Lease!! Whoa lets keep this discussion among those who own the trucks.

 

Well for all of the people out there that made fun of us and said the sky is falling because they said it was a fluke and would only happen to a few..........here's your F'ing proof. Seems ALL of the people so far that removed theirs either had them creak and pop all the way out or actually break off so this is definitelly a big problem and I can guarantee ANYONE that waits till 100K to replace them, every one will break off. Looks to me like a plug with at least a 1mm smaller diameter insert would be the way to go so they wouldn't have to redesign the heads. That way that extra clearance between the head and the plug would allow a LOT more gunk to build up before it would cause problems. I need to get mine out of there sooner than I thought. I was going to wait till 30K but now even that scares me. I got 25K on it now. Sorry to hear about that FatherFord!!!!

 

Sadly I agree with you if you stick with Ford. I don't mean to bash fords on a Ford site but I don't see any other manufacturer with the spark plug problems that Ford has had since 97. Truly sad

 

Own or lease, what's the diff, maintenance is maintenance, I still foot the bill, what's that got to do with anything? The point is if it was a truck that I planned on keeping for the rest of its life, then I'd be more concerned about the plugs right now.

 

I've had my truck for almost 2 years and only have 13,000 miles on it. At the current rate of mileage, I won't hit 100,000 until it's almost 13 years old. I haven't kept any vehicle longer than 6 years, so I can't see 100,000 miles being an issue for me. They stay in!

 

My point is that I planned to keep the truck(not for the rest of my life) but atleast for the long haul. With a lease, you can just walk away after your lease is up. If you plan to keep the truck then the decisions you make, or dont make, effect you down the road.

 

I will make you a 100% absolute guarantee........ If you don't mess with the plugs, they won't break....... and no one will make fun of you.

If you insist on pulling the plugs before the recommended interval, and you break one.......I'll roll on the floor laughing like a little school boy.

I guarantee it.

Simple, isn't it.

 

So what do you plan to do when 100k miles rolls around?? Im guessing you wont keep the truck until then.

 

And if you never mess with that darn oil filter, it won't be such a PITA to get off for the first time! And if you never try to change that fuel filter thinggie under your truck, you will never worry about breaking those darn clips! And if you never try to put gas in your truck, you won't have to worry about that fuel filler door breaking off. For those of us that do our maintenence ourselfs and don't run to the dealer to get everything done, unless they have to, and plan on keeping their truck for while, and don't feel like waiting til 100K to change plugs when they WILL break off and Ford will NOT cover the repair of the head removal, I think I'll take the risk at 30K and you can laugh all you want. Plus I need to change them anyway because they give me a new set with my Roush kit so I have a good reason. Maybe I'm the only one that thinks this way and that's fine, if so, disregard this message and I'll go on my merry way.

 

Here's my take on all of this. I see both sides of the "replace/do not replace argument." Yes, earlier maintenance is they way it SHOULD be, but Ford slapped the 100k interval on these plugs. In doing that, some people are brushing it aside and taking it for granted. As I said though, the interval should be much lower. However, I believe they should be held accountable for either the DIY mechanic, or the Ford mechanic, that has a plug break off in the head. It's not the DIY mechanic's fault that Ford picked the wrong plug design to put on these new trucks. Other trucks/cars can have their plugs taken out without fear of break-off due to poor design.

Also, if Ford knows that the plugs won't make it to 100k, then why the hell are they still saying that they can? If they want customers to remain loyal, and not shift to Dodge or Chevy or the Imports, they would make this right by changing plugs (when and if a suitable replacement is found) prior to 100k, AND for free, regardless of warranty status. Stuff like this happens to every automaker, and they should see it as a cost of doing business, and a way to keep an already dwindling customer base happy, and loyal.

 

I'm not sure if I'll keep it, or not.

I'm not sure what I'm having for lunch today, never mind 5 years down the road.

If I do keep it, and one of the plugs should happen to fail, I'll worry about it then. In the meanwhile, none of my plugs are broken.




p.s. The only time my truck goes to the stealership is for warranty work. Anybody that pays the stealership for routine maintenance is an idiot, in my opinion. After the warranty is up, they never see me again, ever.

 

So what about those people who live in an area that disallows "routine maintenance" to be performed, i.e. an apartment complex, such as I live in? So I guess I'm an idiot for taking my truck in for oil changes and tire rotations because I have no other option? Nice generalization, dumbass.

P.S.-I pity the person who gets your truck after you turn it in. Since you don't care about the plugs, a rather important component, what else do you not care about?

 

Thanks for the kind words. It's such a pleasure to read.

When I lived in an apartment, I always had a place to do my own work, either a friend or parents house, or even the tech center that rents out garage bays, including tools for those that don't have the means.

You don't have any friends? I'm not surprised, really.


I do care about the plugs. I read the owners manual, and Ford recommends they be changed at 100k miles, and if I keep the truck that's when they will get changed.

I don't care about you....does that answer your question?

 

Oh, snap. Damn FF, that is bad news. Thats what we get for being performance junkies. Makes me want to just keep mine at 6 psi and be happy with 13's. LOL!!

BTW, I called Ford and they said they knew of the problem. However, they said their mechanics have recently been keeping the trucks overnight for spark plug changes. Reason is that they fill the plug hole and soak it overnight in penetrating oil.

Didnt say exactly why these plugs are doing this though. Just said they were aware of it.

 

I can't believe they actually admitted to knowing about the problem. But at least they are. Let's hope they're not dragging their feet as to how they want to really fix it. I think FatherFord said in one of his posts that he soaked his with penetrating oil and it still separated.

And Kool-Aid, I'll let you stay in your own little world. Thank you for the comedic banter.