I bought a used 2019 Niro EV last month (12k miles) and couldn't be happier with the car so far. The one concern I have going forward is what to do in the event that I need warranty service for a recall or some other issue, because nobody near me will service it for anything beyond rotating the tires.
I live in Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) where Kia doesn't sell any EVs. I bought the car from a dealership in Ohio that also doesn't sell new EVs, but did have a used one, and told me that they have EV-certified techs on staff, and that a lot of dealers in other areas probably do as well.
It turns out that these are claims I should have dug into further, because, while it's true that many Kia dealers do have EV-certified techs, what really matters is whether the dealership is certified by Kia to do warranty repairs, and finding out which ones fit this criteria is very difficult After a whole lot of phone calls to Kia Consumer Affairs, it seems that my nearest one that fits this criterion is well over 100 miles away, which isn't great.
Basically, what I'm finding is that dealers that don't sell EVs new don't service them, and for some reason, Kia doesn't sell EVs in PA, which is a CARB state, but does in Virginia, which I don't think is. My local Kia dealer was happy to do my state inspection and will do routine maintenance that any NTB type place will, but beyond that, says that they won't do any warranty service, even if it doesn't involve the drivetrain. So basically there's no reason for me to take it to the dealer at all.
I asked Kia Consumer Affairs what I should do in the event of a problem that requires service. They said that they would pay for towing to an EV-certified shop, but that if they determine it's not covered under warranty, I could be on the hook for towing it back to me, and I'm guessing that would be pretty expensive.
After doing a search here (one that I should have clearly done before I bought the car) I found this thread, which details some similar experiences people have had in areas where Kia isn't selling EVs. Reading these posts does not inspire confidence that I will be happy if I need service in the future, but since it's been over a year, I figured I'd just ask around here to see if anyone else has been through a similar situation, or if EV-certified shops are starting to pop up in new areas. I'm sure the pandemic has slowed things down, but does anyone see any cause for hope here?
I live in Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh) where Kia doesn't sell any EVs. I bought the car from a dealership in Ohio that also doesn't sell new EVs, but did have a used one, and told me that they have EV-certified techs on staff, and that a lot of dealers in other areas probably do as well.
It turns out that these are claims I should have dug into further, because, while it's true that many Kia dealers do have EV-certified techs, what really matters is whether the dealership is certified by Kia to do warranty repairs, and finding out which ones fit this criteria is very difficult After a whole lot of phone calls to Kia Consumer Affairs, it seems that my nearest one that fits this criterion is well over 100 miles away, which isn't great.
Basically, what I'm finding is that dealers that don't sell EVs new don't service them, and for some reason, Kia doesn't sell EVs in PA, which is a CARB state, but does in Virginia, which I don't think is. My local Kia dealer was happy to do my state inspection and will do routine maintenance that any NTB type place will, but beyond that, says that they won't do any warranty service, even if it doesn't involve the drivetrain. So basically there's no reason for me to take it to the dealer at all.
I asked Kia Consumer Affairs what I should do in the event of a problem that requires service. They said that they would pay for towing to an EV-certified shop, but that if they determine it's not covered under warranty, I could be on the hook for towing it back to me, and I'm guessing that would be pretty expensive.
After doing a search here (one that I should have clearly done before I bought the car) I found this thread, which details some similar experiences people have had in areas where Kia isn't selling EVs. Reading these posts does not inspire confidence that I will be happy if I need service in the future, but since it's been over a year, I figured I'd just ask around here to see if anyone else has been through a similar situation, or if EV-certified shops are starting to pop up in new areas. I'm sure the pandemic has slowed things down, but does anyone see any cause for hope here?