Best tyre for this range is actually the Goodyear Eagle F1 Assy 2. Got better ratings compared to Michelin Pilot Super Sport.

Yes but are these owners highlighting the problems with the Nexen tyres to Kia HQ? Cuz according to them, im the only one with problems with the Nexen.

The stability control indicator will light up. Its located on the RPM meter.

I said the ESP activated within a split second. The light remained on for a few secs while i manueved the car.

None of the year end promos offered by any car manufacturer (especially non Japs) would be able to ofset the loss in resale value come Jan 2013 unless ure getting a discount of more than 8K. The registration of a car has no bearing on the resale value. Its the year of manufacture which counts. So if you get a 2012 car now, by Jan 2013, your car will be in its 2nd year of service already.

So my advice would be to wait and get a 2013 manufactured model.

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Added on December 7, 2012, 4:39 pmEven if Pakatan wins the election, there will not be a drastic reduction of car prices. If a reduction of taxes is implemented it will be done gradually e.g 5% a year to enable manufacturers and 2nd hand dealers to push off existing stock. And if done it wont be immediate. Probably beginning 2014 at the earliest. There are many other factors to be considered and steps to be put in place before a tax reduction is implemented.

So if ure postponing your car purchase in the hope you could buy a BMW for the price of a Camry, im afraid its not gonna happen within the next few years.

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Added on December 7, 2012, 4:41 pmProperty is different as its influenced by world and local economy. There isnt gonna be a bubble in Malaysia anytime soon and surely no price reduction in mature areas.

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Added on December 7, 2012, 4:42 pmI dont think Pakatan said they would slash prices immediately did they? Any price reduction would be gradual over a period of at least 5 years.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Dec 7 2012, 04:42 PM

Mine is silver. Very easy to maintain. Plus the Sierra Glow makes it easier to clean. Dirt doesnt stick.

White is among the most difficult to maintain. Common knowledge.

Thats the jumpy steering issue. You should raise it up with Naza Kia CMD. Use the term 'jumpy steering'. They are aware of this issue. So dont ignore it.

cmd@naza.com.my

You must raise all issues by email to cmd@naza.com.my for it to be logged. Ive gotten to know the service managers at some service centres quite well over the past few months and they have informed me that every month they have a meeting in Naza Kia HQ where common problems are discussed. But they classify problems according to nature and also number of complaints. If there are many complaints about the same issue, its automatically classified as a major complaint.

So if we dont start reporting to Naza HQ, they cant track. Dont rely on verbal information. It must be logged through emails.

Ive found this on a number of test cars as well. So might be a common problem. But keep raising up such issues with Naza CMD. But enure that your emails have a proper title for easy reference. For example:

'Kia Optima K5 Problems - (nature of problem) - (number plate)'

CMD sometimes loves to respond verbally. Do not encourage this. In my case when they call to update me on something, ill tell them to follow up with an email or i will do so. Its important to get everything logged in writing.

So guys, please start emailing your problems to cmd@naza.com.my. Dont bother going through your SA's for this. Just email CMD and they will get the service centre to attend to you. If you just walk into a SC, the problem is usually not brought up to Naza HQ.

If you need to speak to someone in particular, you can talk to Zaidi. If im not mistaken, he is the Head of customer service at Naza HQ. Quite a nice chap.

Congrats! Welcome to the family!

But lookout for problems. Once u notice anything, dont just rush back to the service centre. Make sure you highlight to Naza HQ by emailing them at: cmd@naza.com.my. Ensure all your problems and rectifications are well documented. Do not rely on verbal communication. Trust me, ull see the benefit later.

Email title:

'Kia Optima K5 Problems - (nature of problem) - (number plate)'


This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Dec 11 2012, 07:54 AM

What problems? There arent many problems. So far only 1 owner has many problems. My problems are only the wiper (which is not really under warranty). The jumpy steering is not really a big problem. Probably due to the large 18 inch rims. Not sure.

U think Toyota no problems ah? Its just that its not highlighted so much on forums thats all. I was a Toyota owner for 9 yrs before i moved to Kia. The problem with Toyota is that they will never admit to their fault. They will try their level best to push it to you and most of the time they will succeed. With Naza Kia i have no such problems. Ive made warranty claims for things that werent actually their fault. They even changed my 2 fog lamps FOC even though the bulb is no covered under warranty. My wipers were also changed although not covered. Even smell from aircon (which again isnt covered under warranty) but was much reduced after Naza cleaned and serviced my aircon 2 times and changed filters on both occasions. Even the car allignment (also not covered under warranty) was done FOC by Naza twice.

Naza Kia's warranty claims are much better and easier compared to Toyota. That i can confirm. They just need to improve their response time to problems. I have no regrets getting my Optima. The quality of the drive, design and safety of the car far outweighs everything else.

Did u know that the Optima K5 got a higher safety rating by the American NHTSA compared to even the mightly BMW 5 Series? Even the US version of the new Camry 2.5V with ESP and 10 airbags was rated lower than the Optima K5. Isnt safety something you should give importance to?

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Dec 11 2012, 03:02 PM

Its 143,888 OTR before discount. I didnt get a discount but got an overtrade for my Vios. Even Toyota KL offered me only 34K for my 9.5 yr Vios 1.5E trading in for the Camry 2.5V. But Kia Ipoh took it for 38K. That's a good 4K extra.

So basically, i paid less than 140K for my K5. If thats not a good deal for a well spec'd 2.0L D segment car, then i dont know what else to say.

The new Optima K5 also has the most powerful 2.0L NA engine in that price range on paper rite? 170Hp, 201Nm torque. Camry 2.0L only 146Hp, 190Nm. But i think power delivery for the K5 needs to be improved. Not sure if the new engine has addressed this.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Dec 11 2012, 03:20 PM

First of all get your criterias right. Why bother coming here and then using just 1 criteria to compare? Buying a car is about looking at the WHOLE package. There is no single perfect car out there. Not even a Porsche gives you everything you want in a car.

I would consider the following 11 criteria:

1) Price
2) Safety
3) Specifications
4) Design
5) Comfort
6) Interior space
7) Build quality / durability
8) Ride, handling, power
9) After sales service
10) Maintenance costs including fuel consumption
11) Warranty terms

Judge all cars based on these criteria. You can give ratings for each criteria. Without looking at the whole picture, u can never make an informed decision.

I have spent considerable time testing various cars before making my decision. For me, the K5 excels in point 1,2,3,4,6 and 11 compared to other Japanese D segments.

As for the other points:

Point 5 - It isnt very comfortable as its got 18 inch rims and a suspension thats tuned for performance and not comfort like the Camry or Teana.

Point 7 - Unknown at this point but so far im happy

Point 8 - Its road grip is quite good thanks to the 18 inch tyres and lower profile. Handling can be improved but the new K5 might have addressed this with its electric steering. Has good power putput figures too (on paper) but needs improvement with power delivery. Not sure if the new K5 engine has adressed this.

Point 9 - Its still below Toyota standards but much better compared to maybe 3 years ago. Still got room for improvement

Point 10 - Unknown at this point. Fuel consumption is quite good despite the weight but the Japanese would still be slightly better here.

The Kia Optima K5 isnt the best D segment in the market and its far from perfect for sure. But do remember that ure only paying RM 143,888 (OTR before discount). Yes you may find some better cars out there but you are also paying for any advantage you may find. The specs and equipment found on the K5 beats even the new Camry 2.5V which costs 40K more. Yes you may lose out with after sales service and possibly future resale value but you get alot more in return.

As always, i remind you to give safety a serious consideration over resale value, etc. You cannot put a price on your life and the lives of your loved ones.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Dec 12 2012, 04:08 PM

Thats why i dont log on to that FB page often. i think within 1 year all those fellows there surely cant recognise their cars. So many additions.

Goodyear Eagle F1 Assy 2. Better than Michelin Pilot Super Sport or PS3.

Even if its a 8K discount, would it be sufficient? By 1 Jan 2013, your car value would have depreciated minimum 10K. That's why many ppl dont realise that all these year end 'discounts' are not really discounts. You get a 'discount' now but when you sell the car in 5-7 yrs time, you will be getting back less as well. So there is no discount in reality. So unless ure getting a 10K discount or more, its not worth it at all. You're better off with a 2013 manufactured model.

Actually VW's discounts arent that great as well. But at least VW sorta covers 80% of the depreciation. U must realise that their cars cost much more too which is why u see bigger discounts. But yes, majority (if not all) of the year end offers do not cover the cost of depreciation mainly because of consumer awareness. How many ppl actually realise this? How many ppl actually know the difference between 'year of manufacture' and 'date of registration' and how it affects resale value?

What complaints?

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Added on December 19, 2012, 5:57 pmYes the auto lights have a Follow Me Home function which enables the headlights to stay on for about 20 secs after the engine is switched off. The auto lights also switch on by themselves when the light sensor picks up receeding light conditions.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Dec 19 2012, 05:57 PM

U can't judge a brand or model based on 1 lemon car la. What about the other few hundred owners who are driving the K5 without much issues since Day 1? Can u find me a single car model out there which did not have a problem? Even the most expensive cars will have some problems. Did you hear about the 10 units of the brand new Ferrari 458 Italia which caught fire at various locations wordwide in 2010 and resulted in a total recall? Hows that problem compared to 1 lemon K5? Does this mean that Ferrari's are crap cars too?