What's the year of manufacture?

Hey Claudetan bro...sorry to drag an old post of yours up, but just wanted to ask what was the root cause to your reported weird sound which was solved by Korean Carmate?

This post has been edited by rompers: Mar 10 2020, 12:53 AM

Be gentle when stuffing the mini ballast/LED driver. I noticed most ppl do it forcefully, which leads to misaligned light projection (as the Forte headlamps are manually adjustable in terms of low/high + right/left).

If you've yet to carry out the repairs, try going to Ming Wah (Google the name for location) and get your AC system fixed there.
Highly recommended by Forte owners.

Could be caused by a faulty Crankshaft Position Sensor (CPS) as well.
Was there any fault codes/engine check light that came up on your dashboard?

Try HOCK BEE AUTO @ Segambut area (if you're nearby).
They are quite professional and efficient.
Just mention that you were recommended by another Forte owner (with number plate JPB 783).
There is a flexibility over there for you to bring your own parts.

This post has been edited by rompers: Oct 28 2020, 01:08 AM

Try contacting this guy. He is located @ Puchong.
I did some touch up for my rear skirt with him. Results were pretty good, and pricing was at an acceptable range.

Syaedi Saffuan | +60 16-974 7230

Hello Jeoneun...

Just checking in to find out if you've managed to get your Forte's absorbers replaced.

If you have, do share with the rest of the members here your experience/name & location of workshop/cost/etc.

Difficult to say.
It could be due to one or multiple factors.

If I were you, I'd troubleshoot based on the order of my list below [sorted in ascending order according to material cost (in general)]:

1. Faulty airbag sensors?
2. Clockspring issue?
3. Faulty airbag unit?

As pointed out by @izputra above, the correct ATF for Forte's 6-speed gearbox would be SP-IV / SP4.

As for the quantity of ATF; a typical drain and refill service procedure would require about 3.7L of fluid (rounded up to 4L).

About 6L of ATF would be the required quantity if the gearbox was completely dry (this would only happen if the gearbox was opened for service and/or an ATF fluid replacement machine was used for the fluid replacement procedure).

In your case (which I believe is just a normal drain and refill service), the correct quantity should be 4L of SP4 ATF.

Hope this info helps.

In my personal experience, this is a little on the upside lah.
Could've been cheaper by about 30%.

For instance, the cost of parts appear to already include cost of installation. However, you were charged additional labour separately. Perhaps there were other services performed that was over and above what was itemised in the bill?

Then again, if your relationship with the Workshop is great...then I don't see why not.
More importantly, if there's mutual trust (as in you trust them to do the best job with the best and original parts)...then it's probably money worth spending.
As the saying goes, trustworthiness is often priceless.

P/S - I hope they provide you with at least a 6-month warranty for all parts replaced.

This post has been edited by rompers: Aug 23 2021, 10:30 PM

Just sharing the below in case anybody requires a point of reference.

I've recently completed a major service and wear & tear parts replacement for my 2012 KIA Forte 1.6SX.

All parts below were purchased on 11-Sep 2021 via KPAP:

1) Original Front Absorbers
RM 355/pc

2) Original Front Absorber Top Mounts <-- It was later discovered that my existing Top Mounts were still in good condition. Top Mounts are generally hardy and don't wear out much, unless the vehicle is driven absolutely hard. So, this is where I could've saved some money. In any case, I replaced mine since I've bought the parts.
RM 125/pc

3) Original Front Absorber Bearings
RM 70/pc

4) Original Front Rubber Stopper
RM 40/pc

5) Original Steering Tie Rods
RH: RM 55/pc
LH: RM 55/pc

6) Original Front Absorber Dust Covers
RM 28/pc

7) Original V-Belt (part#: 25212-2B000)
RM 90/pc

8) Original V-Belt Tensioner
RM 280/pc

9) Original ATF SP-4
RM 26/litre

10) Original Crankshaft Position Sensor (part# 39180-2B000)
RM 105/pc


P/S - Yes, some parts sold may be more expensive than other sources. However, in my interest in getting all the needed original parts that are in-stock at the same time and place, I opted to go for KPAP. Ultimately, I believe I managed to secure a pretty good deal for all parts that are genuine for a peace of mind. You are of course free to determine your own source, as this post is only meant to help as a point of reference

This post has been edited by rompers: Sep 23 2021, 12:57 PM

Actually, I've bought this part only as a precaution/spare.
The factory fitted unit is still in normal operating condition, so it has yet to be replaced.

This post has been edited by rompers: Oct 17 2021, 02:27 PM

Sorry for my delayed response, Bro Epo.

No, the Water Pump have yet to be replaced - still on factory stock unit.
That's because my Forte is still <76K mileage.
Will probably get the Water Pump replaced after my 3rd or 4th coolant replacement (every 50K mileage).

Edit: What about yours Bro Epo? What's your Forte's mileage now and what have you replaced within the Power Train system (e.g. Water Pump, Fuel Filter, Ignition Coils, Rocker/Valve Cover Gaskets, etc.)?

This post has been edited by rompers: Nov 2 2021, 06:48 PM

Need more description of these "vibrations to the moon" that you're talking about.

Example: "Vibrations occur mainly during acceleration.", OR "Vibrations are occur mostly at moving speeds between 80km to 120km.", etc.

Wah...I hope you're not over exaggerating. Road vibrations shouldn't be that pronounced/obvious until it affects the A-Pillar and/or roof of a vehicle - unless of course if the chassis of said vehicle had been compromised.

Anyhow, based upon your following description (vibrations being felt through the steering wheel), I would recommend for you to get the vehicle's undercarriage checked.

Wear and tear parts such as steering rack-end and tie-rods would be a couple of obvious ones, besides absorber bearings and lower arm bushes and ball joints.

P/S - Understand that you've just had your absorbers replaced, hence I've not listed it as one of the obvious wear and tear items to be checked. However, there may be a remote chance that the newly replaced absorbers could be faulty as well - so, no harm in getting that checked too.

Do take note that non-stock absorbers (e.g. after-market shocks) that has differing rebound rates than that of the vehicle's factory suspension settings could also result in pronounced vibrations.

Well, we wouldn't be able to tell you for sure what's exactly wrong or which specific parts should be replaced - since we are merely troubleshooting based purely upon your written description.

Nonetheless, drawing from my own experience, I can quite surely say that the Steering Rack might not be the culprit - unless you've been driving your vehicle very hard on multiple occasions. Check/Replace the Steering Rack-Ends + Tie Rods first before deciding if the entire rack needs to be replaced (again, I'm suggesting based on my own experience + your written description here. If you have someone knowledgeable who have had a chance to diagnose your vehicle first-hand, then the person could probably be right with his/her recommendation as well).

On your assumption of Rim Bengkok; I don't think that is the case - unless the vibration experienced is constant.
If the vibration only happens while driving over speed breakers/yellow lines, then it is unlikely that it is due to Bent Wheels/Rims.

Yes, I did change mine from stock brand -which happens to be Philips Halogens- into Philips Xtreme Vision 150 for two cycles.
Both cycles lasted for about 1 year before one of the bulbs would blow (I would usually replace the bulbs in pairs).

I then made the decision to switch into LEDs.
First set of some generic brand (with built in driver module) lasted for about 8+ months.
My second set (the one that is currently operating) has external drivers, and it has been running for more than 2 years - although one might argue that the operating time has drastically reduced due to the 1.5 years worth of lockdown in recent past.

Plug-n-Play.

My earlier non-stock Halogen Bulbs were 4300K in colour temp - so no issues there.

The LEDs however are between 4700K to 5300K.
As a result, I took the extra effort to (i) replace my parking/evening lights to a similar colour temp. (ii) adjust the x and y axis of my main beams to ensure that it falls within the factory and UNECE standards.

I would advise those who has plans to switch from standard halogens to non-standard bulbs (e.g. HIDs or LEDs) to make the extra effort in ensuring the light beam emitted from their vehicle falls within the standard parameters - so as to avoid being flagged by the authorities and MORE IMPORTANTLY, from blinding oncoming road users (causing discomfort and God-forbid, accidents).

TLDR: Be a responsible road-user and do the necessary homework before going for non-standard bulbs. Don't be an @$$ and irritate other road users.

This post has been edited by rompers: Jan 14 2022, 09:53 AM

RM 800 ~ 1K includes original parts and labour and everything else? If it is, then it seems reasonable.

By the way, if you are located in KL/Klang Valley, you could try getting a second opinion from Ming Wah Car Cooler. They are highly recommended by a lot of Forte Owners (from Facebook Groups).