SOME Summer Air Conditioning Tips

Hello. It's summer! I live in Las Vegas where summer is a serious matter. As I write this, we are looking forward to temps to hit 109* today. 

When we get this hot, I hear a lot of people come in and say that their A.C. is not cooling properly.  Trust me, All is working well.  There is a reason that your Air works great first thing in the morning or later at night. Maybe this will shed a bit of light on the big Air Conditioning Mystery. 

The Air Conditioner in your car is designed to cool the intake air about 15 to 20 degrees.  So, if you are 115 degrees outside, and the A.C. is pulling that air in, the best you can hope for is 95 to 100 degrees in the car. If you have good tint, you can look for a little better because you are not fighting solar heating as much. 

There are, in Kia products, several variations of air conditioning controls.

dual zone

Dual air allows the driver and passenger to set their comfort level individually on the driver and passenger side of the car. They can also be set for one universal temp. It also features an AUTO setting.

Single Zone

There is also a single / simple unit that allows for temp. and fan speed. 

The dual zone units also feature an AUTO button. This allows you to set a temperature that will remain constant. Much like your home heating a cooling units.

 Remember.  Just because you set it to 68, it will only cool the outside air 15-20 degrees. So, how do you cool it down even more?

dual zone / auto

There is a recirculation setting on all the A.C. units. You have seen it. It's the one with the arrow swooping around the car. 

This does exactly what it says it does. It recirculates the in-cabin air and continues to cool it 15-20 degrees at a time. So, when your 140 degree internal air is cooled to 125,  it will continue to cool it in a downward temperature spiral until the car is no longer a pizza oven.  You can run on recirculation all the time without really doing any harm to the system. you need to be patient with your A.C. system.  It can only do what it can do. 

As part of your spring prep for summer, have your A.C. checked. Especially in older cars.  There are do it yourself recharge systems available, but unless you really know what you are doing, I would let a pro check it. Only because the money you save doing it yourself can quickly become a couple of thousand dollars if you screw it up.  (I know from experience)

A.C. units have become smaller and a lot more efficient in that last 10 or so years.  There is very little vampire effect (bogging) in the new units, and if kept serviced will freeze you out. 

Hope this has helped. Stay cool. (The heat can bring out the worst in people. So keep your temper as cool as you car as you drive around in this heat!!)

Remember, you can always ask a question by commenting here, or e mail me at cashatkia@gmail.com.  

Thank you Bobbett who I work with who always has the answers!!

Have A Kia DAY!

The Kia NIRO Hybrid. A different driving experience.

The Kia Niro is our latest addition to the Kia line.  It has been available for a few months now, and is a huge seller.  At 48-52 MPG in town and 43-46 on the highway, it has the attention of the hybrid driving community. 

It's the first fully dedicated crossover hybrid. Has tons of cargo space, and is not hard to look at.  

There are a lot of Hybrids out there. Right now most manufacturers have a hybrid on the market. What makes ours so special? Glad you asked.  

For one thing, the Niro has the Kia 10 year 100,000 mile warranty that also cover the hybrid battery. That's HUGE. It also features luxury appointments like leather, sunroof, intelligent navigation (which reads the future terrain and adjusts the charging process for optimum MPG's) lane change departure warning, smart cruise, blind spot indicator, rear camera, Android Auto (r) and apple Carplay (r) and a whole host of other cool stuff for a price tag lower than the less equipped competitors. But, enough with the ad..(lol) let's talk about the difference between a Hybrid and a non Hybrid. 

A Hybrid runs on both gas engine and electric power. (This is not an EV car, or a plug in). The engine charges the hybrid batteries, then the batteries take over, mostly in city traffic. When it runs on battery power, the gas engine is shut down.  Driving a Hybrid is an experience you have to get used to. You may be at a red light and the engine will suddenly quit. Normal.  The other thing you have to get used to is when you start the car, the engine may or may not start (depending on the battery charge) It's a little strange at first, but once you know the signs that the Hybrid power is on, it's like being in stealth mode. (Could have used it back when we were in high school and late for curfew). 

Or course, the thing that is a pleasure to get used to is the 50 MPG that the Niro provides!! True, it is not a muscle car. But, it will pass a lot more gas stations that most. 

For more info, feel free to email me at   cashatkia@centurylink.net, or come on into Jum Marsh Kia in Las Vegas. 8555 West Centennial. 702*946*1000  Ask for "CASH"

Have a Kia Day

Changing your thermometer from C to F or visa versa

I had a customer come in today who needed help changing his thermometer on the instrument panel from C to F.  He had no idea why it changed.  (He was messing around with is reset button and it will be clear when I explain).

It's a simple procedure.  If you want to change from Celsius to Fahrenheit or visa versa,  scroll your menu to the RANGE reading (distance to empty) and then hold the reset button for 5 or 6 seconds.  The temperature reading will change. That's all there is to it.  Useful for all those road trips to Canada or Mexico! :-)

Have a KIA Day!

Using your HOMELINK system (Video)

If you look at your rear view mirror, you might see a series of buttons. If you see this, you have HOMELINK in your Kia. This allows you to program gates and garage doors to your mirror rather than having them hanging on your sun visor, freeing them up for other cars.  Rather than trying to explain all the ways to program your HOMELINK, I am going to just let Homelink explain in their training video.

https://youtu.be/qSe_Yhez-ro


As always, if you have any questions you can e mail me any time at  cashatkia@centurylink.net

or if you are in the Las Vegas Area, feel free to stop in at Jim Marsh Kia 8555 W. Centennial 89149

(702)946-1000

Have a Kia Day

How do I play CDs in my new Kia that does not have a CD player??

Good Question

Many cars on the market are doing away with CD players. Many people opt to stream music from a service such as Pandora. You also have the option of XM radio and, of course, MP3 files on a thumb drive, which is what this is about.

You will notice that your Kia has a USB port in the front of the center console. This is a trickle charge for your phone, but also serves as a USB Data port for MP3 files on a thumb (Flash) Drive.

Get your favorite CDs and load them to your computer. In Windows they will save in Media Player as a WAV file. These can not be played through your system.  You must first convert them to an MP3 format. There are several conversion programs out there. Just google WAV to MP3.  After that, just move the MP3 file to the flash drive (drag and drop) and there ya go.  You can put hundreds of songs on a 8 or 16 Gigabyte flash. They are small, and portable. Play your MP3 files by putting the flash drive in the USB port in your car and then go to the MEDIA setting and it will pull the music up. 

KIA ... LX/EX/SX/SXL ..WHAT'S WHAT!

Ok, So I will ask customers when they come in for a Kia Vehicle, "are you looking at an Lx, Ex or Sx?"  Many of them know already because, after all, the internet is a wealth of information. 

For those who are not in the know, here is what the different designations mean.

LX /GDI /FE  are designated as the lower end of the scale.  (I detest using the term 'base model' as it brings up connotations of manual windows, stick shift and am/fm radio. Actually our LX models are more about affordability thank trying to strip a lot of creature comforts.  All Kias come with bluetooth connectivity, am/fm/xm radio. many with CD players, although these days, CD players are going the way of cassette players as most folks listen to streamed media. but that's another blog....The typical LX model has upgraded cloth interior, cruise control, many have back up cameras, power driver's seats and of course all of them come with the Kia 10 year / 100,000 mile drive train coverage and the 5 year/60,0000 manufacturer coverage as well as 5/60,000 roadside assistance. 

EX models have a few more goodies, usually an upgrade to leather interior, sunroof options, navigation and upgraded stereo options, some feature upgraded engine size options (like on the Soul you go from a 1.6 to a 2.0 litre engine) ... Technology package options and more. 

The SX / SX limited will feature all the upgrades that are  are available including heated and cooled seats, electronic parking brake, some models have the heads up display, smart cruise, chrome package (SXL) and upgraded NAPPA Leather interior. 

I happen to drive a Kia Cadenza (K7) which is fully loaded, but one step below the SXL.  I grew up with Mercedes, Audi and Volvo. All amazing cars.  My Cadenza is my favorite car out of all the cars I have ever owned.  Euro Luxury without the Euro Luxury price or cost of ownership.

Remember, you can always get ahold of me at Jim Marsh Kia in Las Vegas. (702) 946-1000. Ask for Cash.

Also, you can e mail me at cashatkia@centurylink.net
I will be happy to address your questions!

Thanks and have a Kia Day!

Allow me to introduce myself....I am a Kia Product Specialist

Hello Fellow Kia Owners.  Allow me to introduce myself to you.  My name is Ron Twist. They call me Cash. (Having something to do with the fact that I am also a singer who tributes Johnny Cash, but that's another day) 

I am the Certified Product Specialist at Jim Marsh Kia in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

I am offering this blog to Kia owners who have questions about anything and everything Kia.  I will post tips on how to.....whatever.  From programming your Bluetooth to activating your UVO system.  I will be posting short videos as well explaining different systems. 

The Kia Lineup is amazing. Technology is advancing quickly so I will try to keep you up on it.  We will discuss the new Niro, Sedona Van, Sorento SUV, Optima, Optima Turbo, Forte, Soul, Rio, Sportage, and of course the amazing K900.  And we also are very excited about the new Kia STINGER GT coming this fall. 

I open this up to you to submit questions about anything involving our kia.  I have a vast network of resources.  I sell the product, and have for 5 years.  My whole family drives Kias, and trust me....they aren't what they used to be. They are a JD powers #1 pick and having Peter Schryer from Audi as a head designer does not hurt. 

So feel free to submit questions to be answered on this blog. Many people have the same questions you do.  You can submit here in the comments, or you can email questions to
                           cashatkia@centurylink.net

Remember, if you are in the Vegas Area, Jim Marsh Kia is #1 in Nevada. 

Have a great day!