Kia Problems

You’ve paid for a car with a factory warranty, so make the most of it. The first step is to have Kia look at the car, listen to the noise it’s making and come up with a plan from there. Convincing the dealership mechanic that there’s a noise that shouldn’t be there might be difficult, but you could also have the car independently inspected (try your state motoring club) the noise noted in writing, and present that to Kia as a way of proving there’s a problem.

In our experience, Kia has been pretty good at getting this stuff right and keeping its customers happy. So start with the dealership and if that doesn’t work, you can contact Kia’s Australian customer service department. After that, it’s a job for the ACCC, but it shouldn’t come to that.

The bottom line, however, is that this car is (or should be) still under factory warranty, so it’s Kia’s problem to sort out; a process that should not cost you anything.

Frankly, about a thousand different things. Poor idling and performance can be down to the ignition system, fuel system or mechanical wear or problems anywhere within the engine. And within those three things can lurk potentially thousands more reasons for poor running.

A mechanic familiar with this make and model is your best bet. They will probably start with the basics such as fuel supply and quality, spark strength and timing and a compression test to make sure all is well within the engine itself. This is a case where it’s important to go back to first principles of fuel, spark, compression and then start to look at the more intricate systems that control the engine.

Honestly, though, it could be anything from a dud sensor in the intake system, the same problem with the cooling system (not allowing the engine to reach full operating temperature) or even something mechanically fundamental like a blocked catalytic converter, dirty filter or slipped camshaft timing. Or a multitude of things in between. A good workshop will be able to sort it, however, without simply swapping parts that may or may not be the problem.

While not a common problem, this could be caused by a faulty oil pressure sensor. But it’s important to have this checked out by a mechanic because you could be dealing with an engine that really is suffering from low oil pressure. If the latter is the case, you risk doing permanent and catastrophic damage to the engine because the oil pressure is insufficient to fully protect the internal parts of the engine.

The reason you’re seeing the light come on when the engine is idling (and presumably at operating temperature) is because this is when the engine’s oil pressure is at its lowest. When you rev the engine, the oil pump turns faster, creating more oil pressure. When the engine speed drops again, the pump slows, the oil pressure falls and the warning light switches on.

By having the actual oil pressure checked at a workshop with an independent gauge (separate to the one in the car) you’ll know if the light is coming on because of a duff sensor or because the oil pressure really is too low.

It kind of goes against the grain a little, but there’s a valid case for listening to your friends and mechanic and driving the car until it stops. Since your car is worth – based on average asking prices – about $10,000, you could easily overcapitalise on a new transmission.

The best advice is to have it checked over by a transmission specialist who will know what to look for based on the symptoms they see. You’re right in that a bad pothole could have damaged a drive-shaft (or a wheel, or suspension component) and the torque converter is also a candidate to produce a fault in the way the car drives. On the flip-side, you might simply find that a service and change of fluid brings the transmission back to full health. Meantime, I’m not so sure about rebuilt transmissions not carrying a warranty. Australia’s consumer law suggests that may not be the case.

The Kia Tasman was named after Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, the man credited as the first European to 'discover' Tasmania, after who it is named.

This is a really topical question right now as EVs that are actually rated to tow decent loads start hitting the market. The EV9 with dual motors has a large, 99.8kW battery and plenty of power and torque, making it, on the surface, perfect for towing duties.

Without a trailer hitched up, our testing has showed the big Kia uses about 21 to 22kWh during mostly open-road driving. But experience on EVs generally has shown that towing anything really bumps up the energy consumption and slashes range (which is an official 505km for the EV9). Hook up a really heavy trailer (and 2500kg is getting up there) and you might just find that your effective rage falls to about 200km or maybe even less if you’re not super careful with the throttle pedal.

Ultimately, it will all depend on ambient temperature, driving style, cruising speed, trailer mass and the overall aerodynamics of the loaded rig. Suffice to say, the turbo-diesel is still the tow-car of choice at the moment.

You could certainly have the vehicle’s battery packs tested for efficiency by an independent test centre. But why not keep that option up your sleeve and let the dealership test it initially? I would imagine the battery’s performance and efficiency test would involve a written report which is much more difficult to fudge than a verbal report. If the dealership can’t provide this written proof on the battery’s condition and you still believe you have a problem, that’s when you play the independent-test card.

The most commonly reported problems with the Kia Stonic are loud engine noises and rattling.