Australian Carnival Engine Failures

[cpapashley]

Well, I know this topic is spoken of throughout this Forum endlessly, But here is some interesting information....

Spoke to the ACCC - Australian Competition and Consumer Association. These are the people that are there to help when a particular problem involves a lot of People in australia. From discussion with them it would seem that KIA is definitely contavening the Trade Practices Act, when the repair by KIA does not repair the original fault in the manufacturing Design. The time periods are 10 years and 3 years after the fault appears so there is no doubt that they are contavening this act.

So For all those who want the ACCC to investigate, you must at least phone to lodge a complaint, if you want to take it further then you need to write to the State/Regional office of the ACCC.

This is important.

The more who write in, the more chance we have of this Consumer Association taking on our case. This does not have to stop any individual methods you are currently employing to get your money back from KIA. This is more than an individual problem this is a widespread consumer problem for an item that costs a lot of money.

So To Reiterate

1. Phone the ACCC Ph No. 1300 302 502

2. Still keep pursuing KIA for resolution (if you want some help on Phone numbers just e-mail me. cpapashley@optusnet.com.au

3. Contact anyone you know that has had similar problems and get them to lodge a complaint with the ACCC.

I only hope that people power can help all those who have lost so much.

I wonder how things are going with "A Current Affair".


Signing off for now.


Ashley

[marg]

I bought a new Carnival in 2000. First engine failed with evidence of overheating just past 100,000kms. This was replaced at Kia dealership in ferntree Gully.
Lat Friday the replacement engine failed - no evidence of overheating - at about 90,000kms.

i called Kia today and they told me it was not their problem as the replacement engine was out of warranty - 12mths/20,000kms.

Should I be expecting that the original engine was replaced with one with exactly the same faults? The car is with my mechanic so i can't check the exact date of the replacement but it would have been during 2002.

It is both reassuring and horrifying to see the number of complaints about these engines failing.

However most of what i have found has not been about 2nd engines.

Buying a new car is out of the question, and even a new engine will mean taking out a loan i can ill afford.

If anyone has had any luck with Kia paying for a new engine I would love to hear from them.

BTW Am I expecting a replacement engine to have the same problems all over again? Of is there some way a new engine can be checked so it doesn't have these problems?

Even the RACV guy who came to my resuce said it was a common problem with the earlier Carnivals. Can a more recent engine be fitted or is that not an option?

Marg

[cpapashley]

Hi Marg,

So sorry to hear your distressing news. Know how you feel, we have had to refinance our mortgage, cannot afford another people mover of same age as we still need money to fix the KIA if company doesn't come to the party.

With regards to a newer engine, not much hope as would need to replace a few peripheral bits around the motor which would cost more than the car is worth. That is if you wanted to sell the car. If you wanted to keep, my current understanding from all I have read, spoken etc is that this is a rather poorly designed engine that has a high probability of having future problems. Having said that you are fortunate enough to be in melbourne so I think there is an excellent repair shop I phoned early in our debacle called
http://www.koreanautocentre.com.au/

They are Sarton road Clayton and would be well worth a discussion to find out costing for repair. Our decision is to not keep the car even if we can get it fixed. This is heart breaking for us as it is the best car for the job, but KIA has lost our business, because it cannot provide me with enough assurance that the engine can last.

any other questions just ask.

But phone the ACCC. They can only act when enough people complain.

[tech34]

have also lodged a complaint with Victoria's Consumer Affairs as well as the ACCC. See my thread on "2nd engine gone" Am quite willing to go to A Current Affair. If I wanted to pay $24k for my car and then another $5k I'd buy a brand new one to start with and avoid all this.

Warren French
tech34@aapt.net.au

[cpapashley]

Alright, Lets make some noise about the poor treatment from KIA Australia.


Shame kia, shame....

[marg]

I have sent a complaint about my 2000 Carnival to Consumer Affairs. 2 engines down......

Marg

[cpapashley]

That should keep the consumer body remided that there is a

"DEFINITE PROBLEM WITH THESE ENGINES"

this is not just a head gasket problem, it is a design fault that has not been rectified.