Continuation of the topic "Car reliability according to consumer reports"
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/car-reliability-according-to-consumer-reports/
(because @dan broke it with his duplicate posting 😐 )
I'm not sure about your assessment that "a few hundred" are effected
400 is a few hundred. And again. That's less than half of one percent of them, and they were old and breaking down. Nobody cares. It has nothing to do with crappy Kias. Give it a rest 🙄
the minimum a car maker should do is extend the warranty - Like Hyundai-Kia has been doing when they have been screwing up.
oh good, they give you another crappy replacement engine. Such a a relief 🙄
That's only because it's legal in the US.
I see. I have to make a law telling you "you shouldn't rape and rob your neighbour" . Otherwise, it's ok to do it.
Sorry but I am going to go with my experience and what Scotty has been saying.
Scotty repeats over and over that they are junk, and that he would never buy one.
You are hearing what you want to hear.
And the Kia Stonic tiny crossover I have on order
OK. I completely understand. You put down a downpayment. I don't want give you anxiety. What color did you get? 🙂
And the Kia Stonic tiny crossover I have on order
From Wiki - It’s name is derived from the words "speedy" and "tonic".
Is this the Seltos/Creta equivalent?
Not really, It's basically just a jacked up Kia Rio ( - it even shares the same internal designation).
It's about the size of the Kia Soul, a bit smaller, and has a much lower roof. (but has just a NA 4 cylinder mated to a 6 speed auto)
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It's in the same category as a Ford Puma / Renault Captur / Toyota Yaris Cross and Mazda CX-3
but without the terrible handling of Mazdas and lack there of basic amenities, and without the risk, complexity and ownership costs that come with an EcoBoost and a Powershift / Oil burning engine and a Jatco CVT / 3 cylinder with a complex "launch-gear" CVT...
Sorry for rambling but I just have to say that, Car ownership outside the US sucks.
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not only does gas cost a fortune here, the kind of taxes I end up paying when buying a car are insane. 114% import tax, 17% VAT and a $500 annual registration fee (for the pleasure of driving on terrible congested roads and paying a 63% tax on fuel), pretty much excursion.
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And I look at other countries in my area that don't have modern cars at all, and even farther out, looking at Europe, most countries either can't afford new cars at all OR are in a decade's long stagnation so that's also just a question of time (like the UK where their GDP per capita was 20% higher in 2007 than what it was pre-covid, or France that still can't reach 2008 levels)
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for what I'm paying in the US I could've got a high-trim Camry 😢, It's not like I want an econobox that's what I'm being almost forced into buying.
I completely sympathize with you brother. Always keep this in mind when voting for your leaders and tell all your friends.
I know this ain't the forum,
but I'm honestly scared of what's going on in Europe.
It's beginning to become, as I see it, a scary place with these kinds of people saying crap like "imperialists" and continuing to dig out their own grave.
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/aisin-transmission-on-s60-volvo-2004/
They are heading a very slippery slope, a decade ago (in 2011) Germany's economy was 38% bigger than where I live, today it's 4%. France's was 30% bigger (in 2011), today Today they are 12% LESS - from my experience On the other hand, In the US 10 years ago your economy was 48% bigger, and today it is still 45%. Europeans have brought this up on themselves, and I as a very politically active person - am seeing how other nations are also doing so.
The world's a scary place these days.
I agree. Sad and scary. I see mistakes of the past being repeated. And freedoms that were fought for being casually surrendered.
Unfortunately it seems that all too many of our politicians in the U.S. (like those currently in power) want to sail over that cliff down the same rathole that Europe is plunging itself into. This does impact directly on cars and driving and a whole lot more.
@dan What swung your decision towards the Stonic over the CX-3? And yes, join the club regarding overpriced automobiles outside the USA..
1.4L Kappa II G4LC engine.
Assembled in China
Plastic intake.
Reviews say it's noisy and shaky (harmonics at certain RPM, by design)
At least you have MPI
There are no hydraulics on the valves, so be aware of maintenance :
Valve adjustment is usually carried out after 90,000 kilometers, or if necessary, with increased noise, from under the valve cover. The valve adjustment procedure consists in replacing the tappets that are located between the valves and the camshafts. The process itself is not easy and expensive. The chain drive is very reliable if you keep an eye on the oil level. But the manufacturer recommends replacing the chain, tensioners and dampers after 180 thousand runs. This is usually added to the replacement of sprockets, which is generally expensive
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The big drawback of the almost all-aluminum Kia Rio 1.4 engine is oil consumption. If the zhor has begun, do not be lazy to check the level more often and, if necessary, add it. Oil starvation is fatal for this motor. Increased noise is usually a sign that the oil level is low. You can't ride that long.
That paragraph refers to the Kappas predecessor, the Gamma. I perviously had a Gamma back in the day (that was built in China) and it was alright - they typically last about 150k miles before you’d have to do anything major (if serviced properly), Russians like to change timing chains early but I don’t think it’s worth doing.
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The Kappa (shares it’s engine block with the Gamma but) has hydraulic tappets and a pretty advanced timing system. Oil consumption is an issue if you follow the recommended ~9k mile interval (15k km), but I’m planing to do it every 4.6k miles (7.5k km) as I’ve always been doing on all my cars…
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The only thing I don’t like about the intake on that engine is variable intake geometry - I’d rather it be a simple non-variable geometry intake.
But I actually like it way more than what’s under the hood of the Yaris Cross - it’s also plastic but huge and looks like it’d cost an arm and a leg to replace once it eventually cracks.
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Yeah the Kappa ain’t the smoothest engine, it wasn’t a good fit for bigger cars (by euro standards, such as the ~2015 i30CW). but on a small car, it feels like a perfect fit although it’s slightly underpowered. and it although it’s a bit noisy it’s not nearly as loud as a Yaris Cross’ 3 cyl., that car surprised me because on my ‘09 Rolla I can’t even hear the engine going 70mph but on that thing that was the only thing I could hear.
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The MPI 1.4 Kappa (there was also a T-GDI 1.4L kappa variant, and that wasn’t a good engine at all, unlike the regular thats an) alright engine, at least it doesn’t have high compression, isn’t a 3 cylinder, does’t have a turbo or GDI… it’s just incredibly simple.
Same with the transmission, the last simple conventional automatic, all others are either CVTs or have like 8+ gears and I don’t like all of that complexity.
you're right my mistake. I just saw G4LC in the page title.
CR, JD Power et al. Their flags wave to whomever lines their pockets. There is no impartiality in any of the reviewing orgs.
Well I hope the car lasts. Is it the 2.0L?
Keep us posted how you like the car, and how Kia treats you.
Well it's a 1.4, the biggest engine it comes with.
Definitely will keep everyone updated. I think about doing a post about my other cars when I'll get to a higher millage, It'd be interesting to see how Form member's cars have been treating them.
It is still an opinion piece just like your own. Whether there was money at play or not, I'd say it wouldn't be the first time consumer reports did something dirty. Also it's an overall score. So not just reliability for example maybe. Also they are suppose to have a "data sheet" of cars and what people think. For example I am quite the fan of BMW and Benz. For bmw, e30's or z3, for Benz anything in the E class.
My point wasn't about being a fan or liking a car or not as that's something totally different, my point/question was about the reliability of their reviews/rankings. Honda or Toyota having good quality is not my personal opinion, they have proven and showed their quality over the years. But I just think calling their tests to be scientific is way too much and it's a very questionable review just like those from JD Power.
Part of the test is consumer satisfaction (subjective)
Bells and Whistles have a hypnotic effect on car buyers
Another is they are testing cars that are a that have been on the road for no more than a year, which is disingenuous, as reliability should not be that big of an issue
Also, if you dropped 70-120k on a car (porsche, bmw, lexus and audi) why would u admit to buying a junk?
The people that buy these cars, in general, are looking for the prestige that they believe comes with these name plates
Im quite certain 90% of the owners (porsche, audi, etc) dont do their own work on these cars (2022)
Because of that the maintenance is taken care of (required) by a dealership to keep warranty in effect
Con Rep readers would be better served if the tests were done 5years after purchase
my.02c
oh good, they give you another crappy replacement engine. Such a a relief
I mean it is still better than Toyotas way of saying "that's normal". But personally I wouldn't buy anything more complex from Hyundai-Kia than a Tucson / Sportage with a conventional automatic and a MPI engine.
I mean, as far as corporations go, sadly that's what you have to do.
OK. I completely understand. You put down a downpayment. I don't want give you anxiety. What color did you get?
Well, I put in a refundable deposit, I've chosen "Most Yellow" (or at least that's what I think it's called, in my order it just says the color code) and I can confirm, they are very yellow.
Annoyingly delivery will take them months, It's a bit stressful with how unstable gas prices are and I hate spending so much money but with new emissions regulations I want to get a reasonably simple non-hybrid while I still can... plus these cars held their value well pre-corona and with the car shortage (+where I live most used cars from 2014 - 2020 are crap that won't last long Tesla Model 3, Kia Sportage (with the terrible DCT), Seat Ibizas (DSG), Skoda rapid (DSG), Fiat Tipo (DCT), Seat Arona (DSG), Renault Clio (CVT), Mitsubishi outlanders (CVT),... - I expect there to be a huge shortage on the used market in my area even after the new market recovers, I just don't see any of these lasting over 5-10 years especially with the terrible transmissions they all have...)
I came across this post and I just can't believe what they are saying in favor of Consumer Reports and calling them a nonprofit or scientific tests etc. No way in the world can I accept/believe Mini being above Toyota or BMW above Honda. Isn't this just another marketing lie not just for some brands but also for Consumer Reports?
https://joinyaa.com/guides/2022-consumer-reports-car-brand-rankings/
