'04 owners how's your truck holding up?
#196
08-30-2008, 02:22 PM
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Excuses!! I have had power windows on trucks and cars for 20 years now (my 1994 Toyota Tacoma) and never had a problem, in fact, I had a 1987 Honda that I sold at 276,000 miles with no power window problems ever. I just gave my 1995 Mitsubishi Diamanti to my dad-in-law and it never has had any power window problems even at 216,000 miles. Oh, and my 1998 Mitsubhishi Montero with 151,000 miles on it does not have any power window problems either. Yet, my 2004 Ford F-150 with only 19,632 miles on it has window regulator problems. This is unacceptable on a darn near 40K truck (which I am still making payments on for one more year). Come on, why stick up for this truck? If American automakers are going to compete, they have to produce quality vehicles. This is NOT quality. Blind devotion to a particular brand is no substitue for rational logic. The Tundra may indeed have problems, I don't know since I did not buy one. However, Ford has been making their trucks forever and should have it down by now. By the way, my first car in my life was an old 1959 Ford F-100 that I bought for $900 right before my Senior year in High School back in 1984. Now that was a great truck! It was my fond memories of that truck that led me to buy my current truck the year before my High School 20 year reunion. I guess I am a sucker for sentimentality. I don't wish to get into a pee-pee match with anyone but I am going to call a spade a spade when I see one.
I'm not talking about how things were built 10, 15 or 20 years ago, I'm talking about the here and now. When it comes to the manufacturers trying to save money, things like window regulators are one of the first places they'll do it. As I've already said, on TODAY'S vehicles it's not a problem you'll get away from.
#197
08-30-2008, 02:27 PM
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Good and Reliable for Me
2004 XLT Screw 4x4 117,000 Miles
2" Leveling Kit
Firestone Air Bags
33x12.50R17 Mastercraft Courser C/T(Getting Ready for Second Set first set has 60k miles on them and not even close to bald great tires!!)
-Change brake pads often but I tow heavy trailers(4k-8k lbs) a lot
-New Rotors @ 99k
-Started Clunking recently when I let off the gas and coast then get back on the throttle. From what i read here i need to get the slip yoke lubed.( If anyone has another solution please let me know)
-Has a rough idle periodicaly
-Gets an avg mpg of 14( better than 8-10mpg from my old 01 F250 SD ext cab W/ v10 which is still in my fleet @275k)
All around i am very pleased with the truck. I am a contractor and i don't baby this truck one bit. I plan on driving it until about 200-250k. It still drives great and pulls great for a 1/2 ton. I drive a lot and the truck has never let me down. I have 80 gal of diesel and 3full tool boxes in bed and its no mustang but has plenty of get up and go when i need it.
2" Leveling Kit
Firestone Air Bags
33x12.50R17 Mastercraft Courser C/T(Getting Ready for Second Set first set has 60k miles on them and not even close to bald great tires!!)
-Change brake pads often but I tow heavy trailers(4k-8k lbs) a lot
-New Rotors @ 99k
-Started Clunking recently when I let off the gas and coast then get back on the throttle. From what i read here i need to get the slip yoke lubed.( If anyone has another solution please let me know)
-Has a rough idle periodicaly
-Gets an avg mpg of 14( better than 8-10mpg from my old 01 F250 SD ext cab W/ v10 which is still in my fleet @275k)
All around i am very pleased with the truck. I am a contractor and i don't baby this truck one bit. I plan on driving it until about 200-250k. It still drives great and pulls great for a 1/2 ton. I drive a lot and the truck has never let me down. I have 80 gal of diesel and 3full tool boxes in bed and its no mustang but has plenty of get up and go when i need it.
#198
08-30-2008, 04:18 PM
2004 STX, bought it with 28K Jan 2007, now have 65,000 on it
-2 New cowl panels, never fixed, had to drill hole and put screw in
-Leaking conduit under hood leaking water into cab, fried fusebox and pad under carpet, was not found by one dealer, had to take it to another
-Leaking 3rd brake light
-faulty elbow on a/c condenser, leaked water all over floor when a/c was on
-2 ball joints
-2 sets of rotors and carquest blue pads
-aftermarket thermostat installed by dealer led to a 3 week fiasco with overheating, but got 2 free coolant flushes, a tranny flush, and my a/c recharged for free
-Faulty Airbag sensor---$300 was not happy
besides those simple problems I love the truck, no rattles or anything, runs and drives great, ive gotten as good as 20mpg on the highway too with a leveler and 33's
-2 New cowl panels, never fixed, had to drill hole and put screw in
-Leaking conduit under hood leaking water into cab, fried fusebox and pad under carpet, was not found by one dealer, had to take it to another
-Leaking 3rd brake light
-faulty elbow on a/c condenser, leaked water all over floor when a/c was on
-2 ball joints
-2 sets of rotors and carquest blue pads
-aftermarket thermostat installed by dealer led to a 3 week fiasco with overheating, but got 2 free coolant flushes, a tranny flush, and my a/c recharged for free
-Faulty Airbag sensor---$300 was not happy
besides those simple problems I love the truck, no rattles or anything, runs and drives great, ive gotten as good as 20mpg on the highway too with a leveler and 33's
#199
08-30-2008, 05:21 PM
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Excuses!! I have had power windows on trucks and cars for 20 years now (my 1994 Toyota Tacoma) and never had a problem, in fact, I had a 1987 Honda that I sold at 276,000 miles with no power window problems ever. I just gave my 1995 Mitsubishi Diamanti to my dad-in-law and it never has had any power window problems even at 216,000 miles. Oh, and my 1998 Mitsubhishi Montero with 151,000 miles on it does not have any power window problems either. Yet, my 2004 Ford F-150 with only 19,632 miles on it has window regulator problems. This is unacceptable on a darn near 40K truck (which I am still making payments on for one more year). Come on, why stick up for this truck? If American automakers are going to compete, they have to produce quality vehicles. This is NOT quality. Blind devotion to a particular brand is no substitue for rational logic. The Tundra may indeed have problems, I don't know since I did not buy one. However, Ford has been making their trucks forever and should have it down by now. By the way, my first car in my life was an old 1959 Ford F-100 that I bought for $900 right before my Senior year in High School back in 1984. Now that was a great truck! It was my fond memories of that truck that led me to buy my current truck the year before my High School 20 year reunion. I guess I am a sucker for sentimentality. I don't wish to get into a pee-pee match with anyone but I am going to call a spade a spade when I see one.
I own the same year truck as yours and the worst thing so far has been a stripped oil plug caused by the dealer...
GG
#200
08-30-2008, 05:51 PM
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Excuses!! I have had power windows on trucks and cars for 20 years now (my 1994 Toyota Tacoma) and never had a problem, in fact, I had a 1987 Honda that I sold at 276,000 miles with no power window problems ever. I just gave my 1995 Mitsubishi Diamanti to my dad-in-law and it never has had any power window problems even at 216,000 miles. Oh, and my 1998 Mitsubhishi Montero with 151,000 miles on it does not have any power window problems either. Yet, my 2004 Ford F-150 with only 19,632 miles on it has window regulator problems. This is unacceptable on a darn near 40K truck (which I am still making payments on for one more year). Come on, why stick up for this truck? If American automakers are going to compete, they have to produce quality vehicles. This is NOT quality. Blind devotion to a particular brand is no substitue for rational logic. The Tundra may indeed have problems, I don't know since I did not buy one. However, Ford has been making their trucks forever and should have it down by now. By the way, my first car in my life was an old 1959 Ford F-100 that I bought for $900 right before my Senior year in High School back in 1984. Now that was a great truck! It was my fond memories of that truck that led me to buy my current truck the year before my High School 20 year reunion. I guess I am a sucker for sentimentality. I don't wish to get into a pee-pee match with anyone but I am going to call a spade a spade when I see one.
This is an F-150 forum, were you expecting people here that do not love their trucks?
#201
08-30-2008, 06:16 PM
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Traded in my 04 FX4 last month. I put on 59,000 relatively problem free miles. The only problem encountered during that time was a problem with the parking brake not releasing properly. Other than oil changes and a new set of tires, I didn't spend any money on any maintenance or repair items.
#202
08-30-2008, 08:57 PM
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#203
08-31-2008, 12:31 AM
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Even with the horrid engine whine 
and numerous rattles, my '04 still runs and looks great. I'll be keeping mine another 3(2012)-5(2014) years I would guess, long enough for Ford to actually do a full redesign again.
I have to say my '97 was built much better than my '04, but alas I was tempted by the redesign in 2004. That's probably one really great thing about the major refresh for '09, those things will most likely have few problems as most of them have been ironed out over the past 5 years. Even still, my '04 still is going very strong. It scares me when I hear some people say they need to trade their '04+ for the refresh. In 5 years your '04 F-150 is falling apart? Now that's scary, and very hard to believe.
and numerous rattles, my '04 still runs and looks great. I'll be keeping mine another 3(2012)-5(2014) years I would guess, long enough for Ford to actually do a full redesign again. I have to say my '97 was built much better than my '04, but alas I was tempted by the redesign in 2004. That's probably one really great thing about the major refresh for '09, those things will most likely have few problems as most of them have been ironed out over the past 5 years. Even still, my '04 still is going very strong. It scares me when I hear some people say they need to trade their '04+ for the refresh. In 5 years your '04 F-150 is falling apart? Now that's scary, and very hard to believe.
#204
08-31-2008, 01:01 AM
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Bought end of April 2004, driven daily but only have 32k miles right now (short 3 mile work commute). No major problems. A few minor things to mention:
-front brake pads changed at 500 miles due to too much dust, replaced with Porterfields, still have half pad left on them.
-rear brake pads only lasted 16k miles, replaced with Porterfields
-serpentine belt replaced under warranty at 3k miles due to squeal. Squeal returned at 28k miles and I fixed it for good hopefully with a Gatorback belt.
-limited slip rear clutch packs replaced under warranty due to shuddering
-driver's window button light went out and replaced under warranty. Then the new switch later started to go bad as the window wouldn't go up without pressing the button several times, so I replaced the switch again myself.
-crappy factory BFG 18" tires lasted 16k miles and replaced for free under warranty. Then same tires were almost worn again @28k miles! I'm now running the Wrangler ATS LT tires
-now after 4 years my black rectangular step bars are showing signs of rusting so I might replace them
Still on original battery (knock on wood!)
Was thinking about getting an 09 but I'm going to wait until the Ecoboost V6 comes out and see at that time.
-front brake pads changed at 500 miles due to too much dust, replaced with Porterfields, still have half pad left on them.
-rear brake pads only lasted 16k miles, replaced with Porterfields
-serpentine belt replaced under warranty at 3k miles due to squeal. Squeal returned at 28k miles and I fixed it for good hopefully with a Gatorback belt.
-limited slip rear clutch packs replaced under warranty due to shuddering
-driver's window button light went out and replaced under warranty. Then the new switch later started to go bad as the window wouldn't go up without pressing the button several times, so I replaced the switch again myself.
-crappy factory BFG 18" tires lasted 16k miles and replaced for free under warranty. Then same tires were almost worn again @28k miles! I'm now running the Wrangler ATS LT tires
-now after 4 years my black rectangular step bars are showing signs of rusting so I might replace them
Still on original battery (knock on wood!)
Was thinking about getting an 09 but I'm going to wait until the Ecoboost V6 comes out and see at that time.
Last edited by SteveVFX4; 08-31-2008 at 01:04 AM.
#205
08-31-2008, 04:33 AM
#206
08-31-2008, 11:01 AM
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Even with the horrid engine whine and numerous rattles, my '04 still runs and looks great. I'll be keeping mine another 3(2012)-5(2014) years I would guess, long enough for Ford to actually do a full redesign again.
I have to say my '97 was built much better than my '04, but alas I was tempted by the redesign in 2004. That's probably one really great thing about the major refresh for '09, those things will most likely have few problems as most of them have been ironed out over the past 5 years. Even still, my '04 still is going very strong. It scares me when I hear some people say they need to trade their '04+ for the refresh. In 5 years your '04 F-150 is falling apart? Now that's scary, and very hard to believe.
and numerous rattles, my '04 still runs and looks great. I'll be keeping mine another 3(2012)-5(2014) years I would guess, long enough for Ford to actually do a full redesign again. I have to say my '97 was built much better than my '04, but alas I was tempted by the redesign in 2004. That's probably one really great thing about the major refresh for '09, those things will most likely have few problems as most of them have been ironed out over the past 5 years. Even still, my '04 still is going very strong. It scares me when I hear some people say they need to trade their '04+ for the refresh. In 5 years your '04 F-150 is falling apart? Now that's scary, and very hard to believe.
#207
08-31-2008, 11:28 AM
#208
09-01-2008, 04:46 AM
#210
09-02-2008, 09:16 AM
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I am thrilled with my truck, now at 82K. I'm the original owner not really any engine or body mods, still mud and sand the truck a few times a month to make it work. Here are the larger problems I have encountered:
-Leaking 3rd brake light, fixed under warranty
-Shifter cap chrome piece came off, fixed under warranty. Just recently came off again
-New Rotors and Pads for Front after 50K mostly preventative and due to the brake dust problems
-4x4 vacuum solenoid fried ($30 part); read numerous posts on here AFTER major problem occurred with front hubs, so I had to repair one hub and replace one. New vacuum solenoid has a “rain cap” on it and comes stock on all newer models. Should’ve been a TSB or recall to replace these years ago and I would have never had the hub problem!
-Fuel Filler Door broke, plastic hinges, still not replaced yet
-Took the truck to an A/C shop yesterday, I think my compressor is going out so that sucks.
-Also the leather has not held up that well in the front seats, backseat is fine.
Besides that I am all over buying another one after this one is run into the ground (hoping to make it past 150K).
Brad
-Leaking 3rd brake light, fixed under warranty
-Shifter cap chrome piece came off, fixed under warranty. Just recently came off again
-New Rotors and Pads for Front after 50K mostly preventative and due to the brake dust problems
-4x4 vacuum solenoid fried ($30 part); read numerous posts on here AFTER major problem occurred with front hubs, so I had to repair one hub and replace one. New vacuum solenoid has a “rain cap” on it and comes stock on all newer models. Should’ve been a TSB or recall to replace these years ago and I would have never had the hub problem!
-Fuel Filler Door broke, plastic hinges, still not replaced yet
-Took the truck to an A/C shop yesterday, I think my compressor is going out so that sucks.
-Also the leather has not held up that well in the front seats, backseat is fine.
Besides that I am all over buying another one after this one is run into the ground (hoping to make it past 150K).
Brad