[ThatCarGuy]

Fellow BHP'ians, any tips on where to place the mobile phone neatly while driving the car especially when you are connected to Apple car play using the cable. I generally used to keep the phone between the cupholders, but during the long drives, the edge of the tempered glass touched the cup holder edges and cracked the phone's tempered glass. I understand that if there is a slight pressure on the edges of the screen protectors it gives away. I tried keeping it in the center console, i.e., below the wireless charger, next to the grab handle, but that doesn't seem to hold the phone properly and it's in a clumsy position.

I am not a big fan of the AC vent phone holders, any suggestions to satisfy my OCD would be helpful .

Originally Posted by civic-dk

I have noticed that the blower for rear seats in my Seltos gtx dct plus is very weak. Request other owners to confirm if it is by design, or only my car has this issue.

I have posted this in one of my earlier posts, its a design issue, especially you notice this on long drives. If you have someone in the rear even for short drives, keep the temperature in 22-23 and position the front AC vents to the middle (generally I am a bit sensitive to cold, hence). I have tried contacting KIA via email and contacted the service centre as well but to no avail. There is no fix for it, you have to live with it.

[ThatCarGuy]

TPMS monitoring system sensor mounting process received from KIA service.

[narvind0110]

After nearly 2 years of thinking and re-thinking about buying a new car, we went ahead and booked a Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT in December 2020. We got the delivery last week and it's a beauty.

Buying the new car was a prolonged affair as we were debating if we need a car in the first place. Our car usage was pre-dominantly for local use. Long drives were restricted as wife gets car sick and my job doesn't require me to go to office regularly.Then Covid struck. However, made up our mind to go in for a new car as I would have regular Chennai- Bangalore travel once things open up full time.

I had made up my mind long time back that my next car would be an SUV. Was very hung-up about Jeep Compass for a long time till Kia Seltos came along. TD-ed the Seltos DCT and Diesel AT. Wanted to test drive Creta but got an absolutely shocking response from the dealer. No follow-up, no interest in even talking about the car. The family was anyway in love with the Seltos and hated the looks of Creta. Only decision was between the Turbo Petrol vs Diesel. After reading through lots of reviews, and going through videos decided to go with the Diesel AT because of the long term reliability of the TC gearbox and lower operating costs (better mileage & lower price of Diesel). Changed dealers as the first one (Capital Kia Chennai) we approached was pretty lackadaisical in providing TD cars. We switched to SVM Kia Chennai and the response was fantastic.

First choice for me was the "Gravity Grey" but wife's choice was White.Tried negotiating but didn't get single rupee discount. Got a 20K reduction on insurance though after showing quotes that I had got from outside. Did a quick PDI before paying the full amount and the VIN was a January 31st manufactured one. Went with basic accessories like mats,idol, neck rest, duster from Kia. Planning to get PPF done on scratch prone areas. Overall sales experience (barring the first dealer) was pretty smooth and pleasant.

Still getting used to the slight Turbo lag, Diesel engine noise (though minimal) and the Automatic transmission. Though there is absolutely no vibration from the engine in the cabin, the noise seems to be higher than what we felt in the TD car.And the lack of back-lit window & door switches is a real bummer. Any after market solutions for this?

Looking forward to taking the car on longer drives from this weekend just to get a full feel of it!

[Y@SH]

Had a really poor experience at 2nd check up at Shreenath Kia, Andheri Workshop.
I physically wasn't present but sent someone from my office and driver, Firstly inspite of appointment car was not taken in the premises for one hour, then had to wait more as the assigned SA turned up late for work!

From my first check up experience all I presumed all I to pay was Rs 40 for the washer fluid but this time another Service Advisor was assigned. He inspected the car and created a estimate highlighting that Wheel Balancing / Rotation needs to be performed, also 3m Underbody coating and Alloy Care he added (to please his Wallet and superiors I guess). Totalling to 6.2k for what is supposed to be just a checkup! Estimate Enclosed

Upon getting the estimate copy on Whats App I immediately tell my representative that all this is not required at all as its just a checkup. SA didn't agree and I had some heated words with him. Firstly my car had just done 2k kms and he starts telling me benefits of alignment and balancing and that the car tyres are really off, I ask him to go ahead trusting him, But I ask him not to do the 3m Coating and Alloy Care (these are really not required at all, these are just add ons that add $$ to the SA and workshop)


He starts with the usual, " sir Im telling you as a friend, get the alloy care done atleast". I straight up tell him, look I have the base variant , what alloy care will you do in that? The car doesn't even have alloys. Do just the alignment or do nothing at all.

He then agrees not to do anything and asks me to just pay the 40 for windshield fluid.
This sort of fleecing of a customer is unexpected.

[aroonanand]

Looks like there's a lot of inconsistency on Kia Service. My seltos, purchased in Feb'20 has completed the 1st 3 checkups, all with Epitome Kia and all 3 have been very smooth affairs. The 1st checkup in 1 month/1000 kms took ~2.5 hours and i just waited in the customer lounge whilst they did the job (this was in Mar'20, before Covid). For all 3, I was promptly received at the service center at the scheduled time, and the formalities completed in 10-15 mix. For the 2nd and 3rd, the car was ready in 4-5 hours, as promised, and each time the service advisor was giving periodic updates thru calls/whatsapp. Cleaning has also been top-class with the cleaning entrusted to 3M.

In the 3rd one, they did try to upsell underbody coating and wheel balancing/alignment, as well as some sort of a maintenance package, which I politely declined and they didnt try to coerce me onto these.

Related (and perhaps a dumb) question, does wheel rotation affect the TPMS sensors in any form? For instance, if the front left becomes rear left after the rotation, how will this show up in the TPMS display?

[gkveda]

Originally Posted by Y@SH

This sort of fleecing of a customer is unexpected.

My friend, please do not say this is unexpected. This is exactly what has to be expected in any dealership.

You need to be very firm and reject all their so called value added services. This is what most of the BHP community advises in various threads and posts.

Please be more firm going forward and ask them to do ONLY what is prescribed in the manual. Study the manual before going to dealership for servicing and be clear.

For a vehicle which has run 2k, no user manual suggests wheel balancing and alignment.

This is not abnormal behaviour. This is absolutely Normal characteristics in all dealerships irrespective of the car model

[pankajparikh]

I own the 1.4 Turbo Petrol GTX+ (manual) 2019 Nov model and have been experiencing squeaky noise from the rear-suspension which penetrates inside the cabin whenever the car goes over a pothole/speed-breaker. The noise is worse when the car is fully loaded. I had it checked at my 3rd service interval (1-year/10k km) at Car Kia Gachibowli, Hyderabad. The issue was resolved by lubricating the suspension bolt with some WD-40 like spray. But the issue was encountered again in just a month. This time I went with a list of issues:

1. Squeaky rear-suspension noise continues.
2. Software upgrade (Hello Kia) availability for 2019 models.
3. Headlight long-range poor visibility.

With new management "Kumar (AGM Aftersales)" and "Rakesh Reddy (Service Manager)" at Car Kia Hyderabad, I was told the following by them.

1. Suspension squeaky noise is a common issue in all brands, not just Kia. SUVs with higher ground clearance experience this more commonly. Root-cause being suspension bolt lubrication. This intensifies in the rainy season. Initially, the service center technicians used to spray a lubricant on the bolt to resolve the issue, but of now they are lubricating the bolt using grease. This has been recommended by Kia’s technical team to the dealers. Even recent 2020/21 models had this issue, so it's irrespective of the year/model/brand.

Mine has been lubricated with grease, let’s see how long does this lasts. My request, please do notice if similar noise is experienced in your cars.

2. Software Upgrade: "Hello Kia" functionality is available via upgrade only for models which were dispatched precisely on or after 14th March 2020. Any model sold prior to 14th Mar 2020 will NOT get this functionality.

3. Headlight long-range visibility: There is nothing that can be done to increase the range. Only if the light-throw is biased, it can be calibrated using the "Headlight Aligner" tool. HT range which has projector headlights has worse throw, GT with LED is better.

Yet I don’t feel confident while night-driving at higher speeds on highways, the throw is very short.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by pankajparikh

1. Squeaky rear-suspension noise continues.

I have the same month year HTK+ variant. I don't have any suspension noise in the 22k kms I have covered so far.

Please have it checked with a different dealership. If they fail to resolve then push for replacement under warranty.

3. Headlight long-range poor visibility.

Unfortunately, its true and you can't do much about these sealed LED units. If it is intolerable then explore auxiliary light options.

I went for HID bulbs in my stock projector headlamps and I am very happy with it.

With new management "Kumar (AGM Aftersales)" and "Rakesh Reddy (Service Manager)" at Car Kia Hyderabad, I was told the following by them.

I had been to Vihaan KIA, Kukatpally and Car KIA, Gachibowli back in Nov-Dec 2019. My experience was decent back then.

[powertrain]

Originally Posted by Y@SH

Had a really poor experience at 2nd check up at Shreenath Kia, Andheri Workshop.
I physically wasn't present but sent someone from my office and driver, Firstly inspite of appointment car was not taken in the premises for one hour, then had to wait more as the assigned SA turned up late for work!

From my first check up experience all I presumed all I to pay was Rs 40 for the washer fluid but this time another Service Advisor was assigned. He inspected the car and created a estimate highlighting that Wheel Balancing / Rotation needs to be performed, also 3m Underbody coating and Alloy Care he added (to please his Wallet and superiors I guess). Totalling to 6.2k for what is supposed to be just a checkup! Estimate Enclosed

Upon getting the estimate copy on Whats App I immediately tell my representative that all this is not required at all as its just a checkup. SA didn't agree and I had some heated words with him. Firstly my car had just done 2k kms and he starts telling me benefits of alignment and balancing and that the car tyres are really off, I ask him to go ahead trusting him, But I ask him not to do the 3m Coating and Alloy Care (these are really not required at all, these are just add ons that add $$ to the SA and workshop)


He starts with the usual, " sir Im telling you as a friend, get the alloy care done atleast". I straight up tell him, look I have the base variant , what alloy care will you do in that? The car doesn't even have alloys. Do just the alignment or do nothing at all.

He then agrees not to do anything and asks me to just pay the 40 for windshield fluid.
This sort of fleecing of a customer is unexpected.

Hello Yash,
You're indeed lucky! I had a similar experience at Shreenath Kia, Thane. I too was asked to do Wheel Balancing & Alignment for my 5k kms service. I asked if it is mentioned in the service manual & only do stuff that mentioned in the manual. Had to be a bit stern & he got the message

I'm sure these people do this with every customer & even if 30% of the customers fall for it, imagine the profit these guys must be earning!!

Regards,
Powertrain

[pankajparikh]

Had posted about squeaky noise from the rear-suspension in various Kia forums, and one of a customer who also owns an Ecosport says; he faced the same issue with his Ecosport and identified the root cause to be the bush just above the coil spring being worn off. He said, insist on replacement. Not sure why Kia is not just replacing the bushes.

[Venkygupta]

Hello BHP-ians,

I recently booked the Seltos in HTX+ (D) AT in intense red. As the waiting periods are upwards of 3-3.5 months, in the mean time I did my diligence and changed my booking to the GTX+ (D) AT as it made much more sense to spend 1 lakh for the airbags, ESP, Alloys etc. There is a single dealer for the whole state of Chhattisgarh here, and I have a very little margin for negotiations on discounts and stuff. (Which are basically none)

I have a bunch of questions that if you guys can please answer for me:
1) Is there a way I can improve the LED setup which I have read does not have adequate throw.
2) The dealer is charging me ₹9000 for 3 Teflon coating sessions redeemable yearly, with 10 Anti-rust coating sessions. So should I go for this or find a detailer outside, and get it done.
3) I read somewhere in the Kia Seltos launch forum that there is an option of Unlimited Km’s warranty for the 5th year. My monthly run is quite high around 1500Kms. So has anyone opted for that option.

Thanks .

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by Venkygupta

I have a bunch of questions that if you guys can please answer for me:
1) Is there a way I can improve the LED setup which I have read does not have adequate throw.
2) The dealer is charging me ₹9000 for 3 Teflon coating sessions redeemable yearly, with 10 Anti-rust coating sessions. So should I go for this or find a detailer outside, and get it done.
3) I read somewhere in the Kia Seltos launch forum that there is an option of Unlimited Km’s warranty for the 5th year. My monthly run is quite high around 1500Kms. So has anyone opted for that option.

Thanks .

1. Auxiliary light is the sensible option but at the cost of being pulled up by cops. It spoils the aesthetics of the car though. I too have a Seltos with LED headlights. After toying with the idea of auxiliary light(a Hella one), I'm now more inclined to change my ice cube fog lights to the projector type with a HID set up. I've bought them from a fellow Seltosian who was changing them to ice cube ones. Yet to find time to get it done.
2. Anti rust coating I feel is futile unless you're living in a coastal area. It can help only the second or third owner of your car, not you. Spend on a good set of tyres instead. My personal opinion.
3. Yes go for the maximum possible warranty. It's worth each penny.

Hope it helps. All the best.


Cheers,
bibendum

[car_guy1998]

Had a TD of Seltos Diesel AT as well as 7DCT as we are looking to replace our Innova as our running might get reduced soon and becoming old as well(10 years old) and myself planning to move abroad soon,we felt that this is the best time to let the Innova go.

My observations after driving the Seltos Diesel AT:

-The performance of Diesel AT is decent but it got struggled a bit in higher speeds(maybe due to being a TD vehicle).Creta Diesel AT felt better to drive due to paddle shifters(which is sorely missed in Seltos) as well as Sonet,which I felt more FTD to drive than Seltos Diesel AT
-Though we are planning to replace the Innova with Seltos/Creta,the recent crash test result isn't a big concern for us as we are planning to purchase GTX+Diesel AT,which has more safety features than other variants
-The rear seat was somewhat ok but not as good as Creta
-This has better high speed stability and drove well on corners as well

In short,the Seltos Diesel AT felt ok to drive though the Diesel AT is fine for our needs as our running is quite high.

Coming to 7DCT,this is the best variant of Seltos I've driven so far.It had a better pull and can reach three digits of speed easily.

Even after being aware of recent crash test result,brake failure issues,I'm still inclined towards the Seltos.

The only problem with the Seltos is whether it suits as a chauffeur driven car or not.

And,BTW,one of my close acquaintances had replaced his more than 1L Kms run 2014 City Diesel with Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT in feb despite having a 2017 Creta SX+ AT and an Innova at home.

And,I've heard that the Kia is planning to update the Seltos with additional safety features in HTX+ and HTX as well as panoramic sunroof in GTX+ along with wireless Carplay.Is it true?

[Salil]

My Seltos HTX D manual got delivered on 28th Feb. Was disappointed to see it come shod with JK Tyres! So the first trip was straight to a tyre showroom, and got the tyres replaced with Yokohama Earth-1, same size. Got 20K for the OEM tyres and paid 15500 for the exchange. I did notice a reduction in noise over rough patches after the change - deliberately drove over the same patches I encountered while on my way to the showroom to see how it faired.

Didn't get much chance to drive it over the week, but did manage to spend some time in the cabin getting accustomed to the interface. (Hope ignoring the frequent battery discharge warning won't make me regret later). Which made me wonder if there are some hidden features/easter eggs. So, some tech questions:

1. Has anyone tried getting into the 'engineering mode'? This apparently allows access to the raw Android running in the background, which can then be configured to install APKs through the USB drive. And also turn on WiFi, which can then be connected to a wi-fi hotspot.
2. Will accessing the engineering mode be logged/negate warranty?
3. Sending simple lock/unlock commands from the UVO app takes over a minute to respond. The UVO app itself is sluggish to connect to their cloud and send/receive data. Is it just me?
4 The colour is intense red - from what I have noticed, it gets swirl marks very easily. (My last car was silver). I am considering getting a ceramic coating done. What should it cost and what after care does it require? Any suggestions for a detailing shop in Noida that gets good quality ceramic coating done?

Thanks

[MrCommando]

Hi everyone, I own a 2020 red color Seltos. The dual-tone in the GT line was not available when I made the purchase. Hence thinking of getting a black glossy vinyl wrap for the rooftop from "VINYL'ED" Bangalore. They quoted me Rs.8400/- for "Avery Dennison 3 layer wrap" on the rooftop and spoiler. Any thoughts on the price, brand, and the service by "VINYL'ED"?