Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Simpo
2017 Kia Sportage just been in for 7th service and MOT. Just prior to service notified service department of a twanging noise/clunk when steering lock applied (both ways). This was looked at in service and confirmed to be worn/failing top mount to drivers side. Recommend changing as a pair and requiring immediate attention.

Car fully serviced by Kia and still within warranty period. However, dealer says not covered under warranty as apparently this is a wear and tear issue, which begs the question, what’s the benefit of Kia’s 7 year warranty over say VW’s 3 year warranty if items like this aren’t covered.

If this was brake pads or discs, bulbs, wipers etc I could understand these are items with a limited life, but would have assumed a suspension component would be covered by the warranty.

So whilst it did pass the MOT, having a car that makes a twanging clunk to the extent that I can feel it through the steering wheel and it can be heard outside the car is not ideal.

Cost to replace not cheap at £763.90 + VAT from dealers.

What are people’s thoughts on whether this should be covered under the warranty? Mileage is just over 50k. On speaking with Kia, they claim the issue is wear and tear and therefore not covered under warranty. I should add that issue appeared suddenly, and has not come of gradually or worsened over time.
Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Adampr

The Kia warranty excludes "Gradual wearing of mechanical components in proportion to mileage" so I suppose that's what they're relying on.

I understand your point - if it excludes that, what does it include? I suppose actual failure; electrical faults, the block cracking or something along those lines. Ultimately, it was originally just a marketing tool to make a deeply unfashionable brand more desirable.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Andrew-T

Accepting your description that the problem appeared 'suddenly', that is not wear-and-tear in my book, and the repair quote is rather excessive. However it will come to your word against theirs - tho if you can ask to see whether a part has actually failed, you might have some sort of case.

If that fails, you might be able to get the repair done cheaper at an indy garage ?

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - elekie&a/c doctor
It’s passed the mot , but the dealer says it needs immediate attention. Can they not make up their mind ? If they are not going to honour any warranty, then I’d take it to an Independent workshop. Possibly get it done for half that figure.
Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - gordonbennet

Presume you've been in contact with Kia head office?

Assuming they are denying warranty as above i'd not be getting this job done by them (unless it proves as or more expensive at an indy), and as soon as the warranty is over for any subsequent servicing or other work i would going elsewhere.

Normally i and others here would probably stay within the dealer network for maintenance for at least one year after warranty expires to help with any goodwill going, in this case that seems pointless so might as well start cutting costs asap.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Simpo
Normally i and others here would probably stay within the dealer network for maintenance for at least one year after warranty expires to help with any goodwill going, in this case that seems pointless so might as well start cutting costs asap.

Yes, spoke with Kia Head Office who said they would be guided by the Dealer. Dealer informed me that I could try to take the case up with Head Office, so it seems neither are interested in taking any responsibility. I have asked to escalate and if not to be honoured under warranty, whether there would be any contribution as a goodwill gesture, so I’ll see where that goes.

If it’s nowhere, it’ll be to a local independent and the car won’t be seeing a main dealer again. It’s just frustrating as with a 7-year warranty you expect peace of mind, rather than an inflated main dealer bill, with no benefit in paying the previous inflated servicing costs over the last 5 years that I’ve owned the car, which is disappointing really, and enough to put me off getting another Kia.
Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - elekie&a/c doctor
I wonder if MG will be wriggling out of their 7 years warranty with the same excuses ?
Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - primus 1

What about Toyota with their 10 year warranty? ( as long as it’s dealer serviced every year )

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Chris M

At least with Kia you stand a chance obtaining aftermarket parts. With MG, at present, you'll struggle to get many parts other than at the main dealer, at main dealer prices.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - bathtub tom

Have you had a good look to make sure it's not a broken spring? If so, a good spray with something like WD40 make silence it.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - elekie&a/c doctor

Hopefully a broken spring would have been picked up by the mot tester.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Orb>>

Suspension parts including bushes are only warranted 3 years. KIA and Hyundai.

Won't buy another?

Bit daft really if you have had so many good years out of it.

Many other makes would have laughed at you long before that period.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Adampr

Suspension parts including bushes are only warranted 3 years. KIA and Hyundai.

Won't buy another?

Bit daft really if you have had so many good years out of it.

Many other makes would have laughed at you long before that period.

I think the point is that they advertise a 7 year warranty and you pay for a 7 year warranty. Buy a VW and your money goes on a nicer interior and better all round finish. People buy Kias for the warranty. Take that away and they are just average cars.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - RT

Suspension parts including bushes are only warranted 3 years. KIA and Hyundai.

Won't buy another?

Bit daft really if you have had so many good years out of it.

Many other makes would have laughed at you long before that period.

When I was preparing to sell my 4+ year old Hyundai, it failed an early MoT on worn suspension joints - took it to the Hyundai dealer who'd done all the servicing and they replaced them under warranty.

They listed the mileage limits applicable to wear & tear items as the 5-year warranty was unlimited mileage, unlike Kia's 7-year warranty which was limited to 100,000 miles - I seem to recall that suspension was limited to 60,000 miles.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - SLO76
I wouldn’t expect any warranty to cover a suspension component on a 7yr old car, I think it’s a bit unfair to expect otherwise. The cost quoted for the job is ludicrous however and no you don’t need to do them in pairs. I replaced one side of my old Toyota Avensis many years ago and the other is still fine. Cost was around £180 if I remember rightly. Not particularly cheap, but a dealer only part. Start using a decent well recommended local independent from now on, the warranty is up now anyway.
Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - skidpan

Suspension parts including bushes are only warranted 3 years. KIA and Hyundai.

No idea where ORB found that little gem. Here is a link to the Terms and Exclusions www.kia.com/uk/owners/insurance-and-warranty/7-yea.../ and having read through it a couple of times and the only item that could potentially be used against the owner is "Gradual wearing of mechanical components in proportion to mileage" and that could be deemed to apply to any component after a few months.

I wouldn’t expect any warranty to cover a suspension component on a 7yr old car, I think it’s a bit unfair to expect otherwise.

I would suggest that it is a bit unfair to expect a Kia dealer to worm their way out of an item that should be covered.

When we had our Ceed we got a stone through the A/C condenser. I did not expect it to be covered but the dealer said it was. When we were told that there was a 2 week minimum backlog on delivery (well before Covid) Kia even confirmed that if it was not fixed before we went on holiday they would hire us an equivalent car.

That the type of service we got from Kia but you only need to read their forum to see that the difference between good dealers and bad is huge.

Just a shame that they have not made a car that matches ours needs during our recent car searches.

OP, try a different dealer.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - corax

'Cost to replace not cheap at £763.90 + VAT from dealers.'

Usually 3 bolts on each turret to release the struts at the top, a few bolts below on track rod end and lower arms. Top mounts themselves usually a fairly cheap part.

£763.90 you're joking.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - up north

The 7 year warranty might cover major catastrophies (some) but then when you add in the dealer service costs over 7 years, the minor issues they flag up on MOT which you then pay full whack, it is costly. Fortunately my son is a mechanic and saves me a fortune after the three year warranty is up, as everything can be done with OEM parts and up to spec.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Metropolis.
This is dire. If I have a warranty I expect coverage to be bumper to bumper, but exclude minor things like tyre wear (unless caused by misalignment etc).

I might have recommended or considered a Kia given the warranty, but not any more.
Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - SLO76
A top mount is a wear and tear item, just like a shock absorber and neither would be covered by a warranty at 7yrs of age and 50,000 miles. It’s not uncommon to see them required on a car of this age. If however the engine or gearbox failed then that 7yr warranty would be having its existence greatly praised. No manufacturer would cover a worn suspension component at this age. Local garage will do it at a fraction of the cost being quoted.
Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Metropolis.
Seems quite poor quality to fail, I wonder how frequent this is on Toyota’s, I never had to replace any on my land rovers and we know their reputation..
Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - John F
... what’s the benefit of Kia’s 7 year warranty over say VW’s 3 year warranty ....

The benefit is for the Kia dealer. It ensures that every year, no matter how few the miles, a sometimes substantial three figure sum is transferred from your account to theirs. Over seven years, this might well amount to over two thousand pounds. Their total outlay for your car over this time above and beyond their fixed costs will be the cost of a few litres of oil and a few pounds worth of parts, plus a few hours of not much above the minimum wage for the dealer's apprentice. After three years you will have paid twice for the service checks - once for their 'service' and once for the same checks in the MoT, for which they will probably add an additional charge of at or near the cap of c£54.

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - skidpan
... what’s the benefit of Kia’s 7 year warranty over say VW’s 3 year warranty ....

The benefit is for the Kia dealer. It ensures that every year, no matter how few the miles, a sometimes substantial three figure sum is transferred from your account to theirs.

Any sound thinking person realises that an expensive asset such as a car requires regular maintenance to ensure its reliability and also ensure top money when you come to PX it.

If its a Ford with a 3 year warranty and the buyer keeps it serviced for 3 years and then buys another or a Kia with a 7 year warranty and the buyer keeps it for 7 years both owners will hope to get trouble free motoring with no additional costs. The big advantage for the Kia owner is there is no need to change after 3 years to benefit from a manufacturers warranty (and the cost of changing will be well in excess of any servicing the Kia will require).

You only need to look on these pages and see that when people ask about buying a used car the sensible posters say to check on the service history and see if its up to date and done to schedule and if its not to walk away, sensible words indeed.

And if you thing that a once a year service is expensive consider that back in the 70's when I bought my first new car servicing was every 6 months or 6000 miles and the cost in relation to the purchase price was substantial. It was only when I bought my first new VW in 1986 which had 1 year/10,000 mile intervals that the cost of servicing came down to sensible amounts. By then I was doing about 20,000 a year, my previous Escort needed 3 services a year (inter, full, inter or full, inter, full depending on where I was in the cycle), the Golf needed an oil change after 10,000 miles and then a service at 20,000 miles, it more than halved the cost.

If you are not prepared to look after your car that is fine, its your money but don't suggest others should follow your potentially expensive and disastrous route.

Question John, do you have your gas boiler serviced professionally or are you waiting for the family to suffer CO poisoning?

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Chris M

"If you are not prepared to look after your car that is fine, its your money but don't suggest others should follow your potentially expensive and disastrous route."

Few on here fully agree with John F's view on servicing but I don't think paying a main dealer guarantees a better level of care than a decent indy or even a DIY service. I couldn't wait for year four when I could escape the hold of the warranty and the chance of a goodwill payment. Serviced by me since.

I accept a fully stamped book is evidence of something, but so is a pile of receipts. My pile of receipts shows little more than the routine service items changed at the right time. From the start I planned to keep the car long term so it'll have little affect on value.

In over forty years of spannering I've only been let down twice. Both occasions were the sudden death of a battery. If I identify a potential failure in the making, I prefer to change parts before they fail at a time and place convenient to me.

Edited by Chris M on 15/02/2024 at 11:18

Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Simpo
So, by way of an update. I took a call from the Dealer yesterday who confirmed that Kia had agreed to cover the works under the warranty. The car is booked in for 2 weeks time to carry out the works. Therefore hats off to Kia for covering it, though I think it’s only fair (despite the differing opinions on the subject above), the relatively low mileage and still being within the warranty period.

Let’s just hope the issue has been correctly diagnosed.

I’ll clearly drive the car as little as possible in the meantime, but what would be the worst case situation if the issue worsened and the subsequent likelihood of it happening?
Kia Sportage - Kia Sportage Top Mounts - Xileno

As I mentioned in a previous post (now removed as part of the clean-up), no-one is right all the time and clearly the main dealer here needs to get their act together.

There is no need for some of the self-congratulation or indeed the tedious stick-poking that resulted.

I think we all are pleased the OP got a successful outcome and being the case this thread has now served its purpose and is locked.

Mod