Kia Carnival 7-8 years ago: looking for the “fly in the ointment”

... and we don’t find it. Well, or little things. “Kia Carnival” is an example of Korean conscientiousness, pedantry, and care for the consumer. Maybe the manufacturer cares more about its own image and the competitiveness of the product? To your health: the same buyer still wins.


For the latter, by the way, it’s not easy to find a huge, roomy minivan, as comfortable as a house on wheels. Outside our homeland, there are few places where we are welcome. But we learned the true beauty of traveling around Russia. On vans, of course. Therefore we are looking...

Where and how much to buy a Kia Carnival?

The French M class - Renault Grand Scenic and Citroen C4 SpaceTourer - have disappeared from the market. Gone are the Volkswagen Touran and Ford Galaxy. We remember the name of Mitsubishi Grandis. Again, may they be healthy.


Without hesitation, we import the Kia Carnival from a Korean auction. Of course, it is 700-800 thousand more expensive than rubles. This includes the services of intermediaries (often our compatriots), Vladivostok brokers, and customs payments. You also need to fork out for ERA-GLONASS and delivery to your address.

But our dealers are not simpletons: they prudently delivered a large number of Kia Carnivals. So the secondary is not empty. There is no race for very old cars of the 1st or 2nd generations. The third generation is tempting - the devices are still very good. You can’t find a 1,5-year-old “Korean” for less than 7 million, but within 2,7 million is an adequate price.

Brief overview of the Kia Carnival III generation

Majestic, impressive car. From the front to the rear bumper you walk 5 meters.

Specifically in terms of weight and dimensions:

✅ Length - 5115 mm
✅ Width - 1985 mm
✅ Height - 1755 mm
✅ Clearance - 170 mm
✅ Wheels - 235/65/R17
✅ Curb weight - 2235 kg

At a glance, three rows of seats. And so it is: with a wheelbase of 3060 mm, a large family car can carry 7 passengers.

The interior is exquisite: sockets and connectors for charging gadgets on all three rows of seats, 3-zone climate control, comfortable, beautifully stitched seats. Almost complete power package: it does not include only the middle row seats. But they are dismantled and taken outside if necessary. The transformed seats provide 2900 liters of luggage space.


We are silent about cruise control, 15 driver assistants. These are the usual smart things that are unnecessary to talk about. Our goal is to warn potential buyers against the difficulties and surprises that the Kia Carnival has prepared, which is not the first freshness.

Motors: problems

Let's make a reservation right away: nothing extraordinary. Our most popular in-line 4-cylinder diesel 16-valve.

Engine Specifications:

✅ Volume - 2,2 l
✅ Power - 202 liters. With. at 3,8 thousand rpm
✅ Moment of force - 441 N * m at 2,75 thousand rpm

The maximum speed of a front-wheel drive car is 190 km/h. The first difficulty may arise already at 50 km. It is associated with environmental bells and whistles: error P0404 lights up. This is a problem with the exhaust gas recirculation system.


It's either a sensor or an EGR valve. It's not that the components are bad. But the error reports: their parameters read by the control unit are outside the set range.

In this situation, some drivers do something drastic: they turn off the USR programmatically or physically. When buying a used minivan, check whether the previous owner removed the “ecology”. If not, get ready to clean not only the EGR, but also the intake manifold.

Other problems with motors

The urea injection system is not without its sins. If you don’t warm up the car properly when it’s below zero, and fill in an unknown technical fluid, then the “blue” reagent (AdBlue) begins to crystallize. Pipelines and connections lose their tightness. You should not ignore the displayed error: the computer will start a countdown, and after 800 km the engine will not start.


The crankshaft pulley becomes a weak link at 120-140 thousand kilometers. Extraneous sounds have appeared in the engine compartment from the belt drive side, change the pulley, otherwise the part will fall apart into two parts. The issue price is approximately 5 rubles.

At the same mileage, the pipes of the intake tract components crack or fall off. The problem happens in the area from the turbocharger to the engine through the intercooler. The turbine is reliable, but cracks can form in the intercooler itself. Reason: lack of or poor quality lubricant.

The timing chain drive is enough for 200 thousand km. Then you will have to spend 14 rubles. for a new set of two chains. During the same period, problems with the fuel injection pump are revealed: the pump begins to drive chips into the fuel system and to the injectors. Advice: do not empty the gas tank, which has a capacity of 700 liters, dry. About injectors: without waiting for surprises from the injection pump, change the fireproof washers under them every 80 thousand km.

Gasoline engines

Modern and progressive gasoline engines do not have hydraulic compensators. Therefore, the thermal valve clearances will have to be adjusted every 90 thousand km on the speedometer.


Rapid carbon formation on the intake valves is a problem associated with direct fuel injection. The idle speed has floated, the dynamics have been disrupted, jerks have appeared during acceleration - immediately take it to the service center. Due to poor thermal conductivity of carbon deposits, the temperature of components and parts increases. And the aluminum motor does not tolerate even local heating.

Increased oil consumption is often caused by stuck piston rings. Indulging in decarbonization with various compositions is not an option. It is better to reduce the service interval from 15 thousand km to 9-10 thousand. This measure will also be useful in the context of accelerated carbon formation.

Трансмиссия

Carnivals have automatic 6-speed gearboxes (A6) or 8-speed units (A8). The first family is characterized by spontaneous unscrewing of the fastening bolts at 100 thousand km. The gearbox becomes skewed and jerks appear at a speed of 40 km/h. If you do not want to change the entire gearbox, inspect the condition of the gaskets, bushings, and friction discs. Replace as necessary and rest easy for the next 100 thousand km.


The A8 box appeared in 2016. Overall, a reliable unit. True, there were cases of factory defects, but dealers replaced them without questions. And so, by following the general rules for operating automatic transmissions, you don’t have to worry about the Kia Carnival transmission. The instructions are simple: do not load a cold box, do not allow oil starvation, do not make sudden starts when the transmission is still viscous and has not warmed up.

Suspension

Up to 120-130 thousand km, the suspension does not cause serious complaints. But at such a distance, the silent blocks of the rear trailing arms and the rear toe rods are changed. The rear and front subframe bushings and anti-roll bar bushings also need to be replaced. Bushings cost about 100 rubles.

The rear spring mounts and stabilizer links will probably need to be replaced. After the first hundred km, wheel bearings often become unusable. The price of the hub unit is from 3 rubles.


The threshold of 100 thousand km is a reason to inspect the brake caliper guides. Parts become sour and jam, which results in beating. The guides can be cleaned and the anthers (RUB 120) replaced.

We summarize

The third generation Kia Carnival is an excellent solution for traveling with a large family. The car is reliable, comfortable at the executive class level, and safe. Let’s not forget: the van was not awarded all-terrain qualities and was not adapted to Russian realities.

We remember about ground clearance, like cars, and front-wheel drive. That's why we don't drive through swamps and mud. What you should take care of is anti-corrosion and crankcase protection. Not a penny, definitely. But save the bottom from rust and mechanical damage.