
Driving your vehicle
124
5
Use high quality ethylene gly-
col coolant
Your vehicle is delivered with high
quality ethylene glycol coolant in the
cooling system. It is the only type of
coolant that should be used because
it helps prevent corrosion in the cool-
ing system, lubricates the water
pump and prevents freezing. Be sure
to replace or replenish your coolant
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in section 7. Before winter,
have your coolant tested to assure
that its freezing point is sufficient for
the temperatures anticipated during
the winter.
Check battery and cables
Winter puts additional burdens on
the battery system. Visually inspect
the battery and cables as described
in section 7. The level of charge in
your battery can be checked by an
authorized Kia dealer or a service
station.
Change to “winter weight” oil
if necessary
In some climates it is recommended
that a lower viscosity "winter weight"
oil be used during cold weather. See
section 8 for recommendations. If
you aren't sure what weight oil you
should use, consult an authorized
Kia dealer.
Check spark plugs and igni-
tion system
Inspect your spark plugs as
described in section 7 and replace
them if necessary. Also check all
ignition wiring and components to be
sure they are not cracked, worn or
damaged in any way.
To keep locks from freezing
To keep the locks from freezing,
squirt an approved de-icer fluid or
glycerine into the key opening. If a
lock is covered with ice, squirt it with
an approved de-icing fluid to remove
the ice. If the lock is frozen internally,
you may be able to thaw it out by
using a heated key. Handle the heat-
ed key with care to avoid injury.
Use approved window washer
anti-freeze in system
To keep the water in the window
washer system from freezing, add an
approved window washer anti-freeze
solution in accordance with instruc-
tions on the container. Window wash-
er anti-freeze is available from an
authorized Kia dealer and most auto
parts outlets. Do not use engine
coolant or other types of anti-freeze
as these may damage the paint fin-
ish.

5131
Driving your vehicle
When you are ready to leave after
parking on a hill
1. With the automatic transmission inP (Park), apply your brakes and
hold the brake pedal down while
you:
and
2. Slowly remove your foot from the brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and store the chocks.Maintenance when trailer tow-
ing
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trail-
er. Important items to pay particular
attention to include engine oil, auto-
matic transmission fluid, axle lubri-
cant and cooling system fluid. Brake
condition is another important item to
frequently check. Each item is cov-
ered in this manual, and the Index
will help you find them quickly. If
you’re trailering, it’s a good idea to
review these sections before you
start your trip.
Don’t forget to also maintain your
trailer and hitch. Follow the mainte-
nance schedule that accompanied
your trailer and check it periodically.
Preferably, conduct the check at the
start of each day’s driving. Most
importantly, all hitch nuts and bolts
should be tight. When towing check transmission
fluid more frequently.
CAUTION - Air condition
Do not use the A/C while usingyour vehicle to tow uphill. Dueto higher load during trailerusage, overheating might occuron hot days or during uphilldriving.

Maintenance
Engine compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
Maintenance services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner’s responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5
• Owner maintenance precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-6
Owner maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
• Owner maintenance schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8
Scheduled maintenance service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9
Explanation of scheduled maintenance items . . . 7-15
Checking fluid levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Engine oil. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
• Checking the engine oil level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
• Changing the engine oil and filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20
Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
• Checking the coolant level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
• Changing the coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24
• Checking the brake fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24
Washer fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
• Checking the washer fluid level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25
Parking brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
• Checking the parking brake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26
Air cleaner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
• Filter replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27
Climate control air filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
• Filter inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-29
Wiper blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
• Blade inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
• Blade replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-31
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
34
• For best battery service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-34
• Battery recharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
• Recharging battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-35
• Reset items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-36\
Tires and wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-37
• Tire care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
37
• Recommended cold tire inflation pressures . . . . . . . 7-37
• Tire pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
• Checking tire inflation pressure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-38
• Tire rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-39
• Wheel alignment and tire balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-40
• Tire replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-41
• Wheel replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• Tire traction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• Tire maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• Tire sidewall labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-42
• All season tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
• Summer tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
• Snow tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-\
49
• Radial-ply tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-49
7

73
Maintenance
ENGINE COMPARTMENT
OUM074100L
■ ■Gasoline Engine (Theta II 2.4L) - GDI
❈The actual engine room in the vehicle may differ from the illustration. 1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Brake fluid reservoir
4. Air cleaner
5. Fuse box
6. Positive battery terminal
7. Negative battery terminal
8. Radiator cap
9. Engine oil dipstick
10. Windshield washer fluid reservoir

Maintenance
47
OUMA078255
1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Engine oil filler cap
3. Brake fluid reservoir
4. Air cleaner
5. Fuse box
6. Positive battery terminal
7. Negative battery terminal
8. Engine oil dipstick
9. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
10. Radiator cap
■ ■Gasoline engine (Lambda II 3.3L) – GDI* The actual engine compartment in the vehicle may differ from the illustration.

75
Maintenance
MAINTENANCE SERVICES
You should exercise the utmost care
to prevent damage to your vehicle
and injury to yourself whenever per-
forming any maintenance or inspec-
tion procedures.
Should you have any doubts con-
cerning the inspection or servicing of
your vehicle, we strongly recom-
mend that you have an authorized
Kia dealer perform this work.
An authorized Kia dealer has factory
trained technicians and genuine Kia
parts to service your vehicle proper-
ly. For expert advice and quality serv-
ice, see an authorized Kia dealer.
Inadequate, incomplete or insuffi-
cient servicing may result in opera-
tional problems with your vehicle that
could lead to vehicle damage, an
accident, or personal injury.Owner’s responsibility
✽ ✽NOTICE
Maintenance Service and Record
Retention are the owner's responsi-
bility.
You should retain documents that
show proper maintenance has been
performed on your vehicle in accor-
dance with the scheduled mainte-
nance service charts shown on the
following pages. You need this infor-
mation to establish your compliance
with the servicing and maintenance
requirements of your vehicle war-
ranties.
Detailed warranty information is pro-
vided in your Warranty & Consumer
Information manual.
Repairs and adjustments required as
a result of improper maintenance or
a lack of required maintenance are
not covered. We recommend you have your vehi-
cle maintained and repaired by an
authorized Kia dealer. An authorized
Kia dealer meets Kia’s high service
quality standards and receives tech-
nical support from Kia in order to pro-
vide you with a high level of service
satisfaction.

Maintenance
67
Owner maintenance precau-
tions
Improper or incomplete service may
result in problems. This section gives
instructions only for the maintenance
items that are easy to perform.
As explained earlier in this section,
several procedures can be done only
by an authorized Kia dealer with spe-
cial tools.
✽ ✽NOTICE
Improper owner maintenance dur-
ing the warranty period may affect
warranty coverage. For details, read
the separate Warranty & Consumer
Information manual provided with
the vehicle. If you're unsure about
any servicing or maintenance proce-
dure, have it done by an authorized
Kia dealer.
WARNING- Maintenance
work
Do not wear jewelry or loose
clothing while working under
the hood of your vehicle with
the engine running. These can
become entangled in moving
parts, if you must run the engine
while working under the hood,
make certain that you remove
all jewelry (especially rings,
bracelets, watches, and neck-
laces) and all neckties, scarves,
and similar loose clothing
before getting near the engine
or cooling fans.

77
Maintenance
OWNER MAINTENANCE
The following lists are vehicle checks
and inspections that should be per-
formed by the owner or an author-
ized Kia dealer at the frequencies
indicated to help ensure safe,
dependable operation of your vehi-
cle.
Any adverse conditions should be
brought to the attention of your deal-
er as soon as possible.
These Owner Maintenance Checks
are generally not covered by war-
ranties and you may be charged for
labor, parts and lubricants used.Owner maintenance schedule
When you stop for fuel:
Check the engine oil level.
Check the coolant level in thecoolant reservoir.
Check the windshield washer fluid level.
Look for low or under-inflated tires.
While operating your vehicle:
Note any changes in the sound of the exhaust or any smell of
exhaust fumes in the vehicle.
Check for vibrations in the steering wheel. Notice any increased steer-
ing effort or looseness in the steer-
ing wheel, or change in its straight-
ahead position.
Notice if your vehicle constantly turns slightly or “pulls” to one side
when traveling on smooth, level
road.
When stopping, listen and check for unusual sounds, pulling to one
side, increased brake pedal travel
or “hard-to-push” brake pedal.
If any slipping or changes in the operation of your transmission
occurs, check the transmission
fluid level.
Check the automatic transmission P (Park) function.
Check the parking brake.
Check for fluid leaks under your vehicle (water dripping from the air
conditioning system during or after
use is normal).
WARNING - Hot coolant
Be careful when checking your
engine coolant level when the
engine is hot. Scalding hot
coolant and steam may blow
out under pressure.