Hi everyone, just got a 2018 XLT V8 last week and I now have 300 Miles on it, Is there anything different that I should be doing other than whats in the owners manual? Thanks!

 

I'd say the owners manual covers well enough. There are alot of guys here that know way more than the owners manual that will have a different opinion.

Just follow the manual and you're off on the right track.

 

Don't pamper it.

 

You'll find lots of opinions here (and you know what they say about opinions). My personal routine, which has proven successful on several Expeditions/Escape/Mariner/F150s, all of which saw north of 200K:
Drive it easy for 1K, varying speed,no towing.
Dump the oil, go to synthetic (M1 for me).
Through 5K, drive the crap out of it. Get it hot if you can. Oil change.
Past that, drive as normal.

 

I believe the factory fill is Motorcraft synthetic blend.

 

Ring seating is (or was) the specific concern with synthetic oil. I'm not certain it is true today. Many vehicles come from the factory with synthetic oil installed. No break-in is required on modern engines and transmissions. Tolerances are so tight today that everything fits as it should. There is no wearing in. You should not see much or any metallic material in a modern motor oil change. Just drive it as you will, change the oil when the light tells you to. Ford has put a lot of engineering and testing into both making these motors last and to reduce maintenance costs.

 

break in oil is such a myth with today's engines.

 

Hasn't been necessary for MANY years. My family's record, using this recipe, along with good maintenance:
'97 Expedition - 188K
'01 Expedition - 150K
'01 F150 - 95K, totalled
'03 F150 - 180K
'05 F350 - 97K, 6.D'OH motor, traded early
'07 F150 - 225K
'08 Mariner - 150K
'09 F150 - 195K, friend owns this one now
'10 F150 - 225K
'14 F150 - 80K, still in service

Not a motor problem between them, save for the 6.D'OH, which was a known design defect. Never noticed any oil consumption, either.

 

Just follow the manual, and change the oil when the IOLM tells you to.

 

Because it’s not accomplishing anything on a modern engine.