Korean Cars

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Y_K

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So, some say they still have ways to go, and some say they've come a long ways (whatever that means). My trusted mechanic still advises to stay way, some friends swear by their Sonatas. Noone has anything substantial on their odometer though, and I think that old mechanics suffer from some inertia too. Also, the difference in perceptions and demands. Americans are spoiled by the average dependability, that's on the market today.One example, that comes to mind is Pontiac LeMans and Opel Cadett. The former was a POS in US and the latter was quite a transportation in Germany when I lived there. Both were the same car, made in Korea.
So, can I expect a Kia something to give me 300k+ trouble free miles?
 
Hyundai Sonata 2006 and later has an average or better than average repair record.

Kia Optima is spotty. The '07/'08 models are better than average, the '09 model is average and the '06 model is much worse than average.
 
Thank you. The time lag between perception and reality is about 8 years; 8 years after Japanese cars surpassed American cars in quality (in the late 80s) the man on the street finally believed it.
It took about 8 years for Mercedes aficionados to realize they were driving expensive, substandard machines.

California drivers are normally ahead of the pack in realizing changes in the marketplace and products.

It took 8 years for the US public to catch on that those famous Maytag appliances were unreliable and short lived
 
A few people I know who own them have had problems with (4 different) dealers more than the vehicles itself.

There is no such thing as a trouble free 300k+ car. That takes luck irrelevant to who makes it.....
 
No vehicle in the world can give you 300k+ trouble free miles. You should expect many items wear out after 200-250k miles: shocks/struts, O2 sensors, muffler(s) and tail pipe(s), radiator and hose(s), steering racks, pump and hoses ...
 
I'm not so sure about Kia. They use the same power-trains as Hyundai but use cheaper materials otherwise. The recent Kia lineup is an improvement and competitive. I wouldn't buy an older Kia though. I also wouldn't buy an older Hyundai. I consider Hyundai to have "came of age" in 2006 for the Sonata and 2007 for the Elantra. For Kia I would say 2009 Forte was their first entry into being a good manufacturer and the 2011 Optima is a solid car. Prior to that they were "decent" cars with outdated styling.

I have a 2008 Sonata with 66,000 miles on it and aside from needing a TCM and ECM update, the car has been repair free and excellent (oh and sun visors but every car manufacturer has awful sun visors). Nothing in the car strikes me as being idiotically engineered. It is very similar to working on a Japanese car like a Honda or Toyota. I really have no complaints about the car which is very rare for me. The 4 cylinder engine pulls nicely in the low RPM range unlike anything Honda produces (no offense).

Nothing is going to give you 300k trouble free miles.
 
Only issues we have with them when someone brings one in to us or one gets taken in on trade is parts availability. There's no local dealer for Kia, and it seems when we try to source stuff aftermarket they are never right. WE always try to persuade the sales guys to wholesale them so we don't have to deal with them.
 
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Only issues we have with them when someone brings one in to us or one gets taken in on trade is parts availability. There's no local dealer for Kia, and it seems when we try to source stuff aftermarket they are never right. WE always try to persuade the sales guys to wholesale them so we don't have to deal with them.


I have heard Kia parts availability is awful. Rockauto seems to stock everything for my Sonata.
 
Many people love theirs. A friend has a Sonata that is pretty much dead at 100k and they aren't too hard on cars at all. Uses a LOT of oil, too. Probably ready for the scrap heap. I have not been impressed with the durability. The 100k warranty is difficult to use on border-line issues like things falling apart.
 
Over all, Korean cars are very good now.

I'm having a few issues with an intermittent and hard to diagnose airbag warning light on my Optima, but other than that, it has been problem free. Intermittent electrical issues are hard to diagnose on any car, and my issue does not appear to be common.

Family experience with Hyundai and Kia products has been exceptional overall. Nothing is perfect. The ~2006 era redesigns on Hyundai and Kia products was a big improvement over all, and the ~2011 era redesigns have really taken styling and interior quality to the next level.

I haven't seen any exceptionally stupid design flaws, and the cars actually don't seem to be that bad to work on (keep in mind that any modern front wheel drive car isn't going to be easy to work on).

There isn't a car on the road that doesn't have a design flaw. Every manufacturer occasionally makes a lemon. You can find complaints for any car if you look for them. Over all, people seem to be happy with Korean cars made in the past few years. They really have came a long way.
 
Originally Posted By: Y_K
So, some say they still have ways to go, and some say they've come a long ways (whatever that means). My trusted mechanic still advises to stay way
Correct.

Originally Posted By: Thread title
Korean Cars

Junk.
 
Originally Posted By: L_Sludger
Originally Posted By: Y_K
So, some say they still have ways to go, and some say they've come a long ways (whatever that means). My trusted mechanic still advises to stay way
Correct.

Originally Posted By: Thread title
Korean Cars

Junk.


Probably not any more junk than what your driving...
 
This question is pre-loaded with Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. We have GM/Daewoo, which will be a non-issue with the Aveo moving Stateside and becoming the Sonic. And we have Hyundai/Kia who have been making good cars since they started naming engines after greek letters in 1996. Their mitsubishi sourced auto transmissions were mediocre until 2001 ish.

The only issue I had with my sister's 01 accent is the lack of thought, putting a steel bolt in aluminum without enough protection. They break loose hard. I got her the car for $3400 with 54k miles, still under warranty, and she's up to 170-180k now.
01.gif
 
I had a 1999 Hyundai Elantra that was problem-free for the most part. The only problems it had were common to ANY car in the Northeast from that era, ie, rusted-out emissions lines and corroded bolts making replacement difficult. We quite enjoyed driving it, and owning it.
 
Originally Posted By: Tim H.

Probably not any more junk than what your driving...
Actually I do drive one of the most well-built vehicles ever made, which is why my standards are so high. I've driven new Hyundais and Kias, and they've always left me aghast at their glaring shortcomings.

It may be five more years before they're truly on par with their segment leaders, if they continue their current pace of improvement - or it may be never.
 
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This is obviously a Korean car hatin' thread. Korean cars are very good; On-par, if not better than most Japanese and American cars. People just have to accept the fact that Korean cars(or Korean products) are major players and other car manufacturers are taking them extremely serious.

South Korea: As big as Indiana, with only 50 million people, and they're pumping out high quality products. That's impressive.

Haters need to learn to suck it up and deal with it.
 
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Aside from the goofy air cleaner box spring-clip that was missing on my 2008 Santa Fe when I bought it used (dealer only part), the suspension, ignition, brake component, plus all fluids and lubes I've replaced have ALL been easy to source aftermarket at car parts store or mail-order.

Kia sure doesn't seem to have an adequate dealer network.

Joel
 
Korea had a nice head start.
New factories - modern equipment.
The knowledge base was already up to a high standard - no need to start from scratch.
Early Korean cars often had Japanese engines, but now that is changing.
 
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