- Sign in
- Write a review
Big End Bearings Gone at 130000
Purchased TF Optima MY14 2.4l second hand in May 2016 with 42500km. Had a great run no problems until a slight tick developed and escalated to a big rattle/knock. Mechanic called it as big end failure at 130700km. Needs a rebuild or secondhand engine $6000. This is not good enough for a modern vehicle.
It is the third the mechanic has had with this 2.4l motor in the last few weeks. Appears to be a problem with this motor. If it was 6 months younger it would have still been in warranty.
Purchased in May 2016 for $15,990.00.
EddieSouth East Queensland, QLD
- 5 reviews
- 5 likes
Really great car.
Loads of power yet economical when you want it to be, roomy and comfortable, sensible and attractive interior layout, and superb ride with a good variety of Drive modes. Would have liken ventilated seats, but everything else is there. Would recommend to anyone wanting an all-around car.
Purchased in July 2019 at Cricks Highway.
Ann U.Greater Melbourne (Outer), VIC
Excellence
This is our fifth KIA. My husband drives a Sportage SLi 2015 and I the Optima GT. The previous KIAs were two Rio's used for high milage, before we retired and a Cerato Koupe Touring. Todate no problems worth mentioning. What problems we have had have been fixed promptly. The GT is a joy, fast and reasonable frugal. Being a MY 2017 it comes with high beam assisted and LED head lights, both dip and main, fabulous. I will end here, for any more comments would also the lines of fabulous, excellent and similar
Purchased in August 2018 at Kia Dealers.
Find out how Kia Optima compares to other Sedans
Know better, choose better.
HannSydney, NSW
- 2 reviews
KIA Optima GT very Reliable
I have KIA optima for 4 years and have done 120,000 km. It still runs like brand new. Car regularly serviced at KIA dealer. Car service interval is short to 75,000 km, it should be at least 10,000 km.
Purchased in November 2015 for $38,000.00.
HorrifiedSydney, NSW
- 2 reviews
- 4 likes
DEATH TRAP - Kia has zero concern for human life!
September 2018: Engine Issues the Car wouldnt start, eventually when the vehicle was taken back to the dealer for inspection They couldnt find a fault, and explained it was an electrical issue and they are difficult to find.
September 2018: Dropping our son at school the vehicle locked itself with the keys in the car locking the youngest child in the vehicle for 15 minutes the car again locking and unlocking on its own and the mirrors were going in and out. Car key was reset and batteries changed - still have this issue to date
September 2018...
Purchased in August 2018 at Peter Warren Automotive for $45,000.00.
Gavin E.Qld, 4170
- 19 reviews
- 13 likes
Engine Failure
Hi Everyone
I previously wrote a review about my Kia Optima how happy my wife and I were with our Kia Optima at 153k's
Sadly since then I have had an engine failure on my Kia Optima bottom end engine noise, the 2.4 Engine had a recall checking Crankshaft bearing tolerances and there was a specific Vin number range that experienced a knocking noise in the Engine.
Unfortunately my Optima was not in that Vin number range,
I took the Optima to the Kia dealer at Mt.Gravatt who informed myself that they measured the tolerances and ga...
Purchased in September 2014 at Private for $20,000.00.
1 comment
Gagan S.Greater Melbourne (Metropolitan), VIC
- 2 reviews
Perfect
The Optima shares its platform, and many of its components, with its sister car: the Hyundai Sonata.
Targeted at other midsized sedans such as the Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, Mazda6, Ford Mondeo, Skoda Octavia, and Holden Commodore, the Optima features a big boot and a comfortable ride.
A six-speed torque converted automatic is the only transmission for both the naturally-aspirated and turbocharged petrol engines.
Variants range from the base $33,390 Optima Si to the top-of-the-range $44,490 Optima GT NAV (BLACK LEATHER) SUNROOF.
Purchased in April 2015 for $16,999.00.
HannSydney, NSW
- 2 reviews
Best car ever
Very reliable car and interior quality is better than German car. Very quiet and smooth ride. Turbo 2.0l is powerful enough. Have driven 80000 km and had not a single problem.
Purchased in December 2016.
MatthewSydney Surrounds, NSW
- 6 reviews
Generally pretty Good
Bought my Optima Platinum from my employer. 4 yrs old and low Km's. Looks good and has lots of options being the top model. I use this car daily as a sales rep vehicle so I get to use it in all conditions. Handles well but I aim to get brighter headlight globes. Looks pretty sporty. Having a few issues with the dash computer, sometimes screen locks on something different or won't change. Reverse camera plays up sometimes. But I have not used the 7 yr warranty to get it looked at yet. Car runs well and is somewhat good economy, depending on wher...
Read moree and how you are driving. Because it is a 4 cylinder is struggles a little bit from power esp if you have weight/passengers in the car but only an issue for race drivers (otherwise slow down and drive more carefully and you won't blow your motor). Has lots of safety sensors which can be a bit annoying at times eg when parked in front of the garage and starting the car first thing in the morning, the front sensor alarm goes off. Better to be safe than not have them, however, it is important not to rely on safety sensors and use the old fashioned look over your should plus looking in the mirrors as well! Quite low to the ground so if you have an issue with mobility then this isn't for you. Got to be a bit careful with large driving surface changes , speed bumps driveways so you don't bottom out or scrape the front bumper. Has a auto sunroof which is pretty good. The interior is pretty spacious for a smaller car. Sat Nav is pretty average esp as I could be using it daily but it sends me around the block and the long way. Give me Google Maps any day! In summary, this is a great little car, all cars have issues, it is just luck of the draw. 7 yr warranty is reassuring.Purchased in October 2018 at Private for $15,000.00.
Find out how Kia Optima compares to other Sedans
Know better, choose better.
Need feed back
We have a new Kia Optima n when it reaches 60km then drops to 57kms the car jolts by itself every time .kia tell us this is a "feature" does anyone else have this terrible feature in there optima . 4 times back to fix it n finally they come up with this answer
JayJAdelaide
- 10 reviews
- 5 likes
Well equipped, great drive, pity about the SatNav
I bought this ex-lease car about 11 months from first registration. Was like new but at a much lower price. Very well equipped, drives well, feels well designed.Great having the 7 year warranty. The major downside is that this model misses out on any Satnav updates even though 2 were promised to new car buyers earlier, and it has many inaccuracies. Much better to use my portable TomTom with lifetime updates, and stuck to the windscreen.
AmirAdelaide
- 6 reviews
- 7 likes
I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER KIA
Nice looking car specially when you compare with other cars in the same price range (used car).
BUT:
Almost all the options you see in the car are fake or low quality like cheap items you buy on EBay.
You may have different experience with your car but mine is exactly what I describe.
Stupid Sat Nav which doesn't recognize traffic in your way. I do prefer using Google Map on my phone. Much more trustable!!
It has speed camera warning which is not adjustable. It means you have 2 choices, ON with near 20 times alarm for each speed camera (a...
Excellent reliable
Great car, no problem at all. it has all the features, leather heated and cool seat, very reliable and had none fault. service interval 15000 km and very cheap around $200. Excellent handling. I love the panoramic roof.Better than German cars Audi and Bmw etc. I would recommend to everyone.
NormGold Coast
- 2 reviews
Great car
I bought my 2012 Kia Optima new and it has now done 102,000 klms and have had nothing done on it ,this car has been a pleasure to own and drive i sort of keep waiting for something to go wrong with it but never does,i would recommend this car to anyone out there looking at this type of car,the engine noise is a bit loud on take off but you get used to it and it has heaps of power as well.
Louise Cropley
- 5 reviews
- 4 likes
Fantastic car
What a fantastic car. Not only is it a pleasure to drive, but it has enough power to feel quite sporty. The only problem we have identified with these cars is their seats are incredibly uncomfortable, which unfortunately can be a limiting factor and almost caused us to sell it. Some wool seat covers fixed the problem and now we can take it on long drives (more than an hour) and not feel numb afterwards.
Find out how Kia Optima compares to other Sedans
Know better, choose better.
NevIllawarra, NSW
- 6 reviews
A great car for long trips
The Optima is probably the best handling car I have ever driven, although a little harsh on really rough roads. The interior is conservative, which I like, and all controls operate smoothly and positively. The car has given no problems at all and has been used for trips to Cairns and Melbourne, returning fuel consumption figures between 6.8 and 7.1 litres per 100 kilometres. Although a little noisy under acceleration, it is very quiet at highway speeds. The longer I own this car the better I like it.
Keller HouseSTILLWATER
- 2 reviews
Great safe family car
This car has great handling, and was spacious for our kids. I love how quiet the car is. It did sit a little to low to the ground for my taste. The loved the safety alarms for seat belts and the auto air bag control using weight limit to turn on or off. Glad we rented this car while our car was down. I will be trading my car I'm soon for one of these.
DrSoopMelbourne
- 3 reviews
- 2 likes
Love it!
First purchased a Kia Optima about 5 years ago due to it being best bang for your buck in terms of interior & features, & upgraded recently to the Optima turbo GT. Whilst it was a bit pricier, it has the quality of a much more expensive European car. Features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, parking sensors & camera, GPS, leather, the list goes on. At first I thought it was a bit tame, but once I found Sport mode I soon changed my mind, it really has some zip. The GPS isn't perfect (but show me one that is...), & some safety alert features need turning off before they drive you insane, but overall it is a very classy drive that has not failed to impress.
Elaine AMid North Coast, NSW
- 7 reviews
- 3 likes
Good car, bad company
We love the performance of our OPTIMA as it does everything Kia claims. Mileage on a long trip comes in around 6ltrs per 100 ks driving to speed signage. It handles well but you do hear a lot of road noise especially if your tyres are too hard. The interior would be better if the leather was a light colour as black is a little hot for Australia and back seat passengers seem to have a problem putting on their seat belts. The reason we have not given five stars is the rust problem and the fact Kia will not honour their warranty. We have found areas on the body that wasn't even painted so unless you live in Central Australia you are going to experience rust. We love our OPTIMA but we just wish it didn’t have the rust problem.
1 comment
Further to my review we have just had a recall on our Optima as there is a major problem with the engine bearings. It is a shame as the car has everything you could want in a vehicle.
IwantserviceBrisbane
- 12 reviews
- 13 likes
I Love my Optima
We required to buy a new car and decided on another Kia. This time the Optima Platinum.
This vehicle not only looks great but performs and handles well. There is limited road noise and the standard tyres have a lot of grip. The car feels solid. Fuel economy is reasonable with a lot of city driving being 8.7 on Eco. Obviously on the highway it performs even better down around the 7.5.
Interior is sporty and comfortable with all the instrumentation easily readable. Even with my height there is still plenty of room for an adult behind the driver...
Questions & Answers
Gavin E.asked
I am disappointed that my Kia Optima has crankshaft knock from failed bearings at 180k's after I had it back to Kia Mt Gravatt for the recall and had the all clear.
I was told the crankshaft was within tolerances which I find it hard to believe that they removed the bottom sump and measured the crankshaft with the pistons removed and measured the crank where the big end bearings would run on the crank all this within a couple of hours,
I think the more likey scenario they checked the vin range for the defect and found my vehicle was not in the vin range and replaced the old dipstick with the new dipstick which i suspect the old dipstick was giving the wrong reading for measuring oil.
I want to know since I did work with the brand for 4 years and I have personally influenced some of my family and friends to purchase a Kia car so far 2 x Cerato and 1 x Sportage what would Kia do to assist in having the engine repaired? given there is a whole Kia forum with Optima 2.4L customers with the same issue.
No answers
Details
Category | Sedans | Sedans | Sedans | Sedans |
---|---|---|---|---|
Starting Price | $43,290 | $33,390 | $25,990 | $31,490 |
Transmission | Automatic | Automatic | Automatic and Manual | Automatic |
Drive Type | Front Wheel Drive (FWD) | Front Wheel Drive (FWD) | Front Wheel Drive (FWD) | Front Wheel Drive (FWD) |
Fuel Type | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol |
Wheels | 18" Alloy | 17" Alloy | 18" Alloy | |
ANCAP Safety Rating | 5 Stars | 5 Stars | 5 Stars | |
Fuel Consumption | 8.5 L/100km | 8.3 L/100km | 7.9 L/100km | |
Fuel Tank Capacity | 70 L | 70 L | 70 L | |
Engine | 4 Cylinder 2.0L | 4 Cylinder 2.4L | 6 Cylinder 2.5L | 4 Cylinder 2.4L |
Max Power | 180kW @ 6000rpm | 138kW @ 6000rpm | 148kW @ 6300rpm | |
Max Torque | 350Nm @ 1350-4000rpm | 241Nm @ 4000rpm | 250Nm @ 4250rpm | |
Country of Manufacture | South Korea | South Korea | South Korea | South Korea |
Safety Features |
|
|
| |
Extra Features |
|
|
| |
Manufacturer Warranty | 7 year(s) | 7 year(s) | 7 year(s) | |
Release date | Jan 2015 | Jan 2015 | Jan 2001 | Jan 2011 |
Discontinuation date | Dec 2006 | Dec 2015 |
Visit official website
ProductReview.com.au has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence our content moderation policies in any way, though ProductReview.com.au may earn commissions for products/services purchased via affiliate links.
Gavin E.
Hi Everyone
Read more for attracting new customers to their brand but word of mouth and social media are killers for brands trying to attract new customers.I found a Kia forum with many people experiencing the same problem with the TF Optima model many people contacted Kia with no response.
I am not sure what budget Kia has...