Little tabs on roof

[gottarondo]

So.... maybe I've had the first problem with my Rondo

We noticed tonight that the little tabs on the roof rails are missing on one side of the car. At first we thought someone had maybe pried them off but there is no damage. Then I remembered that I had heard some strange noises from the car's ceiling while driving a few days ago that would approximately correspond with the wretched things just popping off and bouncing away. I was driving over a bumpy road, can't recall exactly where, and the noises didn't last so I thought nothing of it.

Sigh. Anyway, thought I should report in, and warn you to pay attention if you hear some strange noises overhead.

[gottarondo]

Finally had a chance to deal with this, dropped by my nearest dealer (let the record show this was Kia Vancouver on SW Marine) and checked in the parts department what the replacement options were. The guy was great - I'd forgotten that Conwel suggested this might be under warranty so I didn't even ask, and he suggested it right away.

Good thing too, because get this - the tabs come in black, but as they are body colour on my model, they'd have to be painted! And the dealership is indeed going to order them, paint them, and install them for us. Since we are do-it-yourselfers from away back, this feels like Cadillac service to me!
And what I like about this is that doing it under warranty ensures that news of my experience gets back to Kia in language that anyone can understand, dollars and cents.

I'm going to repeat this response on the Warranty Issues thread so further discussion might occur there: http://www.kia-forums.com/kia-carens...-claims-5.html

Oh and by the way, the parts guy did say that he'd had one other customer in with this problem.

[gottarondo]

Finally got these tabs replaced, under warranty.
Kia West in Coquitlam did a bang-up job considering what a minute task it is; ordered the tabs and had them painted and ready to install within two weeks.

There's one improvement in the 2009 models - they don't have those tabs anymore.

[OregonBruin]

I lost one on the freeway and was replaced under warranty. I feel the painted tab does not quite match the rest of the car but I am going to let it go. I hope I don't lose the other ones.