[audioholic]

Originally Posted by ACM

So, thinking aloud, it should also be possible theoretically that Kia installed 4 Airbags in every car that they sold with 6 Airbags. Who would know? In an Accident, not every Airbag deploys anyway; it depends on the type of accident.

So, in theory, a Senior could plan to steal (Never buy, never install, only pay for) thousands of Airbags.

Say Airbags come in kits of 4 and 6 for installation in separate types of variants, and the installers never check, just installs whatever is in an entire kit. .

Yes, thinking aloud, its also theoretically possible that they milled one cylinder less in every block and since no one opens up an engine during delivery, a bunch of customers got one cylinder less. Supply chain and production works differently. How do you think missing airbags in a production car won’t go unnoticed? Do you think these missing engines also would mean the customers car would miss it? So for the end customer, the worse that can happen is some quality lapses. Stealing airbags from the supply chain is one thing, but that not going into a production vehicle is just absurd. Let’s stop giving the discussion unwanted colours.

In a restaurant there might be thefts in the store. Does that mean your favourite item will miss some atta, salt or sugar? Thats the reason we should not cross interpret theories and apply them else where.

And ECU fault programmable not to pop up? How?

[@ppy.tbhp]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Yes, thinking aloud, its also theoretically possible that they milled one cylinder less in every block and since no one opens up an engine during delivery, a bunch of customers got one cylinder less. Supply chain and production works differently. How do you think missing airbags in a production car won’t go unnoticed? Do you think these missing engines also would mean the customers car would miss it? So for the end customer, the worse that can happen is some quality lapses. Stealing airbags from the supply chain is one thing, but that not going into a production vehicle is just absurd. Let’s stop giving the discussion unwanted colours.

In a restaurant there might be thefts in the store. Does that mean your favourite item will miss some atta, salt or sugar? Thats the reason we should not cross interpret theories and apply them else where.

And ECU fault programmable not to pop up? How?

Hello audioholic, sure—quality lapses happen. Now, speaking of real concerns, here’s something that actually did happen - The Kia brochure proudly lists UV and solar glass for all door windows and car windshield. Sounds great, right? Except, when the car arrives, only the front windshield has any marking for UV or solar protection. So, what happened? Did the special glass for the doors take a detour on the way to the factory? Did it vanish into thin air? I’ve actually posted about this in more detail on a different thread—feel free to check it out for the full picture on what I’m referring to #3412 - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...eview-228.html (2023 Kia Seltos Facelift Review)

It’s almost comical—like, how did this slip past everyone? From marketing to production to delivery, not a single person thought, “Hmm… where did the rest of the fancy glass go?” It's not just a tiny oversight—it’s misleading. And as customers, we deserve better than brochure promises that vanish somewhere between the showroom and our driveway.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by @ppy.tbhp

It’s almost comical—like, how did this slip past everyone? From marketing to production to delivery, not a single person thought, “Hmm… where did the rest of the fancy glass go?” It's not just a tiny oversight—it’s misleading. And as customers, we deserve better than brochure promises that vanish somewhere between the showroom and our driveway. [/left]

My Crysta has the same AIS temperlite glasses without any branding about heat rejection. But it does have that feature which is rightfully mentioned in the brochure. I had the same doubt as you when we got the car. But if the car is parked side by side with a lower variant, the difference is clearly visible. Its just that its not mentioned in the glass markings in a uniform manner. You can verify if the glass actually has that property or not using a VLT meter if its really not heat rejecting. Then that would work as a proof to say that you have got the wrong glass(which is a blunder). But dont get carried away only by the markings. The markings by Mahindra have been specified to be uniform to both vendors for the sake of exhibiting that feature(which is a clever touch by Mahindra since they always have such elements across the vehicle). Kia hasnt done that.

[@ppy.tbhp]

Originally Posted by audioholic

My Crysta has the same AIS temperlite glasses without any branding about heat rejection. But it does have that feature which is rightfully mentioned in the brochure. I had the same doubt as you when we got the car. But if the car is parked side by side with a lower variant, the difference is clearly visible. Its just that its not mentioned in the glass markings in a uniform manner. You can verify if the glass actually has that property or not using a VLT meter if its really not heat rejecting. Then that would work as a proof to say that you have got the wrong glass(which is a blunder). But dont get carried away only by the markings. The markings by Mahindra have been specified to be uniform to both vendors for the sake of exhibiting that feature(which is a clever touch by Mahindra since they always have such elements across the vehicle). Kia hasnt done that.

audioholic, I totally get what you're saying! This is my experience — I drove to the Mahindra showroom in my Seltos to test drive their EVs. During the test drives, I could really feel less heat coming in through the window glass in Mahindra vehicles. Since both were driven in the same city, under similar weather and traffic conditions, the difference in UV rejection and overall solar glass performance was very clear in Mahindra. The Mahindra EV cabins definitely felt cooler and better insulated from the heat. It’s not the same with my Seltos. No need for any fancy testing equipment or process. The difference in heat entering the cabin is so obvious, you can feel it clearly even during a short 15–20 minute test drive after driving both Seltos and Mahindra EV's. Why does Kia even care to give the markings on the front windshield then??

[ACM]

Originally Posted by ACM

So, thinking aloud, it should also be possible theoretically that Kia installed 4 Airbags in every car that they sold with 6 Airbags. Who would know? In an Accident, not every Airbag deploys anyway; it depends on the type of accident.
.

To clarify for those who didn't get it, I am implying that losing 900 Fully Assembled Engines is less likely than what I suggested. Or rather that the whole matter is either very fishy or a conspiracy theory similar to and as ridiculous in today's times as what I suggested.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by @ppy.tbhp

. Why does Kia even care to give the markings on the front windshield then??

Just to give you some clarity to reduce your disappointment, the marking on the front windshield is what Saint gobain has given. Its not specifed by Kia and hence it will be the decision of the supplier. In case of Mahindra, they have clearly specified that the markings should be present to both their suppliers. All glasses of my car are AIS and none carry the markings since Toyota didnt ask for it. Of course, Mahindra would have also specified the glasses to have a higher amount of solar energy rejection compared to Kia(hence you feel better in that) but dont go to the extent of thinking that Kia didnt give you a feature that they promised. I dont have any association with either company, just giving you some clarity to not make you feel miserable or cheated. Mahindra just does a better job in requirements engineering than Kia and specifies the details well. For Kia as long as the glass does reject heat, thats enough to put it on the brochure.

[@ppy.tbhp]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Just to give you some clarity to reduce your disappointment, the marking on the front windshield is what Saint gobain has given. Its not specifed by Kia and hence it will be the decision of the supplier. In case of Mahindra, they have clearly specified that the markings should be present to both their suppliers. All glasses of my car are AIS and none carry the markings since Toyota didnt ask for it. Of course, Mahindra would have also specified the glasses to have a higher amount of solar energy rejection compared to Kia(hence you feel better in that) but dont go to the extent of thinking that Kia didnt give you a feature that they promised. I dont have any association with either company, just giving you some clarity to not make you feel miserable or cheated. Mahindra just does a better job in requirements engineering than Kia and specifies the details well. For Kia as long as the glass does reject heat, thats enough to put it on the brochure.

audioholic, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all this—it honestly clears up a lot. I get that just because the marking isn’t there doesn’t mean the feature itself is missing. That does help me feel better about it, so thank you for that. I also checked in with a trusted car accessories place here in my city. They said they can help me measure the VLT, UV, and other readings on all the glasses. Since it was Sunday and they were super busy, they couldn’t do it today—but I’ll post the results once it’s done. If there are any upgrades that actually make a noticeable difference and are worth the time and cost, I’ll definitely share that too.

That said, living with a Kia isn't easy. I’ve been facing a number of issues that are still unresolved, even after multiple ASC visits for more than year now. The experience with the Kia ASC and Kia India support has honestly been quite disappointing—they haven’t been great at fixing defects under warranty, and it's been frustrating. Ever since I got my Seltos back in February 2024, it’s been one of the worst ownership experiences I’ve had. Thanks again for your thoughtful explanation—really appreciate it!

[Amrik Singh]

Auditing at its best !!!
I am reminded of my stint at Mosul Dam Project in Iraq in 1982-84.
During Auditing, 1 No. Tyre of 80 Ton Mining Truck (Tyre Size 24x48) was short. Massive Tyre 24 inch Tread and sidewall height x 48 inch Rim Dia.
Paperwork was manipulated and it was shown to have been damaged and discarded. Issue was closed.
Next year Auditing showed One No. of same Tyre in excess. Much tougher to explain an extra.

[NinerWhiskey]

Originally Posted by shrinz.vivek

There exists a huge market for engines in the costal areas. They retrofit them on fishing boats is what I heard.

Well while I do agree to your statement it seems unlikely that "new KIA engines" would be used for other purposes, these are modern engines that rely heavily on an ECU to function, right? It's not like the older carbureted engines that were mostly mechanical and didn’t care much about the car’s electrical system. With today's engines, nothing really works unless the ECU gives the green light. There's a lot of electronics involved. Unauthorized mechanics can’t just plug in a random KIA ECU with an Autel and expect it to work. Each ECU is mapped and coded to specific components and parameters. This is just my opinion. Thank you!

[JourneyMan]

5 years!! How were they utilizing their inventory? I would assume a FIFO arrangement wherein the engine procured first gets utilized first. Such a big goof up on the part of an international car maker.
Will follow the thread for the interesting story.

[tharian]

News article from today's Chennai edition of ToI.

[PaddleShifter]

The investigation is around 10% completed and nine arrests have been made so far.

https://m.economictimes.com/news/new.../120449464.cms

I think the engines were used to rebuild accidental and flood affected cars but lets wait for further updates on this.

[Xpresstrainfast]

A question: Ideally, the body and the engine are combined together. How did they not realize it when obviously a body would lack an engine. I am excited to know you exactly engines were stolen ( Kia cars us a 1.0 Gasoline, 1.2 Gasoline, two 1.5 Gasolines, and a 1.5 Diesel. Parent company Hyundai also uses these engines. I am guessing for now that engine components , not the entire engine set were stolen.

If this news is true, that means the korean duo produce their engines in both plants