3 years & 20,000 km with my Sonet turbo DCT: 6 quick observations

I continue to get scratches on my car during services, this time by the fender protector used by the service center.

BHPian robincsamuel recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Update: 3 Years, 20,000 Kms!

Another fuss-free year. No rattles, squeaks, or creaks, and mostly drives and behaves just like it did on day one. We've driven a few other cars and still feel like Sonet is custom-made for us.

Observations

• No DCT heating issues or errors, touchwood!
• I'm a bit concerned about carbon buildup in the engine. I've noticed very mild jerking on steep inclines at low speeds occasionally.
• I haven't noticed any fading of cladding yet. I'm unsure if it's due to the ceramic coating or because I mostly park indoors.
• The rear armrest occasionally slips off; it was quite difficult to put it back until I figured out the locking mechanism.
• It'd have been very nice if I could reply to an SMS with voice. The app already does speech-to-text conversion decently.
• I continue to get scratches on my car during services, this time by the fender protector used by the service center.

Third Year Service

The third-year service was mostly general inspections, oil and filter changes, and additionally, brake fluid replacement. The rear suspension was making some squeaky noise at times, so I got all the suspensions lubricated. They've also replaced the headlamp moisture absorbent on my request as it was holding moisture.

Front Bumper Repainting

There were a few small scratches on the front bumper and skid plate over the last two years. Although my initial reaction after the first scratch was to fix it immediately, I've decided to clear the scratches once every two years. So, I got it done for around ₹9k at the Kia Bodyshop. I couldn't claim insurance since the scratches were on both sides.

First Ceramic Coating Maintenance

I have the 5-year ceramic coating package from Esperto, and it has been almost 1.5 years since the coating was applied. The repainted bumper and the rear bumper cladding were freshly coated, along with a complete top-up coat.

Fastag Replacement

My car originally had the Paytm Fastag from the dealership, and I was quite happy with it. However, I had to switch to another one due to the Paytm bank shutdown. I bought the ICICI Fastag since I already had their mobile app. The ICICI Fastag works fine, apart from the clunky app interface and slow SMS alerts.

Insurance Renewal

I renewed both the third-party and own damage policy with Kia Safety. I couldn't find a better quote elsewhere that included all the necessary add-ons. I've opted for all the available add-ons except the tyre cover.

Kia Connect Renewal

My Kia Connect subscription is ending next week, and I'm renewing it for another three years with the basic plan for ₹7k.

Kia Inspiring Drive Program

Kia recently launched a new service to score and gamify safety and economy. However, it seems more like an early beta version. The placement of the feature in the app itself isn't great; it opens a link in a popup. It worked the first week of March but I don't see any recent trips.

I'm ending the update with a couple of reports.

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