Right now in our Jim Shorkey Kia showroom we have $7,000 dollars off on our Kia Optima Hybrids. This is crazy if you think about how premium a hybrid is. The stereotype that a hybrid cost more is a lie when you have deals that can save you $7000 on one. But we have noticed one glaring issue. The public seems to love the fuel economy and the extra cash in their pocket, but are unsure of the vehicle because of the maintenance. Today, we will talk about the difference of servicing a Kia Optima Hybrid compared to the average car.
Before I go any further lets explain how the Kia Optima Hybrid works. It has two power sources to make the vehicle go. The first being a classical gas engine and the second being an electric engine hence the name hybrid. They work together to give you the best fuel efficient ride. The electric motor is used in mostly city driving situations. This is smart because while your car is idle it isn’t losing gas each minute your vehicle is in traffic. The Kia Optima Hybrid can get 40 miles per gallon in those situation making it a great car for commuter driving from and to Pittsburgh. Once on the highway the Kia Optima picks up speed and the gas engine kicks in. The combination of two engines goes seamless when accelerating or slowing down.
Now that you know about how the machine works you might have some questions. One of the major questions is “what is the waiting time for a part if I need it fixed?”. When hybrids were introduced into the market many mechanics didn’t know where to get the parts or how to fix them. This gave hybrids a bad stereotype of waiting in the early years. Now, Hybrids became a decent chunk of automotive sales in the last 10 years and most service center should be equipped for these vehicles. At our dealership in North Huntingdon and Uniontown, we have most of the parts at our locations and our certified technicians are well trained for hybrid vehicles.
Another question customer ask about hybrids is “doesn’t the maintenance cost more?”. Actually, many hybrid parts cost less. Each engine in the hybrid works at different times and each engine is used less. The wear and tear is divided by two in a hybrid where a conventional car the one engine would take the brunt of it. This means the routine maintenance costs on a hybrid may be lower than on a regular car. The hybrids’ regenerative braking system lowers heat while restoring battery power, insuring that brake pads and brakes last much longer. Some brake pads last for 100,000 miles. You can also get more mileage on your oil and have to change it less (every 7,000 miles).
The last major question is “what if my engine battery dies?”. While talking to our Kia Service Manager Vic he told me that he has never had a hybrid customer request for a new battery to be replaced. This really comes to no shock for us because the batteries are tested to last. Even if that isn’t insurance enough car manufactures give long warranties for their batteries to let the consumer feel at ease. Even when the batteries are done in the automobiles they are still used for energy storage in industrial settings.
So is a hybrid worth it? For service completely! If you want to save money buy a hybrid and save on your brakes and oil. To save even more register for a brand new oil change program that can save you money.
Jim Shorkey Kia 