Cost of Ownership

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Plati

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My 2014EL now has 104K miles, bought it 5 years ago for $38K @ 34K miles.
Probably could sell it now for $20K
Put about $3,200 in maintenance, $8,800 in gas, $4,500 insurance, $500 NYS reg.
so thats (if my math is right) $35,000 I spent to drive 70,000 miles
or $0.50 per mile

I wonder how much a "new one" will have cost per mile after 5, 10, 15 years of owning?
and how much its worth financially to buy a couple years old unit vs NEW
 

vford

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Check those brake lines, mine 2003 XLT got rusted through a few years ago, not the pleasant experience to find it while driving. I since installed stainless brake lines myself to make sure it never happens again. I am sure doing it at the shop would cost $$$$. My car has 50K miles and in very good shape.

I had oil leak form transfer case, took a while to realize the leak is result of ?gross overfilling the transfer case with oil at the factory? - it was filled upto breather tube. It was so much of oil, so when operating it will expand and push the oil through breather tube out and on the case due to rubber extension was cracked. It may explain why so many folks complaining about Ford transfer cases leaking. All I needed to do is just drain the fluid and refill to the proper level and cut cracked rubber extension hose and reattach it to the breather tube.

Changing oil and coolant, replaced tires at 45K because of original continental started to crack (dry rot), replaced brakes pads around the same time. On the second battery (using maintenance charger), first one lasted 9 years without maintenance charger. It developed a small refrigerant leak from the condenser after just a few years of ownership, but it was fixed with leak stopper. I normally add 1 can of the refrigerant a year to keep AC running. Changed plenum actuator at the rear AC few times, very fragile, but like other folks mentioned - keep the temp controls away from the max or min to prevent gear damage in actuator due to constant torque applied at those positions. Some dude sells upgraded gears on ebay, so you can just rebuild original actuator and solve this issue for good. Replaced idle pulleys and belt due to the rust on pulleys - because of rare use of the vehicle.

Replaced all bulbs to LED and found some old bulbs melted/deformed plastic around it and in some cases damaged mounts (paddle light on the mirrors), so it was a good call to swap with LED.
 
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larryjb

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...
I had oil leak form transfer case, took a while to realize the leak is result of gross overfilling the transfer case with oil at the factory - it was filled upto breather tube. It was so much of oil, so when operating it will expand and push the oil through breather tube out and on the case due to rubber extension was cracked. It may explain why so many folks complaining about Ford transfer cases leaking. All I needed to do is just drain the fluid and refill to the proper level and cut cracked rubber extension hose and reattach it to the breather tube.
....

I'm not sure if this is an issue with Fords or not, but I assume it could be similar. In GM 4wd if the output seal of the transmission is leaking, it can leak into the transfer case and overfill it that way. All I'm saying is that it wouldn't be a bad idea to check the level in your transfercase periodically just to check.
 

vford

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I'm not sure if this is an issue with Fords or not, but I assume it could be similar. In GM 4wd if the output seal of the transmission is leaking, it can leak into the transfer case and overfill it that way. All I'm saying is that it wouldn't be a bad idea to check the level in your transfercase periodically just to check.
Funny, but this is the first thing came to my mind (are tranny and transfer case sharing the oil?) when I realized it is way too much oil in it while draining and it overfilled my container spilling on the floor. As I recall I never added oil to the transmission prior to this event, I think I added about quart of oil to the transmission to get it up to top level mark at the time I was dealing with transfer case, and it is still there 1 year later. I looked up the used transfer case on ebay and based on photo both transmission and transfer case seals would have to fail to let it happen. There is no wet spots on the join between tranny and transfer case. I just recall friend of mine getting rid of his F150 and Edge, both for transfer case leak reasons. But it is something to keep in mind, will check level first if it reoccurs in the future. It is easier to just drain the excess through the fill plug, then draining and refilling it. Any excess oil would confirm slow leak from transmission. Thanks for the info!
 
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larryjb

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I did some further checking and there are reports of the transmission output shaft seals leaking transmission fluid into the transfer case. IF your transmission is using Mercon V, you will probably want to verify that you don't have a transmission output shaft leak. Apparently, Mercon V can damage transfer case internals.

 

Freightshaker

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Check those brake lines, mine 2003 XLT got rusted through a few years ago, not the pleasant experience to find it while driving. I since installed stainless brake lines myself to make sure it never happens again. I am sure doing it at the shop would cost $$$$. My car has 50K miles and in very good shape.

I had oil leak form transfer case, took a while to realize the leak is result of ?gross overfilling the transfer case with oil at the factory? - it was filled upto breather tube. It was so much of oil, so when operating it will expand and push the oil through breather tube out and on the case due to rubber extension was cracked. It may explain why so many folks complaining about Ford transfer cases leaking. All I needed to do is just drain the fluid and refill to the proper level and cut cracked rubber extension hose and reattach it to the breather tube.

Changing oil and coolant, replaced tires at 45K because of original continental started to crack (dry rot), replaced brakes pads around the same time. On the second battery (using maintenance charger), first one lasted 9 years without maintenance charger. It developed a small refrigerant leak from the condenser after just a few years of ownership, but it was fixed with leak stopper. I normally add 1 can of the refrigerant a year to keep AC running. Changed plenum actuator at the rear AC few times, very fragile, but like other folks mentioned - keep the temp controls away from the max or min to prevent gear damage in actuator due to constant torque applied at those positions. Some dude sells upgraded gears on ebay, so you can just rebuild original actuator and solve this issue for good. Replaced idle pulleys and belt due to the rust on pulleys - because of rare use of the vehicle.

Replaced all bulbs to LED and found some old bulbs melted/deformed plastic around it and in some cases damaged mounts (paddle light on the mirrors), so it was a good call to swap with LED.
 

Freightshaker

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Another reason why brake fluid should be flushed & replaced every other year. Brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture) and that moisture causes rust in lines & calipers. Also water becomes steam & will cause air bubbles in the line, leading to spongy brakes.
 
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Plati

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Another reason why brake fluid should be flushed & replaced every other year. Brake fluid is hygroscopic (absorbs moisture) and that moisture causes rust in lines & calipers. Also water becomes steam & will cause air bubbles in the line, leading to spongy brakes.
Lots of different opinions on "changing fluids" which range from NEVER to EVERY DAY.

Brake system is sealed, how would moisture get in there and if some got in there wouldn't the brake fluid soak it up since it's hygroscopic? Once the water is chemically bonded with that brake fluid it's tied up & not longer "liquid water". There will be no water that can turn to steam under normal conditions? Only place hot enough to do that is caliper.

I don't see changing brake fluid in my Owners Manual scheduled maintenance.
Why is that ... if you should change it "every other year"?

My trusted mechanic told me I don't need to change it in my 2003Expy.

Not trying to be a contrarian, just a different viewpoint.

I have never changed brake fluid in any vehicle I ever owned, just to change it.
And I keep them forever or longer.
 
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larryjb

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Lots of different opinions on "changing fluids" which range from NEVER to EVERY DAY.

Brake system is sealed, how would moisture get in there and if some got in there wouldn't the brake fluid soak it up since it's hygroscopic? Once the water is chemically bonded with that brake fluid it's tied up & not longer "liquid water". There will be no water that can turn to steam under normal conditions? Only place hot enough to do that is caliper.

I don't see changing brake fluid in my Owners Manual scheduled maintenance.
Why is that ... if you should change it "every other year"?

My trusted mechanic told me I don't need to change it in my 2003Expy.

Not trying to be a contrarian, just a different viewpoint.

I have never changed brake fluid in any vehicle I ever owned, just to change it.
And I keep them forever or longer.

Hygroscopic doesn't mean chemically bonded. It's just a fancy name to mean the fluid absorbs water easily. Alcohol is also hygroscopic. It can be separated again by heating and distilling. In the case of alcohol, ethanol boils before water, so you collect the ethanol vapour. When brake fluid heats up under severe braking, the water will boil first.

Also, even though the brake system is "sealed", water molecules from humidity in the air can slowly seep past the seal in the master cylinder cap.

All this said, how long does it take before the the braking system is compromised? It depends. In general, I change my calipers every few years because the piston seals can get worn. When I bleed the brakes after, I take care of flushing then.
 

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