Dreaded Warped Rotors

[Lsju]

My car is 1.5 years old, 18K miles, GT2. I was experiencing steering wheel vibration when I would break at any speed. I took it in only to find out that the rotors used were of inferior quality (dealer admitted it) to the Brembo brakes and rotors are only warranted for 12K miles and 12 months, so forget the "great" 100K warranty. They turned the rotors and resurfaced the pads but said this is just a band-aid and I will keep experiencing the same problem in the future. They recommended I upgrade to better quality rotors, great to hear after spending more than $50K on the car. This was a dishonest and deceitful move by KIA as obviously they knew the rotors wouldn't hold up so they slapped on the 12K/month clause.
This is a buyer beware car, in many ways cheaply made but then I should have known to look beyond the car design. KIA should replace the rotors at no charge since I have read this is a common problem and KIA put a poor quality rotor and pad teamed with Brembo brakes, that is like putting retread tires on a Ferrari.

 

[eflyguy]

Regardless of what your dealer says, the rotors are not warped.
FAQ: Vibration under braking: warped rotors? NO!

They would, of course, be willing to sell you new ones and charge labor to change them.

 

[MerlintheMad]

are only warranted for 12K miles and 12 months, so forget the "great" 100K warranty.

You obviously didn't read/listen. The full warranty is drivetrain. The rest of the car (aside from specific wear items like brake pads and rotors) is 60K miles. Paint is 36K miles or months whichever comes first. And so on. Kia's warranties beat the competition.

This was a dishonest and deceitful move by KIA as obviously they knew the rotors wouldn't hold up so they slapped on the 12K/month clause.

Typical warranty for brake components. Nothing deceitful at all. Pay up and keep driving. Obviously nothing of the kind: I have over 25K miles on my car and have brakes that are still holding up really well. At more than 12K miles, they were declared to still be "almost like new".

This is a buyer beware car, in many ways cheaply made but then I should have known to look beyond the car design.

Do you get some cathartic benefit from repeating yourself? The Stinger is "economically made". There is nothing cheap about the material choices Kia made.

… that is like putting retread tires on a Ferrari.

So you're saying that Michelins are like retreads? Kia picked those tires because they are cheaply made? If not, then that is just a crap non sequitur analogy.

 

[NS_Stinger]

This guy is just really worked up, I don't blame him, the brakes shouldnt be developing problems like this so early on.

The idea that KIA is aware and isnt at least fixing the issue with a revised pad is what really annoys me. I understand the brakes are out of warranty and some of us will have to anti up and pay, but the idea that you're paying and only getting a temporary solution until it inevitably happens again is what's so frustrating.

The fact that you have to resort to an aftermarket part to resolve a known issue on an OEM part is a mistake on KIA's part. Somebody eventually has to sound the alarm on them because they need to do something to right the the ship, even if its revising the pads and making us pay out of warranty that's fine, but they need to do something. Hell, start getting the dealers to replace the pads with euro pads, the damn things already exist so thats a pretty simple solution for them.

 

[MisterMac]

@Lsju

While the shudder associated with uneven pad build-up can be annoying, it in no way hampers the ability of the Stinger to safely stop. There is nothing "wrong" with these brakes. Changing the brake parts for this annoyance is a personal decision outside of the first 12,000 miles or 12 months. Either suck it up by living with the shudder, or purchase some aftermarket components that make you happy, re-bed the brakes and change your driving habits, or sell/trade the car.

 

[SteveCo]

My front brakes picked up a significant pulsation after purchasing and experimenting with a Dragy to check performance over a quarter mile - followed by aggressive braking to a stop due to a relatively short road. Not knowing any better at the time, after each run I sat with my foot on the 'hot' brakes while I checked the numbers.

After reading about pad deposits being an issue, I made an effort to clear the rotors off with high speed aggressive braking, followed by a brakes off coasting interval to let them 'air cool'. For the most part, that worked - now I occasionally detect a very slight modulation on an aggressive stop, but for the most part I'm perfectly happy with how they perform and feel.

The Canadian warranty on brake rotors is 3 years or 60,000 KM, so I'm not overly concerned either way. If it becomes more noticeable I'll bring it to the attention of the dealer, and get either new rotors or let them try resurfacing.

 

[NS_Stinger]

My front brakes picked up a significant pulsation after purchasing and experimenting with a Dragy to check performance over a quarter mile - followed by aggressive braking to a stop due to a relatively short road. Not knowing any better at the time, after each run I sat with my foot on the 'hot' brakes while I checked the numbers.

After reading about pad deposits being an issue, I made an effort to clear the rotors off with high speed aggressive braking, followed by a brakes off coasting interval to let them 'air cool'. For the most part, that worked - now I occasionally detect a very slight modulation on an aggressive stop, but for the most part I'm perfectly happy with how they perform and feel.

The Canadian warranty on brake rotors is 3 years or 60,000 KM, so I'm not overly concerned either way. If it becomes more noticeable I'll bring it to the attention of the dealer, and get either new rotors or let them try resurfacing.

Thank you for posting this, you may have just saved me a bunch of cash. I was going to order aftermarker rotors and pads to fix my pulsing because I thought they were only covered for 12 mths. Now I'll let the dealer replace or resurface and just drop in new pads instead.

 

[Dr_jitsu]

While saying this car is cheaply made (it was designed by top executives fro BMW and Audi I believe) is complete nonsense, I can't blame the OP for being displeased. Unless tracking he should get more than 18k.

Having said that, I had Brembos on my BMW M3 and they were fantastic. I like them just as much as the ceramics on my Porsche. Kia conspiring with Brembo to slip in inferior products makes no sense. Why ruin your reputation?

Finally, check your driving habits to make sure you do not unintentionally ride your brakes.

 

[Doel]

While saying this car is cheaply made (it was designed by top executives fro BMW and Audi I believe) is complete nonsense, I can't blame the OP for being displeased. Unless tracking he should get more than 18k.

Having said that, I had Brembos on my BMW M3 and they were fantastic. I like them just as much as the ceramics on my Porsche. Kia conspiring with Brembo to slip in inferior products makes no sense. Why ruin your reputation?

Finally, check your driving habits to make sure you do not unintentionally ride your brakes.

I don't think any products are really "inferior" just happens this particular rotor tends to hold deposits from this particular pad.

 

[Steve320]

My car is 1.5 years old, 18K miles, GT2. I was experiencing steering wheel vibration when I would break at any speed. I took it in only to find out that the rotors used were of inferior quality (dealer admitted it) to the Brembo brakes and rotors are only warranted for 12K miles and 12 months, so forget the "great" 100K warranty. They turned the rotors and resurfaced the pads but said this is just a band-aid and I will keep experiencing the same problem in the future. They recommended I upgrade to better quality rotors, great to hear after spending more than $50K on the car. This was a dishonest and deceitful move by KIA as obviously they knew the rotors wouldn't hold up so they slapped on the 12K/month clause.
This is a buyer beware car, in many ways cheaply made but then I should have known to look beyond the car design. KIA should replace the rotors at no charge since I have read this is a common problem and KIA put a poor quality rotor and pad teamed with Brembo brakes, that is like putting retread tires on a Ferrari.[/QUOT

I don't think any products are really "inferior" just happens this particular rotor tends to hold deposits from this particular pad.

 

[Steve320]

Well your not alone, my new GT2 needed rotors resurfaced after 5800 miles and now doing it again after 10k. Now KIA says normal wear and will do nothing about it. My car has been plagued by so many issues and is now a lemon law case.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Well your not alone, my new GT2 needed rotors resurfaced after 5800 miles and now doing it again after 10k. Now KIA says normal wear and will do nothing about it. My car has been plagued by so many issues and is now a lemon law case.

That's a crappy intro. But what else can you say if you have a "lemon"? Care to share (might be cathartic?)?

 

[Steve320]

I took a leap into KIA’s flagship attempt to the luxury touring market and ended up with the Titanic. Fun to drive for about 3 months but problem after problem. GPS HUD failures, brakes, engine noise, high pressure fuel pump. Dealership doesn’t have a clue what they are doing. Very Disappointed

 

[Steve320]

But I will give KIA a chance to resolve and then make the upgrades I want to do.... so many great comments about this car.

 

[Lsju]

Well your not alone, my new GT2 needed rotors resurfaced after 5800 miles and now doing it again after 10k. Now KIA says normal wear and will do nothing about it. My car has been plagued by so many issues and is now a lemon law case.

I did not share the story but I will now, my cluster unit completely died after 4 months of owning the GT2 and it took them 24 days to figure out the problem and how to fix it, lots more detail and drama but too long for this post, I had an attorney ready to file a lemon law case if it would have taken them 30 days or more. You should contact their Customer Care center for reimbursement for the resurfacing cost this is not normal, I've bought plenty of new cars from BMW's to Lexus and never had an issue like this.
I see that Merlin the Mad responded to you too, he has to stop drinking the KIA Kool-aid. Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[Steve320]

I won’t let KIA off the hook. Thanks for sharing...

 

[MerlintheMad]

I see that Merlin the Mad responded to you too, he has to stop drinking the KIA Kool-aid. Thanks for sharing your story.

I will, if/when it stops tasting yummy and making me feel good. YMMV specifically applies to buying cars. Successful brands are that way because the vast majority of their vehicles are virtually trouble free. If that were not so, this forum would be a daily clamorfest of angry voices: instead of a "choir" of happy S(t)ingers, with a few discordant notes tossed in, inevitably, because some individuals can't sing the praises of Kia. It is an imperfect world.

I hope that both of you get your issues resolved to your satisfaction. And hope that it is to Kia's satisfaction too, of course.

 

[Dr_jitsu]

I took a leap into KIA’s flagship attempt to the luxury touring market and ended up with the Titanic. Fun to drive for about 3 months but problem after problem. GPS HUD failures, brakes, engine noise, high pressure fuel pump. Dealership doesn’t have a clue what they are doing. Very Disappointed

Was this a 2018?

 

[Steve320]

Was this a 2018?

Yes

 

[Steve320]

They are still working on it. Total shop days 35 and counting. The other issue seems to be parts. Everything they need is on back order. Secondly this particular dealer can’t seem to perform any maintenance without calling KIA tech support.

Don’t get me wrong folks, I bought this car for the looks and performance. The possibilities are endless for the platform. My post are to make people aware of potential gotchas. After all my original response was about brakes.

If KIA can fix the other items, I already have new suspension, rotors, and exhaust sitting in boxes.

So as an update, KIA has agreed to replace Navigation and Entertainment system, high pressure pump, three pieces of trim and repaint two trim pieces on roof. I will update when I pick it up