Earlier this week, I was making a sales call at a Kia dealership. While I waited for my contact, I took a browse through the showroom. With all of the talk of how much better Kia and Hyundai have become, I kept an open mind and tried to forget my own experiences while working on these cars as a lube tech years ago.
I was surprised to see the terrible paint job on every single model in Kia's line up right there in the showroom. I first noticed when I saw the reflection of the dealer's furniture in the black paint on a Sorrento's B-pillar. It looked wavy as if it had the texture of an orange. I ran my hand across the paint and confirmed it was not smooth. At first I thought it was a purposeful effect put into the paint (no matter how ugly I thought it was) until I realized the ENTIRE CAR was painted like this! Mind you it wasn't lumpy, but it was a subtley terrible paint job.
I then looked at a Borrego with a sticker price of $38K (for a Kia!?!?!) and it had the same paint issue. Every other car on the floor was the same. Not one had a smooth, glass-like paint job.
How do people put up with stuff like this? Between that the fit and finish of the body panels on a Kia Soul (which isn't even released yet), I know I will not be considering a Kia any time soon!
Andy
I was surprised to see the terrible paint job on every single model in Kia's line up right there in the showroom. I first noticed when I saw the reflection of the dealer's furniture in the black paint on a Sorrento's B-pillar. It looked wavy as if it had the texture of an orange. I ran my hand across the paint and confirmed it was not smooth. At first I thought it was a purposeful effect put into the paint (no matter how ugly I thought it was) until I realized the ENTIRE CAR was painted like this! Mind you it wasn't lumpy, but it was a subtley terrible paint job.
I then looked at a Borrego with a sticker price of $38K (for a Kia!?!?!) and it had the same paint issue. Every other car on the floor was the same. Not one had a smooth, glass-like paint job.
How do people put up with stuff like this? Between that the fit and finish of the body panels on a Kia Soul (which isn't even released yet), I know I will not be considering a Kia any time soon!
Andy