My used Kia (around 30,000 miles) has broken down again, and for the second time, I couldn’t use the warranty to get it fixed. My Kia K5 is still under warranty, but I’ve had to go to a general mechanic because every dealer within 50 miles said they couldn’t see me for at least three months. And that was just to inspect the car, not even fix it.
The first time this happened was back in August 2024, when my AC stopped working during a heatwave (100°F!). I called every dealer in the area, begging for an earlier appointment. They all said no, including the dealership where I bought the car. They blamed a shortage of mechanics.
Now it’s mid-September, and my Kia is acting up again. This time, there’s a loud vibration when I accelerate. I tried every dealer within 100 miles, and the earliest they can see me is mid-November—just to look at it. I can’t wait that long without a car. I called Kia Customer Care, but they rudely told me to be patient and said they had no control over local dealers.
I even asked if I could get reimbursed for using an independent mechanic, but they flat-out rejected that too.
What’s the point of having a warranty if no one can actually service the car? Is this happening everywhere, or is it just in my area?
When I bought the car, the finance manager kept pushing me to buy a maintenance plan for oil changes and tire rotations. I almost caved just to get him off my back. Now, I’m glad I didn’t buy it because I’m hearing it’s nearly impossible to even get a simple oil change appointment.
@Della
It must depend on the area. I bought a long maintenance plan and drive a lot—already near 30k miles. Every time I’ve booked, I’ve gotten an appointment within a few days or a week at most. I even walked in once when they were packed, and they still got my car back to me in four hours.
I didn’t realize so many people were struggling to schedule appointments. I live outside a big city, though, so that could make a difference.
Braint said: @Yoon
Yeah, it might be regional. I have the maintenance package (probably not worth the cost), but at least I don’t have trouble getting my car in.
@Della
Kia is backed up with engine replacements and recall work, which is why they’re full all the time. Mechanics don’t get paid much for warranty work, which probably doesn’t help.
@Della
When I bought my car, I got a few thousand off the price and they threw in free oil changes.
Those oil changes took up to six hours, and each time, they gave me a list of other ‘necessary’ services. So now I just do the oil changes myself.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I’ve got 149k miles on my car and it’s been mostly maintenance, no major problems. I’m hoping it runs another 150k, and I’ll probably buy a Kia again.
That’s one of the reasons I sold my Kia. My car basically died, and it would’ve taken months to get it seen. I was lucky to sell it without losing money. Never again with Kia.
It’s not just Kia. Where I live, I’m waiting 8 weeks for a Ram appointment and 2 months for my Kia. Even brought my chainsaw in for service, and it’s also an 8-week wait! Something’s definitely changed.
I had a hybrid system failure (turned out to be a high-voltage fuse issue) on my 2017 Niro. I was told I was ‘lucky’ to get an appointment within three weeks, but it still took them four days to diagnose and fix it. No loaner or rental reimbursement. I sold the car to Carvana for $1,000 more than the dealer offered. Disappointed because I was considering the 2025 Sportage.
