Wrong Dip Stick

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Here’s the story of the Dip Stick

So, we got our Sedona back on a Friday after 59 days in the Elhart Kia service center because a technician stripped a bolthole in the engine block, which required the short block to be replaced. We’re excited. Let’s head on a day trip to that antique store on the north side of Grand Rapids. The mileage we put on the Sedona that weekend was about 160 miles.

Sunday night as we are getting ready to help a friend move into a new house, I hear this ticking sound coming from the engine compartment. I know this sound: My 18-year-old VW Passat wagon makes this sound when it’s low on oil.


So, I pop the hood on the Kia and pull the dip stick. There’s not a drop of oil on the stick. Ugh.


Did you notice how much that engine moved when I took it out of gear? Engine mount?
Do you see the missing trim clips? Well, lookie here, they were under the folded down 3rd row seat:

engine compartment trim clip/bolts

We promptly emailed Elhart Automotive ownership, management, and service about this gross oversight.

The next morning we were at the Elhart Kia service center with the Kia talking with the most ranking member —Frank S., who apparently is the service manager for Elhart Kia, Elhart GMC, Elhart Hyundai, Elhart Genesis, and Elhart Nissan. He’s very sympathetic to our plight. He assures us that it is a gross mistake, and he will personally make sure it gets fixed correctly.

As we drove the Kia that weekend we kept a log of everything that we found wrong. There’s a post about that in full
1. The check engine light is on
2. The air conditioning doesn’t work, new problem
3. The car was left outside as evidenced by bird poop and dirt/the inside stinks (see #6….gross)
4. THE HORN DOESN’T WORK
5. The lumbar function is broken (& has been in for repair twice)
6. Bird poop on dashboard and car door panels
7. Loose bolts and screws in the trunk
8. Missing bolts and screws
9. Finish (silver) peeling from start engine button
10. Bolt missing from top of gear shift

Jen got a call later on that same day, Monday, from Frank S. An explanation was given to us that the reason there was no oil on the dip stick was because it was the wrong dip stick. The Parts Department gave the wrong one to the Service Tech that was rebuilding/installing the new engine.

Ok, there may have been some oil in the engine, but obviously not enough to register on the dip stick. So, how could Frank S.’s explanation be correct? If it was the incorrect dip stick, it would be:

Too fat to fit in the dip stick tube
Too thin to fit snugly in the dip stick tube
Fit in the tube but too short
Fit in the tube but too long.

Let’s think this through. It obviously wasn’t the first because there was a dip stick in the tube. If the dip stick was too short, then it wouldn’t reach far enough down into the engine to measure the oil level —thus there would be no oil on the dip stick. If the dip stick was too long, then it would reach too far and the dip stick would register more oil than what was really in the engine.

Both of these last two should have alerted the Service Tech if they checked the oil with the dip stick. The Service Tech should have said, “Oh, I need to put more oil in” (if the dip stick was too short), or, “Oh s!!t, there’s too much oil in the engine” (if the dip stick was too long).

So, how about the last option —the dip stick was too thin. One would think that the Service Tech would have noticed that the dip stick just didn’t feel right when installing it, as I’m sure a qualified technician has put hundreds of dip sticks in their tubes.

Come on Frank S. Please don’t insult my intelligence with such a lame excuse. Corporate Kia said “that dip stick story sounds like a lame cover up for an oil problem.” (Kia representative Nicole.) To round out the dip stick issue, Frank S. again stated this issue on Tuesday, and said that the correct dip stick is currently in the Kia Sedona. Well, I walked to the Elhart Detail Center (pole barn on the back hill) and found the Sedona and popped the hood and low-and-behold, there wasn’t a dip stick installed.

At best, Frank S. is ill-informed.
At worst, he’s lying to our face.

Neither is a good answer nor does it instill any confidence in Elhart Kia Service.