Kia Optima - Kia Approved Used, certificate?? - Ed Browne

Hi all

Purchased a Kia Optima 16 plate January this year. Dad car!

Car was advertised as being approved used, and so with the full warranty. It was registered in August 16 and didn't hit thr 18 month cut off for approved used until a date in February. I rang the dealership (recorded) the day before I viewed it and was told that it was indeed approved used. The advert which I layout copies of shows it as approved used.

The car is great but I'm conscious nowhere in my paperwork does it confirm that it is approved used. I've spoken to the dealership a coupe of times but not been called back. Kia could only say that the dealers should have given me a certificate and they cannot check the status.

Before I push this with the dealer can anybody tell me what "certificate" or documents I should have?

MMany thanks

Kia Optima - Kia Approved Used, certificate?? - skidpan

All Kias come with a 7 year warranty from new, an approved used one under 18 months old/18,000 miles gets the warranty restarted. The warranty belongs to the car and not the owner, no transfer necessary.

The only problem would be if the car has not been serviced in line with Kia's strict (and quite right they should be) guidelines which are normally if its a petrol 1 year or 10,000 miles max or a diesel which is 1 year or 20,000 miles max. Servicing outside the Kia network is theoretically not an issue (EU law) but Kia would expect to see itemised bills showing exactly what OEM parts have been used and what checks have been carried out at a VAT registered garage. Even if its been serviced by a Kia dealer you are still required to keep all service receipts, a stamp in the service book means nothing.

Thus if you have the receipts you are OK, no receipts you are well and truly stuffed.

Since your car is almost 2 years old it should have had a least 2 services now (or if its a car with under 20,000 miles its due its 2nd in August). If its not had these services you have no warranty.

Edited by skidpan on 01/08/2018 at 19:19

Kia Optima - Kia Approved Used, certificate?? - Ed Browne

Thanks for the reply.

I have one service receipt from august 17 and the two year service is next week (hence why I've been looking over my paperwork)

My question is what should the dealer have given me to prove this was sold under the approved used scheme? As opposed to it being a typical second sale?

Edited by Ed Browne on 01/08/2018 at 19:34

Kia Optima - Kia Approved Used, certificate?? - SLO76
In all the years I sold approved used Mitsubishi’s and Proton’s I never seen any additional paperwork as part of the handover that stated the car was an approved used model. The only firms I recall making a big issue of it back in the 90’s were prestige brands and Ford Direct. If it was sold by a franchised dealer and fell within the mileage and age guidelines for an approved used car and it has a verifiable main dealer service record then that’s all you need to know.

As for needing to keep service receipts if your car has a main dealer history this is incorrect. A main dealer stamp will be taken as meaning it has been serviced in accordance with manufacturers guidelines. Any major warranty claim will result in them checking with any online records but otherwise it’ll be accepted that the dealer has serviced it correctly. Almost no used stock comes with service receipts in the glovebox so if manufacturers required you to have them to maintain the warranty then almost no used cars would be covered by their origional warranty which is of course not the case.
Kia Optima - Kia Approved Used, certificate?? - Ed Browne

To be a Kia Approved Used the car has be under 18 months old and under 18k on the clock.

That doesn't mean that every car under 18m and under 18k is an approved used, even from main dealers. In fact most of the cars at Kia approved dealers that meet this criteria still are not sold under the approved used scheme.

I paid a little bit more for mine than a comparable car that wasn't being sold on the approved used scheme, hence why I'd like something that confirms the 7 year warranty started when I purchased the car, not when it was first registered.

The only service mine has had was at a main dealer and the service checklist was in the glovebox.

Edited by Ed Browne on 01/08/2018 at 23:26

Kia Optima - Kia Approved Used, certificate?? - Gibbo_Wirral

My OH has a 2011 Kia (warranty expires in September), and whenever it needs to go in for anything - such as a free replacement of the drop links last week - she doesn't have to present anything - her reg is just typed into the dealer service computer and it shows as warrantied.

Kia Optima - Kia Approved Used, certificate?? - skidpan

As for needing to keep service receipts if your car has a main dealer history this is incorrect.

Taken from the Kia Warranty Terms and Exclusions "You may need to show that you've maintained your Kia car properly. So you should keep your maintenance records handy, together with all your receipts". There have been instances documented on the Kia forum where warranty cover has been refused where the car has been serviced outside the dealer network and no reciepts are available. Kia do not accept a stanp in a service book as proof. As we all know stamps are available made to order on a certain auction site.

My OH has a 2011 Kia (warranty expires in September), and whenever it needs to go in for anything - such as a free replacement of the drop links last week - she doesn't have to present anything - her reg is just typed into the dealer service computer and it shows as warrantied

Unlike every other manufacturer Kia does not have a centralised computerised service record. They do have a centralised record of recalls (DVLA and campaign). I would assume you always take your car to the same dealer thus your records are on their system. take it to another dealer and they would require proof before work was done. When we had our Ceed I asked the dealer what would happen if we were away on holiday and needed warranty work and did not have the proof with us, his answer was simple, get them to ring us.

Kia Optima - Kia Approved Used, certificate?? - Gibbo_Wirral

Unlike every other manufacturer Kia does not have a centralised computerised service record. They do have a centralised record of recalls (DVLA and campaign). I would assume you always take your car to the same dealer thus your records are on their system. take it to another dealer and they would require proofbefore work was done.

Nope, different dealers - both location and franchise (Chorley Group, Perrys and Chapelhouse). Original one where car was purchased was near the OH's old home. There's one near her workplace and the new one near our new home.