Check engine light came on and the shop says its throwing codes about timing being off. 2018 3.5L Ecoboost, I guess timing chain stretch at 65,000 miles is not terribly uncommon? Needs a few other things, valve cover gasket drivers side leaking a bit and the serpentine belt cracking. Should I verify they are being truthful by taking it to a Ford dealership to get the codes run and interpreted before spending the money. Never know whether to trust mechanics or dentists.

 

Yeah, take it to Ford and get it verifies if you want to, won't hurt a thing, but whoever does the job needs to use OEM/Ford parts, not aftermarket.

 

i would see if ford is willing to meet you halfway. that's just outside of warranty.

 

I went to the shop and they had not started working on it yet. Tech had cleared the check engine light so I am going to drive it around a bit and see how long it takes to come back on. When it does I am going to take it to the Ford garage to see what their interpretation is.

 

What oil did you use and at what interval was it changed?

 

Synthetic oil, 5000 miles. I drove the truck around on interstate and city yesterday and no check engine light has come on yet. I didn't hammer it.

 

Check engine came back on, took to Ford and they said timing issues. So I went back to Complete Auto, they replaced the timing chain and a few other things that were wearing. No more check engine light and the cold start rattle went away too. Since it was a 2018 the timing chain stretch issue was supposedly already resolved on trucks after what (2015?), but at this point I am just glad its all fixed. I was borrowing a 2013 Range Rover Sport SC while the truck was in the shop, that was fun.

 

did you try to get ford to help you out? they often times will help on a major repair if you're just outside warranty.