Here is a question I would throw out and see what answers I get.

Assuming your in the market for a used truck, we will use a 98 F150. You happen upon a parking lot. There you find two identical trucks, motors, trans, etc. even the same color. Both are asking the same price for their trucks.

Now, the guy that owns truck #1 pulls out a log book of all his details and records for the maintenance of his truck. In his log you find:

Oil and filter change every 3k
Fuel filter change every 15k
Rear-end fluid changed every 30k
Engine coolant change every 45k
Trans fluid change every 30k

The guy that owns truck #2 pulls out the same type of log. In his log you find:

Oil and filter change, sometimes 5k, other times 7.5k, a few times more then 10k
Fuel filter once about 40k ago
Rear-end, never changed
Engine coolant, never changed
Trans fluid not sure if it was when he took it on for service.

The question is which truck would you buy and why?

 

That works out if you sell your truck before you buy a new one. Most people just trade in.....and the dealer just gives you wholesale for it anyway and they could care less about maintainance records when they do their "Appraisal" tapdance.
I'm just saying that overdoing it is expensive but it does say a lot about the owners character. You lose a ton of money buying a truck every 4 years then selling anyway so over maintaining just adds to the loss......or decreases the loss slightly.
The second example reminds me of my wife before I married her.
A gas and go woman.

 

01,

Not a good example.

The second truck is improperly maintained so, unless the price was low, it would not be the best truck to buy.

The better comparison would be if the log of the first truck showed the owner had done the oil and filter changes personally, and the second truck's servicing was done every 5,000 miles by the dealer.

Given that scenario and both trucks are identical and priced the same, which would you buy? The one with the handwritten log or the one with the dealer records showing regular maintenance? Do you trust the dealer's records or do you trust the handwritten records of a stranger?

 

If it is like my log, I would trust mine as much as the dealers. I have receipts for all the oil, filters, gear oil, friction modifier etc that I keep in the log.

I would agree with you if it were only a log hand written with no receipts then I would have to question it. It would be very easy to sit down one night and just come up with a log. My receipts have the dates printed on them, but I also put the date and miles on the receipts as well.

As far as my example goes and assuming that the logs are like mine, have receipts to prove it then I would buy truck #1 since it had been better maintained then #2.

I agree with the statement about if your just trading it in then it really don't matter what type of maintenance you have done. I would say that most guys on this web site and the way they treat and maintain their trucks be it to much or just right would get a better price if sold privately, if they had a good maintenance log with receipts and/or dealer invoices to back it up.

 

I personally don't know if it would make all that much difference. I must admit that if both trucks were equal in every respect except for maintenance, 5,000 Vs. 3,000, the 3,000 mile one would be the better buy. It may not make any difference at all mechanically, for all I know.

My only experience with used vehicles were with a big delivery truck we bought that was 10 years old and a 1970 Toyota Corona I bought when my car was in the shop for over a month around 1979. The delivery truck was a 1968 and we used it until we sold it in 1993 for what we paid for it back in 1978.

 

Dennis:

"5,000 Vs. 3,000, the 3,000 mile one would be the better buy. It may not make any difference at all mechanically, for all I know."

I would agree with you there. But thats how I would look at it, as the one 3k vs. 5k "may have been" better maintained.

You know I am agreeing with you way to much here. I am going to have to go back and debate you in the General Discussions Forums...

 

It wouldnt make any difference to me whether 3000 or 5000 except whether a good synthetic oil was used or not. If the 3000 was dino and the 5000 was syn, then not a lot of difference.

 

I had a '93 F150 that I used Pennzoil 10W30 in since new. Changed the oil every 5000 miles myself. I sold the truck to my dad at 165000 miles and it now has 215000 miles. No major engine work ever. Uses a quart of oil every 4000 miles.

I'm driving a GMC Yukon now and have 116000 on it using the same oil and maintenance schedule.

On my wife's Expy, I change it every 4000 because of the overhead cams.

I don't think that it is necessary to change the oil every 3000 unless you idle a lot or drive in dusty/muddy conditions. Just my opinion.

 

Is it ****, because I went to Jiffy Lube for my truck's very first oil change, or just pure dork-ness???

 

If I am not mistaken, my owners manual calls for an oil change every 5,000 miles unless driven in dusty conditions all the time, off road constantly, or towing all the time. Of course, the dealer has their schedule that shows a change every 3,000 miles. So another twist on your 5k vs 3k question: do you go with Ford's recommendation or your dealers?

Another thing to ask: Was the guy changing his at 3K because he was having problems (that may or may not be documented in his log) or because he was conscientious about preventive maintenance? I saw a vehicle log on a used car lot once where the plugs had been changed on an Accord four or five times, and it only had 110K miles on it. Was this person obsessive, or did it have problems? My guess would be the second option.

 

Man, you guys are just tearing me apart on my question about maintenance....

That's ok, it is a good debate. I respect all your opinions be it 3k or 5k. I guess my point was I do mine at 3k because that's how I have treated all my cars/trucks. Myself, I don't think I am being obsessive with maintenance. I don't think my truck is in better condition then someone that does theirs at 5k or 7.5k I believed was mentioned.

Someone brought up a good point about maybe someone (like me) being obsessive with oil changes and asking the questions "why?" maybe because possible problems. If I were looking at a truck/car and seen someone had been changing it at 3k I would never question it. On the other hand if someone had changed their plugs out like every 10k or 15k I might think their is a problem but would have to dig deeper. Did they tow alot, Do they drive alot of short distances, etc.

If I was driving alot of freeway miles, say 50% or more then I would more likely change my oil somewhere around 5k. But I only drive maybe 25 - 30% freeway, which is a short distance to begin with so I feel better with 3k.

Anyway, very good debate and opinions...

 

I'll add my $0.02 -
There isn't going to be any new owner of my truck when I'm through with it! I plan on keeping it 'till it becomes an antique and then, one day, maybe sooner than later, I'll be burried in it. I change the Mobil 1 oil every 5K miles so dig me up in about 20 years and check the engine wear - but don't ask me anything else about the truck at that time, I'll probably be pissed off about the traffic!

 

Here's another thought. I'd check the engine that had servicing every 3,000 miles with a fine tooth comb. No telling how much wear there is on the drain plug! For all you know, it could be totally worn out from being unscrewed so many times... Hell, that sucker could fall out at anytime! Better be safe than sorry and buy the truck that goes 65,000 miles between services. That drain plug will be in pristine condition.

 

As long as the filter and drain plug aren't cross threaded.......you did fine.

 

Beenladen,

Just remember, Jiffy Lube and the other oil change places use the cheapest filters they can get. If I had to use one of them I would bring my own filter.