6 Signs Your Kia Needs a New Car Battery

Cars are very resilient, but their parts can break down over time, and they require maintenance to stay in great shape. By getting all the right Kia service for your vehicle, you're ensuring you get the most value possible out of your car by helping it last for many years. You can get all the necessary types of service you need from your Kia dealer. more 1. Full Kia Service You need a full service every twelve months. A full service consists of numerous inspections and replacements for your vehicle. Parts such as the cooling system, throttle, parking brake, and engine are checked. Dozens of other components are also fully inspected. You also need a major service, too. This is performed every other year and is more comprehensive than full service. The technicians do everything they do during a full service, but they also examine more parts of your car and replace worn-down components such as the pedals, spark plugs, and brake pads. 2. Engine Diagnostic An engine diagnostic is typically performed when your vehicle's check engine light comes on. You can also ask the dealer to perform a diagnostic when you stop by for full service or other types of service throughout the year. During an engine diagnostic, the technicians use specialist equipment to scan your vehicle. If the check engine light is on, then the equipment will specifically scan the check engine light code to determine why this light has been activated. The test helps the technicians narrow down what kind of issues your car is having. For example, specific error codes that come up during the diagnostic may let the technicians know which system in your car is faulty. The technicians then manually investigate to figure out the exact issues your car has. 3. Tune-Up Getting regular tune-ups helps your car last longer and perform at its best. During a tune-up, the technicians typically check on all the wear-and-tear parts of your vehicle such as the belts and hoses. They also change fluids and filters that need to be changed. Any parts that have worn out, such as your spark plugs, wires, or ignition coils, are replaced. 4. Oil Change and Oil Filter Replacement Your vehicle's motor oil and oil filter need to be replaced at regular intervals. Most vehicles need an oil change after driving 5,000 to 7,500 miles, but this can vary, so check your owner's manual to see the recommendation for your Kia model. You'll typically need to stop by the dealer for an oil change twice a year. It's wise to get other forms of interim service, such as a tire rotation and battery check, at the same time as your oil change. Having issues with your car? Visit Bergstrom Kia of Oshkosh in Oshkosh, WI for service today.

The ignition coil is a small but essential part of your car's engine, generating the electrical power that allows each spark plug to ignite the fuel inside the cylinders. If your engine has lost power, started misfiring, or experienced any more of the following problems, a faulty coil might be to blame. Read on to learn when to head to your local Kia dealer to repair or replace a coil. more Your Engine Starts Sputtering and Shaking Misfiring is often the first symptom of a malfunctioning coil. As the coil fails to deliver a consistent flow of voltage to the spark plug, the plug fails to ignite the fuel. The resulting misfiring makes the engine vibrate and sputter, especially when driving at high speeds or idling. Your Car Struggles To Gain Speed Acceleration will become difficult with at least one bad coil. You may find it difficult to reach higher speeds on the highway. More alarmingly, you might also struggle to overtake other vehicles or accelerate quickly when crossing a busy intersection. Your Tailpipe Produces Smoke and Backfiring As a bad coil causes misfiring, unspent fuel will be collecting inside the combustion chamber. This unburned fuel eventually leaks back toward the tailpipe, where it can ignite and cause all kinds of problems. When this occurs, you're likely to hear backfiring and see smoke in the exhaust fumes. Your Fuel Efficiency Has Plummeted All these above problems lead to a far less efficient engine, meaning your gas mileage will drop sharply. You may be surprised at how rapidly the dashboard's fuel gauge swings toward empty. You Can't Start Your Car in the Morning Without a fully reliable supply of electricity, the engine may fail to start in the morning. Just one faulty coil is unlikely to prevent it from starting entirely, but at the least, you'll need to turn the key or press the starter button several times before the engine turns over. Your Check Engine Light Turns On The advanced sensors throughout your Kia are designed to detect problems such as a bad coil. Therefore, the first indication of a malfunctioning coil could be the check engine light appearing on your dashboard. An experienced technician can then diagnose the coil issue and promptly repair it. Your Kia Dealer Can Clean, Repair, or Replace a Bad Coil Depending on the manner and severity of the fault, a failing coil can be cleaned, repaired, or replaced. Whatever the solution, a coil malfunction is rarely a complex issue to resolve and your car should be running smoothly again in short order. Visit Bergstrom Kia of Oshkosh in Oshkosh, WI, today to have your engine repaired by courteous, experienced professionals. We offer first-rate vehicles, financing, maintenance, repairs, and customer care.

We all depend on our tires to get us where we need to go, but even the best tire will eventually wear out or become damaged. Worn or damaged tires reduce your control over your Kia, making accidents more likely. As your Kia dealer, we'd like to tell you a few signs you need to visit us for new tires. more Worn Tread Centers Tread wears down naturally due to friction with the surface, but excessive wear in the center of the tire tread is a sign your tires are overinflated. Your tires perform best and wear out slower if they're maintained at the correct tire pressure. The right pressure for your Kia's tires is listed in your car manual. Overinflated tires not only suffer more damage, but they're also dangerous to drive on. The air inside a tire heats up when driving due to friction. As the air gets hotter, the tire's internal pressure increases. An overinflated tire already has higher than normal pressure, which also stretches the tire's surface thinner. An overinflated tire is more likely to blow out, and this can cause a serious accident. We can correct the tire pressure and check your tires are still safe. Scalloped Tire Edges Scalloping or cupping is an odd wear pattern on the outer edges of the tread. It looks as if parts of the tread have been scooped out with an ice cream scoop at regular intervals. This type of damage is caused by a suspension problem or damaged shocks. The shocks are designed to absorb vibrations caused by driving over a surface and prevent your car from bouncing as you're driving. Damaged shocks don't absorb and dissipate these vibrations, and this causes sections of your tires to hit the surface harder than they should as the tires move more erratically. Worn shocks can also cause damage to many other components due to the increased vibrations that spread through your car. We'll replace​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ damaged shocks to give you a smoother ride and protect your tires. Bald Tires A bald tire is so severely worn down that its tread has almost completely disappeared. The surface of this type of tire looks smooth, and it's very dangerous to drive on. The lack of tread means the tire can't grip the surface, and this can cause it to skid if you drive through water or mud, as your car could hydroplane. Bald tires are more likely to suffer leaks as the rubber has worn thin. They are also illegal, and you could get a citation. We'll check your tire to confirm the diagnosis and can quickly replace it with a new one. Don't risk an accident. Visit our service center today at Bergstrom Kia of Oshkosh in Oshkosh, WI.