Am I too critical ?

[AusStinger]

So I just had my 20,000KM service done at the Kia Service department that fixed my transmission leak ( thinking they did a good job taking the whole drive train out and putting it back in etc, so... ).

Started driving the car and it felt really light so I drove back into my garage and checked the tyre pressures. They had inflated them to 42PSI COLD all around. So in SYD today it was around 30C so they would have easily gotten up to ~45PSI. OK, not too big of a deal I suppose. I adjusted them to much more sensible pressures. But fresh from a service and I have to CORRECT the pressures......

So that starts me thinking what else there is to find.
I look at my oil filter housing and ( at least they did change the filter it seems, but ) there's still oil on the housing and the little drip tray over the rack.
How hard is it to wipe residual oil away ?

Now I'm going to have to get the car up and double check everything.

God I hate handing my car over to someone else ( being a former mechanic makes it worse I think ).

But I ask, am I being too critical ?

 

[Stinger GT SS]

So I just had my 20,000KM service done at the Kia Service department that fixed my transmission leak ( thinking they did a good job taking the whole drive train out and putting it back in etc, so... ).

Started driving the car and it felt really light so I drove back into my garage and checked the tyre pressures. They had inflated them to 42PSI COLD all around. So in SYD today it was around 30C so they would have easily gotten up to ~45PSI. OK, not too big of a deal I suppose. I adjusted them to much more sensible pressures. But fresh from a service and I have to CORRECT the pressures......

So that starts me thinking what else there is to find.
I look at my oil filter housing and ( at least they did change the filter it seems, but ) there's still oil on the housing and the little drip tray over the rack.
How hard is it to wipe residual oil away ?

Now I'm going to have to get the car up and double check everything.

God I hate handing my car over to someone else ( being a former mechanic makes it worse I think ).

But I ask, am I being too critical ?

Definitely not being too critical, I go over my car once it’s been serviced. It‘s happened to me in the past with other cars, they even left the oil filler cap off, this happened on two occasions on 2 different cars, the second made & absolute mess & I made the dealer tow it & they steamed cleaned it four times until I was satisfied.
I don’t trust anyone, it’s the mentally of most people these days that they don’t give a crap.

 

[MrE]

Interesting.
I agree with your frustration. They out & out promote their dealership servicing and customer care as the greatest thing ever. I don't think its too much of you to expect that they do a thorough job.

I absolutely appreciate their service departments are flat out - no doubt they've got dozens & dozens & dozens of vehicles and customers to get through every single day.
But nonetheless, I reckon they should be uber professional when its one of the more expensive cars they sell, and the details like cleaning up the left over mess and setting up the car to best match the conditions in which they're handing it back to you (ie. the middle of summer) should be the stuff that their QA step picks up and takes care of.

My first service, 10,000km, is happening in a couple of weeks, and my first time with this brand, so I am interested to see how it turns out.

 

[AusStinger]

Thanks for the responses. Glad to hear I'm not being over critical.

I'm going to check the car over completely and photograph and document everything and then have a chat with the dealer principal if I find much more.

As a mechanic by trade, I always did the best I could, but took extra care of cars that looked like they were loved, and it really pi$$es me off that that mechanics dont have that passion.

 

[MrE]

Thanks for the responses. Glad to hear I'm not being over critical.

I'm going to check the car over completely and photograph and document everything and then have a chat with the dealer principal if I find much more.

As a mechanic by trade, I always did the best I could, but took extra care of cars that looked like they were loved, and it really pi$$es me off that that mechanics dont have that passion.

Let us know what you find!

 

[OliverNuther]

it really pi$$es me off that that mechanics dont have that passion.

I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying. The issues you’re dissatisfied with are minor issues which, precisely because they are so minor, one would expect them to be executed faultlessly. Bear in mind however that the “mechanics” working on your car are probably technicians under the loose supervision of a mechanic. And if your dealer is anything like mine they are struggling to get quality staff.

 

[D.J.]

Started driving the car and it felt really light so I drove back into my garage and checked the tyre pressures. They had inflated them to 42PSI COLD all around. So in SYD today it was around 30C so they would have easily gotten up to ~45PSI. OK, not too big of a deal I suppose. I adjusted them to much more sensible pressures. But fresh from a service and I have to CORRECT the pressures......

How long did you wait before checking the tire pressure?
if you checked it right after driving, wouldn't that be he warm/hot pressure you checked?

if it was the cold pressure, and they were off by 4 psi - that would be annoying, but not alarming. - they should do better.

 

[cncBilly]

So I just had my 20,000KM service done at the Kia Service department that fixed my transmission leak ( thinking they did a good job taking the whole drive train out and putting it back in etc, so... ).

Started driving the car and it felt really light so I drove back into my garage and checked the tyre pressures. They had inflated them to 42PSI COLD all around. So in SYD today it was around 30C so they would have easily gotten up to ~45PSI. OK, not too big of a deal I suppose. I adjusted them to much more sensible pressures. But fresh from a service and I have to CORRECT the pressures......

So that starts me thinking what else there is to find.
I look at my oil filter housing and ( at least they did change the filter it seems, but ) there's still oil on the housing and the little drip tray over the rack.
How hard is it to wipe residual oil away ?

Now I'm going to have to get the car up and double check everything.

God I hate handing my car over to someone else ( being a former mechanic makes it worse I think ).

But I ask, am I being too critical ?

No! That’s just the things you have to put up with when you let the dealers chimps touch your Stinger. No surprise here.

 

[cncBilly]

How long did you wait before checking the tire pressure?
if you checked it right after driving, wouldn't that be he warm/hot pressure you checked?

if it was the cold pressure, and they were off by 4 psi - that would be annoying, but not alarming. - they should do better.

TP comes on in the first minute of driving, long before the tires come up to temp. I’m sure OP drove off the stealers lot and looked at his dash and BOOM TP right in the kisser!

 

[JSolo]

Consider this. Tech fixing your trans was likely more knowledgeable and experienced than the new hire doing tire and oil changes.

When I had my front axle shaft replaced (by a single tech), I was walking around the dealership (and outside). I noticed 3 (4?) techs doing an oil change on a suv (sorrento?). At one point their windshield washer refiller was pumping clear fluid instead of blue. They were having a meeting on what the matter might be.

If you want consistency in service either do it yourself or take it to an independent shop.

 

[GT Elite]

The problem with dealers (and many other shops) is that they work on a flat rate basis and the tech’s are expected to do jobs in less time than the flat rate. I once had a discussion with a service writer at a GM dealer who told me they book the shop at 125 to 130 percent more than flat rate. The tech’s are also paid on a flat rate basis. The more jobs they complete the more they get paid.

This system was put in place to “protect” consumers from being gouged from excessisively high bills for work that could be expected to be done less expensively.

However, the flat rate system and the expectations to beat the rate means that tech’s may have to cut corners, not do some of the required steps or overlook some problems. After all, if it takes longer than the flat rate the tech is not getting pain and the service manager will be yelling them to get it done.

For these (and other reasons) I do not use dealers or flat rate shops. The shop I use charges me for the time it takes and they do the work right the FIRST time.

If I must take tke my car to a dealership for warranty work, I tell the servicez writer that I will be taking my car to the shop I use for them to inspect the work they have done.

 

[Slip_Angle]

No, not too critical. It's your baby and you want it done right. That's not too much to ask. Leave it the way you found it kinda thing. Simple. Now reality... you'll never have a consistent experience, so may as well get in the mindset of checking it every-time...

 

[Rodtheviking]

So I just had my 20,000KM service done at the Kia Service department that fixed my transmission leak ( thinking they did a good job taking the whole drive train out and putting it back in etc, so... ).

Started driving the car and it felt really light so I drove back into my garage and checked the tyre pressures. They had inflated them to 42PSI COLD all around. So in SYD today it was around 30C so they would have easily gotten up to ~45PSI. OK, not too big of a deal I suppose. I adjusted them to much more sensible pressures. But fresh from a service and I have to CORRECT the pressures......

So that starts me thinking what else there is to find.
I look at my oil filter housing and ( at least they did change the filter it seems, but ) there's still oil on the housing and the little drip tray over the rack.
How hard is it to wipe residual oil away ?

Now I'm going to have to get the car up and double check everything.

God I hate handing my car over to someone else ( being a former mechanic makes it worse I think ).

But I ask, am I being too critical ?

No.

 

[AusStinger]

I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying. The issues you’re dissatisfied with are minor issues which, precisely because they are so minor, one would expect them to be executed faultlessly. Bear in mind however that the “mechanics” working on your car are probably technicians under the loose supervision of a mechanic. And if your dealer is anything like mine they are struggling to get quality staff.

Interesting point there.
Is that the go now days ?
I thought all of them were trade certified mechanics.

Now I'm going to go all the way over the car and check everything.

Now I'm starting to see the "fixed price servicing" a little more clearly.

 

[AusStinger]

How long did you wait before checking the tire pressure?
if you checked it right after driving, wouldn't that be he warm/hot pressure you checked?

if it was the cold pressure, and they were off by 4 psi - that would be annoying, but not alarming. - they should do better.

I actually drove out of the driveway, down the street and then checked the PSI via the TPMS then came back home and checked and adjusted with my gauge.

On a side note, I recently got one of these and it makes it so easy & accurate.

 

[AusStinger]

The problem with dealers (and many other shops) is that they work on a flat rate basis and the tech’s are expected to do jobs in less time than the flat rate. I once had a discussion with a service writer at a GM dealer who told me they book the shop at 125 to 130 percent more than flat rate. The tech’s are also paid on a flat rate basis. The more jobs they complete the more they get paid.

This system was put in place to “protect” consumers from being gouged from excessisively high bills for work that could be expected to be done less expensively.

However, the flat rate system and the expectations to beat the rate means that tech’s may have to cut corners, not do some of the required steps or overlook some problems. After all, if it takes longer than the flat rate the tech is not getting pain and the service manager will be yelling them to get it done.

For these (and other reasons) I do not use dealers or flat rate shops. The shop I use charges me for the time it takes and they do the work right the FIRST time.

If I must take tke my car to a dealership for warranty work, I tell the servicez writer that I will be taking my car to the shop I use for them to inspect the work they have done.

I used what I "thought" was a good mechanic for the 10,000KM service ( no association with KIA at all ) but got charged over $500 for essentially an oil and oil filter change ( plus I later found out they'd used FUCH'S brand of oil ( which I'm not a fan of so I replaced the oil again after 2 months )).

When I dropped the car off, I left, grabbed a coffee and then doubled back and watched the "service" from a nice little seat in the shade where they couldn't see me but I could watch.


That's why I figured I'd give the KIA Service Dept a chance this time.

Once I get time to check the car over fully I'll decide on what I'm going to do in the future.

 

[OliverNuther]

Interesting point there.
Is that the go now days ?
I thought all of them were trade certified mechanics.

Now I'm going to go all the way over the car and check everything.

Now I'm starting to see the "fixed price servicing" a little more clearly.

Yup. I don’t know the exact ratio but the workshop will be a mix of trade qualified mechanics and basically TA’s who’ve gone through a training program. Look for their own advertising which will say words to the effect of “ Your KIA will be lovingly serviced by our own factory trained technicians.” It‘s not just KIA; all dealers do it to save money. The technicians do the monkey work and the TQ mechanic is supposed to check any critical stuff. How often and how well that is done is the thing.

 

[JohnH]

So I just had my 20,000KM service done at the Kia Service department that fixed my transmission leak ( thinking they did a good job taking the whole drive train out and putting it back in etc, so... ).

Started driving the car and it felt really light so I drove back into my garage and checked the tyre pressures. They had inflated them to 42PSI COLD all around. So in SYD today it was around 30C so they would have easily gotten up to ~45PSI. OK, not too big of a deal I suppose. I adjusted them to much more sensible pressures. But fresh from a service and I have to CORRECT the pressures......

So that starts me thinking what else there is to find.
I look at my oil filter housing and ( at least they did change the filter it seems, but ) there's still oil on the housing and the little drip tray over the rack.
How hard is it to wipe residual oil away ?

Now I'm going to have to get the car up and double check everything.

God I hate handing my car over to someone else ( being a former mechanic makes it worse I think ).

But I ask, am I being too critical ?

I do not think this post is hyper critical. I always get nervous when my Stinger and other cars are worked on. Besides fixing the issue, you have a RIGHT to receive your car the way you gave it to the dealer/mechanic. I just got my oil change and tires rotated a few days ago. I waited for 2 1/2 hours with an appointment. No respect for my time.

 

[ElChanclo]

Kia service centers are like a box of chocolates. Sometimes you get chocolate, sometimes you get a steaming turd. You don't know which until you've chewed and swallowed. Good luck!

 

[AusStinger]

OK so for the sake of conclusion, I went over the car today and this is what I found.

1. Engine Oil over filled ( not a huge amount but enough that I drained it to the correct level ) and no I didn't check the level with the dip stick at this angle.



2. Bolt that secures both front and rear stone trays was only threaded in by about 2 threads.
3. Push clip for rear stone tray not re-inserted ( they NEVER put this one back ).

4. Oil Residue from filter area ( before I cleaned it up ).



Looks like the wheels haven't been removed but the brake fluid looks a little cleaner so maybe they just syphoned the reservoir but didn't bleed the brakes. I'll do that myself in the near future.

Also a few other little oddities that I took care of while I was there but to their credit, the sump plug washer HAD been changed and the plug was installed to a sensible torque and they DID replace the cabin filter ( which I immediately swapped out with a new quality one I had ).

So maybe I should be grateful / happy ?