My truck broke

[Crash Cash]

Did you know: Ford offers no (0) manual transmissions in any of its current pick-up trucks...?

Yup. And that's why two of my friends no longer drive a Ford truck.

 

[Greatlakesrider]

Yeah, but they're all empty at the 'yota shop. My (bought new by me) truck's not high mileage. It's a 2000 Tacoma 4x4 with 104K on it(a bad weather and hunting rig). Knock on wood, so far it's been oil, filters, an occasional air filter, one set of tires, and I'm on my second replacement battery. It's never had any issues, just PM. On the other hand the last new Ford I bought snapped the crank literally in half while I was driving at about 30 mph. The car had 13K miles on it and was just over a year old. No good will repairs, I had to eat the costs and at that time in my life if it cost a nickel to take a dump, I'd a had to puke. That finished me with the MoFoCo. As a wrench I did find it interesting that a V-8 engine would run just fine with a broken crank, though it did make a helluva racket.

Why wouldn't your dealer honor the warranty on a year old truck with 13k on the odo? That must've cost several thousand to repair, huh?

Something similar happened to a friend of mine on a brand new Chevy. He drove through a water hole he thought was about 2ft deep, which was actually over the hood-the engine hydrolocked a few seconds later. Warranty would NOT cover it, but he didn't expect it to.

Doesn't matter which brand it is, they all break. Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Nissan, Toyota-they all have issues from time to time according to my brother-in-law, who's been a mechanic for 25yrs and has worked on all the brands I just listed. Toyota had camshaft issues on early 5.7 liter V-8's. Toyota had all kinds of problems and had to replace 1,000's of 4.0 liter V-6's when they first introduced them in the 04' 4-runners. IMO, Toyota's 4cyl or the I-6 they used in the Landcruiser's until 00' are the longest lasting engines they have/had. The 4.7L V-8 is a reliable motor, but doesn't have enough pulling power for any real weight. The new Tundra 5.7L is a very powerful motor for towing, but Toyota won't ever be considered a great tow vehicle in this country until they offer a diesel. Again, i'm not coming down on Toyota as i've owned several, i'm just saying that even they have problems just like anything else.

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

Yup, I had her fixed. $85 for parts and $140 for labor. Toom just over a day to get 'er done. He replaced the metal doohickey, a cable that was stretched out, bushings. No slop in the steering anymore and running like a champ (except up steep grades in the passes -- she's a little tired the past couple years).

I haven't had a truck payment in 10 years. That pays for a lot of repairs. Insurance is cheap. She isn't pretty to look at (Just ask Beemerdons, he rode in it last summer if I remember correctly). I have no complaints. she takes trash to the dump and hauls 6 people in a pinch. Camping with the kids is easy in this beast.

I didn't mean to start a brand war here. Sounds like an oil-brand discussion.

 

[Crash Cash]

I didn't mean to start a brand war here. Sounds like an oil-brand discussion.

Nah, not a brand war, per se... just a "which make has the stupidest dealers" discussion! And I think the answer is "they all do!"

 

[frito1]

Why wouldn't your dealer honor the warranty on a year old truck with 13k on the odo? That must've cost several thousand to repair, huh?

Actually it was a Thunderbird and it was in the days of the 12/12 warranties. I was looking for a little good will from Ford and was told tuff stuff, it's out of warranty.

I borrowed a cherry picker and pulled the engine in my carport. We rolled it up on it's side, slipped in a reground crank, shimmed up the sides of the thrust bearing where it had spun & machined down the thrust bearing saddle, and put'er back in. I was working where I had my employers cash in my hand every day and rolled myself a loan for the cobbed up repairs. Not my finest hour, but I drove the car 40 mph to the dealer and traded it back to them for another car & a few bucks more a month. The dealer was glad to take more of my money. It was a very nice car and didn't sit there long. I hope they paid for the catastrophe that surely came along pretty soon. I never heard anything from them regarding the 'Bird.

Doesn't matter which brand it is, they all break.

True that.

Our old 1997 F-250 4 door 4x4 at work has been a trooper. We abused it in H&S for 7 years and 160K miles of stop and go driving (10 miles was a long trip for it). We wore out a set of tires every 5-6 thousand miles and it got all of 5-6 MPG, but it never broke anything other than the pot metal shift piece. It got delegated to the construction crew and is still running. The '04 Expedition that replaced it was a turd. It caught on fire 3 times, it had 6-8 coils fail, the engine light stayed on more than off, @ 80K the tranny locked up solid while driving down the road (that was fun). Now we have GMC's & after two months they towed one of them in for a recall, scared to drive it in because of some rear end failure that's supposed to be common. I'd say every brand is better than it used to be. Lots of folks don't remember when 50K was time for an overhaul no matter what brand, and 100K was something to brag on. But there's a skunk in every woodpile.

 

[frito1]

Yup, I had her fixed. $85 for parts and $140 for labor.

Sounds like you found the right shop. Congrats.

I didn't mean to start a brand war here. Sounds like an oil-brand discussion.

Nah, not a brand war, per se... just a "which make has the stupidest dealers" discussion! And I think the answer is "they all do!"

You got that right and that includes MC dealers.

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

Yup, I had her fixed. $85 for parts and $140 for labor.

Sounds like you found the right shop. Congrats.

Yup. I found the best mechanic within 50 miles: Dave's Auto in Oakland, Oregon. He's a Harley guy but a good 'un. When he fixes things they stay fixed. Several times he has saved me money by saying a part was fine or giving a good deal. Two examples:

1) First wife went through two alternators on a Toyota years ago. After the second one fried, I tried Dave. Without asking he called, found out the alternator was still in warranty, swapped it out and didn't charge for the part. I was sold on the guy. 2) Second wife's stealership said she was missing two engine bolts (Yikes!) and the brakes were ready to fail. Wanted to charge $300+. Dave took a look, told her the bolts not only were all there but torqued to spec. He said the brakes had 30,000 miles left on them and not to worry. Didn't charge her but asked for her business when something did need fixing.

Best Motorcycle mechanic (IMHO) in the area is Jeremy at Hobe's Power Equipment (Kawi Dealer in Roseburg). He works on most 2 and 4 cylinder bikes and is fair. He also holds a class speed record at Bonneville riding a '36 Indian. Good man

I'm lucky since my mechanical skilz are basic.

 

[yamafitter]

I'm offended. OFFENDED I say! All you gentlemen making fun of my Fix Or Repair Daily makes me want to cry.... :finger: :lol2:

Found On Road Dead

Junk it and get a Toyota truck, they never stop. Had 250,000 on a friends, 275,000 on my brothers (still running today), and 223,000 on mine. Did you notice on the U.S. version of TopGear that the "chase" vehicle for their Alaska Adventure (Ford, Chevy, and a Dodge) was a Toyota truck? Had to have something reliable to haul the broken ones home. At least they're made (or were) in the U.S.

My friend's Toyota truck lives on a steady diet of front end axles. It appears that once in a while in 4 wheel drive the axle shears.

You can break any truck if you try hard enough. I drove Fords for decades but went with a Toyota Highlander Limited Hybrid as a retirement present to myself.

I pull an enclosed trailer with it from time to time and like the SUV very much.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Glad that worked out for you Shiny...I know how you feel about not having a truck payment.

My '99 F150 4X4 has 118,000 miles on her, and the only things ever replaced have been the brakes, tires,battery and the alternator at 114k. When the alternator went out, I told the repair guy to replace it with a Motorcraft alternator. He looked astonished until I mentioned that the first one went 114k. Hell...It has the original windshield that finally got a crack and now needs replaced. Dammit.

Even if it costs me a thousand dollars to fix something, that's still less than 3 new truck payments. I would like a new truck, but this one starts every time I turn the key, and has been faithful. She's been to Mexico, numerous hunting trips, California, pulled tons of horse trailers, been in lots of mud and snow, and has taken us to more camping trips than I can count. I love my stupid truck.