You might want to check with others on this, but my understanding is that you want to be cautious in adding extra oil as overfilling can lead to motor damage.
From your description, your oil level seemed to be about right. While 2,000 miles is early for an oil change, if it is going to put your mind at rest, it is worth it.
Hello gang! I just wanted to let you know that helm incorporated apparently no longer is the point of contact for obtaining a Sedona service manual...they have been out of stock on this manual for months now and I finally got around to calling them this AM. They said that we have to go through the dealer for these manuals now...they no longer carry the Kia brand of books!So...disregard what is in the back of our owner's manual about this issue. However...after going to Briman2k's web link, I do not think that I will order a service manual right now! Great information - thanks Briman2k! Also...concerning an air conditioner refrigerant charge...page # 5 of our '02 warranty manual states that "air conditioner refrigerant charge is covered for the FIRST 12 MONTHS of the warranty period regardless of mileage. Over the balance of the warranty period, refrigerant charge is covered only when replenished as part of a warranty repair". Something to keep in mind if anyone thinks that they might be low on refrigerant! MVF
1. Is it normal to feel a vibration while idling in the driver's seat while the air conditioner is running?. Is that where the compressor is located?
2. Is there anyway to change the keyless remote, so that when you are loading up the cargo area, the doors will not re lock themselves? I find this annoying and do not see the purpose.
3. Another annoyance... do all the Sedona back cargo doors have to be slammed in order to be closed completely so the open door light does not illuminate on the dash?
Besides these minor annoyances and the limited visibility from the rear due to the 3rd row headrests (which I removed) my car has been driving beautifully.
with all my stuff running i noticed that my fan was faster when i drove away from lights , and slow when stopped. then i went into an office for 45 minutes, when i came out the car would not start. the car had been parked for two days.
A check of the battery showed it had some bad plates,or something and was "leaking" internally.
I got a new battery at Sears.
My original battery, a " DELKOR" ( probably a joint venture with Delco ) is still under a full 24 month warranty. I will see if they can honor it somehow.
Good News: My "24 hour Kia assistance " was there inside of 30 minutes to jump start me for my trip to Sears. They are a " service " however so they do not know anything about Kia's. Also , even though they ask for part of the VIN # , they do not have a database of your car and you as the owner.
Also- VERY INTERESTING- But STUPID! - the battery shape is such that the most powerful battery Sears had was only 712 Cold Cranking Amps. That is not a lot here in ice storm land ,Upstate NY.
It seems that certain cars have limited area for the battery and the battery firms have backed off the amp ratings in part due to the smaller spaces.
I will have to see about rigging up a second battery to get into the 1200 Cold Cranking Amp range where I feel most comfotable around here in the winter.
1. No. The compressor is located on the left front bottom of the engine, near and under the alternator. (looking at the engine as if to check the oil.)
2. I'm not following what you mean. Our sliding doors do not lock if open at the time the locks are activated.
3. The rear hatch closes much more easily if a door or window is open, which keeps the air pressure of closing the door from resisting the closing action.
If the vehicle is locked and I click twice, open rear hatch and start loading up the car with groceries, within 30 seconds or so I hear all the doors re lock themselves. When I finish loading up the rear, I have to hit the remote again to unlock the drivers side door. However, if my kids are with me and at least one sliding door or any door is open this will not happen. I really don't understand the reason for this. I am afraid to leave my keys in the ignition when gassing up thinking all the doors will lock themselves once I'm out of the car, even though it seems to only happen just when the rear hatch is open, not the other doors.
The re-lock feature is a little annoying. It keeps you from forgetting to relock the car if shopping and just putting stuff in the back, but really doesn't do much except make you hurry to get a passenger door open. Would rather have had a feature that locked the doors after you put the car in gear (something I always forget to do).
I've made several posts RE the a/c compressor vibration at idle. It wasn't there when I bought the car, but occurred a few months after owning. Kia seems to be aware of it, but didn't have a fix when we took the car in for service in May. (Hose vibrating against car skin) I'm due for next service, so will ask again.
a feature like all the doors locking when putting the car in gear would be a much better feature. My Dodge Grand Caravan used to lock all the doors at 15MPH at least. I always forget to lock the doors while driving too.
I didn't realize that the a/c vibration was a problem. I thought that that's the way the car is. I have to go in for the ABS recall on Tuesday and will ask also. Please let me know if you find anything out from your service dept. Thanks
We have a 1995 Windstar with 114,000 miles on it and are beginning to look for a replacement. We had looked at the Sedona when it first came out, as we love our Windstar and it looked much like it, inside and out. The one thing we noticed we didn't like was that the Sedona's interior length was shorter, which meant when loaded with people there was no room for luggage or items purchased shopping. Has that changed any since the first ones?
Also, questions for you who own one and have some time driving it, does the Sedona handle well with seven adults aboard? Has anyone had to make use of their warranty, and how was warranty service? Any long delays in getting repairs made? Any trouble finding aftermarket items, such as water hoses, belts, air and oil filters?
I would appreciate any enlightenment anyone might offer.
My wife just completed a trip of 5200 miles in our Sedona (summer Midwest lap to see grandparents). I drove out to join her, and we drove about 2,000 of those miles together. We frequently had 7 people in the vehicle, and it handles fine.
RE your concerns, yes, another 6-12" behind the back seat would be nice. On occasion, I've removed one of the middle seats to have more room which left me seating for 6 (usually 2 adults, 4 kids) and bags, etc. Only 4 in my family, so we have room for 2 kids friends.
For vacation, I have a soft sided roof bag (which was used frequently on my Aerostar) and a platform which fits into my class 3 (2" receiver) hitch. We used the platform this trip...since you really just want a place to put bags going/coming, it works well. We take the platform off when we get to grandparents house and reinstall (single pin/clip)for the trip to the next grandparent's house).
Hopefully the next redesign will include a little more cargo room, but then, like the Honda, it might not fit in some folks' garage.
I've got close to 13K on my vehicle and we still like it. My dealer service has been good. The a/c vibration is annoying, but not overwhelming. They tell me they are working on a fix.
Filters, etc seem to be readily available on the aftermarket. Certainly not as wide spread as the Windstar, but not bad.
Sound proofing is good, and tires wear evenly...getting ready to rotate them the second time in a month or so. Headlights are great! So is availablility of storage compartments. One down side...plastic bumper covers scratch easily with rock chips or setting stuff on them while loading into back hatch. They could beef this up a bit.
General: Few complaints...no one vehicle is 100% perfect. It is heavy, so around town gas mileage is around 16. At speed on level ground (Interstate) we did a little over 24. Plenty of engine to make it through the mountains, but of course, gas mileage was around 17.
I have a 2002 EX and the length is not an issue for me -especially after having a 1994 Caravan - short wheel base.
I have a Thule Mountaineer that I use on the roof rack and it did just fine on trips from Cleveland,Ohio to Outer Banks, NC 600+ miles and to Upstate NY 400+ miles. I also have a class 3 hitch installed after market and use it for a Sardis Bike Hitch holding 5 bikes. The van performed very well.
I have been quite pleased with the Van's performance and so far the service has been very good. I also get about 16-17 MPG around town and 22 with all the paraphenalia attached on trips.
Where did everyone go? Oh well, maybe no news is good news. Let me report on my '02 EX. Will have had it two years at the end of this month. Milage is 26600 and it is doing fine. No big complaints so far.
no kids in school here. jondot, our 2002 EX is only about 200 miles behind yours even though we've had it only 19 months. We continue to enjoy our van in spite of a couple minor problems our local dealer failed to fix after two trips.
The Consumer Reports issue that arrived in my mailbox today includes a minivan comparo. Sienna, Ody, Grand Caravan, MPV, new Quest, and Sedona. Sedona trailed the pack, which was disappointing. CR liked the Kia's interior quality, fairly refined powertrain, and value. They didn't key on a few Sedona strong points (eg moonroof), they felt the ride and handling were subpar, and they felt the engine was fairly weak. I'm no expert, but our Sedona seems to ride smooth and quiet to me. If the others are better, they must be awfully smooth and awfully quiet.
CR got 16 mpg overall in their test Sedona, 21 in the Sienna, 18 in the Ody, and 19 in the MPV. I was pleased to see the Sedona only 2 mpg behind Ody. This seems to reflect reality much better than the EPA highway numbers, which are 5 mpg apart (25 vs. 20).
I think the thing to keep in mind is that the Sedona may in fact lag behind in some categories, however the price/value issue is huge. For example, the engine may not be as powerful or responsive as others but the difference is not that great. When you factor in the price, features and warranty it is a good buy. Before I purchased my Sedona I considered it to be of 1998 "top of the line" technology with the lowest price around. Times/technology have changed, but not that much for the average consumer to pay $1,000's more for.
I have yet to pick up the latest Consumer Reports, but the issue that comes to my mind is reliability. I've had my Sedona for under 3 months and it was already towed in 4 separate times and in the service dept. for 28 days total with stalling, vibration, CEL issues. Sure it was all covered under warranty, but they kept the car longer than expected and who knows what's down the road..... Look, it may just be my particular car that has had so many issues, unfortunately, but the bottom line is... I paid as much as everyone else for my Sedona and I cannot feel that it is as reliable as the (other) higher priced minivans due to it's history. I do not have as much faith and security in my brand new Sedona as I did getting into my Grand Caravan which I had for five years.
My 02 is doing extremely well and has been very reliable. I also have the comfort in knowing that if a problem crops up, then KIA has staked themselves on their warranty.
Consumer Reports historically has been very biased against new cars simply because there is no history. I had a Plymouth Voyager (94) before and so far my Sedona far out paces that van. I am very pleased with all of the features (creature comforts) and its handling. The power is such a small issue relatively speaking - this van has very good power - just compare.
I am not going to pay another $8000 just to get a few more horses running in my engine. By the way - do we really need another puke green Honda Oddy on the road? I am not kidding - 8 of 10 that I see are all that same horrifying color including my parent's and my sister's.
I was at the dealership picking up my Sedona from service, and noticed the new Sedonas on the lot. A few changes have been made to the new models. The aluminium wheels are different, as well as the grille. I also hear that they now come with back-up warning systems from the factory. Interior has changed as well.
Yesterday I scratched up the interior plastic piece on the floor by the hatch ( I fumbling for the right word, and it is not coming to me at the moment.)
Anyway, has anyone come up with a way to repair so that it is not so obvious?
If there is one piece of plastic on this vehicle that needs to have pigment throughout, it is this one.
I also have the same problem. I have young children and I am constantly putting in and taking out a stroller. It scratches so easy.
I have another one for you. My wife was taking my children to the community pool in August. She applied sun screen to the kids, put them in the car and went to the pool. As she used the speed control on the steering wheel, it began to melt. Really. The sun screen must have had something (alcohol) that was on her hand that began to melt the surface of the button. The Dealer has ordered another and said that they have seen similar problems on Chrysler product.
While installing one of the third row seats in our 2002 EX a while back, I carelessly dropped the seat on that plastic area along the cargo floor near the hatch. This put a 1-2" crack roughly in the shape of a half circle - sorta like what you get sometimes from a rock hitting the windshield. The local dealer, although otherwise worthless, replaced this under warranty.
You might try asking your dealer if they would replace it since you feel it has gotten damaged (scratched/scuffed) too easily.
response to #3678 by raygur1957. Hi, just browsing around reading and yours caught my eye. Have you looked into the lemon law yet for your problems? Just wondering. I know in California if your vehicle is in the shop for over 30 days during the warranty period, that is an automatic lemon and the manufacture will have to repurchase it back from you along with all of your payments and finances charges. I just had this done with my 01 Chevy Suburban. I just returned it and got all 3 years of payments/finance charges/and rest of payoff back to me. I am in the market for a replacement, looking at vans now. I am leaning towards the new 04 Nissan Quest SE as I think the Honda and new Sienna might be overhyped. Have been seeing the Kia name floating around so I have been reading your posts.
Yes, I did look into the lemon law for my Sedona. I am standing at the edge of the cliff now, so to speak, with 28 days in the shop and 4 attempts at repair. New York lemon law is also 30 days in the shop and at least 4 attempts for repair for the same recurring problem.
I need one more breakdown with the same problem and it will be under the lemon law at that time. However, since my last repair on Aug. 8, my car has been great. No stalling or vibrating, no CEL anymore. I am finally enjoying my Sedona. Hopefully, it will last.
Kia did try to "settle" with me by giving me 2 months worth of car payments back, however I declined since if my car does breakdown within the next 21 months or 16,000 miles I want to be able to use the lemon law. If I took the money from them then I wouldn't have been able to bring a lemon lawsuit against them in the future.
Time will tell but as I said the car has been great for the last 5 weeks and 2000 miles. I believe that the problem was the dealer that I went to at first. It was where I purchased the car and they didn't have a clue as to the problem. As soon as I had it towed to another Kia on the 4th breakdown, they determined the sensor problem and immediately fixed it. A lot of aggrevation I believe could have been avoided if I went to them in the first place. I am beginning to have more confidence in my Sedona and really enjoy the smooth ride and comfortable interior.
What was the problem with your Suburban that you had to go lemon with it? Good luck with your replacement. Let us know what you finally decide on for your van.
"I believe that the problem was the dealer that I went to at first."
If asked what is the largest problem with the car market in the US today, I would respond that it has to be dealer service. I just wrote off the dealer service department I bought the van from, too, given my last experience.
I am not convinced they replaced the recalled seatbelt bolts since they only indicated two on the work order instead of 4....but they insist it was done.
They stock almost no parts. (How good can there inventory tracking be if they can't count bolts...?)
I need new AC compressor (works but very noisy), which will take two to three weeks to arrive and another visit to repair.
They also claimed to replace the rear door wiper arm nut cover moulding - but it wasn't there when I got the van. Clearly, they they just planned to leave the well-corroded retaining nut since that was still there, too.
There does not appear to be any significant incentive for dealer service departments to do good work, especially on warranty repairs where they have a nearly captive audience and I suspect they get paid like doctors on HMO plans (set usual and customary fees with plenty of review by bean couters on the amount of time invoiced for any particular repair.)
I know other people here have mentioned service problems. I don't believe this is a "Kia" problem only. If GM (I won't buy a GM anything again for this very reason) isn't able to encourage higher standards, Kia will definitely have no success.
At least I don't have to pay a deductible per visit for extended warranty work like DC buyers.
There is most definitely a problem with the warranty work the service depts at the dealers do. I also believe it has to do with the amount of money the manufacturer reimburses the dealer for the warranty work they do.
I also believe it is a general automotive industry problem not a "Kia" problem.
The first dealer kept my car for 12 days on my second incident probably working on it at their leisure. The car broke down on them on one of their test drives at which point they told us a Kia engineer will be coming to them to determine what the problem was. No such engineer ever appeared. After the 12 days they told me they fixed a "short". I'm not too sure I believe it.
After getting the car back it stalled again 4 days later and was towed back to them. At that point they kept it for 10 days and who knows what they did with it. They apparantely idled the car for hours which at some point it did stall for them too. However, they didn't know what the problem was because "no codes were registered on the computer". So they just kept the car for the 10 days and finally just told us to pick it up since it "hasn't stalled since the first day and maybe it WORKED ITSELF OUT". Can you believe that? They knew there was a problem, but couldn't be bothered to try to figure it out.
They are the most inept service dept I have ever dealt with and they will never see me again. The fourth and final time it stalled in the middle of driving, 3 days later, on a busy road and that is when I had it towed to the other dealer (luckily) who determined the cam and crank sensor problem.
I hope this is the end of my story and that my luck has changed with my Sedona. I also do not look forward to anymore warranty work since there is a real problem with "customer service" in the service departments in the auto industry.
My Suburban was in the shop for about 35 days total, 10 times and still needed to go in again for another repair for the same problem. It was all electrical, steering, and suspension. I think because I had so many problems along with a lot of the same problems, plus being in the shop for over 30 days, they decided to do the repurchase. I did in fact talk with a lemon law attorney in SF and they wanted my case. I knew if they wanted it, then I had a lemon. I let GM know this and told them I was trying to save them money to just settle it with me, as they would have to pay for all the lawyer fees, not me. I did use the BBB hot line and within a week, GM offered me a settlement. I got payoff, plus 3 years of payments and interest back. Remember that is law, to get full purchase price including taxes, lic., doc fees, and your payments and interest charges.
First problem was at 950 miles when they had to replace my oxygen sensor. Then at 5400 miles my crankshaft sensor broke off in my engine, 3 steering wheel shafts, 3 batteries, idler and pitnum arm, whole new onstar as it stopped working and they had to take the whole unit out and put in a brand new one, pass 2 key interference sensor along with the ignition system ....I was there so much that the courtesy driver knew where I lived and even where my daughters preschool was as we had to pick her up from school 2 times. Most of the time I would get a rental car...went through 6 of those. Thank God I had onstar for all of the jump starts and towings I needed.
These manufactures should see this from the beginning and offer to take care of it right away. If they did, I would still be in a truck, vs leaving the company and SUV market. This is my second GM lemon and I have won both cases. I figured I should give another company a try, so I am pretty sure we are going with the Nissan Quest. I will let you know.
is spend time diagnosing/investigating a problem. It's bad enough that the rates paid by many/most manufacturers to dealers for warranty work are so low. But the worst part for a dealer is having to spend time figuring out what the problem is. I could be wrong, but I believe the dealers get no reimbursement for diagnosis time. If they look into something for a few minutes and don't identify the problem, they give up because it's not worth their time to look further.
The manufacturer has to pay more in the end anyway. Does it make sense? If a problem goes undiagnosed, the problem does not just go away and the car is brought back. If it is a new vehicle, the more days it sits at the dealers and the amount of times it is brought in adds up until the lemon law takes effect.
If the manufacturer paid the dealers upfront for diagnosing a problem maybe there would not have to be be so many buybacks from the manufacturer. And the manufacturer also loses that customer to another brand since they no longer have faith in that brand anymore.
With my Sedona, a lawyer already accepted my case, however I put it off hoping that the 2nd dealer actually found the problem and also to build a stronger case in case another problem arises.
We have had our Sedona a year and a half. We currently have 28,000 miles on it and still only get around 12 MPG in town and 16MPG on the highway. We also are experiencing a noise from the rear end that sounds like a high performance motorcycle accelerating. it happens periodaccly and more often on the highway. I have taken the van in but they can not seem to duplicate the noise.
The air conditioner compressor is very noisy when energized. I have taken it back 4 times and they say they have made minor adjustments but is all they can do until Kia comes up with a bracket to keep the suction line from vibrating.
We as well experienced having our front windsheild break at 14,000 miles. I took it into the dealer and with no questions asked they ordered a new one and installed it the next weelk.
All in all we have been very pleased with our Sadona.
Your noise from the rear of your Sedona that sounds like a motorcycle accelerating ... does it only occur when the A/C is on (regardless of whether rear A/C is blowing)? Does it start out as a deep/low tone noise and get higher pitched? Does it last no more than 5 - 15 seconds? If you answer yes to all of these questions, I think we have the same problem (as do quite a few others on this forum).
Well, I had the compressor replaced today and I think my problem has gotten worse. Sitting at traffic lights with the AC on is unbearable for my hearing. There is a low harmonic resonance from the front that overpowers the radio at VOL 12. I have to shut the AC off....
I sat in a 1500 mile 2003 and the hum (though much less) is there also, and I proved with the service rep in the 2003 that the noise is not the radiator fan as it exists even if the radiator fan is not running (it only runs as needed).
I am beginning to think this is the sound of the refrigerant running through the system / passing through the heat exchanger. The noise is almost non-existent when the engine is running above idle, though. Unfortunately, stop lights are a fact of life around here and some of them I've timed to 3.5 minutes between green, assuming one makes it through on one cycle....
On the otherhand, at least it sounds nothing like a high pitched motorcycle from the rear....
I noticed about ten days ago that the steering wheel, while we were on a straight, flat piece of interstate, was turned to the left about one inch off of dead level. I released the wheel, and the car made a very immediate move to the right. This is something that neither myself or my wife had seen before as the car has always been very aligned.
So I made an appointment to have it re-aligned before we did damage to the tires. At the service center, after the counterman and a tech each drove it, and after having it on the alignment equipment, they informed me the alignment was within specs but that it had a little bit of torque steer that was causing it to drift right.
I was not familiar with torque steer, and as I understand their explanation, front wheel drive cars have two front-end axles. Each is a different length, and it is possible for them to get a little off causing the drift. Has anyone else run into this? They did not seem to think that it was any kind of problem. Input, please.
It is my understanding that torque steer only manifests itself when you are accelerating (hard). If you are experiencing it on a level flat road and you are not accelerating then it's alignment.
The steering wheel should be straight when you are cruising down the highway and the only pull to the right, if any, should be a gentle one resulting from the crown in the road.
I live in south Orange Co. Ca. and my 88 Caravan no longer goes backwards unless rolling down a hill. I've been looking at customer comments and complaints for HOURS and at this minute am leaning toward either a 2000 or newer Quest/Villager, or a 2003 Sedona LX. 4 dealers more or less in my area, and not many LXs left, and I haven't seen one yet in person. Can anyone recommend a caring, competent dealer around here? The dufus dealer stories are not encouraging. I am self employed and really need my car all the time- can't afford to have it in a shop for days or weeks. The '88 is in and out of my revered local mechanic the same or next day, & I am spoiled! Is it possible that when 2004s come out, some owners of 2003s will want to trade in and low mileage 2003s will be available? Of course the price with rebates on remaining 2003s is so good right now, used ones might not be much better. Any suggestions besides winning the lottery?
I've been reading the posts here in Kia land to do a little snooping around. Wow, just post the rest of the problem pages and they all match. I frequent the GMC page as I own a 2000 Safari. Dont' laugh, it's 108K have been trouble free. But, in most part, because of the service I get at my DEALER. Guys, you paid your hard earned money for these vehicles. Let these dealers know right up front, you paid $20k, 25K....whatever, your going to get the best service they can offer. My dealer does all my oil changes (1 per month with my driving) and gives the van a quick check over. I have watched them, they really do it. Here's a little hint...watch the mechanic on your next oil change. Did he lube the front end?? Most don't. I watched mine the first time and he didn't. When I asked the tech what oil, filter and lube meant EXACTLY, he greased the fittings. Fact is guys, these dealers are there to make your ownership a pleasure, but you have to come out of the gate and swinging and let them know that three times for the same problem gets them a boot in the butt. My neighbor just settled an engine proble with his Pilot over the course of two months(month 1 no loaner-month 2 a Civic). After I went with him and made his dealer give him another Pilot to drive, it was amazing how fast the rep from Honda diagnosed the problem. I'm not saying I fixed the problem, but when they send out another $38,000 car that no one is paying the note on, they get busy to solve a problem. Just remember, the dealers don't pay your note- you do. You just have to remind them of this fact.
After I posted yesterday, I spoke with the service manager and what he told me was in agreement with what grandtotal posted.
This morning when I drove with this additional information I did notice less drift when I was off the gas. However, it did seem that I did not have to be accelerating hard to get the drift.
If this occurs when one is accelerating (which is a frequent occurrence when driving a car), what is this doing to tire wear? As a layman, I would think that it is a negative.
Torque steer should only occur under acceleration as one drive axle is shorter than the other-the pull being to the short shaft. If you still experience a drift while coasting you may have what is known as a tire pull. The tire itself is pulling or pushing the car. Swap the front tire on the side of the car in the direction of the pull. Car goes right, rotate front right with rear right tire. If the drift continues, try the other side. If the drift ends, badda bing! The other posibility is the caliper on the offending side is hanging up and not releasing fully. Seems a little time consuming, but it will eliminate what usually causes drifting. Contrary to popular belief, alignment seldom causes a pull or drift.
Comments
From your description, your oil level seemed to be about right. While 2,000 miles is early for an oil change, if it is going to put your mind at rest, it is worth it.
ttp://www.kiatechinfo.com
You'll need to register, but it has everything if you want to do your own repairs.
I just wanted to let you know that helm incorporated apparently no longer is the point of contact for obtaining a Sedona service manual...they have been out of stock on this manual for months now and I finally got around to calling them this AM. They said that we have to go through the dealer for these manuals now...they no longer carry the Kia brand of books!So...disregard what is in the back of our owner's manual about this issue.
However...after going to Briman2k's web link, I do not think that I will order a service manual right now! Great information - thanks Briman2k!
Also...concerning an air conditioner refrigerant charge...page # 5 of our '02 warranty manual states that "air conditioner refrigerant charge is covered for the FIRST 12 MONTHS of the warranty period regardless of mileage. Over the balance of the warranty period, refrigerant charge is covered only when replenished as part of a warranty repair". Something to keep in mind if anyone thinks that they might be low on refrigerant!
MVF
2. Is there anyway to change the keyless remote, so that when you are loading up the cargo area, the doors will not re lock themselves? I find this annoying and do not see the purpose.
3. Another annoyance... do all the Sedona back cargo doors have to be slammed in order to be closed completely so the open door light does not illuminate on the dash?
Besides these minor annoyances and the limited visibility from the rear due to the 3rd row headrests (which I removed) my car has been driving beautifully.
Hope that the replacements that they made to your engine keep your Sedona performing beautifully on a permanent basis.
A check of the battery showed it had some bad plates,or something and was "leaking" internally.
I got a new battery at Sears.
My original battery, a " DELKOR" ( probably a joint venture with Delco ) is still under a full 24 month warranty. I will see if they can honor it somehow.
Good News: My "24 hour Kia assistance " was there inside of 30 minutes to jump start me for my trip to Sears. They are a " service " however so they do not know anything about Kia's. Also , even though they ask for part of the VIN # , they do not have a database of your car and you as the owner.
Also- VERY INTERESTING- But STUPID! - the battery shape is such that the most powerful battery Sears had was only 712 Cold Cranking Amps. That is not a lot here in ice storm land ,Upstate NY.
It seems that certain cars have limited area for the battery and the battery firms have backed off the amp ratings in part due to the smaller spaces.
I will have to see about rigging up a second battery to get into the 1200 Cold Cranking Amp range where I feel most comfotable around here in the winter.
2. I'm not following what you mean. Our sliding doors do not lock if open at the time the locks are activated.
3. The rear hatch closes much more easily if a door or window is open, which keeps the air pressure of closing the door from resisting the closing action.
However, if my kids are with me and at least one sliding door or any door is open this will not happen.
I really don't understand the reason for this. I am afraid to leave my keys in the ignition when gassing up thinking all the doors will lock themselves once I'm out of the car, even though it seems to only happen just when the rear hatch is open, not the other doors.
I've made several posts RE the a/c compressor vibration at idle. It wasn't there when I bought the car, but occurred a few months after owning.
Kia seems to be aware of it, but didn't have a fix when we took the car in for service in May. (Hose vibrating against car skin) I'm due for next service, so will ask again.
I didn't realize that the a/c vibration was a problem. I thought that that's the way the car is. I have to go in for the ABS recall on Tuesday and will ask also. Please let me know if you find anything out from your service dept. Thanks
Also, questions for you who own one and have some time driving it, does the Sedona handle well with seven adults aboard? Has anyone had to make use of their warranty, and how was warranty service? Any long delays in getting repairs made? Any trouble finding aftermarket items, such as water hoses, belts, air and oil filters?
I would appreciate any enlightenment anyone might offer.
Thanks
RE your concerns, yes, another 6-12" behind the back seat would be nice. On occasion, I've removed one of the middle seats to have more room which left me seating for 6 (usually 2 adults, 4 kids) and bags, etc. Only 4 in my family, so we have room for 2 kids friends.
For vacation, I have a soft sided roof bag (which was used frequently on my Aerostar) and a platform which fits into my class 3 (2" receiver) hitch. We used the platform this trip...since you really just want a place to put bags going/coming, it works well. We take the platform off when we get to grandparents house and reinstall (single pin/clip)for the trip to the next grandparent's house).
Hopefully the next redesign will include a little more cargo room, but then, like the Honda, it might not fit in some folks' garage.
I've got close to 13K on my vehicle and we still like it. My dealer service has been good. The a/c vibration is annoying, but not overwhelming. They tell me they are working on a fix.
Filters, etc seem to be readily available on the aftermarket. Certainly not as wide spread as the Windstar, but not bad.
Sound proofing is good, and tires wear evenly...getting ready to rotate them the second time in a month or so. Headlights are great! So is availablility of storage compartments. One down side...plastic bumper covers scratch easily with rock chips or setting stuff on them while loading into back hatch. They could beef this up a bit.
General: Few complaints...no one vehicle is 100% perfect. It is heavy, so around town gas mileage is around 16. At speed on level ground (Interstate) we did a little over 24. Plenty of engine to make it through the mountains, but of course, gas mileage was around 17.
I have a Thule Mountaineer that I use on the roof rack and it did just fine on trips from Cleveland,Ohio to Outer Banks, NC 600+ miles and to Upstate NY 400+ miles. I also have a class 3 hitch installed after market and use it for a Sardis Bike Hitch holding 5 bikes. The van performed very well.
I have been quite pleased with the Van's performance and so far the service has been very good. I also get about 16-17 MPG around town and 22 with all the paraphenalia attached on trips.
Nice to hear you've passed the two year milestone uneventfully.
Steve, Host
CR got 16 mpg overall in their test Sedona, 21 in the Sienna, 18 in the Ody, and 19 in the MPV. I was pleased to see the Sedona only 2 mpg behind Ody. This seems to reflect reality much better than the EPA highway numbers, which are 5 mpg apart (25 vs. 20).
I've had my Sedona for under 3 months and it was already towed in 4 separate times and in the service dept. for 28 days total with stalling, vibration, CEL issues. Sure it was all covered under warranty, but they kept the car longer than expected and who knows what's down the road.....
Look, it may just be my particular car that has had so many issues, unfortunately, but the bottom line is... I paid as much as everyone else for my Sedona and I cannot feel that it is as reliable as the (other) higher priced minivans due to it's history. I do not have as much faith and security in my brand new Sedona as I did getting into my Grand Caravan which I had for five years.
Consumer Reports historically has been very biased against new cars simply because there is no history. I had a Plymouth Voyager (94) before and so far my Sedona far out paces that van. I am very pleased with all of the features (creature comforts) and its handling. The power is such a small issue relatively speaking - this van has very good power - just compare.
I am not going to pay another $8000 just to get a few more horses running in my engine. By the way - do we really need another puke green Honda Oddy on the road? I am not kidding - 8 of 10 that I see are all that same horrifying color including my parent's and my sister's.
Anyway, has anyone come up with a way to repair so that it is not so obvious?
If there is one piece of plastic on this vehicle that needs to have pigment throughout, it is this one.
I have another one for you. My wife was taking my children to the community pool in August. She applied sun screen to the kids, put them in the car and went to the pool. As she used the speed control on the steering wheel, it began to melt. Really. The sun screen must have had something (alcohol) that was on her hand that began to melt the surface of the button. The Dealer has ordered another and said that they have seen similar problems on Chrysler product.
You might try asking your dealer if they would replace it since you feel it has gotten damaged (scratched/scuffed) too easily.
I need one more breakdown with the same problem and it will be under the lemon law at that time. However, since my last repair on Aug. 8, my car has been great. No stalling or vibrating, no CEL anymore. I am finally enjoying my Sedona. Hopefully, it will last.
Kia did try to "settle" with me by giving me 2 months worth of car payments back, however I declined since if my car does breakdown within the next 21 months or 16,000 miles I want to be able to use the lemon law. If I took the money from them then I wouldn't have been able to bring a lemon lawsuit against them in the future.
Time will tell but as I said the car has been great for the last 5 weeks and 2000 miles. I believe that the problem was the dealer that I went to at first. It was where I purchased the car and they didn't have a clue as to the problem. As soon as I had it towed to another Kia on the 4th breakdown, they determined the sensor problem and immediately fixed it. A lot of aggrevation I believe could have been avoided if I went to them in the first place. I am beginning to have more confidence in my Sedona and really enjoy the smooth ride and comfortable interior.
What was the problem with your Suburban that you had to go lemon with it? Good luck with your replacement. Let us know what you finally decide on for your van.
If asked what is the largest problem with the car market in the US today, I would respond that it has to be dealer service. I just wrote off the dealer service department I bought the van from, too, given my last experience.
I am not convinced they replaced the recalled seatbelt bolts since they only indicated two on the work order instead of 4....but they insist it was done.
They stock almost no parts. (How good can there inventory tracking be if they can't count bolts...?)
I need new AC compressor (works but very noisy), which will take two to three weeks to arrive and another visit to repair.
They also claimed to replace the rear door wiper arm nut cover moulding - but it wasn't there when I got the van. Clearly, they they just planned to leave the well-corroded retaining nut since that was still there, too.
There does not appear to be any significant incentive for dealer service departments to do good work, especially on warranty repairs where they have a nearly captive audience and I suspect they get paid like doctors on HMO plans (set usual and customary fees with plenty of review by bean couters on the amount of time invoiced for any particular repair.)
I know other people here have mentioned service problems. I don't believe this is a "Kia" problem only. If GM (I won't buy a GM anything again for this very reason) isn't able to encourage higher standards, Kia will definitely have no success.
At least I don't have to pay a deductible per visit for extended warranty work like DC buyers.
I also believe it is a general automotive industry problem not a "Kia" problem.
The first dealer kept my car for 12 days on my second incident probably working on it at their leisure. The car broke down on them on one of their test drives at which point they told us a Kia engineer will be coming to them to determine what the problem was. No such engineer ever appeared. After the 12 days they told me they fixed a "short". I'm not too sure I believe it.
After getting the car back it stalled again 4 days later and was towed back to them. At that point they kept it for 10 days and who knows what they did with it. They apparantely idled the car for hours which at some point it did stall for them too. However, they didn't know what the problem was because "no codes were registered on the computer". So they just kept the car for the 10 days and finally just told us to pick it up since it "hasn't stalled since the first day and maybe it WORKED ITSELF OUT". Can you believe that? They knew there was a problem, but couldn't be bothered to try to figure it out.
They are the most inept service dept I have ever dealt with and they will never see me again. The fourth and final time it stalled in the middle of driving, 3 days later, on a busy road and that is when I had it towed to the other dealer (luckily) who determined the cam and crank sensor problem.
I hope this is the end of my story and that my luck has changed with my Sedona. I also do not look forward to anymore warranty work since there is a real problem with "customer service" in the service departments in the auto industry.
First problem was at 950 miles when they had to replace my oxygen sensor. Then at 5400 miles my crankshaft sensor broke off in my engine, 3 steering wheel shafts, 3 batteries, idler and pitnum arm, whole new onstar as it stopped working and they had to take the whole unit out and put in a brand new one, pass 2 key interference sensor along with the ignition system ....I was there so much that the courtesy driver knew where I lived and even where my daughters preschool was as we had to pick her up from school 2 times. Most of the time I would get a rental car...went through 6 of those. Thank God I had onstar for all of the jump starts and towings I needed.
These manufactures should see this from the beginning and offer to take care of it right away. If they did, I would still be in a truck, vs leaving the company and SUV market. This is my second GM lemon and I have won both cases. I figured I should give another company a try, so I am pretty sure we are going with the Nissan Quest. I will let you know.
If the manufacturer paid the dealers upfront for diagnosing a problem maybe there would not have to be be so many buybacks from the manufacturer. And the manufacturer also loses that customer to another brand since they no longer have faith in that brand anymore.
With my Sedona, a lawyer already accepted my case, however I put it off hoping that the 2nd dealer actually found the problem and also to build a stronger case in case another problem arises.
The air conditioner compressor is very noisy when energized. I have taken it back 4 times and they say they have made minor adjustments but is all they can do until Kia comes up with a bracket to keep the suction line from vibrating.
We as well experienced having our front windsheild break at 14,000 miles. I took it into the dealer and with no questions asked they ordered a new one and installed it the next weelk.
All in all we have been very pleased with our Sadona.
I sat in a 1500 mile 2003 and the hum (though much less) is there also, and I proved with the service rep in the 2003 that the noise is not the radiator fan as it exists even if the radiator fan is not running (it only runs as needed).
I am beginning to think this is the sound of the refrigerant running through the system / passing through the heat exchanger. The noise is almost non-existent when the engine is running above idle, though. Unfortunately, stop lights are a fact of life around here and some of them I've timed to 3.5 minutes between green, assuming one makes it through on one cycle....
On the otherhand, at least it sounds nothing like a high pitched motorcycle from the rear....
So I made an appointment to have it re-aligned before we did damage to the tires. At the service center, after the counterman and a tech each drove it, and after having it on the alignment equipment, they informed me the alignment was within specs but that it had a little bit of torque steer that was causing it to drift right.
I was not familiar with torque steer, and as I understand their explanation, front wheel drive cars have two front-end axles. Each is a different length, and it is possible for them to get a little off causing the drift. Has anyone else run into this? They did not seem to think that it was any kind of problem. Input, please.
Steve, Host
This morning when I drove with this additional information I did notice less drift when I was off the gas. However, it did seem that I did not have to be accelerating hard to get the drift.
If this occurs when one is accelerating (which is a frequent occurrence when driving a car), what is this doing to tire wear? As a layman, I would think that it is a negative.
I have the both sets of seats installed and
often use the air.
At 65 MPH I get 25 to 26 without the air.
Here are some particulars:
TIRES- orignial KUMHO , 29,000 miles, set to maximum factory ( tire factory ) pressure of 44 PSI.
OIL- MObil 1 - Synthetic 15-50W
Air Filter- KIA - new.
ROOF RACK- Installed.
No ABS , NO Sunroof, No rear " spoiler " wing
Original spark plugs.