Do new Ka's suffer from ingress of water?

melbury

I have decided to look for a replacement for my ten year old Ka, which is developing various annoying faults (as posted on here), as it really is not worth paying to get them fixed.

There seem to be some terrific deals around on 63 and even 14 plate Ka's at the moment and I am very tempted.

However, my existing Ka suffered from ingress of water at about 18 months old and I had a hell of a time getting it resolved - was told that this is only covered for the first year of the warranty and not after. It was a very long and stressful process.

I just could not stand to have another nearly new car with sopping wet carpets and full of condensation.:mad:

My OH thinks I am being totally paranoid and that not every Ka made lets water in.......

Any experiences / views greatly appreciated.

I wonder if other manufacturers - like Kia, Suzuki, Skoda etc exclude ingress of water from their warranties. Does anyone know?

Must say I quite like the look of the new Kia Picanto, especially with the 7 year warranty.

barbiedoll

I've got a 13 plate Kia Picanto and I love it. I've not had any water issues (apart from when it rains and I have the window open!)

Don't get the 1litre though, go for the 1.2, it will have a bit more power. I only really use mine around town so I don't need loads of power but it would be nice to have a bit more acceleration, especially on slight hills/slopes.

If you need to cart loads of stuff around in your car, the boot of the Kia is small, you'll only get 3-4 bags of shopping in it. The fuel economy is not as great as advertised, I'm lucky to get 40mpg out of mine,but I do lots of short journeys every day and I spend a lot of time stuck in traffic.

They look quite good now and they are getting more popular, I guess the 7 year warranty is luring the buyers in. Let us know what you decide!

daveyjp

Toyota don't, which is a good thing as the Aygo we had leaked like a sieve.

The new Ka is actually a Fiat and a colleague is finding out this isn't a good thing.

colin79666

I haven't heard any particular complaints about the new Ka leaking but the Ford warranty is still rubbish - only covering leaks during the first year.

You don't see at the many Ka's on the road these days, probably because the new model isn't that great compared to similar sized vehicles from other marques. Kia and Hyundai have really come on leaps and bounds and have better offerings. Suzuki aren't bad either and tend to be reliable. The new Citroen C1 looks a good bit more substantial than the outgoing model but you won't get 2nd hand cars yet. The Skoda Citigo gets good review but holds its value being a VW group car.

melbury

barbiedoll wrote: »

I've got a 13 plate Kia Picanto and I love it. I've not had any water issues (apart from when it rains and I have the window open!)

Don't get the 1litre though, go for the 1.2, it will have a bit more power. I only really use mine around town so I don't need loads of power but it would be nice to have a bit more acceleration, especially on slight hills/slopes.

If you need to cart loads of stuff around in your car, the boot of the Kia is small, you'll only get 3-4 bags of shopping in it. The fuel economy is not as great as advertised, I'm lucky to get 40mpg out of mine,but I do lots of short journeys every day and I spend a lot of time stuck in traffic.

They look quite good now and they are getting more popular, I guess the 7 year warranty is luring the buyers in. Let us know what you decide!

Thanks for all of the information. I was looking at the 1.0 litre engine because I am really looking for economy. However, 40mpg if you are lucky doesn't sound very good:eek: I get about 43mpg out of my current old Ka.

I thought Picantos were meant to be super efficient and do about 60mpg??

melbury

colin79666 wrote: »

I haven't heard any particular complaints about the new Ka leaking but the Ford warranty is still rubbish - only covering leaks during the first year.

You don't see at the many Ka's on the road these days, probably because the new model isn't that great compared to similar sized vehicles from other marques. Kia and Hyundai have really come on leaps and bounds and have better offerings. Suzuki aren't bad either and tend to be reliable. The new Citroen C1 looks a good bit more substantial than the outgoing model but you won't get 2nd hand cars yet. The Skoda Citigo gets good review but holds its value being a VW group car.

Actually now you mention it there don't seem to be that many new shape Ka's on the road, so presumably there is a reason for that.

I have looked at the Up, Citigo, Mii trio but they are rather expensive, even for the most basic model.

Suzuki Alto's seem quite reasonable, but don't have fantastic reviews. The C1, Aygo and 107 trio although quite economical, also have quite a lot of reported problems with water ingress:eek:

Hyundai i10 sounds quite good but not keen on the old shape. However, if they were flogging them off at a good price I may be tempted, but they are not, which is strange as that shape is now obsolete.

I liked the sound of the Kia with the seven year warranty, but the lady who posted above says she is lucky to get 40mpg.

justjohn

our son is learning to drive, we were looking at used KA. there were a high percentage either rusting around the back wiper and or at the petrol filling hatch. I believe there is actually a kit to sort the rusting at the filler hatch.


Ended up buying a 2000 plate saxo with no rust at all!! lol

Nodding_Donkey

Wow, most people I know that have had a Ka say never again!

I've never heard of anyone getting a second one

melbury

Have to say that once the water ingress problem was sorted out my Ka has been very reliable, but then I don't drive it that far - only about 20 miles per day. It is a 54 plate and has only done 47,000 miles, so I am sure a mechanically minded person could sort out the few "niggles" it has developed quite easily. Inside it is immaculate, but outside does have the usual rust around the petrol cap, which doesn't look too bad since I painted over it with touch up paint:)

However, I suppose the bottom line is that it would be worth next to nothing as a trade in.

Will keep on looking...........

barbiedoll

As I said, most of my driving is in traffic and I visit people in their homes as part of my job so I am doing lots of small journeys and stop/start driving (I drive around SE London all day, I spend half of my life sitting at traffic lights!)

I'm also quite a new driver so I daresay I don't drive as economically as I should. I do have the "Eco" setting on my mileometer, which tells me when to change gear (!)....I do find that if I change up a gear when it tells me to, the car struggles a little, I can't do 4th at less than 30mph and pulling away in 2nd is not a good idea if I want a quick getaway.

The Kia forums are a good source of info, there are lots of impartial reviews on there. I still love my Kia, I'm no boy racer but it's nippy around town and my MPG is gradually getting better!