Kia Problems

It should run on 91-octane fuel without pinging; the knock sensor should ensure that it doesn't occur. Running it on higher-octane fuels makes it less prone to pinging, and again the knock sensor should have it running on the edge of pinging without actually doing it. I would keep the pressure on Kia to fix the problem, and at the same time get the help of an independent mechanic.

We contacted Kia and it seems there are a couple of possible things you could do, but they need more information to identify the type of key your car uses. They recommended that you contact their customer assistance service on 131 542 and they will be happy to assist you.

The big thing with capped price servicing is not to authorise any work at all beyond the factory schedule. The capped-price programs — which are not called “fixed price” because it's illegal for car makers to fix a price, although they can set an upper limit — were created so people could plan their whole-of-life costs when buying a car. It's to create certainty on the future scheduled work on any vehicle, although wear-and-tear items such as brakes, tyres and clutch are still not covered.

The Mazda is an excellent choice but also test drive the Sportage. Buy a fully loaded car for the safety gear but sunroofs and big alloys aren’t worthwhile. A pre-registered 2015 car with low kilometres is a smart way to buy.

Good to hear. We get a lot of complaints about various cars, many about the new types of automatic transmissions, which seem to be the bugbear of today's owners. While we focus on things like the dual-clutch automatics we forget about the really great advances that have been made in car technology. There's no better example of that advancement than the safety of the cars we now drive.

The Kia Sorento, our Car of the Year in 2015, gets The Tick from me. It has everything you want and need and is a good drive, with a seven-year warranty. If it's out of your price range, go for the smaller Kia Sportage.

The run-out Cerato is a terrific deal and definitely the value pick. The 2.0-litre update is good but probably not a big deal for a budget buyer, although I give The Tick to both the Kia and the Hyundai.