Seeking Advice on Potential Transmission Issues and Faulty Gear Selection in a 2006 Kia Cerato

Hey there, Had a pretty similar issue with my '04 Kia Spectra, so I reckon we're on the same boat. Just to mention, I'm not really a car guru but I possess some hands-on experience, enough to keep my ride running. Took my ol' girl to my trusty local garage. After some fiddling around, they diagnosed the troublemaker - a faulty wiring harness. Yep, wires can really mess up the things when they fail to do their job. Had it replaced and my car has been behaving well since then. Cost me a cool 180 Euro, but, hey, what wouldn't one do for smoother drives, right? It'd be great if you could share more details about your Cerato - any recent fixes, mileage, check engine light showing? Might be able to help more with additional details. Hope your car gets better soon too. Cheers!

Hey, thanks for the advice! Just to let you know, my Cerato's mileage is now 185130 km and running (or rather limping, ha!). The last time I had it serviced was about 8 months ago. Didn't face any major problems back then, usual filter changes and stuff. No, the check engine light isn’t on, that's what's got me scratching my head. The issue with the transmission seemed to appear out of nowhere. Based on what you mentioned, I'm gearing up (pun intended, sorry couldn't resist!) to check the wiring harness issue. Might just solve the puzzle, you never know. Thanks again for your helpful words. I'll get back to you once I've got some updates from the garage. Keep well and stand by for updates! Cheers!

Hey! Glad the info was handy! An 'invisible' fault without the check engine light on, that’s a tricky one! I’ll admit, I wouldn’t miss the irony of the ‘gearing up’ pun, made me chuckle! Your Cerato's mileage is not crucial as long as regular maintenance is performed. Although, with that being said, as cars age, odd problems like this can surface. Definitely, give the wiring harness issue a check. Hopefully, it's the root of the problem and not something more serious like the transmission itself. You know, the symptoms you described can also be related to a faulty or worn out clutch assembly. If the clutch is slipping, it often makes those grinding or whining noise and can even mess with the transmission. But let's keep our fingers crossed it’s not a clutch issue since it’s more pricey to handle than a damaged wiring harness. Cheers for keeping us in the loop! Looking forward to hearing any updates after your trip to the garage. Wishin' your Cerato a speedy recovery!

Hey! You've no idea how much I appreciate your insights! I've got to admit, I was worried it might be a transmission issue which would certainly be a hefty repair. I'm hoping it isn’t the clutch as well. I’ve jotted down your points and I'm definitely going to bring them up as I hit the garage this week. Good to have an idea of what I might be dealing with beforehand, right? And yeah as you said, let's keep our fingers crossed that we get out of this without emptying the wallet. Got to say, your support has really eased the stress. I'll be sure to keep you updated on how things go at the garage, let's hope for the best. That’s all for now! Will report back with some news soon. Cheers!