Cracked insulation?

[Nedstand]

I noticed what appears to be cracked insulation (photos below)
Anyone know what this is and if it's normal or needs to be repaired?

The Stinger is currently at the dealer and the inspection did not mention this at all.

Thanks!

 

[Snicklefritz]

I don't know what that is. But it's busted. And if you start ignoring stuff like that it will multiply in numbers and in addition to looking like crap it will cause failure of something down the road.

 

[NS_Stinger]

I'll tell you exactly what that is, its a stupid KIA tech that broke it when they performed an oil feed line recall.

 

[Nedstand]

I'll tell you exactly what that is, its a stupid KIA tech that broke it when they performed an oil feed line recall.

Oh joy.... well maybe they will repair when the 2nd dealer does the oil feed line recall repairs. Clearly it wasn 't done right the first time, thus the smoke.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[NS_Stinger]

Oh joy.... well maybe they will repair when the 2nd dealer does the oil feed line recall repairs. Clearly it wasn 't done right the first time, thus the smoke.

Thanks for your reply.

No problem, I still havent done mine, Id rather wait for smoke than let them break 100 more things while they aim to fix the feed line.

 

[Snicklefritz]

No problem, I still havent done mine, Id rather wait for smoke than let them break 100 more things while they aim to fix the feed line.

This ^. When "oil leak" was a red box on my most recent oil change and multi-point inspection, I took my '18 GT1 to our "family mechanic" - we've taken all our cars till the Stingers to them for decades - and specifically asked him to find said "oil leak". He found nothing more than sweating around the forward crankshaft bearing, which he cleaned off. I told him that I suspected my car finally manifesting oil leaking around the left turbo oil feed line. But he said it looked perfectly dry and clean. So, likewise, I will not be going in to get the oil line recall done unless or until I see signs that oil is leaking. In almost eight years, I have never seen so much as a teensy spot of fluids on my driveway - aside from AC condensation dripping.

 

[Nedstand]

This ^. When "oil leak" was a red box on my most recent oil change and multi-point inspection, I took my '18 GT1 to our "family mechanic" - we've taken all our cars till the Stingers to them for decades - and specifically asked him to find said "oil leak". He found nothing more than sweating around the forward crankshaft bearing, which he cleaned off. I told him that I suspected my car finally manifesting oil leaking around the left turbo oil feed line. But he said it looked perfectly dry and clean. So, likewise, I will not be going in to get the oil line recall done unless or until I see signs that oil is leaking. In almost eight years, I have never seen so much as a teensy spot of fluids on my driveway - aside from AC condensation dripping.

First, I respect your decision not to get it done. With hindsight, I might have waited a few more months, but at the time (April 2024) , I got the recall letter which said something like "risk of fire", so I had the car taken to a dealer in June 2024.

Now, let me share some info which might be useful:

Aug 2024 - oil change at Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 13,000 miles. Been using them for years. They have 2 or 3 techs work on my car, one is in a pit below the car, so I have at least 2 sets of eyes. No mention of any oil leak.

Oct 2024, I took the car to the newly opened Kia Santa Monica for a Multi-point inspection at 13,500 miles. They did not find any oil leak. The only work I had done was to flush the brake fluid. They did not see oil leak.

Aug 2025 - oil change at Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 16,000 miles. No mention of any oil leak

Feb 2026 - at just under 17,000 miles I have white smoke from the engine compartment and also coming through the vents into the cabin. Side note, I have to drive up a steep incline to my house, and I think the incline changed the oil leak to land on the hot manifold.

I'm just trying to illustrate how this leak can develop pretty fast.

I don't claim to be an automotive expert. Clearly, it is demonstrated here that there are risks with the recall work. Seems to me there are also risks to not getting it done. Should there be a fire, I suspect KoA will take the position that owners were notified by mail, and also at dealer service of an outstanding safety recall. From what I read in Kia forums, they might deny other warranty work based on the car not being "properly maintained" in their eyes. Insurance might also use that to deny a claim.

So it's a case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't"

My $0.02

 

[Snicklefritz]

First, I respect your decision not to get it done. With hindsight, I might have waited a few more months, but at the time (April 2024) , I got the recall letter which said something like "risk of fire", so I had the car taken to a dealer in June 2024.

Now, let me share some info which might be useful:

Aug 2024 - oil change at Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 13,000 miles. Been using them for years. They have 2 or 3 techs work on my car, one is in a pit below the car, so I have at least 2 sets of eyes. No mention of any oil leak.

Oct 2024, I took the car to the newly opened Kia Santa Monica for a Multi-point inspection at 13,500 miles. They did not find any oil leak. The only work I had done was to flush the brake fluid. They did not see oil leak.

Aug 2025 - oil change at Valvoline Instant Oil Change at 16,000 miles. No mention of any oil leak

Feb 2026 - at just under 17,000 miles I have white smoke from the engine compartment and also coming through the vents into the cabin. Side note, I have to drive up a steep incline to my house, and I think the incline changed the oil leak to land on the hot manifold.

I'm just trying to illustrate how this leak can develop pretty fast.

I don't claim to be an automotive expert. Clearly, it is demonstrated here that there are risks with the recall work. Seems to me there are also risks to not getting it done. Should there be a fire, I suspect KoA will take the position that owners were notified by mail, and also at dealer service of an outstanding safety recall. From what I read in Kia forums, they might deny other warranty work based on the car not being "properly maintained" in their eyes. Insurance might also use that to deny a claim.

So it's a case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't"

My $0.02

Good insights.

Ima continuing to wait. That's the risk I prefer. It comes down to trusting our mechanic I reckon. But definitely I will not blow this off. It's in the back of my mind every time I start the car. Not angsting over it, though. Angst would get a different response out of me. I won't live with angst.

 

[Nedstand]

Good insights.

Ima continuing to wait. That's the risk I prefer. It comes down to trusting our mechanic I reckon. But definitely I will not blow this off. It's in the back of my mind every time I start the car. Not angsting over it, though. Angst would get a different response out of me. I won't live with angst.

I hear ya. Our "family mechanic" retired and sold the land to a real estate developer for several million $. We used him for two VW's, an MB and a BMW for everything other than stuff only the dealer could perform. I miss him.

 

[Snicklefritz]

I hear ya. Our "family mechanic" retired and sold the land to a real estate developer for several million $. We used him for two VW's, an MB and a BMW for everything other than stuff only the dealer could perform. I miss him.

Yeah. Our mechanic is the son of the business creator - retired for years now. The son is 63, iirc, and says he'll work till 70. So, we have a little while yet, God willing of course.

He's been trying to find someone to take over, to train, but nobody sticks for more than two years, then they are off to other things. His younger brother shared the business for years, but even he didn't want to continue being an auto mechanic for a living.

 

[Nedstand]

Yeah. Our mechanic is the son of the business creator - retired for years now. The son is 63, iirc, and says he'll work till 70. So, we have a little while yet, God willing of course.

He's been trying to find someone to take over, to train, but nobody sticks for more than two years, then they are off to other things. His younger brother shared the business for years, but even he didn't want to continue being an auto mechanic for a living.

Hah! Our's was a father & son team also. Half the building was true service & repairs, the other half was tires.
My wife & I lived only 3 blocks away, so we could drop one of our two cars off for service and walk home.

They sold and the buyer scraped the lot and built a 70 unit apartment building.

 

[Snicklefritz]

My wife & I lived only 3 blocks away

More similarity. The original location was c. three blocks north of our house. Then they moved to a more commodious shop c. three blocks east of us.

 

[Thomby]

Anyone know what this is and if it's normal or needs to be repaired?

They're fuel lines. If you take the engine cover off, you can see the upper one loops around and connects to the top of the high pressure fuel pump, at the grey connector just above your red arrow. The lower one continues to a hard line around the top/center of the engine.

The hard line should be part of the fuel rail, which means it's probably the return line. The covering on the lines is probably just for protection/insulation, so if the lines underneath are intact, I doubt it's a big deal.