Well i just did my first oil change! Thank you Ford for putting the filter on so damn tight! Not to mention the lousy location, or the fact that the oil runs behind the drip pan! But that is minor due to the power steering fluid that is all over the bottom of my engine again!!! I just had a new rack and pinion installed a few weeks back. I also noticed that the bolts are finger loose, not finger tight on the rack and pinion. It's Back to the dealer again on Monday!!! I'm starting to wonder about this purchase, especially after reading about those fantastic spark plugs!

 

Dont worry you have 100k miles to worry about those spark plugs according to your owners manual.

Good luck getting it fixed. As far as oil changes, I hate to even admit this, but I let the dealer do mine, hell its only $27 and then I get documentation so if anything happens they cant give me a hard time.

 

Yeah that sounds good, but they can't even tighten bolts up on a major component. I would hate to see the oil plug fall out!!!

 

Agreed - I let the dealer do my service because I have 7 years worth of warranty and if something does go south I wan't to make sure there are no problems having it fixed with no out of pocket for me. As long as your service is warrantied you should be ok with minor problems. Bottom line is that it's inevitable that some trucks come off the line with flaws. That's why there is a warranty. Look at the bright side - it will be perfect by the time your warranty runs out. lol.

 

Geez, $27 for an oil change.. My dealer charges $14.95. All of them around here charge that. Can't beat the competitive auto world. I don't think I could drive myself around looking for a motorcraft and the oil and do it myself for that. Even if it was more, like said above, peace of mind that they can't play warranty neglect issues on ya.

 

I never had an engine warranty issue that was oil related. I'm a diesel mechanic by trade and hate the idea of someone even touching my 30K truck. If they can't even tighten the bolts up right on a major component, they sure as hell are not going to use the smartest guy in the shop to do the oil change.

 

that's right so fugedaboudit

 

Most dealers give you the first oil change for free. I sure didn't want to bully that oil filter off myself. Not to mention, the local dealers do a thorough inspection during that first oil change so things like loose bolts don't cost them $$$ down the road.

$27 is a bit steep. It's less than $20 here with tire rotation.

 

The dealer that charges $27 is actually a dealer I halfway trust. They know my truck and I sit and talk with the techs about various issues and they all pretty cool. So Im willing to pay the extra $7 to know that they are doing a good job and I can talk with them. Im not cheap, and willing to pay alittle extra to know its done right. Having said that, I guess I could tell them other places only charge $19.00 lol.

 

I have a 2004 f150..no problems at yet! ...I always change my own oil..15 mins maybe

 

I always do my own maintenance, but the main reason i'm pi$$ed is that i have to take my truck back again to get it fixed again! I think this time i'm gonna ask to see the owner and make them give me a new mustang for a loaner It just pisses me off that my 3000 mile truck has to go back and have a new rack & pinion put on it again!! Not just because it's leaking again, but the fact that they jeopardized my family's safety by leaving the bolts to the frame finger loose. Even the alignment tech didn't catch it!!!

 

FX4ME2, If you get that Mustang let me know. We'll beat the H3LL out of it before you take it back, that'll teach em. Let us know how the truck turns out.

 

I will let you know what happens! Looks like the BigBlackfx4 has been busy, i see red calipers! How's the leveling kit feel?

 

FYI, when it comes time to change your oil again, I bought a tool off of the Snap-on truck http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item....re&dir=catalog it works great! I think you can buy one of these from almost any parts store (cheaper I'm sure)!!

 

The levelling kit feels great. Feels like the truck it was always supposed to be. The place I went to for the alignment did great work too. I stood back there and BSed with the guy the whole time he worked on my truck. I fixed the parking brake issue and painted the calipers the next day, everything went really easy. Thanks for you help FX4ME2.