[AlanHo]

I am due to collect my new KIA Venga 3 1.6 petrol Auto tomorrow morning. The gloss of a new car has been dulled by the buying experience - but I'm an old and determined dog and never lets the bastards get me down.

Read the saga here...

My New Venga 3 Auto - Kia Owners Club Forums

[Raid]

It is so frustrated to go back n forth about something that you yourself can be done n they still saying it won't work n why would cobra supply the sensor if it won't work.

Hopefully you will have a happy time when collecting the car good luck mate.

[eye30]

Well Alan having read your story i think i'll go off and buy a VW.  At least they acknowledged their cock up!

Ps
Make sure you check the car before you drive off.
 I 'd do the check then refuse the car on the grounds that it is not as per the purchase contract - sensors, door handle and bumper film

[asathorny]

Oops.... sorry to read your sad story 

[AlanHo]

You can be assured that I will thoroughly check over the car - I have already prepared a pre-take-off check sheet of which my BA Captain son would be proud.

It's easy to get carried away in the moment - hence the need for me to produce a detailed cheat sheet.

Forum members with a long enough memory here will recall that this is for me deja vu. 2 -3 years ago I catalogued here my long running battle with Hyundai Customer services over the front sensors on my i30. I don't know if it is still the same on the GD - but when I bought my premium i30 it came with just 2 front sensors - one at each front corner. The middle front of the car was totally unprotected.

The nonsense was that if you bought the Active model - it came without front sensors - but the accessory kit for it had 4 sensors. To shut me up Hyundai eventually got the dealer to fit the 4 sensor Cobra kit to my car - which then finished up with 6 sensors.

I know from experience that the Cobra sensors work fine - otherwise why would Hyundai and KIA use them exclusively front and back. My guess is that the KIA technician has fitted cobra sensors to a car and has had problems with them. The Cobra fitting kit does not include the configuration manual which tells you how to adjust the range of each sensor, its sensitivity and the ultrasonic beam angle. I have acquired a copy (don't ask) and you need a degree in buttonology to fine tune the system. I imagine he has not been shown how to carry out the tuning process and his problems have evolved from a simple fit and turn-on practice. 

My problem is to persuade him that the Cobra system is sound (ultrasonic anyway  ) and can be tuned very accurately (without hurting his rotten feelings).  This is the guy I will have to deal with in future if I ever need help with the car - so I need to get him on side.

More anon - brace your selves for the next thrilling instalment (fade to the tune of Dick Barton Special Agent)

[Dazzler]

The little things can certainly take the shine off the experience. We had  a bit of a too and fro about swapping our personalised regos over and a couple of other hiccups which did that! 

[AlanHo]

Well Alan having read your story i think i'll go off and buy a VW.  At least they acknowledged their cock up!

I appreciate you are only joking but even in your most inebriated state you would have to concede that VW have only been "honest" because this story first came out in 2013 and they have spent more than 2 years trying to keep the lid on it. Their sudden honesty only reflects their grudging acceptance that game's up.

[Surferdude]

Wow.
I wonder how Kia would feel about one of their technicians saying their sensors are rubbish?

[AlanHo]

Wow.
I wonder how Kia would feel about one of their technicians saying their sensors are rubbish?

I quoted the guy verbatim - he really did say rubbish. 

[Mike SX]

I am due to collect my new KIA Venga 3 1.6 petrol Auto tomorrow morning. The gloss of a new car has been dulled by the buying experience - but I'm a (old and) determined dog and never lets the bastards get me down.

Hopefully, reading your experiences will avoid other readers feelings of personal victimisation when confronted with the all too regular merry go round.
Lucky Dip Venga 
 

[Doggie 1]

I think you're being a bit two sensortive, four goodness sake, Alan. 

[Mike SX]

I think you're being sensortive..

Clever.
It's an uphill struggle, that so often, you have to educate others in knowledge that is at their fingertips.
Recently, I received a "thank you" letter from Spanish Paradors  Hotel Chair (man) for advising him that our room had no running water, in the toilet, bath etc., whilst staying for several days (prepaid no refund offered).
I pointed out that I was not in the business of assisting him in running his business correctly.

[Shambles]

My New KIA Venga

Well... ?

[Surferdude]

My New KIA Venga

Well... ?

He's too busy going through his check list.

[AlanHo]

I collected the car as arranged this morning, drove it to the nearest service station and brimmed it with 49.24 litres of petrol. It has 13 miles on the clock.

Next job was to install my car video cameras front and back and transfer all my bits and pieces into the car.

Then had a play with the various features and noted that the satnav is a new model with much clearer mapping and a brighter screen than the previous one. Some changes to the interface seem sensible. I like it.

I noticed that there is a minor variance from the published specification. It is supposed to have rear passenger roof lights on each side of the cabin like my previous car - it hasn't - there is a single roof light in the centre of the cabin.

We visited some friends this evening - a 34 mile journey each way - mainly by M42 and M5.  This enabled me to check the accuracy of the odometer compared with the kilometer posts on the motorway and my Garmin Nuvi satnav. This check showed a variance of 2.8% - the odometer is lagging the actual distance by that amount. I will do another check over a much longer distance later this month when we visit a friend in Brighton.

I zeroed the mpg trip before setting out this evening and it was reading 47.6mpg when we returned home.  I would like to think it was accurate but it seems way optimistic for a 1.6 auto.

The car is definitely riding better and has lower cabin noise than my previous Venga. It does not crash and bang over potholes and road humps as much as our previous car. It makes me think that the shocks were weak on the previous car because I am not aware that KIA have changed the suspension on the facelift car

I will publish more info and photos of the car later.

[eye30]

Glad to hear all seems well with the new motor.

Many miles of carefree motoring.

Do you have the 2 or did they fit the 4 sensors on front?

[Dazzler]

Glad to hear all seems well with the new motor.

Many miles of carefree motoring.

Do you have the 2 or did they fit the 4 sensors on front?

 

... and the most important thing... Is Libby happy? 

[AlanHo]

I have not yet organised front sensors. The background being :-

It all started with some rather aggressive buying on my part with the dealer to get the best deal. I am aware that I squeezed their nuts - but that's all part of the game.

I then ordered some accessories - which included front parking sensors. Before anyone accuses me of being profligate to order mats, mud guards etc from the dealer - I am well aware I could get them cheaper elsewhere. My excuse is I'm lazy and feel the need to build a good relationship with my new (to me) dealership.

I am then told I can't have 4 front sensors - only 2. I don't believe it, so I Email KIA customer services for clarification.

They say the dealer is wrong - their standard kit has 4 sensors but fail to make it clear they are referring to the facelift model.

The dealer is adamant that KIA are wrong - the structural changes to the 2015 facelift makes it impossible to fit 4 sensors.

I write to KIA again - and 12 days later have received no response. So I contact Cobra who I know are the manufacturers of Hyundai and KIA parking sensors. Cobra tell me that they supply a kit to KIA for the new Venga complete with the necessary fitting instructions.

I have another go at KIA and 2 days later they confirm that they do indeed have a 4 sensor kit for the 2015 car and send me the Cobra fitting instructions to prove it.

I go back to the dealer armed with this info to be told by their master technician that they can supply and fit the official KIA kit - but it is rubbish - which is why they recommended the Sportage 2 sensor kit in the first place.  Be it on my own head is the message.

I then wrote to KIA to advise them of this and to ask them to assure me that if their official kit is fitted by the dealer it will be covered by warranty.
I await their reply to this Email dated 30th September.

Hence I am now left to decide what to do......


The only good news I have about the car so far is that my insurers (Allianz) advised me today that my new insurance premium will be £12.02 cheaper than for the present car. I assume this is because (although more expensive than the present car) - it is an auto

[AlanHo]

I sent KIA The following Email on 30th Sept…………

Thank you for the information – I took myself off to the dealership today to ask them to supply and fit the 4 sensor Cobra kit.
Unfortunately I met a snag.

It appears that the dealership have experienced problems with your genuine kit and find them ineffective and unreliable. They want to avoid me having to go back to them repeatedly with complaints about the sensors - which is why they prefer to fit the 2 sensor system off the Sportage.

My dilemma is that I need to protect not just the front of the car – but also the front corners - because of tight access problems with our garage. Hence my request for a 4 sensor system.

My last 2 cars have been new Hyundai i30’s which came as standard with just 2 front sensors. Frankly they were useless - and the dealer fitted Cobra 4 sensor kits on them to provide proper parking protection. The Cobra kits worked fine on the i30’s and I cannot understand why my KIA dealership have experienced problems with what I am sure are identical Cobra components.

I don’t want to dismiss the advice from the dealership offhand – because this is my first brand new KIA car and I would like to maintain a good relationship with the dealer. However – my own experience with Cobra sensors has been good. If I insist on using your genuine kit and it proves to be unreliable – would it be covered by the car warranty and thus not be a cost burden on the dealership.

***************************************************************

I received this reply today….

Thanks for getting back in touch.

As an accessory, genuine Kia front parking sensors would not be covered under the basic 7-year warranty supplied with your Kia Venga. They'd be covered for 24 months under the parts limited warranty which protects against defects in material or manufacturing.

 

**************************************************************

Hence I am still unsure what to do about the front sensors.

However : I found on the internet today a copy of the fitting and calibration instructions for the Cobra sensors. The KIA fitting instructions don’t mention how to calibrate each sensor for range and sensitivity – hence it might be possible that my dealer’s master technician is not aware that they can be accurately calibrated – and possible why he has experienced problems with them.

I think I will take myself off to the dealers on Monday and have a friendly chat with him. It might be difficult because he bridled when he realised I knew so much about the sensors - and now I am about to suggest he has not been installing them correctly no matter how kindly I put it..

 More anon.

[asathorny]

Good luck with that Alan 

[Mike SX]

I think I will take myself off to the dealers on Monday and have a friendly chat with him. It might be difficult because he bridled when he realised I knew so much about the sensors - and now I am about to suggest he has not been installing them correctly no matter how kindly I put it..


Your perseverance is legendary.
An excellent example to follow 

[AlanHo]

I have been totally open with both the dealer and KIA. I have copied all my Emails to each party so neither claim they don't have the full picture.

The sensors I want are the Cobra flush fitting ones - they are already fitted as standard to the rear of the car and you have to look hard to see them. This is because they are mounted into a holder which is glued on the inside face of the bumper - the sensor is slid into the holder from the inside until it is flush with the bumper face. To do this the bumper has to be removed from the car and 17mm dia holes cut into the bumper using a special punch or cutter obtainable from Cobra. The sensor is 17 mm dia and is a snug fit in the hole.  Hence the hole has to be cut dead size and smooth without paint damage.

The sensors that the dealer's technician wants to fit have a 1.5 mm thick collar on the outer face and are pushed into a 25 mm dia hole drilled into the bumper from the outside using a standard hole saw. I can now see why he wants to fit just two of them - one each side of the reg plate - because there is access behind the bumper in the middle area and he can wire up the sensors without removing the bumper. In addition - he does not have to drill dead sized smooth holes in the bumper - because the edges of the holes are covered by the collars on the sensors.

So - I reckon I have rumbled his motives - something I will explore on Monday.

I have a plan B.

There are several companies in the UK who supply Cobra sensors and provide a mobile fitting service. If I go this route it will save me about £70 off the dealers cost - but leaves me holding the baby if problems occur. I would have to be careful to check out the workmanship of their local installer which might be fun.  One Company in particular seems to have a good reputation and carries out most of the sensor installations for motability cars, also installing other electronics they fit to cars for disabled people.

[Dazzler]

Sounds like you are between a rock and a hard place, Alan. Making sensors even more necessary! 

[AlanHo]

Here are some pictures of my new 2015 Venga. 

Remember - I didn't buy the car for its looks - but for its practicality and value for money. It has more cabin and usable luggage space than the i30 or Ceed hatch - is cheaper with as many bells and whistles - all in a shorter/taller body.  It is the ideal car for our lifestyle and the 7 year warranty is rather comforting. This is a car we are planning to keep. The warranty runs out when I am 85 - so I  hope my warranty doesn't run out before then.

Front View
Shows LED DRL’s and new nose profile



Side View
No obvious difference from previous model



Rear View
No obvious difference from previous model



New Alloy Wheel Design
Perhaps better looking than the previous model – but they will not be antwhere near as easy to clean



Reversing Camera
The screen is much brighter than the previous model



Satnav
The new satnav is a definite improvement on the previous model. The screen is much clearer and brighter, the satnav volume control is now independent of the radio volume control, the voice is clearer with improved turn-by-turn descriptions and it is now possible to input coordinates in degrees, minutes and seconds or in decimal degrees.  The map is now stored on a 16Gb SD card which hides behind a cover on the front of the satnav – this should make updating maps much easier in future. With the previous system you had to upload maps from a USB memory stick which took about an hour during which you had to leave the engine running.

[asathorny]

Excellent andit looks OK to me... except that someone has vandalised the number pltes <sigh>

Sat nav looks OK too, as you say.

Lets see how you find it after a few days 

[John B]

Very nice Alan, GPS looks good and I love the idea of the separate volume for it.  7 years  warranty is a bonus.

[AlanHo]

Oh - I forgot to mention - it came shod with my favourite tyres. I'm not chuffed about it having TPMS though - which is now a legal requirement for all new cars in Europe. I see it as yet another gizmo to go wrong or throw up false alarms.

A minor irritant is that KIA have changed the layout of the key fob. On my previous Venga and i30's the boot unlock was the middle button - it is now the door unlock button. I didn't realise until now how much a creature of habit I had become. It was second nature to press the bottom button to unlock the car without even looking at the fob. Now my second nature succeeds in opening the rear hatch and not the doors.



An improvement to the key is that it is better mounted in its holder. It still has the small tension pin to retain it - but there is much more meat around it to avoid stress fractures.

[Dazzler]

Thanks for the photos and info Alan. Looks /sounds good! The key is now more in line with other manufacturer's layouts. 

[wbm00]

I enjoy reading your write-ups, Alan. Good to see some decent tyres on there - I can't wait to replace the Kumquats on the i30 when they wear down. On the subject of integrated sat navs, their days must be numbered given the ubiquity of smartphones and upcoming integrated Apple/Android systems which of course will receive free map updates.

The rear-view camera is excellent and I agree wholeheartedly on the topic of TPMS. Thankfully my i30 lacks those metal tyre valves of doom.

[ibrokeit]

And here I thought you had a rather snazzy, artistic looking, front number plate! 

Though, as you say, you didn't buy it for it's looks - for what it is it looks nice.

Yes, lets hope it's warranty expires before yours!!