No Proof of Maintenance

[EricNH]

Now I'm looking at a 2017 Soul EV base off a 3 year lease. Cold weather car. Very good condition 15,000 miles. Battery showing 94 miles of range. Car Fax doesn't list any maintenance. Does list registration, inspections, etc. If previous owner did the tire rotations and checked fluids themselves, there is no proof.

Should that give me a reason to hesitate? Hate to have the battery warranty voided four years down the road if battery reaches %69.

 

[IanL]

In the UK, KIA like to have the maintenance done by their dealers, which I believe results in data entry into their central database. But by law, they have to accept evidence from independent repairers. However, I believe some of the maintenance requires the use of KIA test equipment, or maybe some specialised test equipment that can emulate it. Not sure about other countries. Perhaps you could enquire of KIA whether they regard the car as having been correctly maintained, and therefore that the warranty is valid?

 

[vtec26]

What maintenance would you have expected?

I have a car at the end of the 3 yr lease and I've not once done maintenance. No oil to change, no transmission to check, no engine air filter to change, even brakes are not used much with regen. You mentioned checking fluids, the only fluids needing to be checked are brake, windshield wiper fluid, and power steering. All are super simple for DIY and even if neglected won't cause major problems. The only thing I've done is change tires and add windshield washer fluid, neither of which would so up as maintenance.

 

[IanL]

In the UK, the maintenance is scheduled annually. It is all pretty simple, as you said, but I think most owners go along with taking it to the dealer, and regard it as insurance (or protection) to maintain their warranty. It isn't cheap for what it is, but KIA have to keep the dealers happy - they don't make much on new car sales, so they look for maintenance for their revenues.

UK lease agreements usually insist on the manufacturers' maintenance schedules being performed, at pain of steep charges at the lease end, so that makes used leased vehicles a good buy.

 

[ksoul2084]

What maintenance would you have expected?

I have a car at the end of the 3 yr lease and I've not once done maintenance. No oil to change, no transmission to check, no engine air filter to change, even brakes are not used much with regen. You mentioned checking fluids, the only fluids needing to be checked are brake, windshield wiper fluid, and power steering. All are super simple for DIY and even if neglected won't cause major problems. The only thing I've done is change tires and add windshield washer fluid, neither of which would so up as maintenance.

There is also gear oil in the gear box where the axle meets the motor. It's supposed to be good for 160K I think, so not a usual maintenance item.

 

[Wizfinger]

Here in the Netherlands, KIA did make a point about having full maintenance history when I claimed warranty on my battery. My car was imported from Germany, so Kia Netherlands did not have any maintenance records.

It took them a while and they needed to contact Kia in Germany several times before the warranty claim was approved.

I asked them if they had to do this every time I want to claim something. They told me that no, for simple / cheap repairs they would agree quicker, but since a battery pack costs about $13,000 they had to rigorously check for maintenance history.

If there had been no history to be found, they would not have given me a new battery.

I don’t know if this is the same for Kia in the USA, but I would be careful if I were you.

 

[evsoulnow]

This is an old thread, but I thought I'd post interwisdom on maintenance in the USA in case someone else worries about it.

You can service your own car and keep the warranty. According to the Magnuson-Moss Warranty act, which is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, it's illegal for manufacturers or dealers to void your warranty or deny you coverage because you performed the work yourself.

Given the very little done in routine EV maintenance it would be hard for Kia to prove that any issues were result of lack of maintenance but a manufacturer can deny warranty if an otherwise covered failure is due to a lack of maintenance.

 

[Lithium]

Original Owner
"An Original Owner is defined as the first retail
purchaser or lessee of the Kia Vehicle who takes
delivery of the Kia Vehicle on its Date of First
Service. If the Kia Vehicle was first placed in service
as a lease vehicle, and the lessee purchases the
vehicle at the end of the lease, the 120
months/100,000 miles Power Train Limited
Warranty remains in effect. The Power Train
Limited Warranty is not transferable to subsequent
owners."

For those buying used. know this! you have basically 6 yr and 60K miles and possibly not 10yr 100k mi power train warranty. If you buy a used Soul with potential battery issues, don't trust... but verify what coverage if any you might get.

"Lithium-Ion Polymer Battery Capacity Coverage
The Lithium-Ion Polymer Battery (“EV Battery”)
Capacity warranty coverage period is 10 years or
100,000 miles from the Date of First Service,
whichever comes first, for capacity loss below 70%
of the original battery capacity. This warranty
covers repairs needed to return battery capacity to
70% of original battery capacity. If possible, the
EV battery components will be repaired or replaced,
and the original EV Battery will be returned to the
vehicle. If necessary, the EV Battery will be
replaced with either a new or remanufactured
Lithium-Ion Polymer Battery. Any repair or
replacement made under this Lithium-Ion Polymer
Battery Capacity Coverage may not return your
Lithium-Ion Battery to an “as new” condition with
the original 100% battery capacity. However, it will
New Vehicle Limited Warranty
provide the vehicle with an EV Battery capacity of
at least 70% of the original battery capacity. This
Lithium-Ion Battery Capacity Coverage is subject to
the exclusions listed under the section “What is Not
Covered.”

This says the Battery has 10 yr 100k, but I don't see the coverage listed as an exclusion after the transfer of first owner. Check with a Dealer. Any lawyers in here?

 

[cstepheng2016]

I thought I would add my experience in the US. I just bought a 2016 Kia Soul EV with 41K miles and had 2 previous owners. I was very worried about the battery the dealership I bought it from. which was not a Kia, had gotten a certificate from a local Kia dealership saying that the battery state of health(SOH) was 100%. The dealer alsosaid that the warranty would cover all subsequent owners. So I bought it.

Within the first days the battery had gone down to 47 miles range and I bought the OBD plus the Kia Soul Spy software to show that the SOH was actually more like 50%. Making the long story short after going to two other Kia dealers the dealership that sold it to me called their Kia dealership Which inspected it and honored the warranty. Not only that but they should have the replacement completed within 2 weeks.
I had been petrified that they wouldn't honor the warranty or that the replacement would take forever but having bought the car at the end of June, based on the Kia service manager confirming with me personally, I expect to have the car back Saturday July 15th