The accidental car that I saw at the service centre had toppled and dragged on the road.
BHPian ashis89 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Odo stands at 56900 kms. It was ~7500 kms/3 months since the last service so I booked one at Epitome Kia, the 7:30AM slot for Saturday. Their booking process has improved further and is very good now.
I arrived 15 mins late and mine was the 2nd car to be taken in. This time too, I had a list of complaints (some of them have been old ones but remained unresolved):
- Faint knocking sound coming from near the steering column on bad roads.
- Driver side power window auto-UP acting up at times (old).
- Mild jerk felt at rare times when driving prolonged at ~1500 RPM (old).
- Slight left pull of the steering wheel.
- Musty smell from the AC for a min or two during the first start of the day (old).
A technician was assigned immediately and we went on a road test. #1 was replicated in less than 50 mts from the service centre. The technician took a video of it.
Even after a 15+ km test drive, with me and the technician taking turns, we couldn’t replicate #3. We tried 3rd and 4th gears, even used the cruise control but no jerks felt. Yes, it has been very rare and I observe 2-3 times in 500 km drive. The juddering from the clutch, when starting from a standstill, is also felt on some occasions. However, the technician insisted that the clutch doesn’t need replacement yet. Clutch is soft, bite point is good and shifts are positive. I should use it as is unless I want comfort without juddering.
Even #2, power window kept working fine and despite multiple attempts, I couldn’t replicate it. We return, I park the car in the service center and give one last try to the power window. The auto-UP doesn’t work then. The technician tried a few times and couldn’t get it to work. So he recorded the video and took the car in.
#5 was observed too and I told him that the usual 3m evaporator cleaning, vent cleaning and cabin filter replacement only contain the issue for a month or two before it comes back again. He agreed and said that most car owners have this complaint. Maybe it is another design issue. I gave the go-ahead for the 3m cleaning stuff and will continue to switch off the compressor 5 mins before parking the car for the day. It does help to a considerable extent.
While waiting, I saw the whole workshop team starting their day with a morning “standup” meeting, followed by a small exercise session. Nice initiative.
I was given an estimate of 12.8k, first 5-digit service bill since I bought the car. With a sign-off, the car was taken in by 9AM. An hour later, I was informed that the parts replacement will take longer and hence, they can give the car only by 6PM instead of the 2:30 they had committed initially. So I took a cab and came home. Later, I received a bunch of pics from the SA showing the oil change, oil filter replacement and air filter cleaning.
When I returned by 5:30PM, the car was being waterless washed. A worm shaft had been replaced under extended warranty. While the 70k service warrants a coolant replacement, the coolant was good and hence, not replaced (it takes a good 7 litres apparently). Air filters were also found good and just cleaned. Tyres have been over-inflated as usual which I need to air down. But from the short trip back home, the ever-slight left pull seems gone.
BUT the power window issue had been ignored where they simply cleaned the channels, lubricated it and gave it back. I reminded them the same solution was done during the last service too but that doesn’t fix it. I called the technician who vouched for the issue and also showed the video. Then the service advisor acknowledged the issue to be with the power window “regulator”. He checked but the part wasn’t available and has been ordered. I have been promised this will be replaced next week.
I paid Rs.9807, a shade below 5 digits and left by 6:30PM.
A little too much polish was used than my liking. Looks shiny and beautiful from a distance but is actually a smudge magnet today and will be a dust magnet tomorrow. I need to wash it off with shampoo one of these weekends.
The Continentals are almost a year old and have done 17k kms so far. After a year, they continue to be super silent while providing excellent dry grip and good wet grip. These tyres are advertised to be capable of mild off-roading. But in the past year, I haven’t been to any place with slush and hence, can’t vouch for the same. They tend to lose very little air, 1 psi/4-5 weeks at max. But they splash the sides like no one’s business. Even during the super dry March, my car has these.
At the service centre, I saw this Seltos which had toppled and dragged on the road. One side was completely scratched, but the remaining 5 sides had no inkling of an accident!
One can see the thickness of the sheet metal here where the top layer has worn off due to friction.
Keyword: My Kia Seltos diesel completes 57,000 km: My recent service experience