The KIA Telluride in Wolf Gray

[Mbwagner]

Look forward to see some good pictures of the Wolf Gray

 

[Mainfinger]

Just got the call my wolfie was delivered this morning. Of course the one day where its snowing . Workin numbers now.

 

[Mainfinger]

Snowy but she almost ready.

 

[Frankie Knuckles]

Just got the call my wolfie was delivered this morning. Of course the one day where its snowing . Workin numbers now.

Congrats!!!!

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[Wolf27]

Can you please talk a little about these modifications? Are these super expensive and what's the value of doing each?

Sure.
Paint Correction:
Even our cherished brand new cars hot off the trucks have paint defects. A car straight out of a professional paint booth needs correcting even. While the factory does a very quick cut and polish after the car is painted, they have to do hundreds per day and simply don’t correct the paint finish up to *my* standard. Which is high. I’m very OCD and particular on my car’s paint finish, whether it’s my show car, race car, or my wife’s telluride lol.

Essentially, your car’s clear paint and clear coat is a series of very fine valleys and peaks which leads to an uneven paint finish. This is the classic “orange peel” texture or finish, where light reflections are distorted, fuzzy, etc. there can also be halos, swirl marks, hard water spots / etching, etc. While most people don’t really care, I do. So, I have a few highly trained professionals in my area I trust my vehicles with to get rid of those peaks and valleys to get as close to a nice mirror finish as possible. A few of my cars were black and this paint correction made a huge difference on the appearance.

For some good viewing material, search “AMMO NYC” or “Chicago Auto Pros” on YouTube and watch a few of their videos on paint corrections and true automotive details. This is the level of quality I strive for on my vehicles.

PPF, or paint protection film:
PPF is essentially a clear bra, which people do call it a clear bra. It’s a clear vinyl film that is laid over the paint AFTER it has been corrected. This vinyl, while thin, is usually 2-3x thicker than all the paint and clear coat on your car combined. It’s essentially wrapping your car in an invisible (yes invisible when done right) film to further protect the paint from rock chips, dings, scratches, getting keyed, etc. if you bought your telluride new, it most likely had clear door edge guards and a clear film in the door handle cups. This is PPF on a very small, cheap scale. I will have the entire front clip of the vehicle wrapped, hood, bumper, fenders, side mirrors, and the leading edge of the roof line before moonroof. I will also wrap the lift gate sill that gets scratched commonly. Chicago Auto Pros shows a lot of how PPF is applied.

Ceramic Coating:
Ceramic coating is a biiiiiiig topic to unpack so I’ll leave it as it’s most basic form; it’s a silica liquid applied to the paint (or PPF) which hardens into a very protective coating, which is scratch resistant, UV resistant, and hydrophobic. This is the coating people brag about when their car sheets water off and water beads up like crazy, and makes washing the car a breeze due it’s hydrophobic properties. Ceramic coating is the 21st century wax job and is leaps and bounds superior to wax and other sealants. However, if you ceramic coat a poorly corrected paint surface, all you’re doing is locking in those scratches and haziness and swirl marks, so good prep work in correcting paint is always crucial. Ceramic coatings come with a host of washing techniques that are required to keep the performance and longevity of the coating in tact. There are also dozens of brands and types, application techniques, etc. YouTube is your friend for how coatings work and their effects.

My paint correction, PPF, and ceramic coating will be around $2,500. This includes wheel and caliper coating as well for easier cleaning and less brake dust, road grime, etc. important to me with the Nightfall wheels.

License Plate Bulbs: I’m a bit of a lighting snob and while most of the lights on the interior and exterior are a cool white LED, the license plate bulbs are a warmer temperature and are yellow, which I don’t like. So just doing a quick swap of the bulbs to brighter, crisper lights.

Reverse bulbs: same as above only a much bigger difference in actual performance and light output. Go to Diode Dynamics website and look up their XPR reverse bulbs. While they are outrageously expensive, Diode makes some of the best bulbs in the world and are well worth the money over all the Amazon ones people buy. And basically are like headlights on the back of the car when in reverse.

Bulbs are about $40 for the license plates and $90 for the reverse bulbs.

And that’s about all! Lol

 

[Mainfinger]

Was super crappy weather so no good pics today but I got her home!

 

[Wolf27]

Was super crappy weather so no good pics today but I got her home!

Nice!

 

[Mainfinger]

Nice!

Yeah I’m so stoked. Looks so amazing in person. Literally got my first compliment the second I left the dealer. Ran to target to get covers so the car seats don’t crush the leather. Dude came up and was like OMG THAT THING IS AMAZING LOVE THE COLOR. What is that?! Was like a Kia Telluride, A KIAAAA?!!!! Yuppp

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[Mainfinger]

Surprisingly its practically the same height as my GMC Acadia but is so much more spacious.

 

[Wolf27]

Yeah I’m so stoked. Looks so amazing in person. Literally got my first compliment the second I left the dealer. Ran to target to get covers so the car seats don’t crush the leather. Dude came up and was like OMG THAT THING IS AMAZING LOVE THE COLOR. What is that?! Was like a Kia Telluride, A KIAAAA?!!!! Yuppp

I swam comfortably in the waters of “damn that’s a Hyundai / Kia?”, for years, with this heap of garbage lol. Debadged so if you didn’t really know cars didn’t know, was nice changing perceptions of the s**tboxes Hyundai / Kia used to make and are stigmatized with.

 

[wanderjack]

Sure.

[...]

And that’s about all! Lol

Thank you! Very informative. If there were some one down here in New Orleans I could just pay a flat rate to do all that, and never have to think about it again, I'd go for it. Will look into it.

Thanks again

Ours has been on order since June - just a couple more weeks and it should be ready. Can't wait!

 

[drknyht]

I've been in contact with pretty much every dealer within 300 miles of Orlando. Everything is marked up and they don't come down much if at all. Especially for anything nightfall. Sucks because there are so many people literally throwing money away and paying these fees that I refuse to pay. Wolf Grays are marked up 10k or more down here. Am I buying a car or a mortgage?

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[Wolf27]

I've been in contact with pretty much every dealer within 300 miles of Orlando. Everything is marked up and they don't come down much if at all. Especially for anything nightfall. Sucks because there are so many people literally throwing money away and paying these fees that I refuse to pay. Wolf Grays are marked up 10k or more down here. Am I buying a car or a mortgage?

Mine had a $9k markup and ended up paying like only a grand over MSRP, which to me is still a lot when I’ve always gotten MSRP as my OTD price w/ TTL / Doc. But I still made out a bit better than others, considering the market and considering the vehicle it is. Wouldn’t have ever just accepted their markup asking price that’s for sure. Go further out and search the forum there’s dealers selling at MSRP but that may mean ordering one vs reserving one already in allocation and waiting a long time for delivery. I personally wanted this vehicle and wasn’t willing to wait 4-8 months so I felt my compromise of paying a bit more than originally planned to get my car in 6 weeks.

 

[Mbwagner]

Wolf27
I noticed your in Phx, did you receive yours already? Mine is due in next month and I hope they don't try to mark it up like what people are saying.
I tears me up to even pay MSRP

 

[Wolf27]

Wolf27
I noticed your in Phx, did you receive yours already? Mine is due in next month and I hope they don't try to mark it up like what people are saying.
I tears me up to even pay MSRP

Yep, got it on Thursday (2 days ago). It was in allocation from Sands so we reserved that vs placing our own order and waiting forever. They did have a 9k markup but we got basically all of that waived in negotiations. I’m the same way this was the first car I ever paid over or at MSRP for new, or asking price for used. Usually I aim for MSRP as our the door but that didn’t happen this time. Over MSRP “for a Kia” is dumb but imo the value for the dollar spent is still greater than pretty much everything else in the class and price point so I’m ok, I can sleep comfortably at night in my 2nd row Napa leather heated seat while the wife drives me around lol.

 

[DallasGuy]

What's sad is there are still people out there that are willingly paying these ridiculous mark ups. Dealers will continue to play these games as long as there is someone buying them at mark up.

Totally agree. You should only be paying thousands over MSRP for a truly limited edition vehicle, like an Acura NSX or something back in the day. Limited production, only so many going to be made, etc.

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[jnlong1229]

Just purchased one tonight, under MSRP at Koons KIA in Woodbridge, Virginia. It’s an EX AWD. Super excited!

 

[Sparkle Girl 47]

View attachment 13725
Just purchased one tonight, under MSRP at Koons KIA in Woodbridge, Virginia. It’s an EX AWD. Super excited!

I think I'm in LOVE!!!!

 

[jnlong1229]

I think I'm in LOVE!!!!

me too!

 

[maddmike]

My paint correction, PPF, and ceramic coating will be around $2,500. This includes wheel and caliper coating as well for easier cleaning and less brake dust, road grime, etc. important to me with the Nightfall wheels.

I would do that for that price. Our local PPF costs $2,500 for just the PPF so that is what I usually do.