Hyundai iMax Problems

The Hyundai iLoad/iMax is a great buy for what you intend to use it for, as they're big, robust and roomy boxes on wheels. Not especially quiet, refined or car-like, but well suited to a camper conversion.

However, you must ensure that the example you are looking at has a full and regular service record. This is because the well-known diesel engine and turbo failures are connected with lapsed servicing. It seems oil sludge builds up, thus starving the engine and turbo of sufficient lubrication.

But here's the tricky bit. Hyundai recommended that all scheduled servicing was carried out every 15,000km, when actually 10,000km maximum was closer to the truth for vans that were driven regularly or had a hard life. Which is most of them.

So, you need to buy on condition as well as service history, to ensure you get the promised long-life out of the iLoad/iMax. If that's the case, you can expect to hit 300,000km without any major issues. Just get that oil changed regularly!

A better option for someone with a tribe to transport would be a peoplemover, such as the Kia Carnival, Hyundai iMax, or VW Transporter. They’re made for that purpose and much more practical than an SUV.

I don’t believe there’s an SUV that would meet your needs. The best and most sensible solution would be a peoplemover, like a Toyota Tarago, Hyundai iMax, VW Transporter.

The damage to the clutch was caused by you driving it for a kilometre instead of immediately calling for a tow truck. I doubt that you would get anywhere with the supplier.

The problem was caused by sludge building up in the oil and starving the engine and turbocharger of oil. It was recommended that oil changes should be done much more frequently than the recommended 15,000 km/12 months to keep the oil fresh and clean.

Buy the latest model you can afford and have it serviced every 5000-7000 km. Do that and you should have a good run.

There are so few LDVs out there it’s hard to say how reliable they are, but we know the iMax and Carnival are good. I would go for the Carnival.

The EGR valve and cooler are common problems. If it’s running ok, and you regularly service it and change the oil I don’t see any reason to panic-sell it.

The iMax is reliable and would win in terms of storage space. The early Carnival with the V6 motor was troublesome, but the later one is quite reliable and could be bought with confidence.

Assuming it's done by a diff specialist there's no reason to think it won't be long lasting. If you're not sure ask your dealer to explain to you why it needs to be rebuilt as such low kilometres of what appears to be light duty use.

The Kia Carnival gets The Tick, every time, in that price range. And with four kids you will find that a proper people-mover gives far more flexibility than an SUV or even a converted van.