Cabin rattles and noise question

[Othon Von Salza]

I will be getting a stinger GT from Germany soon. The car has 8000km and is the European equivalent of the gt2 meaning it's fully loaded and has awd. Since i am from Croatia the import will cost me an additional chunk of money that is a solid figure. I am in love with this and i really want and this is going to be my first "serious" car money, size and power wise. I have watched and read hundreds of reviews and the one negative thing that keeps popping up in most of them is the rattles and noises inside the cabin.

My question for you stinger owners is are the noises really that bad? I am currently driving a vw golf 7 that has no extra equipment and is currently worth 8000euro max, but i have to say there really are no noticeable rattles in the cabin. I will be spending around 50 000 euro on the stinger and i ask you will this drive me insane or are the youtube car reviewers just used to all the s classes and fancy cars that every little sound is immediately catastrophic?

I read about the rear hatch noise that can be easily fixed and about the sunroof that is not so easy to solve but it's doable. Will my beautiful new stinger become a rattle fest in a few thousand kms?

I am importing the car from Germany so i can only check the car visually, but i can't drive it or sit in it since i will not be going there for it. It is a certified kia dealer.

 

[Luc343]

Some correct me if i am wrong, but I think most of the issues are from the US market. For example, the brake pads etc.

Having said that, every car manufacturer has some very small percentage of cars that will have defects. That's what the manufacturer warrantee is for.

I have had my stinger for almost 10 months now with no issues at all. If you modify your stinger then that can increase the risk of having problems.

I think it is best to not worry about something that has not happened yet.

Enjoy your new car when you receive it...

 

[Othon Von Salza]

Some correct me if i am wrong, but I think most of the issues are from the US market. For example, the brake pads etc.

Having said that, every car manufacturer has some very small percentage of cars that will have defects. That's what the manufacturer warrantee is for.

I have had my stinger for almost 10 months now with no issues at all. If you modify your stinger then that can increase the risk of having problems.

I think it is best to not worry about something that has not happened yet.

Enjoy your new car when you receive it...

Thanks dude it means a lot haha.
I'm just a bit nervous since this a big investment for me and a dream car. I heard that the US market gets local made stingers and europe gets korean made which supposedly have crazy tight quality control in their factory. Could be bullshit but a hyundai/kia mechanic wrote so on reddit.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Here I am, the Kia Stinger fan boy and apologist (according to some, anyway ).

I am 30 months and 37K miles in, and zero issues. My cabin is quiet; no extraneous noises. The only extraneous noise I've heard at all, and then only since I put the front Eibach sway bar in a month ago, is a very quiet *creak* as I negotiate the gutter at the end of our driveway. I can't say that I've heard this new noise anywhere else: certainly not with normal road noise. I suspect it has something to do with the "rubbing" that the installer said is happening on the steering boot deflectors: the thicker diameter of the Eibach sway bar touches the plastic now. I said, I'll take a bit of rub to keep the protector/deflectors.

I would be worried "why" the previous owner wanted to lose their Stinger after only 8000Km. It could be the very thing that you fear: one of the unlucky Stingers with an extraneous noise issue so annoying and impossible to track down that they just gave up. That's borrowing trouble, I know; and I always say to not do that. You can get rid of the car, too, if that's the case. I wish you good fortune in your new driving/owning experience. (from a 100% satisfied Kia customer; including "my" dealer's service center)

 

[Luc343]

Here I am, the Kia Stinger fan boy and apologist (according to some, anyway ).

I am 30 months and 37K miles in, and zero issues. My cabin is quiet; no extraneous noises. The only extraneous noise I've heard at all, and then only since I put the front Eibach sway bar in a month ago, is a very quiet *creak* as I negotiate the gutter at the end of our driveway. I can't say that I've heard this new noise anywhere else: certainly not with normal road noise. I suspect it has something to do with the "rubbing" that the installer said is happening on the steering boot deflectors: the thicker diameter of the Eibach sway bar touches the plastic now. I said, I'll take a bit of rub to keep the protector/deflectors.

I would be worried "why" the previous owner wanted to lose their Stinger after only 8000Km. It could be the very thing that you fear: one of the unlucky Stingers with an extraneous noise issue so annoying and impossible to track down that they just gave up. That's borrowing trouble, I know; and I always say to not do that. You can get rid of the car, too, if that's the case. I wish you good fortune in your new driving/owning experience. (from a 100% satisfied Kia customer; including "my" dealer's service center)

I understand, but there are many reasons someone will let there car go. For example, covid-19 means a lot less driving, lease payments could be to high, they may have lost their job, or a million other reasons.

Being Korean made, it will be put together really well. I would not worry about the unknown. Post some pictures after you receive your car.

 

[KAS]

I have had my stinger for almost 10 months now with no issues at all. If you modify your stinger then that can increase the risk of having problems.

Ditto - had mine for just over a year. No noises, squeaks or rattles whatsoever.

 

[Kamauxx]

Being Korean made, it will be put together really well. I would not worry about the unknown. Post some pictures after you receive your car.

They're all Korean made. That has nothing to do with the quality of the car. Just like being German made doesn't.

I think it is best to not worry about something that has not happened yet.

I disagree. I think it's best to worry before spending the money. Once Kia has the cash their concern for customers drops off a cliff.

I'll say the Stinger is a great vehicle--one of the best of 28 I've owned since 1998. However, Kia has demonstrated they are either unwilling or unable to properly rectify issues that customers have presented to them. That's documented all over this forum, Youtube, and car blogs.

Othon, you were lucky with your VW. Creaks and rattles can and will happen on just about any car. Instead of being concerned with IF it'll happen you should be searching for highly rated dealerships in your area to help alleviate any concerns down the line. It's the dealerships and their service departments that separate Kia Stingers from the German and Japanese competitors, not the vehicle itself.

I've got a 2020 S5 with 2k miles on it and I swear I think I heard a slight creak yesterday but I know if it returns and persists I won't be forced to figure out how to repair it in my garage like I had to do with my Stinger.

TLDR; Find an excellent dealership service department and you might be fine.

 

[GenesisG70]

Me too the car has been solid like a rock. Congrats!

 

[Ucinn]

I just traded mine in. I had the hatch rattle 3 times now, and the sunroof noise when cool out and closed was horrible to say the least. It sounded like someone was pouring pebbles on the top of the car. Then it just started with a new popping noise.. I opened the sunroof, then took it in to get a trade deal on it. It worked and they even gave me 4K more than KBB for it. Besides the noises, which the radio was having to be turned up louder and louder to drown out, it is a fun car. Of course the dealer could never fix the noises and told me "all cars or going to have some noises" .. and that pretty much did it for me.

I am going to miss everybody here, it's a great group of people.. I'll probably be putting up some stuff for sale shortly at good deals for you guys. Mine was a 2018, so hopefully they have worked on all those noises and gotten rid of them in the newer models. The Ford dealer (sales manager) said it was a really sharp car and enjoyed the test drive.

 

[cwatt79]

Yes, the rattles/noises are extremely annoying, however they are fixable if you are willing to put the time/effort in and have decent mechanical aptitude. I think the people who have addressed the noises themselves have been more successful (and less stressed) than those who have tried to have their dealership address them.

I had the hatch rattle, sunroof rattle, and headliner ticking. With the three issues combined, I probably spent 4-5 hours of my time and $30 in materials to address them. All of my fixes are documented on these forums. My car is quiet now (at 14,000 miles). It sucks to have to do this, but the Stinger's merits far outweigh this annoyance, especially since it's fixable.

FWIW, this was my third new vehicle purchase from as many brands, and I also had to chase rattles on my first two new vehicles plus other used vehicles I have purchased. I don't know if it's bad luck or what, but I've never had a vehicle that didn't have at least one rattle or noise I had to address.

 

[Ucinn]

I tried all the sunroof fixes listed here to no avail and was the biggest annoyance. Until I fixed that, the others weren't going to be fixed... And when the dealer said all cars have noises, I knew I wasn't going to get any resolution for a long time if ever. A 50K car I should not have to jump through hoops to get things taken care of.. great car, but terrible support structure.

 

[SafetyPilotCal]

The places where you expect rattles, the Stinger is dead quiet. My GM cars squeak and rattle all over - the dashboard, the console, the door panels. The Stinger in those same places? Nothing. No noise at all. Even over some abysmal roads in West TX.

On the other hand, I have the headliner ticking issue and it's insanely obnoxious. Which can be fixed, but I haven't had any time to dick around up in the headliner. I would much rather deal with reattaching some velcro/foam blocks than a rattle/squeak somewhere deep in the dashboard. I'd prefer no rattles, but I understand stuff happens.

I have never had the sunroof rattle or hatch rattle. 11k miles.

 

[Ohiocruiser]

Can you get the one without sunroof? After reading many reviews, that is exactly what i did. No rattles and no extra wheight on top.

 

[Ucinn]

The places where you expect rattles, the Stinger is dead quiet. My GM cars squeak and rattle all over - the dashboard, the console, the door panels. The Stinger in those same places? Nothing. No noise at all. Even over some abysmal roads in West TX.

On the other hand, I have the headliner ticking issue and it's insanely obnoxious. Which can be fixed, but I haven't had any time to dick around up in the headliner. I would much rather deal with reattaching some velcro/foam blocks than a rattle/squeak somewhere deep in the dashboard. I'd prefer no rattles, but I understand stuff happens.

I have never had the sunroof rattle or hatch rattle. 11k miles.

I had a rattle in the headliner also and fixed that rather quickly, the headliner around the sunroof wasn't seated completely, a simple push and it snapped in. I was hoping that was the cause of the sunroof noise too but it didn't help that. I had two Sorentos with panaramic sunroofs, have the Tellurde with the double sunroofs and have never had a noise until this car

 

[GenesisG70]

My Porsche 981 has rattles in:
1. Door panels when you turn the music
2. the center console r
3. plastic parts where seat belts are
It can happen to Porsche as well, not a big deal, my Stinger has Zero Zero rattles and even if has some random rattles don't care.

 

[Gaetman]

I have the same model that is available in Germany, 2018 model with 24000 km, i hear some noise from the sunroof and the driver window, like the ones i had on my 10 years Lexus, glass moving against seals, not a big deal, except everything else is dead quiet (speaking of you V6). I think a little cleaning of the seals and some grease will do fine. This is the type of noises you get in other cars with cold weather or after doors repairs. No metal noises for me.

 

[Ozstung]

3.3 Gt V6. 34 months in no creaking or squeeks. I really think its just luck of the draw. Good luck see if you can give it an extented test drive.

 

[JK19902]

Yes, the rattles/noises are extremely annoying, however they are fixable if you are willing to put the time/effort in and have decent mechanical aptitude. I think the people who have addressed the noises themselves have been more successful (and less stressed) than those who have tried to have their dealership address them.

I had the hatch rattle, sunroof rattle, and headliner ticking. With the three issues combined, I probably spent 4-5 hours of my time and $30 in materials to address them. All of my fixes are documented on these forums. My car is quiet now (at 14,000 miles). It sucks to have to do this, but the Stinger's merits far outweigh this annoyance, especially since it's fixable.

FWIW, this was my third new vehicle purchase from as many brands, and I also had to chase rattles on my first two new vehicles plus other used vehicles I have purchased. I don't know if it's bad luck or what, but I've never had a vehicle that didn't have at least one rattle or noise I had to address.

How do I find your post on fixing the hatch rattle? Sorry, new on here. Thanks.

 

[Kamauxx]

How do I find your post on fixing the hatch rattle? Sorry, new on here. Thanks.

There's a couple of videos on Youtube that explain it.

 

[JK19902]

There's a couple of videos on Youtube that explain it.

Got it. Thanks!