Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
www.kiafx.ca
Since then I have had to replace:
- both power window regulators: $27.00 per door.
- serpentine and alternator belts (at 118,000 $35)
- fusable link (at 92,000K -- $5)
- take it to the shop when the check engine light came on: (at 118,000K -- $200 -- turned
out the battery terminal had corroded affecting the voltage and confusing the computer
into thinking there was a problem with the air bags and the engine
- replaced the spark plugs (118K these were worn down -- $6)
- addressed a corrosion issue on the 'spark plug springs' that act as spark plug wires for
two of the four cylinders (when I replaced spark plugs)
- replace air filter ($12)
- replace CV boot ($30) Unfortunately I should have changed the Axle nut when I did this . I didn't and there was never enough torque when I retightened the old one and the
wheel bearing went out--can't blame that on the car (blame it on the mechanic: me)
another $50 for the wheel bearing (and axle nut )
- We took it camping up some dirt roads and hit a large rock that bent the rear right lower
control arm. I litterally hammered this back into shape, put it back on, had the car
realigned and the shop said it was fine.
- I probably need to have the brake rotors turned, but have been too lazy to do it.
In my opinion, that is not a lot of work for a car to have done during its 90K to 120K mileage range. The car is still very quiet and solid to drive. No rattles, although I believe a slight squeak has developed between the dash board and the windshield.
It has been so reliable and felt so solid even with high mileage that we went out a bought a brand new 2005 KIA Sportage.
-e
How much could this potentially cost? This is purely a commuter car 130 miles daily. The purpose of buying this car!
I've never had a timing belt break like this and know the damage could be bad I just don't want to dump $1500 now & find out that my wallet will continue to be sucked dry..
Need help fast.
Thanks,
A woman w/no car sense :sick:
http://www.car-part.com/
Interior1
Interior2
Exterior - rear 3/4
Taillight
Headlamp
5-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels
Mike
Post more if you can, please....
Photo1
Photo2
Photo3
Photo4
Photo5
Photo6
Photo7
Photo8 (Interior)
Photo9 (High res - may take time to load)
Photo10 (High res - may take time to load)
Photo11 (High res - may take time to load)
Photo12
Photo13
Photo14
Am I missing any...? Note that the majority of these images were originally missidentified as the new Hyundai Elantra (due next Spring as an '07 model).
Mike
They changed the interior alot over the testing time. Looks way better now. I can't wait to see official pics and autoshow pics.
In some of the pics you can see the Sonata near it to compare. They're pretty different this time around, thought the rear did look similar when they had the same color arrangement.
"They changed the interior alot over the testing time. Looks way better now. I can't wait to see official pics and autoshow pics."
Totally. It will be here before we know it! Well, maybe not literally....
Mike
Photo1
Photo2
Linking directly to photos from this source website will not show up on some systems, so click here if the above links don't work for you.
Mike
The timing belt breaking could have damaged some other components, although rear in the newer vehicles like yours:
1. Bent some valves from hitting the piston head
2. Broke a piston head from a valve
3. Both 1 and 2 can be ruled out if the engine cranked over without making clanking noises.
Having the timing belt replaced requires the belt installed correctly by a well qualified, certified technician.
1. Timing marks not correctly aligned can result in valves not fully seated. Thus, you will have little to no compression. Sometimes valves are still open for certain cylinders for the timing marks to align correctly--not all technicians are aware of this.
Best price is the dealer or a well known repair garage with good credentials.
1. You have already spent $1,500 more than you should have because a belt breaking requires a full engine inspection prior to charging the owner.
2. You should have been informed about all the damages and received them in writing, if any, before the repairs were performed.
3. In general, do not substitute the certified technician to save money.
4. It's always better to call a couple of garages for price comparisons before a repair commitment.
Possibly seek legal assistant on the grounds of fraudulent repairs performed on your vehicle.
This car is definately flying under the radar... after seeing how nice the new Sonata is I wanted to know what was in store for the Optima. Can't wait to see less camoed pics and get more info/specs since the V6 for this isn't confirmed yet. :confuse:
Mike
I was just comparing the rear of the new Sonata to some of the Optima spy pics and them changing the tails to almost all red makes it look "that" much different from the Sonata that they don't even look alike to me anymore, but I don't know why they decided to even make the rears look so similar from the begining. Its not like they share rear ends to save money, the Optima's rear is shorter and higher so they could have went with a totally different style from the get go. Anyways, hate to rant. This will be a surprise for alot of people.
Front 3/4
Rear 3/4
Side profile
Sweetness.
Mike
2. As much as I've read about the Optima being smaller than the new Sonata, I don't see it. Without having the actual dimension specs in front of me, compare the above picture of a new Sonata to the new Optima. Every angle and hard point in each car look pretty darn close. The sheet metal on both cars IS unique, which is good. But the overall size of the cars look very close.
3. I like the styling of the new Optima. I don't see any glaring faux paus. It looks a bit too much like a Malibu from the direct side shot for my tastes, but even then it omits the many creases and boo boos of that car.
If Hyuan-KIA has engineered the quality of my Spectra EX into this car, along with a decent powertrain AND they keep the prices down, I think they have another "weiner" on their hands!!!
-SM
My 1-year old, 12k+ miles, 99.99% defect free 2004.5 Spectra EX ...
OPTIMA
4,735 mm length
1,805 mm width
1,480 mm
SONATA
4,800 mm
width of 1,832 mm
height of 1,475
So.. not much of a different. A couple of mm's. But the Sonata IS larger.
I was under the impression that the Sonata is already shorter than the Accord and Camry, yet wider.
I'm loving the Optima. I think I even prefer it over the Sonata. The rear of the Optima seems very Acura-ish.
Now, this new Kia Optima looks awesome, yes it does. I think it just barely nudges out the 2006 Hyundai Sonata in the looks department, just barely. They both look awesome.
spectraman-what do ya know about this 2005 or 2006 Kia Spectra SX? Is it a 4-door Spectra sedan like yours with the spoiler, etc. and several racing extra's like metal pedals, extra bodykit valances, etc. like the Spectra5, yet on a Spectra 4-door sedan? I can't find a whole lot on the Kia America website but I did find an article on there from May that slipped by me in May. I have now had a chance to read that article and it sounds quite interesting. I may be interested in, say, a 2006 Kia Spectra SX sedan, in a cool color of my choice. What'd'ya'all know?
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
(Pssst... you may want to check out post #445 Thanks for posting, though!)
Take care,
Mike
Thanks for the kind words about my Spectra. I'm not a fan of body cladding or other plastic gimmickry that looks tacked on, BUT I do think that this particular spoiler adds a bit of panache to the basic Spectra body shape.
As far as the Spectra SX goes, I understand it to be basically all of the goodies that KIA put on the Spectra5, but only on the sedan body style.
All of the suspension and interior trim bits are brought over, plus the SX has additional Spectra5-like lower body cladding.
I wouldn't mind having the metal petals and the leather wheel in my car, but as I mentioned above, I'm not a fan of the boy-racer cladding. That's why I have an '88 Mustang LX 5.0, and not the GT. It has the same drivetrain of the GT, but without the body doo-dads.
I'm addressing the lack of a leather wheel in my EX by recently ordering a two tone Euro-perf wheel cover from WheelSkins. It is going to be a light sand color top and bottom, and a dark brown on the sides. This matches my car's interior colors. I also am having only the upper and lower sand colored sections perfed. I've read alot of good things about WheelSkins online, so I'm eager to see how it looks in my car. They claim that the cover will be custom fit to my wheel, so we'll see. I'll post a close-up pic of it on my website after I've installed it.
On the performance side of things, hopefully Hyun-KIA can spare some development dollars for some performance bits on the motor once they get done rolling out their next several car lines. The sooner the better! A nice turbo or supercharged version would be cool!
Look out Cobalt SS and Neon SRT! (chuckle)
-SM
As I was severely injured in the crash of the Optima due to the brake failure (BTW this was a rental from Enterprise Rentals), my attorney has reported it to both KIA and the NHTSA. KIA's response was VERY curious, as they didn't even want to inspect the wrecked car to confirm the brake failure but instead ACCEPTED the report from Allstate Insurance Co.'s certified mechanics and immediately referred the issue to the Legal Depatment......VERY CURIOUS don't you all think?
Bill
You and your neighbor's problem(s) sound serious!
Here's the NHTSA website where you and your neighbor can and SHOULD
file a complaint:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/
Faulty brake systems are nothing for a manufacturer to take lightly. I
searched the currently filed complaints for the 2004-2005 Optima, and
couldn't find any that matched your description(s) above.
Let us know how it goes!
-SM
1. window runchannels.(something about them warping I belive)
2. Window Power regulators (replaced all 4 under a "TSB")
3. Alternator (Stock 80AMP insufficent to maintain voltage while idle - replaced with 110AMP)
4. Rear Drum Brakes (new hardware to prevent brakes from wearing too quickly)
I know of those 4 as they have all been replaced on mine... are there any other important ones I need to watch out for?
http://www.safercar.gov/Index2.cfm
Scroll down to where you will see:
2006 Kia New Optima 4-DR w/SAB (PC/Me)
2006 Kia Optima 4-DR w/SAB (PC/Me)
Why do they confuse us like this??
What can I expect to start going wrong if I buy this car? It's got less than 2000 miles left on the warranty and a friend said to insist on an extended warranty but I'm not sure what to ask for.
Thanks in advance!
Yesterday it suddenly died while driving.
It cranks fine, lights work etc but will not start.
All fuses are ok
Is this a common problem? Any suggestions
TIA
Chuck
My girlfriend was recently in an accident where she damaged the passenger-side headlamp on her 2004 Optima. He headlamp itself was undamaged but the forward-most plastic part was shattered. To replace the entire headlamp housing through the dealer would be around $400. I found the OEM replacement online for about $250. Really, this should only be a matter of finding the replacement plastic part and then sealing it back onto the rest of the housing. I've done this before on my Honda, but its a lot easier to find parts for my car than hers. Does anyone have any info on websites, part numbers, or just general advice that might help my situation?
Thanks.
I'm urging anyone with a KIA to save all receipts for everything done to the car. If you change the oil yourself, save the receipt of oil and oil filter and document with the mileage on it. If you replace something as simple as a windshield wiper, keep the receipt.
This is all covered in your warranty booklet. Aggravating perhaps, but KIA and their agent (the take-yer-money-ship) are fully within their rights to inspect documentation substantiating that required service was performed at the owner's manual-indicated time/mileage intervals. You'd have found the same warranty stipulations with any other make. Toyota, for instance, had some serious oil sludging issues with I4 and V6 Camry engines from the mid-nineties to the very early two-thousand models. Once they'd established that the problem was an engineering flaw, Toyota extended the warranty to eight years, unlimited mileage. BUT, owners were still obligated to present receipts for service or materials and a log if owner-maintained as supporting evidence that the engine oil and filter changes were carried out no later than 7,500 miles or six months in order to qualify for replacement engines. I do my own servicing, but I can see the attraction of take-yer-money-ship servicing - there's no question about when and the extent of the work done - it's on the national database no matter where you happen to be in the U.S. (maybe Canada, too) if trouble arises. Best of luck.
Other than that, we've had no significant problems with the vehicles and we love them.
I do have a SERIOUS problem with service at the local dealer in Memphis. Took the '02 in for some work a few months ago. I actually dropped it off a day early. On the day they were supposed to do the work (I was having a problem with the electronic door locks) they never got around to my car and didn't call me to tell me. When I called to see if the car was ready (about 3:30 p.m.) they said they had gotten busy on another vehicle. Now that puts me in a position of having to drive 100 miles to Tupelo, Mississippi for service. However, I don't mind. I love the car.
VW JETTA was nice but the options were expensive. So I got this LOADED TO THE MAX Optima for 18500. It can't be beat. I park next to a Mitshubishi Diamonta and you cant tell them apart, Well unless you look at the price tag. Its a lot of car for not alot $$$$$. So far I am Happy.
Ps I read these fourms before I bought this car, And I see people complain alot, which they have a right to do, And we have to know that people who dont have anything to complain about, Dont say anything at all, good or bad.
I will keep yall posted. I drive 52K plus miles a year.
If there is a problem I will find it.
I have a 2004 KIA Optima V6 that will not start if you leave it sit for longer than a day. We have taken it back to the dealership 4 times now, and they keep telling me that the amp is blown and then they replace it. Then a few weeks later we are in the same boat. The amp blows and we have to have it replaced again. The guys in the shop at the dealership are being real jackA*$ about the whole thing, and are not looking for the route cause of the problem, they just keep fixing the amp and sending me on my way. :mad:
mileage then my pt crusier. Also more comfort. I am getting both. I get between 32mpg and 34 mpg combined hwy and city,. I was wondering if that is normal for the 4 with 5 speed trans. My 2004 pt could only get between 28-30 mpg also
the optima is a better ride. I also changed oil with synthetic oil to improve the mpg,s. let me know if any one is getting this kind of mileage with there optima. I have 5100 miles after 1.5 months
*Bizarrely, Nissan actually advises against the use of synthetic motor oil in their owner's manuals. No reason given.
2001 Kia Optima V6
Thank you for the response to the previous post.
Any Idea on how easy the timing belt is to change out? Dealer quoted 460.00 I haven't yet obtained a manual to leaf through. Cheker only had a Sephia book. I did not know if the engine was the same or not.