Kia Sorento

paisan

Was out due to my grandfather passing away last weekend and viruses at work the past month or so!

Well let's address each item...

Fluids: I'd do the diffys and TOD fluid at 20K intervals, very easy to do yourself in the summer months and a VERY CHEAP insurance policy. Fluids for TOD and Diffys should cost under $50 and take maybe 2hrs to replace. Worst case you've wasted $50 as preventive maintance.

Pads: I've seen the satisfied ceramic pads as they are sold through my parts distributor. The Akebono or Axxis Ultimate pads are both ceramic and I prefer them over the satisfied ones, they are slightly more $ but worth it for their anti-squeel properties. On my Isuzu I use OEM ones cause I've found them to be the longest life ones out there for my truck, however on the subarus I deal with, aftermarket is significantly better.

-mike

hciaffa

on the fluid change and engaging the 4wd system in the summer. Like I mentioned in a earlier posting I have had my ceramic pads and shoes on my Ranger for about three years. I had them on my Forester and it helpd with the squeeling and growling sounds. Subaru OEM pads for the Forester were terrible. I have used Bendix Ceramic for long pad wear and no squeeling and hardly any brake dust.

lok888

Thanks. pasian. I will check with my dealer for the prices. I am sure they are talking about big bucks for this. Maybe I will ask my mechanic who took care of my last cars for the job. I wish I could do that myself but I am not a good mechanic. BTW, is ISUZU still doing business in US? Or leaving the car industry and focus on commercial vehicles? And I think people have to go to GM for service in Canada.

hciaffa - I guess I will wait until the time that I need a brake pad replacement or to see more comments on aftermarket pads. I read one guy's comments about the Satisfied pads from other Sorento discussion board. It works perfectly like the manufacturer stated. But no words on long term use. And I'll wait.

paisan

They are still in business here. Will be importing all the trucks from thailand here out. Due to re-introduce the Trooper based on the Dmax Platform with the 3.5L Direct Injection and TOD. We'll see how it makes out.

-mike

mcclutz

Slan, your website showed pictures with the side rails. But your accident photo doesn't show them. Did you remove them? Where did you get them and how much were they? I'm in Mississauga, Ontario and they want $1800 for them.
Thanks,
Mcclutz

lok888

Wow! Kia is offering free maintenance program on new '03 and '04 Sedona for the first 3 years/36,000 miles. They only follow the manufacturer recommendation oil charge schedule at 7500 mile intervals. But that could some money in 3 years.

slan_canada

Yes, I got them removed as I want to keep my Sorento for many years. Winter can do lot of damage on a vehicle so I got them removed, and same thing for my alloy wheels. This is why you don't see these equipments on my accident photos. Everything will be back on my truck by the end of april.

This week, I visited my truck at the bodyshop. The new hood has been installed, but not painted. Many many items are backorder

BTW, total of reparations: $10,200 CDN. This is a lot of money.

I invite everyone to read this (5 MPH CRASH) :

http://www.hwysafety.org/news_releases/2003/pr112803.htm

The Sorento was the most expensive vehicule to repair and the Bumper Rating was rated ' poor '.

I hope that Kia will do some inprovements in the future.

iluvmysephia1

in there at the body shop occasionally just to watch them or talk to the Rep. Keeps 'em honest. Sounds like you're on top of things already. Hope she shines like before when they're all done, buddy!

alamid69

After four months of reading this forum, i finally decided to get one. EX beige no leather. My wife loves it very much, ride is almost as smooth as our Sedona.

lok888

Congrats! I have a beige EX (2003 model) too. But mine is fully loaded. How much do they cost these days? You must take the advantage of the owner loyalty program plus cash back.

alamid69

$1000 mfg rebate. $1000 loyalty. Plus they gave me a good deal with the truck i traded-in. Hope our Sorento will be as problem free as our Sedona. BTW, Sedona almost 50K miles with no major trouble (knock on wood). I believe it is one of the first productions.

valval

Thanks to all of your messages (I've read every one), we are buying a Sorento now. I've had 2 4Runners in 8 years and I think the Sorento is much classier. We like the blue/gray with luxury package, ABS and cargo mat. I don't want leather, but my husband does - in Florida!! Talk about being in the HOT seat!
Can anyone post their recent deal?
Thank you for all your messages and any help you can give on pricing. BTW, TMV is $24,069.00
Val

iluvmysephia1

of truck you'll be getting for a Sorento is a bargain IMO. The thing about the Kia Sorento is it's VERY HOT LOOKS! That is one handsome SUV! I read a comparo in one of the March '04 main U.S.car periodicals and they were pitting the Sorento vs.Jeep Liberty vs.one other truck, possibly a Nissan Pathfinder. Check me on that one, though. They eventually ruled the Jeep Liberty the winner and the Kia Sorento second. They really liked how solid the Sorento was and it's ample off-roading capabilities. They said that it handled the way it did because of the body-on-frame build it has(same with Kia's Sportage that I have). I am actually impressed with even my Sportage's ride and the lack of road noise in particular in the cabin. You really don't have to raise your voice to converse in the Sportage at any speed. Price was also something they liked with the Sorento. They just ruled that the Liberty was the best overall off-road and onroad. I beg to differ!

stever

Check out Kia Sorento: Prices Paid & Buying Experience too.

Steve, Host

lok888

$24K seems like a good deal. And it must 2WD since you are in FL. I don't think the leather will burn you. I just love it. We had days of 90+ in the last summer. And I just lowered the windows and opened up the sunroof for minutes. I also have a Camry with cloth interior. I don't feel much different. And leather is easy to clean.

Despite the bargain price, Kia has put many goodies as standard equipments (on EX) like sunroof, full-size spare alloy wheels, rear cargo cover, roof racks with cross bars, first aid kits, cargo net, Home-Link, automatic day/night review mirror and more. Others are selling these at big bucks as accessories.

strokeoluck

Hi all, I may be in the market for a midsize SUV soon. I live in Ford country, most of my neighbors are Ford engineers or execs it seems. I currently have a Taurus but am considering a Ford Explorer 4x4 with options such as sunroof, power seats, possibly leather seats, alloy wheels, etc. I hate to buy new so I typically buy year-old vehicles. In this case it appears that one year old Explorers with my options are stickering at about $23-$26,000, so my hunch is they're realistically selling for $21-$24,000 (haven't been to the lots yet to spend my time with lovely used car salesmen).

My question is, why buy a new Sorento when I could buy a slightly used Explorer for the same or less money? And I DON'T mean this in a deragatory way - just trying to rationally work this argument out in my head. The upside to the new Sorento seems to be:
- 10 year warranty (correct?), I'd probably keep it for five years, doubt I'd keep it beyond that
- Looks - sure looks nice
- many goodies for the money, about $25-$26k fully loaded out the door?

The upside to the Explorer seems to be:
- it's bigger, has third row seat as well
- can get more powerful V-8
- would make my neighbors happy :-)
- with 15,000 miles I can buy it for about 10-15% less than the Sorento

Thoughts/discussion on this?

- Rob

paisan

Blows up trannies...door handles will fall off after about 5 years...rollovers...poor tire choice from manufacturer...everyone else has one aka lemming mobile

-mike

sonnyrocker

It's your personal call. However, you can't compare a used Ford Explorer to a brand new Sorento. If you compare a used Sorento with the used Ford Explorer, you can bet that a Sorento is much cheaper!!
Really, its personal taste and how important that third row seat is important to you.

ivygrnsorento

Hello... well, I will first off say that I am glad you are considering a new Sorento. The fact that you are looking at a Kia product shows how far Kia has come and the kind of recognition that the Sorento has been given.

Now... to the nuts and bolts of your question.

Your kidding me... right????

A used Explorer? I don't understand your rational at all with this argument. Also, you don't state what year of Explorer you are looking at, because we all know how that plays into the equation.

Here are my questions to you:

What kind of warranty will you be getting with that used Explorer? What do you expect to pay for an extended warranty to cover your butt if anything goes wrong with it in the next 5 years?? My guess is that it will cost you about $1000-1500 to cover everything.

Do you really care what your neighbors think or care?? If thats how you rational a car purchase then I would think purchasing a Ford Explorer isn't going to help your cause any.

How much do you have to spend?

What kind of financing will you be getting on purchasing a used Explorer? 3.9%-4.9%... if you have good credit? Hmmm, sounds like the Sorento has that argument won hands down with 0% financing and all kinds of rebates to go with that.

V8?? Lets see, the last time I checked. A V8 explorer will cost you over $31,000 with little of the standard features you get on the Sorento.... So using your 10-15% depreciation figure... that puts you at $27,900 - $26,350 for a used V8 Explorer. Doesn't sound cheaper than a new Sorento to me. Actually, it's not cheaper, its more expensive.

Do you have 4-6 kids? What are you going to use the third row seat for? Now, if you go away and camp with your family every weekend, then yes, its worth it.

Have you checked the NHTSA crash test results for the model and year of the used Explorer your looking at?

Does that used Explorer have side curtain air bags? Seatbelt tensioners? One of the hightest SUV safety ratings? ABS and 4 wheel disk brakes? How do you rate safety when considering a car purchase? Its pretty high on my list.

I have 36,000 miles on my Sorento. Other than a Break and Door issue, nothing else has gone wrong. Nothing. Go and read the Ford Explorer forums here on Edmunds. Go read Consumer Reports and what they dont recommend for a used vehicle purchase... you will find just about every version of the Explorer on that Don't Buy list.

Thats my 2 cents worth.

lok888

Just ask yourself what you want the car can do for you like tow things, carry a family of seven and make your neighbors happy. I rented an Explorer few years ago. I think it was a '98 or '99 model with V6 engine. I liked the power but it cost me big bucks at the gas pump when the gas price wasn't that high. I think the current model of Explorer (V6) has about the same gas mileage as Sorento, 15/20 (city/highway).

Kia has 5 year bumper-to-bumper warranty plus 24 hour roadside assistant. And you only have 2 years factory warranty left if you buy a year old Explorer. Plus the fact that need to keep it for up 5 years. It is up to you. It is your money. BTW, my neighbor thought that I bought a Lexus.

strokeoluck

Thanks everyone. You all provide some good logic. As funny as it sounds the hardest thing would be pulling the trigger on a foreign vehicle. Currently my wife drives a new Chrysler and I drive the Taurus. The Chrysler is accepted (with a few ribbings here and there) because it's "American made" - leaving aside the German ownership issue, most Chrysler plants & functions still reside in the U.S. But if you drive a foreign vehicle you do get a few more comments and serious "discussions" about supporting your fellow Americans. And I'm not surrounded by beer belly deer hunters (though I love those guys, used to hunt with them in Wisconsin!), these are engineers and managers. They really feel it's a slap in the face. To some degree I agree w/them, but I point out the higher quality, longer warranty, etc. What it really boils down to at the end of the day - and they acknowledge this - is that unions cost us. We're paying guys $100,000/year to build a car, while in Korea it might cost $25,000 for that same person.

Anyway, I hate to start a U.S. - foreign debate because in virtually every market it's not a factor. However I live five miles from Bill Ford, Jr. In my area it is a factor.

I also agree w/lok888, the Sorento does indeed look like a Lexus or Acura - very sharp.

My wife has the extended minivan and we never haul anything so I don't necessarily have to have the third row seat. If my Taurus transmission can't be fixed easily I'm going to seriously look into a new Sorento. Thanks everyone.

- Rob

sonnyrocker

Most foreign cars are made in the US, by Americans, with American managers.
I think Kia is going in that direction in the next several years as well.

sonnyrocker

Has anyone see the new 2005 model of Spectre? and the new 2005 model Sportage? They look sharp!! Kia is really hit a Jackpot with the Sorento, and it looks like the entire line of their cars are following the same strategy of Sorento.
If they keep that up, their image will finally changed and will be able to compete with the big boys.

sonnyrocker

I would also mention that, if you or your neighbors have a real problem with a foreign car, just ask them to check everything they own and see how much of it is made 'not' in the USA.
We are living in a Globalized world. Hey, you can always make the case that you shop at Walmart every once in awhile

lok888

I am with you. I drove Japanese brand for years. And it took me a long time before buying a Kia. I bought mine only few months after its debut here in U.S.. There wasn't any review, report and with few discussion. But I only had few issues for the past 15 months, 17K miles now. It rides like a first day I got it. And my dealer took care all the issues under warranty. About the warranty (off topic), Mitsubishi seems to follow the idea of long haul warranty as an Asian auto marker.

I just looked at the Kia Korean website. The 2004 Sorento has 3rd row seat (not interested). They showed it with picture. It has ABS with EBD.

alamid69

can you please give me the link where i can see the new 2005 sportage? thanks in advance.

lok888

2005 Sportage? Only some spy photos. The Motor Trend said that Kia will offer the 2.0L I4 and 2.7 V6 engines. And last time I talked to my dealer, the new Spectra will be a 2004.5 model. I don't how people design the car model year. But Toyota released their Sienna and RX330 last March as 2004 model.

sonnyrocker

If you go to the 'future' car page on Edmunds, you will see it under Kia.

sonnyrocker

Can you give me the link to the Korean 2005 Sorento with 3rd row seat option?

lok888

It is a Korean Kia website with a little English. I hardy understand the words. I have no direct link. It is www.kia.co.kr and click on Korea, then click on Exhibition (upper screen) and click on Sorento car picture. Then click on the first box from the left (next to a big Sorento picture) and you will open up a new web page. Click on Interior and Seat & Seat Variation. I help this will help. It is still a 2004 model for Korean market. The pictures just gave me a little idea of how it lay out. I would say it is the same as the Highlander with 3rd row seat. I sat on one before. It has no legroom. And I can't imagine that I will be the last guy to get out in case of accident.

If you look around, you will see their Sorento has a center storage bin right above the CD/radio. The transmission shifter is like the Santa Fe with "+" and "-" modes. The second seat can lay back (40/60) like Honda Element.
 
Their website showed no info about the next Sportage. Maybe you can find something from Hyundai website. The next Sportage is based on new Elantra.

paisan

Didn't realize that there were still so many head-in-the sand folks out there. Sorry to hear the people in your area don't understand the concept of a global economy. As was mentioned, probably 50% of their purchases are of goods from non-us workers.

-mike

floeva09

Guys I could not just sit and read the posting without commenting about how much money we union workers make here compare to the workers abroad. Just do not forget that the workers abroad do not have to pay $200,000 for a 1,500 sq. ft. home to keep them out of the weather. Do not forget that the worker abroad do not have to pay $300.00 a month for health insurance. Be real guys we are willing to work for less if the cost is less. Instead we pay our CEO 7 millions dollars to exit the company because he/she has not performed in exit pay. Don't be silly, if it had not been for the unions I would have to work for $6.00 an hour, living with 10 people, in 750 sq. ft. Sorry! I can not just sit around and allow corporate American continue to spread their suttle messages on Edmunds.com that high cost is because of labor. The high cost we have to endure in this country (USA)has to do with Greed.

paisan

And you know what? I don't care who gets the money, union, CEO, doesn't matter. Bottom line is I am a capitalist. I'm gonna buy the best priced product that suits my needs. So on an equal quality product, I'm gonna buy what costs less, that's the great thing about a capitalist economy. I'm not gonna "Buy American" just to support my fellow greedy Americans. Nor should people "buy american" just for the sake of buying american, that only feeds into the problem and rewards lazy/greedy/whateverthereason companies.

-mike

iluvmysephia1

at all. I will go after the best deal available to me...it's my right, right? To me the best deal and the best car out there is a Kia. For me it's a 2001 Kia Sportage 4x4. If my Sportage 4x4 broke down all the time or refused to start, that would be another thing. On the contrary, it has been extremely reliable. It costed less than competitor's SUV's and it has that great Long-Haul Warranty. It's working well for me. Somebody mentioned wanting to take a look at the new 2005 Kia Sportage under development right now. Here's a link to a Chinese site that has some uncloaked pictures of the new Sportage, which may or may not be named Sportage.

http://www.wforum.com/waf/posts/33208.shtml

strokeoluck

First I'd like to apologize if my union comments came across the wrong way. Although I disagree with most of what the unions have to say I certainly respect their right to fight for what they feel is right and deserved. My Father is a union carpenter and although we have bitter disputes about the union topic we're still Father/Son at the end of the day.

However I would disagree with your logic. Tell me, what about the guys - in the U.S. - that are supplying parts to the auto plants? Why is it that they (VASTLY non-union) get by on $15-$20/hour while the union guys demand & negotiate for $40-$60/hour PLUS full benefits PLUS full retirement. Around here it's not unusual to see an auto worker retire at 45-48 years old (after working 25-30 years straight out of high school) and continue to make 60-75% of his income AND get full benefits and insurance. That's purely assinine. (In fact I think it's ridiculous that anyone get's lifetime pension anymore. I might make an exception for police officers and firemen due to the fact they risk their life every day - but that's it. No teachers, city administrators, librarians, etc. They can all keep working until they're 67 and S.S. kicks in, like the rest of us.) Granted if I was the employee I too would be pleased with that set-up. But what the heck does it do for the company? It essentially turns GM into the world's second largest social security plan. That's why the big three were in so much trouble when the stock market tanked - they were relying on unsustainable NYSE gains to continue to support their bloated retiree payrolls. That worker, who retired at 45, is going to live until he's 85. I'm told by guys at Ford that the lifetime pay, retirement and benefits package for a shop floor auto worker is $10M! $10 MILLION DOLLARS!!! I don't care what the CEO makes (you want his money? Go get his job. I don't like the fact Donald Trump makes $100M/year either but I don't complain about the 'fairness' of it) As the Baby Boomer generation continues to retire it's only going to get uglier for the big three. And of course they're handcuffed from making any serious changes because the union will strike a key plant and shut them down (GASP! They just raised Rx co-pays by $5 and the union practically collapsed from hysteria..."what US pay for more of our prescriptions!?!?!"; forget for a minute what the average Joe pays for this stuff out of pocket).

I would agree that 80-100 years ago unions did some good; they increased safety, pay, manufacturing efficiencies, etc. But the days of needing to protect the industrial (or service, etc.) worker are long gone. The law of supply and demand should rule in all job markets - as it mostly does except in those industries dominated by unions. You really have to ask yourself, if unions are so great why are they shedding members like mad? Because the old ones are passing away and the young ones know there's no benefit to them - they pay union fees and get little in return (unless they're working for the big three).

Anyway, to keep this thread Kia-oriented I wanted to thank the guy that posted the link to the new Kia. However nothing came up for me under the "Korea" link and the global link wouldn't lead me to any pics of the third row seat - can anyone else help?

Thanks,
Rob

slan_canada

Hi,

A guy in another forum posted a video of his Sorento doing some offroad.

His video:

http://www.azbackcountry.com/movies/kia-backway.mpg

The guy have a LX with LSD.

Why sometime the front (or the rear) wheels don't even turn ??

Example:

At 50 sec of the video; the front turn and the rear don't.

At 1min 02sec; same thing

At 1min 15sec; the rear turn a little and the front don't.

Does this mean that we don't have in our hands a true 4 x 4 ?????

sonnyrocker

Sorry, but I am bitter over the whole grocery stores strikes. They had wonderful benefits but that were not enough.

paisan

You would need to see all 4 of the wheels at the same time. Not sure if you can in that. But the front is an open diffy so only 1 front will spin at a time.

-mike

tidester

Let's save that discussion for another forum.

Thanks.

tidester, host

lok888

Are you able to see the photos of a Sorento (Korean model) with 3rd row seat? I sorry that I don't the direct link. And they don't provide any. Maybe someon can show me how to post these pictures here. But you should able to see it if you follow the steps on my post #3321. They created another web page (like pop up ad) to show the seat layout. You are not only see the Sorento the with 3rd seat up and down. They show you the 2nd seat can lay back.

2005 Sportage? The front grill area looks like a Ford Escape. And it looks a Honda CR-V from the side. Look at those Hyundai Santa Fe wheels. Isn't Hyundai going to get a compact SUV like KM or something like?

lok888

If you still can't see the picture, why don't I forward those pictures to you by email since I found no direct link.

sonnyrocker

I tried the link and didn't work. and that would be great if you can forward these pics to me, I really appreciate it

sonny_6237@yahoo.com

BTW: I am seriously thinking about an Optima in about 2 years, when I am ready to trade in my Honda Accord I am gonna get on the Optima message board too and see what others have to say about it

dlb14frost

Well, I'm moving over to the Amanti board. Traded in the 2003 Sorento for an Amanti. Loved the Sorento but missed having a sedan. Must say it's quite a nice car. Will be heading to Florida for some R and R and anxious to give it a good workout.

hciaffa

everybody must not be having no problems with their Sorentos because its been pretty quite here. No postings in awhile.

dbgindy

I was noticing that myself. :-)
I'm coming up on 1 yr. with my EX 4X4 and couldn't be happier.

Duncan

lok888

I can't find any joke on April's Fool Day. How about some tribute questions?

(1) Can you able to warm up the front seats by pressing the heated seat buttons (on EX with luxury package) without anyone sit on it? Can you warm up the seat for you someone?

(2) Do you feel any heat when you are sitting on the driver's side heated seat (with heated seat button on) with the drive's door open or on front passenger's heated seat with front passenger's door open?

(3) Can you able to lock and unlock all door and rear liftgate with the front passenger's door lock?

(4) Can you get EX with 5 speed manual transmission?

(5) Will the doors automatically lock when no doors are open after a brief period when pressing UNLOCK on the remote (with remote keyless entry)?

(6) Who get the most mileage on their Sorento?

Sorry. No cash or gift prize. :-)

ivygrnsorento

... I think.

It sounds like someone stole your "hooked on phonics" tapes again.

"can you able"??? What does that mean??

Anyway... I'm really just kidding with you... I think I know what your trying to say. Unfortunantly, I dont own the EX with Luxury. Just a plain ole EX. So I don't have any answers to your questions... other than the question about the passenger's door lock button. I just went out and tested it on my Sorento. That button locks all doors and hatches when depressed.

I average about 19.5mpg... and that's mostly highway driving.

luvmysorento

The outside of my alloy wheels clean up nicely. The inside of my alloy wheels (behind the spokes) have black dots that will not clean off. Does anyone else have this problem? Were you able to clean it off and what did you use to do it?

         ~Karen~

luvmysorento

I would love to have those spinning rims on my Sorento. Then I wouldn't be bummed about the inside black dots on my rims. Anybody want to get me a set?.........anyone?.....Hello? Oh man, looks like I'm going to have to start selling stuff on Ebay and get the money myself or (gasp!) work some overtime.

lok888

Karen - I love my Sorento very much like you. And I also notice those dots inside the wheel. I have been looking around like Auto Zone or Wal-Mart for wheel brush and wheel cleaner. Those I can buy are only good for outside. They don't do a good job for stubborn dirt inside the rim. Here is what I found from the internet... a boar's hair wheel brush. It is slightly stiffer but soft and gentle for your wheels. It costs about $20. They also have a synthetic version for half less. BTW, these brushes are great around the home like bathtub or shower stalls. I don't know if toilet brush will work on your wheels. :-)