2007 Kia Carens [ARCHIVE]

[mqavila]

Thanks for the additional input, bro itlog (that really sounds weird... hehe)! Unfortunately, if ever I do choose the Carens, the CRDi EX AT will be out of my budget. I'll have to settle for the CRDi LX AT (even the CVVT EX AT is kinda out of my budget range), which is unfortunate because I would have loved to have roof rails, alloy wheels and fog lamps....

[master_chief711]

Wow, thanks so much for all of the replies to my concerns! I'm so glad that the people here are extremely helpful to even newbies like me.

At least I can say that despite the lone negative post about the Carens that I saw, my apprehensions about it have been laid to rest somewhat. In any case, I'll take my time to mull over everything before I finally decide. Would anyone know if there will be any price increases in the immediate future though?

last time i talked to our sales rep (around 3 weeks ago, nagpakabit kasi kami ng backing sensor eh, BTW, got our unit from Kia Libis), she said na there could be a price increase of 10% for the start of the year. Also, if you're planning to get one, try to get it as soon as possible, they're replacing the 2007 models with the 2008 ones, medyo may mga binawas (they were already displaying a 2008 model LX/AT at Kia Libis), although it shouldn't be a major change or anything, one thing that strikes me the most is the instrument panel, on the 2008 its black, on the 2007, its gray. Also, yung ceiling lights, toggle switch na, sa 2007 3 separate buttons (On, Door, Off), I find the 3 buttons easier to use. As for the foot brake (handbrake), wala na yung lever for release, you just have to step on it again to release it.

[itlog na pula]

mqavila, hehe... i must admit medyo weird feeling nga pero alam mo na dito, may lemon law nga pero di naman nila nae-enforce ng husto...

try to haggle the roof rails na rin into your quote. or you can pay extra for them. i was told, when i inquired sa kia new manila, they can locally install the roof rails themselves daw, along with the fog lamps. i heard some buyers added extra na lang for these stuff. parang P6k for the fog lamps pero don't know about the rails.

madali na lang yung mags later on.

[wavecxs]

lately, ang dami ko na nakikitang carens sa daan, so congrats sa mga bagong owners! sa mga nag-iisip pa well, just keep on researching and test driving (i had 3 test drives and more than a month of research before buying).

our carens is getting better each day, FC seems to have settled at 11 km/li (mix city/highway/slex traffic) with highs of 16km/li (late night driving along nlex) speed is 80-120 km/h, siguro mas matipid kung maintained at 85 yung speed, nakaka antok nga lang pag mabagal lang takbo.

nabasa ko dito yung nag post sa kia forum. I visit that forum too and the guy PMed me of his "trouble" with the carens. basically low ground clearance lang naman at "noisy engine" ang complain nya, pinahaba lang nya. i have a hunch he is comparing the engine noise to that of a gas sedan, unfair naman yun. ang masasabi ko, the carens is the most quiet among diesels I've driven (revo, highlander, trooper) yung ground clearance naman, we like it the way it is. About the "hingap ang makina" thing, I advise that guy to use the tiptronic shifter kasi baka naka 1st gear pa kahit 2K+ rpm na, plus I clarified his (NVH) espectation from a crdi engine, well... di na sya sumagot e. He stoped posting in the Kia forum too.

the carens/rondo has been getting positive reviews from just about any reviewer I've read so... it must be good!

[mqavila]

Bro pulang itlog, once again, thanks for your inputs. Thats actually a good idea - getting the LX but haggling for roof rails and fog lamps. I dont mind not getting the alloy wheels - it will make it easier for me to choose different wheels later on to further dress up the Carens (Uy, parang decided na... hehehe).

Last question for now (for everyone): within Metro Manila, which Kia sales & service center do you think I should go to? I live in Quezon City so I guess the ones that would be near enough for me to go to would be: Esguerra, Quezon Ave, Libis, Greenhills, New Manila. But of course, I would prefer going to the ones with the best promos and/or freebies.

[jds]

Any recommended dealer in the QC Area, near Mindanao Ave... Hopefuly they provide test drive. I'll be going home to Phils for a vacation next week hopefully can get a chance to test drive.
I read the reviews and feedback, pero iba pa rin kung ma-experience ko yung ride before making a decision.

Salamat in advance.

[crichton]

Any recommended dealer in the QC Area, near Mindanao Ave... Hopefuly they provide test drive. I'll be going home to Phils for a vacation next week hopefully can get a chance to test drive.
I read the reviews and feedback, pero iba pa rin kung ma-experience ko yung ride before making a decision.

Salamat in advance.

you can try KIA Novaliches ,PASIG or CUBAO. di ko lang alam sa ibang dealers pero sagana itong mga ito sa test drive. di mahirap magpa schedule.

[mqavila]

you can try KIA Novaliches ,PASIG or CUBAO. di ko lang alam sa ibang dealers pero sagana itong mga ito sa test drive. di mahirap magpa schedule.

Thanks bro crichton! How about Kia Libis? Any idea if it's easy to get a test drive there? And if their sales reps are helpful?

On another note, I'm not sure if one of my concerns have already been addressed but I was just wondering if spare parts for the Carens are readily available? In the event that I actually buy the Carens and something needs to be replaced, will the spare parts be immediately available or will there be a waiting time for this (especially since the Carens is not even locally assembled here)? If ever kasi, this will be my only car (i'll be selling off my Sentra to help pay for the new car) and I would hope that there won't be long stretches of time when I won't have the use of a car...

[crichton]

Thanks bro crichton! How about Kia Libis? Any idea if it's easy to get a test drive there? And if their sales reps are helpful?

On another note, I'm not sure if one of my concerns have already been addressed but I was just wondering if spare parts for the Carens are readily available? In the event that I actually buy the Carens and something needs to be replaced, will the spare parts be immediately available or will there be a waiting time for this (especially since the Carens is not even locally assembled here)? If ever kasi, this will be my only car (i'll be selling off my Sentra to help pay for the new car) and I would hope that there won't be long stretches of time when I won't have the use of a car...

di ko lang sigurado sa Libis kung OK din pero parang may nag post na dito dati na sa Libis nya nakuha unit nya, di ko lang sure kung sino.

concern ko din yung availability ng parts. di natin sya ma cocompare sa other jap makes. if this happens, i just hope na merong service unit from the dealer.

btw, bumili ako rain gutters sa banawe. some shops di alam yung carens

[uwak18]

Parts availability I think is not a problem. All Kia and Hyundai cars almost share components and its all made by Hyundai mobis.

[kalawang]

may bumili na ba ng lx tapos nagpakabit ng roof rail? if meron na saan kayo nagpakabit? and how much?

na realized ko kasi after going sa province ng wife ko na di pwedeng hindi magpadala ng maraming food and kung ano ano ang byenan ko, so i need that extra luggage space para naman di kandungin ng yaya yung mga bagahe :D

drove the carens papuntang banawe rice terraces, ang lakas talaga, and fc is ok, the whole trip namin from manila to bataan to nueva vizcaya to banawe to bataan then back to manila nag average ng 12.5, considering na traffic kami sa manila, tarlac, pampanga, and nueva ecija, and umakyat ng mga bundok with 6 passengers and bagahe pa.

[bogart]

kalawang- i asked the roofrails to my dealer, and unfortunately wala pang available accessories outside of Kia dealers. Their quote is something around P18k, kasi bubutasin pa yung bubong.

crichton- where in banawe and how much for the gutters?

mqavila- got mine at Kia Cubao. They let me test drove it numerous times. They even sent the unit to my office and the exact model that I want to get. Aside from the usual matting, tint, seatcover, I also got the back-up sensor as a freebie.

BTW, to all new Carens owners, check your tire pressure. Mine was at 42psi when I checked it. I deflated it at a shell station to the recommended 32psi.

Happy 3 Kings Carenians!!

[crichton]

kalawang- i asked the roofrails to my dealer, and unfortunately wala pang available accessories outside of Kia dealers. Their quote is something around P18k, kasi bubutasin pa yung bubong.

crichton- where in banawe and how much for the gutters?

mqavila- got mine at Kia Cubao. They let me test drove it numerous times. They even sent the unit to my office and the exact model that I want to get. Aside from the usual matting, tint, seatcover, I also got the back-up sensor as a freebie.

BTW, to all new Carens owners, check your tire pressure. Mine was at 42psi when I checked it. I deflated it at a shell station to the recommended 32psi.

Happy 3 Kings Carenians!!

mula rotonda papuntang banawe dun sya sa right turn to banawe. nakalimutan ko yung pangalan nun store pero tabi nya bilihan ng gulong. kabilang side nya yung Goldrich (meron din dun pero medyo mahal). nakuha ko lang ng 1200

[battaglin]

Hi guys! Tomorrow I'll be going to Kia Marikna to finalize details of transaction to purchase a Carens EX A/T Crdi. Salamat to all who helped made my choice.
Hope ko lang sana e sing tibay siya ng irereplace niya-2002 XTRM crosswind- although definitely ang ride e lamang na lamang ang Carens.

About the roofrails, mukhang malapad yung crossbars niya tulad ng nasa ford escape, wala daw sila pang adaptor doon. thule yung bike rack and carrier ko na balak ko ikabit. meron kaya sa thule nong adaptor?
BTW, mukhang mahirapan lagyan ng roofrails na original yung LX models, kc napansin ko molded and body colored yung paa ng rails na nakakabit sa EX, baka di mahabol pintura. Option lang dyan e yung footmount sa door iipit gaya ng thule. pero sa experience ko madali makasira ng rubber insulation ng pinto ito ganitong paraan.
Hopefully, by wednesday ma-release na Carens namin sabi ng kia manager.
Again, maraming salamat sa mga nag-post dito, tagal ko ding sinubaybayan itong Carens thread.

[itlog na pula]

mqavila, crichton, sa ngayon, mukhang kaya naman ng mga casa ang parts. i just had my first 1000km change oil last thursday. the crdi engine needs close to 6 liters of oil at P150/liter and the oil filter is P525.

they used a special (daw) oil blend from petron (semi-synthetic) which they use for both gas and diesel. binantayan ko kasi and i saw them draw oil from the same barrel for different cars. when i inquired if i can use fully synthetic oil, the service manager and mechanic advised me not to use it. they had an incident daw when a sorento owner put in fully synthetic in his vehicle (outside the casa) at "namuo" daw yung langis.

if i hit 5000kms, they'll charge me P1200 daw for labor na. how much kaya sa iba? input naman from the others please.

i replaced my horns with bosch europa. panis kasi yung stock. hindi ka papansinin ng mga ibang sasakyan, lalo mga bus sa edsa!

they charged me P800, P600 for the labor, P200 for a bracket. i supplied the materials (relay, socket, etc). i know its a rip-off pero i didn't want any problems with the warranty so doon ko na lang ipinakabit.

kalawang, i was told by a sales rep from kia new manila na kaya daw nilang mag-install dito ng roof rails, orig pa daw. pero hindi ko na tinanong magkano since we got the ex version.

jds, why don't you try kia pasig? i heard good things about them.

battaglin, advance greetings on your soon-to-be carens! what color are you getting?

bogart, i had my tires checked at mataas din pressure nila. had them deflated too.

crichton, most shops nga hindi alam ang carens, akala nila galing grey market! i'm still looking for a luggage tray. balitaan mo naman kami dito kung may makita ka.

[kalawang]

thanks sir, saan sa new manila ang kia new manila?
may phone ka ba nila? lll try to call them kung may available, if wala akong makita in a month or two siguro ill settle sa ibang brand nalang, takot lang ako baka tumulo pag nagbutas sa bubong.

by the way, try to put nitro sa gulong nyo, mas gaganda ang ride and titipid ng konti sa consumption, low maintenance pa sa gulong, halos di nagbabago ang pressure kahit anong temperature ng gulong.

[ace8tan]

try nyo kia mandaluyong signet! bago mag boni station... may free test drive dun along edsa toh... isa sa biggest distributor kaya completo sa units... for more info sa lugar u can contact me 09209018819... i work ksi dun kaya dali lan un - aldwin tan

[crichton]

hi itlog na pula. yan nga din wish list ko (luggage tray) pati yung cargo net. kaso wala sa banawe. ang meron lang sa ngayon ay yun nga yung visor, pati mga chrome covers sa door and lights. pag nakahanap, i'll post it here...

[mqavila]

Hi guys! To bro itlog, crichton and everyone who provided inputs, thanks again!

I finally visited Kia Libis and was able to scrutinize the Carens for the first time yesterday. They had a black CRDi LX A/T on display and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! The dash, interiors and exteriors were all excellently and luxuriously designed, the engine was very quiet for a diesel, and my son had a fun time crawling around the 2nd & third rows (which were folded down to show me the cargo space) throughout the entire time that I was there. It was perfect to see that particular model there since due to my budget constraints, I'm only considering the LX variant.

The agent who entertained me gave me the usual offer (free 3-year LTO, 1-year insurance, seatcovers, tint, matting). She also told me that she'd give me free window visors, a small cash discount and 5-10% on other accessories.... although at this point, I'm still trying to haggle for a roof rail and/or back-up sensors.

Aside from this offer, she mentioned that they're currently accepting trade-ins - and even better, they're even willing to "subsidize" the purchase price of my 2nd hand car. In other words, for example, I want to sell my car for P200T but my buyer is only able to buy it for P180T, their dealership will "shoulder" the difference of P20T as part of the trade-in value of my car when I buy from them. THAT is a great deal. Of course, I think there's a limit to the amount that they can "shoulder" - I just don't know what that is at the moment.

So far, I think this is a good deal but I will still try to go around the other Kia dealers (and other brands as well, since I'm still keeping my options open) to see if anyone else can give me a better offer. Besides, I'm still not quite financially ready to buy it anyway. Hopefully by the end of January or early February.

Bro ace8tan: Thanks for your private message. I will make sure to pass by Kia Signet soon and take you up on your offer of a test drive. And, I hope that your package/promos will make me happy.

[kiabatangas]

Thanks for the welcome Bogart and itlog na pula ... Happy New year to all!

On the concern about after sales, I agree na hindi talaga pare-pareho ang mga dealers.

I have a GOOD experience with KIA BALAI (Sto. Tomas, Batangas). Though my other car is Mazda, I regularly have its maintenance at Balai. People are competent and customer-oriented. This is one of the factors why I get my Carens ..... good ride and an assurance that a good after sales team will look at my baby.

If you happen to be in in the area and will be needing help or assistance, ask Val Mongoc- the Service Manager.

It's good to hear that you're happy with our service. We used to sell Mazda, as well as other brands (Subaru, BMW, Daihatsu, Land Rover), before in 1997-1998, so we have expertise in after-sales and stock on fast moving parts for these models. BTW, we accept all Japanese and Korean Brands for service as well.

For people living in the South, we'd like to invite you to visit our showroom at the Sto. Tomas, Batangas (Along the Diversion Road going to San Pablo) to see the products and services we offer. Refer to the attachment.

You can ask for a quick quotation, schedule a test drive, and get more information about the promos stated in this thread at (043)778-4214 to 15.

Batangas-Laguna Autocenter, Inc. (BALAI) - Kia Batangas