Five year total cost of ownership

[vinylhaircut]

Hello All,
I have arrived at my 5-year Telluride anniversary. It's been a great vehicle for over 131k miles. Prior to buying the Telluride upon retiring, I was fortunate to have company-paid vehicles for almost my whole adult life, so I really had no clue what a car actually cost. When I bought the Telluride 5 years ago, I decided to keep some detailed cost records, mostly out of curiosity. I'm sharing them here just in case any one else in interested. This includes the initial purchase, insurance, gas, oil changes, repairs, tires, and most accessories. I didn't bother keeping track of really small items like car washes or support for this forum!

 

[Senator20]

You have a lot of time on your hands.

 

[vinylhaircut]

You have a lot of time on your hands.

Haha we all have the same time, actually.

But I will admit to being unusually organized. It was remarkably easy to pull this together.

 

[aperry]

Any observations on oil consumption over the life of your Telly?

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[KMiles]

Thanks so much for sharing this. I use a spreadsheet to track everything from a maintenance perspective and timing, but don't always track the costs. I think I'll go back and add that as a column. I've only had mine for 1.5 years. I do most of my own maintenance. All of my trips to the dealer have been for recalls and voluntary service campaigns. My Telluride runs great and has most everything I need. Costs of parts is very reasonable, but I've found I can't buy them from my local dealer. They seem to charge Retail Plus. I can find them online for much less. I've asked my local parts department if they would be willing to match and they just said sorry, our ownership group does not allow it.

 

[vinylhaircut]

Any observations on oil consumption over the life of your Telly?

I get an oil change every 5000 miles. So far, I haven't had any issues. I'm certainly aware that Kia/Hyundai vehicles often start consuming oil at this mileage so I'm keeping an eye on it.

 

[vinylhaircut]

I get an oil change every 5000 miles. So far, I haven't had any issues. I'm certainly aware that Kia/Hyundai vehicles often start consuming oil at this mileage so I'm keeping an eye on it.

I should add: I have tried to avoid carbon buildup as much as possible. I use tier-one gas stations, and every 10,000 miles I add a bottle of Red Line SI-1 (similar to Techron). At 60k and 120k, I had my mechanic do carbon service treatment. Did any of that help with oil consumption? I really don't know, but I haven't had issues yet (knock wood).

 

[aperry]

I should add: I have tried to avoid carbon buildup as much as possible. I use tier-one gas stations, and every 10,000 miles I add a bottle of Red Line SI-1 (similar to Techron). At 60k and 120k, I had my mechanic do carbon service treatment. Did any of that help with oil consumption? I really don't know, but I haven't had issues yet (knock wood).

Thank you! Super helpful.

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[BTD]

No front brake service or did I miss it? Looks like extended warranty really came through-was that a KIA product or 3rd party offering? If 3rd party, could you provide name?

 

[vinylhaircut]

No front brake service or did I miss it? Looks like extended warranty really came through-was that a KIA product or 3rd party offering? If 3rd party, could you provide name?

Good question. I've gone back over my records and don't see any front brake service. It's possible that I could have misplaced a receipt somewhere.

Extended warranties are controversial, at best. I bought mine through Kia of Muncie (although not a Kia product). They aren't completely simple to deal with. My mechanic has had to argue with them a little to get them to approve quality parts, for example. But in the end, they did come through. Some of the cost noted was for a rental car one time that the covered while mine was being worked on. Mostly, I bought the warranty to protect against something really big between 100k and 150k (and electronics beyond 36k). That protection was worth the cost for me, but it's definitely not for everyone. In many cases, it won't be a net positive.

 

[BTD]

Good question. I've gone back over my records and don't see any front brake service. It's possible that I could have misplaced a receipt somewhere.

Extended warranties are controversial, at best. I bought mine through Kia of Muncie (although not a Kia product). They aren't completely simple to deal with. My mechanic has had to argue with them a little to get them to approve quality parts, for example. But in the end, they did come through. Some of the cost noted was for a rental car one time that the covered while mine was being worked on. Mostly, I bought the warranty to protect against something really big between 100k and 150k (and electronics beyond 36k). That protection was worth the cost for me, but it's definitely not for everyone. In many cases, it won't be a net positive.

Thanks for the info on the extended warranty. I'm not a Telluride owner yet but very interested in the 2026/7 hybrid offering. Shopping extended warranty providers/experience for 2022 Porsche with factory warranty expiring 9/26. Fidelity seemed to be the pick but it appears they have had changes which may affect their desirability.