Kia of South Austin

“The service was great from start to finish. The service advisor was extremely helpful in making sure I knew what the 2 issues identified were and gave me an estimate of how much each repair would cost (maintenance issues) and my wait was not long at all. Kudos to the Service Manager, Ms Rodriguez (my service advisor) and the tech.”

“UPDATE: My check engine light just came on lmao wtafffff (I got my car back on Jan 31, this is unreal) Stay away from Kias. Period. Do not buy Kias from any dealership. They are notorious for building bad quality vehicles and then make you jump through ridiculous hoops and loopholes to even consider covering any issues or repairs. My kia was part of the huge engine recall, but you have to have a very specific code to qualify for the extended coverage. Despite my car going limp mode on the highway at 65mph, I did not qualify for the extended warranty as said code never kicked on. I had to get my whole enginge replaced as I risked an engine fire. I put it on credit, because I cannot afford a $7k bill at the moment. One would think that work at a dealership would be of quality, considering the cost- NAY, it is subpar at best. Before I even drove my car off the lot after having my ENTIRE engine replaced, I noticed that my AC would not blow cold- something that was never an issue. Turns out, the mechanics forgot to fill it up with coolant (they sure did not forget to charge me for it, though!). I was told my vehicle was test driven, but as soon as I hit a speed above 40mph, I heard rattling sounds in my engine AND realized that whoever worked on my car forgot to put the plastic clips back on my fender liner which caused it to get sucked into my tires as I drove- subsequently damaging said fender liners. They are completely gnarled. I returned, and after leaving my car AGAIN I was told that there was a lose bracket in the engine (!!!) and that they replaced the missing liner clips; however, they did not replace the fender liners and I am now left with heavily damaged parts that cost $80 a piece (both sides got wrecked). Listen, I get it, they are fender liners that are not visible. They are by the tires, my car is not fancy. Still, I do not think it is ok to be so negligent as to create serious damage (even if it is just cosmetic) and not offer to replace it!! I really do not understand the issue with kia dealerships. Despite the very helpful service advisors (Ashley and Zane) and other staff who have helped me in the past (JP at parts), I struggle to understand why their service department never seems to do a good job the first time around. If you look through my reviews, you'll see that the Kia of North Austin somehow messed up one of my break calipers (?!) when I was simply bringing in my car for a KDS update. I will NEVER purchase a Kia ever again as I do not want to continue to be forced to endure the absolute abhorrent service the Kia service departments seem to be notorious for. Please avoid this fate and opt for a Honda or a Toyota. *photo of one of the damaged fender liners.”

“How to Lose a 7-Year Loyal Customer… I am not crazy leaving reviews, especially bad, but I have no other choice at that point... Summary: Car developed a new issue after service, and the dealership has taken no accountability. Attempts to communicate have been met with silence. judge for yourself, here are the facts: I own a Kia Stinger GT, purchased and serviced at Kia South Austin for the past 7 years. I bring it in for service roughly every 6 months. End of October 2025 – Visit #1 I brought the car in for regular service. No issues beforehand. After leaving the dealership, the red oil light came on while driving home (no overheating — important later). I tried calling the shop that morning, no answer. I emailed the tech (also the assistant manager) — no response, I get it they are busy. I check the car and suspect too much oil. I called the next day as still no response to my email; he hadn’t seen the email, confirmed it was overfilled, said it was ok to drive, and told me to bring it back with no appointment when time. December 2025 – Visit #2 I drove the car back a few weeks later. I called during the 30-minute drive to let them know I am coming by courtesy— I could not get a hold of anyone at the Service Dpt....Anyway… They checked the car on the spot, confirmed too much oil, serviced it, and sent me back on the road. Good to go… that is what I thought… That evening, the red oil light came back on. December 2025– Visit #3 (+ 2 days) I returned... again. Same assistant manager was there. I pointed out I never had this issue before and that I was spending significant time going back and forth (I live 30 minutes / 19 miles away). He insists they did everything right and it is a “bad coincidence.”Maybe…. Maybe not… • March 2025 service: No issue beforehand; red oil light after service, car overheated, had to be towed back. Cause: line not bled properly. • October 2024 service: No issue beforehand; red oil light after service. Cause: too much oil. Looks like a pattern to me but hey, what do I know? He said the car needed diagnosis and would take 2–3 days. I tell him that after the 3rd time coming to the shop for something that I did not have, I would appreciate to have the car checked pretty quickly…--> not possible…. No courtesy car being available, I ask for Uber even if that means 3 days at home with no car… not possible,10 miles max and I live at 19 miles away… house policy….after all this hassle, 9 extra miles with Uber would break the bank for sure (ok 18 round trip….) I asked to speak to the manager. He said the manager wasn’t there. I asked for his contact info… he refused to provide contact information. At this point, I told him, I was done and they lost a customer. I stopped at the main showroom on my way out to share my experience and asked for the shop manager. I was introduced to the GSM. I explained calmly everything and asked his honest opinion after explaining the facts above. He came himself to the conclusion that the customer service was poor, and he would talk to the team, shared his cell number, and promised an update by noon (it was 10:30am) Noon… nothing… the days passes nothing…long story short… This was December 3rd 2025....As of today (January 1st 2026), despite texts and a voicemail to him directly I have received no response. Zero… nada… crickets… No accountability. No follow-up. Complete silence. Meanwhile, the red oil warning light is still on, I see temp going higher than usually on the monitoring gauge but no overheating, although I can smell heat coming from the car after parking it (not usual, I know my car). For a dealership that claims “world-class customer service,” (check on their website, I am not making that up) this is very disappointing....”

“The communication was great all week long working on obtaining this vehicle. Once we got there no loud music. Very thorough with information. Our needs were heard which was refreshing. We believe it might’ve been the smoothest process with the nicest sales person we’ve ever had. Thanks Philip and team!”

“I am never this kind of person to feel the need to write a review however, my experience with Kia of South Austin has been one of the worst ones I’ve ever experienced. Just last year in June I switched over from Honda to Kia and got a certified preowned vehicle. My sales person at the time was absolutely fantastic, but unfortunately, he left the company. At the time, I was very happy with my experience only to be disappointed when the one and only key that was given to me was being held up by tape, and I was told that this was something that could be fixed at no charge and a year later, I still am having to manage the key falling apart and buttons missing. In October of this year, my vehicle was having issues for which I took it to Kia of South Austin since it should still be under warranty having it for just about over a year. My car was placed into service on October 27 and was just returned to me on December 10. I was upset by the lack of transparency and updates and felt as though every time I was wanting to find out some information I was being ignored. I wasn’t given a rental vehicle until a month after my car being in the shop. Even after the issue identified, there was multiple delays with the only updates of me getting that the piece was lost and they had to order another one.Upon receiving my vehicle today, it was covered in complete dirt and dust and looked like I had just taken it out of a tow yard instead of a nice dealership. I figured it was the least they could do giving me a clean car considering everything I had gone through with the six week delay of not having a vehicle . I’m really upset with my experience here and pray and hope I never have to to deal with them again.”