Hey Gang

I've been posting this in the new members forum but you guys will likely know more....although I'm hoping this is finally solved.

6 weeks or so ago after an exhaustive search for a car I finally settled on the X Type. It was mostly a fluke since I started out looking at G35x (Infinite) and similar models. Then after looking at several X-Types from 03 to 06 I found an Estate model at a local Kia (I know WTF eh?) dealership, with both the Permium and sport package, I probably wouldn't have considered it but the 18" wheels on a wagon give the car a really unique look. Sso I got it. Didn't want to pay the 3K they wanted for an extended 2 year warranty though. So my SO and I pick it up and 5 miles down the road the CEL comes on. I have a BMW so usually it's something like an Evap message or something but I call the dealership on the way home and they said it's probably the gas cap but if it doesn't clear itself in a day or 2 bring it back and they'll fix it. So 2 days later it's still there and I'm driving in pouring rain to work and a new light pops up and a message....GEARBOX FAULT!!!! Crap, the car goes into limp mode (I figured it out after doing a search and finding this forum). I just had some tranny work done on another car so drove straight in to the tranny place and he said he would diagnose it for free (he's a buddy) for me.

I called the Kia dealership and they were great, apologized all over the place and said no matter what they would take care of it so I wasn't too concerned. Tranny shop couldn't get into the diagnostics so they cleared it (saving it in the computer of course) and got it out of limp, the dealership said take it to the local Jag dealership. So another day goes by and the Jag guy calls and says he suspects the TCM is screwy but can't get it to trip into the fault again. And he told me the gas cap is leaking vacuum which tripped the CEL to start with. He orders a new gas cap and says drive the car and see if the gearbox fault returns. A week before Christmas I'm driving again in the pouring rain, and all of a sudden without a CEL or message the car starts acting weird. Feels like its starting in 4th or 5th, no reverse, after I going 3-5 KMH it all of a sudden shifts down to 2nd and we're good to go. Weird to say the least.

I call the Kia guys since they knew from Jag that the issue would return and they gave me a mini van to drive...a Kia minivan.......and the wagon returned to Jag...3rd time is the charm? (it want back for the gas cap when it arrived) So sure enough, TCM is pooched, water damage, shorted it out. The Kia guys are covering the costs. Right now the car is at Jag, new part arrives today or tomorrow and they are water testing it to figure out where the water came from..I've read it's usually down the e brake cable through the firewall but they'll figure it out.

I'll let you know when the car returns and give you the total for repairing...should be a couple of grand since the part alone was 1250.00