Questioning my decision - the full rundown.

> slave cylinder, fork, and many other wear parts.

A concentric slave cylinder design has no fork. The slave cylinder presses directly on the throwout bearing. The downside of this is that the transmission must be removed to replace slave cylinder.

In the fork design the slave cylinder is bolted to the outside of the bell housing and can be replaced without additional disassembly.
 
> slave cylinder, fork, and many other wear parts.

A concentric slave cylinder design has no fork. The slave cylinder presses directly on the throwout bearing. The downside of this is that the transmission must be removed to replace slave cylinder.

In the fork design the slave cylinder is bolted to the outside of the bell housing and can be replaced without additional disassembly.
You are absolutely correct lol where I got fork from I couldn’t tell you.

But either way, the Kia is back in the driveway. The clutch action feels really nice. It’s a lot lighter almost as light as a throttle. I took a little bit for me to get used to it all over again. There is not a single squeak, vibration, rattle, pull ect. They did a good job I had to give it to them.

I think for the amount of work that I had done it was reasonable at the end of the day.

🙏

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You are absolutely correct lol where I got fork from I couldn’t tell you.

But either way, the Kia is back in the driveway. The clutch action feels really nice. It’s a lot lighter almost as light as a throttle. I took a little bit for me to get used to it all over again. There is not a single squeak, vibration, rattle, pull ect. They did a good job I had to give it to them.

I think for the amount of work that I had done it was reasonable at the end of the day.

🙏

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That’s one expensive flywheel. Explains why it was so expensive. Glad you got it back and it’s running great again
 
I agree with @Hyundai Respecter that's the first thing my eyes saw was the price for that flywheel! Now this is making more sense with the price of the job, the parts! The labor was actually not that out of line with the rise in labor rates lately.

But I agree, I'm also glad you got it back and it's running perfectly again! Sounds like you found a decent shop that does good work! All the horror stories we hear about bad shops, etc.. it's nice to hear that there ARE some good ones out there! I wonder if the clutch will break-in and feel a little different in 200+ miles of shifting.. I know my stage 1 exedy (Was tired of the mushy oem feel) was tight then loosened up a little. Just thinking out loud.. anyway glad it's all done!
 
Late for the dance on this one. I did much the same with a '94 Ranger. It didn't end well at all. I replaced +repaired so much stuff on it. The 4 Liter V6 runs like a watch. The the rest of the truck, not so much. 94 was a great yr for Rangers, I should have bought a better example.
 
dual mass flywheels are super expensive, i rarely see them under $700 for any of the cars i work on.
 
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.
It's "worth" what it costs to replace it.

And the Internet is filled with dental floss empire heirs willing to be free handed.... with OPM
 
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 like the attitude.

Out of six cars I have owned in the past 40 years, I still have three of them. Little bro is still driving one of the six.
It's a sickness, definitely.
BTW: all three are ordinary "throw-away" cars.
Repairing things on them is more satisfying than having buyer's remorse and oppressive debt hanging over my heads for 5-6 years.
 
BTW if you can find it, Michael Lamm used the same philosophy with a 63 Dodge Dart station wagon he owned and described his efforts in one of his Motor Trend "Used Cars" columns. 1974-75 IIRC.
It warped me.
That philosophy of maintain, reuse, replace, refurbish has been my benchmark all these years later. I still remember reading it. Made copies of it. I still have the issue.
He compared the cost of his renewal efforts with the cost of an equivalent new car. Money well spent.
It was part of an inflation coping issue I think.

"Why Trade It In" was an influential book I read about 1980 that just validated the wisdom of the Lamm article. And described precisely what you are doing with your Kia: Pre-emptive maintenance in addition to preventive: replace things before they wear out and strand you, some on a time schedule.

If you can find either of those, check them out.

But then: times and cars have changed.

My thoughts have always run: the waste of tossing a usable known quantity aside, the cost of the transaction, the debt, higher registration, tags and insurance costs...
 
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I'm assuming you haven't priced any car repairs lately. I've had several family members report shops wanting $1000+ for front pads and rotors on pretty average cars (Civic, Jetta, Escape).
Yes the $800 to $1000 front brake job (without new calipers) seems to be the new norm....I've been quoted 'supply chain issues' as a reason....ridiculous IMO.
 
BTW if you can find it, Michael Lamm used the same philosophy with a 63 Dodge Dart station wagon he owned and described his efforts in one of his Motor Trend "Used Cars" columns. 1974-75 IIRC.
It warped me.
That philosophy of maintain, reuse, replace, refurbish has been my benchmark all these years later. I still remember reading it. Made copies of it. I still have the issue.
He compared the cost of his renewal efforts with the cost of an equivalent new car. Money well spent.
It was part of an inflation coping issue I think.

"Why Trade It In" was an influential book I read about 1980 that just validated the wisdom of the Lamm article. And described precisely what you are doing with your Kia: Pre-emptive maintenance in addition to preventive: replace things before they wear out and strand you, some on a time schedule.

If you can find either of those, check them out.

But then: times and cars have changed.

My thoughts have always run: the waste of tossing a usable known quantity aside, the cost of the transaction, the debt, higher registration, tags and insurance costs...
That article is ringing a distant bell. I bought a lot of car magazines back then as a car-crazy teenager.

If it's the same article, and if my memories from 1974 are accurate, the car had 100,000 miles on it, the engine was a Slant Six and was overhauled, and the rear end (diff) was still as-new. IIRC there was something about replacing worn rubber around the windows too.

The overhaul resulted in the author having a car good for another 100K miles at much less than the cost of replacement.
 
You are absolutely correct lol where I got fork from I couldn’t tell you.

But either way, the Kia is back in the driveway. The clutch action feels really nice. It’s a lot lighter almost as light as a throttle. I took a little bit for me to get used to it all over again. There is not a single squeak, vibration, rattle, pull ect. They did a good job I had to give it to them.

I think for the amount of work that I had done it was reasonable at the end of the day.

🙏

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It’s been 6+ months now, just wondering how its worked out? I hope its been good.
 
I have a 2012 Ford Escape. It needs about $1500 in rust repair but it's been a great car and nothing new appeals to me. $1500 is about three months car payments so I'll just get it fixed before winter and drive on.

Just try to check on the dealers' shop reputation is and go from there.
 
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