This is from an article about KIA thefts.
All 2022 Kias got immobilizers either at the start of or during the model year. Hyundai said all models produced after Nov. 1, 2021 have immobilizers as standard equipment.
Tester
Don’t miss the headline…2020 Kia here my friend. Still waiting on my mailer from Kia to come in for the update/install.
One more reason to disconnect the battery in a 2020 Kia - if you know how to unlock the radio/infotainment/etc. when you go to start it.
Unlikely to seriously affect battery life, but wouldn’t be enough time to recharge battery either. But it might work well enough to get you to June. I wouldn’t suggest that approach myself b/c running a car for 5 minutes doesn’t allow exhaust system to heat up enough , causes moisture from the combustion process to accumulate in exhaust system, may result in rusted exhaust components, might cost a pretty penny to replace. A better approach imo would be to start car once a week, and run it for 15-20 minutes, the last 5 minutes at a higher than idle rpm (say 1500). If possible orient car so tailpipe is lower than engine, helps move water out of exhaust system.
Another idea, if you’d rather your family member not fiddle w/ your car, simply park it up, retain the keys. Worse case, battery will be completely dead. If so recharge it for 24 hours w/battery charger on 2 amp rate. If i won’t take a charge, buy a new battery. If once battery is either fully charged or replaced, and it won’t start b/c of the security issue mentioned above, all you need to do is tow the car to a dealership, they’ll know how to get it working again. Relatively minor expense, and check w/your car insurance company, an occasional free tow may be one of your beneftis…
Wow, that’s bizarre. I just read up on the topic. Apparently, most, but not all, Hyundais and Kias of this vintage that use an actual ignition key don’t have immobilizers. Those that have push button start do have immobilizers.
Others will correct me if I am wrong. You can get a solar maintainer for under $30. You only need a couple watts, not a large one. However I think it need to be clamped to the battery terminals and not the cig lighter socket. I think on most cars the socket is not live unless the key is on. At least that has been an issue using the memory saver on my cars.