Help ... Transfer Box Nightmare in Kia Sorento 2006 model

[soldlisa04]

We are wondering if anyone can help us at all ... we were away last week towing with our 2006 (July) Kia Sorento XS. We turned into a car park Weds lunchtime to be met with a thumping vibrating noise similar to a flat tyre. Happened when wheel turned fully in both directions, but no flat tyre. Called Green Flag out ... Mechanic jacked up car and thought, as he couldn't turn front wheel, that it was the CV joint and arranged for us to be towed to a garage for it to be confirmed.
It was far worse - they told us that the Transfer Box had failed and that if further damage had been done then we were looking at a real mess. Good news was no damage done, bad news was that a new Transfer Box from Kia would be £4k money we just don't have as all our money has gone into our caravan and this car. To say I was gutted was an understatement. They removed a prop shaft so car was in permanent 2 wheel drive and said we could use car for next 3 days but not to tow our caravan home to be on safe side. We arranged recovery of both car and van with Green Flag and were towed home Saturday.
On arriving at home, the front jockey wheel for whatever reason had become loose and then jammed in the down position, shredding the solid wheel and the only way the Mechanic could get the jockey wheel out was to hammer it loose by smashing into our A frame! At this point I wanted to scream, so walked away to be met with an almighty 'awning pole' dent on nearside of van by bedroom window! "Oh yes," said OH, "the wind took the pole this morning but I didn't see that the damage was that bad". It was at this moment I walked away to a large glass of wine with our lovely neighbours, who could see how upset I was!
Anyway, next day we went to our local dealer who inspected the dent and said that it had not compromised the paintwork and gave us two lovely reflectors which now have pride of place on either side of the van and you wouldn't know a dent was underneath! The jockey wheel has been replaced in entirety with a brand new pneumatic one (better for moving on our gravel drive) and our lovely dealer knocked a fiver off and also said to dremel out the offending smashed A frame piece and do the same the other side (in a semi circular shape) and save ourselves £70 in the process for a new A frame.
My quesitons to you lovely fellow forumites are as follows:
Has this happened to anyone else - i.e. having to replace their Transfer Box
Is an 06 XS Sorento in permanent 4 wheel drive or not? (We have been told conflicting information)
Does anyone know of a cheaper recon Transfer Box than £1150 which is our current quote - guaranteed for one year
Is it necessary then to replace the Transfer Box if we don't intend to use 4WD and drive around in permanent 2WD and tow like this?

Sorry to ask so many questions but this represents a huge amount of money to us (when you don't have it in the first place) and we want to be sure we are spending our money wisely and correctly.

Any information re. the above would be gratefully appreciated and I hope I haven't been too untechnical with my wording on this post.

P.S. can't fault Green Flag's service, nor the attitude and helpfulness of the garage we were taken too in Poole - fabulous.
Thanks - Lisa and John

 

[Parksy]

Oh Dear, sorry that you've had so much trouble Lisa.

I can't help with information on Kia's because I've never owned one but there are one or two Sorrento owners who use this fourm.
Have you asked on the Kia Owners Club website to see if anybody there can help?

 

[otherclive]

Sorry to hear of your problems its most unusual for a Sorento TB to give problems. When the Sorento came out there were some issues with the clutches in the TB but around 05 Kia changed the spec of the TB oil and advised owners to change. There is much information on the Kia Owners Forum as Parksy has said. I recall that some members used a company called Beaumont Engineering who rebuilt the boxes at a far less price than Kia exchange units. £750 springs to mind and given the time since the the price will have increased. Beaumont have a good record with Landie owners.
The Sorento XS drives in 2wd but when the wheel speed sensors detect a mismatch between the front and rear wheels it automatically goes into 4wd. It normally drives the rear wheels that's why the Sorento should either have all tyres equal tread depth or as I did have rear tyres with more tread than the front. That prevents the system keep selecting 4wd when not required. They will go into 4wd sometimes when doing very tight turns if the speed is not kept very low. You feel a juddering in the power train. Good luck with the repairs.

 

[otherclive]

It's David Beaumont 4x4 gearboxes here is the link
Seems he is quoting £700 for a Sorento Transfer Box. Worth talking to them. It should not be expensive for your local garage to remove and replace a TB they are not exactly hidden away.
http://www.4x4gearboxes.co.uk/

 

[soldlisa04]

Thank you all for your comments. After much deliberation my OH has decided that we will get a TB fitted for as little as we can and then trade in this model for a much newer one. His Naval Pension has just increased monthly so in his words, "I am not prepared to give up the caravan, so I may as well use the money before I've got used to it". (Nor indeed am I prepared to give up my beloved caravan as it has helped me relax soooo much I love it!) We both think the Sorento is the car for us, sadly not the one we have now as we've kind of lost confidence in it ... it's 7 years old next month so we are hopeful that a newer model will save us some money in fuel and give us a few more years before any problems arise! We are going ahead towing tomorrow in 2WD as we've not seen anything that tells us not too. Beaumont do indeed have TB for about £700 so this may be the route we take and then trade in as I'm pretty sure that we won't be able to trade in without the car having one!!!!!! Will keep you posted. Once again, this forum is fabulous for getting some quick and sensible replies, so very many thanks

Enjoy this weekend's lovely weather.

 

[lgvdriver]

Hi Lisa &John; Sorry to read about your problems with your sorento and your caravan, I also had the t/b go on my 2006 xs sorento.on returning from campbelltown from a weekend golf outing with friends every time I put any lock on the steering I could hear this horrible rumble, (the car was only 3yr old and 17.400mls on clock) Anyway I took car back to Kia garage where I bought it and they said it was the t/b and that it would be changed under warranty , they said it had to be booked in but I told them I was going away with my caravan next day, so they disconnected the small prop and said it would be ok to tow(twin wheelbase van) and it was .
Two days later I got a phone call from Kia dealer to say kia engineer bofins had told them to change the oil spec In the box, I of course argued that it should be changed under warranty but they were adamant , so I wrote a Very strong worded letter to kias GB md tey in turn sent me a letter stating that they would cover the t/b for a further 2yrs if the oil spec did'nt work, I drove the car for a further 18months no probs then exchanged it for a new shape sorento kx2 and love it(but not the same tug as old one).Sorry about the long winded letter but hope your luck changes and enjoy your Caravanning .

 

[Dustydog]

Have you broken a mirror recently Lisa

What a tale of woe

The Sorento XS and XT ,not the XE, use a Torque on demand semi automatic system as described by the others. There is a special grade of TOD oil that must be used.
The Kia Sorento Forum is invaluable
See this http://kiasorento.proboards.com/
The Beaumont route is probably the most economical.

 

[soldlisa04]

Hi Lisa &John; Sorry to read about your problems with your sorento and your caravan, I also had the t/b go on my 2006 xs sorento.on returning from campbelltown from a weekend golf outing with friends every time I put any lock on the steering I could hear this horrible rumble, (the car was only 3yr old and 17.400mls on clock) Anyway I took car back to Kia garage where I bought it and they said it was the t/b and that it would be changed under warranty , they said it had to be booked in but I told them I was going away with my caravan next day, so they disconnected the small prop and said it would be ok to tow(twin wheelbase van) and it was .
Two days later I got a phone call from Kia dealer to say kia engineer bofins had told them to change the oil spec In the box, I of course argued that it should be changed under warranty but they were adamant , so I wrote a Very strong worded letter to kias GB md tey in turn sent me a letter stating that they would cover the t/b for a further 2yrs if the oil spec did'nt work, I drove the car for a further 18months no probs then exchanged it for a new shape sorento kx2 and love it(but not the same tug as old one).Sorry about the long winded letter but hope your luck changes and enjoy your Caravanning .

Hi there Dougie, would this have anything to do with 'a lot of oil on things under the car' a quote from my friends' husband who is a mechanic???? Would an oil change rectify the problem? A very nice chap from Halifax told my OH yesterday to replace the prop shaft, take the fuse out, replace it and it may re-set everything??? We will try this option before spending any money. Lost a bit of confidence in this model now so we will in all honesty probably upgrade to a newer, lower mileage model Sorento at some point before the real winter weather. One question, do you know if the tax for a newer Sorento is more than £260 per year? Very many thanks for putting our minds at rest about towing in 2WD also - poor OH been waking up in a cold sweat about towing up Crickley Hill ... as we're only off to Cirencester this weekend, about 15 or so miles from home, but to my two young nephews it literally could be hundreds of miles away they are that excited! Bless them x

 

[soldlisa04]

Have you broken a mirror recently Lisa

What a tale of woe

The Sorento XS and XT ,not the XE, use a Torque on demand semi automatic system as described by the others. There is a special grade of TOD oil that must be used.
The Kia Sorento Forum is invaluable
See this http://kiasorento.proboards.com/
The Beaumont route is probably the most economical.

Thanks DD ... I think OH has been on the forum and I do remember seeing something about oil somewhere as we've been doing a lot of research. No, not broken any mirrors but hope to goodness our run of bad luck with the car/caravan has now ended as I think we've had more than our fair share! Cheers Lisa.

 

[lgvdriver]

Hi Lisa and John
I would contact your local kia dealer and ask them what the upgraded spec of oil they use and see if it helps when changed, when the t/b noise started on my sorento I traveled about 150miles home (solo) noise only occurred when either lock was applied. When Kia dealer told me they were changing oil spec it reminded me of an old trick some scrupulous car dealers used have in putting a handful of sawdust into a gearbox to curb any noise,but in all honesty I had no problem with my car up until I sold it.you could also go to the Kia owners website and ask the question there,thy can be very helpful,once again I hope you get over your problem and get down to enjoying your caravan, I'm just about to pack up our van and head to north Wales for 2 glorious weeks.

 

[lgvdriver]

Oh the tax on new kx2 is £220

 

[otherclive]

When I had my XS Sorento the new TOD oil was made by Shell (I think) but came in bulk for garages and only in 1 litre packs labelled as Kia TOD etc via dealers it was unobtainable on the open market. But even via Kia dealers it was no more expensive than normal lubs from accessory shops. Clearly Kia did not seek to make a profit from the problem. For the cost of a good recon TB box I'd keep the car if you know it as they do have a very good reputation. Even 05 models are selling quickly around here at an asking price of £7995-8500. Depreciation on a new car will swamp the TB cost within seconds of taking delivery. If the planned new car is your sole vehicle don't forget modern diesels with DPF don't like too many short journeys or congested trips or the DPF will cause shutdown or limp mode. DPF regens are not warranty items. I rarely use our Volvo on short trips for that reason, neither our Note or Pajero are blessed with DPF or software controlled systems..... Thank heavens!

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

hi all.
nothing to do with Sorento's but following on from Clive's post, I had a slight problem over the winter, when the car lost power and the service light came on, a quick trip to the garage to have the fault codes read DPF, I asked what the cost was to fix the problem. he replied about a litre of diesel. take it out on the m/way and run it at high revs for 15/20mins (not speeding just lower gear) change up and put foot down, I did this and a thick black cloud emerged. after that it ran perfectly, and the light went out. if this is done every so often there is no reason anyone shoud be worried about DPF's.

 

[seth1]

Unfortunately the throttle cable couldnt meet the emission standards now required.Were would we be without electronics i wounder.

 

[Steve L]

Wow. It sounds like kia owners need to part ex their vehicles before the kia warrantee expires.
Mind you, I had a Diahatsu F70 that had two main gearbox failures after the Diahatsu agent had rebuilt our transfer box. But that transpired to be their fault or their chief mechanic to be precise. What he'd done was to transpose two casing gaskets from end to end, which allowed the main gearbox oil to pump into the travsfer box causing the main box to shred its self due to lack of oil. this happened in spectacular style on the M1 in Hertfordshire.
After going to court we did get full recompence for the costs incurred by us for repair and loss of business and hire of vehicle charges, but that never compensates for the lack of being able to trust the vehicle ever again.
My last car a rover 75 diesel kept having clutch slave cylinder issues and after giving it 3 engine out rebuilds, which is the easyest way to access the slave cylinder, I cut my losses and sold it on. the new owner has had no clutch trouble at all which peaves me, as the rover was far more comfortable than our jaguar, but I just couldn't keep taking 10-12 weeks to fix it. (due to disability).
One word of caution about insurance cover. If you knowingly drive your vehicle in a defective non original state, then your insurance is invalid and also if you get checked at a VOSA testing site for weight, they also do a vehicle inspection which if they are s"witched on" will also throw up the inability to be in standard vehicle spec.

 

[otherclive]

The TB issue affected very few cars, but as for warranty all of the 'old' shape Sorento are l out of warranty as they only came with a 3 year one, not the current 7 years.

 

[drsorento]

And that ladies and gentlemen why I have the non T.O.D version of the sorento, the entry level XE. and I love it. pulls my TA sterling like a train

 

[otherclive]

And that ladies and gentlemen why I have the non T.O.D version of the sorento, the entry level XE. and I love it. pulls my TA sterling like a train

glad to see that you find being unemployed a joking matter!!!

 

[soldlisa04]

Hi all, had a lovely family weekend at Cirencester and the car pulled the van no problem in 2wd. I think John will put the prop shaft back and take out the fuse, then replace and see if that helps. Will also call Kia to see what oil they recommend but to be honest - I think we will p/ex at some point before winter if we can ... just hope a newer model doesn't have the issue but may try the XE which is a permanent 2wd. Next door to us had a 61 plate Kia and he was on his second tb!!! Kia replaced both under warranty and said something about the oil ... maybe they need to get their heads together over these errant transfer boxes. As ever, grateful to all for the advice/words of wisdom and pleased the tax is not in the £400 mark as I was under the impression a newer one would be! Lisa.

 

[Kev4798]

Hi all, as i type my 2006 XT is sat over my mates pit with its tranfer box in pieces on his bench.
I was travelling back up to North Yorkshire about to turn onto the M40 when the prop shaft let go! it took out the tranfer box a chunk out of the gear box twisted the prop-shaft beyond recognition and pushed a huge dent in the passengers footwell!!
Am hoping we can weld the small hole in the gearbox housing and having split the transfer box have found that the main shaft is bent, surprisingly they do a replacement one for just over £200, a second hand prop shaft approx £100 new u/joint £40.
Think it was the universal joint that failed, as in hind sight, (as they say, a wonderfull thing!!) there was a vibration through the car at certain speeds prior to it going on our 500 mile round trip.
Hoping to get it back on the road for approx £1000 as oposed to £2000 plus for second hand t/box etc.
Thought it was just me with all the bad luck!!

Regards Kev