I'm Broken

Still waiting on delivery of an F-150 with the frozen door recall. I started shopping around again because I have no confidence this issue is going to be resolved soon. I found another truck I like 2 hours from here. One of them was manufactured in 10/16 the other 5/17. The one from 10/16 has 11 miles on it. Is lot rot a real issue? I drove the 10/16 truck and didn't think anything felt weird but I'm reading about tires and rotors and rust and the battery etc... The trucks are almost identical except for the color. Should the "freshness" of the vehicle play into my decision?

Ryan...

Lot Rot?

WTF....

I've driven cars/trucks that have sat in driveways, parking lots, backyards for 2-5 years without moving. If the tires aren't rotted out and hold air, there's literally no reason to avoid that vehicle.

I find rust specs on my rotors every 2-3 days. The second I apply the brakes it goes away.

My truck sat in a dealer's lot for nearly a year, 24k miles in one year and I've experienced not a single issue.

slowpony46

There’s only two reasons I would worry about a truck that sits in a lot for a long time. One being that the longer it sits there the more time for dings and scratches to accumulate, which you can obviously find with a good looking over. The other is that if it has any water leaks then it’s been sitting there for a year getting wet. But even with that you can check for signs of dampness or mustiness or anything. Other than that it should be fine. Maybe change the oil sooner than you normally would since it’s a year old.

I'm Broken

Thanks. I've seen some people make a big deal out of it. Fuel that sits for a year+. Batteries can be a problem. The odd one was flat spots on tires. I've never heard of that in my life. I know I'm being **** but I've got some slight OCD and I only buy a new truck every 20 years or so. My 98 has been so good to need. I want to be sure whatever's next starts out right.

E. Manuel

All the dealers that I've dealt with keep the fuel tanks near empty and only fill them up when a sale is made. Mostly as cost savings. But that also dilutes the old gas.

slowpony46

I would imagine there isn’t much fuel in it. Make sure the dealer fills it up that will dilute any old gas in it. If the battery is a big concern you could request a new one as part of the sale, they’re probably itching to move a truck that’s already had a birthday. But I don’t think I’d worry about the battery.

Radial tires do not flat spot outside of extreme circumstances. That was a problem with old bias ply tires.

I think as long as you do a good inspection and test drive it will be fine. Check for damage, frame rust, etc. Another thing to consider is the price goes up every quarter or so so the older truck may have a considerably lower invoice price than a newer one even within the same model year. My 2017 was built in March, I bought it in July and the base price was a few hundred less than identical trucks built in June. Another think I’m sure you know is the warranty starts when you buy it, not when ford built it.

tbinmd

Truck tires can flat spot. It's easy to tell, just drive it and sometimes driving for a few miles will get rid of the flat spots. It tends to be more of a problem with high performance low profile tires. But you can prevent the issue by just putting extra air in tires. Seems like Ford does this already when shipping the trucks. I've always found new trucks on the lot will have 40+ lbs of air in the tires, and this affects the ride.

Truckin

iTrader: (4)

Buddy of mine bought a 15 expedition that sat over a year - tires had flat spots, moon roof leaked and battery was shot - they fixed it all and gave him a heck of a price, just need to work it all out before you sign the papers and get it in writing! dealers word is worthless (in most cases) good luck!

Mlarv

In the 40s and 50s and 60s these where problems, because of bias ply tires. Rotors rust, when you hit the brakes they clean off pretty fast. My truck sits two or three days a week and mine rust. When I back out of my drive and stop they clean off pretty quick.

I just bought a 2016 F150 and a 2017 Explorer that where on the lot over a year. The dealers want to get rid of these cause they cost them money each month they sit.

PARIAH

Worry not about rot.