Nightmare Kia service ruining the ownership experience of my beloved Stinger GT2

[AKWGT2]

Hi all,

I referenced this forum a lot when I was making the decision to buy my Stinger. I got a ton of value from all the knowledgeable members and I can't thank you all enough. This is my first time posting (I hope I'm putting this in the right discussion - please correct me if it should be elsewhere). Let me first say that I love my Stinger GT2. I would tell anyone willing to listen how incredible it is. It drives amazingly. It’s fun and comfortable. Tech is great. And I felt proud to buy into a company reimagining themselves. The purchase experience was seamless too (shout out to Carlos!). All that said, I will never recommend a Stinger, or a Kia, to another person. I’ll try to keep this as short as possible but the 6-week saga that I’ve gone through to get Nemet Kia to honor their agreement to cover the costs of rotors that have now failed twice (once at 3,500 miles and again at 12,200) has been shameful (I realize the problem could also be an issue with uneven deposits on the brake pads but Kia service is calling it warped rotors so that’s what I’m sticking with). In total, I have placed over 25 calls to Kia Consumer Affairs and the dealer service center. Below are the highlights of my Sisyphean attempt to get my brake work done, Kia to honor their agreement to cover the costs, and the dealer’s service center to release my car.

• July 13th: Dropped my car off at the dealer service center.
• July 15th (my first call to Kia Consumer Affairs): the rep stated that “this is a known problem and should be covered especially since you had the previous problem with the rotors.”
• July 19th: Consumer Affairs confirmed the brake work was being covered as a “one-time courtesy” (I thought it was ridiculous that they were calling this a “courtesy” considering this was a repeat problem and a known issue widely reported. But whatever, I was getting my car back. Or so I thought.)
• July 20th: I went to pick up my car and the dealer refused to release it without me paying $550 for the brake work.
• August 7th: Consumer Affairs rep read me the details of the agreement they reached with the dealer, which included the dealer covering the rotors and Consumer Affairs covering the brake pads and labor, leaving me with no cost. The rep then told me that the person at the dealer that Kia corporate negotiated this agreement with was no longer at the service center and that the deal was no longer valid. I almost lost it. They were now dishonoring an agreement they negotiated, not me. The rep seemed to understand how ridiculous that was and she emailed the service manager with ‘Please Help’ as the subject line. She said I should be receiving a call-back the next day. I did not.
• August 12th: Consumer Affairs rep left me a voicemail saying she couldn’t get in contact with the dealer service center's shop manager but she spoke to the service adviser, and “I can guarantee you, first thing in the morning, I will contact them and speak with the service manager. I will get your car released and have them send us the bill”.
• August 13th: Consumer Affairs called back to say they “got it all straightened out”. The original agreement with the dealer paying for the rotors and Kia Consumer Affairs paying for the pads and labor was still in effect. “You should be able to pick your vehicle up.” And the dealer called to affirm, saying “I think things have been straightened out.” Ah, finally, I was getting my car back! Or so I thought. Again…
• August 23rd: The dealer service center told me that my car would not be released without me paying the $550 bill for the brake work. They wouldn’t tell me why. Consumer Affairs indicated that they would be resolving the situation with the service center to get my car released with no cost to me the following day (the 24th) when the service manager was in.
• August 24th: After multiple attempts to speak with a service adviser at the dealer service center, I was finally transferred to the service manager. He affirmed that my car would not be released without me paying the $550 for brake work.

At this point I’m at a loss regarding how to proceed. I guess I’ll file a report with the Better Business Bureau and while I’d like to avoid this because of the cost, I’ll hire a lawyer. I’m also hoping that someone with some clout at Kia sees this and takes ownership of the problem. If anyone has any other suggestions, I’m dying here.

You’re a trooper if you made it to the end of this post (there’s actually more to the story regarding other problems with the car that I doubt the dealer addressed but that can wait). Thanks for reading!

 

[BlaydeX15]

How easy is it to get a hold of the Consumer Affairs person? I would walk in, try to pick the car up. If they want you to pay, call consumer affairs, and figure it out, right there in the shop. Make sure it's a day that the service manager is in store.

Feel free to get angry, but try to direct it at the people in charge. The little guys have no say in anything.

Then as you leave tell them to go f*ck themselves, give them a 0 on the survey you'll get, hit them with a 1 star on Google, and use all the fancy words like "Liars", "Thieves", "Unprofessional" and "Refusing warranty coverage". From then on, go somewhere else.

You can also reach out directly to the dealership owner, via email or twitter if available. They have all the pull to get the service manager's head out of his ass, and usually won't try to f*ck with you on such a small amount with that much detail about what's going on.

 

[AKWGT2]

I like what you're laying out BlaydeX15, especially reaching out directly to the dealership owner. Unfortunately, because of my work schedule, it's tough to get there during regular business hours. The one time that I did go in person to dispute, it was on a Saturday and I Kia corporate is M-F 9-5. Oh, and I love this too:
"Then as you leave tell them to go f*ck themselves, give them a 0 on the survey you'll get, hit them with a 1 star on Google, and use all the fancy words like "Liars", "Thieves", "Unprofessional" and "Refusing warranty coverage". From then on, go somewhere else"

 

[Travis Wills]

How long have you been without the car consecutively? When did you purchase the car? What model year is it?

Lemon law would be my first instinct. I lemon law’d a Honda Odessey and the process was fairly easy once I got a lawyer involved. Honda REALLY didn’t want the lawyer to get involved but you should definitely do that if it comes to it.

Document everything they say and do. At least note the time and day of every communication you have with them. Get as much of it in writing.

You will lose some money in this if you lemon law it. However, if you are absolutely done with the brand then that is your best way out.

I hope it works out for you. I don’t think it is so much Kia’s fault as it is that dealer’s fault. Not all dealers are created equal.

 

[AKWGT2]

Travis Wills, it's a 2018 that I purchased in September of last year. I've been without the car for 6 weeks and counting at this point, so basically 15% of the time since I took it home. I hadn't thought of lemon law. The car is supposedly fixed and ready to go (although, I have serious doubts at this point that they've fixed everything that needed fixing), would lemon law still apply?

I totally agree with you regarding it being mostly a dealer issue. The first time I had the rotors planed was while i was on a road trip and that dealer was great. That said, with the corporate office, I've been really frustrated dealing with 5 separate reps, only one of whom has assumed any accountability to try and resolve.

I've kept really detailed documentation of the whole sage. I have a record of each conversation and I've saved all voicemails, which I'm hoping will pay dividends if I have to go to last resorts

 

[Fatalifeaten]

Heh, you just outed yourself as a redditor. Call AGNY. You've dicked around with these people long enough.

You might also try blowing them up on socials like twitter/fb/etc. Both Kia and the dealer. People tend to want to quiet bad publicity like that pretty fast. I'd go to the AG first though.

 

[1macuzer]

AKWGT2 you are a much better person than I am. The moment they refused to release my car, my attorney would have been contacting them. I'd recommend that and any embarrassment you may cause them with your local news agency. No company wants negative press. Explore the legal avenue and also contact a local TV station about this issue. See if they can help get the resolution expedited.

 

[Devin]

What a rough go, and over something as simple as brakes. I really think Kia needs to step in and do something about the brakes at least and the first year cars. The issues seem to be widespread enough.

 

[AKWGT2]

What a rough go, and over something as simple as brakes. I really think Kia needs to step in and do something about the brakes at least and the first year cars. The issues seem to be widespread enough.

Agreed!

 

[AKWGT2]

AKWGT2 you are a much better person than I am. The moment they refused to release my car, my attorney would have been contacting them. I'd recommend that and any embarrassment you may cause them with your local news agency. No company wants negative press. Explore the legal avenue and also contact a local TV station about this issue. See if they can help get the resolution expedited.

Great idea about the local TV station! One of the local news stations has a segment where they help consumers that have been screwed over. I wouldn't have thought about it without your suggestion. Good lookin' out!

 

[Aurelian]

AKWGT2 - when you were calling Kia Corporate, were those the reps for the Stinger-dedicated hotline? Or was it a general customer line?

Definitely wish you all the best in getting this resolved, dealer situations like this are why Kia will have difficulty escaping their brand history.

 

[AKWGT2]

AKWGT2 - when you were calling Kia Corporate, were those the reps for the Stinger-dedicated hotline? Or was it a general customer line?

Definitely wish you all the best in getting this resolved, dealer situations like this are why Kia will have difficulty escaping their brand history.

I was just calling the general Kia Consumer Affairs number. There's a Stinger-dedicated hotline?

 

[Aurelian]

Yes there are reps specifically for the Stinger and K900 issues, or at least there were initially when I got my Stinger almost a year ago. Not sure if it was temporary or whether they are still set up that way. Believe the number was 855-454-2847.

 

[MIGULZZ]

What an embarrassment for such a large business, to have all this and not release your car over $550 I wish you the best of luck and hope you can enjoy your car once again sooner rather than never.

 

[AKWGT2]

Yes there are reps specifically for the Stinger and K900 issues, or at least there were initially when I got my Stinger almost a year ago. Not sure if it was temporary or whether they are still set up that way. Believe the number was 855-454-2847.

Oh, wow, that's great to know. Thanks for sharing!

 

[AKWGT2]

What an embarrassment for such a large business, to have all this and not release your car over $550 I wish you the best of luck and hope you can enjoy your car once again sooner rather than never.

Much appreciated, thank you.

 

[Revvdmedia]

@AKWGT2 I would have likely proceeded with the original repair as you did, relying on the info from the techs even over the phone (especially when noted a free repair). As a lesson learned (and I've been burned in the past not doing this), get anything and everything you can in writing anytime possible. With the story of that advisor leaving and your deal not being valid, had you received something in writing, you could have tried to force their hand. I guess we all know for next time, trust nobody!

 

[eflyguy]

Great idea about the local TV station! One of the local news stations has a segment where they help consumers that have been screwed over.

The problem here is that you don't have anything in writing, and the warranty on the brake system expires at 12,000 miles.

if you can get the consumer affair people to verify in writing that you were getting them replaces as a "one time courtesy" or that it was "straightened out" as you say they told you, you would have something to hold the dealer accountable.

 

[AKWGT2]

@AKWGT2 I would have likely proceeded with the original repair as you did, relying on the info from the techs even over the phone (especially when noted a free repair). As a lesson learned (and I've been burned in the past not doing this), get anything and everything you can in writing anytime possible. With the story of that advisor leaving and your deal not being valid, had you received something in writing, you could have tried to force their hand. I guess we all know for next time, trust nobody!

It's a shame that we have to proceed that way but you're right, get everything in writing. I'll definitely be doing that next time.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Hi all,

I referenced this forum a lot when I was making the decision to buy my Stinger. I got a ton of value from all the knowledgeable members and I can't thank you all enough. This is my first time posting (I hope I'm putting this in the right discussion - please correct me if it should be elsewhere). Let me first say that I love my Stinger GT2. I would tell anyone willing to listen how incredible it is. It drives amazingly. It’s fun and comfortable. Tech is great. And I felt proud to buy into a company reimagining themselves. The purchase experience was seamless too (shout out to Carlos!). All that said, I will never recommend a Stinger, or a Kia, to another person. I’ll try to keep this as short as possible but the 6-week saga that I’ve gone through to get Nemet Kia to honor their agreement to cover the costs of rotors that have now failed twice (once at 3,500 miles and again at 12,200) has been shameful (I realize the problem could also be an issue with uneven deposits on the brake pads but Kia service is calling it warped rotors so that’s what I’m sticking with). In total, I have placed over 25 calls to Kia Consumer Affairs and the dealer service center. Below are the highlights of my Sisyphean attempt to get my brake work done, Kia to honor their agreement to cover the costs, and the dealer’s service center to release my car.

• July 13th: Dropped my car off at the dealer service center.
• July 15th (my first call to Kia Consumer Affairs): the rep stated that “this is a known problem and should be covered especially since you had the previous problem with the rotors.”
• July 19th: Consumer Affairs confirmed the brake work was being covered as a “one-time courtesy” (I thought it was ridiculous that they were calling this a “courtesy” considering this was a repeat problem and a known issue widely reported. But whatever, I was getting my car back. Or so I thought.)
• July 20th: I went to pick up my car and the dealer refused to release it without me paying $550 for the brake work.
• August 7th: Consumer Affairs rep read me the details of the agreement they reached with the dealer, which included the dealer covering the rotors and Consumer Affairs covering the brake pads and labor, leaving me with no cost. The rep then told me that the person at the dealer that Kia corporate negotiated this agreement with was no longer at the service center and that the deal was no longer valid. I almost lost it. They were now dishonoring an agreement they negotiated, not me. The rep seemed to understand how ridiculous that was and she emailed the service manager with ‘Please Help’ as the subject line. She said I should be receiving a call-back the next day. I did not.
• August 12th: Consumer Affairs rep left me a voicemail saying she couldn’t get in contact with the dealer service center's shop manager but she spoke to the service adviser, and “I can guarantee you, first thing in the morning, I will contact them and speak with the service manager. I will get your car released and have them send us the bill”.
• August 13th: Consumer Affairs called back to say they “got it all straightened out”. The original agreement with the dealer paying for the rotors and Kia Consumer Affairs paying for the pads and labor was still in effect. “You should be able to pick your vehicle up.” And the dealer called to affirm, saying “I think things have been straightened out.” Ah, finally, I was getting my car back! Or so I thought. Again…
• August 23rd: The dealer service center told me that my car would not be released without me paying the $550 bill for the brake work. They wouldn’t tell me why. Consumer Affairs indicated that they would be resolving the situation with the service center to get my car released with no cost to me the following day (the 24th) when the service manager was in.
• August 24th: After multiple attempts to speak with a service adviser at the dealer service center, I was finally transferred to the service manager. He affirmed that my car would not be released without me paying the $550 for brake work.

At this point I’m at a loss regarding how to proceed. I guess I’ll file a report with the Better Business Bureau and while I’d like to avoid this because of the cost, I’ll hire a lawyer. I’m also hoping that someone with some clout at Kia sees this and takes ownership of the problem. If anyone has any other suggestions, I’m dying here.

You’re a trooper if you made it to the end of this post (there’s actually more to the story regarding other problems with the car that I doubt the dealer addressed but that can wait). Thanks for reading!

Are you kidding? I couldn't tear my eyes away. This reads like a very bad, surreal trip into the "building that drives men mad"; only worse than red tape and redundant forms that must be filled out: it is the run around and time lost and property not returned and money unpaid by anyone. Absolutely nuts!? I would rather accuse you of trolling than have to believe that this crap happens. But I can't get myself to not believe you.

Yes there are reps specifically for the Stinger and K900 issues, or at least there were initially when I got my Stinger almost a year ago. Not sure if it was temporary or whether they are still set up that way. Believe the number was 855-454-2847.

That's just the roadside assistance number. This number was offered last year as Premium Team number: Kia Stinger Navigation Map Update Mind you, I haven't had any need to try it out. But have a go.​