[tamaker]

new owner and love the forum already. Glad I purchased, all the features (and more) of the E350 I was going to buy, with far less in repair costs!

Got our first kia last year, and this one 10 months later!

 

[Bike Effects]

Congratulations and welcome to the forum. What are the details of your new Cadenza? What was your other Kia?

 

[K5 Optima Store]

Congrats on getting your new Cadenza.

Which color did you end up going with?

Great community of members here, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

David

 

[AnthonyY]

Welcome to the forum!!

 

[tamak]

Sorry for the delay on the reply... So I got my wife a 2013 Optima last december (silver) and we LOVED it from day one (our FIRST kia), (coming from two SUV's had for years and years)... I went out of my way to 'need' it for EVERY errand I could think of... need something from the store? I'll go! just fun to drive and a great looking / handling vehicle...

I researched luxury vehicles for about 6 months prior to getting my cadenza and was just about to go get a Benz E350 (certified pre-owned)... but when I sat back and thought about the schedule service costs and cost of ownership for the Benz 'name' I just couldn't do it... NOT after seeing what the Cadenza had to offer (to be honest, the k900 REALLY caught my eye, but just didnt seem like a good daily driver vehicle for my tastes... I could afford it, but its just so plush and a little 'too' luxury for me in terms of driving it EVERY DAY... man, thats a SICK vehicle.

The cadenza I got (limited, aurora with black interior) had everything the K900 had feature-wise except the 360 camera (so awesome... I would just play with it 24 / 7 if I DID have it)... and the numbers were great... got the 2015 limited for right around 33k (all my research put the price at about 40 or so for the maxed out limited)... the sales manager as it turned out was a friend from high school and it really helped when he took a look at the deal they were putting together for me.

Still LOVE the look of the Benz E350, but the way I see it, I have peace of mind knowing the repair costs won't drain my 'fun' money budget for trips and toys/gadgets!

Questions I have are:

1.) how do I know when / where to get software updates for the entertainment system / UVO? (Im a programmer / software developer so I would love to see it 'do' / offer more and have more features than it currently does, but Im still happy, generally speaking. (attached is an image of the software Im running currently)

2.) I think I have the stock hankook tires but would love to know what owners think is a good alternative to the stock ones.

3.) are there any known issues / problems I should look out for? Im about 2000 miles in with it so far, very very happy with the purchase though and thinking about doing a light tint on the rear windows but don't want to mess with an already great looking vehicle.

4.) Is it just me or do you have to really work to get a 'sporty' feel with the paddle shifters / sport mode -- it will respond and really do some nice stuff, but it seems (and probably makes sense) that it tried hard to be soft and easy going but if you really work it, it'll show it has some power... I just usually drop down two gears to get past the old slow cars then shift back up and slow it down before I get a speeding ticket!


Great forum, looking forward to being an active member.

 

[tamak]

Congrats on getting your new Cadenza.

Which color did you end up going with?

Great community of members here, if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

David

Went with Aurora Black Pearl / black interior with nappa trim... I just posted a really long update with a few pictures - its still stock, haven't touched anything but want to add some better bulbs for the fog lights, something so the lighting is same as headlights... not sure what to get, and what else I may tweak, just hard to do too much because its such a nicely put together vehicle all ready and maxed out since its the limited package.

 

[Bike Effects]

<Snip>

Questions I have are:

1.) how do I know when / where to get software updates for the entertainment system / UVO? (Im a programmer / software developer so I would love to see it 'do' / offer more and have more features than it currently does, but Im still happy, generally speaking. (attached is an image of the software Im running currently)

2.) I think I have the stock hankook tires but would love to know what owners think is a good alternative to the stock ones.

3.) are there any known issues / problems I should look out for? Im about 2000 miles in with it so far, very very happy with the purchase though and thinking about doing a light tint on the rear windows but don't want to mess with an already great looking vehicle.

4.) Is it just me or do you have to really work to get a 'sporty' feel with the paddle shifters / sport mode -- it will respond and really do some nice stuff, but it seems (and probably makes sense) that it tried hard to be soft and easy going but if you really work it, it'll show it has some power... I just usually drop down two gears to get past the old slow cars then shift back up and slow it down before I get a speeding ticket!


Great forum, looking forward to being an active member.

1.I'm sure you will hear about software updates here on the forum but I suspect you will get a notice. I bought a CPO 2014 and bought the latest update right away. Some updates are maps only while others include software changes.

2. The dealer had installed new Hankook tires as mine was a Certified Pre Owned. I learned that this was the same tire the car had originally. I have just under 4600 miles on these tires aso far they are great. I really appreciate the quiet ride. Another member here changed them out at 17,000 as they had turned to s**t! I would not be shocked if that were to happen. People on Tire Rack that have purchased the Hankooks don't have a not of good things to say about them although some like the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2. As of today, these are only $147.75 per tire on tirerack dot com. I have saved some Michelin Primacy MXM4 when the need arises but they are $231.75 per tire. That's a savings of $84.00 per tire or $336.00 per set. That is a lot. I seldom wear tires out as I am in Kalifornia where the state does not allow many punctures to be repaired.

3. Know issues on some of the 2014's are a Timing Chain rattle on cold startup. It is addressed in TSB #148 . The service manual does say that momentary noise is normal. Mine lasts for 1 second. I doubt I will have it fixed unless it gets worse.

4. Soft shift?? My other car is an Acura TL. Good firm, snappy shifts. I am beginning to appreciate. the soft shift. You can barely tell it has shifted. This is a soft car. To me, it is calming to drive this machine. Maybe they were striving for this??

Welcome to the forum. What part of the country are you in?

 

[tamak]

Thanks Bike Effects... great info... i'll look into that TSB #148 to see if it also plagues the 2015 (hopefully it was addressed but I know sometimes they just carry over).

Great point on the fine line between the soft shift and too snappy... I WOULD indeed prefer it err on SOFT side now that you mention it.

 

[gene]

25000 miles on the OEM hankook tires still no issues with them on the cadenza.
I do have a rear tire wobble on the K900 with the Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2.
Think it might be just one tire, that can happen to any brand of tire.
This cadenza is pretty much worry free, Our first one was not.
You name it that one had a problem

 

[gene]

Go to mapnsoft.com to check for updates on your car

 

[K5 Optima Store]

Went with Aurora Black Pearl / black interior with nappa trim... I just posted a really long update with a few pictures - its still stock, haven't touched anything but want to add some better bulbs for the fog lights, something so the lighting is same as headlights... not sure what to get, and what else I may tweak, just hard to do too much because its such a nicely put together vehicle all ready and maxed out since its the limited package.

Oh very cool, nice color.

We can definitely help you out with upgrading your fog lights to match the headlights. You should check out our stage 2 CREE Fog Lights we sell on our site below.

CREE Stage 2 80 Watt Fog Light Bulbs - K5 Optima Store

Also let us know if you have any other questions before ordering.

 

[tamak]

definitely ordering this week...

Oh very cool, nice color.

We can definitely help you out with upgrading your fog lights to match the headlights. You should check out our stage 2 CREE Fog Lights we sell on our site below.

CREE Stage 2 80 Watt Fog Light Bulbs - K5 Optima Store

Also let us know if you have any other questions before ordering.

Thanks, quick question, any significant impact on battery life if I run the 80watt over the 20watt... they look so good on the pictures that Im pretty sure I'd run them ALL THE TIME - even though I laugh when I see people run theirs 24/7 -- looks stupid when they have LED headlights and weird looking OEM fogs.

 

[K5 Optima Store]

Thanks, quick question, any significant impact on battery life if I run the 80watt over the 20watt... they look so good on the pictures that Im pretty sure I'd run them ALL THE TIME - even though I laugh when I see people run theirs 24/7 -- looks stupid when they have LED headlights and weird looking OEM fogs.

You are very welcome. Absolutely not there will be no impact on battery life as these use less electrical current than the factory halogen / incandescent lighting used for the fog light bulbs on the cadenza. We highly recommend going with the stage 2 80 watt bulbs as the stage 1 20 watt bulbs will soon be discontinued. Most of our customers do not prefer the color for brightness in terms of light output of the stage 1 bulbs.