Someone Else's Problem: You May Not Like It, But This Is What Peak Performance Looks Like - 2012 Kia Forte EX

Congrats on a perfectly suitable four-doored, four-wheeled piece of transportation. I hope you get a ton of very reliable miles out of it. The good news is that it's a Kia, so they're plentiful to nick parts off of, and I imagine even new bits and bobs aren't disgustingly expensive.
 
You May Not Like It, But This Is What Peak Performance Looks Like - 2012 Kia Forte EX

I was told the same with CVT in the work jeeps. Follow the heavy use guide with transmission fluid changes. Just make any any other components that work with the transmission that deal with the power side are inspected and replaced at the same time. I say that because the AWD power transfer module was replaced a couple weeks before the transmission blew up in my Jeep. Fluid had been changed around the 70k mark. After the module was replaced, the CVT started to hunt in engine revs when given a steady throttle input. I maybe got a 1,000 miles in before transmission shat.

Granted, the power module was damp for about a year prior, only replacement did things start acting funny.
 
Car-tastic!

Actually seems to be not so terrible value wise, a comparable price in the UK would get you a Cee'd of about the same age and millage, shame you don't have the associated "Reasonably Priced Car" kudos. ;) Hopefully it'll prove itself to be reliable and won't be in need of constant tinkering/cash spending to keep going!
 
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Just to prove that there's no animosity between Jeeps and yours truly, here's a photo of me driving Santa in last night's Christmas Parade in downtown Ironton, Ohio (Where????)

Yes, I'm dressed as an elf... and that's my helper, Kenny, staring at the camera.

And, that's probably the most expensive (non-GC) Jeep I've ever driven, coming in at just over $51k with the dealer add-ons.

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SL
 
WDWBen said:
Congrats on a perfectly suitable four-doored, four-wheeled piece of transportation. I hope you get a ton of very reliable miles out of it. The good news is that it's a Kia, so they're plentiful to nick parts off of, and I imagine even new bits and bobs aren't disgustingly expensive.
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Thanks! Yeah, stuff seems to be reasonably priced.

93Flareside said:
I was told the same with CVT in the work jeeps. Follow the heavy use guide with transmission fluid changes. Just make any any other components that work with the transmission that deal with the power side are inspected and replaced at the same time. I say that because the AWD power transfer module was replaced a couple weeks before the transmission blew up in my Jeep. Fluid had been changed around the 70k mark. After the module was replaced, the CVT started to hunt in engine revs when given a steady throttle input. I maybe got a 1,000 miles in before transmission shat.

Granted, the power module was damp for about a year prior, only replacement did things start acting funny.
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I'll keep all of that in mind! Thanks!

captain_70s said:
Car-tastic!

Actually seems to be not so terrible value wise, a comparable price in the UK would get you a Cee'd of about the same age and millage, shame you don't have the associated "Reasonably Priced Car" kudos. ;) Hopefully it'll prove itself to be reliable and won't be in need of constant tinkering/cash spending to keep going!
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Thanks Cap'n! Let's hope so!
 
So, it?s been a while, still happy with it?
 
93Flareside;n3541952 said:
So, it?s been a while, still happy with it?
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I am. It made it to Pittsburgh and back without incident as well as several trips to Maryland to hang out with LurkerPatrol and pals. I'm satisfied with between 28 and 30 mpg in mixed driving. I picked up the Kia All Weather Mats and it's nice knowing that the carpet will be protected this winter and spring. I fully expect the interior to remain in good enough shape as I continue to not eat or drink anything but water in it.

Bluetooth is nice for phone calls, navigation directions and music/podcasts. And the heater works exceptionally well.

I checked the oil level before my Pittsburgh trip and it was still right where it should be. I'll pull the dipstick again today to see where it's at now but I expect minimal to no loss given owner reports.

Is it fun or interesting like the Jeep? Does it make me feel cool? Not really, but, you know....there's something to be said about the refinement of a modern car. I don't feel nearly as "beat up" as I would in the Jeep after a long drive due to it's poor sealing and misaligned door keeping wind noise high.

Still, i'm committed to making it/keeping it looking as good as possible since I'll be owning it for at least 5 years. - they started coating the roads with caustic snow/ice melt shit days before the 1st snowfall happened Saturday so I ran it through a touchless car wash with a underbody spray rinse yesterday - I plan on doing this once a week...the only bummer is that i'll then have to drive it 5 - 10 min back to my house so IDK how much good it's doing.

I suspect that someone locked keys in, a theft was attempted or the car got repossessed at some point in a former life as there's marks above the driver's door and the top of driver's door window frame was slightly misaligned so I could hear the weatherstripping chatter over bumps. I bent it slightly to even it out and things are fine again. Later I also noticed that the weld between the door and window frame is partially broken - I don't think this was my doing as it looked a bit rusty. This area doesn't seem to come in contact with water (checked after washing the car) so IDK....flood car with a washed title that went undetected by CarFax? Maybe...apparently PA is a hotbed for these things and I suspect the Accord I bought was one due to the weird ass electrical issues it had. Oh well, this is what happens when you can't buy new.

Further evidence that it had been used hard was this: I had noticed the following about a week or two ago when I was walking up to the passenger side of the car at my step-grandma's new apartment building - we were helping her move all day and while I parked in the grass at her old place and drove around a tree to my left, I don't think I scraped anything:


https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=515fb37f6d6812b2528c0bdc87307b82&oe=5AD01C1F

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=409c00ad09ac50232abe15c1d8b4e060&oe=5AC165F1

(Sorry for the facebook links, this is the only image host I can actually use at work, lol)

The pics were taken yesterday after my car wash. The flange (not sure if that's correct terminology) looks slightly bent and undercoating is missing. Given PA's liberal use of road salt, this needs to be addressed ASAP. I plan on seeing if my mechanic can clean the area well, spray rust inhibitor, then apply undercoating while doing the rear brakes and a oil change. I figure they should do it so it can be in a warm room to cure, etc.

The PPI, I might add, didn't reveal either of these things. I'm still glad I got it though, all things considered.

I know it likely sounds dumb that i'm putting so much thought into this considering it's a mere appliance - but things are different when you're paying monthly for something, you want it to be nice.
 
The car, according to CarFax, has been sold at an auction. Which is consistent with the car being repo'ed before. On the other hand, exposed metal will rust even when not subjected to water, so the broken weld with rust on it is not a sign that the car has been flooded. RELAX! :)
 
Had the car in to get the rear brakes worked on, the battery replaced, and the oil leak checked. They let it run and couldn't find any leaks so they'll check at the next oil change.

In other news....

Ever since I've gotten this car. I've been fighting off accidents.

From the guy who almost reversed into me when I was driving to dinner with the BF minutes after picking up the car, to almost being in a side on crash from a inattentive garbage truck driver last week, it's been a weekly battle.

It ended this evening on my way to return some sheets and get groceries:

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Fucking deer. By the time I stopped, I saw it hitting the front of the car. Couldn't pull over right away due to it being a two lane with no pull-offs so I had to wait until I pulled into some lots. Checked the front, looked fine....then I walked back and saw the side of the fucker.

I didn't have my high beams one due to the traffic. Fucking irritating.

I'm debating my next move - my deductible is 500 bucks, while I can grudgingly afford it, I don't know what it'll do to the car's accident free CarFax.

Might see if it could be paintless dent repaired. Just my fucking luck.

I haven't even made the first goddamn payment yet...

Tried going to the local Police Department but it was closed. So I'll have to figure out a way to do the police report + start the claim process tomorrow....it'll inevitably mean yet another fucking half day (at minimum) off work.
 
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At least you didn't decide to take up automotive forestry upon sighting the deer.

You may want to add some auxiliary headlights...
 
Holy hell man, some higher power doesn't want you in a decent car. Good luck getting it fixed, it can probably be touched up for quite a bit less than $500 if you can live with an imperfect repair.
 
 
Spectre;n3542428 said:
At least you didn't decide to take up automotive forestry upon sighting the deer.

You may want to add some auxiliary headlights...
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:lol:

thevictor390;n3542445 said:
Holy hell man, some higher power doesn't want you in a decent car. Good luck getting it fixed, it can probably be touched up for quite a bit less than $500 if you can live with an imperfect repair.
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Story time: Sent feelers out to two highly rated PDR places in the York/Lancaster area at work today:

One said that the damage couldn't be PDR'd and that it'd require a proper body shop.

Another said that with the extensive damage they're looking at 1k+ and would have to remove and install stuff but said I could go through insurance.

So, with those offers in mind, I said fuck it - filed a claim with Progressive. They called me back, we went over the particulars, and I booked it to their service center in Camp Hill to drop off the Forte.

I'm in a Altima SV loaner for a while. The steering is possibly the worst I've ever experienced thus far. So "ultra lubricated" for lack of a better term....it's like spinning one of those fake playground equipment steering wheels - just no feel at all. Disconcerting.

I also found myself always closer to one side of the lane in it, that same "ping-ponging" I experienced in the Versa.

The rest of the car is nice enough if slightly insubstantial feeling as a whole, but the steering alone would be a non-starter.

I will say that, for as much shit as Nissan gets with their head units, they've got the BT audio game down right. Unlike the Forte, the Altima:
  • Stops what's playing immediately - The Forte doesn't stop playing until you open the door and even then there's a bit of delay. This is with the audio system not playing anything because the key is removed mind you...
  • Remembers you selected BT Audio when the car is restarted and, upon phone reconnection (which is fast), begins BT audio playback - The Forte's head unit forces you to wait until the phone reconnects (which is just slow enough to irritate) then mash the Aux button to switch to BT audio, then manually hit play.
  • Shows what's playing on the screen and allows you to seek forward/back, enable/disable repeat and random, play/pause using the radio buttons or the steering wheel - no such luck in the Forte, it's like the BT is just a wireless aux cord in that sense.
This is the mid-level color (but non touch screen) "Display Audio" head unit.

Dr_Grip;n3542451 said:
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Pretty much....
 
At least you didn't roll it down an embankment after hitting the deer like a friend of mine did...
 
Or have some chick telling you to go look for it.
 
rickhamilton620;n3542493 said:
I will say that, for as much shit as Nissan gets with their head units, they've got the BT audio game down right. Unlike the Forte, the Altima:
  • Stops what's playing immediately - The Forte doesn't stop playing until you open the door and even then there's a bit of delay. This is with the audio system not playing anything because the key is removed mind you...
Click to expand...


  • The Forte's behavior is the more desired by the market - it's part of 'retained power' and is a feature many people like and want. Thomas' 1994 Caddy has this feature and had it before MP3 players or Bluetooth were a thing. Now that the headunit has been swapped, it retains USB and if we had the Bluetooth module it would hold that too until you open the door or until something like 10 minutes passes.

    I'm considering adding this function to the Bronco as part of the upcoming electrical overhaul.

    [*]Remembers you selected BT Audio when the car is restarted and, upon phone reconnection (which is fast), begins BT audio playback - The Forte's head unit forces you to wait until the phone reconnects (which is just slow enough to irritate) then mash the Aux button to switch to BT audio, then manually hit play.
    Click to expand...

    That's good, because there are far too many units (high dollar or not) that don't do that.

    [*]Shows what's playing on the screen and allows you to seek forward/back, enable/disable repeat and random, play/pause using the radio buttons or the steering wheel - no such luck in the Forte, it's like the BT is just a wireless aux cord in that sense..
    Click to expand...

    You bought a *FORTE*. Of course it's like a wireless aux cord; anything else would be a huge bonus in this class.
 
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My car's bluetooth system can't be used for anything other than phone calls.... media is analog aux only.
 
Spectre;n3542505 said:
The Forte's behavior is the more desired by the market - it's part of 'retained power' and is a feature many people like and want. Thomas' 1994 Caddy has this feature and had it before MP3 players or Bluetooth were a thing. Now that the headunit has been swapped, it retains USB and if we had the Bluetooth module it would hold that too until you open the door or until something like 10 minutes passes.

I'm considering adding this function to the Bronco as part of the upcoming electrical overhaul.
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I, per usual, was not clear. The Forte’s radio (apparently 95% of it anyway based on the below behavior) is off when the key is off. There’s no sound being emitted, nothing on screen.

The BT module, however is not off until the door is opened, so you miss a chunk of what’s playing on your device between key off and door open.

If it was true RAP, with head unit continuing to play through the audio system, by all means I’d be cool with that. It’s livable for sure just a quirk I have to get used to.

You bought a *FORTE*. Of course it's like a wireless aux cord; anything else would be a huge bonus in this class.
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oh I totally agree, in 2012 BT standard was unheard of in the segment so I cannot complain in the slightest.

Doesn’t mean I won’t though. :p
 
Estimate to repair the Kia has come in. Any guess to the amount it costs to fix?
 
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