Kia Sorento

mcclutz

Slan, and anyone else interested, I understand you can get chrome side rails for your Sorento from Woodchester Kia in Mississauga Ontario. I was quoted $695 +tax installed.

slan_canada

Hi Mcclutz !

Thanks for this info ! I will talk back to my dealer tomorrow ! Today, I ordered the Bumper Guard ( they will paint it in black ), the spoiler and the sport visors.

I'm very impatient to see all these options on my Sorento !

paisan

When are you getting the 22" Spreewells?



-mike

bored

Could the Sorento handle 22" Spreewells? I know a Trooper can, I've seen it...

Uh-Oh, Mike's angry now...

So, people, how are the Sorentos? Each and everytime I pass by a Kia dealer, they always seem to have new inventory, well, except for this Fully Loaded EX that does not seem to want to sell. Who's got the most mileage?

lok888

Mine is just a little bit over 5000 miles. Bought it in early December. No problem at all. Second oil change will be done in about a month.

I think the plain EX is the most seller. Friend of mine got his ivy green EX a month ago. He decided not to get the luxury package because he doesn't care about the leather seats. And he test drove one and his rear end was kind of slippery on the leather seat surface.

Anyway, I think most people like plain EX because of the price. $23K (after discounts and rebate) for a good looking mid-size SUV with 4WD. And I can see some don't want to spend much on Kia. Just my thoughts.

dbgindy

I've had my EX with Luxury package and ABS for just over a month. I've put around 1600 miles on it all ready and had zero problems. I've yet to have it off road so I'm looking forward to that but it's been solid so far. :-)

ivygrnsorento

...on my Sorento. I purchased it November...so the miles are building up quickly...a little too quickly for my taste.

lok888

ivygrnsorento - What maintenance service you have done beside oil change. I assume the tire rotation, balance, check all fluids, etc.

tedya

Hi everybody! What benefit would I gain from having a limited slip differential installed on my LX 4x4? I guess I don't understand what it does. Anybody care to explain it to me? Thanks.

paisan

The concept behind an LSD is that if one wheel is slipping on a particular axle (most of the time LSDs are installed in the rear) it will shift power to the opposite side wheel. This will provide better traction than a single wheel getting the power which is the "normal" case with an "open differential". So if you are stuck in snow, you will get power to both rear wheels to un-stick you if one of them is slipping. I'm working on getting an LSD installed on my front axle of my Trooper so that in off-road situations I will have an LSD in both the front and rear for better traction.

-mike

lok888

pasian - Is this LSD similar to the TOD? It is function like the same. I think the LSD is an option on Sorento LX with Shift-on-the-fly 4WD. I don't it can be installed afterward like Slan did.
BTW, is your Trooper already has TOD? Why you need
LSD?

paisan

TOD: TOD is in the Transfer case, what this does it move power from Front to Rear based on driveshaft speeds and other sensors. TOD cannot move power from left to right, only Front to Rear.

LSD: Moves power left to right/side to side on a particular axle. This is also based on wheel slippage front side to side.

So basically your LSD and TOD work together to give you "3 wheel" drive at best on a TOD and LSD equipped vehicle. 1 wheel in the front gets power and 1 or 2 rear wheels get power with an LSD in the rear and TOD in the center.

On a Shift on the Fly or Part-time 4wd system, the transfer case will split power 50/50 front to rear and then if you have non LSD differentials in the front and back you will essentially have 1 powered front wheel and 1 powered rear wheel, both of those being powered are the ones with less grip, so you can in essence spin 1 front and 1 rear if you get jammed up good. If you install a rear LSD in then both rears will get power or at the least it will send power to the one in the rear with more grip.

I'm putting an LSD in the front in addition to my rear LSD and TOD so that I will have power to all 4 wheels if need be on slippery/offroad conditions.

Hope this helps, if not post up and I'll try to clarify it for yah.

-mike

ivygrnsorento

Well, I had the 7500 mile service done, which my dealer performed a tire rotation, oil change, check the prerequisite fluids, tightened belts (a slight squeel could be hear at 1000-1500 rpm), replaced my windshield wipers (the ones that came on the truck really blew!), fixed my drivers side airbag sensor (for the second time), and rebalanced my tires.

I just took my Sorento back last week to have some warranty work done before I hit the 12,000 marker to replace the passengers front speaker(s) in the door (rattled), replaced the steering wheel (which creaked and rattled like a baby toy), replace the sunroof glass (because of a scratch that was made in the tinting from shipping).

Other than those things...everything has been great! My wife took the Sorenot on a 2000 mile road trip a few weeks ago, and I just returned from a 1000 mile road trip to Moab. Everytime I take this thing out for extended trips, I appreciate the Sorento more and more.

For what it's worth, of all places, I saw 3 other Sorentos in Moab. 2 silver ones and a white one. If any of us here in this forum was there, I saw you!

mike120877

Hey everyone how are you. I was so close to buying a Sorento on Saturday. The dealer just wouldn't budge on his price which I thought was a bit high. For an EX 4WD with Luxury, ABS, and Spoiler he wouldn't go below 27,500. He claimed the invoice was 26,600 but Internet sources place it at about 25,900. I offered 27K max and not a dollar more. What do you guys think?

Thanks,
Mike

tedya

Hi there. I too had the same squeel coming from under the hood at 1000-1500 rpms. It so happend to be one of my radiator fans and a fan is currently on order. It would only squeel if driving down the road or when I kicked on the AC which kicks on the fan. I'll keep you up to date if that actually fixes the squeel.
It is possible that it was my white sorento that you saw in Moab. I am from Salt Lake City and drive down there quite often.

tedya

I wouldn't deal with any car dealer that won't let you see the invoice. Start your price negotiation from that price and remember, the dealer still gets factory holdbacks that are not on the invoice. So even if you do get it at invoice, the dealer still makes between 500-1500 that the factory gives them later. There should be plenty of room for negotiation. I got my LX 4X4 INCLUDING all fees and taxes for the invoice price.

lok888

mike120877 - The car that you are going to buy is similar to mine, except that you didn't mention the auto leveling and cargo tray. I have it all for $26100. Their price seems a bit high even with two missing items. And I think I had only $1200 off the MSRP back in December. I wonder the market is still tight on discounting one of these.

Well, insist the price the you are going to pay or walk out the door. BTW, the invoice of your desired vehicle is $25650 and $28135 for MSRP. His invoice is properly right with holdback. Oh! The dest. charge is now $640. Mine was $495.
Good luck!

dbgindy

If you can't see his invoice run. I bought the exact same version as you describe a little over a month ago and he is high. I'll try to remember to look up exact figures when I return home but I paid $200 over invoice and mine was around 26K.my dealer had no problem in showing me his invoice and the costs aside from the "marketing fee" matched the info I had.

Duncan

lilac0422

I have never had a new car until I bought my Sorento in Feb so please help me because I am not even sure the correct questions to ask. What maintenance needs to be done to keep the warranty valid? I know that I will be paying for oil changes of course but what other routine stuff should I expect to pay for? I am getting close to my first oil change at 2800 miles and I am wondering what else should be done at that time if anything? I know I sound really naive and I will be the first one to admit that I know nothing about cars except that I love my Sorento. Thanks in advance for any help. It is nice to have knowledgeable people that I can ask without feeling stupid.

brooklyn1951

slan- What is the price of the bumper guard? Dealers in the states still tell me that they have no information yet.

lok888

lilac0422 - For the first 3000 miles, you only need to change the engine oil and oil filter. This should be done in every 3000 miles or 3 months. Dealer usually check and top off all fluids (windshield washer, engine coolant, etc) and check the tire pressure during the oil change. You should able to check these by yourself at least once a month at the gas station. I got a discount coupon for an oil change from a local Kia dealer. I think it's cost me around $22.00

Your next routine maintenance should be a tire rotation at around 7000-7500 miles. You can do this during your second oil change service. Folks. Am I right about the tire rotation even with the 4WD (P/T and F/T)? These maintenance services are not covered by the factory warranty. Those problems in Sorento Problems forum are covered. I think the light bulbs and windshield wiper inserts are also covered for the first year or 12000 miles. My dealer told you have to replace the whole windshield wiper blade instead of the insert.

slan_canada

Hi Brooklyn1951,

I paid $340 CDN (About $245 US). The bumper guard come only in grey or beige colors. Mine will come in black (the same black color of my Sorento) because they will paint it. I paid $220 for the paint (about $155 US). To these prices, I must add the labor for the installation which will cost me $50 CDN (about $35 US).

They should receive my BG next week...

dalancroft

E-mailed a local dealer yesterday and here was his reply:

"Hey Darren,

The m.r.s.p. on this particular vahicle is $28,550 but you and I know there's lots of competition out there and I won't loose a deal over price.Your price Darren? $26,409 this is quoting you only $100 dollars over my invoice on top if this there's a $1,000 cash insentive.
Please e-mail me back."

Thank you,

[Name withheld]

So about $25.5K plus tax, license, & doc fees. This is for a fully loaded EX with luxury package (I don't tow so don't care about auto-leveling, but I think it has pretty much every other option). Good deal???

lok888

dalancroft - Are you the guy who is interested in an used Highlander? Well anyway, I think the factory invoice is $22900 for you vehicle with such equipments. And MSRP is $28135. I would think 2 to 3% of the invoice is too much. I think $100 to $200 over dealer invoice is your target price.

Here is how you calculate the dealer invoice. $22900 plus 3% holdback ($687) = $23587 is the dealer invoice. That is their profit if they sell the car within the first 90 days on the lot. And they will make $787 if you are paying $100 over invoice. If you are paying 2% of the invoice, they will make $1158.74. So people use "$100 or $200 over invoice" when they are neogiate the price. Remember, this is the car before any factory option and accessory. Additional money will made from the options.

dbgindy

I have to respectfully disagree with lok. I think that is a pretty good deal. If you are really serious about it ask the dealer what his OTD (out the door) price is. If it works for you and you think it's fair go for it.
Just an FYI lok I think the market is starting to tighten up some on the Sorento and you will now probably have a tough time finding a dealer willing to involve his holdback on a Sorento EX with Lux.

mike120877

Hey everyone, as much as I like the Sorento, Kia dealers in my area are so unreasonable. I used your prices as guidelines for what I should pay. They told me that these forums are bogus and not to believe what people say because nobody will every admit they overpaid for a car. I think the biggest problem is the lack of inventory in my area (Long Island, NY). Very few EX's. There's only one with ABS and Luxury (which I was negotiating for). All in all, I'm very let down and am probably going in a different direction.

Thanks for all the info you've provided guys, it is appreciated

~Mike

dalancroft

Just keeping my options open! That dealer price sounds a little low given EX & luxury package, but I'll take your word for it.

But I'm still torn ... the Sorento looks SO nice! Jealous of you owners.

hciaffa

This month CR reports on the Sorento against the Forester, the Honda Element, the Mitsu Outlander, Pontiac Aztec. Can you guess who finished 1,2,3 As usual they are bias to the Japanese models and the Sorento was picked fourth followed by the Aztec. The write up on the Sorento was decent but they were not impressed with the ride. It was to stiff and choppy for them. Though they did like the instrument layout and the peppiness of the engine. As usuall they are very bias to the Japanese (not saying this because I own a Sorento but they have always been this way). They least they could have done was to acknowledge Kia for trying and lay some kudos on them but because its a truck base vehicle and not a cute ute they wouldn't dare. They also were not impressed about the gas mileage. I think they should have maybe tested the Sorento up against vehicles of its own type. They should have compared on what you get with the Sorento as compared to these and other vehicles and the price.It's funny that almost every auto publication and auto TV show has mentioned that the Kia is a decent vehicle, well thought out and designed but with some short comings. I traded in a Forester that gave us nothing but trouble and so far the Sorento has been very good. Just my 2 cents.

paisan

Over on the Forester board, with a guy from CR. I was annoyed that CR had lumped in the Sorento with the cute-utes. Should have been tested against the Xterrible, and the Rodeo and Axiom and even the 4-runner and a few other mid-size truck-based SUVs...

-mike

msmi8195

I thought you can deduct the holdback from the dealer invoice to calculate the dealers cost. Some of the messages here suggest its being added. Any comments?

tedya

I look at it this way. So it ranked #4. Maybe less people will buy one and it will become a bit rare on the streets. Makes me feel good because I am one of the few owners driving such a NICE vehicle around town. It'll be our little secret. I love my Sorento and all my friends think its a GREAT truck, too.

lok888

dbgindy - No one has to agree with me. But this is the way how people negotiate the car these days. Car shoppers are well educated, thanks to Edmunds. We know what's the car cost and its features before heading to the dealership. We can also get quote without visit the dealer. I know car buying process can be painful and frustrated. But it can be fun when you can exercise your negotiate skill. You can always start from the lowest like $100 over the invoice (dealer invoice, which means after the holdback) to 2 to 3% over invoice. Well, sometime they even make hundreds when selling for $1 over invoice. Keep this in mind that you don't negotiate (or even mention) the holdback. I have to say thing maybe different depend on the dealer inventory. But even they have to order from the factory. You can always tell them this deal can help them for quick allocation and leave more space for new inventory.

dalancroft - I didn't do the math for $100 over invoice or 2% over. But your price is silimar to mine. I paid $26100 for the same plus auto leveling. I didn't want that item buy they sold that to me for dealer cost. It supposed $25700 without that. So, it sounds good for $25500. Whatever the price you get, also ask and figure out other fees. You may end paying more if you have a great discount or paying less if paid MSRP. ($50 documents fee is reasonable, plus license and registration)
 
msmi8195 - No. You can't deduct the holdback. You simply negotiate the overall car price. The holdback is included on the dealer invoice (different than the factory invoice). For Kia, it is 3%. This just gave you an idea how much money the dealer still can make if they sell you the car within the first 90 days on the lot. Some dealers advertised $1 over invoice, but they are still making hundreds.

Well, it is always fun to share and learn from other people.

paisan

Good thoughts, unfortunately that is what the guys over on the trooper board said for years. Now it's discontinued Hopefully the Sorento will make some good inroads though.

-mike

dbgindy

Remember I said respectfully disagreeing with you.:-) The one thing I guess I always try to keep in mind is that I want what I consider a fair price. A dealer actually has to make a little over a thousand per deal to break even. Remember that is an average. I don't walk away from a car transaction saying I got it for x I bet if I tried this at 4 more dealerships I could get it for x-200.
 As an example on my KIA purchase I invested about an 2 hours total negoatiting after I had done my research. My price was about 1700 less than TMV for my area. Did I get any holdback? Nope I got a price both the dealership and I could live with and we were both happy. BTW there are several sites on Edmund's that have very good and knowledgeable car sales people and even dealers. I shock them with my attitude as well.:-)
Please don't think I'm getting on you because that's not it at all. As I've said here your posts are one of the reasons that pushed me off the fence towards the Sorento. I guess we just operate differently.:-)

Duncan

dried

I installed a 3rd party tow hitch this weekend - rating on the hitch is Class III/IV 6000lbs (~$110). It went on without a hitch (hah! - I couldn't resist) and instructions were good. I don't think I can say the product name on the forum, but if anyone is interested, you can e-mail me at dave_in_ftc@msn.com and I'd be happy to pass on the details.

I also ordered the KIA tow package wiring harness from a dealer (~$130) and installed it (I CAN say KIA on a KIA forum, can't I?). It was also very easy to install - good instructions, everything included.

So if anyone is looking for an aftermarket hitch, I recommend this approach.

   Dave

paisan

Bummer it should have been about $25 from like JC Whitney or something and probably take about 3 minutes to plug into a spot in the rear of the truck? I know the one for my trooper was like that, just pull out a grommet, plug in the wiring, and bam done. Cool beans.

-mike

stever

It's ok to talk about brand names (unless you are promoting something you sell yourself).

Steve, Host

hciaffa

Can you give us the name of the tow hitch and possibly the part number of it, as well as the wiring assembly. Thanks

dried

The hitch can be found at http://www.hitchesonline.com/

It is the Hidden Hitch brand name, part number HH77007 - price is $127 I guess. I thought I paid less than that but too lazy to go look. Delivery was about 3 days to Colorado. That does not include the draw bar or ball, but I have all that.

The wiring assembly can be ordered from your dealer, or from http://www.foreignmotors.com/Kia/KiaIndex.htm - Delivery from foreignmotors was about 5 days.

Part Number: UB030-AY-116 Sorento Trailer Hitch Wire Harness ONLY - price $121. This is a KIA part.

All told, it took me about 3 hours and a few beers to do the whole thing.

As paisan suggested, there might be a better price for this assembly, but none of the usual sources had anything for the Sorento yet - it's still pretty new. Maybe you can turn something up.

About the wiring - there's more to it than just plugging into the pre-wired connector in this car unfortunately. The pre-wired harness in the car does not interface directly to domestic trailer wiring, so there is a 6 wire to 4 wire converter that is required to get the four way trailer connector, plus getting battery power back to the converter. You could probably use the aforementioned wire to get battery power to your trailer connector. The converter mounts way up under the back of the car near the spare. It's a good location and all components (converter and connector) are well sealed, so no worries there. All the harnesses have connectors already on them, are the correct length and are in the plastic tubing you see all over cars nowadays, so it's pretty convenient and that is worth a little money to me. You just have to crawl around under the car a little to rout things.

You could certainly buy the wiring components yourself and tap into the prewired harness for probably around $50 by the time you bought all the wire, converter and connectors, but it would be more work.

Have fun!
  Dave

paisan

Hopefully the regular outlets will come out with a plug and play unit like the rest of the SUVs have they cost ~$25

-mike

lok888

It's been a quiet day. I just browsed the Crutchfield website and I realized the Sorneto owners may be interested in. The front and rear speakers size are 6 3/4"

horst1

Gentlemen,
I would like to know if anyone had any history or experience with the Sorento pulling 3600 to 4200lbs house or boot trailer. The literature indicates 5000lbs.max. tow capacity with trailer brakes. Given the factor of the engine horse power rating of 192 and 217ftp. torque it seems a bit on the low side. However, the rear end ratio of 4.18:1 it maid be quiet possible for the Sorento to pull 500lbs. Presently I am pulling a light weihgt house trailer with my 1994 chevy Astro 4.3L vortec. Please reply. Thank's
Horst

brebh

I just ordered the Hidden Hitch from etrailer.com for $99. The converter and wiring was $20. I'll let you know how it goes. According to the specs, there should be a towing harness standard somewhere on the truck.

brebh

Anyone else getting alot of chips on the hood and small rust spots (pin size) on the rear hatch? I'm in Mass and we had a real tough winter, but this seems extreem to me.

paisan

I can't speak for the Sorento, but my Trooper with 230lbs torque and probably a few lbs on the Sorento tows 5000lbs easily (which is what it's rated for in the US) and I've put as much as 7500lbs behind it (it's rating outside the US)

So I'm thinking that a 3000-4600lb trailer on a sorento should do fine.

-mike

dried

My '94 Trooper with similar hp and torque ratings had I think 5000lb tow rating and it pulled a 2500 lb load just fine on flat roads and low altitudes- I'm sure it would do more. However, I live in Colorado, and even with that weight back there, getting over the high passes was a bit of a struggle. I faced minor coolant temperature rise on warm days. So it depends a little on what you want to do. Now I haven't taken the Sorento there yet, but I'm guessing it will do somewhat better just by the feel of the car.

brebh: yes there is a pre-wired harness under the car. Looking under the car, it's just to the right of the spare (as you look forward) - very easy to access. I may be wrong, but the converter you bought probably will not interface directly to the harness, so you'll have to tap into the harness to install the converter, make sure all connections are sealed. A word of caution - be careful that the converter is made for installation external to the car. Some converters are meant to be installed inside the vehicle for protection against dust/water, etc. The problem in the Sorento is that there almost no room in the areas around the tail lights (believe me I checked)to do this. - let us know how it goes!
  -Dave

horst1

Thank's for the quick reply. Your comments have been very helpfull. Horst

horst1

Thank's for the quick reply. Your comments have been very helpfull. I also loged on to the german Kia site. The german literature stated a pulling capacity of 2800kg. which translates to 6160 lbs. This is a lot of pulling power compare to other similar SUV's. It also states that the Sorento has 194HP and 294nM (220 lbs/Ft. torque @ 3000rpm). I thought I share these figures with you. Thank's,
Horst

luvmysorento

brebh ~ I noticed that my Sorento seems to be getting scratched ALOT. Every time I wash it (and I hand wash with a clean cloth using extreme caution) then dry it, I find new scratches. My sister's KIA dealership offered her an extra coating protectant that they applied and she only has to wax once a year. I will check hers out this weekend and see if she has the same amount of scratches and chips that I do.

dlb14frost

Alot of scatches here too. It has been a harsh winter and alot of scapping the snow off so I assume it's from that. I'll keep an eye over the summer and would love to hear about that "protective finish coating"