[MalnadMansha]

So today I went to do PDI of GTX+ Petrol DCT, Imperial Blue. Went through all the items in the team-bhp PDI checklist and another Seltos Specific checklist compiled in this thread. Everything looks perfect.

When I tried to decode VIN however, the 10th character is R which specifies 2024, but the 12th character isn't an alphabet, but a number. Is there a different way to decode Kia VIN or has anything changed recently? The VIN no is - MZBET815VRN620443.


SA indicated this may be March manufactured since Kia has introduced some new features from March onwards and that was a surprise indeed! Initially, SA indicated usually the cars they get would be manufactured 1.5-2 months before, so it would be a February batch. But since this car had the features introduced again in March, it may be a March batch he said.

The list of features, newly added or reintroduced in March are:
180W output in cigarette lighter socket.
One touch-up down for all windows.
Voice control for all the windows.

Also, they degraded the steering wheel from a Leather finish to Leatherette in March.

I observed that when I plugged in my S24 Ultra to the front USB-C port, it showed Super fast charging(45W+), and the ports in the rear seat showed Fast charging(25W+).

Some photos taken during PDI:










When I sat with the accessories person to decide on the needed accessories, he suggested getting Sun protection film installed. He said the UV-cut glasses just reduce the sun heat by 5%. So extra film is better, which would reduce 65-75% of heat and 99% UV reduction, within the permissible visibility according to rules, which is 75%.
Is it true that the UV cut glasses give much less protection from the sunlight?

Also, the brand with which they have a tie-up is Ultra-kool. They even quoted 1.28L to 1.4L for PPF with 160 and 190 microns respectively, which excludes roof, headlights, and tail-lamps. Of course, I won't get it done from there, but thinking about whether to take sun protection/anti-glare film or not, since I need to decide before installing a dashcam and fastag.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by akash.yadav001

I'm also looking for similar upgrade for my car. Can you please share the contact details of the seller? Thanks in advance

I couldn't share via PM maybe because you are a newbie. I have instead mailed you the details. Due to forum rules I can't share phone numbers here.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by MalnadMansha

When I sat with the accessories person to decide on the needed accessories, he suggested getting Sun protection film installed. He said the UV-cut glasses just reduce the sun heat by 5%. So extra film is better, which would reduce 65-75% of heat and 99% UV reduction, within the permissible visibility according to rules, which is 75%.
Is it true that the UV cut glasses give much less protection from the sunlight?

Also, the brand with which they have a tie-up is Ultra-kool. They even quoted 1.28L to 1.4L for PPF with 160 and 190 microns respectively, which excludes roof, headlights, and tail-lamps. Of course, I won't get it done from there, but thinking about whether to take sun protection/anti-glare film or not, since I need to decide before installing a dashcam and fastag.

Just some marketing speak by the salesperson. I have the similar variant as yours though in white. I frankly never thought of installing the sunfilm. For rear you have blinds, and for front two seats the sunshades can do 80% of the job. And the UV cut glasses do provide considerable relief. I have a Sonet as well which does not get the UV cut glasses and it feels considerably hotter than Seltos before starting the AC. But Sonet's AC is slightly better than Seltos, and chills the cabin in no time !

Edit- apologies for back to back posts. Request to merge this post with above.

[MalnadMansha]

Originally Posted by SeniorC

Bought it from the dealer itself and the quality is excellent. The only accessories I took were floor and boot mats. Nothing else.

Can you share a pic of the driver side of the floor mat? In the site, I see only the passenger side image as seen here:


I wanted to check if it has an extra rubber mat to avoid wear and tear, as seen in almost every 7d/10d mat on amazon.

[Minato]

Originally Posted by MalnadMansha

When I tried to decode VIN however, the 10th character is R which specifies 2024, but the 12th character isn't an alphabet, but a number. Is there a different way to decode Kia VIN or has anything changed recently? The VIN no is - MZBET815VRN620443.

Push back the driver seat and below you would see a cut in the carpet, month related Alphabet would be mentioned. If it is March you should be able to see 'C' mentioned as the 18th character. You can also search videos on YouTube on determining the month for Kia cars.
Congratulations on the new car.

[SeniorC]

Originally Posted by MalnadMansha

Can you share a pic of the driver side of the floor mat? In the site, I see only the passenger side image as seen here:
I wanted to check if it has an extra rubber mat to avoid wear and tear, as seen in almost every 7d/10d mat on amazon.

Attached are the driver side and rear passenger side mat photos for your reference. Pardon for being not so clear as they were taken in dark with mobile flash.

[TorkBHP]

Originally Posted by MalnadMansha

When I tried to decode VIN however, the 10th character is R which specifies 2024, but the 12th character isn't an alphabet, but a number. Is there a different way to decode Kia VIN or has anything changed recently? The VIN no is - MZBET815VRN620443.

The last character of the VIN (after the hyphen/ dash) represents the month of manufacturing
AFAIK this last alphabet won't be available anywhere else except in the Vin number mentioned under the driver seat (there's a small cut out on the floor mat where it should be visible - you will have to slide the seat backwards to see this)
A - January
B - February
..................
L - November
M - December

Note - This process skips letters I, O, Q to avoid confusion with 1, 0, 9 numbers

[vijay.s]

Originally Posted by MalnadMansha

So today I went to do PDI of GTX+ Petrol DCT, Imperial Blue. Went through all the items in the team-bhp PDI checklist and another Seltos Specific checklist compiled in this thread. Everything looks perfect.

When I tried to decode VIN however, the 10th character is R which specifies 2024, but the 12th character isn't an alphabet, but a number. Is there a different way to decode Kia VIN or has anything changed recently? The VIN no is - MZBET815VRN620443.


SA indicated this may be March manufactured since Kia has introduced some new features from March onwards and that was a surprise indeed! Initially, SA indicated usually the cars they get would be manufactured 1.5-2 months before, so it would be a February batch. But since this car had the features introduced again in March, it may be a March batch he said.

The list of features, newly added or reintroduced in March are:
180W output in cigarette lighter socket.
One touch-up down for all windows.
Voice control for all the windows.

Also, they degraded the steering wheel from a Leather finish to Leatherette in March.

I observed that when I plugged in my S24 Ultra to the front USB-C port, it showed Super fast charging(45W+), and the ports in the rear seat showed Fast charging(25W+).

Some photos taken during PDI:
Attachment 2592343

Attachment 2592344

Attachment 2592346

Attachment 2592347



When I sat with the accessories person to decide on the needed accessories, he suggested getting Sun protection film installed. He said the UV-cut glasses just reduce the sun heat by 5%. So extra film is better, which would reduce 65-75% of heat and 99% UV reduction, within the permissible visibility according to rules, which is 75%.
Is it true that the UV cut glasses give much less protection from the sunlight?

Also, the brand with which they have a tie-up is Ultra-kool. They even quoted 1.28L to 1.4L for PPF with 160 and 190 microns respectively, which excludes roof, headlights, and tail-lamps. Of course, I won't get it done from there, but thinking about whether to take sun protection/anti-glare film or not, since I need to decide before installing a dashcam and fastag.

Going with the exact same version and in the same color. Got my PDI done on Monday (8'th April) and planning to take the delivery today (10'th April).

I got a similar vehicle with the additional features - 180W fast charge, Auto up/down for all windows with voice control. I didn't realize they changed the steering from a leather to a leatherette though!

Just had a curious question - When I went for the PDI, everything looked good but the AC blower performance especially in the rear seemed below average. Even my 6+ years dzire had a better blower performance in the rear than the one on the seltos. When I checked with the sales advisor, he mentioned to me that the car was in the sun the entire day and will take time to cool down. Just to be sure, I went again in the evening to check the AC performance. It was tad bit better than when I checked it around 3 pm. But still not as good as expected from a new car. Did you notice this as well?

I believe you were also considering XUV700 and had some doubts on it. Have you finally decided that you will be taking the seltos. I am asking this question as I am also having this question in my mind. There are a few 2023 stocks of XUV700 (although not in the choice of my color) with a 1.5L discounts. If we take the insurance from outside, it gets the price of XUV700 faintly closer to the price of seltos. One corner of my mind is still thinking about XUV700 even this morning and I saw your post. Seems like, you have settled with Seltos. Atleast I got to know one another person who was in the same conundrum and has decided to choose the seltos over the XUV.

[BhayanaV]

Originally Posted by MalnadMansha

So today I went to do PDI of GTX+ Petrol

When I sat with the accessories person to decide on the needed accessories, he suggested getting Sun protection film installed. He said the UV-cut glasses just reduce the sun heat by 5%. So extra film is better, which would reduce 65-75% of heat and 99% UV reduction, within the permissible visibility according to rules, which is 75%.
Is it true that the UV cut glasses give much less protection from the sunlight?
.

Of course sun film will provide better heat protection. But all sun film are illegal, this has been discussed so many times earlier also.

[xotiq]

Originally Posted by MalnadMansha

So today I went to do PDI of GTX+ Petrol DCT, Imperial Blue. Went through all the items in the team-bhp PDI checklist and another Seltos Specific checklist compiled in this thread. Everything looks perfect.
Of course, I won't get it done from there, but thinking about whether to take sun protection/anti-glare film or not, since I need to decide before installing a dashcam and fastag.

Rear side, just above the left tail pipe, there seems to be some scuff marks. (Assuming it's not a reflection). Hope this was captured in PDI.

[Minato]

Originally Posted by vijay.s

I believe you were also considering XUV700 and had some doubts on it. Have you finally decided that you will be taking the seltos. I am asking this question as I am also having this question in my mind. There are a few 2023 stocks of XUV700 (although not in the choice of my color) with a 1.5L discounts. If we take the insurance from outside, it gets the price of XUV700 faintly closer to the price of seltos. One corner of my mind is still thinking about XUV700 even this morning and I saw your post. Seems like, you have settled with Seltos. Atleast I got to know one another person who was in the same conundrum and has decided to choose the seltos over the XUV.

I had a similar conundrum but I did not get a such a good discount to make it close between Seltos vs XUV700 (though I would suggest to negotiate more if possible, and try to go for 2L if possible, given it is 4 months into 2024 already).

The reason I chose Seltos over XUV700
1. Seltos top model price vs AX5/AX7.
2. Ease of parking in crowded Bangalore
3. Colour of xline
4. Practicality of 5 seater for my requirements.
5. Better resale value (may be)
6. Faster DCT vs AT
7. Marginally more fuel efficient.

The reason to choose XUV700 over Seltos
1. Sheer road presence and driving a genuine SUV in every sense. XUV700 looks just too majestic for road.
2. Requirement of 7 seater and a larger boot option. Long highway drives with a fully loaded car with passengers and luggage.
3. High reliability of AT over DCT.
4. Chauffer driven preference (may be)

If I was in a such situation with a similar numbers, I would choose XUV700 everyday plus I like all the color schemes of XUV700.

[MalnadMansha]

Originally Posted by SeniorC

Attached are the driver side and rear passenger side mat photos for your reference. Pardon for being not so clear as they were taken in dark with mobile flash.

Thanks for sharing the pics. Dark mats are a headache to maintain. It always gets dirty within a day I guess. However, no other choice if we go for GTX+. My Honda City had beige interiors and mat was also beige and it looks as good as new even after months!

Originally Posted by vijay.s

Going with the exact same version and in the same color. Got my PDI done on Monday (8'th April) and planning to take the delivery today (10'th April).

I got a similar vehicle with the additional features - 180W fast charge, Auto up/down for all windows with voice control. I didn't realize they changed the steering from a leather to a leatherette though!

Just had a curious question - When I went for the PDI, everything looked good but the AC blower performance especially in the rear seemed below average. Even my 6+ years dzire had a better blower performance in the rear than the one on the seltos. When I checked with the sales advisor, he mentioned to me that the car was in the sun the entire day and will take time to cool down. Just to be sure, I went again in the evening to check the AC performance. It was tad bit better than when I checked it around 3 pm. But still not as good as expected from a new car. Did you notice this as well?

I believe you were also considering XUV700 and had some doubts on it. Have you finally decided that you will be taking the seltos. I am asking this question as I am also having this question in my mind. There are a few 2023 stocks of XUV700 (although not in the choice of my color) with a 1.5L discounts. If we take the insurance from outside, it gets the price of XUV700 faintly closer to the price of seltos. One corner of my mind is still thinking about XUV700 even this morning and I saw your post. Seems like, you have settled with Seltos. Atleast I got to know one another person who was in the same conundrum and has decided to choose the seltos over the XUV.

Even I felt the rear AC blower is definitely under par when compared to the front ones. Even in my Honda City, the rear AC blower has less power compared to the front one. So I am used to it. Compared to City, this felt a bit better though.

I actually didn't consider XUV700, since the fully loaded version costs north of 30L for sure. Also, it is bigger for my liking. Even to take a U-turn in the narrow roads is a hassle. Seven-seater isn't my requirement too, and mileage is much less compared to Seltos. These factors made me finalize the Seltos. I know it has a better engine and is lovely to drive on the highways though.

Originally Posted by TorkBHP

The last character of the VIN (after the hyphen/ dash) represents the month of manufacturing
AFAIK this last alphabet won't be available anywhere else except in the Vin number mentioned under the driver seat (there's a small cut out on the floor mat where it should be visible - you will have to slide the seat backwards to see this)
A - January
B - February
..................
L - November
M - December

Note - This process skips letters I, O, Q to avoid confusion with 1, 0, 9 numbers

I had seen under the seat as well, but was looking for the 12th character when I looked there. Later took an image from the sticker near the left door, assuming both would be the same.

Originally Posted by BhayanaV

Of course sun film will provide better heat protection. But all sun film are illegal, this has been discussed so many times earlier also.

Yeah, correct. I am not planning to get it now, since UV cut glasses seem to be sufficient enough.

Originally Posted by xotiq

Rear side, just above the left tail pipe, there seems to be some scuff marks. (Assuming it's not a reflection). Hope this was captured in PDI.

Well, to be honest, I hadn't noticed it. I had checked all over the body but co-incidentally had missed this part somehow! The delivery team is on holiday today so can't go and see the car again it seems. However, I am following up with them to share the pic of that part from the stockyard again.

[sunilarkt]

Finally, I took delivery of my Seltos GTX Plus DCT Imperial Blue color. The buying experience with PPS Kia was hassle-free. Coming from a Polo TDI manual, size of this car will take some time to get used to in the traffic and my cramped basement parking, but the 360-degree camera and sensors all around the vehicle are godsend. I have switched off forward collision assist for now.



Accessories opted for: 3D Mats, Boot Mat, Rear Sunshade, Key Cover. I have also purchased 70 mai A400 dual channel dash cam from amazon.

I also opted for my convenience plus luxury pack, which covers service costs (50,000km), a 5-year (3+2) extended warranty (120,000 km), and 5-year roadside assistance.

Requirements :
1.Automatic. I have had enough fun with a manual car for 7 years. Considering the ever-worsening Bengaluru traffic, this was non-negotiable.
2.Powerful petrol engine—my running has reduced, and I barely take out my car apart from native trips once every two months. So petrol made obvious sense. I don’t have the patience to put up with DPF issues. Ev’s are out of question due to lack of support at my apartment and lack of options below 25L.
3.SUV: Bad roads in my native and humongous-sized road brakes pretty much ruled out sedans.
4.Good after-sales support.

Cars considered:
1.XUV 700: Too big and out of my budget.
2.Tata Harrier: Facelift is expensive, and Tata’s horror stories with ASA didn’t help.
3.Scorpio N: Again, too big for my needs. Also, front suspension failure issues worried me, as my usage will be mainly highway.
4.Taigun and Kushaq: They are not suitable for 3 people in the back; too pricey for what they offer. They have massively downgraded interior material, fit, and finish in the 2.0 model cars (my 7-year-old Polo had better quality, and that cost 10L OTR). I didn’t feel the asking price (24.5 lakh OTR in Bengaluru) was justified. The VW service experience while owning a polo was hit or miss.
5.MG Hector: The new front grille design is not my cup of tea.
6.Creta N Line: I liked the car, but it is almost 1.5L more than the Seltos GTX Plus in Bengaluru. I didn’t feel that the additional cost was worth it considering both cars are 95% the same. Family liked how the Seltos looked, and all of us felt the interior quality is better in Seltos compared to Creta.

I'm happy with my purchase decision, Hopefully I'll have wonderful time with it as I'm planning to keep it for 8-10years.

[Desi Dybuk]

Finally I took delivery of my Kia Seltos X Line Petrol DCT last week. This is my first car purchase for myself in over 12 years & is joining my stable of 2011 Hyundai Verna Fluidic (very reliable & not a single issue in over 12 years and 1.9 lakh kms). Delivery experience was seamless with PPS Kia on Mysore Road in Bangalore. (Although, I have purchased cars like Fiat Linea & Maruti Baleno for my dad & Maruti Baleno for my spouse over the years, this is my first car purchase for myself in 12 years)



I had booked my car via Acko Drive & didn't visit the dealership till PDI! I am going to write a separate post on the comedy of errors & frustration that was Acko Drive. (TLDR: Avoid services like Acko Drive & save yourself the stress)

Before delivery, I confirmed that the model was a 2024 manufactured on (by checking the 10th digit of VIN as R) and the month of manufacturing was Feb 2024 by checking the VIN number under the front seat which had -B stamped on the sheet metal after VIN.



I have driven 690 kms so far now since I drove to my native for Ugadi festival. Before purchasing the car, I was thinking that ADAS would be useful, marginally at the max, on the highways. Now having driven the vehicle on both highways & city streets, I am a convert to the logic of ADAS.

First things first: ADAS isn't for you if you are the sort who weaves in & out of lanes on highways without signalling & shadowing other vehicles closely. And it isn't for you if you drive like our notorious Bangalore Auto Annas without discipline. If you are, you are better off turning off ADAS because sooner or later, you are going to get yourself in trouble in real hurry.

Now, I consider myself a very sedate driver & I am someone who likes to stick by rules. Having driven in lots of countries, I am a strong believer of defensive driving. If it takes someone 45 minutes to get from point A to point B, I would rather spend additional 15 minutes extra & arrive safely by following rules of the road. (I get made fun of by my friends on this, but I am least bothered). The last ADAS equipped vehicle I drove was a Tesla in US & KIA's limited system was comparable for the feature set it offers (of course, Tesla is much much more advanced).

So, I drove the 430kms between Bangalore & Dharwad for the Ugadi festival & I kid you not, it was the most relaxing drive I have ever had. This was the method I followed;

1. I would select the middle lane & the Seltos would recognise the lane lines & ADAS would keep the car centered in the lane.
2. I never took my hand off the steering wheel & would give a light tug on the steering wheel once in a while.
3. I set Smart Cruise Control to 90 or 95 (I never drive over 95 on India roads unless it's an expressway) & would camp happily in the center lane. If there was a slow-moving truck, I would put the blinkers on, move over to the next lane, let ADAS pick up the lane lines & then let Seltos handle the drive.
4. If I wanted to make a lane change, the lane departure & blind-spot monitor worked perfectly. The forward radar also worked beautifully & I kept the distance to the vehicle ahead to the shortest possible distance.
5. Even in the city, I drive sedately & I don't shadow people. ADAS is unintrusive. I haven't turned off any of the ADAS features even in city.

In short, if you are a rule following driver, ADAS will make your drive a lot less stressful & will make you a better driver.



On a very interesting sidenote: My very first car I bought with my own money was a Kia Sephia in US when I was a student there. While all other Desis went for Toyotas or Hondas with 6-digit miles, I bought a 3-year-old Kia Sephia with hardly 31,000 miles on it & with full warranty left for another 2-3 years from a disgruntled husband who was selling his ex-wife's car. During those days, Kia & Hyundai were considered very poorly in US.

That little Kia served me loyally for few years till I totalled it on Houston freeway. And because of how trouble-free my experience with the Kia Sephia was, I have only bought Korean cars across continents since then; Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Azera, Hyundai Verna & now a Kia Sephia. Goes to show how much initial impressions last a lifetime.

[Col Mehta]

Originally Posted by Desi Dybuk

Finally I took delivery of my Kia Seltos X Line Petrol DCT last week. .

Heartiest congratulations to you on your new car! Wish you many happy and safe miles with it.

Looks beautiful in that matte paint work with those exquisite sage green interiors. Definitely the best color combo in the entire range of Seltos. Are you planning to do a matte PPF to protect/maintain the matte paint?