2016 Soul EV+ Battery Replacement - Remanufactured?

[FLKiaEV]

I look forward to the day when batteries have advanced to the point where they can be charged at any time and to any SOC without degrading. And if that same battery can do so 10 times faster than current technology, all the better! There are several concepts being tested behind the scenes - solid state, graphene, sodium-based formulations, etc - that I hope can come to market within the next 5 years or so. Sodium-based batteries are especially tantalizing because sodium is EXTREMELY abundant around the world.

[FLKiaEV]

So.... I recently got in contact with Kia Consumer Relations and they have confirmed that my battery pack is no longer pending arrival at the port, which means that it is definitely inside the US and is either on its way to the warehouse to be quality tested or is already there. Then it will go to the dealership to be installed. After waiting since November 26th of 2021 I am super excited to finally be getting my car back!

[FLKiaEV]

Another update! Kia called me Wednesday August 3rd to inform me that the battery pack has left the warehouse (after being tested 'ok') and is on the way to the dealership. I *SHOULD* be hearing from the dealership in "5 to 10 days" saying that my vehicle is ready to be picked up. The 26th of this month would have been *9 MONTHS* waiting for that battery pack. Apparently, according to my Kia case worker, the average before the world went to heck was about 2 months from drop off at the dealership to picking it up completed.

[FLKiaEV]

UPDATE!!!

After an eternity of waiting (since November 26th of 2021, nearly nine months ago) my local Kia dealership called me to inform me that my vehicle was ready to be picked up! I mentioned that the 12 volt battery and the tires were probably both flat since it had been nearly 9 months and they assured me that everything was ready to go (foreshadowing...)

So I immediately drove the loaner rental back to the rental car company and they drove me to the Kia dealership to pick up my car. By the way, I asked if they were allowed to tell me how much the rental cost was for the dealership. The lady told me it was just over $11,000!

So I get there and check in and it takes us 10 minutes to find the vehicle. For some reason they didn't have it ready to go in a visible spot near the front since it was ready to be picked up. When we found it, I went to start it and nothing happened. I noticed that even the interior light didn't come on so I knew the 12 volt battery was totally dead. So they brought out a little recharge thing and charged it up just enough to start the vehicle and then I was on my way.

On the way home I noticed there was a little bit of a vibration but nothing major. When I got back to my house I took a close look at the tires and could clearly see that the tires had been completely flat for so long that they actually had indentations in them even though they were fully inflated. Unbelievable.

Anyways, I'm just happy to have my car back and I'm happy to report that right off the bat my range is showing over a hundred miles. This is more than I've ever seen since I bought the car, used, in 2020.

[ksoul2084]

UPDATE!!!

After an eternity of waiting (since November 26th of 2021, nearly nine months ago) my local Kia dealership called me to inform me that my vehicle was ready to be picked up! I mentioned that the 12 volt battery and the tires were probably both flat since it had been nearly 9 months and they assured me that everything was ready to go (foreshadowing...)

So I immediately drove the loaner rental back to the rental car company and they drove me to the Kia dealership to pick up my car. By the way, I asked if they were allowed to tell me how much the rental cost was for the dealership. The lady told me it was just over $11,000!

So I get there and check in and it takes us 10 minutes to find the vehicle. For some reason they didn't have it ready to go in a visible spot near the front since it was ready to be picked up. When we found it, I went to start it and nothing happened. I noticed that even the interior light didn't come on so I knew the 12 volt battery was totally dead. So they brought out a little recharge thing and charged it up just enough to start the vehicle and then I was on my way.

On the way home I noticed there was a little bit of a vibration but nothing major. When I got back to my house I took a close look at the tires and could clearly see that the tires had been completely flat for so long that they actually had indentations in them even though they were fully inflated. Unbelievable.

Anyways, I'm just happy to have my car back and I'm happy to report that right off the bat my range is showing over a hundred miles. This is more than I've ever seen since I bought the car, used, in 2020.

Congratulations!

I have to say that after dealing with a large Toyota service shop for 15 years my experiences with KIA service has been miserable. Lack of knowledge, lack of customer care, charge to you 1 hour labour to confirm what you told the the problem was when you brought it in, something that would take them 10 mins on a lift, etc. etc.

[FLKiaEV]

Yeah, they need to improve this drastically if they want people to trust their EVs going forward. I totally love mine but their dealership customer service needs some work. That being said, last year when I brought my car because of a failed on-board charger to Wallace Kia in Stuart Florida - over 100 miles from my house but the closest EV certified Kia dealership at the time - they were everything that City Kia was not.