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Yppej
2-3-21, 7:12pm
I just did an alignment, tires, it needs rear brakes. In December the oil light was flickering sporadically and the mechanic said the oil sensor might be going bad but no way to tell until it is bad.

Now it's flickering again so I am taking it to a different mechanic. If it's not the sensor it could be something like an oil pump that could wreck the engine.

So I pull over and there's some light on the parking lot but not a lot. I am trying to read the dipstick but I can't see, so I get my reading glasses, then I still can't see because the damn mask fogs up my glasses. I check and recheck and recheck and recheck and finally add a little oil but the light still flickers off and on, especially when I am idling in park.

I have had three codes in the past month - very brief check engine the mechanic thinks triggered by the stability control system when I was trying to drive through the snow, tire pressure light when it gets cold out, now oil pressure light again. It is so hard to know should I keep pouring money into the car? What if I do and it fails its state inspection next month and I spent all that for nothing? But I would rather not buy a new car if I don't have to.

So I don't really hate my car, but I hate OBD systems which flag noncritical (as well as legit) issues and cause you to fail inspection. Once before I had to get rid of a car because I could not get it to pass although it drove fine. I hate that my state mandates inspections. It's no problem to rich people who lease or buy new vehicles every few years. It only hurts the little guy.

KBB trade-in value is $3000.00. For that low a value I would just put heavier oil and STP in it and drive it into the ground ... But the inspection hovers over me.

iris lilies
2-3-21, 8:01pm
Several states don’t do inspections at all. And then another group does it for only out of state vehicles.

Yppej
2-3-21, 11:25pm
I emailed the new car saleswoman I met with last year. Her dealership has Kias and the 10 year or 100,000 mile warranty appeals to me.

SteveinMN
2-4-21, 9:44am
For what it's worth, we have a 2010 Kia Soul (demo from the dealer) that has been dead-on reliable through Minnesota winters and -- umm -- not-careful driving. My understanding is that the newer ones are not quite so dead simple. But what we thought would be a little gamble of a purchase (Kia not far removed at the time from their only selling point being their low low price) turned out to be a winner for us. I don't have a problem buying a new vehicle since we drive them until it doesn't make economic sense to fix them. But there are ways, like buying a demo, to save some money in the process.

iris lilies
2-4-21, 9:54am
I like Kia Souls, I like their styling. I specially like red ones and the green ones. I like their hamster marketers.

ToomuchStuff
2-4-21, 10:47am
How much is a state inspection?
How handy are you (could you unscrew the sensor yourself and screw the new one in, special socket)?
If you know you need rear brakes, that will have to be done to pass. Also how long are inspections good for in your area? Could you say get it inspected for instance, with in 3 weeks of when it is do (know what you need to do, or time frame for replacement), then go appropriately?

Oil sensors do go bad, so do oil pumps. However it could be other stuff like sludge (not changing the oil often enough) that starts to clog up the screen (restricting flow), low oil level (keep a rag and flashlight), etc.

Yppej
2-4-21, 11:14am
The inspection is $35 and good for one year. I am not mechanically inclined.

The oil sensor does not come on until the car is warm (took 40 minutes of driving this morning) so maybe I could go first thing in the morning and pass, I don't know. But with warmer weather I have read the problem gets worse. And you can put additives or thicker oil in but it just masks and does not solve the problem which if not just a sensor could leave you stranded when your engine seizes up.

If I get the brakes done they may well need calipers so $700ish just for the rear brakes, then who knows how much for the oil light issue. I already put $544 into tires and a tire protection plan that I am now regretting, and am asking myself if it would just be good money chasing bad. I am still thinking about it. The saleswoman gets in to work at 1 and will get back to me this afternoon. At 20,000 miles a year driving I would have 5 years on a 100K warranty and if the purchase price is say $15K that is $3K a year and true I will need some routine maintenances but I think it will be less per year than I would be putting in going forward on a car only worth $3K.

Tybee
2-4-21, 11:29am
We had a kia that was great, and they are moderately priced.

JaneV2.0
2-4-21, 3:04pm
Friends have a Kia and are crazy about it. They're always off on some adventure or another.

I used to joke that if this car ever had any problem, I'd get a new one (after decades of car repairs). So when some anti-theft "protection" kicked in--and I'm sure my battery is dead--I'm thinking a new one is not a bad idea. I can just have one delivered, and they can take the old one off my hands. If I weren't trying to conserve funds, I would have done it already.

Yppej
2-4-21, 5:58pm
The saleswoman didn't seem interested in my business. She only was interested in selling me what she had on the lot. I said I understood she did not have the model I am interested in this time but could she get me the trunk measurements but she refused. There are other dealers within a 100 mile radius that have it and if she had initiative she could transfer the car in and sell it to me. I already test drove the hatchback last year, I just want some specs on the sedan.

Meantime I called the mechanic to cancel the brakes for now and just focus on the oil light. This went very well. I had asked the previous mechanic about a heavier grade oil now that the car is older and he pooh poohed my idea but this guy came up with it himself. I am going to replace the sensor regardless. He said they recently did this on another vehicle and it worked. It is $73.00. I go in Saturday.

JaneV2.0
2-4-21, 6:18pm
The saleswoman didn't seem interested in my business. She only was interested in selling me what she had on the lot. I said I understood she did not have the model I am interested in this time but could she get me the trunk measurements but she refused. There are other dealers within a 100 mile radius that have it and if she had initiative she could transfer the car in and sell it to me. I already test drove the hatchback last year, I just want some specs on the sedan.

Meantime I called the mechanic to cancel the brakes for now and just focus on the oil light. This went very well. I had asked the previous mechanic about a heavier grade oil now that the car is older and he pooh poohed my idea but this guy came up with it himself. I am going to replace the sensor regardless. He said they recently did this on another vehicle and it worked. It is $73.00. I go in Saturday.

This website looks like it might be helpful: https://www.automobiledimension.com/kia-car-dimensions.html

Yppej
2-4-21, 7:09pm
Thanks Jane.

Yppej
2-8-21, 5:38pm
I had the oil pressure sensor aka the sender replaced over the weekend. Today I drove enough to see was the problem fixed. A few times on the way to work and the way home I thought maybe the oil pressure light briefly flashed but I couldn't be sure as my eyes were on the road. As I approached my house I slowed down and really paid attention. The light did flash for a split second when I turned a corner. However, when I was idling at a red light and also in park in my driveway it did not come on at all although the car was warmed up from almost an hour's driving. Previously it would blink rapidly when warmed up and idling. So the repair made things better but maybe there is still something wrong with something expensive like the oil pump.

If I take the car to inspection it could probably pass as I would not run it any distance beforehand but if it's a bad pump who knows how long it would last after that, and I would have to put money into brakes and likely calipers to get it to pass. It is hard to know what to do. The engine temperature is fine and it isn't any noisier than usual which are the other signs of pump problems. The mechanic also said my oil level was fine.

My decision is do I get a new car or put more money into this one.

SteveinMN
2-8-21, 6:13pm
My decision is do I get a new car or put more money into this one.
Well, what would it cost to fix what you know is wrong -- oil pump, brakes -- and maybe other parts your tech has identified as being on the final approach? Let's say $2,000. Is the car rusty? Is the rust more than cosmetic? Almost any new car you buy will cost you at least $400 a month in payments for 4-5 years and that's if you're buying a small entry level vehicle. Plus higher insurance costs (though they're compensated to some extent by lower maintenance costs).

So if the car is sound otherwise, let's say you spend the $2,000 and get six more months of trouble-free ownership out of it. You've kind of broken even compared to new. If you get a year of driving without major repairs, you're ahead of the game.

No one knows for sure, of course, but I'd say it's worth keeping your current car unless yours is about to rust out in a dangerous way (like around suspension mounting points) or if the car no longer meets your needs (too small, can't get cargo into the car easily, etc.) or if you've just lost confidence in its ability to get you around without leaving you stranded. Any one of those three and you probably shouldn't throw more money into this one. But if it's just a matter of reframing expensive repairs as avoiding the cost of a new (or even new-ish) car, this is one way to look at it.

Yppej
2-8-21, 6:37pm
I just put $544 in tires on it, if I need calipers the brakes would be $700, if it needs an pump maybe another $1000, but probably money in diagnostic charges first to determine if the pump is even the problem.

It has 122,800 miles on it and its trade-in value is probably between $2500 and $3000. If the engine dies it will be $0 is one consideration. It is not rusty.

If I can keep it running I would drop the collision when I renew so yes the insurance would be less. The car meets my needs but does cause me fear of being stranded if it breaks down. I do have the high end AAA plan but in winter sitting and waiting for them to show up is no picnic. This morning when I got to work it was 7 degrees out.

Yppej
2-8-21, 6:59pm
I might have just found my answer:

https://www.seattletimes.com/news/flashing-oil-light-could-be-bad-sign/#:~:text=Why%20might%20your%20warning%20indicator, it%20would%20normally%20be%20retained.

Flickering after a half hour of driving is my car. No way would I rebuild the engine.

SteveinMN
2-8-21, 10:51pm
I wouldn't rebuild the engine, either. Replacing the oil sender should be only a few (!) hundred dollars -- if that's what fixes the problem. If it doesn’t, though, you're out the money and you know the remaining fix will be expensive. On the other hand, not fixing the problem likely will reduce your current trade-in value (unless you've already priced the cost of the repair into that estimate). Just filling with thicker oil may cause the engine to work harder in the cold, which isn't good for it either.

Yppej, you know the history of the car. If it's been nickling-and-diming you steadily over the years, it's probably time to let it go. Maybe postpone the decision until you get the car past inspection (or not). I've learned from my Volkswagens that they need a chunk of money every 60-70,000 miles. Some of the money is for consumables (tires, struts, "lifetime" fluids) and there's usually some weird thing that needs to be repaired (one time it was the turn-signal lever). But if I spent the money, the car generally was fine for another 60,000 miles. But that's experience won by almost 30 years of VW ownership.

If you're not comfortable with the car any more and you can swing a new car purchase without becoming "car-poor" it might be time to make the move before investing more money into this one. Tough call. Make it and don't second-guess yourself, maybe on the day you take the car to inspection.

Yppej
2-9-21, 1:41am
I already replaced the sender for $73.00. I made an appointment Saturday to look at Kias and to see what they would give me for a trade-in. My first choice would be a Rio but covid has disrupted production and no place in my area has 2021's only 2020's and I want full warranty on a new car and to not lose a year. Sometimes a car is technically "sold" before the buyer gets it so the dealership gets to meet sales quotas and the warranty starts at that point so that is something I have to watch out for.

My son is good at car buying - helped my parents on their second most recent purchase - so I emailed him but he hasn't responded. We are not getting along lately so I am glad to have this forum to bounce my ideas off.

Yppej
2-9-21, 2:04am
One consideration is the way the state inspection works. They scrape off your existing inspection sticker which is good to the end of the month. You can then pass, fail for emissions in which case a scarlet letter E sticker is put on your windshield or fail for safety in which case a scarlet letter R for reject sticker is put on your windshield. You have 10 days to fix the problem but with an R you are not supposed to drive off the lot and if you do and a cop catches you you will both get a ticket and have to have your car towed from the spot where you were pulled over. So you really are at the mercy of the inspection station. If you need a repair they can overcharge you. For this reason if I plan on keeping the car I would want to get the brakes done before the inspection. Also I usually go for my inspection on a Saturday and they will not do a big repair job like that on a weekend. What they usually tell everyone is they need new light bulbs to pass and get some money out of you that way.

mschrisgo2
2-9-21, 2:30am
Jeppy, I don’t recall where you live... but just an idea... my daughter recently bought a 2020 Toyota Corolla. It was a leased car, turned in at the end of the year, less than 4000 miles on it. It now has a six year, 100,000 mile warranty, and the car literally is like brand new. She paid $14,500. for it. it cost twice that much a year ago. Perhaps you have similar options where you are?

We are in California, and there are well-established dealers for lease and rental returns here.

I have tended to buy new cars, because I find something I love and then drive it until there is no hope of repairing it again, well into the 200,000 mile plus range.
but my next car will be a lease or rental return.

(This is her second. Her Hyundai Sonata had less than 10,000 miles on it when she bought it, also a lease return. It has 160,000 miles now, 10+ years later, and my grandson is happily driving it. He gave his mom $4,000 for it- the down payment on her new car.)

Yppej
2-9-21, 4:47am
Mschrigo2 I would certainly consider something like that if the warranty is national and not specific to that dealership since it is possible I may move at some point.

Teacher Terry
2-9-21, 10:14am
I never buy new cars anymore. I buy certified used from a dealer and pay for a extended warranty. The miles are always less than 35k, the car is 2-4 years old and the price is much cheaper. I sell my cars myself because I get more money unless I know it needs big repairs and then I trade it in.

Yppej
2-9-21, 3:14pm
My son has stepped forward big time, saying I can use his car and he will take mine for repairs. He is a big advocate of repairing if the structure is sound (no rust as Steve said) even to the point of rebuilding the engine. I also got some advice from a car savvy guy at work. Fingers crossed.

SteveinMN
2-9-21, 3:44pm
Wow. I hope that works out for you and your son, Yppej.

That's another element of car ownership: being able to do much of the work yourself versus having to hire it out. I learned a while ago how to do oil changes and replace brakes and such. I'll still do simple stuff like bulb and battery replacements; I replaced the headlight switch on my car and the hatch struts on DW's car in the last couple of years. But for many months in Minnesota, the last thing I want to do is lie on the frozen concrete in the dim unheated garage, wrenching on something. And it's getting less and less possible to do anything on cars at home any more without access to computers and special cables and the like. So I farm out a lot of work, which means adding a technician's (deserved) profit to the cost of keeping the car running. Good for your son if he can get that done.

mschrisgo2
2-10-21, 3:33am
Mschrigo2 I would certainly consider something like that if the warranty is national and not specific to that dealership since it is possible I may move at some point.

FWIW, the warranty for the Toyota is from Toyota, and good all over North America.

The Hyundai was warranted by Hertz, good all over the US. Hertz did replace all of the interior door handles when they disintegrated in about a year. Otherwise, that car has needed nothing but oil changes, tires and brakes, and a battery. The original battery lasted 8 years!

Yppej
2-10-21, 5:08am
A guy at work was talking about a company that bought electric trucks. They went 300,000 miles only needing tires. He said that oil is a messy technology that causes disintegration. He recently got a battery powered chain saw charged by electricity that he likes. But with the highest utilities in the region in my town I am not interested in an electric car. It would cost too much to charge it, even if I had extra circuits in my house.

Tybee
2-10-21, 5:37am
I have had such good luck with my Toyota Yaris. It just passed state inspection with flying colors, and it is a 2010 car, and just keeps plugging along with no problems at all.

gimmethesimplelife
2-11-21, 12:55pm
I love living auto-free!!! Rob

Yppej
2-12-21, 2:34pm
My son took my car to his mechanic for an oil change and to check the pressure today. They didn't have a gauge or adapter to allow them to read metric pressure but did say the oil level and filter looked fine. They had no idea why when checking the OBD reader they saw the oil pressure light had gone on 20 times. They said they have to look at the car with the light on to make a diagnosis. However the light never goes on and stays on. It only flickers. I get the sense most shops just don't know how to handle the types of repairs needed, and I refuse to go to the evil local dealership. They said maybe the brand new sensor aka sender is bad though the problem improved some after it was installed. Supposedly old codes like these do not impact inspection, only current codes.

They are a place that is not hesitant to recommend repairs but didn't say anything about the brakes. So they may pass inspection.

DS has said I can continue to use his car and he will take mine. He rarely goes anywhere and never travels more than a half hour so likely will not deal with the pressure issue. So we will see if it passes inspection next month and then go from there.

His car is my old car before my previous car, and has 100,000 miles on it but better than the 123,000 I have on mine.

I am still going this weekend to look at some Kias so if I do have to get a new car I will have my browsing done.

SteveinMN
2-12-21, 6:21pm
I know dealerships are unpopular and expensive with many car owners, but in this case this may be where the car needs to go. Most independent mechanics don't have the money to drop low-five-figures on diagnostic tools for each brand they service (or even the ones they see most frequently) and OBD can only tell you so much. Rather than spend for parts and labor which may not be the fix and paying an indy mechanic to go on a fishing expedition, it may make sense to take the car to a dealership this once. Is there another dealership for this brand even a few towns away?

Yppej
2-12-21, 6:52pm
The other dealerships are an hour away. I emailed two of them for a brake quote a few weeks ago and neither responded. They also both have language on their repair orders that there is no warranty on any of their work and they ask you to sign that you are waiving even the implied warranty of merchantability.

I was surprised the independent shop didn't have a gauge to measure metric pressure since even American cars frequently use metric measurements now since they are sold abroad as well as domestically.

mschrisgo2
2-12-21, 9:15pm
My only experience with flickering lights and gauges in a car was many years ago... and a “foreign” car- an English sports car, a Spitfire. From almost day 1, things electrical flickered, sometimes to the point of interfering with use. Since I was commuting 100 miles RT to college twice a week, I really wanted/needed peace of mind that I wasn’t going to get stuck on the side of the road some evening, so I took it to several service people, all to no avail.

Finally, someone recommended a guy who was trying to get out of automotive repair and into another (cleaner, LOL) line of work, but he agreed to see me, and my car. He listened patiently to my story, turned the car on, flipped switches, nobs, etc. then he imparted a small bit of wisdom- “flickering lights generally indicate loose connections.”

OK, I’ll buy that. So how do we fix it? He offered me a deal I could not refuse: For $100 I can completely rewire you car in about 4 hours. And I guarantee you won’t have any more electrical problems.

Bingo! I left the car with him, drove his car off, returned in 4 hours, he was finished, and just like he said, No More Electrical Problems, ever.

Now that was a long time ago, and a much simpler car, but I would be willing to bet that your car has loose connections some where, i.e. sometimes it’s fine, other times dash lights come on, things jostle loose when you bumpety-bump down the road.

My suggestion is to see if you or your son can find a guy who is really knowledgeable in automotive electrical- think, word-of-mouth referrals here -who likes a challenge. The let him have at it.

I would bet you can find someone who is underworked and bored in this pandemic, who will be happy to take it on. Just remember, you will want to pay him well, as you will not have any more angst over your car.

Yppej
2-13-21, 6:04am
That sounds like a very good idea Mschrigo. My son is going to try another mechanic Monday, one who has worked extensively on my parents' foreign cars over the years. I inherited the never give up on a car if you can help it philosophy from them, and my son even more so.

SteveinMN
2-13-21, 9:24am
My only experience with flickering lights and gauges in a car was many years ago... and a “foreign” car- an English sports car, a Spitfire. From almost day 1, things electrical flickered, sometimes to the point of interfering with use.
For years, the primary supplier of electrical items like headlamps, switches, etc., for British cars was a company called Lucas Electrical. Their reputation was so poor that founder Joseph Lucas often was referred to as "The Prince of Darkness". :)

mschrisgo, that's a great idea. In VW diesel land, where I live, there are Web sites devoted to the cars/engines and people referred to as "local gurus" -- people who generally have full-time jobs but love to work on their cars and who, often, will work on other people's cars, for much less money (or beer) than a pro mechanic would charge. That's probably not the case for every brand (I've never found a local guru for our Kia but maybe that's saying something about the car) but it might be another way to find someone who knows the ins and outs of your car model and can access the brains of others who know it, too.

razz
2-13-21, 9:27am
I had a flickering light in the 90's so bear that timeframe in mind. Anyway, over a few trips to the garage, it was finally discovered that a wire or two had been munched on by mice. It required replacing the whole electrical harness but the problem cleared up. I usually bought a used car with 50-80 thousand km and drove it for more than 10 years with little more than regular maintenance of oil changes, brakes, tires, and annual oil undercoating against rust. They looked good at the end when serious problems arose.

Yppej
2-13-21, 12:22pm
Could be wiring - I have no garage and sparrows like to crawl under my car - but given the ticking it also could be a genuine lubrication problem affecting the valves.

Yppej
2-19-21, 7:19pm
Today I drove the car to work for the first time since DS took it for an oil change and the oil pressure light did not flicker at all. This leads me to believe the problem is not electrical but oil pressure related and that the oil is thinning too quickly after oil changes.

Yppej
3-6-21, 10:10am
The clunker passed inspection but I cannot get any details from DS as to what repairs etc were needed to get it to pass. He is in a noncommunicative mood.

SteveinMN
3-6-21, 10:37am
At least it passed. A bit of good news in that car's timeline.

mschrisgo2
3-7-21, 3:37am
I wonder if your oil light comes on when the oil is too full... I had a car that did that once.

Yppej
3-7-21, 7:51am
Mschrigo, I don't think so, because I and mechanics have checked the level, because it didn't happen for 5 weeks after my next to last oil change or the little it has been driven after this oil change, and because a guy at work knowledgeable about cars recommended thicker oil or a thickener additive. I think the oil thins too quickly and that is when the light comes on. Sometimes pans get loose and the oil sloshes around when you drive at highway speed because it does show as too full at the height of the slosh wave, but this problem is worst at idle. DS did not take it to a third mechanic. He drives rarely and never more than a half hour so it is not the issue for him that it would be for me commuting 2 hours a day. I guess time will tell. It still is very noisy.

Excise tax bills came yesterday and it is nice to be paying on an old car and not a new one so there's that too.

Yppej
4-3-21, 1:43pm
The car died on me yesterday. I was able to restart it but decided to get a new one. I signed the papers today and it should be ready for pickup Monday.

iris lilies
4-3-21, 2:51pm
Well Jeppy this is one stressor out of your life, you will have a car that is reliable. That’s a major thing.

rosarugosa
4-4-21, 7:10am
I agree that it isn't worth suffering through the stress of an unreliable car. What did you end up buying, Jeppy?

Yppej
4-4-21, 7:43am
A Kia Rio. I am stepping down from a compact to a subcompact to keep down price and maximize fuel efficiency. I have never had a car this small before so I will see how I like it over time. Usually I am the only person in the car and I am only 5'4".

rosarugosa
4-4-21, 10:04am
A Kia Rio. I am stepping down from a compact to a subcompact to keep down price and maximize fuel efficiency. I have never had a car this small before so I will see how I like it over time. Usually I am the only person in the car and I am only 5'4".

Congratulations. I hope it works well for you.

ToomuchStuff
4-4-21, 10:42am
Sedan or hatchback? I found the hatchback of subcompacts to not really feel subcompact for 90% of my daily driving uses.

Tradd
4-4-21, 1:42pm
Those subcompact hatchbacks are really cute. Good if you don't need a ton of cargo room.

Yppej
4-4-21, 2:35pm
Sedan. I don't like what's in the back of the hatchback being visible to potential thieves. I had a hatchback one time and bought the cargo cover and I could never get it to sit right. It was constantly rattling and I said never again.

early morning
4-4-21, 3:46pm
Congrats on the new car - those warranty years are certainly less stressful! Never heard of having to buy a separate cover for hatchback - I've have 4 or 5 hatchbacks (VW and Hyundai) and those all CAME with cargo covers. And I always buy the cheapest model - several haven't had floormats, one didn't even have a headliner. (that was a LONG time ago, lol). Like you, I don't want stuff I'm carrying in plain view! That said, I did have to spring for a SPARE TIRE and jack for my current car - it came with a can of fix-a-flat and a phone number for road emergencies. Ridiculous!

Yppej
4-4-21, 4:43pm
I am a little nervous - wanted to take the car the same day but they said they could not prep it in time. In the fine print it says if you drive off in your trade-in they can re-inspect it when you come to pick up your car which I get - you could get in an accident during that time - just hoping there is no re-inspection or issue that they change the trade-in amount, or that this is some sort of scam. I already have my cashier's check that I don't believe I can get my money back on so I am nervous. I'm taking my parents' car to work tomorrow rather than drive mine. My son's is in the shop. The insurance agent was willing to switch me over on a Saturday and the finance guy said he could do the registry piece but it is up to the salesman when he gets the car prepped. The salesman was sitting at his desk doing nothing. I just loathe the whole car buying process.

SteveinMN
4-4-21, 6:33pm
Yppej, I'm guessing the Kia dealer will just wholesale your car. It won't spend but a couple of days on the lot until it's picked up by whoever is going to salvage it. Unless the car is simply incapable of driving back into the dealership next time, it should not affect the amount they offered you.

Congratulations on the new car. Not having to worry about repairs should ease a little stress.

Teacher Terry
4-4-21, 9:14pm
I have never bought a car that I didn’t drive off the lot after buying.

Tradd
4-4-21, 9:46pm
Same here.

rosarugosa
4-5-21, 5:32am
We've bought a couple of cars where we had to come back to allow for prepping (whatever that entails).

SteveinMN
4-5-21, 2:13pm
We've bought a couple of cars where we had to come back to allow for prepping (whatever that entails).
I think that's been most of them for us. But, then, a few times they've been cars on the lot or showroom floor which had to be made ready for sale.

razz
4-5-21, 2:59pm
Any car, new or used, that I buy gets an extra once-over or prep as a matter of routine and any extras like tinting etc., that I might want gets done then. The used that I usually buy are not fully cleaned until sold and then are detailed, fresh oil change, all solutions topped up and tires changed. Our local Kia has an amazing reputation for superlative service and care so wish you the same experience. Enjoy the new car!

iris lilies
4-5-21, 3:20pm
The last car I bought was a used car off the lot, but it took them a couple days to prepare it, whatever it is they were doing.

Yppej
4-5-21, 3:24pm
Since this dealership advertises "out the door in an hour" meaning you drive off the lot in an hour or if worried about covid they deliver to you within an hour of you starting the purchasing process, I contacted a manager and stated emphatically that I did not want to get there after work and be told the person who does registrations has left for the day or something else that would delay the pickup of my car. He assured me it will be ready.

Yppej
4-5-21, 7:46pm
Success! It still needs a state inspection but that entire system is down because it was hacked and infected with malware. Yet you are still required by law to have the car inspected and it is up to any police officer to decide whether to take the outage into consideration or be a jerk and ticket you.

Tradd
4-5-21, 8:21pm
Glad you’ve got it!

Teacher Terry
4-5-21, 9:02pm
So glad it worked out!!

Yppej
5-14-21, 1:51pm
Well a month after getting the Forte I am driving to work this morning and out of the corner of my eye, as my eyes are on the road, something about "battery left" flashes on the dashboard. I couldn't believe it. Called and am taking the car to the dealer tomorrow to be checked. A brand new car and there is an issue with the battery. Unbelievable! I know other people here have had good experiences with Kia but I will never buy one again. First the Rio died the first full day I had it, now this.

rosarugosa
5-14-21, 6:00pm
Well a month after getting the Forte I am driving to work this morning and out of the corner of my eye, as my eyes are on the road, something about "battery left" flashes on the dashboard. I couldn't believe it. Called and am taking the car to the dealer tomorrow to be checked. A brand new car and there is an issue with the battery. Unbelievable! I know other people here have had good experiences with Kia but I will never buy one again. First the Rio died the first full day I had it, now this.

Wow, I'm sorry you are having so many issues. That just sucks.

JaneV2.0
5-15-21, 10:26am
I thought most new cars had a number of annoying bugs that had to be worked out, but that might be a problem of days gone by.

Yppej
5-15-21, 12:20pm
Took the car in and they could not find anything wrong with it. The battery shows at 98% capacity. They gave me a coupon for a car wash for the inconvenience and I did that but it made me feel claustrophobic.