Dealerships are not all bad, you have the best chance of yoûr rig being fixed right the first time there...just need to find a good, honest dealer, not some high volume production line dealer

 

The price you pay for convenience I guess. I don't have the time to deal with this crap. There are two other Ford dealers within 25 minutes of me but this one is within five minutes of where I work so I can drop it off in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon. When I have the time I take it to one of the others. I did call the others and they quoted real close to the same price anyway.

I'm just glad it's fixed. I wanted to buy an '09 but I don't want to have to be replacing clutch packs and hub actuators in that damn thing either. Why can't they make something that lasts more than 60,000 miles. I baby this damn thing too.

 

Why complain then?

None of my vehicles have ever "expired" before 150,000. Clutch packs are a wear item. 60K is not that bad for them.

 

Not sure I understand, "Why complain then?"

Not trying to complain although I guess it may come across that way. Just a little frustrating to have to do over $1500 in repairs to a vehicle in the span of a couple months. Never spent that much on repairs on the last two vehicles I had combined. I love this truck and I plan on buying another F150. Next time I'll get the extended warranty.

By the way, would it be better to get a 3.55 rear end? Are they less costly to maintain?

 

I've never had an "extended warranty" so I don't know how that works out. I do know its a numbers game... many someones have to have less repairs than the few someones that do not in order for them to make money. That alone says that more people never reach the original purchase cost than do. So is it worth the piece of mind is the real question.

A 3.55 rear end costs no more or less to maintain than the 3.73. I think you're referring to the limited-slip which is also available with the 3.55. I hate to say it to you, but if you had just done nothing, the clutch packs wear out, and its basically no longer a limited slip, but it never needs to be fixed if you don't want it to be. Why they insisted they repair it makes me think something was actually broken. Or they were screwing you. Those prices make it difficult to tell which is which.

EDIT: Again though, like bjp207 is also implying, I would never go back to that dealer either way. My closest dealer is also the worst I can choose from. In fact every Apple dealer regardless of make is the worst experience ever (buying, repairing, followup, etc). If we ever need to take the wife's car to the dealer she drives 30 extra minutes to go to a different dealer just to avoid Apple. And in the area we're far from alone in doing that.