r/kia

I wanted to share my experience with Plaza Kia Brooklyn and get some feedback from the Kia community.

I recently purchased a Certified Pre-Owned Kia Sorento from Plaza Kia. Shortly after taking delivery, the check engine light came on.

I first emailed Big Lou at the dealership and received no response. I then contacted my salesperson, Philip. To be fair, Philip has been responsive and helpful throughout the process, which unfortunately has not been my experience with the rest of the dealership.

Philip instructed me to take the Sorento to my local Kia dealer to have the check-engine light diagnosed.

When I got there, the local dealer told me there would be a $250 diagnostic fee, which would be waived if the issue resulted in warranty-covered work.

Before I authorized anything, I called Philip and specifically explained that policy and that I could end up personally responsible for the $250 if Kia did not classify the repair as warranty work. Philip told me to go ahead with the diagnosis.

The local Kia dealer diagnosed the problem and found that a filter under the hood had not been properly sealed by the selling dealership. They corrected it.

Because simply correcting the improperly sealed filter was not classified as warranty work, I was then charged the $250 diagnostic fee.

I contacted Plaza Kia and asked them to reimburse the $250.

My position is pretty simple:

• The check-engine light appeared shortly after I purchased the CPO vehicle.
• The problem was traced back to something that had not been properly secured before the vehicle was delivered to me.
• Plaza Kia instructed me to take it to another Kia dealership.
• I specifically warned my salesperson about the possible $250 charge before authorizing the diagnosis.
• He instructed me to proceed.
• I followed their instructions and am now out $250 as a direct result.

Plaza Kia has refused to reimburse me, and after my latest written request to management, they haven't even responded.

I don't think a customer who just purchased a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle should be responsible for a diagnostic bill caused by something the selling dealership failed to properly secure—especially after the dealership specifically told the customer to proceed knowing about the possible charge.

At this point, I'm considering filing complaints with the New York State DMV and New York Attorney General and pursuing the $250 in Small Claims Court. It's obviously not a huge amount of money, but to me it's about whether a dealership stands behind the vehicle it sells and takes responsibility when something was not properly handled before delivery.

Has anyone else dealt with a situation like this with a Kia CPO vehicle or with Plaza Kia Brooklyn? Would you pursue it on principle?

i have it and i was talking to someone related to a kia boy and he said that doesn’t work that they can still steal it. anyone have any insight?

I'm looking for an honest gut-check from people who know cars better than I do, because I've been beating myself up over this.

Just bought a 2026 Kia Sportage EX FWD (gas) with no addons for $31,500 out the door - taxes, fees, everything included in Fort Lauderdale. Insurance went up $300 per 6 months to add it. Our combined insurance for the Sportage + a 2017 Mazda 3 is now $900 per 6 months ($150/month). Financing was fine.

Here's what's eating at me:

1. The hybrid. I really wanted the hybrid (better mileage, quieter). It was only about $3,000 more. But here's the thing — every single dealership was weirdly cagey about hybrid availability. Lots of "we can't get them," "there's no stock,". I honestly can't tell if hybrids are genuinely hard to get right now, or if they were just steering me to the gas model they had sitting on the lot. Is there actually a hybrid supply issue in 2026, or was I being played? That's the biggest thing I want to know.
2. Did I overpay? They made it sound like a steal. Now I'm paranoid I left money on the table and should have negotiated harder.
3. Insurance. Is $900/6 months for a new Sportage + a 2017 Mazda 3 normal, or high in South Florida?
4. The Tesla rabbit hole. After the fact I checked Tesla's site, they'd give me ~$9,600 trade-in on the Mazda, and with 0.99% APR I keep thinking I could've gotten into a Model Y for not much more. Am I romanticizing that, or was that actually the smarter play?

The gas engine is louder and the mileage is less than the hybrid, and I feel locked in for the next 10 years. I optimize the hell out of tiny purchases but somehow rushed the biggest one. Tell me straight.... did I do okay, or did I mess this up?

TLDR: Paid $31.5k OTD for a 2026 Sportage gas. Every dealer acted shady about hybrid availability. Wanted the hybrid for $3k more. Insurance $900/6mo for Sportage + 2017 Mazda 3. Now second-guessing everything, including a Model Y I didn't buy. Did I get a fair deal?

Hello,

I know the Hyundai/Kia theft problem was older models with keyed ignitions (at least I believe so). Is there an on going theft issue relating to newer models with key fobs? I have a 2024 Seltos with a key fob and what to take preventative measures. I know about the remote extender thing too, I keep the keys in a faraday box.

I’m back.
Please refer to my last post made to this sub regarding my latestcar issues.

TLDR my 2020 Soul needed a new California catalytic converter. I’ve been quoted 4x all ranging from $4600-$5200.

What is needed, is the front catalytic converter. I was told there is two, and the front is simply not working as well as it should be. It is not clogged, nor completely at the point of non-drivable, but is just not working the way it is designed to.

The local muffler shop was so kind giving me another free diagnostic check & did research on getting a new cat in, however they’ve found that there is no off market cat for this car. Only Kia has it, and that is why the pricing has been about the same.

This car is 6 yrs old. My first asset, and I have 12k left on my loan….. the dealership is telling me it’s worth $5500. If I traded it in I’d have 2 car loans going. I’m not financially stable at the moment.

What should I do?

Edit: yes my state has emissions. yes I know I got screwed, this is my first car purchase, I’m bummed. Don’t tell me I’m screwed cuz I know I am lol
Second edit: no warranty anymore and no active recalls

I know your probably thinking, you still have 3 years till you start driving, i know that, i just want a plan so i'm not going crazy thinking about what to buy in 2029, i want an SUV or luxury sedan at the highest trim from the years 2015, to 2017, maybe like a Sportage SX prestige, or a Cadenza SXL, what do you think i should get?

I just bought a used 2025 Kia K4 GT line back in March or April, only has like 19K miles, fan started sounding weird, just sounds like a weird clicking noise, checked the cabin filter, nothing in there. so I’m wondering what’s going on, but would I still have warranty on something like this? I didn’t buy it from a Kia dealership, but I think I should still have like powertrain warranty no?