Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Kia Rondo Prices Paid and Buying Experience
383 messages, Last post on Oct 08, 2009 at 11:35 AM
You are in the Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Forum. Your Hosts are car_man & kyfdx
|
|
|---|---|
|
Replying to: newkiaguy1 (Mar 04, 2009 11:50 pm) It's still to early to know whether or not we may suffer similar issues with our Rondo, but based on all the favorable reviews I've read from other owners I'm hoping the odds will be in my favor that this won't turn out to be the case. As with any mass-produced product it's inevitable that some few bad examples may manage to get past all the quality control inspections despite having some problems. In any case I'm hopeful the Rondo I carefully test drove and inspected before purchase proves to be better-built than the one you unfortunately ended up with. So far the only quality-related issues I've noticed have been with a relatively weak seat-belt retractor mechanism for the driver's seat and some difficulty it retrieving and re-positioning the belt latches in the rear seats after they've been folded. Some of this of course may simply be the result of an initial lack of familiarity w/the vehicle and how things are supposed to work. |
|
|
|
|
Replying to: tsm280z (Mar 05, 2009 9:16 am) Unfortunately, based on your experience the care I've been taking to follow the break-in recommendations may not necessarily prove to be beneficial. Oh well-I'll just have to wait and see. I've also read your posts concerning window fogging issues and experienced similar issues last weekend while having six passengers in the car while driving back from dinner on a cold (high-30's deg. F) night in steady rain. In my case I found that after selecting one of the first two (ie farthest clockwise) vent positions seemed to take care of the fogging issues-at least for the most part. I believe the car's air conditioner compressor is designed to engage automatically when one of the first few defog/defrost vent positions are selected when outside temperatures are above freezing. Unfortunately, my '05 Mazda3's HVAC system is designed so that the a/c compressor will run automatically whenever one of the defrost OR FLOOR vent positions are selected. Imo having the a/c run when all you want to do is warm your toes seems asinine. It seems Mazda chose to engineer their cars this way because when the floor vent position is selected some air is still directed toward the windshield. Hence, the decision to produce air dried by the a/c for superior defogging characteristics. Personally, I'd prefer to be allowed the option to turn the a/c on or off as needed via the button. My guess is a fear of product liability lawsuits should drivers be involved in accidents who claim their car's wouldn't defog the windows effectively may be behind some of the auto a/c designs. One suggestion I would make for hopefully improving your problem would be to clean the inside glass very carefully, followed by the use of an anti-fog product or wipe. In my experience the plastic surfaces and other materials in new cars tends to produce a gas (that "new car smell") which can show up as a film on the windows-and these films can encourage fogging issues. I've also found that the application of vinyl protectants (like Armor-All) can similarly lead to a buildup of a film inside the windows-particularly after the car's surfaces have been heated by being parked in the sun. I'm fairly sure that Rain-X and companies which produce similar products offer disposable wipes and cleaners designed to combat windshield fogging issues. Hope this helps! Btw, 25 years ago I used to own a '74 260z. Still miss that car sometimes.
|
|
|
Replying to: smoothsailin (Mar 05, 2009 10:15 am)
|
|
|
Replying to: smoothsailin (Mar 05, 2009 10:15 am) I just had to reset the automatic controls (as described in the owners manual ... must of skipped that page). Haven't had a problem since. Ya, I miss my 280Z also ... best car I've ever owned. 
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: tsm280z (Mar 02, 2009 2:49 am) Note: These results are based on the estimated mileage driven since the dealer filled the car's tank for the 1st time before I took delivery on 2/26. When we returned from our test drive the odometer reflected ~ 25 miles and there were ~ 27 miles on the odometer when I drove the car away from the dealer's lot. So I'm splitting the difference and assuming there were ~ 26 miles on the car when it was filled up for the first time. Ending mileage when I filled up last night: 350 (per the odometer) & 350.7 (per tripmeter B). Estimated mileage driven for the 1st tank: 324 miles (350-26) Fuel volume per pump receipt: 12.857 gallons Note: I filled the tank at less than the maximum rate just until the automatic shut off engaged and did not attempt to add any more fuel. I also noticed the low fuel light illuminated just as I pulled up to a stop light immediately ahead of the Shell station where I stopped to fill up. After subtracting the # gallons required to fill the tank from the car's rated capacity (15.8 gal ?) I'm assuming the volume of gas left when the low fuel light first illuminates may be a little less than 3 gallons. Has anyone else reached a similar conclusion? Average fuel economy estimated for this 1st tank: 25.2 mpg (324 miles/12.857 gal) Note that I generally avoided the use of 5th gear and only drove approximately 20% of the miles on the freeway. The rest of the miles were driven on rural & suburban roads replete w/multiple stop sign and stop light intersections. I also tried to keep the engine rpm between 2k & 4k rpm while varying the rpm regularly by shifting gears in sportmatic mode both while traveling at relatively steady speeds and while accelerating in order to vary how high engine rpm was allowed to rise before each taller gear was allowed to engage. I maintained light throttle applications and operation of the engine above 4k rpm has so far been avoided. Also, with one exception I generally avoided making any short trips of less than 10 miles. Note: I have set up categories for posting results for the '07-'09 Rondos at www.brianbauer.org and intend to post my car's fuel economy results there from now on. If other Rondo owners (I-4 and V-6) would be willing to register and post their results at this site (registration is free) we could building database which could be useful reference tool for current and potential owners who may be interested seeing real-world results for owners of I-4 and V-6 equipped Rondos. I'll mention that my wife also filled up our '98 Toyota Sienna yesterday and just for comparison her result for that vehicle was: 281.4 miles/15.562 gal = 18.082 mpg.  So far I'm pleased w/our Rondo's preliminary fuel economy results. From now on I plan to post any fuel economy-related comments on the forum's thread already set up for this purpose. Carey |
|
|
|
|
Replying to: conwelpic (Mar 05, 2009 4:29 pm) I'll have to read the hvac section of the owners manual again and experiment to confirm or deny your claim that there is a provision for U.S.owners to turn off the auto a/c compressor engagement feature when one of the windshield defog/defrost mode vent positions is selected. Based on my experiences with other cars (Toyota and Mazda) I'll be surprised if this is the case. So far I haven't noticed the a/c light illuminate when one of the defrost vent positions are selected even though judging from how the defogging performance improved it seemed to me that the compressor must have engaged behind the scenes. As far as running the compressor occasionally in winter I make it a habit to turn on the compressor for a few minutes after every-other fill up to keep the seals and comonents well lubricated. I'm not a fan of the U.S. auto manufacturers' tendency over at least the past 10 years or so to engineer the vent controls so that the a/c compressor will engage automatically when certain vent positions are selected...and generally only when outside temperatures are above freezing. Personally, I prefer to have full control of when my vehicles' a/c compressors may be engaged. Allowing the compressors to run un-noticed behind the scenes can lower fuel economy and performance unnecessarily and may also contribute to unnecessary and premature wear of the a/c components.
|
|
|
Replying to: smoothsailin (Mar 06, 2009 6:52 am) "Defogging logic To reduce the probability of fogging up the inside of the windshield, the air intake is controlled automatically according to certain conditions such as (def/foot symbol) or (full defrost symbol) position. To cancel or return the defogging logic, do the following. Manual climate control system 1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position. 2. Turn the mode selection knob to thedefrost position. 3. Push the air intake control button at least 5 times within 3 seconds. The indicator light in the air intake control button will blink 3 times with 0.5 second of interval. It indicates that the defogging logic is canceled or returned to the programmed status. Automatic climate control system 1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position. 2. Select the defrost position pressing defrost button ( ). 3. While holding the air conditioning button (A/C) pressed, press the air intake control button ( ) at least 5 times within 3 seconds. The A/C display blinks 3 times with 0.5 second of interval. It indicates that the defogging logic is canceled or returned to the programmed status. If the battery has been discharged or disconnected, it resets to the defog logic status. Personally from what limited use the a/c is operated in under these conditions I can't see if having much effect with performance (I can't tell from engine sound if its even kicked in, unlike my previous vehicle where you really noticed it) and economy or premature wear. If you live in areas of North America without winter conditions your a/c is being used a lot more than areas that maybe only have much use for it 6 months of the year. However, like I said its your choice.
|
|
I bought a brand new 2008 LX I4 automatic with the convenience package for $13,800 out of the door. The price of the car was about $12.4K
|
|
|
Replying to: aalsherri (Mar 06, 2009 6:31 pm) |
|
|
|
|
Replying to: conwelpic (Mar 06, 2009 3:24 pm) However at this point I'm not entirely sure the a/c compressor DOES engage automatically in the Rondo when a defrost vent position is selected. It's just that last weekend I noted how the windows defogged fairly quickly once I selected defrost and increased the fan speed. So based only on how effectively the system performed I assumed the compressor had engaged, but so far I really haven't confirmed this assumption. Also, I agree with you that when the a/c compressor engages in my Rondo it's barely noticeable and the compressor does seem to be much quieter than any of the those installed in my other cars. For this I say kudos to Kia for the improved and more refined a/c operation! When driving my 2.0L 5-speed manual '05 Mazda 3i if the compressor engages it's clearly audible and if you happen to be climbing a grade in top gear at low rpm or accelerating when it does the effect on performance is akin to throwing out an anchor! As far as the automatic a/c engagement goes, all I'm saying is I'd prefer to have total control over when the a/c compressor can engage. There are plenty of situations where you might want to direct air toward the windshield when neither cooling nor drying of the air is really necessary. In such situations I'd prefer to avoid having the a/c compressor engage unnecessarily, for any time it is your vehicle's gas mileage and performance suffers.
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Kia Rondo Prices Paid and Buying Experience
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2009 Kia Rondo
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
