So much for reduced operating costs of EVs. Here is what my dealer quoted me for the first two services. I find these outrages for what the work involves. Service #1, a 30 mimute job w/o tire rotation, is mostly just 'take a look'. (I get free tire rotation for my Nokians from the tire shop and I change the cabin filter when needed.) Just for laughs; the oil change offered by the dealer, in writing, is C$59.95. Service #2 ditto. Enriched by work related to breaks, checking more hoses and bolts. With the exception of checking driveshafts and boots (CVs are costly to replace) the rest is really useless. Don't forget to check the lights!!! 2021 KONA EV Maintenance Schedule 12,000km - Service #1 includes:C$99.95 Tire rotation Check fluid level (coolant and washer) Inspect exterior lights Inspect tire pressure Inspect driveshafts and boots Inspect steering gear box, linkages and boots/ball joints Inspect climate control/cabin air filter (Replace if necessary) 24,000km - Service #2 includes:C$169.95 Tire rotation Check battery condition and terminals Check 12V battery condition Check fluid level (coolant and washer) Inspect cooling system hoses and connections Inspect exterior lights Inspect tire pressure Inspect disc brakes/pads Inspect driveshafts and boots Inspect suspension mounting bolts Inspect steering gear box, linkages and boots/ball joints Inspect brake lines, hoses and connections Inspect air conditioning refrigerant for any leaks Inspect air conditioning compressor function Inspect cooling system Inspect brake/clutch (if equipped) fluid Inspect clutch (if equipped) and brake pedal free play Inspect climate control/cabin air filter (Replace if necessary)
#2 also includes brake caliper removal/clean and lubricate the slider pins with similar costs as Tesla M3 example : the Model 3 still needs its brake calipers lubricated (because in theory they see less use than in an ICE vehicle because an EV relies a lot more on regen), an operation which has now been done on their tester a total of three times and is one of the things that has brought the cost to $432. https://insideevs.com/news/524471/caranddriver-tesla-model3-maintenance-cost/ at that time I will ask the reduction gear oil to be inspected as well. 3rd year will involve changing the brake fluid The big one comes at 60,000 km (coolant change)
I have owned cars for over 55 years. Here are the first lessons I learned. They are still true today. Never follow the maintenance schedule the dealer gives you. Follow the one in the owner's manual. The manual has a Normal schedule and one for Severe Conditions. Every dealer will explain to you why your area requires the Severe Conditions schedule. Almost all of them are lying. (Even the Kona EV manual defines "Severe Conditions" to include "Repeatedly driving short distances of less than 5 miles ..." and "Extensive low speed driving for long distances." Do these apply to non-ICE vehicles? I don't think so.) Here's the maintenance schedule from the U.S. 2021 Kona EV manual. Is the Canadian manual different? Nothing at 12,000 km. Personally, I wouldn't do most of the 24,000 km items either. I sure wouldn't rotate tires every 5,000 miles, and I can check tire pressure and tread wear myself.
If my memory serves me right, I think we have one of the same list in our Canadian cars. Too lazy to get out and check the book just now. Tire rotation is a good idea about every 10,000km. Lot's of torque on the front wheals - free for me so no issue here. The rest of your note I fully agree with. I drove 120,000km on the original breaks with my Prius before it needed a break service. Tesla makes a good point about break use and wear. However Kona, the way it is designed, actually uses the mechanical breaks more than the Tesla. I am a one pedal driver, all set to max regen, but I use the breaks at the end when coming to a full stop. (Never touch the silly paddles. Paddles are for boats! ) I will take my car in for the 12,000km "Service 1" primarily to check the drive shafts, CV covers, loose stuff if any, etc. If things hang together OK at 12,000km they should be fine. (Toyota gave me a FREE 8,000km checkup! Just to see that the car hangs tight, they said.)
I dunno, those costs don't seem too high to me. $99 Canadian is about $79 US, or about 1 hour of shop time not including shop supplies. So time to pull in, do the work, document, and pull out for one hour for the first and less than two hours for the second seems OK to me. The $59C is probably the stock rate for any normal oil change no matter what the car at that dealer. It's silly to mention that for an EV, but that's all it is. Not everyone is up on model numbers and what is what, so it happens. And these are at 7,500 and 15,000 miles. You pay how much for a Kona and you're upset about these costs at 8 months and 1.5 years from now? It's not like the dealer was recommending a full synthetic oil change every 3,000 miles (to use an ICE analog for outrageous recommendations). Sure, you good go off the books and do it any other way you choose. But the benefit of going to the dealer at these low mileage maintenance intervals, IMHO, is so that if something goes wrong, you've got the service records from the selling/servicing dealer to back you up your warranty claims. And yes, that the dealer is even charging you for the first is a bit odd, but that was what you signed up for, so....<shrug>, talk to your salesman and see if he can get one thrown in gratis.
Yes, being used to my Prius I am upset about these cost. Well no gratis, but I will get the work done for the 'special' cost ($59.95) of an oil change. I am OK with that. After that I will just have to see.
