This month, we're going to take a look at timing belt replacement on the increasingly popular Kia line of vehicles. Kia has made strong inroads into the market by offering high-quality vehicles at an affordable price. As import car techs, we're prepared to handle any of these cars: We have the required skills and, with service information that is readily available, there's no reason we shouldn't feel comfortable under the hood.

When it comes to service information, Kia is at the top of the list. This is one company that wants us to have the information we need to take care of their customers' vehicles. By now, we all should have Internet access at the shop, so go to www.kiatechinfo.com and register to gain access to the carmaker's free technical website. Take some time to look around at what's available. Like any tool, you have to learn to use it - but it's certainly time well spent. Don't overlook the community section, which is loaded with good information.

But all the best information in the world won't do you any good if you don't use it or don't have access to it. It's the shop owner's responsibility to make it available, and to always encourage the techs to read it before they start a job.

We find most belt replacements are done as a recommended service at 90,000 miles. This is a good opportunity to suggest additional service that is due at the same mileage. At a minimum, any accessory drive belts should be ...