Kia Cerato Problems

A ticking noise from the engine of a modern car is often the first signs of a build-up of sludge inside the engine. The hydraulic lash adjusters (which control the amount of clearance in the valve-train) operate on the same oil that lubricates the entire engine. If sludge has begun to build up in the engine, these lash adjusters are often the first components to be damaged.

What causes this build-up? Most commonly, the cause is poor servicing over the years. If a previous owner has stretched the oil-change intervals beyond the factory recommendation, the oil becomes contaminated and dirty and that leads directly to sludge. Does your car have a written record of its past maintenance? If not, I’d be very suspicious of its service history.

You may be lucky, however, and simply have a single lash adjuster that has failed for no good reason. If that’s the case, it can be replaced (I’d replace all 16 of them while I was at it). Perhaps in the first instance, the wise move would be to have somebody who knows these engines have a listen to see if the cause is something else. Modern aluminium engines can often be a bit noisy, and your problem could be related to an injector or fuel pump or perhaps something even deeper inside the engine.

The Camry wins on reliability and fuel consumption, but carries the highest price; the Subaru is the least expensive but has the highest fuel consumption ad the lowest resale, while the Kia sits in the middle. The Kia is good value-for-money. If fuel consumption is your priority go for the Camry, if not go for the Kia.

It should be covered under Kia’s warranty, so take it back to your dealer and have it fixed.

You can get a good feel for a car’s quality simply by looking at things like the paint finish, the panel fit, the feel of the doors as they open and shut, the touch of the trim and plastics in the cabin. Kia’s quality is generally good; I can’t see any reason why you should be disappointed with the Cerato.

Kia told us that the tow bar is available for all current Cerato models, except the GT. Due to late changes in the rear design of the GT it was necessary to restart the design and validation process for that car well after the other models. It is in development and it’s hoped it will be available by the first month or so of next year.

I assume it’s with AM reception. It’s usually put down to the antenna. The most likely reason they’re ignoring it is that there is little they can do about it. You could take it to a car radio specialist and see what they might be able to do about the problem.

The Kia’s seven-year factory warranty is – and should be – a big selling point. But that’s countered by much more expensive servicing over the Hyundai. Keen driveaway pricing also works in the Kia’s favour, however. Frankly, both are great cars with lots of useable performance (they share the same engine, actually) and practical layouts.

So, it could come down to a philosophical debate: The i30 N Line sits one rung below the hero i30 version, the N. The GT, meanwhile, is the flagship Cerato, so you don’t need to explain to the neighbours why you didn’t buy the flashest one. But for a lot of buyers, a manual transmission is the gearbox of choice in quick little hatches like these, and only the Hyundai offers a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DCT. In the Kia, it’s the DCT or nothing.

The best approach is to buy a car from a well-respected brand, and stick with an Asian brand such as Toyota, Mazda, Hyundai or Kia rather than an European one. Models to consider would be a Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Hyundai i30 or Kia Cerato.

Either the Santa Fe or its close cousin, the Kia Sorento are good choices for a seven-seat SUV. In fact, they’ve risen to the top of the heap when it comes to a seven-seater within your budget. Both offered petrol engines, but in this type of vehicle, the turbo-diesels probably did a better job.

Unfortunately, the top end of your budget rules out all but the tattiest current-shape Kias and Hyundais. If you can stretch to maybe $3000 or $4000 more, you’ll get into good-condition examples of the current version of either and, thanks to the great factory warranties offered by the South Korean brands, you might even find one with some factory cover left to run.

If $20,000 is your absolute limit, that’s not the end of the world, as it will still get you into a very useable vehicle with lots of life left in it. Make sure you check the service record and only buy a car with a documented history of preventative maintenance.

If you’re happy with the Kia, Marissa, then I’d say you might be wise to stick with the brand you know. As you would know, your 2017 model Cerato still has at least three or maybe even four years of factory warranty to run. That’s great peace of mind and one of the reasons people keep buying Kias. You’re also a chance to do a better deal as a repeat buyer at your local dealership.

While not wishing to suggest that being 60 years of age makes somebody an `older person’ these days, the one design feature you might want to consider going forward is the option of a vehicle with a slightly higher ride height. That makes getting in and out of the car easier and the whole day-to-day experience just that little bit nicer. With that in mind, take a look at the

. It’s not the newest of designs, but it does represent a solid, reliable platform. On the bass that your mother does mainly suburban driving, the pick would be the Si front-wheel-drive version with the petrol engine and six-speed automatic transmission.