Ask The Guide

Yes. Have you tried using the air-con? That would prevent the windscreen from fogging up.

It’s most likely the battery in the key needs replacing. Have you tried the spare key?

It could be the battery; it could be the fuel pump. I had a similar problem that turned out to be a blown head gasket, so it could be worth doing a leak test.

It is worth fixing, you will only have more trouble if you don’t. Cost depends on the engine. If it’s a V6 it could cost as much as $3000, a 4-cylinder less.

The problem is with the cold idle speed, which should be higher than the regular idle speed when it’s warmed up. There should be a stepper motor that sets the cold idle speed higher than normal, so check that.

Service intervals are specified as either/or, it’s whichever comes first. Your service is due in August, or at 30,000 km if that comes first. White smoke would tend to suggest a problem with the turbocharger. Turbochargers have to have clean oil to survive; dirty oil will kill them eventually. You need to negotiate with LDV, if you haven’t missed the service by a long way you might be able to get some help on the cost of repairs; otherwise you’re unlikely to get much assistance.

You’re correct that a diff should last longer than six years, but how long it should last is open to question. To its credit Ford has offered to pay a portion of the repair cost. They won’t pay the whole cost of the repair as you have had six years of use out of the diff, and it’s now worn as a result of that use. There is no hard and fast rule that applies to your situation. The offer from Ford is based on the amount of wear and the projected life of the diff. You’re best to negotiate with Ford and hold out for the best deal you can get.

It’s not a problem that has come to our attention. If you have other owners with similar concerns you could try getting together and approaching Ford as a group. Other than that I would suggest you got to a suspension specialist and look at having you suspension upgraded.

It’s not a common problem, with the Sportage or AWD vehicles in general. Even though yours is well out of warranty it’s still covered by the consumer protection laws, so it’s worth asking Kia for at least part of the cost of repairs.

Being such a new vehicle it’s unlikely to be a simple service issue, more likely a calibration one. If you are concerned about it have an independent automatic transmission mechanic assess it for you.