Always had Kia. zero issues. ZERO,” exclaimed one user.
“I work next to a Hyundai dealership,” shared a second. “The amount of newer cars coming in on tow trucks is wild.”
“150k and new engine is inexcusable,” remarked a third commenter.
@royaltyautoservice Its a pretty normal occurence… #hyundai #kia #mechaniclife #mechanicsoftiktok #engine #diy #cartok #automotive #dealership #viral #buyingacar #viral #fyp #foryou #stitch #duet ♬ Pop beat BGM / long version(1283324) – nightbird_bgm
The Daily Dot has reached out to Royalty Auto Service via TikTok Comments and contact form, and to Hyundai via email for further comment.
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