- #7 of 139
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1000 miles on the odometer-- LS 4 cylinder
by csandste
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Feb 06, 2007 (10:34 pm)
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Mixed: 24 mpg
90% highway: 30 mpg
Not bad given Hyundai's reputation for a stiff engine. Still no better than my Maxx V6.
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- #8 of 139
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Re: 1000 miles on the odometer-- LS 4 cylinder [csandste]
by mickeyrom
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Feb 07, 2007 (5:22 am)
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Replying to: csandste (Feb 06, 2007 10:34 pm)
Not bad? Despite horrendous head and side winds,and then some driving in Chicago,my Chryler mini van with a 3.8 engine managed 18.6...actual,not trip computer.Of course thats after 148,000 miles.  BTW they still havent figured out the problem with the air bag issue on the passenger side.Whats more,they dont seem to have any sense of urgency about it.I wouldnt want another KIA if they gave it away.Giving this car a rating of 7 was too high.
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- #9 of 139
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Re: 1000 miles on the odometer-- LS 4 cylinder [csandste]
by spmrebel
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Feb 07, 2007 (6:27 pm)
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Replying to: csandste (Feb 06, 2007 10:34 pm)
Thats actually pretty good. My 05 Elantra GT with auto that has 38K miles gets about 29 mpg with 90% highway driving (no stop and go) and about 25 mpg mixed. My 05 Spectra EX gets about 31 mpg highway and about 26 mpg mixed. Your Optima should do better once you have 20K miles.
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- #10 of 139
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Re: 1000 miles on the odometer-- LS 4 cylinder [mickeyrom]
by csandste
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Feb 07, 2007 (9:26 pm)
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Replying to: mickeyrom (Feb 07, 2007 5:22 am)
Click here and complain:
link NHTSA
Did you ever take it to another dealer or complain to the zone rep? (I know we've covered this before, sorry my memory is bad).
I bought a Kia because of the quality of my Hyundai dealer, but both brands have some bad dealerships (but no worse than some Japanese makes).
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- #11 of 139
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Re: 1000 miles on the odometer-- LS 4 cylinder [csandste]
by mickeyrom
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Feb 08, 2007 (6:30 am)
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Replying to: csandste (Feb 07, 2007 9:26 pm)
Yes,I am now going to another dealer.They say that some sort of KIA super tech will "re-flash" the seat.Unfortunately,the guy never shows up.Ive made the trip for this procedure 3 times, and he is yet to show up.The problem being intermittent does make it much more difficult to find,but IMO they are the ones who designed and built this car, and it really is THEIR problem.I'm hoping that if they cant fix this,I will get a refund and I can get the name KIA out of my mind,once and for all.I have bought so many cars in my lifetime that I lost count,and I have never had a single car,any brand, that had an unfix-able problem.
BTW I sure hope you are right about the MPG improving.Thats been a big disappointment. 
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- #12 of 139
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Re: 1000 miles on the odometer-- LS 4 cylinder [mickeyrom]
by sike00
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Feb 19, 2007 (9:47 pm)
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Replying to: mickeyrom (Feb 07, 2007 5:22 am)
I have a 2006.5 Kia Optima with the V6 and am having trouble with the passenger side airbag also,,,the light in the dash by the clock will be on even if somebody is sitting in the seat,,,this is an intermittent problem but actually happens quite frequently,,,but when I took it to Kia to have it checked out,,,they said that everything is alright with it,,,no codes in the computer, and could not get it to act up while they had it for 2 hrs. But they did tell me that if the light is on,,,then the airbag is off,,,so I asked them if my wife/passenger has to be hurt or killed before they fix this,,,and they said that the sensors are around 1200.00 each and they cant just throw money and time at it hoping to get it right. I then stated that the safety aspect of the vehicle was one of the main reasons I bought this car,,,actually bought 2 of them at the same time,,,one with a V6 and decked out for my wife and one with a 4cyl. and pretty basic for myself as I drive much farther to work than she does,,,and by the way her car (V6) gets terrible gas mileage, about 20mpg with 80% highway usage. We have so far got a high of 22 out of it mixed with a high of 24 all highway, 3 hr trip on the turnpike. Very dissapointed with this car,,,should have got her the Sante Fe that she wanted but thought the gas mileage was too bad,,,I think they get better than what were getting right now,,,the car has 6000 miles on it. Just very upset and letdown with the service,,,is their anyone I can call short of the CEO of the company that could help.
Mike
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- #13 of 139
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Re: 1000 miles on the odometer-- LS 4 cylinder [sike00]
by mickeyrom
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Feb 20, 2007 (7:23 am)
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Replying to: sike00 (Feb 19, 2007 9:47 pm)
Good news! Ask them to get a KIA rep in to your dealer and have him re flash the computer related to that function.They did mine a week ago and so far,so good.
If the dealer plays dumb,call KIA on the phone.You can find the number on their site www.kia.com.Reflashing seemed to solve the problem, although it took 3 months to get it done.Dont let them beat you down.Like you I feel very disappointed in the gas mileage on my 4 cyl Optima.On a long trip,it actually managed 31 MPG,but on mixed driving,some 80% highway had a low of 16.5, and usually in the very low 20s.I have a feeling that this car is not long for my garage.I have right now 3500 miles on it.
BTW, keep your receipts,after three attempted repairs if a serious problem persists ,you are eligible for the lemon law.Look it up,Im not kidding.It might be a hassle and Im sure that they will resist mightily,but the law is on your side.
If they deny the malfunction,take a video camcorder when you are traveling with a passenger,and videotape this occurrence ,making sure that the date shows on the video.
This KIA owner seriously wishes I had bought a Hyundai Sonata which is a far superior car.On my 2006 Sonata,After 10000 miles I averaged over 28MPG.Thats for the 10000 miles,not just a tank.For my first 3000miles on the KIA I averaged 25.5.Thats 3 MPG less,although EPA says 34 hwy for Optima vs 33 MPG hwy for the Sonata. 
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- #14 of 139
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2006.5 kia Optima V6
by sike00
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Feb 20, 2007 (12:15 pm)
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I have been video taping it now for about 3 days, and I'm getting ready to take the car back,,,the bad part is they are 1 hr north of us,,,will definately look into the lemon laws,,,,thanks for your advice,,,greatly appreciated. Kinda sucks that I should be the one to have to tell them how to fix thier own cars........glad they're certified mechanics,,,hahahaha
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- #16 of 139
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Re: 1000 miles on the odometer-- LS 4 cylinder [mickeyrom]
by csandste
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Feb 25, 2007 (10:31 am)
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Replying to: mickeyrom (Feb 20, 2007 7:23 am)
I would be satisfied with your average mpg on this engine, it's within 1 mpg of what I got with my 01 Elantra with a 2 liter engine. Your experiences with the Sonata sound phoenominal. I haven't checked the Sonata mpg threads, I'd be surprised if most owners averaged 27-28 mixed with that car. All individual cars fall within a distribution curve, and IMHO you really lucked out with the Sonata.
I'm averaging about 23 mixed with my 'Bu Maxx. Note that the EPA for the Optima V-6 is just about the same but the experiences in the real world are probably worse. I stated going in that if I got the mileage in the Optima 4 a mpg or two higher than the Maxx I'd be a happy camper.
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