A Word about General Maintainance

Believe it or not, a lot of people think that you buy a car and drive it.  Yes, but remember, like YOU, your car needs more than food. (fuel). It occasionally needs to go in for a routine physical. 

Any car you buy, be it a Kia or any other brand will give you in excess of 100,000 miles as long as you take care of it.  At the end of the day, most cars are built pretty much the same.  Engine, Transmission, drive line.  What is put into the car as far as options, leather, Navigation, sunroof, bells and whistles and of course, badging adds to the price and prestige.  It does not matter if you are in a Kia or a Mercedes, if you don't take care of it, your car won't be worth a hoot. 

Here is a little story.  True.  A customer came into the service department with car in tow.  The customer told the service writer that the engine was frozen up, would not run, and they would like a new engine under the 10 year 100,000 mile drive train coverage. After all the car only had 28 thousand miles on it. 

The service department put it on the rack, and indeed the engine was shot.  They also noted that there was no oil in the engine, just goopy sludge.  When the customer was asked when they had their last oil change, they informed the service manager that they had never changed the oil because they were never told that it was something they needed to do.  Surely the oil light was on. The customer said they did not pay attention to it figuring it meant there was plenty of oil in the car.  Kia did not cover this repair and the customer was out almost 5,000.00 for a new engine. 

Kia recommends oil changes every 7,000 miles to stay within coverage. We always tell people here at Jim Marsh 3-5,000 just to be sure.  DO IT!!

Tires should be rotated every other oil change, and DO your 15, 30 and 60,000 mile full service. It may cost you 5 or 600.00 to do, but will save you 4 or 5 times that if something goes bad. Cars have become very complicated. Several computer systems, sensors and gobs of electronics. 

With proper service you will get 200.000 plus miles out of our Kia. 

Remember you can always contact me at  cashatkia@centurylink.net

or if you are in the Las Vegas area, come by Jim Marsh Kia, 8555 W. Centennial, Las Vegas and 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

Updating the GPS SD CARD in your Kia

I was asked if the dealership has updates for the navigation system in your Kia.  If your Kia has an SD Navigation card, it is best to just update from your PC onto the SD card that has your mapping on it.  I go to http://www.kia-gpsmap.us and enter the year and model.  The download runs about $149.00 US for the update.  (The new loaded card is about twice that cost).  Just follow the directions on the site.

The trend now is getting away from onboard navigation and is steering toward smartphone hard links (Apple Car Play / Android Auto). The advantage to this is that the mapping is from your phone direct to the screen and the maps are always current.  They work as well or better than the old onboard navigation system and there is no charge for updates.

I have not found any site yet that will let you download the navigation update for free. Sorry.

Advanced Smart Cruise Control

Once, a thing for Ultra High End cars, Kia now offers Advanced Smart Cruise control.  Kia has allowed me to use some of their video presentations to go into depth about certain features.  Smart Cruise Control is one.  It allows you to 'pace' the car in front of you, and adjusts your speed according to the speed of the car in front of you.  Take a minute and check out the video


Remember, You can always contact me at   cashatkia@centurylink.net or at Jim Marsh Kia, Las Vegas. 

Copy and paste this link
https://youtu.be/AlZX8dU9dZI

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. 

Help! My 2017 Sportage gas door won't open!!

Thanks for the question.  Eventually, this person figured it out.  

To open the 2017 Kia Sportage gas cap door, you press it and it will spring open.  HOWEVER, when the car is locked, so is the gas door.  You must first unlock all the doors on the vehicle (two presses of the remote or use the door unlock switch on the driver's door.  

Remember, all the kia engines run fine on regular unleaded.  If you have a turbo, mid grade is a good idea.  The K900 runs best on 91 octane, and that is recommended. 

Have a GREAT Kia Day!

SMART KEY TIPS

If you purchased a Kia Ex or SX model, chances are you have a smart key. A smart key is a key that you never have to remove from your pocket or purse to have access to unlocking the doors and starting the car. There are several styles depending on the model.  

The way these work is simple. A sensor in the car reads the key. It must be within 18 inches of the car in order for the car to read it.  You will notice a button on the door handle of the car. With the key in your pocket or purse, and the car locked, press the button one time to unlock the driver's door, twice to unlock all the doors. When leaving the car, press the button once to lock the car. 

Once inside the car, place you foot on the brake pedal and push the start button. Note the key MUST BE IN THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR in order for the car to start. 

You will also notice a button the the key fob that releases a hard key. In the event of a dead battery, you can use this key to unlock the driver's door (check the door handle. You will see a slot at the bottom rear that allows you to remove a cover to access the key hole). 


The smart key will not allow you to lock the car if the keys are left in it. It will also beep at you if you leave the car running and walk away. 

The buttons are pretty simple.  To the right is a Sedona Van key. Top to bottom. Lock, unlock, left and right power sliding doors, power tailgate and the red "I lost my car in the Wal Mart parking lot" button.

These keys cost a lot so don't lose them. They contain a battery that can be replaces if the fob fails to work properly. 

This key is considered a theft deterrent/ engine disability device to many insurance companies. Let them know you have a smart key.

Remember, you can always e mail me with questions at 'cashatkia@centurylink.net', or if you are in the Las Vegas Area, come see me at Jim Marsh Kia, 8555 West Centennial, Las Vegas. Ask for "Cash" and I will be happy to help you. 

Have a GREAT Kia Day

Smart Trunk / Tailgate on your Kia

Your new Kia Forte S, Optima  EX / SX, Sportage SX, Cadenza, Sorento EX / SX, Sedona EX and above and k900 feature the Kia Smart Trunk.  Standard on the Cadenza and K900 and an option on the rest.  

Your dealership may or may not have activated it prior to delivery. The easiest way to check it out is to lock your car, walk away from it for a minute and then go stand about a foot behind it.  If you have smart trunk / tailgate, you will hear three beeps along with tail light flashing, and a 4th beep that will either release the trunk (on the Forte, Optima and Cadenza, or lift the power tailgate on the Sportage, sorento and Sedona that is equipped with the feature). 

menu button

If nothing happens, this does not mean that you don't have the feature, it means it's not activated.  Get in the car and start it up.

Go to the Menu button on the steering wheel and press until you get to the USER SETTINGS Screen

user settings  / Door / OK

Now scroll down until you see DOOR
Press OK 

Scroll down until you see SMART TRUNK (Or GATE)

smart trunk / OK

Check the box by pressing OK then exit the screen by pressing the menu button on the steering wheel again. 

Get out of the car, lock it, walk 20 - 40 feet from vehicle, wait about 30 seconds.  Now go stand behind the vehicle and see if it works. Remember, the car needs a minute to arm the smart trunk, that's why you need to walk away from the vehicle. 

Also, remember not ALL Kias come with this feature. If it's not in the user settings, you don't have it.

Remember, you can always contact me with questions at cashatkia@centurylink.net

OR, if you are in the Las Vegas area, come see me at Jim Marsh Kia. 8555 West Centennial.  

Have a KIA day!

UVO E-SERVICES in your Kia

In your new Kia, you might notice it comes with UVO E-Services. First of all, UVO stands for "Your Voice".  So lets start with that.  Your entertainment system and navigation is voice command friendly.  When you press the voice prompt, it will ask you to Please Say a Command .  WAIT FOR THE BEEP and say something like "Serious channel 56" Or "FM one oh two point 5"  If you are listening to a CD you can tell it what track to listen to.  

You can use it for your phone by telling it who to call. Keep in mind that you must use names in your phone directory as they are entered. So if your nick name for your spouse in your phone is "muffy" you have to tell it to "Call Muffy" then follow the prompts.  You can also say "Dial 555-555-1212" and it will dial the number.  You can ask it for call history and it will show you your last calls. 

In Navigation mode, you can say "Find address in (whatever state you are in) ..." When prompted, you can just say the number, street and city, and it will do the rest. ALWAYS WAIT FOR THE BEEP WHENEVER DOING ANY VOICE COMMAND. And NO, you can not change the prompt girl's voice, You CAN shut her off in the settings screen though. Remember, talk to her like a 4 year old.  She is not SIRI. 


Now we come to UVO e-Services.  This is a free service that Kia provides.  You need a smart phone with the UVO app. (go to apple store or Play store and download my uvo. It's the RED one.



Then go online to MYUVO.COM and register. Pretty Simple.  You will have to know which screen you have, so take a picture of your screen in the car to match up. Simple.  Again, this is a free service that features one touch to roadside assistance, one touch call to KIA for questions, self diagnostics so if you get a check engine light, it will tell you what it is, send an e mail to your chosen Kia dealership so they know what is wrong with the car before you bring it in, Parking Minder, which sends a location signal to your phone and gives you directions back to your car. Useful for BIG BIG parking areas.  My Car zone allows you to keep track of where the kids went. A Little big brotherish, but hey, who is making the payments here??

Remember, you can program up to 5 phones into your bluetooth system.  We also are featuring Android Auto and Apple Car Play in our vehicles. We will cover this in another blog.

Remember, If you are in the Las VEgas area, Stop in to Jim Marsh Kia, 8555 West Centennial. Ask for me, Ron "CASH" Twist and let me help you.  You can e mail comments or questions to cashatkia@centurylink.net. 

Have a GREAT 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!