I decided to purchase a used vehicle through a dealership to avoid the problems associated with a private sale.
Planet Kia up-sold the used car I picked by offering to put new all-season tires on, free of charge.
I drove the car for about 2 months when 2 tires went flat in 3 days. I then discovered the car did not come equipped with a tire iron, so I was unable to get the bolts off or use the jack to change the tire myself. When I called the dealership, I was told that since the tire iron was not a required item during the vehicle safety, they would not provide one.
For the tires, a mechanic (not from Kia) said in both cases, the bead was damaged when the tire was put on the rim.
The dealership informed me that since it was a used car, there was no warranty, therefore not their problem.
The first time the temperature went below -10 , the car battery died. The key fob doesn't work when the car battery is dead, so I then discovered that the key in the fob did not actually belong to the car, it was the wrong key.
I contacted the dealership and was told very condescendingly informed me that this is impossible, he "just can't see how that could happen". They agreed to provide me with exactly ONE key for my vehicle and that if the factory one they ordered did not fit, they would do no more. Luckily, the factory accidentally sent 3 so I was able to put a functioning key in each fob.
About 6 months after I purchased the car, the other two tires went flat. Again, the mechanic said the bead was damaged when the tire was put on the rim. Being that they are low profile tires, the bead will be damaged if the rubber is installed carelessly onto the rim. Which is what Kia did prior to selling me the vehicle.
The funny part being, if the dealership hadn't offered new tires, I would have bought new tires and had them installed independent of the dealership, I would have a warranty and would still have spent less money on the tires for this car than I have so far.
In addition, it's scary to think that, in a climate that is regularly below -30, I could have got the flat tire during the winter, only to realize there's no tire iron to change the tire, and the battery is too weak to survive the cold, and without the right key to get back into the car. This mix of failures was a lawsuit waiting to happen.
After the most recent flats, I called Kia Canada. They asked why I didn't called the dealership. Well, in the past the dealership has been less than helpful, and even if they did agree to help, why would I trust them to reinstall tires that they damaged the first time they did it??
They agreed to call the dealership and told me they would call back tomorrow. No one called. A week later, I contacted them again and they told me yes, they will call back tomorrow. Never did. A week after that I finally received a call from a different customer service agent who had spoken with the dealership.
She informed that she didn't know why I would call Kia Canada, why didn't I go to the dealership? I said, well my experience with them has not been helpful.
She told me that the dealership had no idea of any of the issues I've been having because I have not been into the dealership since I bought the car.
This is a lie, because two days after I purchased the car, the check engine light came on and I took it in for them to fix it, also I went in to get a new key for the car. Conveniently, I didn't get any documentation for either of those visits.
After arguing that the tires were in fact the dealerships responsibility because they put them on, she told me that my issues were not actually the problem of Kia Canada. When asked, "how is it not Kia Canada's problem?" She responded that it's not Kia Canada's problem because they stand by their dealership. In my opinion, this is indeed a "Kia Canada" problem, since it's a Kia car from a Kia dealership. read more
