Trucks

[SecondsCount]

I've owned a car or truck since 1982. Several of them had over 200K miles and most of them over 100K miles when sold. I had one that killed a head gasket at 10 years and 160K miles. Other than that I have never replaced any major driveline component and many of those years I used conventional oil.

Engines nowadays are pushed a little harder in the horsepower department and I use synthetic per the recommendation. That doesn't make me an expert but it does show my experience,- follow the manufacturer's guidelines and you shouldn't have any issues.

[JV_]

My side hustle is doing auto diag work, sometimes with repairs. It's not my day job, but I do see trends with brands and equipment/technology. If I were buying a new truck, I'd order a base F150 with a 3.3 non-turbo engine. It's an underrated combination.

I think we are going to see a significant decrease in the reliability of the internal combustion engine.

AFM / Cyl Deactivation and Start/Stop have been around long enough that they really should have them perfected by now. It's been here 15+ years.

The real problem I see is parts quality issues due to a severe drop in QC, which started with COVID. It's even present in OEM parts.

Overall, the explosion of electronics in cars is also making them less reliable. It's not uncommon for my scanner to find 60+ modules on the network. People really don't like finding out that their Bluetooth module is causing 250mA drain on the battery, and that's why it's dead.

What a module for your 15 year old car? Guess what, they stopped making it 8 years ago, so you better hit up a pick-and-pull. Then, hope it can be programmed.

[dsa]

I hate turbos. They run stupid hot and increase the stress to every part of the engine. Manufacturers design them to last the warranty period, I would have no hesitation driving them for 3-5 years and 100k miles. After that, I would not own. Since I am in the habit of driving vehicles with 140-300k miles on them I simply won't own a turbo car of that age.

Not to say they don't make torque. They do that in spades.

I have a mechanic friend who says the exact same thing. According to him at 100K miles the turbos are close to needing to be replaced and should be upgraded; in his mind it is not worth the cost. He recommends selling and buying something new.

[LittleLebowski]

I hate turbos. They run stupid hot and increase the stress to every part of the engine. Manufacturers design them to last the warranty period, I would have no hesitation driving them for 3-5 years and 100k miles. After that, I would not own. Since I am in the habit of driving vehicles with 140-300k miles on them I simply won't own a turbo car of that age.

Not to say they don't make torque. They do that in spades.

They work great if designed right. I believe there’s more than a couple hauling our nation’s freight, no?

[willie]

My 2019 Tacoma has 17000 miles and has had 4 oil changes at the dealer. The first change was at 700 miles to remove any minute metal junk let loose during these miles. I go by old break-in rules even though the dealer folks said it's unnecessary. Yes. I probably did change oil too frequently. I got my first vehicle in 1963. This truck is the 8th vehicle. None had a wrench put on the motor. I did have two minor transmission repairs.

[BehindBlueI's]

If I were buying a new truck, I'd order a base F150 with a 3.3 non-turbo engine. It's an underrated combination.

I'd be bored of that truck before I left the lot.

[Nephrology]

They work great if designed right. I believe there’s more than a couple hauling our nation’s freight, no?

Isn't that a apples/oranges though? lower RPMs and lower combustion temperature for turbo diesel engines means they shouldn't run as hot as a turbocharged gas engine , all else being equal. Plus I always thought a turbo on a big diesel engien is kinda trying to solve a different problem than turbo on a gas engine; my understanding is the former is primarily helping by way of pulling oxygen whereas turbochargers in gas engines are typically doing more to increase combustion pressure and thus engine power

[willie]

My side hustle is doing auto diag work, sometimes with repairs. It's not my day job, but I do see trends with brands and equipment/technology. If I were buying a new truck, I'd order a base F150 with a 3.3 non-turbo engine. It's an underrated combination.



AFM / Cyl Deactivation and Start/Stop have been around long enough that they really should have them perfected by now. It's been here 15+ years.

The real problem I see is parts quality issues due to a severe drop in QC, which started with COVID. It's even present in OEM parts.

Overall, the explosion of electronics in cars is also making them less reliable. It's not uncommon for my scanner to find 60+ modules on the network. People really don't like finding out that their Bluetooth module is causing 250mA drain on the battery, and that's why it's dead.

What a module for your 15 year old car? Guess what, they stopped making it 8 years ago, so you better hit up a pick-and-pull. Then, hope it can be programmed.

My mechanic's shop works on a large number of older vehicles made in the last 15-20 years. Frequently he is faced with parts unavailability. Further, he said that dealer shop guys know little about "obsolete" cars and trucks that he himself tries to repair. I can not figure out how the working man will be able to afford cars or trucks in years to come.

[willie]

Any folks here driving cars with diesel engines? Have they served you well?

[mmc45414]

I have a mechanic friend who says the exact same thing. According to him at 100K miles the turbos are close to needing to be replaced and should be upgraded; in his mind it is not worth the cost. He recommends selling and buying something new.

Well, they cost about $500 each and a vehicle probably depreciates ~$15-$20k in 100k, so I know what I am going to do.

ETA: Ford started selling these in their highest volume vehicles in 2009, if they all had crapped out with low miles Ford would have had to get a bailout like the other two a long time ago. And it is not just Ford, VW is a large global manufacturer and they have been putting out a lotta turbos.

Also, pretty sure turbos were created for aircraft engines that were gas. Diesels were mostly supercharged for a long time.