Thanks for this James, very interesting hearing another owner's experience of Kia. Previously had an e-Niro, and since November a Niro EV 3. I presently have several software faults but I prefer living with them rather than letting my dealer touch my car.
Very interesting. My software faults persist. May be I am resigned to live with them, as Kia certainly don't seem to care about sorting them. It is probably more hassle that its worth. There was once a time customers were important. I suspect businesses are too big, and a few customers let down does not impact on them. Sad.
Hi James. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences of both your car and the dealerships. I am currently in the market for another EV, having decided against replacing my Tesla with another Tesla based on poor experiences with their service centre. I too as advised that taking my vehicle to another service centre (Edinburgh instead of my local Glasgow) would likely be a setback. Based on your shared experiences I have decided against a Kia Niro EV, so their conduct is losing them sales. Your videos are excellent and very valuable to potential buyers and should be even more valuable to manufacturers and dealerships in making things better and getting it right… at least more often than they seem to. Thanks.
Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate them. What I find incredible is that I don't think Kia care. As you can see I contacted the Chief Executive. I sent him a more detailed video of the whole experience, he past it on to Customer care - I can see, as it is an 'unlisted' post (which means only people with the exact video link can see it), that no one from Kia has even bothered to look at it. My conclusion is the consequence for terrible service in a Kia franchise is not of interest to the Kia CEO or UK Kia Management. I still enjoy the car. I will do a 12 month experience video, once I find the time, I am currently in the middle of major house renovations.
I’m glad to hear you still enjoy the car, that is the main thing! On the whole it seems lovely! I think the Tesla Model 3 is an excellent car despite its niggles, but I was messed around by my dealership and promised calls I never received more than once. If their balances are headed in the right direction, they likely accept that letting down customers is just part of how they do business. Thanks again.
The factory reset of the infotainment system, which should include the EV charge scheduling - is surely achieved by inserting a pointed object in the reset hole next to the volume knob, solves a variety of issues. Seems Kia receptionist is talking about a completely different vehicle with all the talk of removing the media unit etc.
Very interesting as we are waiting for a E Niro 2 thru the motobility scheme, living in North Yorkshire we do not have the infrastructure but what swung it for me is we have off road parking and are having a charging point installed, Still only having had a test drive i know next to nothing regarding EV's, Your easy to understand manner means i will be referencing your video, Not sure if i will be able to live with a EV, more of a experiment in my case but the range sounds good, Up here its 90 mile round trips to York and Hull hospitals so we shall see.
Thank you David, We have had our Kia EV2 for almost 2 years (end of August), I still absolutely love it. It is so much easier to drive than a conventional vehicle. With your charger can you get Octopus Intelligent, which gives you electricity at 7p instead of 28p. I would just check that the charger you are installing is one of the ones Octopus can help manage for you giving these very cheap rates. The Octopus web site lists the chargers that it can work with. Thank you for commenting, I really appreciate that. Did you see the first 6 weeks video? ruclips.net/video/WlTpOacEodM/видео.html
In answer to a comment that I should not have posted my Kia Service experience as detailed in this video. I would like to point out that 6 weeks prior to posting this video, Paul Philpott the CEO of Kia UK was sent the full Kia Wessex Service experience video. He passed it to his Senior Customer Service Adviser to discuss and investigate with Kia Wessex Newport. Sadly, neither Kia UK nor Kia Wessex Newport consider this service experience was unacceptable. This 6-month video is a follow up to my first Kia EV video “First 6 weeks Driving. The Kia Nero EV2.” At the time of taking my Kia in to Kia Wessex Newport, I told the Service Team I had produced a video on the first 6 weeks and advised I was currently producing a video of the first 6 months. I gave them my You Tube channel details. I had an obligation of honesty to share my experience, so others can judge for themselves. I am sure Kia Wessex Newport cannot handle every customer this way, as they simply would not have a business. Kia Wessex Newport promised to contact me in January, which they never did. My vehicle is now with Clarkes of Kidderminster Kia, who have been very professional in all my dealings. I love the Kia EV, as I have made clear throughout both videos.
So many things I’m hearing that don’t make sense.Basic EV..What does that mean?…All Kia EV’s come with Kia Connect enabled all be it a bit hit and miss so far.My dealer set mine up before I left the forecourt.You don’t need to connect your phone via usb to use Connect its Bluetooth enabled.Next thing…You don’t need to watch the charger and stop it manually you just set the car to what charge percentage you want on your screen.
James It seems a nightmare. I don’t know what to think 🤔 The garage seemed totally out of their depth. The transmission loss is also unexpectedly high even compared to ICE vehicles. Your such a gentleman. I may have pulled the service manager over the desk 😮 Mind you I always forget I’m also retired 😂 I wonder if your “Zombie Mode” is the lag in Internet Communication between your phone the car & charger? The car must be held by the session. Once the communication is closed the car is released! I’m still awaiting delivery…same colour! Should I still go ahead. Regards Gerry
Great Video - thank you for sharing. I have a kia e niro, I purchased second hand. can't afford a new one. I do like it very much. Anyway - the reason I am posting a comment as you have shared with me. I want to share with you. I believe your Navigation screen is dark is because you had your lights on. so the navigation software thinks it will be dark and switch to night mode. if your lights are off it should brighten the screen so you are able to see it in daylight. there may also be an option to turn off the night/day mode on the navigation settings. I hope this helps. keep learning and sharing. thank you.
Thank you Gregor, that is really helpful. That has given me some food for thought, as it does irritate me when it goes dark. My vehicle lights are set to Auto, so I will look out the next time the screen goes dark and see if the lights are on. I will also do some work and seeing if I can find the options in the navigation settings. Once again, thank you very much.
Very interesting video James and thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience. My initial thinking was that it was just very poor customer service from Kia Wessex, but perhaps more worrying is that Kia HQ didn't seem that much better. Despite what the girl said, it seemed to me that she, having been passed your letter of complaint, hadn't read it in any detail and was simply trying to fob you off. Seems bizarre that they referred you back to the dealer you complained about. What's likely to have changed at Kia Wessex? You were far more tolerant and patient than I'd have been that's for sure. All you really wanted was for someone to OWN THE PROBLEM and see it resolved to your satisfaction. Not a big ask when you've spent £££ on a new car. Great points to make on your wish list too. I take delivery of my Niro EV4 at the end of March. I'm amazed that there isn't a clock on the central dashboard. Pretty basic requirement in my view.
Thank you, I totally agree with your assessment. Yes, all one hopes for is for 'someone to own the problem', totally sums up the situation. I could not believe Kia HQ's response, I actually contact the Chief Executive twice, he responded twice each time sending it to to the lady you hear in the video. She answered my questions as we know politicians do, but not answering the question and talking about something else. It might be an idea for you to send this video link to your Kia dealership and ask them if Kia has service issues. If enough of us do this, it might make Kia take notice of poor standards within their dealership franchises. Hopefully this is just one dealership, and not an indication of a wider problem they have. I sent Kia HQ a bespoke video to help them see the issues, (some of which I included in this edit) and they have not bothered to look at it. All very disappointing.
@@JamesRattray I sent the following note yesterday evening around 17.30 to my Kia dealership: "Dear Liam, I came across this today. If you have an hour or so to spare it’s worth watching, even if it’s just to remind yourself of what poor customer service is all about. Scary stuff! I hope that TMS Kia will provide a much better service than this dealership (Kia Wessex). Even Kia HQ didn’t seem a lot better! I also thought his 6 (or 7) suggested improvements that he’d like to see was interesting. Despite this, I’m very much looking forward to picking ours up at the end of March!" Much to my surprise, I received an acknowledgement and a promise to read it at 19.30 that same evening! A confidence inspiring start I think and perhaps confirms that it is only your dealership that's the problem (beside their HQ of course!).
@@sidestand7865 Brilliant and well done you seem to have a good dealership. I know generally Kia have a very good reputation. A friend of mine's wife, who lives on the Isle of Mull, has an ordinary Kia which is serviced in Glasgow, he speaks very highly of Kia. What disappoints is Kia doesn't recognise what happen with my EV workshop experience as not being of the right standard. Thank you for sharing the video, hope in a small way it helps improve the service for all of us who have invested in Kia. I still love my Kia EV despite the two problems still await being resolved.
Thank you Alexey, I am not sure what else I could do. I am certain if the customer steps out of line, then they can say it's all down to a badly behaving customer. I am disappointed by Kia HQ's response, I don't understand why they weren't more proactive and supportive after all I have invested heavily (for me) in buying one of their vehicles.
I had a niro hev 4 , It was on kia connect .. and now have a Niro EV 4 and that's on kia connect , never had issues wit the screen auto dark mode . for you , I would of got a new car ... as its was in warranty etc etc the dealer not knowing the age of the car is not good ..
Hi Gerry, I can't think all Kia e-Niro garages are like this. Surely not. My responses from Kidderminster have been very professional, so I put it down to a local issue. It might no do any harm to draw their attention to what has happened as detailed on this video and ask if they have the training from Kia to sort any e-Niro problems efficiently. It would be interesting to hear what they say. As I have said I love the vehicle, sadly the Service expereince and Kia UK HQ response is not what i would have expected from such a thought of organisation.
@@gerryfinegan Thanks Gerry, as I mention I still thoroughly enjoy the car. Luckily the schedule charging isn't a massive issue and I can work my way round this, by not using it. The drive not engaging is OK so long as the charge level is set by the car and not stopped at the charger. So both manageable, but it would be good to get them sorted.
I reckon it’s only fair, that if a place of retail sells a warranted item, (a whole car in this case). And the warrantee covers servicing the vehicle. Then it is both desirable and reasonable to expect, that that garage is capable of dealing with the customers’ vehicle related problems. It would also help, if all staff are working off the same sheet. Not to blithely state that all Kia vehicles are equipped with a particular feature, when it is known by other staff not to be the case.
@JamesRattray I think the attitude of the person who called back from HQ was appalling and was on the verge of being confrontational. As you say, not all local dealers are the same. However, if Kia HQ doesn't care about customer service, no wonder there are poorly run locations out there as it appears there is no oversight whatsoever from Kia.
@@lancegordon2829 I can't get my head round it. Why not look after your customers? I don't think I was being unreasonable. It was especially disappointing as Kia HQ appeared to be saying it was OK for their franchises to behave like this.
I would agree with that. What period of grace do you get from end of charge to being charged. I would think 15 mins maximum, especially if you are going to prevent some one else accessing the charger.
I don't think the dealer nor sadly Kia UK HQ care about the quality of service deliverer by their franchisees. If I had not captured my experience on video, I don't think anyone would have believed it. I am extremely disappointed by Kia UK HQ's lack of ownership of the issue too. Not something I would have expected from such a highly respected car manufacturer.
What a nightmare. Thanks for sharing your experience. This is a classic example of shocking customer service. I currently drive a Kona which is coming to the end of a 3 year lease. Thankfully I've had no such experience from my local Hyundai dealer. The Niro was top of my shopping list but after watching this, it has slipped way down and probably off my shortlist altogether. Thanks again James.
I love my Niro EV 2, I hit a poor garage, who just don't care sadly. I was not impressed by them when I went to buy the Kia, so ended up at Clarkes of Kidderminster, over an hours drive away. When I hit the charging issue, Clarkes of Kidderminster suggested the local Kia agent might be able to help. You can see what happened. I have been to Clarkes of Kidderminster who have sorted the issue very professionally. So what I would say, the issue is not the car, but the Kia agent. Thank you for leaving your comments.
Great vid. This may be interesting to you. I was srprised to learn that a two hour drive heats the batterty by only 4 degrees - from 10 to 14. I do not think it matters how long after using the vehicle you start charging it. What matters is how long do you charge it for, and what the outside temp is. Look at it this way: The first X kw go for heating the battery. This is also seen in your spreadsheat. The smallest value of transmission loss corresponds to the larger number of percent charged.
Good lord what a shocking customer service experience from Newport Kia. I had a bad experience with my local Nissan Franchised dealer with my Leaf in December,, the techs didn't inspire any confidence or knowledge with EV diagnostics. I had been to two different Nissan franchised dealers. They recommended £2ks worth of repairs, I contacted Cleevely Electric Vehicles and they did all the repairs on my driveway for under £900, they even got the ferry across to Ireland to do it for me! Hope you get better service at your next dealer as that 7 year warranty is useless if they can't diagnose or fix issues themselves. Thanks for taking the time to document and share your experience, let's hope anyone thinking of buying a car from Newport Kia takes their business elsewhere.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I would never have dreamt that a garage could treat a customer they way Newport Kia did. Also Kia UK seems not to be bothered either which is totally alarming for all of us who have invested in a Kia.
Do you have the winter mode set? In my Niro EV, that renders quite rapid DC charges in the winter. I just select that mode and I don’t bother with the scheduled charging.
i agree with you , i leased a kia soul it would not start so i phoned my local kia dealer they said they would phone me back so i said can i talk to someone who can help me she said they are busy i said so am i she hung up...this was kia at kiln lane epsom...
Thanks for great video. A normal/petrol car has ignition on/off. The Kia EV has several ignition states. When you charge it’s in a mood where you can’t engage drive. You need to press break pedal and press ignition. You can see there are different lights/colors/symbols in the ignition button. This should be in the manual. Sincerely, Rolf
Thank you Rolf. Kia have acknowledged there is a problem, not just with my vehicle, others have experienced it too. It is going in for a software update, which they say will cure the fault. Appreciate your comments, thank you.
Sorry for the slow response, just back from a wonderful 3 weeks in India. Videos coming. I really appreciate your comments, thank you very much. Your comments mean a lot. Thank you!
Hi Gerry, I see you experienced the strangely named “zombie” mode, where the car will not start for about 10 minutes. I have been doing my own research into this. The giveaway on this is the orange car symbol with the key shape inside it. This is telling you the key is not detected. If you hold the key right up against the start button, you should be able to get the key detected, the alternative is to attempt to use the spare key. Please advise if this helps.
To this day neither Kia Wessex nor Kia UK have even bothered to acknowledged things weren't right here. I suspect that is the motor industry for you. Good luck with your purchase, I still really enjoy my Kia.
James thanks for a very illuminating but depressing video. You are a patient man! I'm due to collect my Niro EV next week and was really looking forward to it but now am worried about the aftercare. Have to see how Kia in Bury St Edmunds perform - fingers crossed!
Tim, sorry for the slow response, just back from 3 weeks in India. I can't believe the response I got from Kia Wessex Newport is typical. I have had good dealings with Kidderminster where I purchased the car. So I very much hope Kian in Bury St Edmunds is good. I was particularly disappointed by Kia UK head office response. Such a globally recognised brand, to respond so pathetically is really disappointed as we all invest in their product. Hope you are enjoying your new Kia.
Hi James, I think I live close to you as think I’ve seen you around. Moving from an MGZSEV to a Nero 4, enjoyed your videos, I’m also on Octopus Go but the go faster at 8.25p for 5 hrs charge at night, considering the Octopus intelligent, it’s well worth looking at! Dealers have no interest in customers once they have sold a car to you, having had many new cars both private or company not once have I met a garage that puts customers concerns as a priority so I’ve bought from South East Uk where I got the best deal.
Hi Gerry, great video, I've heard of range problems with these Niro EVs being 100 kms short of estimated range & some cars going into limp mode! Apparently there's a different battery in these than the Niro EV had.
Hi Joe. I don't have a range issue with mine. When I picked it up it had a range of 280miles on the gauge on full charge. Winter in colder whether this drops to around 220miles. Range also drops in conventional cars too, not that we scrutinise it as closely. Not heard of limp mode, a couple of times after charging I couldn't engage drive. It rectified after a period to time. Kia appear are aware of this and I will take my car in for a software update. I am happy with the car, in fact I would say I love the car and have not been disappointed at all after 6 months.
@@JamesRattray That's good to hear Gerry, I've an Eniro myself with 60k kms on it & hasn't missed a beat. A cousin of mine has the trouble with the new one, he also has an ESoul with almost 100k kms on it & says that they were both charged tp 100% recently; the Soul showed range of 420kms & Niro EV had just over 300 - he's not impressed. Hopefully Kia will get it sorted, best of luck & safe driving with your one.
I think you have the patience of a saint. Is absolutely appalling the customer service you received I would have insisted on the phone that they double check everything because you can't trust these people that work in this place is they don't care enough and it's not them who has to do these journeys back and forth and waiting by the phone staying in all day for them I felt really sorry for you that's disgusting that they treat a pensioner like that as well my advice to you is when they don't do what they should go above their head and complain to the head office or whoever you can complain to ie customer services etc or even going to head office and asking to speak to the executive management because otherwise still carry on getting paid for a job that they're not doing properly all the best all the best to you
I went to the CEO of Kia UK. I can't go any higher, he didn't seem to care. I say this as nothing happened. The impression I got is they just see this service experience is part of running a car operation. The best thing I can do is let others know of the experience and hope they too don't suffer the same fate. Thank you for commenting, best wishes.
Sadly it would not let me do this, in this example. I had to drop the internal battery setting to below the battery charge level. Once I did that it let me disconnect the charge cable for the next driver to charge his car. I then couldn't engage the drive. The fault does rectify it's self after a period of time. I gather Kia know about the fault, it's not unique to my vehicle. I am still waiting on Kia resolving it for me. ruclips.net/video/zTQYjUy5u4s/видео.html Thank you Derek for your comment, which I appreciate it, I only learn by people joining in the discussion. I suspect normally it will let me disconnect.
What I found absolutely staggering, is neither Kia UK HQ, nor Kia Wessex cared one iota. I don't want to post videos about abysmal customer care for a product I bought. I had hoped from some recognition (verbal or written, not monetary) that things had gone wrong. KIa HQ said its a franchise and we can't do anything. I don't believe that for one minute. Can you imagine McDonalds HQ the burger people, saying that about a franchisee. Also Kia Wessex never tried to contact me, discuss what went wrong. I gave them ample opportunity. I decided to publish it because I felt I had a wider duty of honesty to people buying Kia and in particular that Kia dealership in Newport. So sad. If they had dealt with the issues honestly I would have mentioned them briefly with the successful conclusion and not posted everything.
Hi James, Thanks for the video. With the transmission losses do you think that they may relate to the % charge in the battery? it would be interesting if your able to calculate it when charging 10-30% versus 80-100% and see if the battery fill % causes different losses(along with the temperature). I have just got one of these cars but don't have the home charger yet so can't test for myself yet. If you could try that it would be good, if not I will try it and report back when I eventually get my charger installed.
An interesting question. I have put it on my to do list, and I will try and get it done over the next 7 days. We are currently renovating our home, so my time is taken up with this. I have maintained a log over charge since I bought the car in September 2022. This will take me a considerable time if I was to analyse all that data. Let me see what I can do. So important to get a home charger. I am currently with Octopus Go at 9 p a kWh compared to 29p I pay on the standard tariff. If you choose a charger compatible with Intelligent Octopus you pau 7p. So before you decide on the charger, check out Octopus and make sure it is one of the compatible one to get the best rates. I believe at certain times they are talking about free electricity when the grid has a surplus and has to pay to shut down wind turbines.
ruclips.net/video/wI-eU2tvoF8/видео.html Regarding the transmission loss I may have found something that might (partially at least) explain what's going on there. A while ago I came across another video where they discovered that the batteryheating automatically turns on at every AC charge. During charging the battery is always heated up to at least 20°C. So that draws considerably from your charging. Only with the granny charger battery heating wasn't activated. I presume because the power of the granny charger is insufficient for heating, let alone have anything left to actually charge the battery. I'll see if I can find that video back. EDIT: Found it. ruclips.net/video/Aktq9aoDplA/видео.html Hope your German isn't too rusty.
Sadly I have no German. But I do have a Austrian sister in law, who is coming over in a couple of weeks time. I might ask her to watch this and translate for me. Thank you this, all fascinating stuff.
I've had Kia's for 10 years and always had amazing service. I'm sorry to see you had such poor service. I'm considering an Niro EV myself, moving from a petrol Ceed.
Thank you for sharing your experience with me. Unlucky I suppose with the local dealership. Kidderminster have been absolutely fine. I am sure you will enjoy the Niro if you decide to buy one.
James, i'm a Kia owner too but i don't go to the large dealerships (any brand) for anything other than maybe buying the car. i've always found that smaller independent garages give a far supirior cumstomer service as they have a lot more to lose. You have an amazing car try not to get too hung up about the intricacys of the workings of the car and just 'enjoy it'.... lifes too short.
Thank you Nick. I suppose my back ground, is an engineer, so I am always interested in what makes things tick. Electric cars are new, having never owned one before, so I am sharing my learning curve with those who are interested. I am enjoying the car, and yes life is too short.
Is there any further updates James on both your choice of returning to the garage or moving and whether the faults have been dealt with to your satisfaction?
I felt I had a very good relationship with Kia Kidderminster, they took their time in calling the vehicle back, waiting until they felt they had a solution. Which was fine by me. They wanted the car for a week and that was not a problem. They successfully sorted the schedule charging problem it had, which was great. I had one other fault they called "Zombie mode" where the car would not go in to drive after charging. As a random fault difficult to detect. Sadly it has reappeared twice they had it in. I have sent their customer support man the clip of what happened second time round. He has not responded, I can see he watched the video when I sent it to him. I emailed him again and left a message. I think he is hoping I will go away. I sadly still have a car with a problem that has been there since I bought the car. Another round of one sided effort I fear to try and to get Kia to resolve it. I still love the vehicle. Just so sad that the garages don't appear to care enough to see a problem through until it is resolved. Thanks for asking.
@@JamesRattray thanks for the reply, I feel I might look at Hyundai, although they are a parent company, perhaps you should approach them. Do feel that most main dealers I have dealt with have been unsatisfactory, Ford, rover, and peageot
@spiersey1 Thank you. There needs to be a way that the general public can hold big organisations to account. I have used the small claims court successfully against when they have failed to carry out a job and have not owned up to it. For instance paying for over seas packing and transport of parents display cabinet and crockery - arriving broken with clearly insufficient packaging. Shipping agent argued it was an Insurance claim that came to very little. We successfully argued it was failure to carry out the work they had contracted to do, i.e suitably pack for over seas shipment. The problem with this case, is showing a cost that we can claim. Not being to drive the car after a charge can be embarrassing, frustrating and time wasting, but how does one quantify this against the rules of the small claims court. The car dealerships poor customer service is because there is no consequences to them. If we could do something like a small claims court for this, it would make them take a keener interest. Thank you for your comments. As you say it is unsatisfactory!!
I think the attitude of the last lady you spoke to was disgusting. She was clearly fobbing you off, had no genuine empathy. She was waiting for you to say " OK thank you" and hang up, so she could continue her coffee and cake in peace. Have you looked at rejecting the car? If there is a finance company involved or a credit card protection, I'm sure that they would take more interest.
Thank you Alan. I agree with you. That last lady is representing KIa UK HQ, appalling. Very disappointing considering as individuals these cars are a huge investment in Kia. I hope as many people as possible refer this video experience to as many Kia dealerships as possible. Only by us all doing this can we hope Kia might consider taking complaints like this seriously and acting proffessionally.
if that's a "customer care manager" at Kia then that's absolutely atrocious service. She said a whole bunch of words in a sentence that are designed to ensure people get frustrated and hang up. Working in a customer service role myself, If any of my customer care managers spoke to one of my customers like that, I'd be having a strong word about their ability to demonstrate good customer service. I expect poor service from the franchise but to get that from a Kia employs is abysmal.
@@trentgashi5943 I was utterly amazed by the whole experience. If some one had told me this had happened to them I would not have believed them. I would have said they were exaggerating. Especially disappointing how Kia UK HQ team handled it. I have invested over £30k in their company in buying one of their vehicles - not a good experience.
I've had the same problem with scheduling in my Niro EV 2. It hasn't really been an issue as I can schedule charges using the charger system itself (but I'd rather have the option!). I got mine about a month before you James. Mine is due in for its 10,000 mile service in a week's time - hopefully there will be a few answers then regarding the issue with the software. Honestly, I can't compliment the Niro EV highly enough, and the experience at the Omagh retailer has been nothing short of excellent too.
Brilliant, love that. I am retired so haven't clocked up the milage like you. Your comment about the schedule chare is interesting. I think the thing I missed was being able to try the pre- warming up (not the right word). I understand the schedule charge allows us to set the vehicle ready for when we leave at a certain time. I think this involves warming up the cab using your mains elct, as opposed to the vehicle battery. I also think it helps prepare the vehicle battery, especially if its cold. I am really a bit sketchy on knowledge on this area. The manual doesn't tell us very much. Do you have the same issue trying to drive once you stop the charge at the external charger?
@@JamesRattray yes, I was over in Derbyshire just before Christmas and it was freezing! Could really have done with the scheduling to have the car warm before we were leaving. I haven't had the same problem with the reverse. I wonder what order you go through as you turn the car on? It may be where the problem lies. I come to a halt, switch the car to neutral on the dial, then lift the 'physical' electric handbrake toggle and finally press the 'P' in the centre of the dial. It seems mad, but I'd try doing that and see if it makes a difference!
@@JamesRattray Also, I have the auto hold function on all the time - I'm not sure if that may have an impact on my suggestion above! Happy driving, James!
It’s interesting that you log each public charging by taking a photo of the chargers’ screen. I’m not criticising this, it is a record of sorts. Just that what the charger reports, is the kWh that you’ll pay for. However, there’s always some loss in transmission. So the vehicle’s battery pack, is not receiving exactly the same amount of kWh as you are paying for. The vehicle registers the kWh that is fed as charge into the pack each time it is charged. Now you’re going to ask, how much loss does or can occur during transmission? I do not know for certain, as each charger-system will diff. The loss will not be much per charge; but as the number of times of public charging is added to your record, the greater the discrepancy will become. That’ll teach me to view the whole video before commenting. Fault resolution is like having teeth extracted via your ears. Has this put you off owning another Kia? It would me. How can the garage not know what vehicle they have or what vehicle they’re meant to be dealing with or which OS version the problem vehicle has? And a lack of meaningful Kia-customer comms.
Thanks DC. I do enjoy owning an EV, also the Kia. I am disappointed by the local garage and even more let down by Kia UK head office, who were pathetic in handling the issues I had consid4ering they are such a highly recognised brand. All I can do is make other aware of my own experiences.
I suspect I got a bad workshop. I can't believe this occurs everywhere. I suggest if you speak to Kia refer to this video and ask them if this is the service for a basic EV2 and does it get better for the money you invest in their higher models? It will be interesting to hear what they say.
@@JamesRattray I'm leasing the top spec Niro EV here in Australia. Should be delivered in 6 months or so. Very interesting to see what's going on with your Niro mate. Thanks for your efforts in making these videos.
@@davidbrookes9424 Thank you David. I think leasing is a smart move, I will love to hear how you get on. You have a warmer climate than ours, so I suspect battery performance over 30C will be interesting to observe. A whole new story to what our cars are subjected to.
I agree that it is difficult to get problems fixed. I have a Niro EV4 and my problem is mileage. Even when new with 20 miles on the clock I could not charge beyond 260 miles in ECO mode. Sales garage no real help and tell me I cannot do a reset to demonstrate the problem and impossible to talk to Kia. Now after 5000 miles I can only charge to 230 miles in ECO with no heating. I would be interested to know if anyone has ever seen a Niro EV 100% charged with 286 miles available.
I notice when I picked the car up, last September it had 267 on 100% charge. If you look at the first 6 weeks video I produced you can see it there ruclips.net/video/WlTpOacEodM/видео.html
Hi David, I am not sure what you mean by 'front facing assist systems'? My main problem is the intermittent problem of not being able to switch the car on. They tried to fix it 10 days ago with a software update. Sadly the problem is still there.
Just seen this video , having just ordered a kia! in the comment how its hard to take kia to task or any car dealer for that matter have you considered getting intouch with bbc rip of Britain and bbc watch dog im sure they would love this story given its so well documented , if watchdog picked it up the would go out 7pm prim viewing and my result in lots off customers getting intouch with more dealer problems, excellent work 👍
Thank you for your suggestion. It is always a matter of effort and priorities. I am currently up to my neck refurbishing a 1970s house we purchased and installing a heat pump. But I do appreciate your suggestion. Yes, this case is extremely well documented all the way through, this video is of course a summary. What I think is bad, is there in no simple way for us ordinary members oft the public to hold these organisations to account. They have all our money, we have absolutely no levers we can pull to they deal with issues professionally. I believe they say, 'oh well we will always have 5% or so of complaints, that we end up ignoring'. The small claims court works if you have paid for a service and they have caused actual damage. Car dealerships??? Another world...
@JamesRattray go for it drop watchdog a line . we had a problem with paint coming off a from new car 3 years in ,the dealer didn't want to know had to get it fixed through the insurance or the car would have been a write off !
You comment is interesting as I had been calling it a Niro EV, but when I contacted Kia's chief executive he referred to it as an e-Niro, hence why I am referring to it by that name.
@@patrickh7368 That's a brilliant rate. My brother has an off peak 7.5p deal with Octopus. I pay about 35P as I live in a rented house and my supplier Ovo seems to play games, pretending they support EV vehicles, but in reality makes it very difficult to get an off peak rate. I need to do more homework on this. A bit of an assault course!
This was less a video about the car and more a video of an elderly man trying to learn how technology works. Not really helpful for someone who is looking to buying a Niro
James you might be the only guy in the planet that doesn't get done by car dealers, your discipline and drive is something to be proud about.
Thanks for this James, very interesting hearing another owner's experience of Kia. Previously had an e-Niro, and since November a Niro EV 3. I presently have several software faults but I prefer living with them rather than letting my dealer touch my car.
Very interesting. My software faults persist. May be I am resigned to live with them, as Kia certainly don't seem to care about sorting them. It is probably more hassle that its worth. There was once a time customers were important. I suspect businesses are too big, and a few customers let down does not impact on them. Sad.
Hi James. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences of both your car and the dealerships.
I am currently in the market for another EV, having decided against replacing my Tesla with another Tesla based on poor experiences with their service centre. I too as advised that taking my vehicle to another service centre (Edinburgh instead of my local Glasgow) would likely be a setback.
Based on your shared experiences I have decided against a Kia Niro EV, so their conduct is losing them sales.
Your videos are excellent and very valuable to potential buyers and should be even more valuable to manufacturers and dealerships in making things better and getting it right… at least more often than they seem to. Thanks.
Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate them. What I find incredible is that I don't think Kia care. As you can see I contacted the Chief Executive. I sent him a more detailed video of the whole experience, he past it on to Customer care - I can see, as it is an 'unlisted' post (which means only people with the exact video link can see it), that no one from Kia has even bothered to look at it. My conclusion is the consequence for terrible service in a Kia franchise is not of interest to the Kia CEO or UK Kia Management.
I still enjoy the car. I will do a 12 month experience video, once I find the time, I am currently in the middle of major house renovations.
I’m glad to hear you still enjoy the car, that is the main thing! On the whole it seems lovely!
I think the Tesla Model 3 is an excellent car despite its niggles, but I was messed around by my dealership and promised calls I never received more than once.
If their balances are headed in the right direction, they likely accept that letting down customers is just part of how they do business.
Thanks again.
The factory reset of the infotainment system, which should include the EV charge scheduling - is surely achieved by inserting a pointed object in the reset hole next to the volume knob, solves a variety of issues. Seems Kia receptionist is talking about a completely different vehicle with all the talk of removing the media unit etc.
Very interesting as we are waiting for a E Niro 2 thru the motobility scheme, living in North Yorkshire we do not have the infrastructure but what swung it for me is we have off road parking and are having a charging point installed, Still only having had a test drive i know next to nothing regarding EV's, Your easy to understand manner means i will be referencing your video, Not sure if i will be able to live with a EV, more of a experiment in my case but the range sounds good, Up here its 90 mile round trips to York and Hull hospitals so we shall see.
Thank you David, We have had our Kia EV2 for almost 2 years (end of August), I still absolutely love it. It is so much easier to drive than a conventional vehicle.
With your charger can you get Octopus Intelligent, which gives you electricity at 7p instead of 28p. I would just check that the charger you are installing is one of the ones Octopus can help manage for you giving these very cheap rates. The Octopus web site lists the chargers that it can work with. Thank you for commenting, I really appreciate that. Did you see the first 6 weeks video? ruclips.net/video/WlTpOacEodM/видео.html
In answer to a comment that I should not have posted my Kia Service experience as detailed in this video. I would like to point out that 6 weeks prior to posting this video, Paul Philpott the CEO of Kia UK was sent the full Kia Wessex Service experience video. He passed it to his Senior Customer Service Adviser to discuss and investigate with Kia Wessex Newport. Sadly, neither Kia UK nor Kia Wessex Newport consider this service experience was unacceptable.
This 6-month video is a follow up to my first Kia EV video “First 6 weeks Driving. The Kia Nero EV2.” At the time of taking my Kia in to Kia Wessex Newport, I told the Service Team I had produced a video on the first 6 weeks and advised I was currently producing a video of the first 6 months. I gave them my You Tube channel details.
I had an obligation of honesty to share my experience, so others can judge for themselves. I am sure Kia Wessex Newport cannot handle every customer this way, as they simply would not have a business. Kia Wessex Newport promised to contact me in January, which they never did. My vehicle is now with Clarkes of Kidderminster Kia, who have been very professional in all my dealings. I love the Kia EV, as I have made clear throughout both videos.
So many things I’m hearing that don’t make sense.Basic EV..What does that mean?…All Kia EV’s come with Kia Connect enabled all be it a bit hit and miss so far.My dealer set mine up before I left the forecourt.You don’t need to connect your phone via usb to use Connect its Bluetooth enabled.Next thing…You don’t need to watch the charger and stop it manually you just set the car to what charge percentage you want on your screen.
James
It seems a nightmare. I don’t know what to think 🤔
The garage seemed totally out of their depth. The transmission loss is also unexpectedly high even compared to ICE vehicles.
Your such a gentleman. I may have pulled the service manager over the desk 😮
Mind you I always forget I’m also retired 😂
I wonder if your “Zombie Mode” is the lag in Internet Communication between your phone the car & charger? The car must be held by the session. Once the communication is closed the car is released!
I’m still awaiting delivery…same colour!
Should I still go ahead.
Regards
Gerry
Great Video - thank you for sharing. I have a kia e niro, I purchased second hand. can't afford a new one. I do like it very much. Anyway - the reason I am posting a comment as you have shared with me. I want to share with you. I believe your Navigation screen is dark is because you had your lights on. so the navigation software thinks it will be dark and switch to night mode. if your lights are off it should brighten the screen so you are able to see it in daylight. there may also be an option to turn off the night/day mode on the navigation settings. I hope this helps. keep learning and sharing. thank you.
Thank you Gregor, that is really helpful. That has given me some food for thought, as it does irritate me when it goes dark. My vehicle lights are set to Auto, so I will look out the next time the screen goes dark and see if the lights are on. I will also do some work and seeing if I can find the options in the navigation settings. Once again, thank you very much.
Very interesting video James and thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience. My initial thinking was that it was just very poor customer service from Kia Wessex, but perhaps more worrying is that Kia HQ didn't seem that much better. Despite what the girl said, it seemed to me that she, having been passed your letter of complaint, hadn't read it in any detail and was simply trying to fob you off. Seems bizarre that they referred you back to the dealer you complained about. What's likely to have changed at Kia Wessex?
You were far more tolerant and patient than I'd have been that's for sure. All you really wanted was for someone to OWN THE PROBLEM and see it resolved to your satisfaction. Not a big ask when you've spent £££ on a new car.
Great points to make on your wish list too. I take delivery of my Niro EV4 at the end of March. I'm amazed that there isn't a clock on the central dashboard. Pretty basic requirement in my view.
Thank you, I totally agree with your assessment. Yes, all one hopes for is for 'someone to own the problem', totally sums up the situation. I could not believe Kia HQ's response, I actually contact the Chief Executive twice, he responded twice each time sending it to to the lady you hear in the video. She answered my questions as we know politicians do, but not answering the question and talking about something else.
It might be an idea for you to send this video link to your Kia dealership and ask them if Kia has service issues. If enough of us do this, it might make Kia take notice of poor standards within their dealership franchises. Hopefully this is just one dealership, and not an indication of a wider problem they have.
I sent Kia HQ a bespoke video to help them see the issues, (some of which I included in this edit) and they have not bothered to look at it. All very disappointing.
@@JamesRattray I sent the following note yesterday evening around 17.30 to my Kia dealership:
"Dear Liam, I came across this today. If you have an hour or so to spare it’s worth watching, even if it’s just to remind yourself of what poor customer service is all about. Scary stuff!
I hope that TMS Kia will provide a much better service than this dealership (Kia Wessex). Even Kia HQ didn’t seem a lot better!
I also thought his 6 (or 7) suggested improvements that he’d like to see was interesting.
Despite this, I’m very much looking forward to picking ours up at the end of March!"
Much to my surprise, I received an acknowledgement and a promise to read it at 19.30 that same evening!
A confidence inspiring start I think and perhaps confirms that it is only your dealership that's the problem (beside their HQ of course!).
@@sidestand7865 Brilliant and well done you seem to have a good dealership. I know generally Kia have a very good reputation. A friend of mine's wife, who lives on the Isle of Mull, has an ordinary Kia which is serviced in Glasgow, he speaks very highly of Kia. What disappoints is Kia doesn't recognise what happen with my EV workshop experience as not being of the right standard.
Thank you for sharing the video, hope in a small way it helps improve the service for all of us who have invested in Kia. I still love my Kia EV despite the two problems still await being resolved.
Terrible service!
I think I'd just keep the car they gave you & wait for them to bring yours back! Ignore them & use their car keep your miles low.
Excellent info! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for commenting, it is much appreciated.
You have patience. Thanks for your video!
Thank you Alexey, I am not sure what else I could do. I am certain if the customer steps out of line, then they can say it's all down to a badly behaving customer. I am disappointed by Kia HQ's response, I don't understand why they weren't more proactive and supportive after all I have invested heavily (for me) in buying one of their vehicles.
I had a niro hev 4 , It was on kia connect .. and now have a Niro EV 4 and that's on kia connect , never had issues wit the screen auto dark mode . for you , I would of got a new car ... as its was in warranty etc etc the dealer not knowing the age of the car is not good ..
Hi Gerry, I can't think all Kia e-Niro garages are like this. Surely not. My responses from Kidderminster have been very professional, so I put it down to a local issue. It might no do any harm to draw their attention to what has happened as detailed on this video and ask if they have the training from Kia to sort any e-Niro problems efficiently. It would be interesting to hear what they say. As I have said I love the vehicle, sadly the Service expereince and Kia UK HQ response is not what i would have expected from such a thought of organisation.
I will James. Thanks again for your insight. I hope this doesn't spoil your enjoyment of your purchase!
@@gerryfinegan Thanks Gerry, as I mention I still thoroughly enjoy the car. Luckily the schedule charging isn't a massive issue and I can work my way round this, by not using it. The drive not engaging is OK so long as the charge level is set by the car and not stopped at the charger. So both manageable, but it would be good to get them sorted.
I reckon it’s only fair, that if a place of retail sells a warranted item, (a whole car in this case). And the warrantee covers servicing the vehicle. Then it is both desirable and reasonable to expect, that that garage is capable of dealing with the customers’ vehicle related problems. It would also help, if all staff are working off the same sheet. Not to blithely state that all Kia vehicles are equipped with a particular feature, when it is known by other staff not to be the case.
@JamesRattray I think the attitude of the person who called back from HQ was appalling and was on the verge of being confrontational. As you say, not all local dealers are the same. However, if Kia HQ doesn't care about customer service, no wonder there are poorly run locations out there as it appears there is no oversight whatsoever from Kia.
@@lancegordon2829 I can't get my head round it. Why not look after your customers? I don't think I was being unreasonable. It was especially disappointing as Kia HQ appeared to be saying it was OK for their franchises to behave like this.
in NZ the chargeing stations charge you if you leave the vehicle over the charge time
I would agree with that. What period of grace do you get from end of charge to being charged. I would think 15 mins maximum, especially if you are going to prevent some one else accessing the charger.
That dealer needs to learn what customer service is.
I don't think the dealer nor sadly Kia UK HQ care about the quality of service deliverer by their franchisees. If I had not captured my experience on video, I don't think anyone would have believed it. I am extremely disappointed by Kia UK HQ's lack of ownership of the issue too. Not something I would have expected from such a highly respected car manufacturer.
@@JamesRattray Kia must be taking advice from GM.🙂
@@Lorwildrose Yes, so disappointing.
You asked a receptionist and a car salesman for technical advice ………….. Just book a quick consultation with a tech…..Oh and enrol to Tronity.
What a nightmare. Thanks for sharing your experience. This is a classic example of shocking customer service. I currently drive a Kona which is coming to the end of a 3 year lease. Thankfully I've had no such experience from my local Hyundai dealer. The Niro was top of my shopping list but after watching this, it has slipped way down and probably off my shortlist altogether. Thanks again James.
I love my Niro EV 2, I hit a poor garage, who just don't care sadly. I was not impressed by them when I went to buy the Kia, so ended up at Clarkes of Kidderminster, over an hours drive away. When I hit the charging issue, Clarkes of Kidderminster suggested the local Kia agent might be able to help. You can see what happened. I have been to Clarkes of Kidderminster who have sorted the issue very professionally. So what I would say, the issue is not the car, but the Kia agent. Thank you for leaving your comments.
@@JamesRattray Actually Kiddy is only a 30 min drive from me so I might have to have a re-think. Cheers 👍
@@blobbyrob For me Clarkes of Kidderminster have been very professional throughout. I would speak to them and see what you think. Good luck.
Great vid. This may be interesting to you. I was srprised to learn that a two hour drive heats the batterty by only 4 degrees - from 10 to 14. I do not think it matters how long after using the vehicle you start charging it. What matters is how long do you charge it for, and what the outside temp is. Look at it this way: The first X kw go for heating the battery. This is also seen in your spreadsheat. The smallest value of transmission loss corresponds to the larger number of percent charged.
Thank you, interesting point.
Good lord what a shocking customer service experience from Newport Kia. I had a bad experience with my local Nissan Franchised dealer with my Leaf in December,, the techs didn't inspire any confidence or knowledge with EV diagnostics. I had been to two different Nissan franchised dealers. They recommended £2ks worth of repairs, I contacted Cleevely Electric Vehicles and they did all the repairs on my driveway for under £900, they even got the ferry across to Ireland to do it for me!
Hope you get better service at your next dealer as that 7 year warranty is useless if they can't diagnose or fix issues themselves.
Thanks for taking the time to document and share your experience, let's hope anyone thinking of buying a car from Newport Kia takes their business elsewhere.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I would never have dreamt that a garage could treat a customer they way Newport Kia did. Also Kia UK seems not to be bothered either which is totally alarming for all of us who have invested in a Kia.
Do you have the winter mode set? In my Niro EV, that renders quite rapid DC charges in the winter. I just select that mode and I don’t bother with the scheduled charging.
Looking forward to see next episode ;)
Thank you, I had not planned on one, but I will certainly do another if I have sufficient content that might be of interest. Thank you
i agree with you , i leased a kia soul it would not start so i phoned my local kia dealer they said they would phone me back so i said can i talk to someone who can help me she said they are busy i said so am i she hung up...this was kia at kiln lane epsom...
Appalling. It is so disappointing, great car bad UK dealership system. Kia UK headquarters are letting everyone down.
Thanks for great video. A normal/petrol car has ignition on/off. The Kia EV has several ignition states. When you charge it’s in a mood where you can’t engage drive. You need to press break pedal and press ignition. You can see there are different lights/colors/symbols in the ignition button. This should be in the manual. Sincerely, Rolf
Thank you Rolf. Kia have acknowledged there is a problem, not just with my vehicle, others have experienced it too. It is going in for a software update, which they say will cure the fault. Appreciate your comments, thank you.
WOW ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING SERVICE from Kia Wessex!!
Very nice Report.
With wondereful Video-Quality.
Thanks a lot. 👍🤓
Sorry for the slow response, just back from a wonderful 3 weeks in India. Videos coming.
I really appreciate your comments, thank you very much. Your comments mean a lot. Thank you!
Hi Gerry, I see you experienced the strangely named “zombie” mode, where the car will not start for about 10 minutes. I have been doing my own research into this. The giveaway on this is the orange car symbol with the key shape inside it. This is telling you the key is not detected. If you hold the key right up against the start button, you should be able to get the key detected, the alternative is to attempt to use the spare key. Please advise if this helps.
Double click the start button, if works for me when in zombie mode
Thank you. I will try this. Strange that this only happens when charging.
Thinking of a Niro EV but Kia Wessex would be my dealer! Think I’d better go somewhere else? Thanks for the video.
To this day neither Kia Wessex nor Kia UK have even bothered to acknowledged things weren't right here. I suspect that is the motor industry for you. Good luck with your purchase, I still really enjoy my Kia.
James thanks for a very illuminating but depressing video. You are a patient man! I'm due to collect my Niro EV next week and was really looking forward to it but now am worried about the aftercare. Have to see how Kia in Bury St Edmunds perform - fingers crossed!
Tim, sorry for the slow response, just back from 3 weeks in India.
I can't believe the response I got from Kia Wessex Newport is typical. I have had good dealings with Kidderminster where I purchased the car. So I very much hope Kian in Bury St Edmunds is good. I was particularly disappointed by Kia UK head office response. Such a globally recognised brand, to respond so pathetically is really disappointed as we all invest in their product. Hope you are enjoying your new Kia.
Hi James, I think I live close to you as think I’ve seen you around. Moving from an MGZSEV to a Nero 4, enjoyed your videos, I’m also on Octopus Go but the go faster at 8.25p for 5 hrs charge at night, considering the Octopus intelligent, it’s well worth looking at!
Dealers have no interest in customers once they have sold a car to you, having had many new cars both private or company not once have I met a garage that puts customers concerns as a priority so I’ve bought from South East Uk where I got the best deal.
Hi Gerry, great video, I've heard of range problems with these Niro EVs being 100 kms short of estimated range & some cars going into limp mode! Apparently there's a different battery in these than the Niro EV had.
Hi Joe. I don't have a range issue with mine. When I picked it up it had a range of 280miles on the gauge on full charge. Winter in colder whether this drops to around 220miles. Range also drops in conventional cars too, not that we scrutinise it as closely.
Not heard of limp mode, a couple of times after charging I couldn't engage drive. It rectified after a period to time. Kia appear are aware of this and I will take my car in for a software update. I am happy with the car, in fact I would say I love the car and have not been disappointed at all after 6 months.
@@JamesRattray That's good to hear Gerry, I've an Eniro myself with 60k kms on it & hasn't missed a beat. A cousin of mine has the trouble with the new one, he also has an ESoul with almost 100k kms on it & says that they were both charged tp 100% recently; the Soul showed range of 420kms & Niro EV had just over 300 - he's not impressed. Hopefully Kia will get it sorted, best of luck & safe driving with your one.
I think you have the patience of a saint. Is absolutely appalling the customer service you received I would have insisted on the phone that they double check everything because you can't trust these people that work in this place is they don't care enough and it's not them who has to do these journeys back and forth and waiting by the phone staying in all day for them I felt really sorry for you that's disgusting that they treat a pensioner like that as well my advice to you is when they don't do what they should go above their head and complain to the head office or whoever you can complain to ie customer services etc or even going to head office and asking to speak to the executive management because otherwise still carry on getting paid for a job that they're not doing properly all the best all the best to you
I went to the CEO of Kia UK. I can't go any higher, he didn't seem to care. I say this as nothing happened. The impression I got is they just see this service experience is part of running a car operation. The best thing I can do is let others know of the experience and hope they too don't suffer the same fate. Thank you for commenting, best wishes.
You can always unplug the charge pump if the car is unlocked.
Sadly it would not let me do this, in this example. I had to drop the internal battery setting to below the battery charge level. Once I did that it let me disconnect the charge cable for the next driver to charge his car. I then couldn't engage the drive. The fault does rectify it's self after a period of time. I gather Kia know about the fault, it's not unique to my vehicle. I am still waiting on Kia resolving it for me. ruclips.net/video/zTQYjUy5u4s/видео.html
Thank you Derek for your comment, which I appreciate it, I only learn by people joining in the discussion. I suspect normally it will let me disconnect.
I guess your experience at Kia Newport has cost them dearly from the 16,000 views you have received. That's one dealership to avoid!
What I found absolutely staggering, is neither Kia UK HQ, nor Kia Wessex cared one iota.
I don't want to post videos about abysmal customer care for a product I bought. I had hoped from some recognition (verbal or written, not monetary) that things had gone wrong. KIa HQ said its a franchise and we can't do anything. I don't believe that for one minute. Can you imagine McDonalds HQ the burger people, saying that about a franchisee.
Also Kia Wessex never tried to contact me, discuss what went wrong. I gave them ample opportunity.
I decided to publish it because I felt I had a wider duty of honesty to people buying Kia and in particular that Kia dealership in Newport.
So sad. If they had dealt with the issues honestly I would have mentioned them briefly with the successful conclusion and not posted everything.
Hi James, Thanks for the video. With the transmission losses do you think that they may relate to the % charge in the battery? it would be interesting if your able to calculate it when charging 10-30% versus 80-100% and see if the battery fill % causes different losses(along with the temperature). I have just got one of these cars but don't have the home charger yet so can't test for myself yet. If you could try that it would be good, if not I will try it and report back when I eventually get my charger installed.
An interesting question. I have put it on my to do list, and I will try and get it done over the next 7 days. We are currently renovating our home, so my time is taken up with this. I have maintained a log over charge since I bought the car in September 2022. This will take me a considerable time if I was to analyse all that data. Let me see what I can do.
So important to get a home charger. I am currently with Octopus Go at 9 p a kWh compared to 29p I pay on the standard tariff. If you choose a charger compatible with Intelligent Octopus you pau 7p. So before you decide on the charger, check out Octopus and make sure it is one of the compatible one to get the best rates. I believe at certain times they are talking about free electricity when the grid has a surplus and has to pay to shut down wind turbines.
ruclips.net/video/wI-eU2tvoF8/видео.html Regarding the transmission loss I may have found something that might (partially at least) explain what's going on there.
A while ago I came across another video where they discovered that the batteryheating automatically turns on at every AC charge. During charging the battery is always heated up to at least 20°C. So that draws considerably from your charging. Only with the granny charger battery heating wasn't activated. I presume because the power of the granny charger is insufficient for heating, let alone have anything left to actually charge the battery.
I'll see if I can find that video back.
EDIT: Found it. ruclips.net/video/Aktq9aoDplA/видео.html Hope your German isn't too rusty.
Sadly I have no German. But I do have a Austrian sister in law, who is coming over in a couple of weeks time. I might ask her to watch this and translate for me. Thank you this, all fascinating stuff.
I've had Kia's for 10 years and always had amazing service. I'm sorry to see you had such poor service. I'm considering an Niro EV myself, moving from a petrol Ceed.
Thank you for sharing your experience with me. Unlucky I suppose with the local dealership. Kidderminster have been absolutely fine. I am sure you will enjoy the Niro if you decide to buy one.
It's a decision between the Niro or the Kona. Decisions, decisions, but do like the Kia 🤔
@@kaprunski Good luck with the decision. I know nothing about the Kona.
James, i'm a Kia owner too but i don't go to the large dealerships (any brand) for anything other than maybe buying the car. i've always found that smaller independent garages give a far supirior cumstomer service as they have a lot more to lose. You have an amazing car try not to get too hung up about the intricacys of the workings of the car and just 'enjoy it'.... lifes too short.
Thank you Nick. I suppose my back ground, is an engineer, so I am always interested in what makes things tick. Electric cars are new, having never owned one before, so I am sharing my learning curve with those who are interested. I am enjoying the car, and yes life is too short.
Is there any further updates James on both your choice of returning to the garage or moving and whether the faults have been dealt with to your satisfaction?
I felt I had a very good relationship with Kia Kidderminster, they took their time in calling the vehicle back, waiting until they felt they had a solution. Which was fine by me. They wanted the car for a week and that was not a problem. They successfully sorted the schedule charging problem it had, which was great. I had one other fault they called "Zombie mode" where the car would not go in to drive after charging. As a random fault difficult to detect. Sadly it has reappeared twice they had it in. I have sent their customer support man the clip of what happened second time round. He has not responded, I can see he watched the video when I sent it to him. I emailed him again and left a message. I think he is hoping I will go away. I sadly still have a car with a problem that has been there since I bought the car. Another round of one sided effort I fear to try and to get Kia to resolve it. I still love the vehicle. Just so sad that the garages don't appear to care enough to see a problem through until it is resolved. Thanks for asking.
@@JamesRattray thanks for the reply, I feel I might look at Hyundai, although they are a parent company, perhaps you should approach them. Do feel that most main dealers I have dealt with have been unsatisfactory, Ford, rover, and peageot
@spiersey1 Thank you. There needs to be a way that the general public can hold big organisations to account. I have used the small claims court successfully against when they have failed to carry out a job and have not owned up to it. For instance paying for over seas packing and transport of parents display cabinet and crockery - arriving broken with clearly insufficient packaging. Shipping agent argued it was an Insurance claim that came to very little. We successfully argued it was failure to carry out the work they had contracted to do, i.e suitably pack for over seas shipment.
The problem with this case, is showing a cost that we can claim. Not being to drive the car after a charge can be embarrassing, frustrating and time wasting, but how does one quantify this against the rules of the small claims court.
The car dealerships poor customer service is because there is no consequences to them. If we could do something like a small claims court for this, it would make them take a keener interest. Thank you for your comments. As you say it is unsatisfactory!!
The car didn’t lock because it was ready to drive.
I think the attitude of the last lady you spoke to was disgusting. She was clearly fobbing you off, had no genuine empathy. She was waiting for you to say " OK thank you" and hang up, so she could continue her coffee and cake in peace.
Have you looked at rejecting the car? If there is a finance company involved or a credit card protection, I'm sure that they would take more interest.
Thank you Alan. I agree with you. That last lady is representing KIa UK HQ, appalling. Very disappointing considering as individuals these cars are a huge investment in Kia. I hope as many people as possible refer this video experience to as many Kia dealerships as possible. Only by us all doing this can we hope Kia might consider taking complaints like this seriously and acting proffessionally.
if that's a "customer care manager" at Kia then that's absolutely atrocious service. She said a whole bunch of words in a sentence that are designed to ensure people get frustrated and hang up. Working in a customer service role myself, If any of my customer care managers spoke to one of my customers like that, I'd be having a strong word about their ability to demonstrate good customer service. I expect poor service from the franchise but to get that from a Kia employs is abysmal.
@@trentgashi5943 I was utterly amazed by the whole experience. If some one had told me this had happened to them I would not have believed them. I would have said they were exaggerating. Especially disappointing how Kia UK HQ team handled it. I have invested over £30k in their company in buying one of their vehicles - not a good experience.
I've had the same problem with scheduling in my Niro EV 2. It hasn't really been an issue as I can schedule charges using the charger system itself (but I'd rather have the option!). I got mine about a month before you James. Mine is due in for its 10,000 mile service in a week's time - hopefully there will be a few answers then regarding the issue with the software. Honestly, I can't compliment the Niro EV highly enough, and the experience at the Omagh retailer has been nothing short of excellent too.
Brilliant, love that. I am retired so haven't clocked up the milage like you. Your comment about the schedule chare is interesting. I think the thing I missed was being able to try the pre- warming up (not the right word). I understand the schedule charge allows us to set the vehicle ready for when we leave at a certain time. I think this involves warming up the cab using your mains elct, as opposed to the vehicle battery. I also think it helps prepare the vehicle battery, especially if its cold. I am really a bit sketchy on knowledge on this area. The manual doesn't tell us very much.
Do you have the same issue trying to drive once you stop the charge at the external charger?
@@JamesRattray yes, I was over in Derbyshire just before Christmas and it was freezing! Could really have done with the scheduling to have the car warm before we were leaving. I haven't had the same problem with the reverse. I wonder what order you go through as you turn the car on? It may be where the problem lies. I come to a halt, switch the car to neutral on the dial, then lift the 'physical' electric handbrake toggle and finally press the 'P' in the centre of the dial. It seems mad, but I'd try doing that and see if it makes a difference!
@@JamesRattray Also, I have the auto hold function on all the time - I'm not sure if that may have an impact on my suggestion above! Happy driving, James!
@@ruadhbutler9143 Thank you, I will try that too.
It’s interesting that you log each public charging by taking a photo of the chargers’ screen. I’m not criticising this, it is a record of sorts. Just that what the charger reports, is the kWh that you’ll pay for. However, there’s always some loss in transmission. So the vehicle’s battery pack, is not receiving exactly the same amount of kWh as you are paying for. The vehicle registers the kWh that is fed as charge into the pack each time it is charged.
Now you’re going to ask, how much loss does or can occur during transmission? I do not know for certain, as each charger-system will diff. The loss will not be much per charge; but as the number of times of public charging is added to your record, the greater the discrepancy will become.
That’ll teach me to view the whole video before commenting.
Fault resolution is like having teeth extracted via your ears. Has this put you off owning another Kia? It would me. How can the garage not know what vehicle they have or what vehicle they’re meant to be dealing with or which OS version the problem vehicle has? And a lack of meaningful Kia-customer comms.
Thanks DC. I do enjoy owning an EV, also the Kia. I am disappointed by the local garage and even more let down by Kia UK head office, who were pathetic in handling the issues I had consid4ering they are such a highly recognised brand. All I can do is make other aware of my own experiences.
I wonder if the level of service goes up if you have an ICE KIA vehicle?
I suspect I got a bad workshop. I can't believe this occurs everywhere. I suggest if you speak to Kia refer to this video and ask them if this is the service for a basic EV2 and does it get better for the money you invest in their higher models? It will be interesting to hear what they say.
@@JamesRattray I'm leasing the top spec Niro EV here in Australia. Should be delivered in 6 months or so. Very interesting to see what's going on with your Niro mate. Thanks for your efforts in making these videos.
@@davidbrookes9424 Thank you David. I think leasing is a smart move, I will love to hear how you get on. You have a warmer climate than ours, so I suspect battery performance over 30C will be interesting to observe. A whole new story to what our cars are subjected to.
I agree that it is difficult to get problems fixed. I have a Niro EV4 and my problem is mileage. Even when new with 20 miles on the clock I could not charge beyond 260 miles in ECO mode. Sales garage no real help and tell me I cannot do a reset to demonstrate the problem and impossible to talk to Kia. Now after 5000 miles I can only charge to 230 miles in ECO with no heating. I would be interested to know if anyone has ever seen a Niro EV 100% charged with 286 miles available.
I notice when I picked the car up, last September it had 267 on 100% charge. If you look at the first 6 weeks video I produced you can see it there ruclips.net/video/WlTpOacEodM/видео.html
Managed 282 the other day @ 99% before leaving home.
Hi, I own a kia niro too..... are you getting an error with the front facing assist systems? I am intermittently getting errors with them
Hi David, I am not sure what you mean by 'front facing assist systems'? My main problem is the intermittent problem of not being able to switch the car on. They tried to fix it 10 days ago with a software update. Sadly the problem is still there.
Just seen this video , having just ordered a kia! in the comment how its hard to take kia to task or any car dealer for that matter have you considered getting intouch with bbc rip of Britain and bbc watch dog im sure they would love this story given its so well documented , if watchdog picked it up the would go out 7pm prim viewing and my result in lots off customers getting intouch with more dealer problems, excellent work 👍
Thank you for your suggestion. It is always a matter of effort and priorities. I am currently up to my neck refurbishing a 1970s house we purchased and installing a heat pump. But I do appreciate your suggestion. Yes, this case is extremely well documented all the way through, this video is of course a summary.
What I think is bad, is there in no simple way for us ordinary members oft the public to hold these organisations to account. They have all our money, we have absolutely no levers we can pull to they deal with issues professionally. I believe they say, 'oh well we will always have 5% or so of complaints, that we end up ignoring'. The small claims court works if you have paid for a service and they have caused actual damage. Car dealerships??? Another world...
@JamesRattray go for it drop watchdog a line . we had a problem with paint coming off a from new car 3 years in ,the dealer didn't want to know had to get it fixed through the insurance or the car would have been a write off !
@@Masterfeedbackprod Thank you
I’m surprised Kia don’t know what car you have.It isn’t a E-Niro it is a Niro EV….new name!
You comment is interesting as I had been calling it a Niro EV, but when I contacted Kia's chief executive he referred to it as an e-Niro, hence why I am referring to it by that name.
@@JamesRattray That’s hilarious.Well whatever his title is he is wrong.The E Niro is the old model.
@@1derekwinter1 Thank you, interesting. I didn't know that. I do now. Much appreciate you sharing that with us.
65p KWh 😳 jeez… is that normal for public charging…!
I think some chargers are £1 per Kwh.
@@JamesRattray 😳 at home I’m 8p so ok they buy equipment but jeez !
@@patrickh7368 That's a brilliant rate. My brother has an off peak 7.5p deal with Octopus. I pay about 35P as I live in a rented house and my supplier Ovo seems to play games, pretending they support EV vehicles, but in reality makes it very difficult to get an off peak rate. I need to do more homework on this. A bit of an assault course!
@@JamesRattray ohh eck… I’m with Octopus, it’s all good…means I can also run dishwasher and dryer overnight also.. good luck energy swap…
This was less a video about the car and more a video of an elderly man trying to learn how technology works. Not really helpful for someone who is looking to buying a Niro