2003 Hyundai Coupe 2.7L Petrol · RX53 SYE

Salt is the story of the late-life GK Coupe. Get Car Wise's MOT analysis shows structural corrosion within 30 cm of suspension mounting points at 28 times the fleet average - rear axle-beam mountings and front strut turrets worst - alongside suspension component damage at close to 100 times. Owners at the Hyundai Coupe Owners Club describe the specific hiding places: rear arches that pack muck and rot from inside, and rust blooming behind the plastic under-sill seals, diagnosed by pressing the seal and hearing the crunch of disintegrated metal behind it. Once structural, repair costs exceed value and the car fails its MOT.

The Coupe's hydraulic assist is a tracked failure on both the fault-guides and the owners' forum: Get Car Wise lists complete power-steering system failure among the model's five tracked issues, and HCOC threads walk through PAS belt replacement and warn that a slack alternator belt makes the power-steering belt slip and squeal on full lock. In the real UK it shows as a shriek from the engine bay when parking, lumpy or heavy steering at low speed, and ultimately loss of assist if the pump or belt gives up - a few hundred pounds to fix if caught early, a road-hazard if ignored.

A hallmark electrical fault on the GK Coupe centres on the Body Control Module (BCM) located behind the driver knee panel. The indicator, hazard, and central locking relays are soldered directly onto the BCM printed circuit board rather than using replaceable socketed fuses. When the internal miniature relay contacts weld together, turn signals stick permanently on even with the ignition turned off, or the hazard fuse repeatedly blows. Specialist repairs involve desoldering and replacing the internal board relay, as used replacement BCMs risk immobiliser coding lockouts.