Kia Sorento

vickie

rush to trade in my Kia on a Toyota????

answer: not in this lifetime

glohan

New Sorento grills?

Are there any good modification grills available for the Sorento?

I would like to see what they look like if any are available.

zzippper

Check out:

http://www.customsorento.com/store.php?act=1&cat=exterior

Lots of grill pics and an excellent online vendor.

jazvan

I heard some talk awhile back about bringing the Diesel Sorento to the US. It is already sold world-wide and all they have to do is tweak/certify and bring it in. That would take care of the MPG issue and we would be looking at mileage similar to or possibly better then the Diesel Jeep Liberty which is available now even in green states. Liberty gets 21-27 mpg. If Jeep can do it, Kia can do it.

Not a fast accelerator, but great torque - sounds like a natural.

-Jaz

hciaffa

you would think so...its so obvious. They would be a head up on all the competition.

jazvan

Correction, you can't get the Diesel Liberty in the 5 CARB states but everywhere else.

-Jaz

vickie

glohan....customsorento.com has a huge online selection of grills. They also show the grills on actual customer vehicles, located in their gallery.

phoenixrider

This is interesting. I also did some research on Borg Warner, and found that thier newest transfer cases called for tranny fluid. But, I do know the difference between gear oil and tranny fluid, and what came out was gear oil. And I use 4wd, and 4 low alot, nearly every weekend, and haven't had a problem. I bought the 04 brand new off of the lot. Like I said, the service people at the dealer told me to put back what was in there, so that's what I did. I may try to contact Borg Warner, but I doubt they'll have any info on a manufacturers vehicle - they just refer me back to KIA.

tads

Changing oil more often dose only good for any engine.Have you seen the metal in old oil @ 4000 miles ?? Look harder...

tads

If you want at least 3'' of lift on the rear of your Sorento cheaply,fit Monro air shocks.Not sure if they make any to suit the Sorento but I modified some to fit.The lower shock mounts will have to be engineered and will need to be strong and they wont affect wheel travel as the two shocks are linked by one air line ie as one wheel goes up the air tranfers to the other.
The handling is much improved as it has more rake and less trail.

The front on my 04 Sorento will get some attention when I get it back after some warranty work is done.Its running on 4 cylinders at the mo and has the workshop boyz stumped ! anyone here know of this problem with other Sorento's ? The rear coil (which feeds both rear spark plugs) was replaced but the workshop are struggling to understand what is wrong and it could be off the road for another month yet ??!!

pumpkinjack

Hello,
I am looking at buying a 2005 Automatic LX 4x4 w/ Sports package. The Kia website price is $25,170 before any rebates or dealing. It looks like about $1,000 markup over invoice. I would really like to get this for around $22,200 plus tax (I guess)has anyone recently purchased a 2005 LX Automatic recently, I see a lot of prices on this forum for between 19,700 and 22,300 OTD but I don't know if these are automatic or not. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

kia bound

Hi Phoenixrider.

Sorry to hear about 4 cyl. only.

If no spark is the problem it may be they replaced the wrong coil because the rear coil does not fire #'s 5 & 6-the two rear plugs.

According to the Service Manual, the cylinders serviced by each coil are as follows:

Front coil: 2 and 5

Middle coil: 4 and 1

Rear Coil: 6 and 3

[NOTE: right bank (passenger side) cylinders are 1,3, 5 left bank are 2,4,6. Coils are mounted on left bank.]

Each coil delivers a spark simultaneously to each cylinder it services every time that coil fires. One of the two sparks is always "wasted" because one of the cylinders is ending the exhast cycle when its spark occurs. The system is called a "wasted spark system".

If the two malfunctioning cylinders share a coil, it could be a bad coil, a problem in the wiring servicing that coil, or some short on the secondary side of the coil grounding the spark.

If the two malfuctioning coils do not share a common coil, there could be two bad coils each with one output bad or if the cylinders are serviced br spark cables, the cables could be bad.

My OME and Daystar kits are in and I got LT265/75R16D Dunlop Radial Rover installed (a little trimming of the wheel well liner was needed to get rid of some very minor rubbing). The ground clearance is excellent!

Do you think the guy who made your skid plates would be interested in making me a set-I thought you had posted something a while back about that.

Hope they figure your misfiring out soon.

Mark

stever

"Every year the editors at Edmunds.com vote on the "most wanted" vehicles. Now it's your turn. Forget about what you think ought to win based on stats and specs; choose the vehicle you'd want parked in your driveway. Vote today: this survey will only be available for a limited time."

Consumers' Most Wanted Vehicles for 2005

Steve, Host

ghurk

Newkiaguy,

I wouldn't put too much stock in the Kia warranty claims until you really put them to the test. In July 04 I bought a Sorento EX after doing a fair bit of SUV research. Imagine my surprise 7 months later to discover there's rust on the tailgate, coming from just under the chrome trim piece over the license plate.

So, today I took it to the dealer for their review. I was confident, based upon their warranty claims (and common sense) that they would absolutely take care of this issue. In fact the service staff had received a bulletin detailing this exact problem. Now imagine my shock to learn that my VIN is not one of the ones covered under warranty for this problem!

Unless the service manager decides to take care of this issue in-house I will be stuck paying for all, or part, of the repairs to a virtually brand-new Sorento! I had better service response from Jeep when I owned a Cherokee (and they were serious crooks).

Long story short, make sure you read your warranty & have your facts. Just 'cause all their ads say they have 5 year bumper-to-bumper doesn't make it true!

Sorry for the rant, but it's a frustrating issue for me. Anyone else in Canada (or elsewhere) having trouble getting Kia to live up to their supposedly fantastic warranty? If so, I'd appreciate some advice on how to proceed. I don't think I should have to pay anything to repair the results of what turned out to be their design flaw.

tads

Thanks for the info on the coils Cheif.I'll keep that for future reference.The problem with the missfire was not the coil or electrical probs after all.The timing belt had slipped a couple of cogs due to sand contamination ! I've just built a new belly plate over a seperate subframe that runs the full length under the engine.The lower radiator mounts are now protected as well.
I posted the full story over at Kia Sorento Problems that explain the events leading up to the drama with the timing belt slipping.
Ive since noted while mucking around under there while building the the belly plate ect, that there is a fair sized air gap around the crank pully that is more than likely where the sand had entered into the timing belt area.
Pretty poor for a 4x4 !! :sick: Another thing to modify befor I go bush.
Other than that the thing goes great.I will be sure to post anything of interest as they happen.

Thanks again,ya bloods worth bottling ...

Tads
Ps are you from the States Mark ? In Aus our passenger side is the left side.

tads

To those interested in setting up their rigs for the bush, here is a link to webshots where I've posted some pics of my Sorento after a bit of work.Its a 04 5 speed ex.

I had major problems with the timing belt derailing and slipping after beach sand contaminated the timing belt area as the old belly plate is useless.It scooped sand up and fed it through the radiator where the thermo fans blasted it into the engine bay and through a gap in the timing belt cover where the crank pully pokes through.
I only went onto the beach twice and they were very moderate tracks in comparison to where I will be going.
Appart from that and the rear main oil leak thats developed the Sorento is great :-/

Its worth noting to all those that like to head into the unknown that the radiator lower mounts are very vulnerable and should be protected if you want to make it home without drama.

Anyway have fun and injoy your rigs.

http://community.webshots.com/user/tadpole204

horst1

You are just jealous. Besides The lexus cant pull anything. Its a toy for spoiled children.
Get real, get a truck with a frame.You are a (Sorento WNAB)
SORWNAB

horst1

I am looking to buy a Sorento 2006 model. Rumor has it it will have a 3.8L engine with 245HP and 250 foot pound of torque. I am pulling a 3750 lbs trailer. This would fit my bill perfectly. I like the size and make. It seams to be a good vehicle. What is your gas millage? PS. I live in Kitchener Ontario. Any info will be appreciated.
Horst1

ghurk

Horst1,

I'm from Ottawa & relatively new to the forum. Just to let you know that the Sorentos have a documented design flaw on their tailgate that leads to a troublesome rust problem. I purchased my 04 EX model in July & already have a noticeable rust patch coming out from under the chrome accent piece above the license plate.

The really bad news is that Kia Canada refuses to fix it under warranty even though the Sorento has significantly less than 20K km and 1 year of use. My dealings with Donnelly Kia & Kia Canada to date have been most unsatisfactory. I have to conclude that all the advertising about Kia's awesome warranty is merely a ploy to suck people in.

Donnelly's service manager acknowleged that he's seen the exact same problems on many Sorento's from 2003 onwards & that Kia Canada has been essentially unresponsive to customer complaints to repair.

Buyer beware my friend!

Ghurka307

lok888

I have the rust problem on the same area of my 2003 EX with 30,800 miles. I noticed it just after the winter is over. My dealer acknowledged the problem but they forgot to follow up last time when I was in the shop for power steering rack replacement. My service manager said will do anything to resolve the problem. I have to go back next time I do an oil change.

I was wondering what design flaw the Sorento has. My EX has chrome rear license plate garnish. A rust spot appears on only one small area. I want to know if the LX model with color keyed license plate garnish has the rust problem. Also, the screws which mount the license plate garnish are already getting rusty.

Another rust problem occurred on the body cladding few months back, both rear doors. It appears there are metal strip which connect the plastic cladding and door frame on EX model. That area is wide open even when the doors are closed. And it is also a good place to collect road dust, salt, dirt and moisture. My dealer replaced a new one without the metal strip. No metal, no rust.

ghurk

lok888,

Ask your dealer to show the service bulletin describing the problem. I did not read it Wed when I was at the dealer because I was so upset over their treatment. However, as I understand it, the chrome garnish is mounted directly on the tailgate itself. Because no attachment like that ever fits 100% the vibration through daily use cause the chrome to scrape the paint away from the tailgate and allowing rust to start. The fix is to replace the chrome assembly, adding new plastic spacers of some kind, remove the rust (some kind of grinding process), then repaint.

For me, and my service manager, the repaint is the crux of the problem. Kia Canada will only authorize a spot-repaint, but the service manager, based on previous experience, tells me the entire tailgate needs to be repainted or it's quite possible for the rust to reappear. Unbelievable as it sounds, Kia Canada is quibbling over a difference in payment of $325 Canadian. To do the repair properly would cost $500 but they will only authorize $175 and the dealer will not kick in the rest.

I've paraphrased a bit here as I am not much of a car guy, especially regarding body work & trim stuff. However, I hope you get the gist of the problem and have a lot better luck in getting a full repair done. I'm really interested to hear your results as I am still fighting Kia to make this situation right & stand behind their product.

lok888

I haven't returned to my dealer for the rust problem yet. I think I will go within a week or two because it is about time for an oil change. My dealer seems to have no problem with the last rust problem on both body cladding on rear doors. But it took months for them to resolve the problem. They were saying a Kia rep must be called to see the problem and for authorization. And they were changing service mangers and delay the process. Then they finally fixed mine and one other '03 EX with the rust problem. There was no change for the repair and even a loaner. I will let you what is going on.

Anyone know how to post pictures here? Or anyone interested to see where this problem occur? I did take some pictures but I am not very good to download and post them here.

tidester

Anyone know how to post pictures here?

Click on the "Forum Help" link in the left column of this page near the top for instructions on how to post pictures.

tidester, host

jbalch

Does anyone know if KIA could install an Eaton posi rear in place of the open differential? Eaton lists the part number of the limited slip carrier, anyone could buy it - having it installed by a KIA service center would be necessary in order to maintain the warranty?

Eaton Application Guide

lok888

More than a year ago, an user named slan_canada from Canada has installed a LSD on his LX 4WD himself. See message no. 3679 and a link for pictures.

I don't know the application on 2WD. But the idea for limited slip differential (LSD) is to move power from left to right or right to left wheels on a particular axle. In this case, the rear wheels. It provides more traction on a slippy road.

Also, there was a guy who installed a LSD in the front in addition to the rear LSD & TOD on his Isuzu Trooper a while ago. So the answer is yes. But I doubt Kia or any car manufacturers will honor any warranty other than from Eaton.

jbalch

thanks for the info.......doesn't the 4wd version come standard with a limited slip in rear? Most 4wd vehicles have an open differential in the front and and LSD in the rear, for what basically boils down to a 3wd vehicle.

Actually a limited slip device is also referred as a limited slip carrier, because the ring gear mounts to it - so it 'carries' the ring gear. An LSD has friction clutches inside pushed together by springs. These clutches drive both wheels all the time - but as you turn corners on dry pavement the outside wheel travels a longer distance than the inside wheel. When this happens the spring pressure that is pushing the friction clutches together is overcome by the tire that travels farther. The clutches slip allowing one wheel to rotate faster than the other. When the turn is over and you're back to a straight line, both tires are turning an equal amount the clutches lock once more and provide traction to both wheels. When you're off road or on slippery pavement, there's no traction at the wheels to overcome the clutches and both tires receive equal power.

lok888

Sorry. The correct message number is 3264 on Kia Sorento board on 2/15/04. It has a link to slan_canada website with picture, also photos about the LSD installation.

Kirstie_H

A writer with a national magazine is writing an article on 8 cars that are under $20K for families on a budget or as a 2nd or 3rd car. He is looking for parents with young children who have recently purchased or are planning to purchase any one of the following vehicles: VW Jetta the new “Value Edition”, Chevy Cobalt (with SAB), Mitsubishi Galant, Toyota Matrix, Pontiac Vibe, Ford Focus Wagon, Honda Element, Kia Sorento or Dodge Caravan. The writer would like to know if they like it, dislike it, what are the family-style features and what kind of deal did you get on the car? If you fit what the writer is looking for, please email your responses to kholguin@edmunds.com by May 13, 2005.

wayde

Hi All -
Any recommendations on a carrier for the top of the Sorento? (something that can hold luggage, etc for a road trip).
Thanks for the help.

joboo1

Can you send me pictures of the rusted areas please, my email address is in my profile under Joboo1 - thanks

joboo1

Hell, with all the problems mentioned in this room I would seriously consider another manufacturer.

hciaffa

probably not anymore that any other manufacture, seeing as of late what has been plaging GM, Ford and Chrysler, one recall after another. This is why a traded my Subaru Forester in I had serious problems and the dealer could not repair and Subaru didn't care. We have had our Sorento an 03 since Oct of 02 and so far it has been a great vehicle.

phoenixrider

Regarding my Sorento skid plates -

The guy never made a template. He did use the stock skid plates (as they are) for a starting point. While they work fine, and have taken quite a beating on the rocks, they're not that well engineered. They can be a pain to take on/off and get things line up. The second skid plate (covering the oil pan) needs to removed whenever the oil is changed. I think I found a couple of places selling them now - just don't remember who. You'd have to do a search. But it's important to get that area protected - the radiators hang way down and the piece of tin they market as skid plates isn't that much protection, and the piece of plastic covering the oil pan and front diff offer no protection. In addition, the trasfer case has no protection at all and is pretty suspectible to being whacked by a rock.

I now have my own MIG welder so I can do my on fab'ing. My first project will likely be rock rails - I am going to try to build bolt-ons as welding onto hardened steel can cause problems sometimes. If I am able to get an acceptable set made (Nothing fancy - I don't have the tools for that) I will try to sell them at a very reasonale cost for other Sorento owners. But my rocker panels are so bashed in right now, I'll likely have to do some major body work down there to make it look ok.

phoenixrider

TAD -

Saw your phots and custom work on the Sorento. Nice job. Maybe we can share ideas. I've done quite a bit of customizing on my Sorento as well.

One question I have right now - did you remove (cut off) the factory front cross brace when you made your custom skid plate/bull bar? Kinda looked like it from the picture.

if you can, message me: karlhoelscher at netscape dot com. You'll need to put that address together in the proper format as it seems there are code scanners at work on the forums that won't let you post the real thing.

Thanks!

bigsister

Hey, everyone. Just bought a 2005 Sorento LX about 2 weeks ago. Loving it so far, but am confused about one thing . . . :confuse:

What are "blacked-out headlights"? My rig has the sport package which includes this option. I've looked and looked at the lights, but can't figure out what makes them different than any other headlights . . . .

Any/all help appreciated

hciaffa

usually it means that the headlight lense has a slight dark tint to it or that the inside instead of a shinny reflective surface may have it darkened slightened.

lok888

On your Sorento with sport package, the blacked-out headlights are not those aftermarket blackout headlights lens or covers that you can buy from Auto Zone or even Wal-Mart.

There is no different than the regular headlights with chrome inserts beside the sporty look. And you don't notice the blackout headlights much at dark with lights off.

On other Sorento discussion board, some car enthusiasts even custom made their Sorentos by un-assemble the headlights and spray painted them (inside) with black matt paint.

fermionic

Hello everyone,

I have recently been pricing the 05 Sorentos. I keep asking the dealers if they have a LX AWD Auto w/ the Sports Package AND the ABS. It seems that all of them (I have responses from 10 different ones so far in the eastern PA and southwestern NJ area) either offer the Sports Package OR the ABS. I can't understand why this is so... Can anyone shed some light into this? I feel as if I am missing something. Thanks in advance!

tidester

even custom made their Sorentos by un-assemble the headlights and spray painted them (inside) with black matt paint.

Do you mean they painted the headlight housing? I don't think spray painting the back side of a headlamp would be very wise since it would inhibit the conduction of heat away from the lamp.

tidester, host

lok888

I don't think I can post the pictures here. A guy who has an '03 black Sorento and he custom painted the headlights. He posted a lot of pictures on CarDomain.

Several car enthusiasts were painting the headlight black inside by separate the all headlight pieces (light bulbs, rubber tubs, screws, etc), then remove the glass/plastic lens cover by heat the headlight lens assembles with heat gun, hair dryer or oven. Yes! Few minutes in oven at 300 degrees F. They put everything back and went to car wash with no problem.

Some just want to remove the orange reflector at the corner of the headlight lens assemble instead of painting them in black.

hciaffa

Thats how they have been doing it by putting the head light assembly in a oven for a few minutes and then prying the lense off. Pretty ballsy.
Then they spray the inside of the reflector with black paint. I would think you lose some of reflective qualities of the headlamp just in the name of soprtiness

lok888

I also have an '03 Camry SE which has factory blackedout headlights (matte black). I don't notice any lost of light. So far, I haven't heard any of these owners' complaint.

tidester

I haven't seen anything like that up here in the north country. (I'll have to look more carefully!) When I first read what you wrote I thought you were talking about painting the bulb itself. I checked out some pics and it looks pretty neat!

Is there any problem with materials warping while being "baked?"

tidester, host

hciaffa

I guess they use a low heat and carefully pry it apart and let it cool before doing anything. What they use to glue it back seems to vary from adhesive RTV to super glue. With my luck I would break something and there would be hell to pay screwing around with my wife's Sorento

gnoc

I am looking into the Sorento and wanted to know a few things. I have searched this forum and have found some good stuff but wanted to know if there was more info on the off roading capabilities of the Sorento.
Are there any online sights dedicated to modding the Sorento for off road? (I saw that the skid plates were not great and there are no real lift kits... I am not a do-it-yourselfer...)
Will their ever be a diesel version of the Sorento in the States? (I am a bio - diesel wanna-be)
Are there any off roading reviews that really test the Sorento?
How does it compare to other 4x4's in its class and out of its class?

I am an avid mountain biker and really want to be able to get to some off road trails and like the way the Sorento looks and how much it is!

Thanks,
Paul
Denton, TX

beyond_help

if you look at the spects for the part time 4 wheel driver virsion it has a borg warner two speed transfer case, 50% to front 50% to rear, the read diff is an eaton limited slip.
i have taken it through some nasty deep "sugar sand" in the N.J. pines with no problums.
t think some other so called 4 wheel drives would not have made it.
a little more ground clearance would be nice though.
i recently camback from camping in the PA. mountians and driving on some old logging roads over some nasty stuff and had no problems there either.
i do not like full time 4 wheel drive, since there are many different kinds. some more efficent than others, some are only viscus assist or 80% to 20% split to differentials

wagvfr

Paul, To answer your question. There was an article in Truck Trend that had a 3 way comparison between the Sorento, Jeep Liberty and Nissan Xtera last year or the year before. Old Man EMU which is distributed by ARB North America has a suspension/shock kit which provides new springs and shocks. It gives a body lift of almost 2 inches. Have you done any research on sorentoclub.com? Car and Driver also did an article on the Sorento in 2003. Hope this help. Wagvfr

phoenixrider

The Sorento does have some good offroad capibility. It does have some decent, rugged off road componets. However, there is very little - to none - aftermarket support for the Sorento. OME makes real good replacement springs/shocks, but they don't offer that much lift (.75 front, 1.5 rear). Even 'basic' gear you won't find anywhere - skid plates, rock rails, locker units, etc...

In stock form, you'll be reaching the limits pretty quickly. 8.2 in of ground clearance and 30 in tires won't get you many places without some underside/body damage.

Mine is lifted about 2 in, and I have 32 in tires on it. As it is, it has the same size tires and just a bit more ground clearance than a stock Toyota 4Runner. So while it is a nice vehicle, and a good off road performer, just be prepared to drop some cash should the off road bug bite you and you want to start having more and more fun off road!

lok888

I went to my dealer for oil change last weekend. They told the brake pads have 20% left on my '03 EX with 32,500 miles. They should be replaced on the next oil change. But I hope they can last up to 40K miles. They quoted over $460 for the front brake pads and rotors, almost $600 for the rear pads and rotors. I checked all disc rotors and they look fine. I would think I only need the pads replace or maybe the front only. I also found wheel spacers have rusted surface due to the winter driving condition here in MA. Anyone know if one of those brake dust cleaner (spray) may help? Or is this under the factory warranty? The price for the complete automatic fluid transmission is $99, same price as another local dealer here.

phoenixrider

You didn't happen to show up at the dealer with a big red 'S' on your forehead, did you?

Seriously, they seem to be smoking something. Ceramic pads should cost you about 70 bucks at any auto parts store. The rear semi-metalic about 60. Unless your rotors are totaly warped, they could be easily turned. A DIY price at a auto parts store would be about 10 bucks a rotor. Check around at different brake places and get quotes. Unfortunlately, there seems to be a lot of 'padding' in brake jobs, as they're not very difficult to do, but people don't want thier brakes to be done wrong, so they will pay the high prices. But the prices the dealer quoted you, IMO, are a flat out rip-off.