The 2021 Kia Telluride Nightfall Edition is a highly sought-after model. The blackout styling Kia offers from the factory has proven to be a winner with buyers. When you take a high-demand vehicle and add another layer of scarcity to it… well you can guess what happens.
Even running around the clock, Kia can’t produce enough of the SUV to meet demand. Fortunately you’re not at the mercy of their West Point, Georgia factory. We’re taking Tellurides of any trim and transforming them into custom Nightfall builds.
| PART LIST | |
|---|---|
| Powder Coated Wheels | 3M FX Premium Window Tint |
| Powder Coated Exhaust | Painted Brake Calipers |
| Chrome Delete | Blackout Emblems |
Wheels, Calipers, and Exhaust
A keen eye will notice the wheels typically on the EX trim are swapped for the 20-inch wheels that come standard on the Telluride S. We erased their machined look with gloss black powder coating. This gives them a durable finish and makes this Telluride unique. We used this same finish to black out the dual exhaust tips.
We kept the black flowing onto the brake calipers. They are treated with a brushed on high-heat paint. We trust the life of this finish because we test it. We’ve done our own stress tests and they’ve withstood the harshest brake cleaners.
Grille & Badging
We had to dip into Kia’s parts catalog for a few of the additions. The biggest is the grille. We popped in their Nightfall grille assembly in place of the stock package. It includes the blackout Kia emblem too–which is a huge bonus!
We also drank from the Kia well for the nameplate across the front and the rear badging, but that’s as deep as we went. If you utilized their parts for every piece of this build you end up spending way too much.
Chrome Delete
We often wrap pieces like window trim with wrap vinyl to achieve a chrome delete. For this Telluride, instead of wrapping the window trim in black vinyl, we pulled it all off to repaint it.
Is it overkill? Maybe. Does it take more effort and expertise? For sure. Will it give you a factory-quality finish that’s worth it? Without a doubt.
We stayed in the paint booth to finish the rest of this #chromekiller treatment. We painted any and all of the remaining chrome trim gloss black. This included bezels, surrounds, and the roof rails.
Window Tint
The last piece of this puzzle was to darken the driver and passenger windows. We used FX Premium window film from 3M. It’s our go-to film since switching to 3M for our window films and paint protection. We used 20% to better match the factory tint of the rear.
Interested in a blackout or chrome delete build of your own? We offer free pickup and delivery across the contiguous United States. Learn more
