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I'll give you that one as far as where Unions really drive up the cost of doing business in this country, but the Kia and Hyundai plant are located in a right to work state where Unions have been kept at bay. Other foreign Auto makers have located their plants in the South and in states like Indiana because of this and are doing quite well. I think Kia is making a great decision and will do very well in the coming years.
And Snow, as you have shown, you really hate Kia. I just really don't understand why you spend so much time putting them down. Please attempt to find a Brand or vehicle you like and participate in that forum. Or at the least, please try to add some constructive thoughts to this thread. That's why I enjoy reading Backy's commints. He may not own the particular Brand in some of the Threads, but he always gives an honest insightful opinion, usually based on facts, and it is positive. I have never seen him spend his every waking moment attacking a Brand and the participants in a thread the way you seem to do. I just bought my first Kia last summer when I bought a Sorento EX V6 which has had a few minor aggravating problems such as rattles inside the cabin, but overall I am really starting to like the vehicle. I am especially loving it when we fill it up at nearly $4/gallon and I get 19mpg city where I was only getting about 11.5 to 13 city in the Mountaineer AWD V8 we traded for it. There are always problems with first year model changes and I suspect the Optima will have issues as well in the first year.
The car is beautiful and in the LX verson, nicely equipped. There's hope. They'll fix these things...
Since my camry won't die and I like sedans for work, I'm keeping it. There's nothing worth pulling out over 20k for. Found a nice gel seat cushion at wally world. And I did buy a 2003 mazda MX5 as a toy. I could have purchased a new one. But those aren't as good as the ones in the 2001-05 range. It's arriving this week. Wish me well??
That's why I recommend people buy used. Preferrably something before 2005 or so. Things really started to drop off in the auto world after that, even sooner on many models. Find a cream puff and grab it. It'll be light years ahead qualitywise than the ones built today. Just my fify cents. Or as they say, 'old man yells at cloud'.
You mentioned in another post that you don't need all those extras. Well at my age I want and expect them in the car I buy. I want leather, heated/cooled seats, sunroof, etc. I hope that they keep adding little goodies.
Other than JD Powers Plant Quality Awards how can you tell vehicle quality in the US has dropped?
BTW, East London, South African got the award for 2010...with GM's Lansing Michigan getting the 'Bronze' award for North America. Not too bad for a US Unionized plant.
The 'overall' US quality has surpassed the imports. If of course you can quantify what an import or domestic is...
but is there any good reason to buy EX rather than LX ?
Interior looks the same (except the seat, the difference for the exterior is the wheel size...)
but, well, $2000 does not seem so bad..
I can't decide which one to buy..........
also, platinum graphite vs. satin metal ?
Thanks
EX has 17" wheels, LX has 16" wheels
EX has fog lights, LX doesn't
EX has heated power side mirrors, LX doesn't
EX has smart key/push button start, LX doesn't
EX has aluminum (or wood) interior trim, LX doesn't
I actually bought a Platinum Graphite EX (premium), but honestly, in hindsight, I think the Satin Metal is more striking on the Optima.
The noise, to me, is not that bad. I would not have really thought of it had reviews not mentioned it as a problem. I have ridden, once, in the back seat, and did notice a bit more vibration intruding from the floor than I would have liked, but again, it wasn't bad.
Overall it isn't a problem in my opinion.
But for some reason, after driving for 15 min or so, I can smell a tire smell or rotten egg(?) smell.
I initially thought that the smell is from those leather seats... but later, I think that the smell is more similar to hot tire smell.
I think that especially tires at the back smell more, I can feel the heat coming from those back tires if I go very near them. Are the brake pads touching the tires ? I'm not sure if this is normal or not.
Is anybody experiencing this problem ?
Perhaps, I'm being too cautious... Can anyone give me advices ?
Thanks
I wonder whether I can any wax brand for this car.
I heard that you should avoid putting wax on plastic parts of the car, right ?
Any good priced wax you recommend ?
Thanks
If it is a reoccurring problem then you can try the lemon law and force them to buy it back.
A few apologies..."we'll make it right sir, sorry for the inconvenience"...plus the rental covered.
I remember a few years ago I had to have my Honda at the dealer overnight...they provided a rental. Not sure about KIA...just assumed they all provided rentals if it is their problem to fix.
It's like when you purchase a new car and have a full tank of gas...just a couple bucks...especially when you consider the purchase price of the car; but it makes an overall impression.
I suppose it may matter in a roll-over if an arm were to get trapped there (bad situation with or without sunroof)
The sport purists don't care for them as they add additional weight at the top...but they probably would sneer at the FWD and probably 60% weight distribution.
For me the Sonata was a favorite car at rental places full of boring GM and Ford cars.
http://www.kia-forums.com/kia-magentis-optima-forum/
If this is the case, there is a warning in your manual on page 1/3 not to "top off" after the nozzle automatically shuts off when refueling.
The first fill up tank calculation would not be right, but from then on it should be okay to calculate as you are more or less going to the same point in the tank with full fuel. It can vary slightly as not all nozzle shut off at the same point.
The warning, is because if you put fuel in up to the point of seeing it in the fill pipe, you could end up doing serious damage to the emissions system and may not be covered under warranty. You should be able to get clarification from dealers service department on this.
Hope this posts as I seem to be encountering a lot of problems with this site over the last few days.
I have the same problem and difficulty trying to figure gas mileage. Sometimes it goes to full and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it goes to full later after driving a bit. Makes it difficult to figure MPG.
Huke12
Hope this helps
On a side note, what have you all noticesd as the average discrepancy between the onboard computer mpg average and hand calculated average?
Thanks.
Thank you.
Here are the changes for 2012 on the Optima
Optima - LX, EX, SX
Exterior:
Chrome accented exterior door handles replace body color door handles (LX)
Standard fog lights (LX)
Standard heated outside mirrors (LX)
Standard automatic light control (LX)
Silver wheel cap standard on 16- and 17-inch wheels (from black)
Standard LED tail lights (EX)
Interior:
Add Infinity audio system w/ eight speakers, UVO in-car hands-free entertainment and communication system package, HD Radio and power folding outside mirrors to Premium Package (EX, EX Turbo and SX)
Remove Infinity audio system w/ eight speakers from Technology Package (EX, EX Turbo and SX)
Revised center fascia finish
Standard wood trim and metal PRND bezel (EX)
Tire Mobility Kit (2.4L GDI)
Mechanical:
No changes
Regarding the choice between Optima and Sonata. For 2011 the Optima had more standard features at the level I bought (EX Turbo) for the same price. Optima had cooled seats (a huge benefit for me) and Heated steering wheel (a nice feature where i live) and Panoramic Sunroof. I don't know if those will be available for 2012 in the Sonata or not. I did read the Panoramic roof was being added to the Sonata though. Cooled seats should be a deciding factor IMO.
Hope that helps
"The system of compressor and sealing compound effectively and comfortably seals most punctures in a passenger car tire caused by nails or similar object and re-inflates the tire"
Also not sure if this applies to Canadian models, as those details have not yet been released, at least not that I've been able to find.