Test drove 2019 Stinger GT AWD - here is what happened

[only1harry]

So today right after work I went to my local Kia dealer to test drive the only 2019 GT they had (Panthera medal). I do not want the GT1/GT2 but they did have a few of those. I am not looking to spend that much $ so it's the GT or no Stinger.

So anyway after 1/2 hour of getting all my info and being interrogated about how much I would be putting down and financing, what my credit is like, what I want my monthly payments to be, etc. they finally let me drive the car when they were convinced I was a serious buyer.

Everything was going great around town until I got it up to about 45mph. The steering wheel started vibrating and the road noise increased. The noise in the cabin became noticeably loud actually around 35-40mph and got worse at higher speeds. I had the radio off but still, the road noise was as bad at 40mph as my wife's Accord is at 65-70mph. Do you guys get excessive road noise in the cabin? It wasn't the artificial engine/exhaust noise, because I let off the gas to coast and the noise in the cabin stayed the same. It was tire noise mixed in with some wind noise even at low speeds. So I am thinking some of the weather stripping was not on well?

The steering wheel vibration got really bad when I got on the highway and ruined the entire test drive for me. Big turn off :-(

I am hoping it is just 1 or 2 of the wheels that need to be balanced. Could it be they did not remove the shipping pucks? Man it sucks I couldn't enjoy driving the car. All I could feel was the steering wheel shaking and vibrating. It was very annoying. The car had 32 miles on it and the saleswoman said a few people had test driven it, so I don't know if they hit a pot hole, or perhaps the tires were way over-inflated or under-inflated and threw off the balance. I am hoping it's something simple like that. Or maybe these tires cause the vibration when they are cold and then it goes away when they warm up? I cut the test drive short because of that vibration but we did drive at least 3 miles.

One thing I didn't like is that I soon as I sat in the car, the saleslady said she would take me somewhere to test the launch control! I told her she should not be doing that with new cars and very low miles, and refused because I know the Stinger is fast and I have seen the Youtube videos, and I was planning on buying the car that night after negotiating the price, so I didn't want to beat on it. I explained to her that the engine needs to break in first before redlining it. The funny thing was, the engine was shutting off at every light, and when I asked her how I could turn it off, she kept pushing the "auto-hold" trying to turn off the auto-shut!

Anyway, I hope they figure it out because I am not buying the car with all that vibration and the next closest GT is 1hr 20min. away and it's a black one, not Panthera :-(

Anyone experienced the steering wheel vibration during their test drive or after they bought the car? We'll see what the dealer says tomorrow. They are supposed to contact me after the techs look at it.

 

[dvinell]

There shouldn?t be any vibration at all coming through the steering wheel.
Either a wheel needs balancing, or maybe has been bent out of true by hitting a pothole or road debris.
As to tyre noise, It?s not a Merc S-Class, but I don?t think it?s any worse than similar cars I have driven.

 

[only1harry]

Thanks. I might have to wait until they get more in stock.

Anyone know if they will continue having the $2K off/or 1.9% interest special in January on the 2019's? Dealer came down $2K, plus another $2K off if choose not to take the 1.9% financing (they said it would be around 3.9% if take the $2K), brought the price down by $4K which was an incentive for me to seriously consider the Stinger. I wonder if I can do better? How much below MSRP did you guy get your Stinger for?

 

[freefloyd]

It's abnormal for the Stinger to have any vibrations at all. It's probably as you said, the tire need re-balancing.

 

[StingerYYC]

So anyway after 1/2 hour of getting all my info and being interrogated about how much I would be putting down and financing, what my credit is like, what I want my monthly payments to be, etc. they finally let me drive the car when they were convinced I was a serious buyer.

I would have left right there. I hate it when dealers attempt to qualify their buyers. If it is the wheels maybe have them swap them out with the other GT1/GT2 on the lot?

 

[only1harry]

That's not a bad idea. Does the GT have the same wheels as the GT1/GT2? I though the GT had 18" wheels and the GT1/2 19", no?

BTW, does the GT AWD have a limited Slip Diff? The saleswoman said that only the GT2 has an LSD. Is that true?
I thought I read in C&D or R&T that all the 2019's now have an LSD, or at least all the V6 Stingers.

 

[WickedStinger]

That's not a bad idea. Does the GT have the same wheels as the GT1/GT2? I though the GT had 18" wheels and the GT1/2 19", no?

BTW, does the GT AWD have a limited Slip Diff? The saleswoman said that only the GT2 has an LSD. Is that true?
I thought I read in C&D or R&T that all the 2019's now have an LSD, or at least all the V6 Stingers.

All 2019 GT will get the LSD. You can definitely get the 19" with summer tires on the GT, just harder to find up North.

 

[only1harry]

The windows sticker on the 2019 GT I test drove, and another '19 GT1 I looked at did not list "LSD". I hope they have it. I expected it to be on the window sticker like on all the Genesis G70's. I am really curious now. Why wouldn't they included under "Mechanical" on the Sticker, or anywhere on it?

 

[KiaFan]

The windows sticker on the 2019 GT I test drove, and another '19 GT1 I looked at did not list "LSD". I hope they have it. I expected it to be on the window sticker like on all the Genesis G70's. I am really curious now. Why wouldn't they included under "Mechanical" on the Sticker, or anywhere on it?

Post the VIN, I?ll look it up.

 

[upstatedoc]

So anyway after 1/2 hour of getting all my info and being interrogated about how much I would be putting down and financing, what my credit is like, what I want my monthly payments to be, etc. they finally let me drive the car when they were convinced I was a serious buyer.

are you a young feller?

 

[only1harry]

Post the VIN, I'll look it up.

Here it is:

KNAE35LC2K6046541


Thanks!

 

[only1harry]

are you a young feller?

Nope, I am 52!

 

[MurlinatoR]

The windows sticker on the 2019 GT I test drove, and another '19 GT1 I looked at did not list "LSD". I hope they have it. I expected it to be on the window sticker like on all the Genesis G70's. I am really curious now. Why wouldn't they included under "Mechanical" on the Sticker, or anywhere on it?

Hello Harry! Glad to have you on the forum!

Just as everyone has said, no vibration should be there. It's either A) out of balance (not usually the case as they're balanced by a robot at the factory), B) has a bulge from hitting a pothole, or C) the brake rotors might be slightly warped from someone riding it hard and heating them up.

Regardless, as a dealer myself, I would fix it for my guest.

Now, about the LSD, it's now standard in the 2019 GT's with RWD. The AWD system electronically does for both ends what the LSD does mechanically for the rear end with a RWD. In fact, it IS listed under Mechanical on the MSRP sticker of a RWD Stinger 3.3L.

 

[only1harry]

Thank you for the info on the LSD! The problem was not with steering vibration during breaking. It was vibrating during acceleration and also while cruising at constant speed.

The GM called me this morning and said he drove the car as did his tech, but they could not duplicate the problem. This has me really worried now that it might be something intermittent. They insisted I go back and drive the car again. Who knows maybe they did something to it to resolve it.

He also said it was probably something that worked itself out! And that's supposed to make me feel better or make sense? Whatever it was, if they did not fix it, it will certainly recur soon after I buy the car.

 

[KiaFan]

Here it is:

KNAE35LC2K6046541


Thanks!

Here's your sticker. Like Jason [MENTION=291]MurlinatoR[/MENTION] said, AWD models come with an electronic system which is different from the mechanical that would normally be listed under "Mechanical".

 

[upstatedoc]

Nope, I am 52!

Ha! I'll be in your neighborhood next year.

 

[dvinell]

are you a young feller?

Hey, 51 is pretty young
I?m not ready for the retirement home just yet.

 

[only1harry]

Here's your sticker. Like Jason [MENTION=291]MurlinatoR[/MENTION] said, AWD models come with an electronic system which is different from the mechanical that would normally be listed under "Mechanical".

Thanks, but I was there and looked at the window sticker. I thought you had access to something else from Kia providing more detail of what this car has on it.

So the reason i asked is because everyone says that the G70 AWD has a mechanical LSD. I have also seen LSD listed in all the G70 window stickers. It must be better than what the Stinger has which is electronic, and not mechanical. I don't think anything beats a good mechanical LSD.

 

[MurlinatoR]

Thank you for the info on the LSD! The problem was not with steering vibration during breaking. It was vibrating during acceleration and also while cruising at constant speed.

The GM called me this morning and said he drove the car as did his tech, but they could not duplicate the problem. This has me really worried now that it might be something intermittent. They insisted I go back and drive the car again. Who knows maybe they did something to it to resolve it.

He also said it was probably something that worked itself out! And that's supposed to make me feel better or make sense? Whatever it was, if they did not fix it, it will certainly recur soon after I buy the car.

Hey Harry, was there snow on the ground???

 

[only1harry]

No snow. The GM called me and said to go back and test drive it because he didn't feel any vibrations. I was very skeptical but went back. It was doing the same thing except the intensity of the constant steering vibration was not there. Now here is the weird thing. I noticed in the sticker here it says 19" wheels. The car I test drove had 18" wheels. I wonder if they swapped them to put the 19's on another Stinger they sold. This might explain the vibrations, somehow. It's the same car though, same dealer and same VIN#.

I can't believe they tried to sell me the car with 18" wheels, when it came with 19's. This car had the 18" square setup. All 4 tires were 225-45-18's. It was the first thing I checked before I test drove it. Unbelievable.