My ride has been my workhorse for the past 2 years+, 3years exactly this October, now clocking in at over 120,000 km. Ever since my 100k km mark, I've begun servicing my Kia Forte outside the Kia service centres, mainly due to the prohibitive high pricing that Naza charges for servicing and labour. I have modified my ride to the extent that voiding the factory warranty seems pretty reasonable for the huge savings incurred by servicing it outside.
This time around, for my car's 120,000km service I did it at KCM (Korean Car Mates), the Korean Cars Specialist at Glenmarie Shah Alam after hearing lots of recommendations from fellow car club members. Check out my experience, the pricing and what has been changed in my post below.
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| Korean Car Mates (KCM) - Korean Cars Specialist Service Centre |
Korean Car Mates (KCM) - Korean Cars Specialist Service Centre
Glenmarie Shah Alam Outlet
No.23, Jalan Pentadbir U1/30, Hicom Glenmarie Ind. Park,
40150 Shah Alam, Malaysia
Tel : 603-55698100 / 603-62596778
Email: kcmglenmarie@gmail.com
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| From the front |
KCM has another branch over at Jalan Ipoh too, but I'll be talking about the one at Glenmarie Shah Alam as thats the one I went to do my major service. The 120k km service for a Kia Forte is considered a major service in our Kia service manual, as more parts are being changed than usual. On top of the usual oil and oil filter change, we have the spark plugs, air filter, aircond filter, V belt, and 6speed auto transmission fluid ATF to change too. Those come up to a pretty high price if we service at the official Naza Kia service centres.
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| All korean cars are parked at the back for servicing |
The best part about servicing your vehicle at Korean Car Mates is the fact that they service and change exactly the same interval and parts as you would at an authorised service centre, at a fraction of the cost. No doubt if your vehicle is still under the manufacturer warranty, it's still advisable to come here after your warranty period has lapse. Unless of course, you wish to join the VW (Void Warranty) gang.
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| It was a busy morning for KCM Glenmarie |
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| The ride, elevated for ease of checks |
Quality after sales servicing for Japanese and Korean made cars at a reasonable price is the key word here. Touted to be the Korean Cars Specialist, KCM has expertise to service Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and Kia cars. They have won over a rather loyal following customizing the service to follow exactly the manufacturer's specifications.
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| KCM Service Job Sheet |
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| Service check list |
The KCM workshop is pretty clean, with the staff being rather disciplined and professional. Things that need to be changed are changed, and proper checks done. This was a major 120k km service, hence Korean Car Mates actually came up with a lump sum package of RM598, which is way cheaper than the RM1k++ you would need to fork out if servicing the car at Naza Kia's authorised service centres.
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| My parts changed |
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| V-rib belt changed |
The staff were pretty professional at getting things done quickly and effectively. No hassle, just relax and let the car get serviced and renewed. Again, the parts changed for my Kia Forte this round were the fully synthetic engine oil, oil filter, air filter, spark plugs, aircond filter, v rib belt, and auto transmission fluid (ATF) oil. Check out the photos above for the actual parts changed.
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| Engine oil being sucked out via their machine |
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| 'blood' transfusion in progress |
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| Air filters and other parts being replaced |
The mechanics at Korean Car Mates were pretty thorough in their checks, where they actually go all over your car checking for worn out parts. Under the car, side of the car, no spots were left unchecked, as is written on their inspection check list.
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| Checking for any irregularities in the undercarriage of my car |
Korean Car Mates have a dedicated waiting lounge for their customers who decide to wait there while their cars got serviced. Located on the first floor of the building, it is a rather comfy air conditioned space, complete with sofas, tables and plug points in case you need to finish some office work on the laptop. Pretty complete.
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| Waiting lounge located on the first floor of the building |
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| Spark plugs |
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| Fully synthetic engine oil 5W-30 |
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| Aircon filter |
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| Air Filter |
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with my Kia Forte 120,000km service done by Korean Car Mates (KCM) @ Glenmarie Shah Alam. The whole service package is priced at RM598, with GST it comes to RM633.90 , a fraction of the cost of servicing at a Naza authorised service centre.
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| One for the album, Korean Car Mates |
Do check out the other
Korean Car Mates (KCM) outlets in Klang Valley near you the next time you need your korean cars to be serviced. More information can be obtained from their facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/KoreanCarMatesKCM.
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