Topic: Thinking of buying a Kia 7 YEAR WARRANTY READ THIS FIRST BIG PROBS

[halfofmanic]

Would have given a higher rating if we had picked the car up in summer  thought it was great when we picked it up  everything the road tests had remarked on where true

until we had the first frost  1 week from new ( feb 3rd 2010 picked up ) 

Drivers door wouldn't open either with central locking or key    it has been the same every time it gets below freezing...

My wife got the car through a disability scheme but luckily I drive the car for her although she can drive as well   you have to climb across from the passenger seat. It takes 1/2 to 1&1/2  hours  to right itself... If I wasn't around my wife couldn't use the car in any cold snap

what about the disabled who are not  lucky enough to have somebody who can climb over the seat  to drive.

also if you have an accident where you were hurt during this lock out how could you get across to the passenger seat if you had a broken arm or leg. Rang the dealer on the first occasion    and was told if you can't wait to book it in  call the R. A.C.  assist  they may be able to sort it out sooner   

yet when you look at the manual that comes with the car it says and I quote

"In cold and wet climates door lock and door mechanisms may not work properly due to freezing conditions"   The Nissan Note always opened with central locking  even when it was minus 8   surly the car is not fit for any country where it may dip below freezing   I think its going to be a long 3 year lease.

[halfofmanic]

Update regarding above After sending an e mail  to head office, the one above, and
the dealer we got the car from we got a phone call 5 mins after   regarding the probs

the gentleman listened and said it just wouldn't do   said they had some special grease which has solved the problem on 80%  of cars    he was surprised  that the problem was mentioned in the handbook   the car is booked in for Monday

If the big super duper grease works why doesn't the manufacturer  put it on  ??? ??? ::)

[BarriedaleNick]

I should coco!!
I have never had a car where the locks freeze, though my door did get frozen shut in Jan..
It is completely unacceptable for a car leased through a disability scheme to fail like this..

Let us know if the grease fixes it...

You may be interested in:

http://www.kia-forums.com/kia-ceed-forum/55897-frozen-driver-door-lock-mechanism.html
http://www.kia-forums.com/kia-ceed-forum/55346-manual-locking-unlocking-problem.html

You are not alone it seems...

[kt.]

I don't own a Kia but a friend of mine purchased one last year.  He said reading the small print - the 7 year warranty is on a sliding scale.  What is covered under warranty from new, reduces year on year.  So by the time you get to the 7th year only a small percentage of the initial warranty things covered still stand.  Some things covered in year 1-3 are not covered from year 4,  Some things covered in year 4 are not covered in year 5 and so on. 

[OllieC]

And all the time you're in the 7 years, I bet they push you down the main dealer servicing route... Costing twice what a good indie garage would charge!

[halfofmanic]

I should coco!!
I have never had a car where the locks freeze, though my door did get frozen shut in Jan..
It is completely unacceptable for a car leased through a disability scheme to fail like this..

Let us know if the grease fixes it...

You may be interested in:



http://www.kia-forums.com/kia-ceed-forum/55897-frozen-driver-door-lock-mechanism.html
http://www.kia-forums.com/kia-ceed-forum/55346-manual-locking-unlocking-problem.html

You are not alone it seems...

Thanks for the links    first thing we did before we got a strop on was to check them out   it seems harsh   when the company know about it and leave the tidying up to the dealers

[halfofmanic]

I don't own a Kia but a friend of mine purchased one last year.  He said reading the small print - the 7 year warranty is on a sliding scale.  What is covered under warranty from new, reduces year on year.  So by the time you get to the 7th year only a small percentage of the initial warranty things covered still stand.  Some things covered in year 1-3 are not covered from year 4,  Some things covered in year 4 are not covered in year 5 and so on.  

And all the time you're in the 7 years, I bet they push you down the main dealer servicing route... Costing twice what a good indie garage would charge!

Thanks for the above  Kt   &  Ollie

Because we lease the car there is another car  in 3 years  and servicing is in the package   but that doesn't help others     the dealership acted quickly    but don't know if the super duper grease will work  :-X

[lewic]

I'd get rid of it, trade it in for another Nissan if you can.

[Chrispy]

And all the time you're in the 7 years, I bet they push you down the main dealer servicing route... Costing twice what a good indie garage would charge!

You would have thought that a main dealer would do a better job, you know, know all the little quirks of their models, but no, well not Skoda, 2 dealers my OHs Fabia has been to, and we have had so many problems, mainly fitting parts that are not needed.

Having said that, after saying never again to skoda, when one day it would not start, and the AA man had no idea it got taken to the local independent.
They charged £50+VAT to diagnose the fault, which they said was a new throttle (£400) :( Skoda had already fitted a new throttle 2 years earlier, and I am pretty sure it was not needed, so I got the car home, then managed to fix it myself for a cost of £1.50 for some cable ties to tie the cable to replace the broken one I found, and £30 on a gadget to download and clear any error codes.

[halfofmanic]

You would have thought that a main dealer would do a better job, you know, know all the little quirks of their models,
OllieC

HI OllieC The dealership is the largest in Europe  We had to read out the frost warning out of the handbook  we left him going to look at the book  even though  he had fixed other cars with "THE GREASE" he didn't know about the warning  We really like the car when we can get in   so if the grease doesn't work we may need a summer car and a winter car    ;D ;D ;D


Helloo  Lewic

I'd get rid of it, trade it in for another Nissan if you can
 
Tied in to a lease contract  for next 3 years   funny thing is which motoring  and other test sites  gave it  glowing reports all round    Imagine if the tests were done in mid winter   and the testers couldn't get in    be like an abandoned driving test

Wonder if that was luck or planned  by Kia  ::) ::)

[valmarg]

We bought a second-hand KIA about two years ago.  We have experienced the problem you mention this winter, probably because it has been soo cold.  Last year, being milder, wasn't so bad.

I sympathise with your wife, being disabled, and having to climb in the back.  I've had to do the same.  The difference is, that I'm too old to be climbing over seats to get into the car.  It is a very serious fault.

Another little 'fault' you may encounter.  If, when you lock the car and one of the doors is not entirely closed, a little red light shows on the dashboard that a door is open.  This is enough to drain the battery, so if you have to climb in the back door to get into the car, you can't start the engine because the battery is flat.  Oh joy, oh bliss.

The tax runs out at the end of April this year, and we shall be changing the car before then.  It has been an extremely expensive car to repair, as the parts are VERY expensive.

Will we be getting another KIA, will we buffalo, aka NO WAY.

valmarg

[halfofmanic]

I sympathise with your wife, being disabled, and having to climb in the back.  I've had to do the same.  The difference is, that I'm too old to be climbing over seats to get into the car.  It is a very serious fault.

  Oh joy, oh bliss.
valmarg

Hi valmarg   we don't  have to climb over the seats luckily  I don't think I could do that  and I know the better half definitely couldn't        the key or the remote    open all doors apart from drivers side    so I only have     say only its blo**y   awkward    to get across from passenger seat.       

[DolphinGarden]

I don't own a Kia but a friend of mine purchased one last year.  He said reading the small print - the 7 year warranty is on a sliding scale.  What is covered under warranty from new, reduces year on year.  So by the time you get to the 7th year only a small percentage of the initial warranty things covered still stand.  Some things covered in year 1-3 are not covered from year 4,  Some things covered in year 4 are not covered in year 5 and so on. 

Wow, the way they trumpet the 7 year deal on the radio here you'd never have guessed...

[PurpleHeather]

Personally I would call it 'not fit for purpose' in any country where the temperature falls below zero.

What do trading standards say? Or is the cop out in the small print?