2013 EB Lariat - broke down and done with Ford
 

As a lifelong Ford owner and current owner of a 2013 f150 Lariat ecoboost with 64K miles, Ive finally concluded that im done burning my money up by purchasing the Ford brand. Owning 4 F150's and 2 F250 powerstrokes it was the ecoboost that done me in. Currently im in the ringer once again for a $3,700 repair bill for the timing chain, phasers, and both turbos, not to mention the evaporator went out as well for a clinching price of $1,100 bones. When I purchased the EB I was "trying" to get away from large payouts from the plauged 6.0L diesel. I was wrong again. Sadly, I will be breaking generations of Ford owners in my family and i will be the one to kill it. Whereas i realize some hot shots will complain about this post so im here to tell you that my truck WAS in perfect shape and very well maintained when this happened. Oil changing intervals where done religeously every 5K regaurdless of what the truck told me the oil life was at.

Here lies the problem. according to numerous Ford mechanics, the oil life in a EB burns so hot and is under so much strain that it MUST be changed every 3K. Now to me thats bull****. If that is true then why isnt that in our manuals? I failed to do my research on this engine before the purchase but i know without a doubt, that if i had known this i would have never purchased the EB. Ford specifies we use full synthetic so an oil change in my area is around $75 bucks, so having to change it every 3K is lunacy. Heres my take on ford.. Planned Obsoletion. Also, in my county there is only one place that can replace the timing chain and that is ford. so im sure ill be paying out 2 months salary in the end. I cringe when i say this but to any prospecting ford owners..run quickly or buy it to use and a garage decortaion. but if you have to have a ford, keep 10k in your bank account and nickname the account "ford-repair money". sorry guys for my rant but ive read countless threads on this topic and had to share. cheers fellas and ill get back with the final cost to complete from ford, as well as how bad i had to bend over once again.

So us your timing chain just rattling at startup?

Trade it in on a 5.0 naturally aspirated engine equipped truck and never look back. Turbo equipped engines have always been expensive to maintain. I found this out very quickly when I got Ford certified on the all new 7.3 psd back in the mid 90's.

It's a hole you toss hundred dollar bills into for everything it needs. Before I left the dealer in 04 I was able to examine in detail the new 6.0 and shook my head in silent prayer for anyone that buys one that don't use the truck to make $$ with.
.

i would have to agree with this. if you buy a ford with a naturally aspirated V8 you would never regret it

Should have bought an extended warranty.

I am a Ford loyalist, and the last thing I wanted was an Ecoboost.
The 3.5 seems to be a reliable motor in NA configuration, but the EB configuration is like an athlete using steroids.
At some point, there's going to be a catastrophic failure.

I held out for the truck I wanted on the used market, and eventually got 99% of what I wanted.
I initially wanted a crew cab long bed, but I'm actually glad I stayed with the super cab configuration.
The 6.5 bed SC would not be able to make the turn I need to back my boat into the spot.

I wanted a 5.0 and I'm glad I got it.

When did your warranty expire? Maybe contact Ford corporate and see if they will help you out with the repair?

I've had several high mileage 3.5s and they all required lots of $ to keep running unlike any naturally aspirated V8. With the way things are going, I believe the V8 will be phased out for smaller turbo 4s and 6s. Long gone are the days where you could own a vehicle out of warranty, worry free.

it is a disposable society these days. The motto is to use it a few years and then just throw it away for something new. Vehicles are turning into cell phones and it is really sad.

It does not seem Ford is backing off the EB concept anytime soon. As a matter of fact they seem to have doubled down. Time will tell if they can keep the f150 the #1 selling truck. I don't have many issue with mine at the moment (52K) but I drive my 96 an awful lot. I did have shutter issues when the truck was brand new. It was very disappointing to spend 40k and be seconding guessing my purchase. I to will probably sell my truck sooner or later and never look back at ford. I personally have already made the switch purchasing my wife a 2018 Camry never even stepping on a ford lot. First Toyota ever for me, may not be the last.