KIA Dealership Service Experiences

mickeyrom

Easily the best,most courteous and most efficient I have come across is Courtesy KIA in Moline,Illinois. I have tried several and they are OUTSTANDING in every way.
On top of that....their prices are better than the other dealers I have been to.Sometimes dramatically.

capt4

I found that Kia of Fredericksburg Virginia, is not just the best in sales , but the most experienced in service and prices are correct. No over charging or abuse.

Easy appointments and great people

I went for the timing belt service, prices were from 12oo to 1600 in Metro DC
area. They also have a brisk used car and internet business going

mickeyrom

1200-1600 for a timing belt....you must be kidding

pat

Don't forget that we have a Dealer Ratings & Reviews page where you can report your experiences and read about that of others. Have a look!

marhar60

I purchased my Kia last summer. It had 58,000 miles. I have replaced the battery and timing belt - now the transmission is giving problems. Service station repair guy I really trust says he can't get into it but I should take it to dealer. I live in Alexandria, VA. Sometimes it's okay but then I accelerate and not much happens. Any thoughts or recommendations before I take it in would be greatly appreciated.

mickeyrom

Don't confuse a 2001 KIA with the ones built after 2006.There is a quantum difference in quality,although in 2004 and 2005 the Optima got decent reviews,not so the ones older than that.Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

marhar60

Well, at least now I know-thanks for the reply. The big decision now is whether it's worth the money to fix it -- assuming I can find a reputable service dept. Any thoughts on (a) best place to take it and (b) is it even worth it? Fredericksburg is a long way to go but worth it if I can drive the car another couple of years.

mickeyrom

You're welcome
IMO it depends how much you got in the car,and how much it will cost to fix it.I would take it to a KIA dealer first,you can try contacting KIA for the nearest location.Then you can always go to a tranny shop.Where I live,there is one shop that does transmissions.I think they charge around 1.5 K for a rebuild.

marhar60

OMG-thanks for the feedback. I have invested about $3500 in the car including the $3000 I gave my neighbor for it last summer. I work just 10 miles from home and didn't want a car payment. I had done some research and saw that people were having problems with timing belts at 60k miles so I asked him to replace the timing belt (and water pump - I think -even though it was not a problem at the time). The transmission would have made it a non-starter but I never imagined that kind of problem at 61k miles. Edmunds' reviews of dealers in this area are somewhat troubling but I will see what they say. Whew, not sure of what to do now. I will see what happens. Thanks again.

cc4life

Took my 04 optima with 81k mi to a central california dealer for the dreaded timing belt/water pump change to include idler pulley, tensioner/pully assy. 3 weeks later on my way from cali to oklahoma, i heard a bang,bang, smoke and pulled over. After renting a uhaul and dolly, took the lame optima to tulsa. Needless to say, there was a hole in the oil pan, pieces in the oil pan and the timing belt tensioner bolt had sheared off. Bought it used, no warranty and you know Kia doesn't transfer warranty. Have always done maintenance on time and 1 year later i'm 8k down the drain. Called Kia consumer affairs, they said to call the cali service center and let them try to work it out. Waiting on thier response. :mad:

mickeyrom

I will be following this story closely.Good luck.

cc4life

Got a response from selma kia the service center who did the work. They said i would need to bring the car into them to look at. Until they looked at it, the only garantee they would give was a replacement engine at cost(nomarkup) and $25 dollars/hour labor. If it was determined that failure was due to workmanship or kia parts failure, they would go from there.
I can see where this is leading. It would be at least $400 to go and tow the vehicle from OK to Cal. Evedently they don't trust the word of a fellow kia dealer in tulsa!! I will recontact the Kia consumer affairs and see what they have to say.

cc4life

Kia consummer affairs replied that they have no legal authority to force sevice centers to do anything, but the district manager would call and ask them to do "the right thing" I guess i will be taking a road trip to ok.

mickeyrom

Wow man,best of luck.Hope they "do the right thing" or I won't ever buy another KIA.Amazing the differences between service departments.I expect that work done at any Brand dealer will be done right,but maybe that is too naive.

cc4life

Had the optima hauled back to cali by auto transport. The dealer wrote up an "advisory" ticket. Have not heard back from them in a week. Well no news is good news so far.

mickeyrom

What happened with your Optima that you could not drive it? Also might you tell me what year that Optima is and what engine.
Good luck.

cc4life

Its a :mad: 2004 with the 2.7L. The engine suffered catastophic engine failure, Piston rods, piston crown and valves pieces in oil pan. Tensioner arm bolt had sheared off. Look at post #10 above.

mickeyrom

So what is the status right now.I don't think the newer KIAs are quite what the 2004s were,but a 2.7 is probably basically the same.I would not have that engine.I have to admit that your story has made me pretty nervous about my 2006.5 withe the 2.4 engine.
On another thread on Edmunds,somebody said they had to replace their serpentine belt at 30K but never replied my query as top what his symptoms had been.

cc4life

The previous service manager "no longer works there" and after two calls to bring the new guy up to speed, it is once again at the general managers level. Meanwhile my kia is still sitting right where it was when i dropped it off. So far it has been 3 weeks and two phone calls from me. I can see where this is going, but i will go thru all the motions before i seek legal council.

mickeyrom

I can see why KIA can't help you because it's a non warranty repair.Still,I would think that they would try to put a little pressure on the dealer for the sake of their (KIAs) reputation.
If you happen to know a cheap lawyer,or a friend who is one....a simple letter on an attorney's stationary can sometimes work miracles.
Why did you have the service done there in the first place.I mean so far from home.

cc4life

It is my sons vehicle and he was on his way to oklahoma for college. I live near the dealer and wanted this done before he left. Like i stated earlier, i have done all the right things and still you never know.

mickeyrom

Bummer....sadly,these pre 2006.5 Optimas were not terribly reliable.The newer ones seem to be quite good.

cc4life

up until i got the timing components and water pump changed, there was nothing wrong with this optima. Absolutely no indications of anything wrong.

mickeyrom

I guess you think the mechanic screwed up....no?

cc4life

I think either a new kia part failed or the mechanic over-torqued the tensioner arm bolt. These mechanics are pressed to keep repairs under the "alloted" time per job. I have seen way too many mechanics go to the air wrench to save time rather than the prescribed torque wrench.

milkman101

DId you ever figure out what the problem was? I also have a 2001 Optima. Its at 111k. I am also starting to have tranny problems. Once and a while I will be driving and there will be a sudden jerk from the tranny grabbing. Then I lose power at the pedal. Now if I turn the car off then back on again everything is fine. Is this a computer problem, tranny problem or what I dont know where to start. Please help.

arosen1

Multiple "unseemly" experiences with this service center's management, but the icing on the cake was when:

We took the perfectly healthy 2003 Sorento in to replace its recalled "Crankshaft Pulley Bolt" a few years ago, only to have the car simply TURN OFF at 75mph in the middle of the freeway 1 day later... and then over and over again. Problem ended up being the "Crankshaft sensor".... Hmmmm.... and of course, $1500+ later, they refuse to admit it had anything to do with their recall work.

I guess that's one way to recoup money from a recall!

How many times do we take a vehicle in to a dealer, and end up with thousand-dollar "just really bad luck coincidence" repairs being required a few days later?