First off, I'd like to know how a 2003 car can throw a belt.
MY car decided to throw a belt on a two-lane one way street in Nashua. I was able to safely pull over and park legally. Meanwhile, the client in my car was freaking out. I don't blame her. I was freaking out on the inside.
So I call the Kia 24 hour emergency service. They call in a tow truck ASAP.
I hang up the phone. Turn to kid to console her.
BAM!
We get SIDESWIPED by a white pickup.
We're all fine. But the driver's side of my car is all pretty white scratchy.
I have to call work to have someone pick up and take home now hysterical kid (I completely empathize with her). I call the cops to assess stuff and because I had a client with me. The other driver said it was her fault and was very easygoing and cooperative.
Cop and other driver leave. Tow truck shows up, I get towed to the nearest dealership. They can't even LOOK at my car until tomorrow. So I get a rental because 1. I need to get home 2. I need a car to do my job.
Oh yeah. I'm under 25, so that's a $30/day rental fee.
My insurance company said they'll cover at least five days rental through Enterprise. If my car isn't fixed (the belt part) tomorrow, I'll turn in THIS rental and get one at Enterprise and only have to pay one day of $30.
And then talking to my insurance company, the guy figured out I worked in mental health and wanted advice about giving Risperdal to a five year old.
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Again, mack, I extend my hand to you and offer you the opportunity of a lifetime. Come live with us and be Christopher's nanny. I swear I will drive you anywhere you need to go. You will no longer have to drive. PLEASE don't drive anymore.
*bangs head on desk in sympathy*
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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I don't care what J.D. Powers and Ass. says, I have had my KIA Sportage for five plus years and not a spot of trouble.
And I am really really mean to my car. I never wash it until it is time to move (the shippers require that it be detailed before they will ship it and that is the only reason it gets done every three years).
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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When I run the world, everyone who for some reason isn't on public transportation will be driving a Saab.
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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Hey, I'm just quoting J.D. Power. They say that Kias average 509 problems per car in the first three years, compared with the auto industry average of 273.
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I know, Jon Boy, but you really don't have to kick me while I'm down. In MY experience and my friends experience, Kias have been great. So shush.
Posts: 14745 | Registered: Dec 1999
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I only guessed that because I have been fighting with insurance companies all year and here we are in the new annum and it's beginning again!!!!!
Seriously - what color is your car? Have you had it blessed? Maybe you need to smudge it with sage and special prayers . . .
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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(I won't mention it to CT. I get the reckless piece - I used to think it was lots of fun to stand and balance on the back of a motorcycle while it whizzed on down the road. Wheeee! And then I had a child - my how things change . . . )
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Now, rivka - there's no growth without a little challenge . . . (remind of that when I bemoan the freedom I KNOW my child will soon demand . . . )
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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quote: Because you're driving a Kia, which, according to J.D. Power and Associates, is the most problematic car brand in America.
True, but what happened on that car has nothing to do with the manufacturer of the car. It has everything to do with the manufacturer of the belt. Kia doesn't make belts.
I drive a 1997 Subaru Legacy Outback, and my alternator went out last April. That was the first problem to go wrong with it and it had 75,000 miles on it at the time. Does that have anything to do with Fuji Heavy Industries? No. It had everything to do with the manufacturer of my old alternator.
Just because a car comes with some defective parts that the car manufacturer doesn't even manufacture, that doesn't make that car company a poor manufacturer. That's like blaming the contruction workers for poor building when your house gets blown over by a tornado.
[ January 14, 2004, 12:25 AM: Message edited by: Nick ]
Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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NYC has an awesome public transportation system. Last time I was in Manhattan, I remember being able to travel from Central Park to Brooklyn Bridge and everywhere in between for about $10. I did a lot of walking, but hey, that's how you save money right? Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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I bought a Hyundai because of the warranty and the fact that they have been getting good quality ratings.
The belt thing is probably just a fluke, but you might want to check the new one periodically to make sure it isn't showing signs of rubbing or cracking. Shredded belts can happen because of things being not lined up properly over the various pulleys, etc.
rivka, I like the idea of covering Mack in bubble wrap, but that's just a personal fetish of mine. LOL!
Take care, Mack. I'm glad nothing more serious happened.
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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Nick, wouldn't your annalogy work better if the car was hit by the tornado too? Each car company puts their name on the car, therefore they are responsible for anything that goes wrong with it. If Kia wants to make a more reliable car, they'll change the manufacturer of their belts.
Of course that would skyrocket the price of the car. Stupid economics!
Sorry mack, I'd buy you another car, but the military isn't paying that well.
Posts: 1660 | Registered: Jan 2000
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That's no excuse for any manufacturer of any product. Their quality control people should be checking all third-party parts for durability and longevity. Kia should have said, "Whoa! Crap, this part sucks big, juicy donkey-balls. Maybe we shouldn't be buying automobile parts from northern Mogolia."
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My company provides water pump seals to 80% of the auto manufacuturers in the world. I happen to know that the cheapest ones go in the Korean brands and how much trouble they've had with them in tests. (In addition, we've had extreme trouble with the Korean car manufacturers lying to us too.)
If they cut as many corners as they can with our "widgets" I'm sure they do the same with other parts that are seemingly insignificant-until they break.
For this reason, unless something drastically changes I would stray clear from most of the "bargain" manufacturers out there... many of them from south Korea. Maybe eventually their quality will come up to Honda and Mitsubishi standards, but not while using inferior parts. But using the inferior parts where corners can be cut does make them a heck of a lot cheaper.
quote: Kia should have said, "Whoa! Crap, this part sucks big, juicy donkey-balls. Maybe we shouldn't be buying automobile parts from northern Mogolia."
What a wonderful picture you paint Primal Curve.
Point: The belt is not a Kia part. The bad belt does not make a bad car, it means it was a bad choice on company's part. Mack or Jexx doesn't have a bad car, they just might have some lower quality third-party parts.
That said, I don't like Kias, but I don't want to add more weight to Mack's burden, that's all.
Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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The NICE thing about Kias and Hundayais is that they do have the kick-butt warranty, and they are affordably priced. The thing is that IMO you are more likely to need it with those brands than some others. It is a caclulated risk that both you the consumer takes, and the car manufacturer takes. It is working for now it appears so as long as you are ok with your end of the contract, and go into it understanding possible rammifications (as you should with any contract) then by all means get a Kia or Hundyai if you like it!
AJ
(Oh yeah, and I know someone who has actually BEEN to Northern Mongolia. If there was a plant there that could make car parts I'd be extremely suprised. They raise sheep. He was in a program where he was teaching police tactics to the mongolian police force, and he described it as riding (horses) across the prairie all day and stopping each evening to kill a sheep and build a campfire! )
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Just think, mack, you must be building karma points like nobody's business. Hope you get to cash them in soon.
Posts: 4534 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I like my car. All of you Kia poo-pooers hush.
Anyway, we figured out what happened. Somehow, all four of the bolts that hold the pulley to the engine block were SHEARED OFF.
And they have no idea how that could've happen. Nor have they SEEN it before. Both my dealership and the dealership that's fixing my car were totally confused. They had to order the bolts because they never have to replace BOLTS.
Anyway. If the bolts arrive tomorrow, then my car will be done tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then Friday. Of course, I'll be away, so I'll have to pick it up when I get back.
My finacing company pays for the first five days of a rental car up to $30/day for warranty covered repairs, which mine is.
Geico has a couple certified body shops in my city and said I can drive my car there to get the estimate and then get the work done at my own dealership--so that I'll have a free rental.
Either way, Geico would give me a rental if I had to get it done at another place, anyway.
I merely sprout yet more gray hairs, clog off more arteries, and chop yet several more years off my already dwindling lifespan by worrying over your safety.
It's okay, darlin'. I don't mind. Your happiness is more important than my survival.
(My mom was good. I'm better. )
Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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I get the reckless piece - I used to think it was lots of fun to stand and balance on the back of a motorcycle while it whizzed on down the road. Wheeee! And then I had a child - my how things change . . . )![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
