Topic: Test Drive: 2015 Ford F-150 FX4 EcoBoost

[KD]

With over just over 91k now on my work truck it is has been mechanically flawless, but the amount of cheap plasticky stuff that breaks off it on a regular basis is ridiculous and is starting to add up in cost.  Why they would put cheap plastic blocks on the front bumpers for example is ludicrous.  I've broken them off 4 times already and you have to buy them in pairs.  Gone through 3 mud flaps and one is half broken off and I didn't get that replaced. The trim around the passenger mirror was broken off by a tree branch and they want $500 for a new mirror so I didn't bother claiming it as its only a small piece and will just break again.  The rubber seal for the drivers door came off in the winter and will probably have to be replaced.  I thought i broke off my air dam this winter, but it was just flipped under and needed to be popped out.  All these little things add up when they charge outrageous amounts to buy it and it's like Walmart quality plastic junk in order to repeat the process.

Not sure about the newer ones, but my old 2500HD Chev had black solid rubber bumperettes (never replaced) and not as much breaky plastic pieces, but the 6.2 L engine was basically burnt starting around the 250k mark.  They may be work trucks but I still treat them like they're my own so there's no abuse involved.  I even wash them regularly. 

[2JDM]

^^I'm curious on how a Tundra would hold up as a "fleet" work truck. I rarely see those (regular cab fleet spec).

[bridgecity]

Not very well if he needs a 3/4 ton.   

In all honesty they all seem to have the cheap platicky bits attached.  On my Tundra its the engine shields between the interior fender opening and the engine bay.  Terrible flappy plastic with poor fasteners.  I've ripped them off and left them.  Hopefully they've changed them since '07.  Other than that the front end seems OK.  At the rear its the plastic thats attached to the chrome bumper.  It has never fallen off but there is play in it if you grab hold. 

I remember when I had Chev work trucks it was the lower front spoiler and lower fascia that housed the fog lights that came off regularly.  The spoilers we just left off.

[Northernridge]

With over just over 91k now on my work truck it is has been mechanically flawless, but the amount of cheap plasticky stuff that breaks off it on a regular basis is ridiculous and is starting to add up in cost.  Why they would put cheap plastic blocks on the front bumpers for example is ludicrous.  I've broken them off 4 times already and you have to buy them in pairs.  Gone through 3 mud flaps and one is half broken off and I didn't get that replaced. The trim around the passenger mirror was broken off by a tree branch and they want $500 for a new mirror so I didn't bother claiming it as its only a small piece and will just break again.  The rubber seal for the drivers door came off in the winter and will probably have to be replaced.  I thought i broke off my air dam this winter, but it was just flipped under and needed to be popped out.  All these little things add up when they charge outrageous amounts to buy it and it's like Walmart quality plastic junk in order to repeat the process.

Not sure about the newer ones, but my old 2500HD Chev had black solid rubber bumperettes (never replaced) and not as much breaky plastic pieces, but the 6.2 L engine was basically burnt starting around the 250k mark.  They may be work trucks but I still treat them like they're my own so there's no abuse involved.  I even wash them regularly. 

Wasn't that you who posted a pic of yourself busting brush with your truck?

No wonder sh!t breaks off.

[EV-Light]

I am in the business, but work for none of the big three, so don't have a dog in this hunt.  But I can add a perspective that so far is unique in this discussion.

I sell extended warranties for used cars, and the warranty providers base cost on actual claims frequency and expense.

I ran a few trucks through the calculator:  All fictional 2012 4x4 models with 70k.  2 year wrap warranty:

Ram 1500 Hemi  $993

F-150 ecoboost/ 5.0   $1802

Silverado lt 8cyl  $940

The cost of the warranty for the F-150 is double that of it's competitors.  Say what you want about what you hear about reliability, but real world numbers would suggest the Ford has been far less reliable/ more expensive to fix.

Interesting but it hardly means anything....when I was getting extended warranty quotes for my BMW 3-Series back in 2010, I got quotes - for a bumper to bumper warranty - all the way from $1300 to $5400, depending on the company...I ended up buying the extended warranty from BMW, which came at $2100....


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getting quotes from random providers for a (slightly) different product is hardly controlling variables. neils point is actually quite an interesting one as it is fully controlled... same warranty, same provider, same coverage. it tells you that the ford has a higher chance of having more costs after the standard warranty has expired. doesn't mean all that much to every buyer other than that due to historical evidence and expected costs, the ford will have more estimated costs during that period of ownership.

thanks for that by the way neil... helpful stuff.

I disagree...warranty is just like insurance shopping: some providers will charge more for certain vehicles. I'd bet if I were to get quotes from different providers, they would be in a big price gap for all the 3 trucks.

There are many variables to be taken into account here....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KD]

With over just over 91k now on my work truck it is has been mechanically flawless, but the amount of cheap plasticky stuff that breaks off it on a regular basis is ridiculous and is starting to add up in cost.  Why they would put cheap plastic blocks on the front bumpers for example is ludicrous.  I've broken them off 4 times already and you have to buy them in pairs.  Gone through 3 mud flaps and one is half broken off and I didn't get that replaced. The trim around the passenger mirror was broken off by a tree branch and they want $500 for a new mirror so I didn't bother claiming it as its only a small piece and will just break again.  The rubber seal for the drivers door came off in the winter and will probably have to be replaced.  I thought i broke off my air dam this winter, but it was just flipped under and needed to be popped out.  All these little things add up when they charge outrageous amounts to buy it and it's like Walmart quality plastic junk in order to repeat the process.

Not sure about the newer ones, but my old 2500HD Chev had black solid rubber bumperettes (never replaced) and not as much breaky plastic pieces, but the 6.2 L engine was basically burnt starting around the 250k mark.  They may be work trucks but I still treat them like they're my own so there's no abuse involved.  I even wash them regularly. 

Wasn't that you who posted a pic of yourself busting brush with your truck?

No wonder sh!t breaks off.

Haha!  I remeber one time in the Chev I had to run through about 100' of thick alders and birch to avoid getting stuck.  I was clinched up the entire time but nothing broke off.  I did lose count on how many tie wraps were holding sh1t in place toward the end though. 

[tooscoops]

I am in the business, but work for none of the big three, so don't have a dog in this hunt.  But I can add a perspective that so far is unique in this discussion.

I sell extended warranties for used cars, and the warranty providers base cost on actual claims frequency and expense.

I ran a few trucks through the calculator:  All fictional 2012 4x4 models with 70k.  2 year wrap warranty:

Ram 1500 Hemi  $993

F-150 ecoboost/ 5.0   $1802

Silverado lt 8cyl  $940

The cost of the warranty for the F-150 is double that of it's competitors.  Say what you want about what you hear about reliability, but real world numbers would suggest the Ford has been far less reliable/ more expensive to fix.

Interesting but it hardly means anything....when I was getting extended warranty quotes for my BMW 3-Series back in 2010, I got quotes - for a bumper to bumper warranty - all the way from $1300 to $5400, depending on the company...I ended up buying the extended warranty from BMW, which came at $2100....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

getting quotes from random providers for a (slightly) different product is hardly controlling variables. neils point is actually quite an interesting one as it is fully controlled... same warranty, same provider, same coverage. it tells you that the ford has a higher chance of having more costs after the standard warranty has expired. doesn't mean all that much to every buyer other than that due to historical evidence and expected costs, the ford will have more estimated costs during that period of ownership.

thanks for that by the way neil... helpful stuff.

I disagree...warranty is just like insurance shopping: some providers will charge more for certain vehicles. I'd bet if I were to get quotes from different providers, they would be in a big price gap for all the 3 trucks.

There are many variables to be taken into account here....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't know how you can argue this... you get what you pay for. all insurance is not equal, and most definitely all warranties are not equal. you are debating a factual statement from someone in a business that has to do with the conversation with anecdotal personal info that doesn't apply.

I would be willing to wager a large amount that nearly every warranty provider would base their rates of similar facts, meaning that the fords rates would be equivalently higher than the other trucks.

in your comparison, so would you say if you shopped around, you would eventually find someone who will insure a corolla for less than a van? sounds like that is what you are saying, and it is just not true. sure, you might find one company who will charge less for the toyota than a different company will charge for the van... but when things are controlled (same company, same coverage) the van will always be less.

it is not a debatable thing.

[Noto]

Another Pritch classic!  Great video, and I love that you focussed on the truck's two most unique features, but then continued to discuss the other little things about the truck - it's what sets your reviews apart.  Kudos!

[Cord]

I am in the business, but work for none of the big three, so don't have a dog in this hunt.  But I can add a perspective that so far is unique in this discussion.

I sell extended warranties for used cars, and the warranty providers base cost on actual claims frequency and expense.

I ran a few trucks through the calculator:  All fictional 2012 4x4 models with 70k.  2 year wrap warranty:

Ram 1500 Hemi  $993

F-150 ecoboost/ 5.0   $1802

Silverado lt 8cyl  $940

The cost of the warranty for the F-150 is double that of it's competitors.  Say what you want about what you hear about reliability, but real world numbers would suggest the Ford has been far less reliable/ more expensive to fix.

Interesting but it hardly means anything....when I was getting extended warranty quotes for my BMW 3-Series back in 2010, I got quotes - for a bumper to bumper warranty - all the way from $1300 to $5400, depending on the company...I ended up buying the extended warranty from BMW, which came at $2100....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

getting quotes from random providers for a (slightly) different product is hardly controlling variables. neils point is actually quite an interesting one as it is fully controlled... same warranty, same provider, same coverage. it tells you that the ford has a higher chance of having more costs after the standard warranty has expired. doesn't mean all that much to every buyer other than that due to historical evidence and expected costs, the ford will have more estimated costs during that period of ownership.

thanks for that by the way neil... helpful stuff.

I disagree...warranty is just like insurance shopping: some providers will charge more for certain vehicles. I'd bet if I were to get quotes from different providers, they would be in a big price gap for all the 3 trucks.

There are many variables to be taken into account here....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't know how you can argue this... you get what you pay for. all insurance is not equal, and most definitely all warranties are not equal. you are debating a factual statement from someone in a business that has to do with the conversation with anecdotal personal info that doesn't apply.

I would be willing to wager a large amount that nearly every warranty provider would base their rates of similar facts, meaning that the fords rates would be equivalently higher than the other trucks.

in your comparison, so would you say if you shopped around, you would eventually find someone who will insure a corolla for less than a van? sounds like that is what you are saying, and it is just not true. sure, you might find one company who will charge less for the toyota than a different company will charge for the van... but when things are controlled (same company, same coverage) the van will always be less.

it is not a debatable thing.

I just asked my F&I guy for a warranty quote on a 2012 Ford, Dodge, and Chev 4x4 with 70K. He said the prices were identical. That was through First Canadian.

[tooscoops]

i would imagine some warranty companies base it on specific models by brand package etc., and others have a formula based on more generic terms like new-truck-4x4-quad-v8- then a couple key options like roof, dvd, nav...

just a guess...

...really i just came in because i saw cords name....

hi cord!

[Cord]

Hi tooscoops!