Who lives in a state where Kona EVs aren't sold?

[Bruce M.]

I'm weighing the possibility of an eventual move to a state where the Kona Electric isn't sold and wonder how much misery I might inflict on myself by going ahead, whenever the car needs service. I have emailed the nearest Hyundai dealer in area but have not heard back.

 

[AlopeX]

Yea it’s definitely a headache.

 

[Bruce M.]

Yea it’s definitely a headache.

Have local dealers been able to service your car?

 

[SeanH]

I'm weighing the possibility of an eventual move to a state where the Kona Electric isn't sold and wonder how much misery I might inflict on myself by going ahead, whenever the car needs service. I have emailed the nearest Hyundai dealer in area but have not heard back.

*raises hand*
They don't sell the Kona EV in PA. I bought mine in Cumberland, MD -- about 2 hours away. I located a car rental place a few doors down from the dealer. Rented a car, drove to Cumberland, dropped it off and someone from the dealership picked me up at the rental place. Bought the car, drove it home.
The EV part of maintenance has actually been less of a problem than just a crappy experience period. Maybe it would've been a better experience if they were more used to the EV. Maybe not.
My local Hyundai dealer is sort of crappy. Lots of recalls, no loaners. Everything takes all day. They have never successfully fixed my brakes that squeaked from day one. They have never acknowledged the playing-card-in-spokes sounds.
Apparently one of the other dealerships (that Mattsburgh goes to) is better, but not nearly as convenient for me. He also found out that one of the (even further) dealerships is the designated one for battery replacements, so maybe they are more comfortable.

About a year into owning the car, a deer ran into the side of it. The collision center attached to my local dealership fixed it no problem (plus they also fix a lot of Leafs).

The reality is that Hyundai gives the dealerships service manuals to update software, change coolant, and even do collision repairs, regardless of whether they sell the car here.

 

[Esprit1st]

I never had the car in an EV state. We lived in Oregon when I bought it, but we bought it in v and I drive it to Nevada where I was working at the time.

Shortly after we bought it we actually moved to Nevada. During COVID-19 we moved to New Mexico.

Nevada and New Mexico both are non-EV states.

I never had any big issue with the car (damage) but had several dealer visits for an unexplained warning sound, tire puncture, and several software updates. All of these issues were taken care of by non-EV-trained mechanics without any issues. All software updates were done within a couple hours by three different dealers (yay, COVID-19).

So I can't complain. However with the battery recall I don't know yet if I will accept the buyback offer, or replace the battery (if that's an option), and then where that replacement will happen.
I love EV road trips, so I might drive to CA for the replacement.

 

[Bruce M.]

*raises hand*
They don't sell the Kona EV in PA. I bought mine in Cumberland, MD -- about 2 hours away. I located a car rental place a few doors down from the dealer. Rented a car, drove to Cumberland, dropped it off and someone from the dealership picked me up at the rental place. Bought the car, drove it home.
The EV part of maintenance has actually been less of a problem than just a crappy experience period. Maybe it would've been a better experience if they were more used to the EV. Maybe not.
My local Hyundai dealer is sort of crappy. Lots of recalls, no loaners. Everything takes all day. They have never successfully fixed my brakes that squeaked from day one. They have never acknowledged the playing-card-in-spokes sounds.
Apparently one of the other dealerships (that Mattsburgh goes to) is better, but not nearly as convenient for me. He also found out that one of the (even further) dealerships is the designated one for battery replacements, so maybe they are more comfortable.

About a year into owning the car, a deer ran into the side of it. The collision center attached to my local dealership fixed it no problem (plus they also fix a lot of Leafs).

The reality is that Hyundai gives the dealerships service manuals to update software, change coolant, and even do collision repairs, regardless of whether they sell the car here.

Thanks, this is really helpful. The location I'm considering, alas, has only one Hyundai dealer anywhere at all accessible, so if they suck I'm stuck with them. Hopefully I won't need them much if I make the move.

 

[AlopeX]

Thanks, this is really helpful. The location I'm considering, alas, has only one Hyundai dealer anywhere at all accessible, so if they suck I'm stuck with them. Hopefully I won't need them much if I make the move.

You need to contact their service manager and get it through their brain that it’s an EV and get them to be ok with it. I’m currently trying a bunch of dealers for the recall and the process has been
“yes we can service it….wait nvm no we can’t…wait yes we can….maybe”

meanwhile the Kia dealerships in GA sell the niro EV so they have no issue servicing my Soul EV

 

[Kona Bill]

I'm weighing the possibility of an eventual move to a state where the Kona Electric isn't sold and wonder how much misery I might inflict on myself by going ahead, whenever the car needs service. I have emailed the nearest Hyundai dealer in area but have not heard back.

Hi Bruce,

I bought mine in CA and live in AZ (before mine, they had seen one at my local dealer). I’ve had no real issues. However, I’d do the following:
1) Don’t worry about service, all Hyundai dealers “should” be able to service the car. Most are more than capable of handling hybrids, it’s not a stretch for them to handle the Kona EV. My local dealer handles my car needs.
2) Have a dedicated 220 plug installed in a location that will be easily accessible (about $500-$600) and buy a Level 2 charger (about $350-$500) and have it ready for use when you bring the car home. The charger they supply with the car will give you about 2 mi./hr during charging and a Level 2 charger will give you about 7 mi./hr.
3) Be prepared for there to be recalls. I recently looked at all the EVs on Consumer Reports and every last one had at least one recall of some sort.
4) Enjoy the car. It’s a great EV.



Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

[ericy]

I'm weighing the possibility of an eventual move to a state where the Kona Electric isn't sold and wonder how much misery I might inflict on myself by going ahead, whenever the car needs service. I have emailed the nearest Hyundai dealer in area but have not heard back.

I asked a dealer in Delaware if they could service mine, and they said they could handle anything except for the power train. Which covers a good amount, actually.

 

[FloridaSun]

I'm weighing the possibility of an eventual move to a state where the Kona Electric isn't sold and wonder how much misery I might inflict on myself by going ahead, whenever the car needs service. I have emailed the nearest Hyundai dealer in area but have not heard back.

I'm in Florida and the closest state where Kona Electrics are sold is Maryland. NO issues.. My local Hyundai dealer has a certified technician who is trained on the all electric models. They told me that Hyundai is pushing all their dealers nationwide to do the training as they may soon get electric models..

 

[Christian Reading]

I live in Houston TX. Hyundai doesn't currently sell EVs in this state. I purchased a new 2019 Kona in New York in January 2021. I paid to have it delivered by truck. Had the Blink HQ EVSE installed before it arrived. Recall service at my local dealer have been smooth. I haven't seen other Kona EVs in the area.

The only issue I had buying out of state is that after 5 1/2 months the selling dealer hasn't registered the vehicle or sent me plates. I call regularly to follow up on the issue.

I bought a 2017 Ioniq out of Nebraska in April. It hasn't been to the dealer. I changed the gear oil myself at 75k miles as a preventative measure. There isn't much more maintenance to do on these EVs.

 

[ericy]

The only issue I had buying out of state is that after 5 1/2 months the selling dealer hasn't registered the vehicle or sent me plates. I call regularly to follow up on the issue.

A few years back, I bought a car from North Carolina and registered it in Virginia. Since the NC dealer wasn't close to the border, it wasn't their job to register the car in Virginia. They just gave me the bill of sale and some NC temporary tags and sent me on my way. I took that stack of paperwork to the Virginia DMV, had to pay the taxes and fees, and they then gave me the plates.

I bought my Kona in Maryland, and registered it in Virginia. But the Maryland dealer was just across the border, and it is quite normal for them to deal with Virginia registration.