23rd Sep 2009, 08:19
Hmm...I have a '04 Sedona, and although it has had a few minor problems, I have had absolutely NO problem with the warranty repair. The dealer has always taken care of it and I just sign a paper when I pick it up, done. No hassle, no problem. I have taken it to two different dealerships for service and had the same experience.
It has 79,000 miles and I have been happy so far. Having had a nightmare of an Oldsmobile Silhouette before, I consider this car to have been a good value.
My parents bought a Honda Odyssey used, which cost more than my Kia new. They have had so many problems with it. Auto doors freezing up to leaks.
My van drives nicer and has more pickup, although not as roomy the instrument panel is much nicer.
My husband also drives a Hyundai Sonata, which we love.
I feel bad you had a poor experience, but mine has been pretty good so far.
23rd Sep 2009, 13:28
To the original reviewer - thank you - there will be no KIA's parked in my garage.
20th Oct 2009, 04:40
You are probably lucky if you got Kia to cover this blown head gasket. It actually states in their warranty terms that you need to follow their maintenance program or else the warranty would be void. I had this problem using a local highly skilled mechanic instead of the Kia dealer 80 miles away. I explained the problem in me driving first 80 miles to the dealer, then 115 miles to work in the other direction, and then 115 miles back to the dealer, and then 80 miles back for a simple tune up. They still said that I had to bring the car in, which I ignored and I later got into trouble doing this because these cars are a lot of trouble. The head gasket is a standard issue on these cars and I know that people have sued to get Kia USA to cover repairs. I guess that's why they agreed to cover the head gasket repair and not because they are nice.
Kia cars used to be sold at a low price, and I guess that they can't shell out a lot of money on repairs. But all in all, Kias are OK enough, but now I've running a Ford since the dealer is 5 miles away. Before Kia was priced below anything in the market, but now they cost the same as anything from Ford, GM, Toyota or whatever, and are not a bargain anymore.
15th Aug 2007, 19:01
The ac compressor on my 2004 KIA Sedona went out at about 65,000 miles. Otherwise, it has been a reliable vehicle. I have never has to have service on any of the vehicles I owned before they were paid off... until now.
Another thing that irks me... the van is designed such that one must remove the muffler in order to replace the back three spark plugs. The dealer quoted me $2oo for labor to replace the plugs!