I now have 3800mi on my 04. Everything is still going great. I had a bit of a tense week wondering if my car was destroyed,or, perhaps under water due to the storm. I park my car at my company's terminal about 30mi west of New Orleans. Last weekend all the roads were turned into one way (out) of the area. after the storm, all the roads were blocked by junk, flooding or the police. Finally, on thursday 9/1/05, I heard the road blocks were moved to Le place, LA so I was able to reach my car, and I am relieved to report that it survived with no damage. I cannot, however, put into words the gut wrenching sorrow I feel for all the people who have and are now suffering and dyeing in the New Orleans area. I am sure this is not the end of the world, but from where I was it sure looked like it.
In my newer cars it dosent seem to matter what grade of gas I use, they behave the same regardless, so I use the 87oct. cheep gas. My 93 toyota pu knocks and pings badly if I use anything other than the highest oct gas, fortunenatly, I don't use that vehicle much.
Hi Stockchaser, Now that's a very attractive grille. I'd love to see it on a car just to be sure but from the photo it looks smashing! I'd definitely consider having one installed on my Amanti. All so often these aftermarket components look garish and out of place but this one makes the call look that much more elegant
The new grill really confuses people....now my car definitely looks like a Jagcedes! Sometimes when I am approaching it, I stare in amazement and can't believe it's the same car....it's stunning! The glances from passersby make me feel like I'm driving the latest model.....brand new again.........!
See post #925 for a link that shows the grill. You can contact that company and they will tell you who is a qualified dealer in your area. I'm in the Phoenix area. The company I used was called AutoStyle, Inc. By the way, in post 925, I mentioned a nonrestrictive muffler to get more mileage. Bad idea. I'm putting the original muffler back on tomorrow. The performance muffler is too noisy inside. Wasted some money there!
I just got my Motor Trend and again Amanti gets ripped by a magazine. It only gets a one star rating, which I think is outrageous. What is it with these people? I wrote to them and this is what I wrote:
Thanks you for your informative new car update where you issue "stars" to all new cars based on what you think is a good value and fun to drive. I guess though, in order to qualify, a car must be really sporty as you have issued the Kia Amanti only one star. I've owned one now for almost two years and beg to differ with your opinion. The Amanti is quiet, comfortable, loaded with luxury & safety features and inexpensive, not to mention it's strong warranty -better than most cars. Okay, it's not fast according to your standards, but you know, it is not that slow either. Apparently it's a Kia and that must be it's qualification for your one star rating. Yes, it's front suspension is a little soft, and has a front grill that take some getting used too. (Actually...I'm still not used to it). It's MPG is weak, but it doesn't need premium fuel, something that some of your other choices do need. Please understand that for some people a cushier ride is fun and enjoyable, and while not perfect, two stars would have been much more reasonable for this rather nice, well built car. As Motor Trend is a car magazine that carries a lot weight with it's opinions to it's readers, please be a little more open minded and don't imply that the Amanti is junk or inferior with your one star rating. Not all your readers want to race their cars everyday, so please lighten up!
Sarasota, Florida
Well, at least I feel a little better writing to them.
Love our Amanti. Would love to have daylight running lights. Does anyone know how to set up the electrical system for these or if there is an add-on? Thanks in advance for your know-how.
I just installed that grill last evening on my '05 AMANTI. I ordered it from StreetBeat Customs in Phoenix, AZ and it was shipped directly from the manufacturer, Performance in CA. Took only a few days (no charge freight!) It looks AWESOME!! Having done it myself, I want to share some tips to save y'all some grief if you plan on a DIY project. It's NOT that hard. First, completely remove the hood liner. You'll have to replace the retainer buttons, but any local parts house will have them, you don't need genuine KIA parts for that. Second, (and this is why to completely remove the liner) there are 4 acorn nuts (just like the 4 that are visible) hidden where you can't see them inside those square holes. (the center pin is for locating only) Use a 1/2" universal socket on a 6" extension. It's even trickier to get them back on, but patience IS a virtue. The directions included explain the rest fairly well. I used a fiber cutting disk on my Dremmel tool and it did a great job cutting precisely where I wanted. Used a stone to finish smooth the residual. HINT: DO protect the plastic grille shell and also the new grille which can scratch. Also, carefully mask and spray (flat black) the cut areas and you'll have a primo outcome. Also, you'll want to black-out the now exposed understructure at the top of the opening and the lower bumper "well" behind the grille.(unless you have a black Amanti already!) GOOD LUCK!!!
attention topgear and anyone else that just read "Moter Trend"magazine. Isn't it great to be among the select group that chose their car because it was everything THEY wanted and are 100% happy with it.If you go to the JDPowers web site and choose the auto evaluation section you will find that the AMANTI owners that answered 100 surveys answered that they were 100% pleased with their car.You can select four cars at a time and compare about 30 other cars many much more expensive than the AMANTI and NONE OF THEM HAVE A 100% PLEASED WITH THEIR CARS ranking.Also look at the comparison gold stars given each car and again KIA AMANTI WINS. These surveys are by owners of the cars and not by a few tech.writers for a few VERY biased auto magazines.It really does make you question the validity of there testing engineers.They rate cars by their sport car ability and AMANTI is in the luxory class and is driven like one.Not doing wheeleys and spinning tires away from lights.We just returned from 4100 miles and averaged 25.8 over all driving.the AMANTI IS A WINNER in any persons book
About the daytime running lights...I leave my switch on the first setting (parking lamps) if the headlights aren't on. The auto-off shuts them off with the ignition, of course. The tail lamps also burn, but the effect is the same regarding visibility, and at no cost!
As always, it's nice to hear from other Amanti owners and your points are excellent and well taken! After reading this (and other) Amanti forum (s), one can detect mostly -if not all happy and satisfied owners. So, yes it is great to be among our select group! I noticed that, even at Motor Trend's own website their Amanti vehicle report had the following comments:
Among the Best for Lowest Depreciation
Top Winner for Lowest Repair
Pretty good, no?
My concern is that other MT readers think the Amanti is a one star car. I don't want to be looked down upon by other driver's who conclude we're driving some lower grade car :mad: . Also, if we want to sell our car someday and it has a mediocre reputation (thanks to MT and other auto publications) that will affect the value of our used car. Luckily though, so far the Amanti seems to be standing up very well and remains a good investment.
hello topgear and you other AMANTI owners.What all the auto magazine writers have achieved is a phenomenon known as reverse psychology.People have seen the cars of owners and are so amazed at the car and its quality and features that they go to the dealers and test drive it and are convinced ,it is a great car.Then they two mention to their friends have you seen or gotten to drive some ones AMANTI? What an amazing car! I test drove 7 other cars, some much more than the AMANTI.Now that i own the AMANTI i sit back and check the Kelly blue book or other car evaluation books and see that the AMANTI has lost less money than all those other cars i test drove.When i drove into there lots and showed them the car i had chosen all they had to say was boy are you going to take a licking. Well that never occured the AMANTI held it's value better than their cars.Don't ever feel you bought a downer car.there is no one that will ever say they wouldn't want an AMANTI after sitting in it and riding or driving it.Listen to what car valets say when they get to park one .THEY ARE ASTOUNDED THAT THE CAR CARRYS A KIA BADGE AND IS CALLED AMANTI.
hello stockchaser ok, go to the jdpowerand associates site,click on consumer site then next page click on autos then to auto ratings and proceed in any direction you want and any cars you want to compare all sorts of info enjoy the site and also your AMANTI, we have 21000 miles on ours now and it is still an amazing car and people still come up to it in parking lots and ask about it.
Sorry! I forgot the details... The insert cost me $197. Freight was free and I paid no tax (out of state sale). I did the work myself and if I were to do it again for a fee, I'd charge $125 for labor.
i just leave my headlights in the on position, "not the auto position" and they are on all the time, and when you turn off the car they turn off automatically.. this way you never turn them on and off.
September 21,2005 | DETROIT -- The Kia Amanti was the highest ranked mid-size car in a customer satisfaction survey released Wednesday by J.D. Power and Associates, marking the first time an entry from Korean automaker Kia Motor Co. made it to the top of the list.
This is my first time to post a message and I do so hoping someone can help me. I bought a 2004 Amanti brand new and as I've read here, I also have the knocking sound coiming from the front. It's driving me absolutely nuts. It's been in the shop five times, the last time they replaced the bushings (for the second time-the first time they said they were shipped old bushings in the new bushings box). Each time they've worked on it, it seems to help for a week or so and then it gets as bad or worse. I'm trying to sell the car, with no luck. It is in excellent condition, low miles and we love everything about it, but the noise makes driving it a real drag. Can anyone suggest a fix? I would really appreciate the help. Thanks, Philander
if it doesn't have ESP you can put heavy duty gas charged shocks up front and/or heaver coil springs they will stiffen the front suspension making bumps more noticeable and should get rid of the knocking sound.
Thanks for the reply. Any ideas given that mine does have ESP? I appreciate your help. I obviously don't know much about cars and this is about to get the better of me. Thanks, Philander
You would have paid like $500+in the ESP package (if you have your purchase info) and there's a button on dash that says ESP. I'm puzzled why you still have the noise, as I purchase my 2004 new also, my dealer replaced the bushings with bigger ones, took an hour to complete and I've had no problems. So far, best vehicle I've owned, and I've had Infiniti and Lexus. Bill - Orlando
Humm I'll have to take a look at the front end setup on one with ESP, my friend that has a 2004 doesn't have esp and he put heaver coil springs and heavy duty gas shocks in his, he also did the back later because he didn't like how the car squatted in the back when he hooked up his trailer, but when he did the front it got rid of the knocking, you may want to ask the dealer as it can void some of your warranty.
ok stockchaser here is the web site i found where the KIA AMANTI got the 100% ratings go to autobytel.com then use the new car comparison column and you get the percent satisfaction of the KIA AMANTI compared to any other. It astounds me how the car critics pound the Amanti and then the following year other cars come out with similar things the KiA had years earlier and they knock the hell out of the car.they definately have a hate phase against the korean cars.A smart way to test cars would be to deliver them without company logos.Motor Trend articles about 5 cars gave the ride factor and the quietness db rating for them and the KIA AMANTI again was TWICE as quiet as they were.they bragged about the vault like structure of the Avalon and the roominess,well just check out the specs for yourself and you will see again how the AMANTI wins again.WE HAVE ONE H--- OF A GREAT CAR AND DON'T LET ANYONE SWAY YOUR OPINION
hey, you've got a Kia! Be very proud of it. I am on my 2nd straight Kia in 6 years and I think I admire their build quality more with each passing year.
The South Koreans have the world's brightest students. No joke. Now, think about this for a minute. Being that Korean students are more disciplined, score better than Japanese students on yearly aptitude tests and then they go on to work at companies like Kia and Hyundai and, yes, Daewoo (OK, now it's GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Company), doesn't it stand to reason that they have the ability to make a great automobile? Sure, they have the ability, and they are doing it yearly now. My '99 Kia Sephia was the one that turned me on to Korean cars. That car was a blast to drive. They are improving their vehicles year by year.
They also still offer The Long Haul Warranty. For someone like me who keeps their rigs past 2 or 3 years that Warranty has a chance to actually work for me. I have used it and if someone has their maintenance work done on time and drives their car with care the Long Haul pops in if needed and Kia and your authorized Kia dealer will honor it and fix your car at no charge to you. I know it works because I've used it with my 1999 Kia Sephia and my 2001 Kia Sportage 4x4. The work has always been done right and it didn't take a long time to finish, either. No complaints from this padre.
The Amanti is a great car, and it's a quiet car, and it's a Kia. It's what you can be proud of driving home from the Sonics victory over the Trailblazers, right? Nate, why would you go to a team like the Portland Trailblazers? Please! That's gonna be one scrappy Blazer team, the first game in Portland coached by Nate against his former Sonics.
Thanks, captainbob! I found the site and compared the Amanti to the Avalon XLS. Here's some of the report:
2005 Kia Amanti 2005 Toyota AvalonXLS
Invoice $23,130.00 $27,104.00 List Price $25,500.00 $30,800.00 Vehicle Class Midsize Midsize Overall Satisfaction Rating 100 out of 100 92 out of 100
Then I compared it to the Ford Five Hundred SEL. There's a much bigger difference! Our Amanti is a little more money, but darn well worth it!
Invoice $23,130.00 $22,199.00 List Price $25,500.00 $24,165.00 Vehicle Class Midsize Midsize Overall Satisfaction Rating 100 out of 100 80 out of 100
I'd encourage all to check this site out. Stockchaser (I came back to edit this.....had it all centered so it would make sense, but when posting, it shoved it all together on the left. Oh, well, you get the idea)
From what I could get out of KIA officials at the dealership here when they visited, the 2006 AMANTI is virtually unchanged. A nav system may be introduced mid-year and a remote engine start will be optional. I wish they would offer the electrically operated tilt/telescope steering wheel found on the Korean version instead. Why add 4 grand to the price of the car for a nav system when you can get the top of the line portable system for about $2k and keep it. Nav adds little to the resale value of a car. Just personal opinion...
Has anyone else experienced this? Yesterday my wife took my Amanti to TWO different Wal-Mart Supercenters, trying to get an oil change. BOTH of them told her that they had a new policy that they will not do oil changes on Amantis - something to do with a filter that is either hard to obtain or hard to install or something. She ended up having to go to the Kia dealership to get a friggin' oil and filter change, which is WAY out of the way for us, plus it's more expensive. Has anyone else experienced similar nonsense?
the amanti has high oil pressure and if the person is not compentant at the job (most people working at those jobs do not have much experance working on cars)then it will leak at the filter seal, the trick is to put oil on the seal before installing the filter, that will allow you to get the filter tight enough without warping the seal.
So apparently Wal-Mart decided it was easier to put the Amanti on a "banned" list than to teach their oil/lube technicians how to put a little oil on a seal, and tighten it appropriately?
When I was about 10 years old, my dad taught me the very advanced technique involved in this delicate procedure: "Son, you stick your finger in a little motor oil, then rub it all around the seal on the oil filter, like this." As I recall, that was the same day he also taught me the highly complex skill required to "Make sure the old seal came off with the old filter, before you install the new filter - you don't want that extra seal material remaining on the car, or you'll leak oil really badly."
Geez. Maybe I just need to go back to changing my own oil, even though I really don't have the time or interest in doing so.
I have never experienced this nor will I ever...WHY would one want to take a fine automobile to Walmart????????? You might save a buck but at what cost??? My dealer charges about 5 bucks more that the quickie lube shops do and throws in a free wash as well!!!!! But it is not all about money.......if some kid at Walmart screws up you just might be jeopardizing your warranty as well, so I don't think it is worth it by any means..............in all honesty, Walmart in their infinite wisdom, did you a favor............
Why take it to Wal-Mart instead of my Kia dealership?
1. Because it's an oil and filter change, and is not rocket science. I would not take it to Wal-Mart for anything that required much skill, but an oil change, frankly, doesn't. 2. Because my Kia dealership has screwed up more things on my fine automobiles than Wal-Mart ever has. The things that come to mind include the four trips I had to make (42 miles each way) to my Kia dealership to get a faulty Amanti lumbar support fixed, and the three trips it took to get my Sedona's bumper fixed after the kid working at the dealership backed my Sedona into a pole while I had it at the dealership for - you guessed it - an oil change. My experience thus far has been that my Kia dealership is far less cautious and far more incompetent than my local Wal-Mart, astoundingly. 3. Because taking it to the Kia dealership takes half a day out of my schedule, and taking it to Wal-Mart takes far less of my time. 4. Because my wife can't shop for her groceries while waiting for the Kia mechanics, the way she can while waiting at Wal-Mart. 5. Because an $8 difference for a low-tech "oil and filter change" still matters.
Other than those five, I have no real reason for not taking it to the dealership every time.
I worked at a NAPA Parts store for 2 years, I was at a ford dealership when they burnt a customers car almost down to the frame (you do NOT spray flamable undercoating on a hot catalitic converter). From what I have seen dealers and shops do, and the type of parts I delivered to dealerships I would not allow them to do anything on any car I own. I have not seen how the Kia dealership does things as there where not any at that time.
Hi Staceyas, I can't imagine taking my Amanti anywhere except the dealer's for an oil and filter change. Of course as part of the deal Canadian Amanti customers were given free oil & filter changes (up to 3 per year) for as long as we own our Amantis. So they're free, and I get a free vacuum and wash to boot. And I can go shopping because they'll take me anywhere I want to go and pick me up when the've finished with the car. It couldn't be more convenient. And from what I've experienced so far, my dealer does all sorts of little extras as part of their preventative program, so I'm delighted with the service....and with the car.
I am still totally delighted with the car, just not the dealership(s). Fortunately, I don't expect to be at the dealership very often. Let's face it, if an automaker gives a 100k-mile warranty, it's because their reliability predictions indicate you won't need it. Because of that, I suspect I interpret long warranties differently than most people. Where most people see a 100k mile warranty and think "Awesome - if it breaks, it won't cost me anything", I see that warranty and thing "Awesome - it's very unlikely this thing will break!"
As far as the oil changes go, what concerns me the most is the fact that in a couple of years I expect to be moving back to an area where the nearest Kia dealership is 100 miles away. That would be an immense inconvenience, if I had to take the car to the dealership for every oil change. Using 200 miles of each "oil change cycle" just getting to/from my oil change is not very appealing. In fact, that is one of the very few things that might convince me to sell this car (otherwise, I plan to drive it for 11 more years).
Well it appears we have totally different experiences and different levels of competencies regarding dealerships..my dealer is 10 minutes away, longest wait time has been 30 minutes ( 5 minutes to check in, 25 for oil change and wash job), all my experiences with this dealer has been A+ ( Mercury/Lincoln/Kia), my one and only warranty issue was handled professionally but it seems you have lots of reasons to partake of Walmart's various services but I don't and l will stand by my reasons to stay away from WM..............Walmart will be very happy to serve and can use your business, I am sure...........but no thanks when it come to the Amanti....off to the dealer we go.... :shades: ......
Curious............Kia dealerships are just like other car dealerships.... good ones and a few bad apples.......SO who is going to do your required maintenance and warranty work ???????????????????????????????? since you say you " would not allow them (?) to do anything on any car I own.", does this include Kia dealers?????????????????? :confuse: :confuse: :confuse:
When starting from a dead stop a high(er) pitched whine can be heard when the transmission shifts from first to second, the faster the acceleration from the stopped position, the more noticeable it is.
The car is now at the dealers having other work performed on it; I spoke to the technician on the phone about the noise, first response " --- thats normal" , my response "--- I'm a retired engineer and have heard that noise (whine) from hydraulic motors/pumps", his response " ---- I took the car out for a test ride, could not hear any noise, may be the way I'm driving", my response " --- the way I drive causes a non exist ant noise? --- when you finish the repairs that you're now working on lets you and I take it out for a test ride". Which is what will be done shortly.
After a boring background, my question is, is any one else hearing these noises? (high pitched whine when the transmission shifts from first to second)
Love the car, I'll join in on the chorus of " -- what cars are these magazines testing?" The jury is still out on the dealers service department.
Comments
Thanks for sharing the info with us.
MagMax
Ray
By the way, in post 925, I mentioned a nonrestrictive muffler to get more mileage. Bad idea. I'm putting the original muffler back on tomorrow. The performance muffler is too noisy inside. Wasted some money there!
I wrote to them and this is what I wrote:
Thanks you for your informative new car update where you issue "stars" to all new cars based on what you think is a good value and fun to drive. I guess though, in order to qualify, a car must be really sporty as you have issued the Kia Amanti only one star. I've owned one now for almost two years and beg to differ with your opinion. The Amanti is quiet, comfortable, loaded with luxury & safety features and inexpensive, not to mention it's strong warranty -better than most cars. Okay, it's not fast according to your standards, but you know, it is not that slow either. Apparently it's a Kia and that must be it's qualification for your one star rating. Yes, it's front suspension is a little soft, and has a front grill that take some getting used too. (Actually...I'm still not used to it). It's MPG is weak, but it doesn't need premium fuel, something that some of your other choices do need.
Please understand that for some people a cushier ride is fun and enjoyable, and while not perfect, two stars would have been much more reasonable for this rather nice, well built car. As Motor Trend is a car magazine that carries a lot weight with it's opinions to it's readers, please be a little more open minded and don't imply that the Amanti is junk or inferior with your one star rating. Not all your readers want to race their cars everyday, so please lighten up!
Sarasota, Florida
Well, at least I feel a little better writing to them.
It looks AWESOME!! Having done it myself, I want to share some tips to save y'all some grief if you plan on a DIY project. It's NOT that hard. First, completely remove the hood liner. You'll have to replace the retainer buttons, but any local parts house will have them, you don't need genuine KIA parts for that. Second, (and this is why to completely remove the liner) there are 4 acorn nuts (just like the 4 that are visible) hidden where you can't see them inside those square holes. (the center pin is for locating only) Use a 1/2" universal socket on a 6" extension.
It's even trickier to get them back on, but patience IS a virtue.
As always, it's nice to hear from other Amanti owners and your points are excellent and well taken! After reading this (and other) Amanti forum (s), one can detect mostly -if not all happy and satisfied owners. So, yes it is great to be among our select group!
I noticed that, even at Motor Trend's own website their Amanti vehicle report had the following comments:
Among the Best for Lowest Depreciation
Top Winner for Lowest Repair
Pretty good, no?
My concern is that other MT readers think the Amanti is a one star car. I don't want to be looked down upon by other driver's who conclude we're driving some lower grade car :mad: . Also, if we want to sell our car someday and it has a mediocre reputation (thanks to MT and other auto publications) that will affect the value of our used car. Luckily though, so far the Amanti seems to be standing up very well and remains a good investment.
Thanks, P
captainbob, could you find that again and copy the link and paste it here? I couldn't find it.
Thanks.
ok, go to the jdpowerand associates site,click on consumer site then next page click on autos then to auto ratings and proceed in any direction you want and any cars you want to compare all sorts of info
enjoy the site and also your AMANTI, we have 21000 miles on ours now and it is still an amazing car and people still come up to it in parking lots and ask about it.
Somebody know the cost of the grill??
Please any help with my ESP question as mentioned in post no# 931 !!
- - - - - - - - - - - -
September 21,2005 | DETROIT -- The Kia Amanti was the highest ranked mid-size car in a customer satisfaction survey released Wednesday by J.D. Power and Associates, marking the first time an entry from Korean automaker Kia Motor Co. made it to the top of the list.
-P
Thanks,
Philander
Thanks,
Philander
It astounds me how the car critics pound the Amanti and then the following year other cars come out with similar things the KiA had years earlier and they knock the hell out of the car.they definately have a hate phase against the korean cars.A smart way to test cars would be to deliver them without company logos.Motor Trend articles about 5 cars gave the ride factor and the quietness db rating for them and the KIA AMANTI again was TWICE as quiet as they were.they bragged about the vault like structure of the Avalon and the roominess,well just check out the specs for yourself and you will see again how the AMANTI wins again.WE HAVE ONE H--- OF A GREAT CAR AND DON'T LET ANYONE SWAY YOUR OPINION
The South Koreans have the world's brightest students. No joke. Now, think about this for a minute. Being that Korean students are more disciplined, score better than Japanese students on yearly aptitude tests and then they go on to work at companies like Kia and Hyundai and, yes, Daewoo (OK, now it's GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Company), doesn't it stand to reason that they have the ability to make a great automobile? Sure, they have the ability, and they are doing it yearly now. My '99 Kia Sephia was the one that turned me on to Korean cars. That car was a blast to drive. They are improving their vehicles year by year.
They also still offer The Long Haul Warranty. For someone like me who keeps their rigs past 2 or 3 years that Warranty has a chance to actually work for me. I have used it and if someone has their maintenance work done on time and drives their car with care the Long Haul pops in if needed and Kia and your authorized Kia dealer will honor it and fix your car at no charge to you. I know it works because I've used it with my 1999 Kia Sephia and my 2001 Kia Sportage 4x4. The work has always been done right and it didn't take a long time to finish, either. No complaints from this padre.
The Amanti is a great car, and it's a quiet car, and it's a Kia. It's what you can be proud of driving home from the Sonics victory over the Trailblazers, right? Nate, why would you go to a team like the Portland Trailblazers? Please! That's gonna be one scrappy Blazer team, the first game in Portland coached by Nate against his former Sonics.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2005 Kia Amanti 2005 Toyota AvalonXLS
Invoice $23,130.00 $27,104.00
List Price $25,500.00 $30,800.00
Vehicle Class Midsize Midsize
Overall Satisfaction Rating 100 out of 100 92 out of 100
Then I compared it to the Ford Five Hundred SEL. There's a much bigger difference! Our Amanti is a little more money, but darn well worth it!
Invoice $23,130.00 $22,199.00
List Price $25,500.00 $24,165.00
Vehicle Class Midsize Midsize
Overall Satisfaction Rating 100 out of 100 80 out of 100
I'd encourage all to check this site out.
Stockchaser
(I came back to edit this.....had it all centered so it would make sense, but when posting, it shoved it all together on the left. Oh, well, you get the idea)
~alpha
When I was about 10 years old, my dad taught me the very advanced technique involved in this delicate procedure: "Son, you stick your finger in a little motor oil, then rub it all around the seal on the oil filter, like this." As I recall, that was the same day he also taught me the highly complex skill required to "Make sure the old seal came off with the old filter, before you install the new filter - you don't want that extra seal material remaining on the car, or you'll leak oil really badly."
Geez. Maybe I just need to go back to changing my own oil, even though I really don't have the time or interest in doing so.
1. Because it's an oil and filter change, and is not rocket science. I would not take it to Wal-Mart for anything that required much skill, but an oil change, frankly, doesn't.
2. Because my Kia dealership has screwed up more things on my fine automobiles than Wal-Mart ever has. The things that come to mind include the four trips I had to make (42 miles each way) to my Kia dealership to get a faulty Amanti lumbar support fixed, and the three trips it took to get my Sedona's bumper fixed after the kid working at the dealership backed my Sedona into a pole while I had it at the dealership for - you guessed it - an oil change. My experience thus far has been that my Kia dealership is far less cautious and far more incompetent than my local Wal-Mart, astoundingly.
3. Because taking it to the Kia dealership takes half a day out of my schedule, and taking it to Wal-Mart takes far less of my time.
4. Because my wife can't shop for her groceries while waiting for the Kia mechanics, the way she can while waiting at Wal-Mart.
5. Because an $8 difference for a low-tech "oil and filter change" still matters.
Other than those five, I have no real reason for not taking it to the dealership every time.
I have not seen how the Kia dealership does things as there where not any at that time.
Max
I am still totally delighted with the car, just not the dealership(s). Fortunately, I don't expect to be at the dealership very often. Let's face it, if an automaker gives a 100k-mile warranty, it's because their reliability predictions indicate you won't need it. Because of that, I suspect I interpret long warranties differently than most people. Where most people see a 100k mile warranty and think "Awesome - if it breaks, it won't cost me anything", I see that warranty and thing "Awesome - it's very unlikely this thing will break!"
As far as the oil changes go, what concerns me the most is the fact that in a couple of years I expect to be moving back to an area where the nearest Kia dealership is 100 miles away. That would be an immense inconvenience, if I had to take the car to the dealership for every oil change. Using 200 miles of each "oil change cycle" just getting to/from my oil change is not very appealing. In fact, that is one of the very few things that might convince me to sell this car (otherwise, I plan to drive it for 11 more years).
The car is now at the dealers having other work performed on it; I spoke to the technician on the phone about the noise, first response " --- thats normal" , my response "--- I'm a retired engineer and have heard that noise (whine) from hydraulic motors/pumps", his response " ---- I took the car out for a test ride, could not hear any noise, may be the way I'm driving", my response " --- the way I drive causes a non exist ant noise? --- when you finish the repairs that you're now working on lets you and I take it out for a test ride". Which is what will be done shortly.
After a boring background, my question is, is any one else hearing these noises? (high pitched whine when the transmission shifts from first to second)
Love the car, I'll join in on the chorus of " -- what cars are these magazines testing?" The jury is still out on the dealers service department.
Joe