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Well, the new door is on and looks pretty good. The dealership had to have the car for 3 extra days because they didn't forsee some issues with the door seals and the rubber trim on the face of the door that surrounds the glass. So that was a surprise. Kia gave me a loaner car for those extra days the Sorento had to stay in the shop.
Over all, I'm pretty happy with the color match and quality of the job. If you look very very closely, you can see were the plastic body panels (EX) are attatched to the door arent quite as flush against the door as I want it to be. I know that sounds worse than it really is... because you really have to look closely and nobody would ever notice this other than me; most likely. But, so far there are no squeeks or rattles... and the door closes with the nice "thunk" all the other doors do. I would say that the paint job that comes from the factory has some "orange peel" effect. The new door and paint appears to be a little smoother than the factory paint job.
Soo, in the end I'm pretty happy. Would I recommend it to others with this same problem? Yes, I would... if your service department and Kia are as open minded about this issue as mine has been. I'm like you Joboo, I want it to be PERFECT. Though I knew it wasn't going to be. But it turned out better than what I had expected. Only time will tell how the new door and the paint wears. Will it fade quicker? Will it look like rest of the pain 6 years from now? Who knows.
But hey, I dont have any dents in my Sorento anymore! And thats what I was really after.
I will post before and after photos as soon as I upload them to my site. I'll put a link up here in the next week so everybody can see what Joboo and I are talking about.
As we are talking about door replacement, I will mention my dealer next time I see service about some rust spots around door edges. I have EX with plastic cladding. When I was detailing the door sill area, I can see some tiny rust spots on the metal section of both rear doors like near the rear doors child safety locks location.
Also, anyone has a good experience with an aftermarket brake pads? I think many agree that there are more brake dust with the Kia OEM brake pads. And I read some good comments about this Satisfied Pro Ceramic Pads with less dust & heat and reduce rotor wear. It is about $40 to $50 per set from Tire Rack or local auto parts stores.
Thanks,
Charles
Bought a Sorento 2,4 EX a week ago, and now I wounder about a noise i hear from the car. In second and third gear, when I after acceleration, let go of the 'throttle' and sort of enginebreak (can't find the right words!), there is a scrambling noise from the back of the car. Sounds like something is loose. It doesn't appear in forth or fitht gear. Could it be the transmission, or does anybody know what it could be?
Kenth
Thanks for letting me complain!
A soon to be ex Kia owner,
Carol
Just bought a used 03 EX (14k miles)last night fully loaded with every option and I have already had an unusual sound develop. While getting off the highway after a short 85 mph sprint I switched the overdrive from on to off while rolling to the exit stoplight to slow the truck down a little (at a very slow speed). In the process I noticed a very noticeable clicking noise blended into the usual quiet idle while I waited on the light. The noise lasted for about a quarter of a mile and I almost pulled over to inspect before it disappeared.
Has anyone had a noticeable clicking noise with their idle? It sounded like a belt rubbing for a sec but it had me concerned. Should I worry?
Should I take it back before I completely fall in love with this fantastic truck?
I got an 03 EX with Luxury & full time 4WD, Anti lock brakes, climate control, tow hitch, 6cd, etc etc etc. for 19k - I love it but really concerned about this temporary clicking noise. Very weird.
I understand the Kia don't offer any loaner car. But under some circumstances like your car needs over 6 shop hours. I think there is a gray area on this issue. You need to confirm this with your dealer. If they insist, keep all your receipts for the rental and contact the Kia Consumer Affairs, possible a complaint. You need to know this is not your fault.
I also have self-levelizer on my EX 4WD. I have no problem with it and heard no noises. The leather seats is just as good as before even with a car seat. I take good care of it. No scratch at all.
I don't think your situation is consider LEMON. You must show that they have repaired the same problem for three times and still failed. You need to contact Kia directly first.
BTW, after months of reading of airbag light problem. I just got the airbag light on this morning. I have to go to my dealer this weekend. I assume there is a lose connector under the driver's side. Kia must deal with this problem and possible do some modification or recalls.
I was also in the service for the Kia rep about the rust on rear doors. I supposed with meet one yesterday. But they called the service that they are not coming. They (Kia rep) have been giving the service and me a short notice about the visit. I actually opened a complaint file with Kia Consumer Affairs over this. I took a day off yesterday for almost nothing, only have the airbag light fixed.
I wish I could describe it better, but unfortunately I cant.
I have '04 EX and at around 40km/4000 rpm and above, I can hear a rattling, something is loose noise. It sounds like its coming from underneath the centre of the truck somewhere, but I haven't been able to pinpoint the exact source of the noise.
It only happens when its moving at 40km or more. I tried revving the motor in neutral at around 4000 and don't hear it, so it appears it only happens when it is in motion.
anybody seen or heard of this before...
I had a transfer case replaced last summer. My car had 7500 miles at that time. One or two weeks before the problem occurred, the car turned like you are in 4Lo mode when making U-turns. I felt the rear wheels were locked. I couldn't hear any noise but felt the car isn't really moving when making turns. I didn't pay much attention to it. Days later, the car drove like it was in 4Lo even in straight line when the car was in AUTO mode. I had to go to dealer for service. My car was in the shop for a week to replaced the transfer case.
Have your service to look at it. I was lucky to have the problem before a road trip.
Thanks!
Second thing to so is that the spare tire may be loose and rattling in its housing. Try tightening it fisrt, it may be lose and causing the noise. Or lower it and check to see if there is any scuff marks on the tire where it makes contact to the body even if there isn't any marks get some thin foam or cardboard and use it separate the tire from the housing.
This morning, I replaced the air filter. I thought it was the cause. It was quite dirty with some small tree leaves inside the air filter elements. But I still have the rough ride. Any comments? A transmission re-programming?
I looked at the Kia service information site. The probably causes for rough idle, engine hesitates and poor acceleration are vacuum hose, PCV value, spark plugs or ignition wiring. I will go to my service tomorrow for the check up. Friend of mine has a similar problem on his Camry. His car was even worst when taking of from a full stop. His dealer did some re-programming on the transmission and it runs perfectly.
I have a 1993 Sorento and got a coin stuck behind
my ashtray compartment and cannot close compartment. Does anyone know how to remove cartrige so I can get coin out of the way.
Thanks
tom
Again, the RMP is slightly higher than normal when cruising on the same road. It has poor acceleration. I replaced air filter, checked all fluids, tire pressure and not driving with O/D switch off.
sorentoguy Apr 22, 2004 11:31am
Are you lurking, Sorentoguy?
Steve, Host
With the shudder, I'm sure you have also noticed the RPM's climb a bit. Basically your transmission is downshifting to O/D (overdrive).
I've noticed when I'm traveling at a rate of about 50-65mph on a moderate to steep decline, my transmission will downshift abruptly to help slow down the vehicle. The first few times it happend, it startled me a bit. But its normal.
But i ask the question about braking because I had to have all 4 brake rotors on my Kia replaced because of warping of the rotors. Because of the warped rotors, the vehicle really shuddered when braking, especially from higher speeds.
Hope that helps some.
How many miles do you have on your Sorento? My brake rotors, and pads were replaced at 22,000 miles. The cause of the warped brake rotors is still up for debate, but I think it was caused by overtorqued lug nuts.
The first time I noticed I slight vibration from braking, I took my Sorento in to have it checked. The Service department said nothing was wrong, but interestingly, the problem was suddenly worse. So I took the car back in, and same thing happened. So now the brakes were sooo bad, nobody could miss what I was talking about. So I took my Sorento into a different dealership and had the service guy ride with me so I could show how bad it was. I told him the disks felt warped, and he agreed. After close inspection he felt the disks were warped because the prior service department had the torque rating on their air tools incorrectly set, thus warping the disks. They replaced everything with no questions asked and gave me a loaner car.
I've heard from other posters in this room and other Kia rooms of similiar problems with their brake rotors warping as well. I would take your vehicle in as soon as you can and have them check it. Also ask them what torque rating they are using when tightening those lug nuts. Kia has informed me the correct torque rating to be 80 foot pounds.
I hope this helps ocean. Let us know what you find.