I wish I had of bought a Saturn. I did expect that the company(Kia) would at least honor the warranty. Big mistake, I'll know better next time.
we were looking into buying one, but i had went online and read some reviews. the prices on them were great, and they had a 3K rebate, which we need in order to get out of our old van, but the reviews really turned me off. i am so glad that consumers are alerting others out there to beware. we bought an '02 dodge caravan, will be paying it off for the rest of my life (it seems), but atleast it's sturdy and dependable.
You are better off even if you do pay a little more. At least you have a car that is reasonably safe and runs http://www.pcpages.com/kiario/index.html
Anybody have any other ideas on what I can do to turn the pressure up on this dealer? Besides court while I don't want to do just yet. http://www.pcpages.com/kiario/
It seems that one is better off with any car other than KIA. DH's sister had a KIA last year, whatever that low end sedan of theirs is called. She ditched it and bought a Volvo. She says that the car was just unstable (so what's new). You know, it's scary just how many people are dissatisifed with KIA. And many of them don't even get to the point of bitching about warranty, they ditch the car because it's just unsafe to drive. PawMix
I really wish I had researched a little better before I bought my Kia. I had read some printed articles on the model I bought and they were positive. As I think back I realize that most of these were written after one test drive by the author. I should have check the net better and read the reports of people who had actually purchased them and drove them day after day. People who had tried to have them repaired and found that the dealers would not honor the warranties. I should have researched them much better than what I did. http://www.pcpages.com/kiario/
I'd like an opinon from some of the credit net posters. I'm wanting to put a little more pressure on this dealer. The only communication I am receiving from them is request for my name, which I am certain they already now. They have even turned down an offer to post their side of the story. Was wondering if I should send them my name along with an "Intent to Sue" letter? Was wondering if a little push might may them decide to do something without all the hassle of getting a lawyer and going to court. Which I am afraid it is going to come to.
Mike, I certainly agree that KIA should honor your warranty through the dealership where you bought your car. A person might call a KIA crap and be correct. KIA might use the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty as a come-on to make the sale. The salesman might employ a little "puff¨ when negotiating the sale. But the bottom line here is that KIA does provide the warranty with your car and is bound to the terms, as well as the "lemon laws¨ of your state. They do need to step up to the plate here, or have a good reason for "calling the game". I have read all the posts in this thread and have reviewed your web site. I have looked at your communications with the dealer and your communications to members of this board and other email you post on your site. You asked for some honest input here, so I am going to give you some. I don't intend to hurt your feelings or rub salt in any wounds, so please consider my observations with an open mind, and then sleep on it overnight before you pass judgement on my comments. I believe that you handled this well until you told the service manager that his opinion wouldn't carry much weight in court.¨ If you want to alienate someone, this is good start. Much better to try to bring him around to your side. You threatened to write letters to the newspaper, picket the dealership, and create a derogatory website about his dealership. IMHO you are attempting to blackmail the dealer into fixing your car ¡s probably not going to work......... Your website may border on slander, I don't know ¡V that would be up to a judge to decide. I hope that isn't what you really want here. The general manager of the dealership offered an open communication with you and you declined, referring him to your website. Sorry, but he is right ¡V he needs your VIN to look at the records to deal with you. In the emails you posted on your website, it is evident that he has really attempted to at least communicate with you several times. What do you have to gain by "bantering¨ with him? And the service manager is absolutely right - if you ARE suing them, he has absolutely no business talking to you. You just entered the world of lawyer-to-lawyer communication, at your insistence! All this is going to do is cost you big bucks! If this is really a pissing contest, who do you think is going to win? (I guess I may be making an assumption that if you bought a KIA in the first place, you don't have thousands of dollars that you can afford to piss away here. Your legal fees to defend a slander lawsuit could easily be more than the car is worth.) Again, IMHO, if you had directed all the energy towards a constructive way to resolve the warranty issue that you have in bantering with the dealership, creating the web site, and trying to get everyone around you behind you you may have had this resolved long ago. Again, I don¡¦t make these observations to hurt your feelings, or in any way attack you, but only to try to help you realize there might be a better way to get your car fixed. That being said, LET'S MOVE ON to some information that might help you in your quest to resurrect the KIA: I grew up in a Chevy dealership where my dad was the sales manager. I worked summers detailing cars and developed relationships with the mechanics, the service manager, the salesmen, the owner and even the bookkeeper. I saw first hand how many aspects of the dealership work, including warranty repairs. I lived in small town America where repeat customers were all that kept you in business, so the dealership tried very hard to make everyone happy (which is sometimes impossible, but usually achievable). The one thing that sticks out in my mind is that, even if the dealer doesn't have the power to make a questionable repair, the DISTRICT MANAGER for the brand of automobile in question DOES! He really exists and he has a name (as well as feelings and possibly an ego as well). If your dealer won't put you in direct contact with him, the manufacturer or another dealer can give you the contact information that you need. A well-written letter (with only the pertinent details and no personal feelings expressed) is usually enough to convince the DM that he should personally look at your car (as well as the maintenance records). If you present your case in a favorable light, he may look on it in a favorable light. Over the years, I saw many "out of warranty¨ repairs done under the factory warranty for paint as well as mechanical problems. If you feel the need to have another KIA dealer help you, just ask their assistance in resolving a warranty problem. I don't know how well the dealer is reimbursed for doing the warranty work, but the DM has the ability to authorize a little extra money if needed to keep a customer happy. Anyway, that is where I would always start in a warranty (or even an out-of-warranty) dispute, just asking that they be fairs with me and keep me referring potential customers to their dealership. When I first read your postings, I spent about 20 minutes "googling" KIA+warranty and came up with a TON of very useful information. Pay particular attention to page 26 of the 114 page online Kia Warranty Information below ¡V they basically agree that SIMPLY not doing adequate maintenance or failing to keep the receipts is NOT grounds for denying a warranty repair. However the dealer may have made other observations that have not been disclosed to you yet. I have tried to include active links where I can, but I am not a real good guru, so you may have to cut & paste these urls to your web browser: Kia Online Warranty Information: http://www.kia.com/warranty/index.shtml 114 Page Kia Warranty Manual http://www.kia.com/2003warranty.pdf Page 26: ¡§As the Kia vehicle owner, you are responsible for the performance of the required maintenance listed in your owner¡¦s manual. Kia recommends that you retain all receipts covering maintenance on your vehicle but Kia cannot deny warranty solely for the lack of receipts or for your failure to ensure the performance of all scheduled maintenance.¡¨ Other sites of interest: http://www.carsurvey.org/review_30377.html http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/kia_stalling.html http://www.columbus-oh.bbb.org/bbbasp/DisplayNewsItem.asp?ID=34 http://www.lemonlawclaims.com/ http://www.carsurvey.org/review_17667.html ¡§And KIA, despite what they may say about the warranty, makes every effort to get out of any warranty obligations at every possible opportunity. ¡§ http://165.235.17.9/StdPage.asp?Body=/geninfo/publications/New_Vehicle_Warranty_Repairs-Jun_1998.htm ¡§Having Repair Problems With Your New Vehicle? â??h First, consult your warranty booklet/owner's manual to obtain information regarding repairs. â??h Next, attempt to resolve the problem with the dealer from whom you purchased the vehicle. â??h If you cannot resolve the repair problem with the dealer, contact the manufacturer's representative. (refer to your owner's manual for the telephone number.) â??h If you still have concerns, you may request arbitration from your manufacturer if you meet these requirements: â??h the specific problem is covered by your warranty; and â??h the problem substantially reduces the use, value or safety of your vehicle. â??h If your vehicle meets these requirements, request an arbitration application by calling the appropriate program (telephone numbers are included below). â??h Apply for arbitration and, if you qualify, you will be required to submit information relating to your specific case. â??h After you submit the information, the arbitration program will schedule a date for your case to be considered. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) "Auto Line" Council of Better Business Bureaus Inc. 4200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 800 Arlington, Virginia 22203 1-800-955-5100¡¨ www.carlemon.com/lemon/CA_lemonaid.pdf There was much more information on the web Mike, but I don't own a KIA and I do have a life, so I didn't spend more of my time to pursue the warranty issue. I do hope this helps you get your Kia repaired and back on the road soon! We peers at CreditNet are your friends and do try our best to help each other, even if sometimes we don't like what we hear. Peace brother¡K¡K¡K¡K BKinUT
Re: I really can spell Regarding my reply to you late last night Mike........ Since my reply was fairly lengthy and I had several resource websites to share with you, I "cut and pasted" the urls and some of the quotations I wanted to share. I did this with MSWord, spell checked and then pasted it into the CreditNet forum as I have done many times. Unfortunately, every time the board's text editor saw an apostrophe or several periods in a row, it replaced them with gobletygooks. I did catch most of them in review before I posted, but some that I corrected were even posted as gobletygook. Sorry about that everyone - I have never used the clip board, but I looks like I will have to give it a try. I really CAN spell................... BKinUT
BkinUT, I appreciate your being honest and for all the effort you made in composing this posting. You make some valid points and I will give them consideration. I agree, your observations regarding my comments to the service manager are correct, I should have handled that differently. I attribute that to my Scotch-Irish ancestry and some recent brain surgery. The guyâ??s attitude was terrible and thus I displayed a little of my own temper. Incidentally, the dealership now denies that this man is the service manager. As for the GMâ??s offer of communication, I am very skeptical about it. Most of my earlier attempts at communication and attempting to solve this matter were not well received. I may go ahead and make another attempt to do so even though I am not certain it will do me any good. Both the dealer and manufacturer refused to put me in contact with the representative for my area so I could plead my case directly to him. To be honest, I am very skeptical that this person has even examined the car and I question their diagnosis that the engine has blown. I base this on my own experience with automobiles, I have a background in engineering, and I know the car was adequately serviced. As was pointed out in one of the websites you referenced, Kia, â??makes every effort to get out of any warranty obligations at every possible opportunity.â? I believe that is what is happening here. Thanks again for posting your observations and I will continue to give them thought. Please feel free to post or e-mail anymore you may have.
