Kia Problems

It sounds like there’s either a problem with the throttle pedal, the throttle mechanism itself or, most likely, a glitch in the communication between the two. Instead of a throttle cable directly linking the pedal to the throttle, modern cars use what’s called fly-by-wire. In this case, that means a throttle pedal where input is converted to an electrical signal, which is then transferred by the computer to the throttle telling it to open. If there’s any wiring or software problem within this system, you could easily experience this sort of problem.

You’re quite right, too, that this represents a very dangerous situation. Many crashes have been caused by a following driver assuming the car in front was about to take off. And when, for whatever reason, it doesn’t…

If the computer won’t tell you what’s happening, an auto electrician should be able to take readings from the throttle pedal and the motor that actuates the throttle itself. From there, they should be able to discern which component is not playing the game properly.

Oil manufacturers recommend a 5W20 or 5W30 fully synthetic oil for this vehicle. For the record, you’ll need 4,5 litres to perform an oil change, and don’t forget to replace the oil filter at the same time. Putting clean oil through an old, dirty filter makes no sense.

There could be something wrong with the vehicle that is causing engines to blow up, and simply fitting a new engine is leaving it open to the same catastrophic problem(s). A fuel supply or cooling system problem would be just a couple of possibilities and fitting a new engine to a vehicle with such a problem could easily lead to successive blow-ups.

There’s also the possibility that you’ve simply been unlucky. Was the second engine a used one from a wrecking yard or a rebuilt unit? If it was the former, you might find that it was just about ready to expire, and the fact that it was fitted to your vehicle was not a factor. This is why it’s always important to have any second-hand engine tested before it gets fitted. Good quality used engines will come with a written report to prove there’s some life left in them.

There’s also the owner’s approach to a new engine. Were you careful to check the oil and coolant of the new engine once it was fitted and running? A second-hand engine might have an oil consumption pattern you’re not familiar with, and ignoring this important check could see it run dry and expire. Not pointing fingers, but even a 'new' second-hand engine requires a close eye kept on it.

You could be looking at an engine that has a fuel-system problem. A lack of fuel pressure or volume (or worn injectors) can play havoc with a turbo-diesel engine at higher speeds thanks to the higher loads being placed on it. You may also have a worn or damaged turbocharger or perhaps an inlet manifold that is partially blocked from fumes and soot that are part of the vehicle’s emissions system. The problem could even be due to a blocked DPF in the exhaust system which could require manual cleaning or even replacement.

But this is another example of a car that’s still under warranty being the responsibility of the manufacturer to put right (provided the vehicle has been serviced correctly). Give the dealer very chance to fix things, but if they throw their hands in the air, then Kia Australia’s customer service department is your next stop.

Independent testing of the Tasman has shown that the rear bump-stops do get a mighty workout with a large load on the tow-hitch. This suggests that the rear springs are not adequate for really heavy trailers and caravans, regardless of what the brochure says about the 3500kg towing limit for this vehicle.

The traction control cutting in could well be another symptom of this. If the rear springs can’t compress any further (and they can’t when the bump stops are in play) then the rear axle is not suspended properly, and that could make the rear tyres skip and hop over bumps. Once the computer detects that the tyres are not firmly on the ground at all times, it will trigger the traction control.

There’s a bit of an arms race in dual-cab utes at the moment, as manufacturers all try to offer 3500kg towing limits. Some of them do this much more convincingly than others. It’s also true that, in the old days, the rule of thumb was that you didn’t tow any trailer heavier than the vehicle doing the towing. In the Tasman’s case, that would make the limit about 2200kg. Not as sexy as 3.5 tonnes, but more sensible in our opinion.

The air-conditioning system is not critical to the car’s operation, only its comfort. As such, if you can find a belt that still drives all the ancillaries like the coolant pump, alternator, power-steering pump and whatever else is belt-driven on this model, then it’s certainly possible. What you have to ensure is that the shorter belt is the correct length and is still properly tensioned by the existing tensioning pulleys. You may have to change pulleys and brackets to achieve this. If you’re lucky, it will only be the air-conditioner itself that is driven by an auxiliary belt, with everything else running off the primary drive belt. If that’s the case, you simply remove the air-con belt and drive on.

In the old days, you simply bought the appropriate belt for the same make and model without factory air-con and fitted that. But more modern cars with standard air-conditioning can be trickier to bypass. But it should be possible, even if you have to take a piece of string the correct length to an auto parts store and go through the various belts to find one the right length. Either that, or find the same make and model at a wrecking yard that was not fitted with factory air-conditioning and use the drive belt pulleys and tensioners from that car. Never use a second-hand drive belt, however.

Australian Consumer Law is pretty specific when it comes to this stuff. It’s the carmaker’s responsibility to return the vehicle to a drivable, safe state (which it isn’t if the seat moves on its own) at no cost to you if the problem is a genuine warranty claim (which it sounds like it might be). But you do have the responsibility to give a reasonable time frame and opportunity for this to happen.

If the car can’t be fixed, then you may have a case against the dealer that supplied the car and possibly the manufacturer as well. Either way, if a fix can’t be found, you may be entitled to a repair, replacement or refund if the car fails to meet the terms of the ACCC’s Consumer Guarantees legislation.

The four-cylinder engine in your car is fitted with a timing chain which should be good for the life of the engine. Other Kia engines including the V6 used a rubber timing belt which requires periodical replacement. However, it’s not that simple and some owners have found that even engines with timing chains need these replaced long before the engine has worn out.

It’s sometimes a case of flawed design or poor quality parts that causes this, but in the majority of cases, timing chain failure is caused by a lack of proper maintenance on the part of the car’s owner.

Both the Toyota and Kia have good reputations for quality and durability, while the Chery is more of an unknown quantity in Australia. The important thing to remember is that the cars you’ve short-listed are all near-new vehicles, so they’ll have plenty of factory warranty left to run.

The best way to avoid clear coat peeling is to buy a car in a solid, rather than metallic, colour, which doesn’t generally have the same peeling problems. That said, modern paint technology is much better than ever before, so this is less of a problem than it once was. Protecting a car’s interior means parking it out of the sun in the hotter months. Although, again, the durability of interior plastics has come a long, long way in recent years.

If you’re going to keep the car for a few years and then trade it in on a new car, retained value is more important than any of your other concerns. And in that sense, the Toyota traditionally moves to the front of the pack.