Clearly Canadian
Stinger Enthusiast
Wondering what people think about the service experience at the dealerships. Coming from Acura, thinking I might have to lower my expectations a bit.
Service (Maintenance & Repairs)
- Thread starter Clearly Canadian
- Start date
Maybe a bit, but hopefully not too much. The Kia dealer by me, where I've taken the optima is really nice. I mean they don't have an espresso bar, and I've never had anything but oil changes and rotations done but I have no complaints..
Kia Stinger
5000 Posts Club!
I'd like to see some input and I'm sure we will over time. But from what I know - it's hit and/or miss at Kia dealerships. It's not like at Lexus where you can generally assume you're going to get great service. In my experience, Acura service is good - but nowhere near "Lexus" level. Kia will be below Acura but there are Kia dealerships out there that serve their customers better than some Acura dealerships.
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That's almost funny. I remember taking my wife's Acura into service and finding out the guy who had been working at a somewhat nearby quick-oil-change place was now working for them. Don't get me wrong, I was happy for him because he seemed like a good kid. But from there to the Acrua service department seemed like a bit of a leap.
Kia Stinger
5000 Posts Club!
Let's be honest, Acura is bearly considered a "near luxury" company these days. Yes, I know - they have the NSX. It's an amazing car. But one amazing car doesn't make a brand great. The Corvette is pretty amazing but that doesn't make Chevy anything special. Acura has had a great history and they more or less introduced Japanese luxury to America. Outside of the Toyota Cressida - which really wasn't anything truly special anyway - Americans had never seen a luxury car made by the Japanese.
And Acura cars were really great at one time. The Legend. The TL at one point. Even the RS-X was a pretty impressive car. Nowadays, the only car that gets any of my respect is the RLX. It's a great car - but it's underpowered and small for the class Acura wants it to compete in.
They're bringing the Type-S back with turbo V6s. This is a good start. Let's see what happens...
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
I moved from a German brand to Hyundai for my latest vehicle and I absolutely hate the service interval of 6,000 km (for Canada). While every other major brands require 12,000 / 15,000 km / once per year, I fail to understand why can’t Hyundai / Kia support that too.
Looks like Stinger requires oil changes every 5,000 kms (for Canada). This, in combination with bad lease deals (low residual, I can get a C43 for the same monthly payment as a Stinger GT2), might deter me from getting one coming summer.
Looks like Stinger requires oil changes every 5,000 kms (for Canada). This, in combination with bad lease deals (low residual, I can get a C43 for the same monthly payment as a Stinger GT2), might deter me from getting one coming summer.
It's seriously every 5,000km? Is that the dealership saying that or the Stinger service manual?
How much does the dealership charge for an oil change OTD?
antne
Active Member
Can you comment as to whether a L/Certified Lexus gets the same level of service? Lexus web site shows one local Lexus has free pick up & delivery in 60 mile radius, sweet. My brother gets door to door for his GTR in Austin TX as well as personal mechanic (!).
mldavis2
1000 Posts Club!
I buy cars. Having people fawn over me, polish my shoes and iron my shoelaces doesn't impress me. You get what you pay for, and if you don't need it or want it, why pay for it? JMHO. I'm an old codger who has always done my own thing.
SEA Stinger
Active Member
Like mldavis2, I don't need the "Lexus experience" during sales or service. Especially since I know that higher costs for a dealership palace get passed on to us, the customers.
Regarding specific dealers, I haven't seen Lee Johnson KIA mentioned here on the forum. Lee Johnson has stores for KIA, Mazda and Chevrolet all in one large location in Kirkland, WA. My wife bought her MX-5 Miata there, and takes it as well as her Elantra there for service. She has been consistently happy with the dealership.
Yesterday afternoon I stopped in to the Lee Johnson KIA Service Department to buy a set of wheel locks. The daily sales whiteboard nearby showed that three Stingers were sold that day.
While there, I signed up to make Lee Johnson my preferred service provider, and talked to the service department about the service bulletins for my Stinger. Even though I had bought my car from another dealer, everyone I spoke to at Lee Johnson KIA was very pleasant and helpful. That, and competent, quick and fairly-priced service are much more important to me than a superficial "upscale" veneer.
Regarding specific dealers, I haven't seen Lee Johnson KIA mentioned here on the forum. Lee Johnson has stores for KIA, Mazda and Chevrolet all in one large location in Kirkland, WA. My wife bought her MX-5 Miata there, and takes it as well as her Elantra there for service. She has been consistently happy with the dealership.
Yesterday afternoon I stopped in to the Lee Johnson KIA Service Department to buy a set of wheel locks. The daily sales whiteboard nearby showed that three Stingers were sold that day.
While there, I signed up to make Lee Johnson my preferred service provider, and talked to the service department about the service bulletins for my Stinger. Even though I had bought my car from another dealer, everyone I spoke to at Lee Johnson KIA was very pleasant and helpful. That, and competent, quick and fairly-priced service are much more important to me than a superficial "upscale" veneer.
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From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Kia Stinger
5000 Posts Club!
I'm not sure about door to door service because I had never needed it. I've owned 187,001 Lexus vehicles and have never taken one in for anything outside of scheduled service. Ever. And I actually enjoyed going in for service because I'd just make it a breakfast or lunch outing. If for any reason the scheduled service was going to take more than an hour, they'd give me a loaner and I'd enjoy driving a different vehicle for the day...
I've owned a few L/Certified Lexi as well - and the level of service is exactly the same...
Haha. I like that "polish my shoes and iron my shoelaces" comment.
In my experiences, I've enjoyed my stays at Lexus showrooms. I can say the same for BMW as my local dealership has a restaurant inside (with no cash registers) - but they're a bit too cocky there...At other dealerships, I feel like "a number" rolling along on an assembly line. The people are rude. The place is dirty. It's just a crappy atmosphere. These are some of the reasons I'd pay a little more for the Lexus as opposed to "the other" luxury brand. Actually, as a matter of fact. What am I talking about? I always paid LESS at Lexus compared to the other luxury brand...
Whether we want to admit it or not - we all like be treated nicely and with respect. That's the Lexus experience. If you don't like that kind of thing, I have to say you're probably in the extreme minority as brands like Genesis and Kia are beginning to trip over themselves trying to figure out how to replicate the same level of service.
