No problems with wind noise or water leaks on our moonroof-equipped Sedona EX.
alxndrs, I doubt you'll find that combination of options. Most of the EX models are either fully optioned, or without two-tone paint or without rear spoiler, or optionless. From memory, isn't the moonroof only $600 or so, MSRP? That's a lot less than a factory-installed moonroof typically costs. I'd go for a moonroof-equipped Sedona.
I bought the Sedona EX Blue Sapphire with ABS/Leather/HL/Rear Spoiler/Sunroof from Denver Kia dealer. The MSRP was $23905 but I paid $22095 + tax + license plate and I picked 0% finance for 24 months. Is that a fair deal? I only got one remote. They said that they have only one remote for this van. This is very inconvience for us and we want to add another remote. Is that possible? Please suggest how should I get second remote for my van.
Nice e-mail exchange with Paul Stapleton at Kia customer service today. Marketing has not released info on the 2003 Sedona to Customer Service yet. The Aug delivery date is in jepardy due to striking auto workers in Korea wanting a larger slice of the profits, now that the Sedona is a hit, and Kia has good profitability.
Will keep you posted when new data becomes available.
BTW, to recent posters on price, options, and maint related items larger amounts of data available if you scroll back through the chain. Might make your purchasing experience easier.
Just finished all 2000 posts! My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I feel much more confident in our decision to buy a Sedona. Thanks to all of you for taking the time to share your experiences!
Now, if I can just decide if the dealer is being straight with me. He tells me he is offering less than $100 over invoice, but I think he is actually offering $1050 over invoice because his OTD price includes the rebate to dealer. His offer is $21,310 plus TTL, which includes the $1000 rebate. So, if we chose the 0% financing, the cost would be $22,310 + TTL. Edmunds lists the invoice price as $21,260 for the options we chose. Am I correct in thinking that he is actually quoting us $1050 over invoice, and trying to make us think he is selling it at $50 over invoice?
The TMV for our area, according to Edmunds, is $22,155. With the rebate, it looks as though we are getting a deal, but as somebody posted earlier, that rebate is actually our cash and shouldn't be considered part of the "price." Is that correct?
I look at this offer the same way you do - it's $1,050 over invoice, not $50 over invoice. Most dealers will pass on a dealer incentive (e.g. rebate) to the customer, but some dealers won't do this unless the customer is actually AWARE of the incentive (many customers aren't). I'm not sure if the $1,000 Sedona incentive is cash back to customer (i.e., dealer really can't 'keep' this money) or to dealer.
What's the MSRP of the Sedona you're considering? It sounds like others are getting better quotes than you're describing.
Also, which dealer - is this Keller in Grand Rapids, Mich.?
The MSRP is $23,930. Yes, the quote is from Keller in G.R. Went to Kia Towne on Saturday; they were only open from 11:00-1:00. (We got there at 2:00.) Checked their inventory and didn't see the van that they told us they had in stock. Have since emailed for verification and a quote, but haven't received a reply.
The numbers from your quote: MSRP 23,930 dealer price 22,310 rebate (1,000) final price 21,310 invoice 21,260
We bought our Sedona EX in February. MSRP 23,930. Selling price 22,930 (exactly $1,000 below MSRP). No rebates in effect at the time. We could have done $200-500 better at other dealers, but I was willing to give business to local dealer.
Prices seem to be falling the past few months. Your quote of $22,310 before rebate is $1,620 below MSRP. That seems like a pretty decent price. Yes, you could probably do better but that still seems pretty good. How to do better? Well, you could flat-out negotiate a lower price, which can be difficult, time-consuming, and unpleasant. The other way would be to get a quote from a different dealer and use that as leverage. Personally, I feel bad doing this, as the other dealer is being 'used' somewhat. But it IS a legitimate buying strategy.
Give Story Kia in East Lansing a call. They gave me a very good quote via email. I was sorry that I couldn't give them my business. Also, Crown Kia in Dublin, Ohio, has been recommended on Edmund's before. They too were willing to give me more than $1,000 below MSRP back in February. Back then, some folks were still paying MSRP or close to it.
Taking delivery from Action Kia in Danbury CT, on a sliver EX with Leather, sunroof, spoiler and homelink. Didn't really want spoiler and homelink but they all came that way.
21,100 (including $1000 rebate) plus $179 conveyance fee and tax.
Prior quote in Milford for same car (plus 2 tone paint which I didn't want) was 21,900 w/rebate plus a $249 conveyance fee. He also said I could get no better than 5.75 financing over 60Months no matter how good my credit was.
I am a horrible haggler and hate doing it but called Action Kia in Danbury anyway and told them the quote I recevied from milford and simply asked them "should i take the time to drive all the way to danbury?" He said hold on and came back with a price $600 cheaper. Then he said he had a van without 2 tone and that saved me another $200. plus saving $75 on the conveyance fee, i saved a total of $875 with one phone call. I told him I was going to get outside financing for 5.5% he said, no problem, he will match it.
Well, I pick up the car on 7/27. We'll see how the deal finishes.
We bought our Sedona July 27,2001. We were one of the first to buy one, they were straight off of the truck. We were able to get the 1.9% for 5 years. AWESOME! Our Sedona now has 14K miles on it and NO problems yet! 10K of those miles are highway miles from Omaha to Arizona. We have been extremely pleased with this van. We bought a Kia Rio around the same time and it has 23K miles and NO problems. I was a little hesitant to buy a Kia but now that I have 2, I have been extremely impressed with the dealers and service department(oil changes). They are very nice to work with.
The dealer seemed to have some difficulty in removing and replacing the third row of seats in the Sedona I was shown. We would need to take these seats out fairly often. Is it a hassle, or a skill quickly acquired?
bluedevils...Was the locking/ratcheting mechanism working before and not working now? Did you have a car seat installed? I know from experience on another vehicle that tightening the seatbelt too tight will ruin the locking/ratcheting mechanism. I had a "Mighty Tite" seatbelt tightener attached to the seatbelt with a car seat. It did its job but ruined the belt.
ansbach76...The third row seats are not too difficult to remove and reinstall but they are rather heavy.
It turns out the problem was user error. I was not letting the belt retract all the way before pulling it out. Once I let it retract fully and then pulled it out fully, the ratcheting mechanism was working.
We use a Mighty Tite on that seat and I feared that had somehow ruined the seat's locking/ratcheting mechanism. I'm glad that wasn't the case.
Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has had problems with their windshield cracking or chipping easily. About a month ago, I suddenly noticed a crack about 6 inches long that had appeared starting near the lower passenger side corner of the windshield. Upon inspection, I could not see any chips that could have caused it. Before I could take it in, it had grown to spread across nearly the entire passenger side of the windshield. I took the van into the dealership to see if this is covered under warranty, and the manager of the service department ran a pen along the crack, and said he found a tiny chip near the edge of the windshield that had caused the crack, so it was not covered under warranty. Now I'm going to have to fork over almost $600 to get the thing replaced. It seems strange that it would crack so easily. I've been a frequent lurker here since last October when I was deciding whether or not to buy a Sedona(all your comments were a big help, btw). This is my first post here. Have had no major problems at all with it, just the windshield thing. In fact, just got back from putting 4700 miles on it in a span of 10 days on a road trip with the wife & kids and it performed admirably. Although I did get disappointing gas milage, only about 18 mpg. I was using a top carrier though, so that might have played a part. Anybody have any thoughts? I've put nearly 14,000 miles on the thing, and I live in a very dusty area, so I am figuring on replacing the air filter. I haven't been able to find anybody who has aftermarket air filters, either online or in town. Was wondering if anybody else has replaced theirs yet, where and what it cost. Thanks!
Can you go through your insurance to get some help on that $600? I had a VERY small chip on the windshield of my van and I got it repaired at no charge to me through insurance.
Air filter: I don't have a Sedona, but on my old Sephia, I had to get the air filters from the Kia dealer. No auto parts place or oil change place had them--always had to go back to Kia for them.
I used to have a '91 Suzuki Sidekick and the local "quick lube" places never had the proper air filter for it either. It seems like it takes a while for those places to start stocking items that are a bit out of the norm.
I am having this problem discussed earlier and it would be really helpful to have some kind of bulletin/reference number - or the name and number of a dealership that understands this issue.... Bluedevils, wes19?
In the meantime, I have a case number with 800Kia.
------------------- MSG1374: The solution is a computer correction. My Sedona hesitated when cold..but even after it was warm and you shut it off and started it up a few minutes later it would hesitate...sometimes....
There is a KIA memo (bulletin) out on this to the dealers. Just ask your service dept about it.
jbmoberly Don't let the dealer BS you on the windshield. This is a problem!!! My windshield cracked in the very same place with less than 3000 miles on it. My dealer told me there is an attach point in that area and that the windshield was not installed (torqued)properly. They covered it under warranty. Also, someone else posted the same problem several months ago and his was also covered under warranty.
On Purolator's web site http://www.pureoil.com they show an air filter part #A35434. I called Advance Auto Parts and they said they don't stock it but could get one in a day for $24.95.
Can anyone recommend a Kia dealer in East Central Florida? There don't seem to be very many. If anyone has purchased a Kia Sedona in East Central Florida recently and had a good experience (and got a good price) please post the dealer name. Thanks!
What kind of driving was done in those 4700 miles? What percentage was highway driving? What was your average speed? Was the A/C running most of the time?
18 mpg on highway driving is worse than I'd expect, unless you were doing 80mph or more. At 75 mph, we get 22-23 mpg in our Sedona.
Most of the sedona's have a problem with the winsheild ... the manufacture made them to big. So if anyone has a stress crack see your dealer for warrnty. It's the same here in canada where the winshields are on back order.
I told the service manager at my dealer about this last week when I went in for an oil change and he said to call him this week about it.. he said he had to review the "fix" and I will follow up today actually.. hope this helps .... :>)
Has anyone bought a Sedona that had a vehicle price sticker affixed to the window? I believe that inthe US it is called the Maroney (sp?) Sticker. I would like to see the cost breakdown (ie: MSRP, Delivery/PDI, Tire Tax, etc.). All attempts to get this info from the dealer or from Kia Corp. have been fruitless. My dealer wants $26,290 for an LX, although the MSRP is shown as $24, 500 or so.
The LX base price is 24895$ + 595$ for freight, 400$ for prep., 100$ a/c etc =25,990$. Looks like your dealer is adding and extra 300$ because the advertise price in the newspaper was 24895$ last week. The price is negociable, I purchase my LX in April and I`ve got around 2,000$ off the MSRP. My only complaint is the fuel consomption of 19 MPG for mixe driving 50/50 , I have less than 3000kms on the van so I hope It will get better soon.
We are very happy with our EX. We have had it for 11 months now with 16k km to date. Our windshield also has a crack, but because of a small chip, the dealer will not warranty it. Thankfully we have glass insurance. I would be afraid to ask the price of a new windshield with that rain sensor.
Re: mpg. We average 20-22 mpg (Canuck gallon) in the city and low 30's on the highway with full A/C. I'm satisfied with anything near 30 in a van. As others have noted, the Sedona has a lot of power and pickup and encourages enthusiastic driving that is fun, but not optimum for fuel economy.
Power Steering I haven't kept up with this board for quite a while--are there other Sedonas experiencing power steering failure? Mine just went out.
We began hearing an odd noise a few days ago--sort of a guttural 'purring' noise that fluctuated along with the rpm. Called the dealership Thursday and got an appointment for next Tuesday--they said 'no problem' to drive it until then. Unfortunately, it didn't last that long.
Last night my wife said the noise increased dramatically and then it 'groaned' a couple of times while making sharp turns. Based on that, I checked the power steering fluid level--empty! I cranked it only to shut it off immediately--sounds like a bearing went totally bad in the power steering pump. Time to exercise the roadside assistance!
Windshield I also had a crack appear last April as noted in recent posts--mine was at the bottom on the driver's side. I heard the "crack" when it popped--thought I had taken a rock strike, but couldn't find a ding anywhere. A few minutes later it appeared from the bottom edge and traveled 14 inches over the next few hours.
The local dealership I go to for service (not where I purchased my van) replaced it immediately.
Wife and I bought ours in March and have 6100 miles on it already. It's a very nice van. I had one oil change at the local Wal-mart as the FRAM 6607 (Standard on older Kia)WILL fit this van, so don't let the dealership sell you their services. My dealership was just OK, as they didn't know a lot of questions I had on the van. I would assume that the warranty will hold true. I waited too long for the Honda, so when this van came on the market, I more or less talked the wife into buying it and would recommend this van to almost anybody, just maybe not the dealership. One question? Anybody know of where I can get a bug shield for this van? I know Kia makes one, I just thought I might find one in the after market.
mfbono, thanks for your post #2033 on cold engine hesitation and fan noise. Both problems started recently with my EX which has 13k miles and 9 months service on it. The only other problem I had was steering which was corrected with a front end alignment. Your post should simplify getting warrantee service.
ok i understand you want to save a buck. But would you trust your kids health to the cheapest doctor? the reason dealerships are more exp. is the amount of certifications and laws they must follow and live by. Kia, Honda, Toyota,etc... just don't handout dealerships like candy. They have to know the owners will back up thier sales. Yes they screw up, but try getting wal mart to replace your vehicle if one of their high school techs forgets something.
Sorry, I totally disagree with your assertion that dealership staff, including mechanics/technicians, are more knowledgeable than those at chain shops and independent shops. The fact that there's a "Kia" or "Ford" or "Honda" sign on the front door does NOT mean that the people who work inside are more knowledgeable, more helpful, or more interested in their customers than at a non-dealer shop.
There are some very good dealers and some very bad dealers. There are some very good independent shops and some very bad independent shops. It all boils down to the particular store/shop and the staff there.
You da man! I had checked the NHTSA site, but they don't have either one.
The service advisor found the bulletin Friday, after I called the Kia 800# Thursday. There is a flash update for power control module (pcm) - at least that is what the advisor told me.
The problem in the bulletin is annoying, but not the reason I took the van into the dealer. Our van had a pinched wire somewhere in the driver area and the interior lights, power windows, instrument lights, doorlocks and remote, and warning chimes would intermittently go out of service. That took some time to find.... Apparently, the module that controls those became faulty as a result of overheating and also needs to be replaced.
Haven't posted here in awhile, just a quick update on our Sedona. Now 5 months old w/ 7800 miles running great in northern VA. A/C could be a little cooler for me, but my wife drives it 80% of the time and she's ok with the cooling. Getting ready for oil change #2 this week, I really feel more confident in prolonging engine life w/ oil changes every 3500-4000 miles (had the first change done at 3898 miles). You may recall that my wife had a fender bender ($6700) back in April with major body work done to front end. Since then I've noticed a few spots here and there of paint chipped off the hood when washing the car. Just last week I noticed another and today another. Since she and I drive the same route to and from work (actually I travel beyond her destination) and i have no paint chips in my hood I'm going to assume that it's more of a paint issue then her just getting whacked by 5 times as many pebble/road grit than I have. Since the body work was done at the dealership, they'll look at it when I get the oil changed this week (using my JD Power freebie). I'll keep you posted. Glad to see all is well (for the most part) with everyone's Sedonas!
I just purchased the Sedona LX (in Alberta) for $26200.00 plus GST, plus $100 A/C tax, plus $20 tire tax, plus (this irks me, but all dealerships do this and this is the lowest price I've seen)$130 "Documentation Fee". 2.9% financing rate over 60mos. The salesman included Lifetime Oil and Filter changes. I feel that it was a good buy.
My decision to buy a Kia was made after two months of researching all that I could find on the internet and after visiting many different van sales centres (Dodge, GM). I hated the sales people everywhere else, as I feel that their advertising is not only deceptive, but borderline illegal. The sales people at our dealership were unpretentious.
We drove the Grand Caravan Sport only moments before deciding to take the Sedona for one more drive. The Sedona drives nicer, hands down. As for my worries about fuel econmy, the money saved on the price of the van (vs. other brands) will more than cover the cost of fuel for MANY years. Insurance rates are comparable.
That's my opinion (and I'm confident that I made the right choice).
Kia lists their remote keyless entry key fob as Part Number: 0K52Y 67 7T0 on kiaparts.com. Per the web site my local dealer claims to have them in stock.
The picture on the web site is correct as well!!!
Has anyone ordered one yet? Just looking to see if they were truly available!!!
I did get two when purchasing my Sedona three weeks ago. So far very, very happy owner.
Blows my second car (Dodge Caravan) away. Perhaps not as nice as the inlaws Honda but I'll bank the 10k I saved and be a happy camper for many, many years.
I have been getting the run-around from my KIA dealer(only 1 in Austin,Tx.)cannot get a good price even this late in the model year. All vans loaded W/options I don't want. Do I still have to pay MSRP to get into one of these? Anyone get close to list price? Would also like to know about ABS pros &cons.
In mid-September last year I was able to get $500 off MSRP in San Antonio and the current ads by the three dealers here indicate now they are a lot more generous than that. Even with all the options, the price is far below other brands. ABS? Well, I find my non ABS Sedona stops better than my previous van, a '96 Dodge Grand Caravan WITH ABS. With or without ABS, the Sedona is a good deal!
for info on ALL kinds of Kia vehicles from big 'greyhound' type buses (Ever heard of a Grandbird?) to military vehicles. (How about a KM425 K-4 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher Carrier?) Also if you click on Kia Plaza you'll find wallpapers, screensavers, movies, still shots, etc.
Remember, the local market sets the price. If Sedonas are selling well, then they won't come down far because they don't have to. Like jondot said, even at MSRP the Sedona has a better price than any other "national brand" van with the options you get. If, however, you are truly upset with them, then don't buy one from them. Until folks start walking away from the table, they have no incentive to deal any better than they are.
A hearty welcome to another Alberta Sedona owner. I've actually seen two of them in the last week alone. Going to be as common as those Honda things soon
Re: "documentation fees" We purchased our Kia at 8:45 in the evening just as the manager was preparing to go home. We flat out told the salesman and then the manager that we would not pay a documentation fee. I think that they waived it just to make us sign and shut up. Most dealers will not let a customer walk out over a small fee.
Comments
alxndrs, I doubt you'll find that combination of options. Most of the EX models are either fully optioned, or without two-tone paint or without rear spoiler, or optionless. From memory, isn't the moonroof only $600 or so, MSRP? That's a lot less than a factory-installed moonroof typically costs. I'd go for a moonroof-equipped Sedona.
here was the reply from Kia:
"If your vehicles production date was on
or after February 17, 2002, then your vehicle will be sold with two Keyless
entry transmitters"
Check your vehicle's build date.. ...:>)
$21,500 was w/ $1000 rebate.
Thanks,
Pete
Will keep you posted when new data becomes available.
BTW, to recent posters on price, options, and maint related items larger amounts of data available if you scroll back through the chain. Might make your purchasing experience easier.
Now, if I can just decide if the dealer is being straight with me. He tells me he is offering less than $100 over invoice, but I think he is actually offering $1050 over invoice because his OTD price includes the rebate to dealer. His offer is $21,310 plus TTL, which includes the $1000 rebate. So, if we chose the 0% financing, the cost would be $22,310 + TTL. Edmunds lists the invoice price as $21,260 for the options we chose. Am I correct in thinking that he is actually quoting us $1050 over invoice, and trying to make us think he is selling it at $50 over invoice?
The TMV for our area, according to Edmunds, is $22,155. With the rebate, it looks as though we are getting a deal, but as somebody posted earlier, that rebate is actually our cash and shouldn't be considered part of the "price." Is that correct?
Again, thanks for all your input!!
What's the MSRP of the Sedona you're considering? It sounds like others are getting better quotes than you're describing.
Also, which dealer - is this Keller in Grand Rapids, Mich.?
Welcome to Town Hall and enjoy the new car search.
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
MSRP 23,930
dealer price 22,310
rebate (1,000)
final price 21,310
invoice 21,260
We bought our Sedona EX in February. MSRP 23,930. Selling price 22,930 (exactly $1,000 below MSRP). No rebates in effect at the time. We could have done $200-500 better at other dealers, but I was willing to give business to local dealer.
Prices seem to be falling the past few months. Your quote of $22,310 before rebate is $1,620 below MSRP. That seems like a pretty decent price. Yes, you could probably do better but that still seems pretty good. How to do better? Well, you could flat-out negotiate a lower price, which can be difficult, time-consuming, and unpleasant. The other way would be to get a quote from a different dealer and use that as leverage. Personally, I feel bad doing this, as the other dealer is being 'used' somewhat. But it IS a legitimate buying strategy.
Give Story Kia in East Lansing a call. They gave me a very good quote via email. I was sorry that I couldn't give them my business. Also, Crown Kia in Dublin, Ohio, has been recommended on Edmund's before. They too were willing to give me more than $1,000 below MSRP back in February. Back then, some folks were still paying MSRP or close to it.
21,100 (including $1000 rebate) plus $179 conveyance fee and tax.
Prior quote in Milford for same car (plus 2 tone paint which I didn't want) was 21,900 w/rebate plus a $249 conveyance fee. He also said I could get no better than 5.75 financing over 60Months no matter how good my credit was.
I am a horrible haggler and hate doing it but called Action Kia in Danbury anyway and told them the quote I recevied from milford and simply asked them "should i take the time to drive all the way to danbury?" He said hold on and came back with a price $600 cheaper. Then he said he had a van without 2 tone and that saved me another $200. plus saving $75 on the conveyance fee, i saved a total of $875 with one phone call. I told him I was going to get outside financing for 5.5% he said, no problem, he will match it.
Well, I pick up the car on 7/27. We'll see how the deal finishes.
ansbach76...The third row seats are not too difficult to remove and reinstall but they are rather heavy.
We use a Mighty Tite on that seat and I feared that had somehow ruined the seat's locking/ratcheting mechanism. I'm glad that wasn't the case.
I was wondering if anyone has had problems with their windshield cracking or chipping easily. About a month ago, I suddenly noticed a crack about 6 inches long that had appeared starting near the lower passenger side corner of the windshield. Upon inspection, I could not see any chips that could have caused it. Before I could take it in, it had grown to spread across nearly the entire passenger side of the windshield. I took the van into the dealership to see if this is covered under warranty, and the manager of the service department ran a pen along the crack, and said he found a tiny chip near the edge of the windshield that had caused the crack, so it was not covered under warranty. Now I'm going to have to fork over almost $600 to get the thing replaced. It seems strange that it would crack so easily.
I've been a frequent lurker here since last October when I was deciding whether or not to buy a Sedona(all your comments were a big help, btw). This is my first post here.
Have had no major problems at all with it, just the windshield thing.
In fact, just got back from putting 4700 miles on it in a span of 10 days on a road trip with the wife & kids and it performed admirably. Although I did get disappointing gas milage, only about 18 mpg. I was using a top carrier though, so that might have played a part. Anybody have any thoughts?
I've put nearly 14,000 miles on the thing, and I live in a very dusty area, so I am figuring on replacing the air filter. I haven't been able to find anybody who has aftermarket air filters, either online or in town. Was wondering if anybody else has replaced theirs yet, where and what it cost.
Thanks!
Air filter: I don't have a Sedona, but on my old Sephia, I had to get the air filters from the Kia dealer. No auto parts place or oil change place had them--always had to go back to Kia for them.
I am having this problem discussed earlier and it would be really helpful to have some kind of bulletin/reference number - or the name and number of a dealership that understands this issue.... Bluedevils, wes19?
In the meantime, I have a case number with 800Kia.
-------------------
MSG1374: The solution is a computer correction. My Sedona hesitated when cold..but even after it was warm and you shut it off and started it up a few minutes later it would hesitate...sometimes....
There is a KIA memo (bulletin) out on this to the dealers. Just ask your service dept about it.
18 mpg on highway driving is worse than I'd expect, unless you were doing 80mph or more. At 75 mph, we get 22-23 mpg in our Sedona.
http://www.alldata.com/TSB/71/02711018.html
I told the service manager at my dealer about this last week when I went in for an oil change and he said to call him this week about it.. he said he had to review the "fix" and I will follow up today actually.. hope this helps .... :>)
Are you happy with your Canadian purchases?
My only complaint is the fuel consomption of 19 MPG for mixe driving 50/50 , I have less than 3000kms on the van so I hope It will get better soon.
Re: mpg. We average 20-22 mpg (Canuck gallon) in the city and low 30's on the highway with full A/C. I'm satisfied with anything near 30 in a van. As others have noted, the Sedona has a lot of power and pickup and encourages enthusiastic driving that is fun, but not optimum for fuel economy.
I haven't kept up with this board for quite a while--are there other Sedonas experiencing power steering failure? Mine just went out.
We began hearing an odd noise a few days ago--sort of a guttural 'purring' noise that fluctuated along with the rpm. Called the dealership Thursday and got an appointment for next Tuesday--they said 'no problem' to drive it until then. Unfortunately, it didn't last that long.
Last night my wife said the noise increased dramatically and then it 'groaned' a couple of times while making sharp turns. Based on that, I checked the power steering fluid level--empty! I cranked it only to shut it off immediately--sounds like a bearing went totally bad in the power steering pump. Time to exercise the roadside assistance!
Windshield
I also had a crack appear last April as noted in recent posts--mine was at the bottom on the driver's side. I heard the "crack" when it popped--thought I had taken a rock strike, but couldn't find a ding anywhere. A few minutes later it appeared from the bottom edge and traveled 14 inches over the next few hours.
The local dealership I go to for service (not where I purchased my van) replaced it immediately.
There are some very good dealers and some very bad dealers. There are some very good independent shops and some very bad independent shops. It all boils down to the particular store/shop and the staff there.
Not all dealerships are competent!
The service advisor found the bulletin Friday, after I called the Kia 800# Thursday. There is a flash update for power control module (pcm) - at least that is what the advisor told me.
The problem in the bulletin is annoying, but not the reason I took the van into the dealer. Our van had a pinched wire somewhere in the driver area and the interior lights, power windows, instrument lights, doorlocks and remote, and warning chimes would intermittently go out of service. That took some time to find.... Apparently, the module that controls those became faulty as a result of overheating and also needs to be replaced.
Van is supposed to be ready on Monday.
You may recall that my wife had a fender bender ($6700) back in April with major body work done to front end. Since then I've noticed a few spots here and there of paint chipped off the hood when washing the car. Just last week I noticed another and today another. Since she and I drive the same route to and from work (actually I travel beyond her destination) and i have no paint chips in my hood I'm going to assume that it's more of a paint issue then her just getting whacked by 5 times as many pebble/road grit than I have. Since the body work was done at the dealership, they'll look at it when I get the oil changed this week (using my JD Power freebie). I'll keep you posted.
Glad to see all is well (for the most part) with everyone's Sedonas!
My decision to buy a Kia was made after two months of researching all that I could find on the internet and after visiting many different van sales centres (Dodge, GM). I hated the sales people everywhere else, as I feel that their advertising is not only deceptive, but borderline illegal. The sales people at our dealership were unpretentious.
We drove the Grand Caravan Sport only moments before deciding to take the Sedona for one more drive. The Sedona drives nicer, hands down.
As for my worries about fuel econmy, the money saved on the price of the van (vs. other brands) will more than cover the cost of fuel for MANY years. Insurance rates are comparable.
That's my opinion (and I'm confident that I made the right choice).
The picture on the web site is correct as well!!!
Has anyone ordered one yet? Just looking to see if they were truly available!!!
Blows my second car (Dodge Caravan) away. Perhaps not as nice as the inlaws Honda but I'll bank the 10k I saved and be a happy camper for many, many years.
http://203.248.232.51/corporate_info/main1_4.html
for info on ALL kinds of Kia vehicles from big 'greyhound' type buses (Ever heard of a Grandbird?) to military vehicles. (How about a KM425 K-4 40mm Automatic Grenade Launcher Carrier?) Also if you click on Kia Plaza you'll find wallpapers, screensavers, movies, still shots, etc.
Have Fun!
Re: "documentation fees"
We purchased our Kia at 8:45 in the evening just as the manager was preparing to go home. We flat out told the salesman and then the manager that we would not pay a documentation fee. I think that they waived it just to make us sign and shut up. Most dealers will not let a customer walk out over a small fee.