[jcelen01]

Hi All,

Hope everyone is doing well. I just picked up a 2023 Kia Forte GT Automatic DCT w/ GT2 Package in Steel Grey. Has been a great car so far. Just a few questions I thought maybe I could receive some input on:

1) Is there a specific break-in period for the vehicle? I hear different advice on this, with the most common answer being to keep the vehicle between 2k-4k RPMs for the first 600 miles. It is also reported that during this period, the transmission is a little jerky, especially at low speeds, but that this is normal. Would anyone know if this subsides after the break-in period or as more miles are put on the vehicle?

2) Is there a way to keep the active lane steering assist on permanently (steering wheel symbol) instead of having to manually activate it every time the vehicle is turned on? I have the same question for the Auto Hold feature as well.

3) The rubber beltline trim surround on the doors are composed of some sort of rubberized plastic. Should I start applying a protectant/Armor All-type applicator to protect it from fading? If so, are there any recommended cleaner/application treatments that work best for this type of material that would not damage the paint?

4) For each service interval, the manual indicates an oil change should be accompanied by a fuel additive treatment. Does anyone know what type of fuel additive is recommended?

I may have more questions the more I drive it, but these are all I can think of at this time. Attached are some initial photos (more to follow). Thank you in advance for the input!

 

[noturbonoproblem]

Hi All,

Hope everyone is doing well. I just picked up a 2023 Kia Forte GT Automatic DCT w/ GT2 Package in Steel Grey. Has been a great car so far. Just a few questions I thought maybe I could receive some input on:

1) Is there a specific break-in period for the vehicle? I hear different advice on this, with the most common answer being to keep the vehicle between 2k-4k RPMs for the first 600 miles. It is also reported that during this period, the transmission is a little jerky, especially at low speeds, but that this is normal. Would anyone know if this subsides after the break-in period or as more miles are put on the vehicle?

2) Is there a way to keep the active lane steering assist on permanently (steering wheel symbol) instead of having to manually activate it every time the vehicle is turned on? I have the same question for the Auto Hold feature as well.

3) The rubber beltline trim surround on the doors are composed of some sort of rubberized plastic. Should I start applying a protectant/Armor All-type applicator to protect it from fading? If so, are there any recommended cleaner/application treatments that work best for this type of material that would not damage the paint?

4) For each service interval, the manual indicates an oil change should be accompanied by a fuel additive treatment. Does anyone know what type of fuel additive is recommended?

I may have more questions the more I drive it, but these are all I can think of at this time. Attached are some initial photos (more to follow). Thank you in advance for the input!

Congrats! Looks good.
As for your questions,

1. Technically no break in is required, however it's advised by Kia to keep it under 4k rpm for the first 500 or so miles and avoid aggressive throttle inputs or too much throttle, as well as varying your speed on the highway. The transmission will smooth out as the clutches break in, but it will never be conventional auto levels of smooth at low speeds due to the nature of a dual clutch transmission's inherent design.
2. Not sure - my stays on between key cycles. Maybe they removed that functionality for the facelift? Play around in the menus and read through the owner's manual and you might find something.
3. Any trim protectant should be fine, but I haven't seen a case of that stuff fading, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
4. Chevron Techron is what is usually recommended

Hope this helps.

 

[jcelen01]

Congrats! Looks good.
As for your questions,

1. Technically no break in is required, however it's advised by Kia to keep it under 4k rpm for the first 500 or so miles and avoid aggressive throttle inputs or too much throttle, as well as varying your speed on the highway. The transmission will smooth out as the clutches break in, but it will never be conventional auto levels of smooth at low speeds due to the nature of a dual clutch transmission's inherent design.
2. Not sure - my stays on between key cycles. Maybe they removed that functionality for the facelift? Play around in the menus and read through the owner's manual and you might find something.
3. Any trim protectant should be fine, but I haven't seen a case of that stuff fading, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
4. Chevron Techron is what is usually recommended

Hope this helps.

Great! Thank you very much!

 

[ForteGT2]

Hi All,

Hope everyone is doing well. I just picked up a 2023 Kia Forte GT Automatic DCT w/ GT2 Package in Steel Grey. Has been a great car so far. Just a few questions I thought maybe I could receive some input on:

2) Is there a way to keep the active lane steering assist on permanently (steering wheel symbol) instead of having to manually activate it every time the vehicle is turned on? I have the same question for the Auto Hold feature as well.

I don't know the features of the '23 GT, however on my '21 the active lane assist comes on automatically at 35 MPH. Auto-hold is automatic also. I don't have to turn anything on.

 

[noturbonoproblem]

I don't know the features of the '23 GT, however on my '21 the active lane assist comes on automatically at 35 MPH. Auto-hold is automatic also. I don't have to turn anything on.

Yep, my '21 the white steering wheel icon is on all the time, and activates (and turns green) at around 35-40 mph. My car doesn't have auto hold so no input there.

 

[tc0566]

On 22 up it activates by turning on the cruise control... He is saying the steering wheel icon which is highway assist. Once you turn on cruise it turns on. If you turn off cruise it stays on. On my 21 it came on as soon as you hit 35mph. On the 22 they changed things. Auto hold has to be turned on as well every time you start it.

 

[aetb]

3) The rubber beltline trim surround on the doors are composed of some sort of rubberized plastic. Should I start applying a protectant/Armor All-type applicator to protect it from fading? If so, are there any recommended cleaner/application treatments that work best for this type of material that would not damage the paint?

For the love of all that is holy, please don't use Armor All-type things anywhere on a vehicle. Ever. tl;dr it causes rubber to dry out and affects plastics long-term
(longer explanation: Products like Armor All are usually oil-based. They end up 'pulling' the embedded oils out of rubber and plastic, drying them out over time which leads to cracking, discoloration, waxy/greasy residue and so on)

I personally use Gyeon Tire for both my tires and the rubberised trims around the car. It's silicon-based which has the added bonus of being water-repellent. When applying to the trims I put a relatively small amount on a microfiber cloth and run it over the trim, leave it sit for about ten minutes then come back and wipe down to remove any residue. It's very much a less-is-more product. I'll do this every 3-6 months or so

Another option would be something like AMMO Mud - it's water based and works well, but doesn't last as long as the Gyeon

 

[anonimaus]

Use mineral oil for rubber and plastic trim. You can get it at any drug store and it’s cheap. It has no smell and doesn’t leave residual stickiness like armor all

 

[jcelen01]

For the love of all that is holy, please don't use Armor All-type things anywhere on a vehicle. Ever. tl;dr it causes rubber to dry out and affects plastics long-term
(longer explanation: Products like Armor All are usually oil-based. They end up 'pulling' the embedded oils out of rubber and plastic, drying them out over time which leads to cracking, discoloration, waxy/greasy residue and so on)

I personally use Gyeon Tire for both my tires and the rubberised trims around the car. It's silicon-based which has the added bonus of being water-repellent. When applying to the trims I put a relatively small amount on a microfiber cloth and run it over the trim, leave it sit for about ten minutes then come back and wipe down to remove any residue. It's very much a less-is-more product. I'll do this every 3-6 months or so

Another option would be something like AMMO Mud - it's water based and works well, but doesn't last as long as the Gyeon

Thank you very much for the input! Will look into this.

 

[jcelen01]

Use mineral oil for rubber and plastic trim. You can get it at any drug store and it’s cheap. It has no smell and doesn’t leave residual stickiness like armor all

Thank you very much for the input! Will look into this as well.

 

[jcelen01]

On 22 up it activates by turning on the cruise control... He is saying the steering wheel icon which is highway assist. Once you turn on cruise it turns on. If you turn off cruise it stays on. On my 21 it came on as soon as you hit 35mph. On the 22 they changed things. Auto hold has to be turned on as well every time you start it.

Thank you for the input! Yes, I recall on my 2019 Forte the steering assist would activate at around 37 MPH. For the 22/23 Fortes, it appears that when you switch on the steering assist manually, the system actually works at lower speeds, say around 20-25 MPH. I would prefer that it remain on all the time (cruise control on or off), even after the vehicle is shut off and then turned back on again without having to manually activate it each time.

 

[jcelen01]

Yep, my '21 the white steering wheel icon is on all the time, and activates (and turns green) at around 35-40 mph. My car doesn't have auto hold so no input there.

Thank you for the input!

 

[jcelen01]

Use mineral oil for rubber and plastic trim. You can get it at any drug store and it’s cheap. It has no smell and doesn’t leave residual stickiness like armor all

Sounds good! Will look into that as well.

 

[AndrewForteGT]

Car looks good! Where did you take the pics? Fort Totten or Whitestone?

 

[AndrewForteGT]

Congrats! Looks good.
As for your questions,

1. Technically no break in is required, however it's advised by Kia to keep it under 4k rpm for the first 500 or so miles and avoid aggressive throttle inputs or too much throttle, as well as varying your speed on the highway. The transmission will smooth out as the clutches break in, but it will never be conventional auto levels of smooth at low speeds due to the nature of a dual clutch transmission's inherent design.
2. Not sure - my stays on between key cycles. Maybe they removed that functionality for the facelift? Play around in the menus and read through the owner's manual and you might find something.
3. Any trim protectant should be fine, but I haven't seen a case of that stuff fading, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
4. Chevron Techron is what is usually recommended

Hope this helps.

I have a 2020 GT and can't seem to find any info in the manual about using an additive with every oil change. Any idea where I can find this in the manual?

 

[noturbonoproblem]

I have a 2020 GT and can't seem to find any info in the manual about using an additive with every oil change. Any idea where I can find this in the manual?

It’s under service. There’s that table with everything laid out. It should be in there.

 

[AndrewForteGT]

It’s under service. There’s that table with everything laid out. It should be in there.

Awesome, found it! Thank you very much!

 

[jcelen01]

Car looks good! Where did you take the pics? Fort Totten or Whitestone?

Thank you! This was taken at Fort Wadsworth, near the Verrazano Bridge.

 

[jcelen01]

Thank you all for your helpful input and hope all are well. I had another general question, this time it's about the DCT for the 2023 Kia Forte GT. I typically park the car in tight spaces that requires multiple back and forth attempts before finally squeezing into the space and also pulling out of the space. I could feel the clutches engage/dis-engage multiple times during this process as I nudge the car back and forth slowly in the space. I would like to know if others experience this as well and if I am causing damage to the transmission/dual clutches with the jerkiness of pulling into and out of parking spaces. I know this car is considered great as a daily driver in commuting traffic, so I'm thinking the transmission should be designed to endure lots of stop-and-go movements. Maybe I am being a little paranoid about it all, but some feedback on this would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[AndrewForteGT]

The only issue I noticed is putting the car in gear and it not engaging. I have to put back into neutral or park in order to engage. No other serious issues. Transmission works great. It may be your paranoia but I'm always paranoid too so don't worry.