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 automotive 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 word. 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. Possibly 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 permit 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 tough 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 inside labor fee, not realizing that Kia automobiles had been alleged 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 value distinction permits shoppers to entry a three-row electrical SUV with superior expertise and luxury options at a extra accessible value level. ​
• Designed with households in thoughts, the EV9 presents beneficiant inside house. It gives 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 larger 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, similar to second-row seats that may swivel 180 levels, fostering a extra interactive and versatile cabin surroundings. That is significantly advantageous for households, facilitating simpler youngster seat entry and making a communal house inside the car.

This mishap, the results of a system not but migrated to their new Kia-dedicated facility, was corrected after the shopper raised the problem immediately 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 on reflection. 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. Significantly within the EV house, the place consumers 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 predicted, and for good cause. In any case, the Kia EV9 begins within the excessive $50,000s and competes in opposition to the likes of the Rivian R1S and Tesla Mannequin X. It can not afford dealership-level clownery.

There’s an added sting of irony if you notice that Firestone, a series hardly identified 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 automotive is visibly pulling or your tires are displaying uneven put on, there’s not often a necessity for one outdoors 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 automobiles resulting from potential lacking mounting bolts within the second and third-row seats. This challenge arose from an meeting error on the Gwangmyeong plant in Korea, doubtlessly compromising seat stability and occupant security throughout a collision. Sellers had 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 automobiles to handle a software program error inflicting the instrument panel display to fail. This malfunction may stop the show of essential data similar to velocity 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 automobiles outfitted with the Distant Good Parking Help function. A software program glitch may trigger the system to miscalculate stopping distances, doubtlessly resulting in inadequate braking throughout low-speed distant parking maneuvers and rising the chance of collisions. Sellers supplied a free software program replace to rectify the problem.

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

“funds compromise.”

These had been automobiles you purchased since you needed to, not since you needed to. However previously 20 years, these manufacturers have gone from joke to juggernaut. The EV9 and EV6 are beautiful examples of what Korean automakers can now produce: world-class EVs that undercut their American and European competitors in value, tech, and generally even efficiency.

File 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 yr due to robust demand for the EV6 and EV9. Opinions 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 automobiles anymore. They’re good automobiles, full cease. This makes experiences like this one, the place the dealership system fails spectacularly, so maddening. If Kia needs to keep up its upward trajectory, its supplier community must catch as much as the standard of the automobiles it’s now promoting.

Finally, this story ends effectively. The dealership acknowledged the error. The shopper received his a reimbursement. And due to a wholesome dose of humor and transparency, what may’ve been a PR catastrophe turned a cautionary story with a punchline. However it 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 Heart

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based mostly in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys masking the newest information within the automotive trade and conducting opinions on the newest automobiles. He has been within the automotive trade since 15 years outdated and has been featured in outstanding automotive information websites. You possibly can attain him on X and LinkedIn for ideas and to comply with his automotive protection.