Bad Scott Kia - Springfield PA

[Submarines]

I'm on edging on day 3 of this conundrum, filed a complaint via corporate.

Went for routine oil change and an alignment on Thursday 1/26; noticed car was pulling to the right and brought the car back in today Monday 1/30 to get it corrected.

This is how it came back to me; they're blaming the inability to align the rear toe on my eibach springs that I've had for three years or so and they gave me 1.5 degrees toe each wheel???!?!?!

They were able to align the car previously over the years though.

Also said they're incapable of aligning with the aftermarket springs (stock toe bolt and camber bolt) and I need to go to a specialized shop.

 

[JSolo]

You should go to a performance shop or such to align your modified car. Dealers can barely do proper alignments on stock cars. Your expectations are too high.

 

[I'm Tony Danza]

Hate to say it, but the dealer is right in this instance and your complaint will hit their trash bin. Even if they did align it "somewhat properly" 3 years ago, things can change over time. Springs and bushings can sag ever so slightly, etc... Even with that said, our vehicles are not set up from the factory to be lowered with ideal alignment. It's a fool's errand for them and they know it.

If you want to be as close to factory spec as possible, grab some adjustable cam/toe arms for the rear and 100% have a suspension specialty shop do the alignment. You will pay more, but very worth it.

 

[Submarines]

This is the updated alignment the day after from my normal trustworthy shop using the same OEM hardware. It shows that the car is capable of getting very close to factory spec and especially the Toe in spec.

The fact that they originally aligned the rear toe to a total of 2.8 degrees is downright negligence which led the car fish tailing over any small uneven patch and could have caused a major accident.

Even if factory specification can not be achieved (though my shop proved otherwise), the dealer shouldn't have done that to the rear toe.

 

[I'm Tony Danza]

This is the updated alignment the day after from my normal trustworthy shop using the same OEM hardware. It shows that the car is capable of getting very close to factory spec and especially the Toe in spec.

The fact that they originally aligned the rear toe to a total of 2.8 degrees is downright negligence which led the car fish tailing over any small uneven patch and could have caused a major accident.

Even if factory specification can not be achieved (though my shop proved otherwise), the dealer shouldn't have done that to the rear toe.

We have to remember that even if the car is capable of getting within spec, the mechanic might not be capable. It all depends on their equipment, knowledge and workload. Good mechanics are incredibly tough to find nowadays. I get asked all the time by shop owners if I know anybody.

I agree that they shouldn't have sent it out the door like that and to anyone reading this thread, a simple lesson to not use the dealer outside of very basic OEM stuff. Dealers operate within their own boundaries and Kia guys especially are 99% working on very run-of-the-mill applications day in and day out. Kia will blame the mods in this instance all day long and take little responsibility.

 

[Brown Hornet]

Wow this is sad to see as I bought and serviced my stinger with them. They lost me when I was looking to upgrade and wanted to surcharge the hell of me. Aside from That, I never had an issue with them or their work.