Advice needed. Any Kia sales or service please look in.

[Plainolmoo]

I purchased my Stinger GT2 from DARCARS Kia in Lanham, Maryland on December 28, 2017. At that time, the options that I ordered were remote start, puddle lights, and mud guards. The price of these options was rolled into the total price of my vehicle and financed through Kia Motors America. I was told that my options were not in stock and would have to be ordered. Two weeks later I hadn't heard anything from them. When I called to inquire they advised that these options were still not in stock anywhere. I find this hard to believe. I was assured they'd have everything by the coming Friday (Jan 19). That day came and passed and I was again assured that options would be in by the next Friday (Jan 26). I dropped off my Stinger on Friday morning and was given a loaner Optima SXL. At the time I was told that the puddle lights still hadn't been delivered but the remote start and mud guards would be installed.

At 6 PM the same day I received a text that the remote start couldn't be installed and asked to return the loaner and pick up my Stinger. Mind you, they are 25 miles away. This isn't some 10 mile jaunt across town. But I'm a pretty patient guy. I understand that things happen. So I went to pick up my car which had absolutely nothing done. At this time I was told that there was a problem getting my car scheduled for installation and it would all be sorted out by next Friday (Feb 2). The next week comes and I arrived the night before to drop off my Stinger (Feb 1). I was given a loaner Kia Sorrento and once again told that the puddle lights were STILL back ordered but I was assured that the remote start and mud guards would be done. Saturday evening (Feb 3) my salesman Karl Caton who, by the way, has been great throughout this entire debacle, called to tell me that they could not install the remote start system. At this point, any patience I had for this is long gone. I'm beyond frustrated. We're in the midst of winter. It's 20 degrees out as I write this. I NEED that remote start. I've lost time and put well over a hundred miles on my Stinger for nothing at this point. They still have my Stinger with Monday as the new day it will be done. Done meaning remote start and mud guards. I'm not holding my breath that's for sure. Who knows with the puddle lights.

The costs are rolled into my financing for the car but I would like to just get them installed at another Kia dealer because honestly, aside from all of this, it appears that they don't have anyone that knows how to install the lights and remote start (my salesman alluded to this last week) and I guess my car will be the guinea pig. This is quite concerning. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I do plan on calling Kia corporate on Monday.

 

[Expert4]

Your issue is not with Kia but rather the dealership and the relationship they have with the aftermarket remote starter. Whenever a new car model is introduced there is period of time that will elapse until a good aftermarket company develops the correct remote starter modules or technology to properly control and start the vehicle properly. My advice is to wait it out so you are not a gunie pig and once a good aftermarket company has the chance to develop the starter than have your dealership fulfill their obligation.

 

[Plainolmoo]

Your issue is not with Kia but rather the dealership and the relationship they have with the aftermarket remote starter. Whenever a new car model is introduced there is period of time that will elapse until a good aftermarket company develops the correct remote starter modules or technology to properly control and start the vehicle properly. My advice is to wait it out so you are not a gunie pig and once a good aftermarket company has the chance to develop the starter than have your dealership fulfill their obligation.

This is not an aftermarket remote start. It's a Kia option and I actually opened the box. It's straight from Kia with a Kia part number and Logo on the box. I do understand that this being a new car model there will be issues with things but it's well over a month later and by now they could have reached out to Kia technical support to help with the installation.

 

[Expert4]

Ok that is interesting because I was told there was not a factory option for the u.s. model and it had to be an aftermarket option. Yes I’m aware it is a factory option outside the u.s.

I’m curious if there is some unique programming of the starter module to be compatable to the u.s. model?

Do you know if the starter is the same model and part number that dealership uses for other Kia models or is it specific for the stinger?

 

[Plainolmoo]

Ok that is interesting because I was told there was not a factory option for the u.s. model and it had to be an aftermarket option. Yes I’m aware it is a factory option outside the u.s.

I’m curious if there is some unique programming of the starter module to be compatable to the u.s. model?

Do you know if the starter is the same model and part number that dealership uses for other Kia models or is it specific for the stinger?

I have no clue what starter the Stinger has. If you go to the builder/configurator remote start is a $495 option.

 

[Expert4]

My advice would be to make sure the dealership has all the proper tech info before they begin the install. It is typical that it will need unique programming to be compatible with the stinger and the last thing you need is to be more frustrated with multiple trips to the dealership and or to have your car interior messed with over and over by a tech that doesn’t have the proper info.

 

[mldavis2]

Wow! Not good. I think someone needs to visit with the service manager of that dealership and come to an understanding of what they are capable of doing.

I was a new car service manager for GM-Subaru-BMW back in the '80's. We spent $Thousands sending our mechanics to Japan and Munich, Germany respectively for training. The trouble is that mechanics are like car salesmen, they often move around and you lose the guys who are trained and replace them with those who are not. Running a service department is hell (I can write a long narrative about why, but I digress....) What I would do is get with the general manager, explain we needed help for customer satisfaction, and have the car sent to a dealer with a trained technician who could install it and get you down the road. The downside of that is that the dealership and salesman would have to pay for that installation at another dealership (unless it was chargeable to Kia as a new car prep item), and my service department would have a black-eye for being unable to perform the task. That's the eternal problem when a dealership balances profit with customer satisfaction - the short term profit balanced against the long term potential for a repeat customer. And with salesmen and mechanics turning over as quickly as they do, it's easy to see what determines the outcome.

Good luck.

 

[DaJackson]

I’d call Kia corporate, especially if things are not done by Monday. You got a “we owe” bill when you bought your car stating what the dealership owes you right? Does it have a due date on it? I doubt it will but worth checking.

When contacting Kia I would focus on the fact that you are paying for things you don’t have yet and adding wear and tear to your car for no reason with all the unnecessary trips to the dealer.

 

[mldavis2]

Yes, ask for the regional Kia rep and you will get some action. The dealer knows who that would be.

 

[Plainolmoo]

Quick update. The assistant manager of the service department called me this morning and explained what I already suspected. That they only have one technician who can actually do the work and he's making sure that each step is exactly right so there's no screw-up. According to him the puddle lights are a pretty extensive installation which requires dropping the headliner because they're wired into the dome lights. There's also a bit of drilling that has to be done to actually mount the lights. Had I known all this, I'd have foregone the lights but whatever. It's too late to turn back now. I'll update on Wed or Thursday when I get the car back. Btw, the remote start and mud guards are already installed.

 

[GuyManDude]

Call Premium Concierge 855-454-2847. Let them know what’s going on and they will start a claim for you. They may direct you to a different dealership.

 

[Plainolmoo]

Call Premium Concierge 855-454-2847. Let them know what’s going on and they will start a claim for you. They may direct you to a different dealership.

If the installations aren't 100%, that's what I'll do. Thanks.

 

[eljay]

Quick update. The assistant manager of the service department called me this morning and explained what I already suspected. That they only have one technician who can actually do the work and he's making sure that each step is exactly right so there's no screw-up. According to him the puddle lights are a pretty extensive installation which requires dropping the headliner because they're wired into the dome lights. There's also a bit of drilling that has to be done to actually mount the lights. Had I known all this, I'd have foregone the lights but whatever. It's too late to turn back now. I'll update on Wed or Thursday when I get the car back. Btw, the remote start and mud guards are already installed.

Thanks for the info about what's involved in the puddle light installation. It gives me more confidence in my dealer's service dept. Between my purchase paperwork, the prep (mine had just come off the truck), and the installation of my mud guards and puddle lights, I spent 8 hours at my dealership on Dec. 28th. They told me that they'd called around for advice and no other dealer had done the installation on a Stinger, so, as yours said, they were "making sure . . . ." At least I didn't have to return to get it done. Good luck with yours! I have to say, I wasn't sure about getting the lights, but now I'm glad I did. They've come in handy several times.

 

[Plainolmoo]

Thanks for the info about what's involved in the puddle light installation. It gives me more confidence in my dealer's service dept. Between my purchase paperwork, the prep (mine had just come off the truck), and the installation of my mud guards and puddle lights, I spent 8 hours at my dealership on Dec. 28th. They told me that they'd called around for advice and no other dealer had done the installation on a Stinger, so, as yours said, they were "making sure . . . ." At least I didn't have to return to get it done. Good luck with yours! I have to say, I wasn't sure about getting the lights, but now I'm glad I did. They've come in handy several times.

Yes I definitely need mine. Plus they look cool. I wish you could change the color to match the ambient light. That would be awesome.

 

[Flip4431]

Taking mine in friday to get remote start installed, said the card needed to be funded by kia before i could get the remote start on ( was free in my deal) so I will keep yall updated if I have any issues.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Taking mine in friday to get remote start installed, said the card needed to be funded by kia before i could get the remote start on ( was free in my deal) so I will keep yall updated if I have any issues.

Welcome aboard, @Flip4431! Thank you for signing up!

 

[Plainolmoo]

Ok so this case is now closed because LOOK HOW GREAT THESE LIGHTS LOOK. Remote start works great too. I made a quick video showing how this looks and also how the car cuts off once you open the door after remote starting. Going to put that in a new thread.

 

[Kia Stinger]

Ok so this case is now closed because LOOK HOW GREAT THESE LIGHTS LOOK. Remote start works great too. I made a quick video showing how this looks and also how the car cuts off once you open the door after remote starting. Going to put that in a new thread. View attachment 2947

I like it. Inside the door handle too! Nice...

 

[eljay]

I like it. Inside the door handle too! Nice...

Haha! I have the lights, and never noticed the door handles lighting. I really need to be more observant! Thanks for pointing it out.

 

[Plainolmoo]

Haha! I have the lights, and never noticed the door handles lighting. I really need to be more observant! Thanks for pointing it out.

Those door handle lights are stock. They're already installed on all Stingers and are not a part of the puddle lights.