I Acquired Charged $765 for My Kia EV9 Alignment, They Billed Me $325 Per Hour for 4 Hours of Work

Once in a while, the digital campfire of social media and automobile boards sparks to life with one other story of dealership malpractice, half comedy, half tragedy, at all times involving a receipt that feels extra like a ransom notice. This time, the sparks flew on the Kia EV9 House owners USA Fb group, the place one proprietor’s expertise with a easy alignment was a four-hour ordeal and a $765 lesson in dealership chaos. The story, like a foul comedy routine, unfolded at Eide Ford in Mandan, North Dakota, the place miscommunication and disconnect managed to show routine service into headline materials.

A $765 Mischarge

Let’s paint the scene. You pull in for what ought to be an easy alignment. Perhaps your EV9 is pulling a bit to the appropriate, or possibly you are simply making an attempt to maintain issues tight after a winter of cracked roads and salty slush. As a substitute of the anticipated hour or so and a invoice of round $150, you end up ready 4 hours. The techs say they’re nonetheless working. You allow along with your SUV and a receipt that reads like a punchline: $325 an hour, multiplied by 4. Complete: $765. Not for diagnostics. Not for transmission work. Simply an alignment. Because the proprietor wrote:

“Anybody else get gouged this difficult for an alignment? Lmao(Up to date Edit).

They really gave me a refund as a result of they did not apply their sister location Eide Kia’s alignment charges.

Fords obvious personal fee is 325$ an hour(we stayed for 4 hours), however then we got here again right this moment to speak to the supervisor, and yea their very own workforce did not go by Kia’s fee since they needed to be those to service Kia’s till they transfer their techniques to their new renovated constructing, all is effectively.”

To their credit score, the dealership didn’t double down. They admitted the error. Seems the Ford aspect of the operation had billed at its inner labor fee, not realizing that Kia autos have been speculated to be serviced below the decrease pricing mannequin of the model’s sister facility. 

Kia EV9 Comparability: Affordability, Area, & Household-Pleasant Options

• The Kia EV9 presents a extra budget-friendly choice with out compromising on important options. With a beginning MSRP of roughly $56,395, the EV9 is considerably cheaper than the Tesla Mannequin X, which begins at round $81,380. This worth distinction permits customers to entry a three-row electrical SUV with superior expertise and luxury options at a extra accessible worth level. ​
• Designed with households in thoughts, the EV9 presents beneficiant inside house. It offers 41.4 inches of front-row legroom and 42.8 inches of second-row legroom, surpassing the Mannequin X’s 41.1 inches and 38.7 inches, respectively. This extra house enhances passenger consolation, significantly on longer journeys. Moreover, the EV9’s boxy design contributes to better headroom, making the third row extra accommodating for grownup passengers in comparison with the sloped roofline of the Mannequin X. ​
• The EV9 introduces distinctive options, reminiscent of second-row seats that may swivel 180 levels, fostering a extra interactive and versatile cabin setting. That is significantly advantageous for households, facilitating simpler little one seat entry and making a communal house throughout the car.

This mishap, the results of a system not but migrated to their new Kia-dedicated facility, was corrected after the client raised the problem straight with administration.

The $765 was refunded, and peace was restored. The proprietor took it in stride and shared the story on-line, laughing about it looking back. However one wonders, what if he hadn’t spoken up?

How a Easy Alignment Error Might Harm Popularity

Conditions like this are how manufacturers bleed loyalty. For all of the billions automakers spend crafting id, buzz, and buyer relationships, a rogue bill can undo it in a second. Notably within the EV house, the place patrons are typically early adopters, tech-savvy, and vocal, these tales unfold like wildfire. You purchase right into a car just like the EV9 not only for the product however for the ecosystem it represents. A premium possession expertise is anticipated, and for good cause. In spite of everything, the Kia EV9 begins within the excessive $50,000s and competes towards the likes of the Rivian R1S and Tesla Mannequin X. It can’t afford dealership-level clownery.

There’s an added sting of irony whenever you understand that Firestone, a sequence hardly recognized for its high-touch service, presents a lifetime alignment deal for $199. That’s lower than a single hour on the fee this Ford retailer charged. Alignments, thoughts you, aren’t a high-frequency service. Until your automobile is visibly pulling or your tires are exhibiting uneven put on, there’s hardly ever a necessity for one exterior of a collision or main suspension work. But dealerships persist in pushing them as routine upkeep, proper alongside cabin filters priced like medical tools and $40 “complimentary” fluid top-offs.

Kia EV9 Security Recollects: Addressing Bolt, Software program, & Parking Help Glitches

• In December 2024, Kia recalled roughly 22,883 EV9 autos resulting from potential lacking mounting bolts within the second and third-row seats. This subject arose from an meeting error on the Gwangmyeong plant in Korea, probably compromising seat stability and occupant security throughout a collision. Sellers have been instructed to examine and set up any lacking bolts freed from cost. ​
• In October 2024, a recall was issued for round 14,163 EV9 autos to deal with a software program error inflicting the instrument panel display screen to fail. This malfunction might stop the show of crucial data reminiscent of pace and warning indicators, rising the chance of accidents. The treatment concerned updating the instrument cluster software program, both by way of dealerships or over-the-air updates. ​
• In September 2024, Kia recalled roughly 12,400 EV9 autos geared up with the Distant Sensible Parking Help characteristic. A software program glitch might trigger the system to miscalculate stopping distances, probably resulting in inadequate braking throughout low-speed distant parking maneuvers and rising the chance of collisions. Sellers offered a free software program replace to rectify the problem.

What makes this all so irritating is the broader context. Kia has come a great distance. It wasn’t that way back {that a} Kia or Hyundai badge was automotive shorthand for

“price range compromise.”

These have been vehicles you purchased since you needed to, not since you needed to. However prior to now twenty years, these manufacturers have gone from joke to juggernaut. The EV9 and EV6 are gorgeous examples of what Korean automakers can now produce: world-class EVs that undercut their American and European competitors in worth, tech, and typically even efficiency.

Document Gross sales & Innovation Amid Recollects

Kia’s success within the EV house has been significantly noteworthy. They set new EV gross sales information within the U.S. final 12 months due to robust demand for the EV6 and EV9. Evaluations have been glowing, with critics praising the EV9’s inside high quality, vary, and aggressive styling. The IONIQ 5, Hyundai’s sibling to the EV6, is even nipping at Tesla’s heels when it comes to innovation. These aren’t simply good Korean vehicles anymore. They’re good vehicles, full cease. This makes experiences like this one, the place the dealership system fails spectacularly, so maddening. If Kia desires to take care of its upward trajectory, its seller community must catch as much as the standard of the vehicles it’s now promoting.

Finally, this story ends effectively. The dealership acknowledged the error. The client obtained his a refund. And due to a wholesome dose of humor and transparency, what might’ve been a PR catastrophe grew to become a cautionary story with a punchline. But it surely shouldn’t take a foul assessment on Google to make issues proper. The dealership expertise, the Achilles heel of the car-buying course of, stays the ultimate frontier for enchancment. 

Picture Sources: Kia EV9 USA Fb Group, Kia Media Middle

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based mostly in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys protecting the newest information within the automotive business and conducting opinions on the newest vehicles. He has been within the automotive business since 15 years previous and has been featured in distinguished automotive information websites. You’ll be able to attain him on X and LinkedIn for suggestions and to observe his automotive protection.