10,000 km in and a $255 maintenance bill?

[Clearly Canadian]

I’m up for my second oil change and the dealership indicated it’s time for the “#2 service.” According to the manual, there’s a bunch of checks they do every 10,000 km but it’s really about inspecting a bunch of things that have no business breaking down this early in the game.

So it looks like every first oil change will be just the oil change ($75) while every second oil change will be a special $255 service.

Doesn’t this seem kind of money-grabby? Are you all paying these service items? If I choose to simply do oil changes could they decline warranty work if something breaks down?

My dad is a retired mechanic and he suggested that most of these things will have warning signs. Eg if air hoses are loose you’ll start hearing whistling etc.

To make matters worse the service dept indicates they don’t do ala cart so even if I take care of some of the stuff myself (eg tire rotation) it won’t reduce the bill any.

 

[Joeh1974]

I’ve had two oil changes at the local dealership. Each time it’s been $50 plus tax. They even identified a bulletin on the shifter and took care of it for me. Sounds to me like they are trying to bend you over.

 

[jrhodes87]

My 15k check up was around that, they did oil, air filters, fuel injection cleaning, and just rotated tires I think.

 

[BBB]

I’m up for my second oil change and the dealership indicated it’s time for the “#2 service.” According to the manual, there’s a bunch of checks they do every 10,000 km but it’s really about inspecting a bunch of things that have no business breaking down this early in the game.

So it looks like every first oil change will be just the oil change ($75) while every second oil change will be a special $255 service.

Doesn’t this seem kind of money-grabby? Are you all paying these service items? If I choose to simply do oil changes could they decline warranty work if something breaks down?

My dad is a retired mechanic and he suggested that most of these things will have warning signs. Eg if air hoses are loose you’ll start hearing whistling etc.

To make matters worse the service dept indicates they don’t do ala cart so even if I take care of some of the stuff myself (eg tire rotation) it won’t reduce the bill any.

At what KM mark did you take your car in for the first service? I'm at 5500KM and the service reminder is telling me to take it in at 6000KM, but the manual and the UVO onboard service app say 12000KM. What gives?

 

[MerlintheMad]

I've been in twice, oil changes and tire "rotation" (side to side). Free. I get nine free maintenance checks. Dealerships sure are different.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

My first service/inspection was @ 3000km this was free.
2nd Service including oil & filter change etc. was @ 10000km this was AU$252 we have fixed price servicing for 7 years.
Service intervals for turbo engines from the 2nd is every 10000km from here on in.

 

[Soca Boy]

I always take my new cars to the dealership, it cost more but for me I get a better peace of mind. When I taken my Stinger in for service 1, they e-mail me a video of the walk around explaining things. Wait till service 3 & 4 but, they don’t happen that often.

 

[Soca Boy]

At what KM mark did you take your car in for the first service? I'm at 5500KM and the service reminder is telling me to take it in at 6000KM, but the manual and the UVO onboard service app say 12000KM. What gives?

Mine was 6000KM, you have to set or ask your dealership to set it for you.

 

[GNS]

My first service/inspection was @ 3000km this was free.
2nd Service including oil & filter change etc. was @ 10000km this was AU$252 we have fixed price servicing for 7 years.
Service intervals for turbo engines from the 2nd is every 10000km from here on in.

At what KM mark did you take your car in for the first service? I'm at 5500KM and the service reminder is telling me to take it in at 6000KM, but the manual and the UVO onboard service app say 12000KM. What gives?

I don't have a Stinger (yet) but I pulled up the Canadian version of the owner's manual. Page 436 says to follow the normal schedule unless any of the following apply (paraphrased):

- driving short distances
- engine idling / low speed driving for long distances
- driving on real world roads with real winter conditions + salt
- driving in dusty environments
- driving in heavy traffic
- driving uphill / downhill / anywhere really
- towing
- driving as a patrol car / taxi
- driving over 170km/h
- frequent driving in stop-and-go condition

If any of the above apply, follow the Maintenance Under Severe Usage Conditions, which is on page 441. Pages 437 - 440 can be ignored (except for the parts where it says "more frequently", which I assume means "more frequently than Normal Maintenance") if you drive this car in the real world. Looking at page 441 then, it says that your oil changes should be every 5000km or 6 months, whichever comes first, which is in line with what I expected to see given that the normal maintenance schedule is complete and utter BS and will lead to a trashed Stinger after a number of years.

 

[SteveCo]

So it looks like every first oil change will be just the oil change ($75) while every second oil change will be a special $255 service.

That's just the start of their 'recommended services'. The pricing the dealer gave me after I inquired was service one is $75, service two is $239, service three is $379, and service four is $639. Service sequence (based on 6 month 'severe weather schedule' intervals) are 1,2,1,3,1,2,1,4 up to 48 months/48,000 KM - then repeat. Ask the dealer for their 'Factory Recommended Service' sheet they use that details what each service entails, as well as exact pricing for the Stinger - not the generic 'starts at' pricing they use for their entire model line.

That expensive service 4 includes changing the coolant as well as a couple of air filters - all the other service 4 items are 'Inspection' only, no actual service work. None of the services include replacing differential or transmission fluids, brake fluid change, wheel alignment, timing belt replacement, valve adjustment, fuel induction service, spark plug change, etc.

I just got my car back from service one, which included an oil change with 5-30 semi-synthetic - other than lubricating hinges the rest of the service was a few inspection items. I will ensure the car is maintained well, but other than warranty items I plan on arranging for ongoing service and maintenance work myself.

 

[GNS]

That's just the start of their 'recommended services'. The pricing the dealer gave me after I inquired was service one is $75, service two is $239, service three is $379, and service four is $639. Service sequence (based on 6 month 'severe weather schedule' intervals) are 1,2,1,3,1,2,1,4 up to 48 months/48,000 KM - then repeat. Ask the dealer for their 'Factory Recommended Service' sheet they use that details what each service entails, as well as exact pricing for the Stinger - not the generic 'starts at' pricing they use for their entire model line.

That expensive service 4 includes changing the coolant as well as a couple of air filters - all the other service 4 items are 'Inspection' only, no actual service work. None of the services include replacing differential or transmission fluids, brake fluid change, wheel alignment, timing belt replacement, valve adjustment, fuel induction service, spark plug change, etc.

I just got my car back from service one, which included an oil change with 5-30 semi-synthetic - other than lubricating hinges the rest of the service was a few inspection items. I will ensure the car is maintained well, but other than warranty items I plan on arranging for ongoing service and maintenance work myself.

I find it surprising that the dealer does not have any services for replacing the diff / trans fluids, brake fluids, etc. Or maybe they think the cost is too prohibitive and don't want to advertise it, even though there is no such thing as a "lifetime" fluid. As you already know, all fluids will break down over time and gain contaminants, there is no such thing as a system that is 100% sealed and not requiring any service.

 

[SteveCo]

I find it surprising that the dealer does not have any services for replacing the diff / trans fluids, brake fluids, etc. Or maybe they think the cost is too prohibitive and don't want to advertise it, even though there is no such thing as a "lifetime" fluid. As you already know, all fluids will break down over time and gain contaminants, there is no such thing as a system that is 100% sealed and not requiring any service.

They list them as 'additional services' at extra cost, and are on the car's maintenance schedule in the manuals - they just don't include any of them in these four service level packages.

 

[Clearly Canadian]

That's just the start of their 'recommended services'. The pricing the dealer gave me after I inquired was service one is $75, service two is $239, service three is $379, and service four is $639. Service sequence (based on 6 month 'severe weather schedule' intervals) are 1,2,1,3,1,2,1,4 up to 48 months/48,000 KM - then repeat. Ask the dealer for their 'Factory Recommended Service' sheet they use that details what each service entails, as well as exact pricing for the Stinger - not the generic 'starts at' pricing they use for their entire model line.

That expensive service 4 includes changing the coolant as well as a couple of air filters - all the other service 4 items are 'Inspection' only, no actual service work. None of the services include replacing differential or transmission fluids, brake fluid change, wheel alignment, timing belt replacement, valve adjustment, fuel induction service, spark plug change, etc.

I just got my car back from service one, which included an oil change with 5-30 semi-synthetic - other than lubricating hinges the rest of the service was a few inspection items. I will ensure the car is maintained well, but other than warranty items I plan on arranging for ongoing service and maintenance work myself.

Yes, in our brief telephone conversation the service advisor alluded to this alternating approach to the expensive service items, I just didn't realize that it goes up rather than remains constant.

I may have bought a "premium" car but that doesn't mean I want to waste my money on service items that don't actually require work to be done. Anything in the engine that isn't physically covered by that plastic sheath I know how to do on my own. Everything else is just inspect or replace. Inspect should be inexpensive unless they have to take a bunch of stuff apart, which I'm pretty sure they don't -- please correct me if I'm wrong.

As @SteveCo mentions, I think I prefer to find a private mechanic who will charge me for the actual work required to do the items that I can't do or don't have the equipment for (ie a lift). I might bring the car in for the actual REPLACE items I don't know how/want to do, but that will depend on whether they allow me to pay ala cart for them:

• spark plugs @ 70,000 km (seems so soon, no?)
• automatic transaxle fluid @ 100,000 km
• front & rear differential oil @ 120,000 km
• engine coolant @ 200,000 km

One of my original questions though centred around whether I could have warranty issues down the line if I do service myself / bring it to a third party. Any ideas?

 

[SteveCo]

One of my original questions though centred around whether I could have warranty issues down the line if I do service myself / bring it to a third party. Any ideas?

I don't think any car manufacturer has grounds for a complaint if you've met or exceeded their published service requirements. If you're doing some of them yourself, you'll want to keep good records - I've started a file for everything done to the car.

 

[BBB]

Just chatted with service advisor at Kia Dealership and he told me the Stinger GT Limited is good for it's servicing between 6000-8000 km. He said that the interval servicing includes all the lower services, so service interval 2 includes 1 and interval 3 includes 1 and 2 and interval 4 includes 1, 2 and 3, which is why the price increases. The interval prices that the Canadian Kia Dealerships have don't include the cost of synthetic oil, so he said to add about $30 to the price of the posted prices. He said they have yet to be given a specific Stinger service pricing list so they use the basic and then add $ according to the specific Stinger needs, which is basically synthetic oil.

• Service 1 is $75 - Stinger $105
• Service two is $239 - Stinger $269
• Service three is $379 - Stinger $409
• Service four is $639 - Stinger $669 - This major service happens at 48000km

I asked him about warranty issues if we do our own work on the car and he said as long we keep the receipts for all the work done, and as long as we are following the interval guidelines, everything is good and approved by Kia; however, a Kia OEM oil filter is needed when changing the oil.

 

[Clearly Canadian]

Just chatted with service advisor at Kia Dealership and he told me the Stinger GT Limited is good for it's servicing between 6000-8000 km. He said that the interval servicing includes all the lower services, so service interval 2 includes 1 and interval 3 includes 1 and 2 and interval 4 includes 1, 2 and 3, which is why the price increases. The interval prices that the Canadian Kia Dealerships have don't include the cost of synthetic oil, so he said to add about $30 to the price of the posted prices. He said they have yet to be given a specific Stinger service pricing list so they use the basic and then add $ according to the specific Stinger needs, which is basically synthetic oil.

• Service 1 is $75 - Stinger $105
• Service two is $239 - Stinger $269
• Service three is $379 - Stinger $409
• Service four is $639 - Stinger $669 - This major service happens at 48000km

I asked him about warranty issues if we do our own work on the car and he said as long we keep the receipts for all the work done, and as long as we are following the interval guidelines, everything is good and approved by Kia; however, a Kia OEM oil filter is needed when changing the oil.

I don’t recall the manual specifying synthetic oil.

 

[SteveCo]

I don’t recall the manual specifying synthetic oil.

It doesn't - it just lists the service classifications the oil must meet or exceed. I just had service 1 done at the dealer, and they used semi-synthetic. That's fine with me, but next oil change I'll be using full synthetic.

 

[Origins]

I’m up for my second oil change and the dealership indicated it’s time for the “#2 service.” According to the manual, there’s a bunch of checks they do every 10,000 km but it’s really about inspecting a bunch of things that have no business breaking down this early in the game.

So it looks like every first oil change will be just the oil change ($75) while every second oil change will be a special $255 service.

Doesn’t this seem kind of money-grabby? Are you all paying these service items? If I choose to simply do oil changes could they decline warranty work if something breaks down?

My dad is a retired mechanic and he suggested that most of these things will have warning signs. Eg if air hoses are loose you’ll start hearing whistling etc.

To make matters worse the service dept indicates they don’t do ala cart so even if I take care of some of the stuff myself (eg tire rotation) it won’t reduce the bill any.

I purchased my vehicle when they had the 5 year maintenance package for free, however from past experiences, they will still warranty your vehicle if you decline basic service like tire rotation, vehicle latch lubrication...etc. It's the mechanical maintenance services like coolant changes...etc that they can decline warranty if you don't get it done. Dealerships are BS so I'm glad I got the free 5 year/50,000km maintenance. Will upgrade to a new gen stinger by that time maybe

 

[rocket23]

I don't think that oil filter oem stuff will/would stick....oem is crap and any judge should see that.

 

[Nexitus]

Just chatted with service advisor at Kia Dealership and he told me the Stinger GT Limited is good for it's servicing between 6000-8000 km. He said that the interval servicing includes all the lower services, so service interval 2 includes 1 and interval 3 includes 1 and 2 and interval 4 includes 1, 2 and 3, which is why the price increases. The interval prices that the Canadian Kia Dealerships have don't include the cost of synthetic oil, so he said to add about $30 to the price of the posted prices. He said they have yet to be given a specific Stinger service pricing list so they use the basic and then add $ according to the specific Stinger needs, which is basically synthetic oil.

• Service 1 is $75 - Stinger $105
• Service two is $239 - Stinger $269
• Service three is $379 - Stinger $409
• Service four is $639 - Stinger $669 - This major service happens at 48000km

I asked him about warranty issues if we do our own work on the car and he said as long we keep the receipts for all the work done, and as long as we are following the interval guidelines, everything is good and approved by Kia; however, a Kia OEM oil filter is needed when changing the oil.

Which dealership quoted you on those rates? Since I'm local to the Metro Vancouver area, I'd be interested if you did look for a third-party, and what they charge. I'm coming up to my first service in another month or so with approximately ~5000 km under the belt so far.