KIA
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Bolton Kia should be avoided like the plague!
First, the car I have bought, a Kia Soul EV is excellent and the only issues in that respect have been very minor indeed. However, when I wished to purchase it (their demonstrator) Bolton Kia gave me a price, but when I accepted it they told me there had been a mistake and the best they could manage was £750 more! They also initially told me the car had first been registered in December, but it transpired it was 2 months older, registered in October. As I wanted the car, I agreed to the price, accepting an upgraded Warranty package. After a couple of months I discovered a minor chip in the paint so, as I always take prodigious care of my cars, I asked them if they could supply touch up paint. They couldn’t. Despite the car being 9 months old all they did was tell me the paint was ‘in development’ (which isn’t true) and refer me to Halfords, who couldn’t help either. Anyway, 6 weeks before the first service they began to contact me to ‘remind me’ it was becoming due. I therefore arranged an appointment and asked how long it might take, as I wondered how electric cars vary from internal combustion. They told me about an hour. At the same time I had also asked about possible software updates to resolve some minor bugs I had discovered and to address satnav mapping issues. Despite asking again in the intervening time, there was still no answer when I arrived there with the car 4 weeks later. Even getting there wasn’t entirely straightforward as no-one had informed me that the service department is in a different location to the sales! Another shock awaited as, despite being told ‘an hour for the work’, they then informed me it would be about three! That proved to be the case and they still had no answer for me regarding the software by the time I left. That meant I had to arrange to call back with the car if they could update things. Almost as soon as I arrived home the mechanic rang me up to ask for the number of the SD card in the car. Why he didn’t take it when working on the car I have no idea. Subsequently, they expected me to believe that a software update which hadn’t been available when I had the car serviced was now released. A true miracle of coincidence! Again, I asked what it consisted of, as I saw little point in going all the way to Bolton from Liverpool if it didn’t resolve my issues. They did not tell me, but promised that everything would be fixed. It transpires that the update had been available from the beginning of October and had nothing to do with anything I had mentioned. This false promise of the ‘fix’ came from the dealer principal during a personal telephone conversation, as I had wanted the issue raised with him. He repeated the claim that the update had only just become available and also promised to meet with me when I called. Despite my being there for an hour and a half, he didn’t show and has since refused to apologise for his lack of manners. I have spoken with Kia UK, who confirmed that Bolton Kia had been giving me false information. Bolton Kia are very friendly and welcoming when they want to sell you a car. However, don’t rely on them for a second if you want decent service afterwards. They are as bad as it gets.