[fieldboss]

Taking Ownership of a 2019 sorento lx awd V6 this week.
On my previous 2016 sorento there was a full size shield underneath, so doing a diy oil change was out of the question.
Does anyone know if kia has created an access panel and an oil filter topside on the engine?

 

[wbw]

No still full tray underneath. Use your electric drill (battery) to take off the 17 screws, then it's pretty much like normal. Filter is still underneath.

 

[tom4416]

Still the shield and Kia moved the filter to underneath the V6 in 2019 for whatever reason (many have speculated it has something to do with the 8spd transmission) so that plastic shield is coming off. I do topsider oil changes but will be taking it off the next one as I will also do the transmission fluid at the same time.

 

[Jim Fielding]

I cut out an access hole for the filter and drain plug area so I don't to disassemble the panel each oil change. I don't understand why they didn't provide one as previous models had...

 

[gaknak]

I cut out an access hole for the filter and drain plug area so I don't to disassemble the panel each oil change. I don't understand why they didn't provide one as previous models had...

Jim, Did you fabricate a "door" or do you just have a hole in the panel? Any pics?

 

[Jim Fielding]

Jim, Did you fabricate a "door" or do you just have a hole in the panel? Any pics?

I don't have a photo nor would I be proud to show it. It's a fairly crude cut-out. The panel is easy to slice through with a sharp utility knife. You just have to guesstimate where the filter and drain plug line up.

I thought about making a cover under the filter but getting it secured properly is tricky. I don't think the open port will create enough drag to worry about. I assume the panel is for aerodynamics / fuel economy.

 

[tom4416]

Kia has also stated that the under shield also aids cooling although a little cutout isn't going to make much difference. It would be nice if one of our more technical people would measure exactly where the cutout needs to be, give us those dimensions and determine the best way to cut out the plastic (probably a Dremel for precise cutting and to have it look factory). Then install a piano hinge onto the flap and the main shield and a turn lever to hold it closed against two stops that you would install on the interior side. It sounds a lot more involved that it would actually be. I've owned several cars with exactly this type of trapdoor setup and it sure made changing oil from underneath a lot easier.

 

[steve807]

I'll probably go at it with my angle grinder and make the removed piece into a door. My oil change yesterday took 2 hours, but a lot of it was fighting with my custom very heavy ramps (made for a tractor). I'm 73, a little slow, and it is still hot here in S. TX. This shield is easier to handle, but a lot more screws, than the two piece heavy metal one on my previous car (4 Runner).

 

[Jim Fielding]

Kia has also stated that the under shield also aids cooling although a little cutout isn't going to make much difference. It would be nice if one of our more technical people would measure exactly where the cutout needs to be, give us those dimensions and determine the best way to cut out the plastic (probably a Dremel for precise cutting and to have it look factory). Then install a piano hinge onto the flap and the main shield and a turn lever to hold it closed against two stops that you would install on the interior side. It sounds a lot more involved that it would actually be. I've owned several cars with exactly this type of trapdoor setup and it sure made changing oil from underneath a lot easier.

My 2016's panel is made of compressed cardboard with some kind of felt surface. Pretty delicate and easy to cut.

 

[rejesterd]

On my previous 2016 sorento there was a full size shield underneath, so doing a diy oil change was out of the question

I've been doing oil changes on the 2016 for years, and I gotta ask: why was it out of the question? It's a handful of 10mm hex-head bolts. With a drill or small impact wrench, the undercover takes about 1 minute to remove. If you're DIY-ing, these tools are essential if you want the work to be efficient, easy, and not damaging to your vehicle. Cutting a hole in your car to save 2 minutes doesn't seem worth it to me.

And also, part of general maintenance is inspecting things visually, especially underneath the car. You should keep that in mind when doing any job. Even if it's just an oil change, you might as well take a long look at things while you're under there anyway. It's hard to see much with the cover still on there all the time.

AND, when you finally do have to remove it (for a transmission fluid change or radiator flush), keep in mind that these bolts are very cheap, and they rust like crazy. Going years without removing it, could make for a very frustrating job.

 

[steve807]

Taking it off is easy, putting it back on (and re-gluing the big plastic washers that fall off takes a while). Should be easy to cut the right door place and size just by referencing distance and angles between the screw holes in the car.

Someday I'll be hiring the oil changed, that will be the end of some screws and some that remain will be stripped out if there is no easy-door.

 

[rejesterd]

Taking it off is easy, putting it back on (and re-gluing the big plastic washers that fall off takes a while). Should be easy to cut the right door place and size just by referencing distance and angles between the screw holes in the car.

Someday I'll be hiring the oil changed, that will be the end of some screws and some that remain will be stripped out if there is no easy-door.

I agree, a makeshift trap door is an easy thing to do. But putting the shield back on doesn't require you to glue anything. Yeah, some of the washers do come off, but they generally just fall off along with the bolt.. keeping track of them isn't hard, and I don't glue them back. Maybe it takes a LITTLE longer to put it back on, but it's still gotta be under 2 minutes after you've done it 4-5 times. Like anything else, the more practice you have, the easier/faster the job becomes.

Over the course of 4.5 years, I broke/stripped a few of those bolts.. but the cost to replace them probably set me back 2 coffees at Dunkin.

 

[steve807]

I agree, a makeshift trap door is an easy thing to do. But putting the shield back on doesn't require you to glue anything. Yeah, some of the washers do come off, but they generally just fall off along with the bolt.. keeping track of them isn't hard, and I don't glue them back. Maybe it takes a LITTLE longer to put it back on, but it's still gotta be under 2 minutes after you've done it 4-5 times. Like anything else, the more practice you have, the easier/faster the job becomes.

Over the course of 4.5 years, I broke/stripped a few of those bolts.. but the cost to replace them probably set me back 2 coffees at Dunkin.

My oil change technique, with the oversize high ramps, has me putting on the cover before checking for leaks on level ground. Then the cover makes it impossible to see any leaks. I'm just too lazy to make two trips up and down the ramps (installing the cover on the second trip up the ramp) for one oil change.

But a door under the filter/drain would not really help this issue.

 

[rejesterd]

My oil change technique, with the oversize high ramps, has me putting on the cover before checking for leaks on level ground. Then the cover makes it impossible to see any leaks. I'm just too lazy to make two trips up and down the ramps (installing the cover on the second trip up the ramp) for one oil change.

But a door under the filter/drain would not really help this issue.

The way I deal with this is I back it up onto 4 ramps. That's especially useful for doing transmission fluid and gear oil changes, where the car needs to be level to know if it's actually full or not. The ramps should fit behind the front wheels.. they just don't fit in front of the rear wheels.

 

[Don67]

My inner gadget geek tried to conceive of a custom trap-door modification, but given the flimsy construction of the shield it looked like a DIY disaster in the making.

The solution was to buy a floor creeper and a Milwaukee cordless driver that makes quick work of the 17 screws. Unexpected bonus: I now own a floor creeper and a Milwaukee cordless driver

 

[tom4416]

What size are the 17 bolts? I think I'll go buy SS hardware to replace for my virgin removal although we don't have much of a corrosion problem in Tucson. Are there bonded washers on the bolts or are they separate (someone mentioned them above) and what size are they?

 

[rejesterd]

What size are the 17 bolts? I think I'll go buy SS hardware to replace for my virgin removal although we don't have much of a corrosion problem in Tucson. Are there bonded washers on the bolts or are they separate (someone mentioned them above) and what size are they?

I can't recall the size, because I just removed one, took it into the hardware store with me and matched it to one they had. The washers are weakly glued to the undercover, not the bolts. So sometimes they'll stay stuck on the undercover, and sometimes they'll just fall off as you remove the bolt.

 

[hand-filer]

What size are the 17 bolts? I think I'll go buy SS hardware to replace for my virgin removal although we don't have much of a corrosion problem in Tucson. Are there bonded washers on the bolts or are they separate (someone mentioned them above) and what size are they?

They are M6-1 x 16 if I recall correctly.

 

[tom4416]

I can now answer my own question - they are m6 x 1 x 25mm with both a captive washer and lock washer. There is no stainless steel equivalent that I can find but a hex head w/flange will do just as well and you add another SS washer to more evenly spread the force across the plastic washer that Kia uses which is supposed to be attached to the shield but most of mine came off with the bolt.

 

[joemsj51]

I like to use gun oil for odd applications like driveway gate hinges, door locks, shed locks, overhead garage door tracks, four door vehicle hinges, tire lug nuts, .......etc....etc.

Seem like good ol' Hoppes or Remington Gun Oil spray on these underside bolts & washers would help fight corrosion and allow much easier removal.
A little sloppier fix would be a very light film of white lithium grease.