News

Oct 16, 2024

Car Doctor: Why is her Kia Optima so bad in snow?

Q: What are your thoughts regarding my wife’s 2013 Kia Optima EX and why it is such a poor performer in snow. It has stability control and traction control, however they seem not to work at all in

Q: What are your thoughts regarding my wife’s 2013 Kia Optima EX and why it is such a poor performer in snow. It has stability control and traction control, however they seem not to work at all in snow. In fact, the system seems to encourage right front wheel spin. The system does not shift to left front tire upon losing traction. I went to my dealer hoping they had some kind of software fix and received no help. They told me the system was working as designed. Kia told me there may be times that I need to shut off the traction-control system. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Jim M.

A: I have never driven a Kia Optima in the snow but did drive its corporate twin, the Hyundai Sonata, and had no problems. Regarding the traction and stability control, it is possible it is not working and the dealer should be able to test it.

Kia is right, there are times you might want to shut off the traction control — this would only be when you want to spin the wheels. Examples may be deep snow or when you need more engine power. In all of the weather I drive in and all the cars I drive, I don’t think I have shut off the traction control in a car more than a couple of times. Return to the dealer and ask if a Kia field engineer can come out and look at the car.

Branded oil filters

Q: I recently got into a discussion about oil filters and generally buy Fram or Purolator oil filters for the cars in my family. Generally, to save money, I buy filters from a big-box store. A friend of mine was telling me that he thought that the oil filters sold at the big-box stores are not as good as the same-name filter sold at a traditional auto-parts store. Is there any truth to this?

Jimmy S.

A: I put this into the same category as private-brand oil or any oil sold at mass merchandisers; as big as these companies are, they don’t refine their own oil. They buy this oil from someone else. The oil filters sold at these stores are exactly the same as the filters sold at a traditional auto-parts store. A short time back, I had an opportunity to speak with Jay Buckley, the director of training for Fram, who confirmed my thoughts. Readers, if you would like to listen to the interview with Buckley from my radio program, you can find my podcasts on iTunes or at johnfpaul.podomatic.com.

Buy a 10-year-old car?

Q: I’m doing some car shopping for a used car and I have a fairly limited budget. I have been shocked to see all of the 10- to 12-year-old cars for sale with 150,000 or, in some cases, even more miles on them. My question is: How long do cars last and is it a mistake to buy a 10-year-old car with 150,000 miles on it?

Warren K.

A: Today the average age of cars and trucks on the road is nearly 11 years old. We are seeing cars lasting longer than ever with many approaching 200,000 miles or more. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a 10-year-old used car.

The biggest piece of advice I can give you when buying any used car is to have it checked out by a qualified technician prior to buying it.

Cobalt blows blue smoke

Q. I have a 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt and the car is starting to burn oil. I actually see blue smoke when I accelerate hard. I just bought this car a few months ago. What do you think it could be? Is it possible this car is going to need an engine?

Shelly

A: The problem could be related to the misalignment of the oil baffle in the cam cover, which may allow higher-than-desired amounts of oil into the combustion chamber. The fix could be a new cam cover or intake manifold, depending on when the engine was built. There is a technical service bulletin that describes a very similar problem that I would investigate prior to considering any additional work.

Recallsnow common

Q: With all the attention to recalls lately, how is someone supposed to buy a car that is of good quality and won’t be subject to a recall?

Ruth S.

A: Just because a car is recalled doesn’t mean it is a lemon or otherwise a bad car. The best cars in the world are subject to recalls. In fact, in some cases a recall will help improve vehicle safety, as well as prolong vehicle life. One problem is that many owners choose not to bring their cars in to have recalls taken care of.

I believe we are seeing more recalls because vehicle manufacturers are being more forthcoming with problems than ever before. Recalls can happen at any time. To find out if your car has been recalled, go to nhtsa.gov. In addition, there is the new Safercar app from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that you can put on your smartphone to be quickly notified of recalls.

What about the Kia Forte?

Q: I am looking at small cars and I am thinking about the Kia Forte. My friends tell if I’m buying a small car I should only look at a Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic. Would you buy a Kia Forte?

Chris

N. Providence

A: When I road tested the Kia Forte this year, I thought the interior and overall quality were vastly improved from older models. The interior was very comfortable and quite spacious, and, depending on which engine you choose, the Forte can be quite peppy. In addition, unlike some other models, there is a hatchback version. The downside of the Forte is that compared with the Civic or Corolla, the fuel economy isn’t quite as good. My advice is if you like the Forte, buy one.

John Paul is the AAA Car Doctor (SM). He has over 30 years of experience in the automobile industry and is an ASE-Certified Master Technician. He will answer readers’ car repair and maintenance questions of general interest every Saturday. Write to Car Doctor, Features Department, The Providence Journal, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902. Or, email [email protected]. Be sure to put “Car Doctor” in the message field. Answers will appear in a future Cars section. Saturday mornings at 9, tune into John Paul The Car Doctor at wrolradio.com.