Front Bumper and Horn Replacement

[CASoulman]

I would like to replace the horn on my Kia EV. Has anyone had experience in removing - (to access the horn mechanism) - and reinstalling the front bumper after replacing the horn with aftermarket horns I purchased from Pep Boys?

 

[LFFarm]

I haven't removed the bumper before, but I didn't like/wanted to remove the fake engine sound and reverse beeper so I bought the factory service manual for 15 bux online and it shows exactly how to remove the bumper, horn etc.

Kind of handy to have. I can't upload the .pdf or I'd share the bumper section with you

 

[Birkeland]

Where did you buy the service manual? And does it say anything about the Battery Management System (BMS)? Also if it has any information about the diagnostic port (OBDII) codes?

 

[LFFarm]

http://factorypdfservicemanuals.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=404

Got the manual there and its been great. It goes through literally every component of the car. It even has small general note sections for the technicians explaining how certain EV components function with another. Haven't explored the codes, but given the break down of information it provides for scanning the OBDII port, I'm sure it must have it all.

 

[tractioninc]

http://factorypdfservicemanuals.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=404

Got the manual there and its been great. It goes through literally every component of the car. It even has small general note sections for the technicians explaining how certain EV components function with another. Haven't explored the codes, but given the break down of information it provides for scanning the OBDII port, I'm sure it must have it all.

Awesome find, thanks for sharing. Have you removed the reverse chime? If so, what was involved?

I would like to replace the horn on my Kia EV. Has anyone had experience in removing - (to access the horn mechanism) - and reinstalling the front bumper after replacing the horn with aftermarket horns I purchased from Pep Boys?

The horn is pretty puny, right? Let us know how this goes. If it's an easy upgrade, I can foresee a lot of owners trying it.

 

[LFFarm]

I did get rid of the reverse buzzer/fake engine sound. It was very easy, pull a few clips out of the drivers side front wheel splash shield, then reach to the end of the bumper support and disconnect the wiring clip to the speaker.

 

[tiburonh]

I would like to replace the horn on my Kia EV. Has anyone had experience in removing - (to access the horn mechanism) - and reinstalling the front bumper after replacing the horn with aftermarket horns I purchased from Pep Boys?

It's been a while since you posted this, but, as a brand new Kia Soul EV owner who HATES the horn, I'm wondering if you ever went ahead with this project. If so, could you please report on how it went. As part of that, could you please tell us what brand and model you replaced the original horn with and what if any modifications you had to make to the wiring connection and the mounting bracket in order to accommodate the new horn.

Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer on this!

 

[JejuSoul]

I haven't done this, but I have seen a blog post by someone who has.
First though are some details from the service manual.
They suggest accessing the horn from below by removing the under cover.

 

[JejuSoul]

The blog post here - http://jejuloft.com/220349142938 - shows some pictures on how the horn was replaced.
In this case they removed the front bumper section of the car to gain better access.

Here is the replacement horn attached.

 

[tiburonh]

The blog post here - http://jejuloft.com/220349142938 - shows some pictures on how the horn was replaced.
In this case they removed the front bumper section of the car to gain better access.

Here is the replacement horn attached.

Thanks JeJuSoul!

I was hoping that in the Soul EV things would be less crowded under the hood than in the Soul Gas, and that one could thus access the horn more easily. Alas, your post confirms what others have said, which is that -- even though the under-the-hood space on the Soul EV is much more open than on the Soul gas, and even though the horn in the EV is on the right side of the car vs. it being on the left side of the car in the Gas -- nonetheless the only way to access the horn in the EV is to take off both the under engine cover and the front bumper (and removing the front bumper seems to require also removing the headlight assembly). I hate the horn a lot, but will now have to assess whether my hatred for it is strong enough to offset my fear of screwing up in the course of taking off and then replacing the engine cover, bumper, and headlight assemblies.

 

[JejuSoul]

tiburonh: I think it is possible by either removing the under cover or removing the bumper. Not both. The under cover method seems easy but I don't know how much access you would get to do the rewiring.

 

[tiburonh]

Thanks for the tip JeJuSoul. I'll explore and let you know what I end up doing.

 

[tiburonh]

Hi all- Today I successfully replaced the stock horn on my 2016 Soul EV+.

I did NOT have to remove the front bumper - just had to elevate the car (using a set of wheel ramps that I bought for $40 at Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/solid-steel-auto-ramp-set-68365.html) and then take off the under cover. Removing the under cover was no big deal - it's held on by easily and obviously accessible bolts (6 total) and clips (4 total).

I used PIAA's Model 85112 for the replacement. It has two horns, one at 500 hz and one at 600 hz. Got it from Amazon for about $54.00.

The only hitch in the installation was that I found out once inside that there is not room to attach both horns on the bracket used by the single stock horn. But I discovered that there is a vertical metal beam just to the right of the horn mount that has a largish (maybe 1" diameter?) hole in it -- I was able to mount the second horn to that bar by using fender washers on both sides of the hole and then just running a normal bolt through the horn's mount bar, then through the first fender washer, then through the hole in that metal bar, then through the second washer, and then just adding a nut on the end of all that.

The sound is now so much better. I feel safer already! And also less embarrassed.

 

[NeedSpeed]

Glad you've shared the picture on how you removed the bumper cover, as this is what I am planning to do. I broke my cover, and need to have it uninstalled to replace with the new one. I thought I could fix the crack somehow, but apparently I lost a piece of the bumper, so will have to order a new one. Kia charges way too much for the bumper, so am trying to find a non-OE piece (https://www.carid.com/bumper-covers/) to work on my Soul. :ugeek:

 

[reggie52]

Hi all- Today I successfully replaced the stock horn on my 2016 Soul EV+.

I did NOT have to remove the front bumper - just had to elevate the car (using a set of wheel ramps that I bought for $40 at Harbor Freight: http://www.harborfreight.com/solid-steel-auto-ramp-set-68365.html) and then take off the under cover. Removing the under cover was no big deal - it's held on by easily and obviously accessible bolts (6 total) and clips (4 total).

I used PIAA's Model 85112 for the replacement. It has two horns, one at 500 hz and one at 600 hz. Got it from Amazon for about $54.00.

The only hitch in the installation was that I found out once inside that there is not room to attach both horns on the bracket used by the single stock horn. But I discovered that there is a vertical metal beam just to the right of the horn mount that has a largish (maybe 1" diameter?) hole in it -- I was able to mount the second horn to that bar by using fender washers on both sides of the hole and then just running a normal bolt through the horn's mount bar, then through the first fender washer, then through the hole in that metal bar, then through the second washer, and then just adding a nut on the end of all that.

The sound is now so much better. I feel safer already! And also less embarrassed.

Sounds like you made the right decision. How's the volume of your PIAA horns?