hi guys and gals! im hoping this forum will be as helpful as some of the other enthusiast forums im on, and im hoping i can help a few people out as well! i bought an 04 kia rio from a friend for a daily driver fuel saver, my truck averages 11 mpg... no bueno in chicago. i bought the car knowing it has a few issues, several are already in the works to be repaired, others, i'd love some insight on. heres the rundown on the known issues i want to correct. i am a mechanic (albeit on other equipment) so im doing most/all of this myself, just looking to ask some experienced enthusiasts if anyone knows some better places to start looking! (listed in order of annoyance)
1- left turn signal doesnt work properly. the indicator on the dash is generally dimly lit at all times, as well as the left turn signal bulbs. sometimes after hitting a bump it will work fine. the car appears to have had a mild front end collision at some time, but im wondering if there is a common failure for this.
2- both front interior door handles are broken. previous owner installed pink zipties as a temporary fix. i just need to get to the junkyard for parts.
3- transmission. first gear is finnicky, it is tricky to engage from a dead stop (worse when its cold), there is sort of a 'click' halfway between neutral and first, and if youre not paying attention it will grind the gears pretty bad when you let the clutch out. also, reverse has to be held back to work. the trans sounds horrible in reverse, sounds horrible in first gear, but works fine other than that.
other than needing a new front fender, front bumper cover, left headlight (previous non-matching panels installed) and the above mentioned issues, shes a solid car. needs tires and a lot of tlc.
hope to hear back!! thanks!
1- left turn signal doesnt work properly. the indicator on the dash is generally dimly lit at all times, as well as the left turn signal bulbs. sometimes after hitting a bump it will work fine. the car appears to have had a mild front end collision at some time, but im wondering if there is a common failure for this.
2- both front interior door handles are broken. previous owner installed pink zipties as a temporary fix. i just need to get to the junkyard for parts.
3- transmission. first gear is finnicky, it is tricky to engage from a dead stop (worse when its cold), there is sort of a 'click' halfway between neutral and first, and if youre not paying attention it will grind the gears pretty bad when you let the clutch out. also, reverse has to be held back to work. the trans sounds horrible in reverse, sounds horrible in first gear, but works fine other than that.
other than needing a new front fender, front bumper cover, left headlight (previous non-matching panels installed) and the above mentioned issues, shes a solid car. needs tires and a lot of tlc.
hope to hear back!! thanks!
