Feel like Im being scammed by Kia

[monotonebird2]

...because now the cars range as been reduced by 70 percent and declared 100 percent fully charged, there is no error code by the service department so my 8 year warranty on the battery doesn't count, i am shaking with anger....there is no point whatsoever in buying an ev from KIA as down the road if they dont get an error code then there is nothing wrong with your car!!!!

this is a 2017 kia soul and i got 7 years out of it

 

[IanL]

When you say reduced by 70%, do you mean that the capacity is only 30% of the original?

100% fully charged is not relevant. It can be fully charged at any capacity. It just means that the battery can take no more charge.

What counts is the State of Health (SOH) which is the percentage of the original capacity which remains. When that is reduced below 70%, the warranty replacement should be made. That value is read out of the BMS by the KIA Diagnostic System (KDS). Read PS548.

 

[monotonebird2]

Ty for your response Ian appreciate your input, we are at 35 percent after 7 years (we have an 8 year warranty on battery), it says 100 percent charged.

 

[suttercane]

The service dept has to do the battery test the correct way or it will just reset the BMS and it will read 100% as @IanL says. Do you have warranty left?

 

[BuffMedb]

Monotonebird2, the same thing with my car....I've been more depressed than pissed, but I am now going to allow myself to shake with anger.

Especially as the dealership's GM - Ken Cornelison, KIA of Portland - has admitted, in writing, that they didn't know what they were doing.

Next...a class action suit against KIA Dealers and the lack of oversight and training from KIA itself?

Yours in the desire for honesty and accountability.

Buff Medb

 

[IanL]

Ty for your response Ian appreciate your input, we are at 35 percent after 7 years (we have an 8 year warranty on battery), it says 100 percent charged.

If your SOH is 35%, this means that the battery capacity has been reduced from 27 kWh to 35/100*27 = 9.45 kWh. At 100% charge, you have 9.45 kWh in the battery.

Do not confuse State of Charge (SOC) with SOH. If the dealer is emphasising 100% SOC, either he is ignorant, or trying to mislead you. Push a copy of PS548 under his nose and demand an SOH value.

 

[raskal]

There are so many bad reports of dealing with Kia here that I'll add my positive one.
While it did take almost 5 months to get a new battery after a SOH < 70%, it did happen and I have a new battery for my 2017.
In Canada, the warranty is only 8 years for the battery, so the warranty is almost up, well they do give one year on the new battery.
So far, I'm beyond thrilled to have a solid working vehicle again. I can once again drive 150km without having to find 2 chargers on the trip just to make it.
I've also trying to be gentle on the new battery, trickle charging most of the time, level 2 when I need it faster and so far no level 3.
I charge to at most 80%, and limit the number of charges I give it.
The 2017 cars don't have the "charge to 80%" option so all my charges require math to know when to stop charging. I've actually found using a smart outlet on the trickle charging to be the easiest for me to deal with, but I wish the car had the 80% option or an app available

However, I do think owning a vehicle with more range is in the near future, but I've been happy enough with Kia that they aren't off the table, the EV6 is quite nice. That said, all manufactures are possible, even the one run by the man-child

One last thought, is there a thread here that details the best practices for being kind to the battery? I think the "rules" I've set for myself are good, but if I'm missing anything, please let me know. I know I've read that you should run a new battery low one time for some reason, but I'm not clear on that.

I've loved my first foray into electric vehicles so much so that I've added solar panels on my house and can truly say that the car is powered by the sun. I'm looking forward to owning a car that can travel 400 km on a charge.

 

[JejuSoul]

One last thought, is there a thread here that details the best practices for being kind to the battery? I think the "rules" I've set for myself are good, but if I'm missing anything, please let me know. I know I've read that you should run a new battery low one time for some reason, but I'm not clear on that.

Tips on battery health and longevity are dotted all over this forum.

Here's a link to an article in the British newspaper 'Daily Telegraph'.
The electric cars with the best – and worst – battery life if you’re looking to buy in 2022
The article gives very sensible tips.

Top tips for best car battery health : Ways to keep your battery in good health includes running it between 20-80% state of charge in routine use, only using rapid chargers when necessary, not leaving the car plugged in for days when it’s not in use, and not allowing the battery to drop to a very low level of charge.

Doing a full charge and discharge once every 6 months or so is to calibrate the BMS. This does not effect battery longevity. It just corrects the BMS so it knows where the high and low points are. It prevents you accidentally breaking down if the GOM says you have 20km left but in reality the battery is flat.

 

[suttercane]

I think keeping the battery between 80% and 20% is the best option for keeping the battery in good shape.

I am glad you had a good experience, I do read a lot of horror stories, and mine has not been so positive but I am out of warranty so I am kinda stuck.

 

[monotonebird2]

an update!!! i didnt even know this was happening but apparently my battery is being replaced and should have the car back in a week! i guess i jumped to too many conclusions, feel a bit stupid but will let you know how it work's out...i will say that this dealership seems very professional compared to others ive dealt with