Questioning my decision - the full rundown.

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 was wondering this exact thing. I kept thinking the next paragraph would be about a UOA but I never saw it???

Beyond that, I think considering a '12 Kia your "forever car" and doing a "full restoration" is an odd choice. Very odd. I could see it on some Toyotas or Hondas....even select VW's. I could even see it on certain "classic" domestics and just about any full-size truck from the Big 3 (or ANY Tacoma)

That said, some people like blondes, some like brunettes and some chase the redheads.....whatever floats your boat....if OP wants to die on the Kia hill, that's his choice
 
I’d wait to see what the dealer says about the engine. If they warranty it, good. Then you’ll have a new engine and all your clutch parts will be new too. But if they don’t, then I think I’d fix the clutch as cheap as possible and cut my losses on the car.
 
Let's start with why you haven't sent the oil off for analysis to confirm that the "copper" colour is in fact something to be concerned about. I'd do that before having the dealer do a "health check" on it and all the cost that may entail.
 
I’d hate to dump thousands into an old car and someone smash into it 2 months later, totaling the car. Have fun trying to get more money from an insurance company.
 
Rather than spend a bunch on the Kia, I would start shopping for a good used Toyota, Honda, or Mazda. These are a bit pricey compared to other used cars, but worth it in my experience. So far I have bought two used Hondas, one used Toyota for my daughters and a own an '07 Honda myself. All have been completely reliable, trouble free cars. They're good values in the long run, despite the highish price on the used market.
 
Having to pump the pedal to get the clutch to disengage is likely lack of fluid (which may result from a leaking slave cylinder), air in the system, or a bad master cylinder. It's unlikely that new mechanical parts or slave cylinder are needed.
 
So this is where I’m at:

a forever car. It is not… a five-year car it is.

the value of anything is only worth how much someone is willing to pay for it.. and only if you sell it, and I am not going to for 3 to 5 years. By that point, the car will be worth nothing but a gave me years of reliable service for a fraction of the price of buying a 3 to 5 year old car from a dealer.

I really spent many hours today researching vehicles running numbers ect and my honest opinion is the numbers for another vehicle are not “favorable“ I do not like what I see.
It’s still very bad time in the market I do not buy new nor do i lease so that leaves me buying used vehicles.
15 year year old vehicles are going for 5K with 200 on them. I would have to double what I am willing to spend on the Kia to pick something up that would be acceptable enough for the next three years at the minimum.

At the end of the day all emotion aside I honestly believe yes it’s a gamble to have this car mechanically fixed. 2 it could go south very fast and three it’s gonna be a few thousand dollars and 4 I’m probably only going to fix it if the motor is covered as I was told.

So the tow truck will be here tonight to take her to the dealer and they will look it over tomorrow.

I have to say this, though…
I know many people still do not respect a H/K. But as somebody who has replaced many parts on this Kia, not because they were bad more so for piece of mind because of how much negativity I read about them especially on this forum.

Almost every single part I removed off the Kia was still serviceable after a decade and 130 K miles. Even the serpentine belt was original.

And I have owned a few h/k vehicles over the years and all of them needed nothing more than oil and fluid changes brakes and tires, even after years of service. I have never lost a Hyundai/Kia vehicle due to a major mechanical issue. My biggest problem with H/k are: insurance companies totaling them out from minor incidents because they are so “expensive“ to repair or parts are on back order for years etc. etc.

If I knew this Kia’s whole history, such as buying it new and keeping up on it over the years, I would be disappointed I am not gonna lie with you there,
but it is a used vehicle that I bought and it’s had I don’t want to use word a rough life, but it was not pampered - For sometime.


So I said all that so I can say:
I honestly do appreciate everything I’ve read here. I gave it some serious thought and I’m taking a gamble. I will keep you updated good bad or otherwise because I do think h/k are decent vehicles and are amazing deals on the used car market a couple years ago lol now they are priced as much as the top three and then sometimes more.

🙏
 
One last thing I will say: I don’t get to “personal” online. But.

I rent for my whole adult life over a decade and guess what I have nothing to show for that.

I do not own a home,

so I am on a mission in the next 3 years to purchase a house with a substantial down payment.
I don’t wanna spend money on a newer vehicle, because I am trying to save every cent I can for this home…. so I can park the Kia in the garage 😂
 
One last thing I will say: I don’t get to “personal” online. But.

I rent for my whole adult life over a decade and guess what I have nothing to show for that.

I do not own a home,

so I am on a mission in the next 3 years to purchase a house with a substantial down payment.
I don’t wanna spend money on a newer vehicle, because I am trying to save every cent I can for this home…. so I can park the Kia in the garage 😂
Then get a UOA and see where the engine is at.
 
So I decided to save a little oil so I could send it off before I give the dealer the remainder of the 5.4quarts
I snapped a couple pictures:

This synthetic 5W-30 with oem oil filter 5.6 to 5.7 quart capacity oil has about 1900 miles or 2 months of use on it. This is the fourth 5W-30 synthetic oil change I did - this year alone.

The pictures may or may not do it justice but here they are.


47689260-AD41-481B-BDF2-81CB9ED0DE9E.jpeg
5F63301E-D538-484C-8F9F-700CAAD4B389.jpeg
 
I personally prefer OAI/Polaris but Blackstone is fine as long as you don't need fuel dilution % and oxidation.
If I’m gonna send it off, I prefer to know absolutely everything so I can make my own calculated decision with your guys help lol so I’m going to use probably OAI
 
So I decided to save a little oil so I could send it off before I give the dealer the remainder of the 5.4quarts
I snapped a couple pictures:

This synthetic 5W-30 with oem oil filter 5.6 to 5.7 quart capacity oil has about 1900 miles or 2 months of use on it. This is the fourth 5W-30 synthetic oil change I did - this year alone.

The pictures may or may not do it justice but here they are.


View attachment 124291View attachment 124292
Yeah, just dump some of that into an OAI sample container and send it off.
 
One last thing I will say: I don’t get to “personal” online. But.

I rent for my whole adult life over a decade and guess what I have nothing to show for that.

I do not own a home,

so I am on a mission in the next 3 years to purchase a house with a substantial down payment.
I don’t wanna spend money on a newer vehicle, because I am trying to save every cent I can for this home…. so I can park the Kia in the garage 😂
Here's the thing. You're too obsessed with this car. I feel like even if they gave you an engine and transmission for free, you'd continue on this path of never ending messing with it. Constantly replacing parts, constantly fixing something, constantly tinkering with another thing. To an extent that's what us car guys do. But sometimes you just need to stop me drive the darn car and leave it alone.

I feel you have 2 options. Buy a new car, so hopefully you'd stop messing with this one. Or quit fixing this one and just drive it.

Quit reconditioning things and replacing parts that haven't failed.

I just bought an '07 Sonata. It could use a re-tint. Was quoted $320 to have the old stuff scraped off and new tint put on. I was about to pull the plug, but you know what? Screw that. I put a cheap Apple CarPlay radio in it. Almost bought some cheap new speakers. But you know what? Screw that. The old ones still work.

I agree with your decision to buy a house and hopefully have a forever car. But that won't happen if you keep throwing money at this thing.
 
Here's the thing. You're too obsessed….
I am not disagreeing with you in the very least. If you can see it on the forum - picture living with me 😂

I do have ocd and it’s a very real thing. I also do some things that are not needed such as replace an old, but yet not exactly, broken or completely worn out parts on the car for example.

But. I do manage live life and a majority of the time I’m “normal” but if things are not in order, organized, clean ect it bothers me a lot until I “fix” it
 
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