Questioning my decision - the full rundown.

Joined
Feb 19, 2009
Messages
1,482
Location
The Woods of NY
So this might be a little long, but I want to give all the details

if you have been following the H/K screw thread… I found a screw/bolt in the driveway… hours later I cannot shift unless I pump the clutch a dozen times…

Symptoms point to a shot internal to the transmission slave cylinder.

My intentions is to have a completely debt free, reliable, older, fully “restored“ vehicle…

I do not want any sort of car payment and enjoy the cheaper insurance plus usually cheaper maintenance of an older vehicle..

I called the dealer to start this “restoration” on the Forte Kope 2.4l. I am only going to do this once with the intentions 🙏
I get many years of trouble free miles out of this Kia.

The gist of the rundown is this:

I asked for a full complete overhaul of the mechanical plus wear parts of the transmission(flex plate, clutch, slave and master cylinder ect) along with a ton of other parts that I would like to address and that they are going to have to remove anyway such as all bushings, exhaust flex pipe, motor mounts, and maybe a rear wheel bearing….

That’s just a transmission.

I also have the 2.4L…. That I’ve noticed over the course of the last couple months sounds “tickety” when there is super light load on the motor such as third gear, 30 miles an hour “maintaining” speed, but not accelerating or deceleration basically the initial 3% throttle.
The 2.4L does not consume a drop of oil, and it does pull really hard. But any sort of tick on a 2.4L is the beginning of the end in my honest opinion..

Also on the 2.4l, I have change the oil every 1900 to 2100 miles. I am not exaggerating in the least…every two months I am changing the oil and filter - genuine oem oil filter with Mobil 1 EP 5W30. And the reason I do that is because the engine oil turns into copper color, like something is wearing inside of the engine.

The more that I really thought about this I should not need to change the oil every 2000 miles for fear of the engine blowing.

So I had a half hour long conversation with the dealer and what I would like to accomplish with this forte.

For just the manual transmission rebuild plus other miscellaneous parts like the bushings motor mounts and exhaust flex pipe ect. I am looking at near 5K..

This is where it gets kinda “interesting” though

the Kia dealer most likely will “find something wrong” with the 2.4l. And “cover” the engine under the warranty program.

They are working with me and they are doing their best… for a nine year old 130 thousand mile car… especially with the shop time and not double charging me for a removal of parts if they already have to remove them ect… but I’m still looking at a dozen shop hours just for the transmission rebuild and almost 2 weeks just for that.

I am sure the engine replacement will also add some time to that time estimate.

Financially speaking, I think I’m very much “upside” down on this Kia - but only if I were to sell it.
To me, the car is worth every single cent plus the aggravation, and time that I put into it lol

I’ve “invested” a few thousand dollars this year and a lot of time to address little and big issues plus upgrade/replace wear item parts ect.

This is my very basic spreadsheet maintenance log that I keep on the computer.. and as you can see I am extremely obsessive about fluid changes and using genuine parts.

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I am looking for “outsiders” opinions that are not affected by emotion 😂

Where I am at currently: if dealer will “find something wrong with the 2.4l” as they say and will cover that under the warranty I will spend the 5K (or more) and have absolutely everything addressed with the transmission

If they decide to “fight” me about the 2.4l I am too afraid to invest that money into the Kia and then have the engine blow.

I would even be willing to pay up to 25% of the engine replacement because the motor still does run and it does not have a check engine light.

But it does tick under certain conditions and the copper color oil is extremely concerning. I even saved the last two used oil changes from the Kia to give to the dealer before the slave cylinder gave me issues. I was going to make an appointment on the 2.4L.

So that is all the background that I can think of.

What would you do in my position? I absolutely love the Kia so to me I am willing to move forward with the repair but only if engine is replaced also.

Decisions, decisions, and old Kia’s 😂 😆
 
I would pay a shop to fix the clutch as cheaply as possible then cut it loose.

Don't know why you want to dump all that money into a 10 year old kia.
If your goal is a reliable paid off car and you're trying to be efficient with money I would not sink thousands of dollars into this one.
Yet folks here praised the post about replacing the head gaskets on a $500, three times older, beater Explorer?
 
If you think the dealer will perform all that work correctly, you will be very disappointed IMO. I sure hope I’m wrong, but the cards are stacked against you.

If you cannot perform a lot of the work yourself, or have a trusted Indy, this Kia will be nothing but money pit and a total opposite of what you envision it will be.

Also, what you described is nothing even close to a transmission rebuild, just a normal clutch replacement and wear items.

Let’s see how it plays out though…
 
I’m going to ask for the detailed part itemize list of what’s going to be replaced and I will post it here.

But I do appreciate the honesty.

Maybe I’m naïve, but I thought I was paying the dealer for their “experience efficiency and OEM parts”
 
And you guys might be correct this could be a complete s-show.

But for some reason, I do have a little hope that maybe everything would be fantastic and I would have years of trouble free driving for 5K?

Edit: I was looking for other vehicles, as “back up” and the prices in my area are still a lot higher than I would like to pay for another unknown vehicle. Since I know the kia so well inside and out I feel more “comfortable” fixing that then taking a gamble on another vehicle that might have “worse“ issues.
 
You aksed for non-emotional responses but how much emotion do you have invested in this vehicle/decision? I would cut and run (meaning sell) if it were me. You are at that point where it sure seems "issues" will continue to pile up. Some vehicles are worth the work but from what you've written here, this one not so much.
 
And the reason I do that is because the engine oil turns into copper color, like something is wearing inside of the engine.

My only question is why haven't you sent the used oil in for an analysis? You have spent plenty of money with maintenance so the cost of checking the oil is nothing in comparison. You may find out why the oil is changing to a copper color and be able to make a decision based on facts rather than just a guess.
 
I will say what many others here often say about a car needing work. When the alternative is a $30,000 new car and the monthly payments that entails, putting a few thousand into your current ride doesn't look too bad.
Yep, definitely true, but make sure it is a vehicle worth investing in. I've seen way too many people dump thousands into a black hole of a vehicle.
 
Here's what I would do in your situation.
If Kia gives you a new motor. Great.
Fix the clutch and drive it into the ground, putting the least amount of money in it possible.
Calculate what a new car payment would be.
Religiously put that amount into a dedicated bank account solely for the purpose of auto replacement.
Thus you have a nice downstroke when the K-K-Kia goes K-put.

If Kia takes a pass on the new motor, you should fix the clutch as cheaply as possible.
Then, find it a new home as quickly as possible.

I sense the emotional attachment, but at the end of the day it is basically an 11 year old Korean econobox.
Having a dealer do anything meaningful with it is merely a wallet flush.
The only way that rehabbing that car would be feasible would be an independent garage off the grid that would do piecemeal repair on it as needed, or you doing it yourself, assuming that you had a place to work on it yourself, the tools, and the knowledge to do the job.
 
If you are a "do it yourself" inclined person that has a second car to drive to work in the event of a mechanical issue, then yes, I can see the value of fixing the car. If you have to pay to fix the car and don't have a second car and have to be at work or get in trouble, I can see getting a newer car being a better option.
 
I will say what many others here often say about a car needing work. When the alternative is a $30,000 new car and the monthly payments that entails, putting a few thousand into your current ride doesn't look too bad.
Yeah but not a 10 year old Kia.

A 10 year old Civic or Corolla would need less repairs while still being worth more. And it wouldn't have an engine with a finite life.
 
I agree with RooflessVW buy the 10 year old Civic or Corolla. I see them for sale with 35,000 miles once in a while for $10,000. I don't believe your car is worth putting that much money into it.
 
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