I was checking out an 05 FX4 supercab and an 05 Lariat screw and I noticed that the windshield tinting above the rearview no longer says "F150" (I like 05 way better) and that the black area between the front and back windows is now more of a flat black and not the shiney glassey black of the 04's (I like the 04 way better). I just thought these were interesting little changes.

 

i have the "F150" on my windshied. It's an early build 2005 model. (10/21/2004). The area between the windows is flat black on mine.

ford is obviously making changes within a specific model year. there is a post on here where one guy has a factory aluminum drive shaft on his. it was built in January. i bought mine in november. when i bought mine, they had changed some things with the drive shaft and i got the engine compartment sound proofing material that ford left off the XL, STX, and XLT.

i'm hearing a lot of folks getting new redesigned drive shafts (aluminum in some cases) redesigned ring and pinion gears, new rear housings, redisigned break rotors, new tires etc.etc. i'm beginning to think i should have waited six months before i bought mine. should have waited til about April. i'm sure they are installing this new stuff from the factory on the recent builds. well, i've got what i've got, just gotta drive and enjoy. 5 year, 75,000 mile ESP helps.

 

It's strange. If they were going to change something mid year, I would think it would be because of a recall or something and it would be retrofitted to the previously built truck. But the window tint saying F150 or not, why would they change that, it serves no purpose at all.

 

Its all about saving $$. If it saves Ford 1 dollar per truck to not have the F-150 thing on the windshield and they sell 500,000 trucks, thats $500,000! (I did well in math class)

 

plus the changes to the driver train in an effort to reduce VIBE warranty work.

 

My '05 STX with a Nov. '04 build date has the windshield F-150 decal also. I wonder if the difference is in the assembly plant, or the suppliers?

 

Visteon probably supplies the glass. I'm guessing it's a cost reduction also.

 

Personally, I like the F-150 logo on the front windshield. That's what swayed my decision to buy the Ford in the first place. If I wouldn't have gotten that on my truck...I would have just had to go with another brand of truck.



Just kiddin guys...........the carbon fiber logo is kinda cool though.

 

my truck was built on 2-14-05 and has the F-150 on the windshield. Assembled in Dearborn, and it's a Lariat.

 

just from watching how large car companies work over the past few years, I think when they come out with a new model it's loaded, and then each subsequent year they take things out to show a year over year cost savings on the production........ it's the kind of thing that makes shareholders happy.

 

Some of the maddest people I have seen (on a RV forum) were people who replaced their Chevrolet trucks with the same thing and found out after the truck was delivered that many of the features that were standard on their old truck were not on the new truck. Some were items that they liked and could have ordered as options but they assumed they were buying the same truck again but found out after it was to late.

 

No need to think that's what they do, it IS what they do.

 

Actually, they sold about 950,000 2004 F150s.

 

Actually thats 950,000 + F-SERIES of which approx 600,000 are f-150's.