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Time to say goodbye to my Kia

3K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  Frasse 
#1 ·
Well after a little over 5 years and 72k miles its time to say goodbye to my 09 Pro 1.4 ZR7
I decided it was time to get another car, even though i still had just under 2 years remaining on my warranty so ive gone and bout a new Ford Fiesta ST.
A very different car to my Pro. Smaller and much more focussed and also with a hell of a lot more power!

I did try my local Kia dealer and wanted to see how the Pro GT matched up against it ST but they couldnt get within £100 a month of the finance deal i got from Ford, even with a £2000 discount for being an exisiting customer so reluctantly i had to dismiss the GT as an option which is a great shame as its a really lovely looking car.

The St gets rave reviews from the motoring press, especially with the Ford warrantied Mountune 215 upgrade which i shall be getting done as soon as i can.

Anyway, my thoughts on 5 years of Kia ownership......

In 2009 when i bought it £12000 for the Pro was a really good price compared to a similar sized Ford Focus. I think its less competitive on price now.

Level of equipment was very good and certainly better than equivilent models from other manufacturers.

The 1.4 with 109hp had an acceptable amount of power although i did find it a little flat low down and it struggled on long climbs where it needed a change down to 4th but overall its a lovely little engine, happy to sit for hour after hour at 80-90 on the motorway and capable of 3 figure speeds if needed!

In my 5 years of ownership i have had a couple of warranty claims.
First one was for a faulty spark plug from new which caused an intermittent engine management light and loss of power but you cant really blame Kia for a faulty 3rd party part.

Its had suspension bushes replaced twice but they seem to have sorted an upgraded part now as its been ok for many thousand miles.

Alloy wheel centre caps are awful! Ive had 6 replaced under warranty but the wheels themselves are keeping their finish very well.

Fuel tank strap was replaced by my dealer at a service. Apparently it was a Kia issue and something i wasnt aware of until they did it.

The interior has held up well but the seat bolster on the driver seat is showing wear now but nothing major.

There are a few rattles from the windscreen area on very very cold days but this clears once theres some heat in the cabin.

The radio does sometimes have a mind of its own and will beep as and when it likes and all the audio controls will fail to work. 2 minutes later it all works! Just a foible of the car and its never really caused me any bother.

Exterior paint has held up well and the car still looks good when its cleaned. It seems very resilient to stone chips and general abrasion. However, i now have a small amount of erosion behind the nearside front wheel where the front wing meets the sill. Kia refused a warranty claim saying it was down to general wear and tear and in all fairness they are probably correct as i do a lot of back road driving and when the roads are wet theres a lot of dirt and small stones being thrown up, even with mudflaps fitted.

Overall, its been a very very good experience owning my Kia. My dealer, Westdrive of Braintree have been absolutely brilliant and would recommend them 100%. Amazing customer service and after care. BUY YOUR KIA FROM THEM IF YOU CAN!!!!!!

So thats it then! Its been interesting on here too, with some "characters!" and some fun banter. Also a few idiots but hey, such is life!

I hope you all have as good a time with your Kia as i have had.

Adios Amigos.

Andy
 
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#5 · (Edited)
I'm leaving the "Scuderia Kia" soon too, I'm going to trade in my -11 Pro_ceed for a new -14 Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 Tdi. Got a good deal and it was a sales campaign on the Audi. I was thinking about a Ceed GT but I really wanted a more powerful diesel.
 
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