I didn’t go to the dealer: the Kia Sportage box and engine jammed at low mileage

The car was purchased from an authorized dealer in June 2014, says Mikhail Kolpakov, an individual entrepreneur from the Vladimir region. This is his first personal car, before that he drove his father’s “Niva” and “VAZ-2107”.

“My wife and I have been eyeing the Kia Sportage for a long time: a friend bought the same car, drove it several times and immediately fell in love with it,” the source said.

According to him, the choice fell on the simplest version of the car with a two-liter engine with 150 horsepower, a six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive.

Already in the initial configuration of the crossover included air conditioning, heated steering wheel, front and rear seats, as well as an audio system. This car cost Mikhail 890 thousand rubles eight years ago.

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Mikhail Kolpakov

“We took out a loan at a car dealership for a period of five years. During this time, they overpaid regarding 300 thousand rubles, ”he calculated.

Already following the first MOT at an authorized dealer, Kolpakov decided to independently service the car at the end of each of the service intervals. According to him, the family budget was not designed for dealer prices for changing oil and filters and other manipulations with the car. Despite the maintenance recommended by the automaker every 15 thousand kilometers, he tries to independently perform maintenance work with the car more often – once every 10 thousand kilometers.

Savings on visits to official dealers eventually turned once morest the car owner.

With a run of regarding 90 thousand kilometers, the Sportage suddenly began to have serious problems with the gearbox.

At some point, when shifting gears in the transmission, something gnashed and the motor stopped giving traction to the wheels. Troubleshooting at the dealer showed that a defect was made during the production: when assembling the differential, one of the stoppers was not installed. As a result, this knot might not withstand the load and literally crumbled.

“Since there were no marks in the service book regarding the passage of MOT, this case was recognized as not under warranty. The official dealer in Vladimir estimated the repair of the gearbox at regarding 100 thousand rubles,” Mikhail said.

As a result, he found the same gearbox at the dismantling of emergency vehicles. The sellers claimed that it was taken from a car that had been wrecked in an accident with a mileage of regarding 45 thousand kilometers. The used unit cost him regarding 30 thousand rubles.

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Mikhail Kolpakov

The second serious breakdown, which made Kolpakov regret ignoring visits to dealers, happened in the spring of 2020. After another oil change,

with a run of regarding 150 thousand kilometers, the motor jammed on the crossover.

According to Mikhail, he purchased fake motor oil: when the engine was opened, it contained a substance that had little to do with lubricant. He was ready to conduct the necessary examinations and even sue the sellers of fakes, but all plans were crossed out by the outbreak of the pandemic.

“The store is closed, expert laboratories too, I am in my village 300 kilometers from Moscow.

It is not clear where to turn, everyone is not up to it. What will happen next with the work is unclear, I didn’t want to spend savings on expensive repairs, not knowing what would happen next, but I needed a car, ”recalls Mikhail.

As a result, the stuck Sportage engine was repaired on its own in the garage, especially since the car owner had experience in overhauling the Zhiguli engine. Mikhail ordered the necessary parts on the Internet, found a turner who undertook to polish the scuffs on the jammed crankshaft.

“It was scary to climb into a modern engine. I was afraid that I would not be able to cope, but there was no other way out: I really needed a car on the go, and all auto repair shops closed with the onset of the pandemic.

When they installed the engine and started it, I almost cried, ”Mikhail admitted.

It took regarding a week to restore the unit. The repair cost 30-35 thousand rubles. After the engine was overhauled, the car has already traveled regarding 130 thousand kilometers and there are no complaints regarding its work yet.

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Mikhail Kolpakov

By the time the figure of 200 thousand kilometers appeared on the odometer, the Sportage chassis had already been almost completely replaced. The first knocks in the rear suspension began at regarding 100-120 thousand kilometers. From frequent driving on rural potholes, the rear shock absorber struts flowed, and the silent blocks also broke. The rear wheel bearing buzzed for regarding 150 thousand kilometers – for prevention, they were replaced on all wheels.

Now, when the Sportage’s mileage is already approaching 280 thousand kilometers, only the front struts remain from the factory parts in the suspension of the car, but they are also planned to be changed in the near future.

At work, Mikhail often has to make long forced marches to Moscow and other regions. With a long drive on the highway, he lacked the cruise control function.

After studying the thematic forums, the car owner found out that there is such a function on his Sportage, but it is simply not connected.

“I removed the plugs on the steering wheel spokes: the necessary wires are in place, only the cruise control buttons themselves are missing. I ordered them in an online store for 1.5 thousand rubles, fiddled with the installation and connection for a couple of hours. Now on the highway I go only on the “cruise”. At the same time, I also brought the radio control to the steering wheel, ”Kolpakov said regarding the improvements to the car.

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Mikhail Kolpakov

Mikhail fills his Kia Sportage with only 92-gasoline, on the highway the consumption is 7-8 liters per 100 km, in the city it increases to regarding 10. A few years ago, he planned to switch the car to gas, but bureaucratic delays with the coordination of re-equipment and noticeably more expensive gas motor fuel forced to abandon this idea.

“I was immediately bribed by the high landing and comfortable seats. Sometimes I had to drive more than a thousand kilometers at a time and did not get tired at the wheel at all, ”

he admitted.

Among the advantages of the car, he noted a roomy trunk and a flat floor with the rear seats folded down. In the summer, Mikhail is engaged in buying up mushrooms and berries in the surrounding villages and takes them to Moscow for sale. According to him, Sportage transports up to 600 kilograms of forest products without any problems.

Good crossover performance. Despite the lack of all-wheel drive, the SUV confidently passes along forest roads, and thanks to short overhangs, the car does not strike bumpers on bumps.

Over the eight years of operation, a lot of deep paint chips to the metal appeared on the car body. However, there are still no rust spots, the car owner noted.

He calls a serious drawback of the car too thin leather trim on the steering wheel and gearshift lever, which practically peeled off in the fourth year of operation. As a result, I had to buy a braid on the steering wheel and a new knob on the transmission lever. Also, among the shortcomings, Mikhail noted the very wide front pillars that limit the view. Moreover, in slushy weather, the dead zone becomes even larger – the wiper blade does not reach a few centimeters to the left edge of the windshield.

Last year, Mikhail had plans to buy a new car, but the prices announced by dealers forced him to abandon this idea.

“I have already studied the car, it does not cause any special problems, spare parts are more or less available, there are no difficulties with repairs. I decided that for now they will drive their Sportage, ”he summed up.