[blanthony]

Taking my Forte EX in for its first oil change tomorrow at Courtesy Kia in Tampa. Going to get a synthetic change, see if there is any PCM update and check the left rear tire for a small leak/nail that I think it has. So damn tired of putting air in my tire for the last month every week and seeing my tire pressure light come on. The dealer emailed me $20 off service coupon, glad I got that. Car is just about to hit 7500 miles since I got it in November. Yep I drive A LOT! 16K a year just to get to work. Glad the Mustang GT is gone since gas is going up. The 15mpg was killing my wallet.

 

[blanthony]

I'm hoping there is a PC update because I don't feel like my gas mileage is where it should be. Getting about 27mpg or is this good?

 

[reggie2xtreme]

it could be better u should be getting around 30s

 

[blanthony]

Well back from the dealer. Got my oil change, NO PCM updates for my car and they didn't see anything wrong with my tire. They said when it gets low bring it in again. ugh no nail said it could be a valve stem. Well while I waited I looked around at the new model. I think I like the mirror better on my 2010 model year, but I did also like the new style gear shifter in the 2011s. I was hoping my sales man was there to test drive a 2011 while I waited but he was out. I wonder if the synthetic oil will give me some better gas mileage???

 

[[email protected]]

If you use your a/c it will reduce your mileage and you are in Florida...

 

[blanthony]

yes I am in FL we pretty much use A/C 24/7 here!

 

[Opiewho]

What was your general feeling about the service department there? I've used Century Kia in Tampa once...and their service department is the most lackluster I've ever dealt with.

 

[tcope]

I wonder if the synthetic oil will give me some better gas mileage???

It will not.

 

[wbw]

Assuming that you stayed with the same weight of oil that you were using, the synthetic will not improve your mileage. If you had gone from, say a 10W-40 to the recommended 5W-20 you would have seen a slight increase in mileage.

 

[blanthony]

What was your general feeling about the service department there? I've used Century Kia in Tampa once...and their service department is the most lackluster I've ever dealt with.

It was fine. I just went in to get an oil change. They had a nice waiting room. LOL I was in and out in 60min for oil and tire rotation. I was a bit surprised & a bit annoyed they didn't find anything wrong with my tire however. I guess I'll go back. I wonder why on the paper work they say come back in 5K miles when the service interval is another 7500 and I got synthetic and that service interval is based on regular oil. I was bit annoyed their synthetic was Pennzoil and not Mobil 1. The lady also told me they didn't have quite enough synthetic so someone had to run to the store so that's why it took so long. Not amazing there but not the worst. Hell I had worse service at Audi when I had my A6.

 

[jcbel]

Of course they want you to come back sooner so they can charge you more money! I vaguely recall in another thread the scheduled maintenance is like once a year in Europe?

Did they say they checked out the tire or just never mentioned it? If you have the time you could take the tire off and inspect it yourself, also if there's nothing visible try dunking the tire in water and bubbles would be a sign of air escaping. Problem is finding a big enough tub to do it in...

 

[missourimule]

You've almost certainly got a nail in your tire. Probably best to just take it off and find the nail and then take it somewhere where they will repair it correctly. The leak you discuss is exactly like the last three nails that got in my tires. Sometimes they are very difficult to find but it's there somewhere. I'd make sure they know what they are doing so they don't damage the TMPS and outside of the rim. If that TPMS valve gets broken, as has happened to me, you are looking at a sizeable outlay. Probably best to have it done at the dealer. My local Ford dealer charges $8 to repair a flat and I know they will stand behind their work even though I have a Kia.

 

[KiaTech]

Easiest way to check for a leaking tire is to get a spray bottle (I use kitchen cleaners that have ran out) and fill them with water and a squirt of dish soap. Spray the entire tire, including the valve stem and bead areas. If you jack up that corner of the car you can rotate the tire to check all of it at once. After a few minutes you may see a tiny little area get covered in the smallest bubbles you've ever seen. Depending on the size of the leak it's probably going to be about the size of a dime, or larger if there si more air escaping. The bubbles will tend to collect in some places so you need to rotate the tire and respray suspect areas to determine if it's just where the fluid is pooling, or if it's really where the leak is. A skinny little nail can actually 'bury' itself into a tread block and completely disappear... the bubbles will find it, tho.

 

[blanthony]

that's just too much work. lol maybe I'll try it when I have the time. This may be a dumb question but I know absolute squat about tire rotation. So if my drivers side rear tire was rotated where did they most likely put it when they rotated my tires?

 

[missourimule]

that's just too much work. lol maybe I'll try it when I have the time. This may be a dumb question but I know absolute squat about tire rotation. So if my drivers side rear tire was rotated where did they most likely put it when they rotated my tires?

Actually, tire rotation is pretty easy. What I do is to use two inexpensive floor jacks which you can buy for about $25 each and put under the jack points of the vehicle. Have it on level ground so it doesn't slip. With the vehicle still on the pavement loosen the lug nuts slightly with a breaker bar, then jack, and then use a speed wrench to get the lug nuts off and they come off quite easily. Some may disagree but I always just rotate from front to back on each side. The manual may specify a different procedure, however. When I place each tire and wheel back on the vehicle I finger tighten the lug nuts and then with the tires off the pavement, I use the speed wrench to snug them up criss-crossing the studs. When they are all snugged down tight, I lower the tire where it contacts the pavement enough to keep the tire from spinning. Then I use a breaker bar to tighten the lug nuts up fairly tight but not too tight. Then I use a torque wrench to 80 foot pounds (I use a beam type torque wrench which is fairly inexpensive - do not use a torque wrench to loosen the lug nuts). I'm going to do this tomorrow and it will be about a 20 minute job on both sides of the vehicle.

Why I personally believe it is best to take the tire off is because sometimes it is almost impossible to locate the nail which can be embedded in the tread or between the tread. With the tire and wheel completely off the vehicle it will be immediately apparent. The soap and water is another alternative but since the tire needs to come off the vehicle anyway, why not simply look for it and remove all doubt. Besides you will have to get down on the pavement or in the dirt to examine the tire if it remains on the vehicle. In my opinion it is wasted effort since the tire and wheel needs to come off anyway.