This Forum isn't the greatest to get information on Kia Telluride service

[Bmiesle]

Trying to understand what is common service schedule items for various mileage updates 15k, 30k etc.

Im at the 30k ... looking in the Kia Manual it basically O/C, replace air filters (engine and cabin) and a bunch of inspections.

Things like coolant drain and refill the manual says like 10 yrs 120,000, not sure on other things like tranny fluid, etc.

My dealer wants to do a bunch of crap at 30k ($500-600 worth) but it not matching the kia manual.. WTF... is the there any words of wisdom on how to manage through the service intervals.. Are you guys strictly following manual or dealer or something in between?

 

[2020Telly]

Not sure what is meant by the title of the thread because you go on to ask for advice. When I read the manual I see the oil change and filter change are every 7,500 miles. As far as I can tell the rest during warranty coverage is just an inspection and replace if needed. So the dealer should inspect and give recommendations but it’s up to you if you think it’s absolutely needed. It really comes down to what they were suggesting for $500-600. I’m coming up on 52,500 miles and coming up to my 7th oil change. All I’ve done is oil changes, get new wipers, replace the cabin AC filter when needed and add some fuel cleaner treatment between oil changes. Not to mention replaced the tires and rotate tires with every oil change.

 

[Socal949]

Not sure what is meant by the title of the thread because you go on to ask for advice. When I read the manual I see the oil change and filter change are every 7,500 miles. As far as I can tell the rest during warranty coverage is just an inspection and replace if needed. So the dealer should inspect and give recommendations but it’s up to you if you think it’s absolutely needed. It really comes down to what they were suggesting for $500-600. I’m coming up on 52,500 miles and coming up to my 7th oil change. All I’ve done is oil changes, get new wipers, replace the cabin AC filter when needed and add some fuel cleaner treatment between oil changes. Not to mention replaced the tires and rotate tires with every oil change.

Couldn’t have said it better

 

[Senator20]

Trying to understand what is common service schedule items for various mileage updates 15k, 30k etc.

Im at the 30k ... looking in the Kia Manual it basically O/C, replace air filters (engine and cabin) and a bunch of inspections.

Things like coolant drain and refill the manual says like 10 yrs 120,000, not sure on other things like tranny fluid, etc.

My dealer wants to do a bunch of crap at 30k ($500-600 worth) but it not matching the kia manual.. WTF... is the there any words of wisdom on how to manage through the service intervals.. Are you guys strictly following manual or dealer or something in between?

What does the dealership want to do?

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[Tellthemride]

Trying to understand what is common service schedule items for various mileage updates 15k, 30k etc.

Im at the 30k ... looking in the Kia Manual it basically O/C, replace air filters (engine and cabin) and a bunch of inspections.

Things like coolant drain and refill the manual says like 10 yrs 120,000, not sure on other things like tranny fluid, etc.

My dealer wants to do a bunch of crap at 30k ($500-600 worth) but it not matching the kia manual.. WTF... is the there any words of wisdom on how to manage through the service intervals.. Are you guys strictly following manual or dealer or something in between?

There is a difference between the forum not having info about maintenance/service, versus one not knowing how to use the search tool on the forum.

https://tellurideforum.org/search/206264/?q=service&c%5Btitle_only%5D=1&o=date

In general you follow the manual for suggested service at recommended intervals. If the dealer asks for you to perform additional services earlier than recommended in the manual, you can always ask for them to explain why they recommend deviating from the manual. You could take to another dealer or independent mechanic for a second opinion. Or you can just tell them no thanks and just perform the routine service you want.

 

[WhiteSX]

Trying to understand what is common service schedule items for various mileage updates 15k, 30k etc.

Im at the 30k ... looking in the Kia Manual it basically O/C, replace air filters (engine and cabin) and a bunch of inspections.

Things like coolant drain and refill the manual says like 10 yrs 120,000, not sure on other things like tranny fluid, etc.

My dealer wants to do a bunch of crap at 30k ($500-600 worth) but it not matching the kia manual.. WTF... is the there any words of wisdom on how to manage through the service intervals.. Are you guys strictly following manual or dealer or something in between?

So umm.... your very first post containis a negative reference to this forum? A simple hello and introduction usually helps to start things off on a positive note. Been here since the forum started in early 2019. Tons of good service information. BTW... welcome to the forum. Hope you find everything you need.

 

[PittPa]

While we are on the subject, my car hit the 30k mark today. I am an absolute no gimmick owner who use to do all the maintenance myself (brakes, rotors, brake fluid, oil changes, filters) until I just got tired of doing it. So other than the oil change, don't need a tire rotation, what exactly is the general opinion on what is needed that others allowed?

 

[Bmiesle]

So umm.... your very first post containis a negative reference to this forum? A simple hello and introduction usually helps to start things off on a positive note. Been here since the forum started in early 2019. Tons of good service information. BTW... welcome to the forum. Hope you find everything you need.

Hello btw!! Just frustrated. if you do forum search on “30k service”.. It impossible to find anything

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[Bmiesle]

Not sure what is meant by the title of the thread because you go on to ask for advice. When I read the manual I see the oil change and filter change are every 7,500 miles. As far as I can tell the rest during warranty coverage is just an inspection and replace if needed. So the dealer should inspect and give recommendations but it’s up to you if you think it’s absolutely needed. It really comes down to what they were suggesting for $500-600. I’m coming up on 52,500 miles and coming up to my 7th oil change. All I’ve done is oil changes, get new wipers, replace the cabin AC filter when needed and add some fuel cleaner treatment between oil changes. Not to mention replaced the tires and rotate tires with every oil change.

Dealer wants to do coolant , tranny fluid, brake fluid..plus normal maintenance items.. wondering if owners are following dealer recommendations or manual?

 

[byscott]

Dealer wants to do coolant , tranny fluid, brake fluid..plus normal maintenance items.. wondering if owners are following dealer recommendations or manual?

I'm not putting huge miles on the Telluride at the moment, so the maintenance schedule hasn't been front of mind for me. That said, I've mostly done my own maintenance on previous vehicles and my regular practice has been to follow the owner's manual "severe conditions" maintenance schedule (my driving includes a fair amount of short trips).

I haven't looked up the Telluride specifically, but transmission fluid at 30k sounds very early, i.e. borderline ridiculous. As for coolant and brake fluid, I've usually changed both based more on age rather than mileage, but that's just me. Again, a couple years sounds way too soon.

 

[2020Telly]

Dealer wants to do coolant , tranny fluid, brake fluid..plus normal maintenance items.. wondering if owners are following dealer recommendations or manual?

This article may be of interest to you:

Confessions From the Dealership Service Department -- Edmunds.com

A former dealership service advisor spills his secrets about how consumers are often overcharged or pay for repairs and service they don't need.

www.edmunds.com

Searching for specific mileage recommendations on this forum probably doesn’t work because you were fed dealer recommendations which aren’t in the manual and in some cases are snake oil. Hmm maybe we should call it a Snake Oil Change?

They bait you by calling it a recommendation to see if you bite because they make commission on selling you more services too early. You can also recommend they shove it somewhere and take your business elsewhere or you can simply decline it the same as when a waiter or waitress offers you an appetizer or dessert and you aren’t interested. Just get regular oil changes (I do every 7,500) and rotate your tires regularly and you will be fine to decline everything else. It’s good to replace the cabin AC filter occasionally. If your dealer doesn’t charge a reasonable flat fee you can buy a filter and replace it behind your glove box for less than $20 but you don’t have to change the AC filter with every oil change. You will know when the wipers start to get bad.

It would be interesting to know if they gave you an itemized quote what they charge for those services. I consider the dealer recommendations a suggestion that will help me budget for the future. Unless there was a problem I wouldn’t consider any of those items until I at least hit 90-120k miles. The dealer should check transmission, coolant and brake fluid levels, but no need to flush and replace too early. Brakes are something to watch for, as the article referenced suggests, as you get higher in mileage. Don’t do it at 50%, just ask them to tell you what percentage is left and shop around. Starting to shop with 15% left makes more sense. Remember brakes that have 50% left operate the same as new brakes and at 15%. Getting down to no brakes is unsafe (and you risk damaging the rotors), everything else is safe. Everyone drives differently so there is no way to suggest definitively to replace your brakes (or tires) at specific mileage.

With regard to flushing vs draining only as you get high mileage, I once met a guy with 300k miles on a Camry with no leaks and he told me the Toyota dealership refused to do any flushes because of fear they would create a problem where it didn’t exist. If you have a gasket that is on the verge of failing somewhere on a high mileage vehicle the flushing may actually force it to fail and end up costing you more money. Simply draining and replacing fluids could preserve your seals. The other option is to drive it as is until the wheels fall off if there is no leaking or white smoke out of the tailpipe.

I’m of the belief that Hyundai and Kia have a good thing with this naturally aspirated engine as long as you do regular oil changes. It’s not the most powerful but for everyday use with decent fuel efficiency it’s pretty good. Otherwise I don’t think they would put a 10yr/100k warranty on it. If it required the maintenance of a higher performance engine, chances are people wouldn’t do it and the vehicles would get the reputation for being unreliable and costly.

I think some high performance and luxury brands throw in free basic maintenance for life of ownership for two reasons, 1. the owners are more likely to trade them back in for a new model and the status symbol probably replaces brand loyalty so they want to ensure the likelihood of good preowned vehicles and 2. could be buyers with money may be more app to overpay for the extras and can be upsold because they aren’t paying for the oil change. So some of those dealers may say that not just any mechanic can work on their precious engine and they have special diagnostic precision tools that no one else has. In reality the owners paid at the time of purchase for the basic maintenance without knowing it. Kia is not that brand and if you aren’t happy with the service department find a local shop closer to you that you trust and you will be fine.

 

[PittPa]

Thanks. I guess another way to rephrase my earlier question is if any "required" services are needed to maintain your factory warranty. I will take a look at the service manual and make some decisions. By the way, your Kia Connect app has a $50 service coupon buried in it somewhere.

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[2020Telly]

@Bmiesle I just completed my last free oil change at the dealer that I negotiated with my purchase. Along with my free oil change, I was dealer recommended three preventative maintenance services marked for "Immediate action" and two marked "Attention soon" by the service writer/"advisor" all from a courtesy inspection that I didn't ask for. They were:

• IA - Replace Air Filter for $68.80 -- However, I have a K&N that I just cleaned 1,000 miles ago. Had they inspected they should have noted it was a washable one and not bothered to make the recommendation. Even if I didn't have the K&N a new Kia one is $24 on Amazon and my 12 yo could replace it.
• IA - Cabin Filter Replacement for a whopping $73.09 -- I just inspected it and figured I had a few more months before buying one on Amazon or my local auto parts store for $20 and taking 3 minutes to install it myself.
• IA - Fuel Injector and Induction Service for $241.37 -- I mentioned that I use the Chevron Techron Fuel additive recommended in the manual regularly. The advisor told me that additive bottle "just cleans the fuel tank" (WTF?) and that this service cleans the injectors which were a little dirty. The description of the Chevron Techron Fuel Cleaner mention that it cleans the entire fuel system which includes the injectors. I have no doubt the injectors are dirty, but that's because gas burning engines do that and I drive it. The vehicle is driving fine, idling fine and the fuel efficiency is not a problem. My tires are dirty too, should I replace those as well? So I know that was a load of nonsense.
• AS - ABS Brake Fluid Flush Service for $219.38 -- Absolutely unnecessary at under 60k mile if I'm having no problems with brakes.
• AS - Coolant replacement drain and refill for $208.45 -- Absolutely unnecessary at under 60k if I'm having no engine problems.

I guess the moral of the story is that I went in for a free oil change and a minor cosmetic seat clip repair under warranty and got pitched $811.09 worth of recommended dealer services. This further supports that Edmunds article I referenced above. All I did was politely decline and I was then immediately told my vehicle was ready because they already completed the items I went in for. I might go back to the dealer for a Kia purchase in the future, but my trips to the service department will be for warranty issues should they arrive. Otherwise, I'm going to my local shop that I trust which happens to be a Firestone. The folks at the Firestone shoot it straight to me and I appreciate it so much that they are my first stop when I have to drop $1,200 in tires. I might be more acutely aware of these types of company cultures and values because 30 years ago I worked in retail for some crappy managers and some that preached the value of customer service and learned a lot from both types. I think because of this I happened to notice that in the Firestone waiting area they have quotes by their founder on the wall talking about customer service. Maybe it's a gimmick to trick people like me, but the people I interact with seem to buy into treating people how they would want to be treated. I'm not saying all Firestone Autocare Centers are like the two near me and there plenty of other good local shops around, but if you won't want to be sold a bunch of extras, I suggest not going back to the place that treats you like a credit card swipe.

My advice to anyone reading this thread, read the manual and stick to the guidance from the manufacturer unless you notice a problem with the way the vehicle drives or the engine runs and even then do research. I do appreciate that the service writer (advisor) didn't try to hard sell me, I know they were just doing what they were told to do by their job training. That's where I have the biggest problem. Had I nibbled on the line a little, I'm sure there was a strategy they are taught to say to try and reel me in. As buyers who made a significant purchase of a brand for which the manufacturer and dealership would like some loyalty in return, we (buyers) shouldn't have to play these games.

This forum is not an official authority on anything. But it is feedback and thoughts from real owners who have nothing to gain other other than the satisfaction that they helped someone else from getting screwed over. I would consider this valuable feedback over a company trying to get me to open my wallet.

 

[PittPa]

All great advice. My 30k service was $78 with full synthetic oil change. Recommended cabin filter (no) and injector cleaning (no) I use top tier gas along with Techron every 5-10 fill ups. Most of the "inspect " items they mentioned in the 30k service is mentioned as being done every time the car is in. The car is running great

 

[WhiteSX]

All great advice. My 30k service was $78 with full synthetic oil change. Recommended cabin filter (no) and injector cleaning (no) I use top tier gas along with Techron every 5-10 fill ups. Most of the "inspect " items they mentioned in the 30k service is mentioned as being done every time the car is in. The car is running great

Agree. Techron is your friend.
Enjoy the ride smooth running engine

 

[dznyfan4778]

A quick internet search shows a few dealers who try to break it down. Also, the others commenting are correct; not everything needs to be done if you can DIY. I've done the wipers, filters, lights, etc.

https://www.kiastore.com/kia-telluride-maintenance-schedule-louisville-ky/

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[2020Telly]

A quick internet search shows a few dealers who try to break it down. Also, the others commenting are correct; not everything needs to be done if you can DIY. I've done the wipers, filters, lights, etc.

https://www.kiastore.com/kia-telluride-maintenance-schedule-louisville-ky/

Nice find. That matches the owners manual. Oil changes every 7,500 miles and inspect everything else up until about 100k when you should do spark plugs and coolant at 120k. I would add to always rotate tires and pay attention to brakes as they start to wear.

 

[Waiting4Rain]

"Just cleans the fuel tank" - LOL!

Thanks for the great post.

 

[Cal]

Just adding to what has already been noted.

IMHO, service departments are, for many dealerships, where the profit opportunities are found. There's not much margin on vehicle sales these days, and in the days of the COVID zombie apocalypse, many dealerships can't even lay hands on new inventory to sell. So the service departments, which typically in many dealerships, tend to up-sell service items that aren't truly required... are pushing harder than ever to get you separated from the money in your wallet.

Unfortunately, many owners never or seldom look at their owner manual, and the service schedules that are documented in them. So when the service representative hands them an itemized list of additional work that needs to be done "because it's recommended", they bite the bullet and have the work done. I personally religiously follow what the owner's manual documents as required service at the recommended distance/time to maintain warranty on the vehicle.

As much as I disdain the up-sell, I find it to be extremely unethical when they list the non-necessary additional work as "recommended" or "based on service schedule"... when in fact what they're laying in front of you is a complete falsehood. A fabrication. I have actually taken the service internal requirements from the owners manuals from my various vehicles, and then generate a service booklet that I take with me each time I have service done. They get to check off the items on the list for that service interval, initial the work, and then sign and date the work as being complete at their location. When they present additional items to me (and they always do), I ask them to show me any official KIA documentation that supports the extra items. To date, they've never been able to do so. Lot's of blustering and BS, but nothing to back up what they're trying to con me into having done.

Here's the page from my service booklet I maintain, specifically for the 2 year service I just had completed on April 1st (and today they sent me an email saying I should reconsider having passed up on having my brake fluid replaced... they list is as a "recommended distance/date item"... As Bugs would say, "what a bunch of maroons." lol

 

[Husker Soze]

Not sure what is meant by the title of the thread because you go on to ask for advice.

I honestly didn't even read the rest after seeing the title...