I have a 2006 Kia Rio, 5-speed manual, with no cruise control. I’d like to add an after-market (either from the dealer or another shop) cruise control to it, but when I called a dealer, they told me it was impossible to add a cruise control if the car didn’t already come with one. I find this a little unbelievable as there wouldn’t be an after-market market for these items, if you could only replace the cruise control on your currently equipped vehicle. Can anyone tell me if this is, in fact, true, or whether the dealer was full of it (as I suspect)?
There are aftermarket cruise controls but they are “iffy” at best. There is no good quality aftermarket cruise controls, alarm systems or self starters on the market. The only aftermarket component I would recommend is a radio and a name brand on at that. Most people who add aftermarket components on their vehicles tend to remove or disconnect them sometime in the near future. It’s just not worth it to put up with all the headaches they can cause. Besides…a lot of the aftermarket manufacturers go out of business the day aftr you connect one of these components to your vehicle.
There are other similar threads on this issue. The basic conclusion reached is that aftermarket cruise control seldom works as it should, and is seldom worth the trouble.
I purchased an after-market Cruise control and had it installed last August by a reputable auto/truck accessories shop. It works perfectly. $438 for labor and cost of part. My foot does not ache any longer.
BTW, it is a 2009 Kia Rio
My sister recently had an aftermarket cruise control system added to her Toyota Matrix. The work was done by our local speedometer repair shop, and she reports no problems with the unit or the installation.
It can be done, but quality installation is key. A botched job might make a real mess of the car. I’d be very careful who I allowed to do this.
I’ve installed an aftermarket cruise control on each of my last 2 cars; granted they were not as new as your 2006 model, 2000 Miata and a 2000 Honda Insight.
On the Miata I used an Audiovox model which I had zero problems with but I don’t believe they’re available anymore.
On the Insight I installed a Rostra unit which is a little nicer and has a wireless steering wheel mounted switch, it was also a little more expensive.
Both were fairly straightforward installation-wise although if you’re not comfortable with finding the necessary connection points in your cars wiring harness I would suggest finding a professional to do it for you. I’ve had no issues with either system and they have worked wonderfully.
You can find information and pricing on the Rostra system here: http://www.brandondist.com/products/custom_cruise.htm
I found my unit a little cheaper than what Brandon Dist. offers elsewhere but don’t remember where.
With the amount of driving I do cruise control has been well worth the effort and expense, when purchasing a used car you don’t always get the choice of factory options and in the case of the Insight it was never available anyway.