Overkill fluid changes

[VAMike]

I have seen a lot of issues over the years with cars & trucks. turned my 1st wrench for a living in 1973. Last in 2020 due to health problems. Never saw a problem because the vehicle was serviced too much. I once had a Crown Vic come in with engine noise tho. Pulled the drain plug to drain the oil, nothing would come out. Oil was like road tar. 28K miles, serviced one time. Long story short, proper service would have been a whole lot cheaper than the replacement engine they had to buy.

It's weird how we go directly from "no maintenance" to "voodoo maintenance", without a nice stopover at "manufacturer specified maintenance".

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[ctechbob]

without a nice stopover at "manufacturer specified maintenance".

The only thing I think I'll add to that line of thought it.

'Manufacturer Recommended' Is not intended for maximum longevity of the vehicle. It is intended (usually) for a service life of somewhere around 100-150,000 miles (in general).

And so they can claim 'low cost of ownership'.

There's also an EPA side to it as well, but I haven't researched that one much. Just hearsay at this point.

 

[TJC]

You aren't going convince people that their lucky charm change intervals don't work, don't bother trying. Humans suck at separating correlation from causality, and if they change their oil every 500 miles and their engine works, they'll be convinced it only works because of the oil changes. ?‍

I only address an issue when a problem starts occurring prematurely, or I see enough evidence of the problem to convince me to address the weak link before it becomes an issue. The evidence threshold is unique to the individual.

Example: The Clutch Fan deteriorating hose issue. A simple one time fix that will keep you from being stranded on the side of the road with a 1/2 dozen serious error codes.

You are correct, correlation does not equate to causality. Skid marks do not cause accidents.

I saved myself several thousands of $$, and possibly more as I was at the decision point of selling my 2020 Ranger. Replacing 7 quarts of transmission fluid at 18K miles, and twice again since has my transmission behaving normally. I also added LubeGard Platinum at each change. I am now at 25K miles and have 90% fresh fluid.

Now I had significant issues with the 10R80 which began to show themselves at 5K miles, and I believe that catastrophic failure was both imminent and inevitable. The truck actually lurched while stopped at an intersection at one point, and refused to disengage coming to a stop on another occasion. When it finally disengaged, both of us were thrown forward... seat belts held us in place. Not to mention the near constant rough shifts, long shift times, etc.

Spending $200 was worth every penny.

If your transmission is fine, stick with whatever time line seems reasonable to you. But I would never stay with the "never needs changing for the life of the transmission" Ford directive.

Usually every 50K to 60K is adequate. That was the schedule that I used for all my previously owned vehicles, and I never needed to have transmission work on any of them.

Oil changes every 5K, Diffs and transfer case, 10K, then every 50K - 60K unless I am towing.

 

[Friday yet?]

I have a new rear wiper for the Explorer ST, I need to swap it on and grab some E85.

Hang on to her!!! Power increase will blow your mind!

 

[Friday yet?]

I'm confident I could remove any of the bolts with the correct sized socket and they would come right out

Well, unless it’s a 10mm then good luck finding that socket.

 

[Friday yet?]

what about age? 12K but 3 years old here. Oil change when the oil minder gets to 20% but thinking of dif's T-case at least, maybe trans pan suck and refill. Then there is brake fluid...

Yeah I fall into that category LOL

LB

Wow! 3 years old and only 12K?! Mine turned 2 in Feb and hit 36K this month.

 

[Jeffrey Babb]

Wow! 3 years old and only 12K?! Mine turned 2 in Feb and hit 36K this month.

Warranty runs out vehicle is gone.

 

[Av8or1]

Warranty runs out vehicle is gone.

"Tell me you hate money without telling me you hate money"

 

[Jeffrey Babb]

"Tell me you hate money without telling me you hate money"

The day I retired I said I will never have a vehicle matenance bill the rest of my life. I know exactly what my vehicle will cost me a month. No surprises and in my budget!

 

[Friday yet?]

Warranty runs out vehicle is gone.

Not me. I keep my vehicles for the long haul.

 

[Jeffrey Babb]

Not me. I keep my vehicles for the long haul.

What for you is great, I just know what works for me, end of story!!!

 

[ppfd]

What for you is great, I just know what works for me, end of story!!!

Same here, I offload pretty much when I pay them off. This ranger, fords interest was pretty good when I bought it. so I'm not in as big a rush to get it gone.
I try not to keep things past 100k mileage either.

No wife, GF makes more money than me, and my only child is grown, gone and pretty successful.
Vehicles are my splurge money. Yet, only when the money is right.

I have no real complaints with this ranger, I just know something is going to happen to the transmission sooner or later.

Chevy ZR2 is really calling me. And I've always said I had no use for the tremor package!

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