Opinions on Kia Optima

I have a 2006 Kia Spectra. It is one of the best cars I have ever had and I have had many. It has 69639 miles on it. Nothing has gone wrong so far. Paint is great. It is very easy to work on. Everything is right there where you can get to it. Factory sound system is great. Comfort great. Handling great. Its a lot better than the junky Pontiac I had last. The Pontiac cost me $200 per month in parts, every month. I will stick with Kia / Hyundai until they stop making good products, like all auto makers eventually do. Before the Pontiac I had a Toyota piece of junk. No more Toyotas for me.

Thanks for your response. I too, want something that I where I can do some of the work. I currently have a late 1990's Chrysler product. There is no room between the engine and firewall.

How about parts? Are they expensive? That was one of my complaints against Toyota. There are times when only OEM parts are available, and they were very expensive.

KM

I have not bought many parts for mine. Nothing has gone wrong other than maintenance. Left wiper 7.49 Right wiper 5.99 Left headlight bulb 10.99 Front disk pads (Wagner) 41.99 Giant truck battery that barely fit my Kia 73.36 Tires 76.00 ea, plus 16.50 tax ea, plus 16.00 spin balance ea.

Thanks again for all your responses. Are all Kia's ABS?

KM

I don't know. There is no ABS gov mandate in the USA. It would be tough to sell a car in the USA without ABS. My 06 Spectra has ABS. I test it every now and then. It seems to work ok. I don't care about ABS one way or the other.

Have you changed the pads yourself? I have always heard that this should not be attempted by DIY'ers. My current ride has conventional braking.

KM

Yes. I always do my own maintenance and repairs: timing belts, brake pads, etc. IMO, what you heard about not DIY is wrong. It depends on your tools and skills. It's pretty easy both front and rear. About 30 minutes per wheel in my driveway, including fluid flush. Probably 15 minutes if I was in a hurry. There are a few tricks though.

I am guessing that you have a scan tool to do the flushing.

KM

No. Scan tool is totally unnecessary. All you need is a box wrench. I forgot what size. I think it was 7mm but would have to look.

I'll try to write more this eve when off work.

Kirk Matheson wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

I have a 2006.5 Optima V6. It has only had normal wear items replaced (tires, brakes, battery). No mechanical problems with the items you listed or anything else. There was an air bag related safety recall for mine. You should check that it was serviced if that applies to the model and year you are looking at.

Thanks. I am looking at a 2010. I will check for any outstanding service bulletins or recalls that may apply.

KM

Wife has a 2002 Optima SE6. Love the car. Has 150,000. Other than preventative maintenance, we never had to spend a dime on the car till it had over 100,000 miles on it. The in & output sensors for the transmission went. Then the stock radio. That's it. KIA stands - for us - as Keeping It Affordable. Dollar for dollar & mile for mile it is the best car we have ever owned. And no, we do not work for nor receive any anything from KIA.

Scan tool not necessary under normal circumstances.

1) hang the caliper from the spring with a coat hanger. If you don't, then there is a chance of destroying the hose. 2) Before you push the caliper piston back into the caliper open the bleeder valve then push the piston in. That will prevent the "mud" that is in the cylinder from being pushed back into the brake system. 3) Replace pads, install caliper. 4) Get a LARGE can (quart) of brake fluid and quickly urn it upside down in the master cylinder. 5) Flushing: its fastest to have a helper pump brakes while you open and close the bleeder while watching the color of the fluid. Dirty brown = bad. Clear = good. A piece of hose on the bleeder and into a clear plastic bottle could be used for observing fluid color. 6) If you don't have a helper, then open the bleeder and let it gravity drain while checking color every now and then. 7) Jiggle the can every now and then to make sure there is still fluid in it. If you let the master cylinder run dry, then you WILL need a scan tool to activate the ABS pump and valves. Its not an easy procedure, don't let it run dry!