Kia 7 Year Warranty Problems
Discussion
Looking for some opinions from the PH collective.
My mum has a 3 year old Kia Rio that has just failed it's first MOT due to excessive wear of the lower suspension ball joints. The car has only done 17K miles in those 3 years, with a mixture of town and motorway miles - 60/40 split. It's also been serviced at the dealers on a yearly basis as recommended by Kia.
Now here is the rub - Kia are refusing to cover this repair under warranty due to fair wear and tear as it is a "common problem due to the roads in Edinburgh". She has contacted Kia UK who have said the same. They haven't even offered a gesture of goodwill.
She specifically bought a Kia due to the warranty so is clearly disappointed by this surprise cost. The wording of the warranty exclusions states "Gradual wearing of mechanical components in proportion to mileage." To me 17K miles is certainly not proportional to suspension failure and would indicate a design failure - which should be covered.
So opinions, does this sound reasonable? How can it be escalated if not?
On another note PH should really have a Kia/Hyundai sub forum - even more so with the launch of the Stinger and I30N!
My mum has a 3 year old Kia Rio that has just failed it's first MOT due to excessive wear of the lower suspension ball joints. The car has only done 17K miles in those 3 years, with a mixture of town and motorway miles - 60/40 split. It's also been serviced at the dealers on a yearly basis as recommended by Kia.
Now here is the rub - Kia are refusing to cover this repair under warranty due to fair wear and tear as it is a "common problem due to the roads in Edinburgh". She has contacted Kia UK who have said the same. They haven't even offered a gesture of goodwill.
She specifically bought a Kia due to the warranty so is clearly disappointed by this surprise cost. The wording of the warranty exclusions states "Gradual wearing of mechanical components in proportion to mileage." To me 17K miles is certainly not proportional to suspension failure and would indicate a design failure - which should be covered.
So opinions, does this sound reasonable? How can it be escalated if not?
On another note PH should really have a Kia/Hyundai sub forum - even more so with the launch of the Stinger and I30N!
FamousPheasant said:
My mum has a 3 year old Kia Rio that has just failed it's first MOT due to excessive wear of the lower suspension ball joints.
There y'go, then. Not covered. The warranty is quite clear that wear is excluded.FamousPheasant said:
Now here is the rub - Kia are refusing to cover this repair under warranty due to fair wear and tear as it is a "common problem due to the roads in Edinburgh".
I'm sure it is.FamousPheasant said:
She specifically bought a Kia due to the warranty so is clearly disappointed by this surprise cost. The wording of the warranty exclusions states "Gradual wearing of mechanical components in proportion to mileage."
Like I said - there y'go, then. Wear is not covered. These parts have worn.FamousPheasant said:
To me 17K miles is certainly not proportional to suspension failure and would indicate a design failure - which should be covered.
I wonder what the average life of those OEM ball joints is. If it's a design failure, then it'll be short. If it's a usage-related failure, then your mother's car will be the outlier - unless you're claiming it's a materials or manufacturing failure with the particular joints on her car.FamousPheasant said:
So opinions, does this sound reasonable? How can it be escalated if not?
Take them to court for the cost. Don't forget to have some kind of statistical analysis of average Kia balljoint lifespan versus other marques if you're suggesting it's a design failure, or an expert metallurgical report on your failed ones if you're suggesting it's a materials or manufacturing failure.How big's the bill for a pair of balljoints? The parts won't be expensive, and it won't be a particularly long job. £50 plus an hour's labour, maybe an hour and a half? Change from a ton and a half all in?
FamousPheasant said:
Looking for some opinions from the PH collective.
My mum has a 3 year old Kia Rio that has just failed it's first MOT due to excessive wear of the lower suspension ball joints. The car has only done 17K miles in those 3 years, with a mixture of town and motorway miles - 60/40 split. It's also been serviced at the dealers on a yearly basis as recommended by Kia.
Now here is the rub - Kia are refusing to cover this repair under warranty due to fair wear and tear as it is a "common problem due to the roads in Edinburgh". She has contacted Kia UK who have said the same. They haven't even offered a gesture of goodwill.
She specifically bought a Kia due to the warranty so is clearly disappointed by this surprise cost. The wording of the warranty exclusions states "Gradual wearing of mechanical components in proportion to mileage." To me 17K miles is certainly not proportional to suspension failure and would indicate a design failure - which should be covered.
So opinions, does this sound reasonable? How can it be escalated if not?
On another note PH should really have a Kia/Hyundai sub forum - even more so with the launch of the Stinger and I30N!
If it was the clutch or brakes would she react the same way?My mum has a 3 year old Kia Rio that has just failed it's first MOT due to excessive wear of the lower suspension ball joints. The car has only done 17K miles in those 3 years, with a mixture of town and motorway miles - 60/40 split. It's also been serviced at the dealers on a yearly basis as recommended by Kia.
Now here is the rub - Kia are refusing to cover this repair under warranty due to fair wear and tear as it is a "common problem due to the roads in Edinburgh". She has contacted Kia UK who have said the same. They haven't even offered a gesture of goodwill.
She specifically bought a Kia due to the warranty so is clearly disappointed by this surprise cost. The wording of the warranty exclusions states "Gradual wearing of mechanical components in proportion to mileage." To me 17K miles is certainly not proportional to suspension failure and would indicate a design failure - which should be covered.
So opinions, does this sound reasonable? How can it be escalated if not?
On another note PH should really have a Kia/Hyundai sub forum - even more so with the launch of the Stinger and I30N!
Stuff wears out. A warranty doesn't cover wear.
Arguably wear & tear on suspension is very much down to how the car is driven. Just because a car is under warranty is no reason for it to be abused (and I'm not suggesting your mum has abused it), but how do Kia determine that? We live on a new build estate, the main access road has yet to be tarmacked as it is still used for construction traffic. It's got plenty of potholes, bumps and raised ironworks, yet lots of people fly across them with no thought for mechanical sympathy. And it's not just your stereotypical boy racer types, but all sorts of people, and I bet most of them don't see what the problem with doing that could be. I'm sure they'll all b
h and moan if they end up with an expensive repair bill, but that doesn't mean it's down to warranty to fix.
h and moan if they end up with an expensive repair bill, but that doesn't mean it's down to warranty to fix.If a car has spent a good proportion of its 17k life being clattered along rubbish roads (and I do remember Edinburgh's being pretty rubbish), then I don't think suspension components failing in that time necessarily points to a design failure. It'll be worth writing a few more letters to Kia to see if they'll stump up some goodwill, but for the cost of getting the problem sorted I wouldn't bother spending too much time and effort pursuing it.
FamousPheasant said:
Looking for some opinions from the PH collective.
My mum has a 3 year old Kia Rio that has just failed it's first MOT due to excessive wear of the lower suspension ball joints. The car has only done 17K miles in those 3 years, with a mixture of town and motorway miles - 60/40 split. It's also been serviced at the dealers on a yearly basis as recommended by Kia.
Now here is the rub - Kia are refusing to cover this repair under warranty due to fair wear and tear as it is a "common problem due to the roads in Edinburgh". She has contacted Kia UK who have said the same. They haven't even offered a gesture of goodwill.
She specifically bought a Kia due to the warranty so is clearly disappointed by this surprise cost. The wording of the warranty exclusions states "Gradual wearing of mechanical components in proportion to mileage." To me 17K miles is certainly not proportional to suspension failure and would indicate a design failure - which should be covered.
So opinions, does this sound reasonable? How can it be escalated if not?
On another note PH should really have a Kia/Hyundai sub forum - even more so with the launch of the Stinger and I30N!
Lower suspension ball joints will be a wear and tear item.My mum has a 3 year old Kia Rio that has just failed it's first MOT due to excessive wear of the lower suspension ball joints. The car has only done 17K miles in those 3 years, with a mixture of town and motorway miles - 60/40 split. It's also been serviced at the dealers on a yearly basis as recommended by Kia.
Now here is the rub - Kia are refusing to cover this repair under warranty due to fair wear and tear as it is a "common problem due to the roads in Edinburgh". She has contacted Kia UK who have said the same. They haven't even offered a gesture of goodwill.
She specifically bought a Kia due to the warranty so is clearly disappointed by this surprise cost. The wording of the warranty exclusions states "Gradual wearing of mechanical components in proportion to mileage." To me 17K miles is certainly not proportional to suspension failure and would indicate a design failure - which should be covered.
So opinions, does this sound reasonable? How can it be escalated if not?
On another note PH should really have a Kia/Hyundai sub forum - even more so with the launch of the Stinger and I30N!
I wouldnt expect otherwise TBH. Cant be expensive though?
Its a warranty to cover faults is it not? Or did you pay for full maintenance?
Krikkit said:
I think 17k miles for OEM ball joints to be worn out is a bit poor, even on Edinburgh's roads.
I agree. Even SEAT covered the cost of a worn out suspension bush on car we had in the family that was a year out of warranty as it had only done 30K miles.Kia are notorious for being unhelpful though - and there's a school of thought that the dealers get their money through expensive servicing and random repairs. On the latter note, was the MOT done at the dealer and has she had another opinion on the ball joints?
Prof Prolapse said:
So cheap cars are made from cheap parts which fail quicker.
Who knew?
Quite. The rear discs and calipers on my dad's Hyundai were toast at 40k miles. These cars are cheap because they're cheaply made. Not to say they're no good - they're fine, but they have their limitations.Who knew?
N Dentressangle said:
Prof Prolapse said:
So cheap cars are made from cheap parts which fail quicker.
Who knew?
Quite. The rear discs and calipers on my dad's Hyundai were toast at 40k miles. These cars are cheap because they're cheaply made. Not to say they're no good - they're fine, but they have their limitations.Who knew?
Or do they source them through TRW, Brembo etc? Same as every other manufacturer does.
Rear brakes are notorious on all makes for suffering corrosion, especially the inside pad/disc face.
OP..... Did you try another dealer for a second opinion? Not all dealers apply the warranty terms quote so strictly.
Won't be an expensive repair though. You can DIY or get an indie garage on it to save costs.
Edited by DuraAce on Tuesday 28th November 17:01
Sheepshanks said:
Kia are notorious for being unhelpful though - and there's a school of thought that the dealers get their money through expensive servicing and random repairs.
Credit where its due.... My local dealer are pretty good, never been stung for "extras". I certainly can't complain at £100 for each of its first 3 services.
DuraAce said:
Do you think Kia make their own brake discs?
Or do they source them through TRW, Brembo etc? Same as every other manufacturer does.
Almost certainly Sangsin.Or do they source them through TRW, Brembo etc? Same as every other manufacturer does.
http://www.sangsin.com/eng/main
Cheap-spec brake discs are cheap. Cheap manufacturers are very likely to buy on price, so fit cheap-spec discs as OEM.
DuraAce said:
Credit where its due.... My local dealer are pretty good, never been stung for "extras".
I certainly can't complain at £100 for each of its first 3 services.
Fair enough. I looked at Kia C'eed and Hyundai i30 when looking for a Golf sized car as we keep cars in the family for years so the warranty was attractive. I saw enough comments about expensive servicing and warranty refusals to make me look elsewhere.I certainly can't complain at £100 for each of its first 3 services.
Last month's WhatCar has an article where various Kia dealers treated an owner badly and then Kia would only compensate him if he removed social media comments.
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