Hi all to K5 owner and K5 enthusiasts, I'm type of a lurker here and did followed from the early stage on cybermaster concerned about the burnt smell coming from driver side engine area and at first it's also concerned me as K5 owner which the question in my head, where's the source of this culprit. A few forumers did give some opinion that the burnt smell coming from the new anti-rust coating on the exhaust system which they had an explanation from the SA and for me that's make sense but there's no confirmation to it and I believed until now cybermaster can't get any firmed clarification even from KIA it self which they supposed to come out with the formal technical clarification of this world wide issues.

As for my “make sense” on the source of the burnt smell coming from heated anti-rust coating as the “BURNT SMELL” is same smell of  heated ASPHALT @ BITUMEN material that normally all of you can smell it when the contractors doing a re-pavement of the road as I did smell the burnt smell came from air vent ones when the auto air-cond change from circulate mode to fresh air mode as to maintain the temperature setting while I’m accelerates hard and cruising the K5 at 160 - 180km/hour from Tol jalan duta to Rawang and maybe I'm wrong for the burnt-smell and its not same as the smell that cybermaster mention.The fresh air sorce if I'm not mistaken is came from the air travel from the engine under the hood as this is the source of heat if you change the dial from cool to hot by increase the temperature (Correct me if I'm wrong) and that's the reason I can smell a burnt smell.

For me I’m really know of this smell as I’m familiar with the procedures of  asphalt Marshall test and asphalt design which the main ingredient was a bitumen and normally oil base anti-rust coating which appearance in semi dry thick black paste contains bitumen or similar oil base product with others chemical as the smell of bitumen is there and the burnt smell can be last longer even after 10,000 km odometer clock out as long as the anti-rust coating still there as for to vaporized the bitumen till 0% you required a temperature more then 400 - 500°C and as to produced the smell it just need a temperature of 110°C - 170°C. This is where the burnt smell always there when ever the engine at long high rev.

But its only my “make sense” thinking and I believed cybermaster still not satisfied with the “make sense” explanation until it confirmed by the proven testing that the anti-rust is the source of the burnt smell and for this, for the sake of the K5 owner and to prove the “make sense” theory wright or wrong and hey, there's no harm to do it. I will perform a test for it base on below procedures and all the K5 owner can perform it as well for piece of mind as all of you have committed with the machine with the tag price of RM143,888.00

Procedures:

1) Accelerates the K5@Machine to the max with min time clock at 15min or more.

2) Open the hood and sniff any burnt smell. If there’s a burnt smell, try to memorized it and drive home to proceed with procedure no 3 and if there’s no smell, accelerates again for another 15 min. Still no smell, meaning your car was not effected with this burnt smell syndrome. Abort the test and drive home happily.
3) Immediately upon arrival, grab a jack and start jacking the K5 and crawl under the area of exhaust system and check is there any anti-rust at the exhaust system and try to sniff the burnt smell and where it coming from and confirmed the source. These procedures a bit dangerous as the space limited and watch out the exhaust system as it still hot. The option procedures and most easiest as number 4.

4) As an option, take same sample of the anti-rust paste as you can collect it near the absorber area or under carriage area.

5) Heat in your Oven or on the gas grill or put it on the gas stove or heat it by lighter until there’s a fume produce and try to sniff any burnt smell and make a COMPARISON of the smell.

As i said before, im quite impressed with its road handling. Mid range acceleration is quite good although sluggish from start. Suspension comfort is good despite the 18 inch tyres. Braking systems are crisp and precise. Gives u alot of confidence.

But only thing lacking is there is no indicator when the ESP has kicked in. This is actually a safety feature in most cars to let the driver know it he has reached the limit of his capabilities and the ESP is now taking over. We need to always remind ourselves that, ESP and all the safety features are not meant to replace safe driving.

There were 2 Optima's on display. 1 didnt have the rear aircon and it was a 2011 model. The one mentioned above as Jan 2012 is not a 2012 model but just a carry forward from 2011.

The other thing i noticed was the water vapor in both front headlights. This shows the seals arent good and if this problem appears on cars this new then it aint good. I was told that this is a common problem with the Forte's and there is some mention about it in the manual. Can anybody confirm?

But funny thing is, I didnt notice the burnt smell this time. And i think i know why. I had high revs for a short period and then shifted to high speed (6th gear) before driving slowly around 1 Utama. This slow drive probably removes all traces of the smell. So from what i gather about this burnt smell, it comes during high revs only and disappears during normal driving which is why those of you who drive fast on highways over a longer period of time, didnt get the smell.

To test this i would suggest just doing a high rev drive around your taman. High revs doesnt always need to be high speed. U usually hit high revs during the first 2 gear shifts. So floor your pedal then release when u reach an obstruction, then floor it again and repeat a few times as u turn or go over bumps. Do this for about 10-15mins then stop and smell. Dont drive casually after the high rev drive. Stop immediately and smell as this burnt smell seemingly only occurs immediately after a high rev drive.

As for the guy asking bout the Peugeot 508 and if its worth paying RM27K more, i would say this. The specs on the 508 are better than the Optima for sure. It also has a more powerful turbo engine. Hence the extra 27K. I was very impressed with the specs and power on the 508 but as i said before the following put me off:

4 main drawbacks of the 508 (in my opinion):

1) Design - rear design is poor and overall doesnt have a wow factor
2) Warranty terms - only 3 yrs/100,000 km
3) Too many issues on the 308T have yet to be resolved. There are chances of it being repeated in the 508
4) Rear seat discomfort over bumps/uneven roads - due to 18 inch tyres and harder suspension

But i must say the specs and interior design of the 508 is the best out there if u compare the Mondeo, Passat, Optima, Camry, Accord, Teana and Sonata. I would even say that the interior looks more classy than the new BMW 3 series 320d and Audi A4 1.8T.

If it had a better design and a 5 yr warranty i would have gone for the 508. But for now, i think the Optima is the best all rounder.