Incredible Kia - KIA MOTORS new timing belt broken hub four wheel drive went out and more NOTHING is covered under warranty!! Billings Montana

"I can never understand how the average consumer can sense when they are being OVERCHARGED for something but their commonsense literally flies out the window when being UNDERCHARGED
For something."

I said the same thing repeatedly in the "brake" threads, and was blasted for it. That common sense issue is like Kryptonite to some people. They just know $98 is the right price for a 4-wheel brake job, because EVERYONE else wanted twice that amount. A KIA anything has to be priced right because every other car on the market sells for twice as much.

And yes, KIA had that buy "one-get one free" sale here too. I thought it was for a free kids toy(ride around the yard), but it was a real car. What a joke. Just chop the selling price in half for the first KIA, and I'll save the rest for repairs.

I can never understand how the average consumer can sense when they are being OVERCHARGED for something but their commonsense literally flies out the window when being UNDERCHARGED
For something. How soon people for get the fiasco surrounding that other communist country made Yugoslavian piece of junk Yugo.

When your basic commuter car such as an Escort or Cavalier runs 12-18g it should set off an alarm when you can buy a new Kia for under 10. It's nothing more that a Bic (disposable). Perfect for getting to work long enough to save up for something decent. If it makes it to 20g miles you can consider you got your monies worth

You would be light years ahead to spend 5 or 6 g's and get a low mileage well made car that will get you and easy 50-60 or more thousand miles relatively trouble free. And you also have the added benefit of not cruising around a tin can to boot.

Over here in Cleveland they were even running a promotion that if you buy a Kia SUV. They would throw in one of their compact pieces of trash for free.

That says loads to me. You will have something to drive while the other is in the shop.

I'm very sorry to hear about your issues with your Kia. What I am going to say is not going to make you feel any better today but it will save you long term pain.

I, too, made the unforgivable error of purchasing a Kia. We had the usual raft of issues - transmissions replaced every 15k miles, multiple new brake systems & componenets, electrical issues - pretty much a typical Kia experience. After every issue, I would convince myself that things were going to be better, only to be back at the garage within a month.

My favorite was the time that I brought my car back to the dealer with brake problems less than a week after they replaced my transmission. Problem? Tranny fluid in the brake line. Cost - $1800. Of course, neither the dealer or Kia would take responsibility.

Unfortuantely, the only solution to having a Kia is to get risd of it. I know that you are probably upside-down on your loan and that makes it seem even worse. That said, in the long run, it is cheaper to take a bath on walking away from a Kia than to continue to try and own it.

Marc,

I could not agree with you more. Being female, I see so many of my friends who are lucky just to find the gas tank on their car and they wonder why they get suckered in for repairs and such. I firmly believe that Auto Mechanics 101 should be a requirement in high school especially for women. Hell, I wouldn't even let my daughter get her license until I made sure she knew how to pump gas, check the oil and other fluids, ADD oil, change a tire and know basic functions of the motor. She's certainly no mechanic, but at least I know that if the oil light comes on in my car she will know enough to IMMEDIATELY pull over in a safe place and know where to put the spare oil I always carry in my trunk (just in case). I did get roadside assistance when she got her license but if she's in the middle of nowhere and gets a flat I know she can change it if the good old cell phone won't work. Heck, she's even gotten to the point that when its getting close to oil change time she now reminds ME that its time to take the car in - and NOT to the nearest cheapest place. I'd rather pay the extra 10 bucks for an oil change and know that the people I trust are taking good care of my car. Like I always say, an EDUCATED consumer is the best customer.

But it will cause you other problems. All cars that have timing belts must have them replaced periodically, usually at 60,000 miles intervals or thereabouts. Yes, it's expensive because of the labor involved, but it's normal maintenance that every driver should be well aware of. A "broken" hub? What did you hit? Recalls are for safety-related problems, not for your lack of maintenance or your lack of basic knowledge about automobiles. It SHOULD be taught in high school, but then a lot of mechanics would be out of work. I'd bet 90% of my work is from people that never took time to learn even the basics of maintaining their cars and caused more damage than had they learned a little something, or even read their owner's manual. We call them "Gas & Goes". For instance, the red oil light does NOT mean to drive home and check the oil, yet every other week some woman will tell me that's exactly what she did, followed by her saying, "What's oil?" And you don't see mechanics driving Kias, do you?