I have taken my 2015 kia soul to 3 mechanics. When I explain what is is doing they just look at me and tell me they can't know what is going on unless I bring it in while it is doing it. About a year+ ago I noticed it making a noise that was a low guttural sound (cant describe it - not knocking, not grinding, not high pitched). When I tell them I cant because the noise is transient they just blow me off. it was low on oil. Not critically low but a quart give or take some. When I changed the oil it stopped. Has happened a few times and it is always low on oil. It blows copious amounts of smoke when started in the winter. It doesn't have to be very cold for it to happen. I have had the car since 2016 and it has always blown what I thought was a lot of smoke. I was told that was normal! There are no leaks that anyone can find. There is soot in the exhaust pipe (not new). Last time I took it in I had driven 1700 miles and it was a quart and a half low. Put oil in it and no noise. When I turn it on it does not ping or tick or make noise. Sometimes can't tell it is on. The car has 130,000 miles on it. Last mechanic told me it was high miles and burning oil was normal. car does not overheat.
I am not ready to drive it off a cliff yet. I tell them upfront that if it is going to cost more than the car is worth no point in fixing it. I just need to know what the problem is. Is it major or minor. I am not a mechanic but I would think this would not be the most difficult problem to identify.
Thanks for any information you can give me.
First off, "because the noise is transient." I would blow you off too. If the noise/problem/whatever it is is not able to be replicated how can it be fixed? And for free of charge? I mean a word of advice is one thing, but a diagnosis is money.
"It blows copious amounts of smoke when started in the winter"-depending on the car, when cold, not even that cold it will be harder to start. Cause the engines need to get to operational temperature and to compensate for an air fuel mixture it's more on the richer side during start up (for all cars, but some run richer than others). Maybe for your Kia it is actually normal. If you have smoke after the car is warm... You got some issue. And what is a copious amounts of smoke? Did it look like black char diesel trucks? Did you smell a crap ton of gas? Was there enough to fill up an entire garage like in the movies?
"There are no leaks that anyone can find. There is soot in the exhaust pipe (not new)." soot in the exhaust is normal. No leaks, ya sure about that? If it is burning as much oil as you say it is, then the problem should have been found already. Either PCV going bad or do a compression test to see if there be blowby through the piston rings. If PCV bad, not that expensive. If compression test says engine bad, then it's a replacement under warrenty from kia.
"but I would think this would not be the most difficult problem to identify." You won't really know without a proper diagnosis, it's not just something that can really be just like a for sure known issue that causes such things. Sure it may not be the hardest to diagnose, it is common especially with older cars, and maybe you did get 3 bad mechanics, but from what I am understanding is that you were asking these guys to just give you an answer at their place of business without running any tests, giving vague, non-rebutable info and expecting an answer for free, off the top of their heads. By no means is this an insult btw.and feel free to correct any of my answers if I am wrong here. And as you said yourself, you ain't no mechanic, I just think that you need to understand that a lot of things about cars and mechanics have more than one definite answer. And opinions and biases heavily skew the answer you will get depending on the mechanic. But first and foremost is that without a repeatable problem, not from your prospective, but the mechanics, if say you brought your car to me I cannot replicate what you say your problems are, then I like the other 3 will tell you the car is just the way the car is. Especially if you haven't paid for said diagnosis.
Also it do be a Kia though. Not exactly quality stuff
let me reply to the person that got the impression I did not want to pay. I have no problem paying. I am told can't do the diagnostic unless it doing whatever it is doing. I paid 300$ for one coil pack from the same garage that told me I had to bring it in when it was making the noise. I know that was way over priced. So, if I gave the impression I was wanting it for free that is incorrect. But I don't want to get fleeced either. I would like to thank all of you for your response. I had a feeling my car was on its way to the junk yard.
Your engine is on it's way out. They can't tell you that because you haven't had them do a full diagnosis on it, but I've seen this enough to know. It is time to look for your next car.
And everything @BruceREE said is spot on.
https://kiaenginesettlement.com/
While your model isn't listed, it is widely known that 2011 & later Kia engines are highly likely to be defective & tend to burn excessive oil.
As for your experience, give those mechanics a break. No reputable mechanic can give you a straight answer without doing a full inspection of your vehicle & a little research. It would be a guesstimate at best.
If I were you, I'd give up on finding out why it burns oil & take it to the dealer if it's still under warranty. For the time being, check your oil religiously & add some of the correct viscosity when it gets low. Make sure not to overfill it either.
You need to find a better mechanic. Obviously the car is burning alot of oil. Any decent mechanic should be able to run some tests and see what shape the engine is in. Just hope the seals are bad and live with it. I am assuming with the mileage and quality of Kia the engine is on the way out.
