Ticket

Greetings...Brand new to the forum and new to the Ford world. I recently bought a new to me 2009 F-150 (5.4 liter) w/ about 84k miles. It is definitely different from my old 95 4Runner (Gutless 3.0) which I still love and have (Just hit 200k on that bad boy). The guy who owned the Ford before me was meticulous about keeping up on the maintenance through the dealership, and I would like to continue that trend. I’m now due for my 90k mile service. I’ve printed out what the owner’s manual says I need done. I’ve got the dealership hounding me to get it in there for the service. They’ve offered 3 different tiers w/ the lowest being around $600, and the preferred closer to $1,500.



I did a search on this forum and the consensus from the threads I read is that even the $600 tier seems completely too high. The 90k service essentially looks to me like a glorified oil change, plus new spark plugs. I took it to the shop around the corner from my office (Guy has a super good reputation in town, and I’ve had friends recommend him as well) and they agreed w/ it being a glorified oil change, took my information down and then quoted me $800+ to do the service.



What am I missing here? It should also be noted I end up breaking more stuff than fixing any time I have tried to do vehicle maintenance myself, not sure what it is, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized knowing your weaknesses is just as important as knowing your strengths.



Sorry for the novel and any and all feedback is appreciated. Cheers from Northern California.

djfllmn

iTrader: (1)

the 5.4 3V is a royal bitch to do spark plugs on, especially the 04-early 07s where the plugs can break off if they aren't the updated ones.

the 5.4 3V is just a bitch of a motor to begin with

Ticket

In my months of lurking i have seen the love, and the hate for the 5.4. It seemed like the consensus was that the 09 version of the 5.4 was better than the previous model. I wonder if the PIA of the spark plugs is the reason for the high cost of the maintenance. Oddly enough, this thing only gets a mile or 2 less per gallon than that god damned V-6 in my Toyota.

tcp2

Having owned an 09, that is not NOT the case. They are completely normal spark plugs and completely accessible. I changed them on my 09 twice.
Here's what I would do at 90k miles, if these haven't been done, OP:

Oil change - I ran edge 0w40 with an FL820s and that engine loved it.
Transmission fluid - Drop the pan, change the filter and add the amount that came out. No need to flush it.
Transfer case - change the fluid. Its a 15 minute job and take a couple of quarts (one and a bit) of fluid. I used Mobil Synthetic ATF in my 09 in the TC.
Pop the rear differential cover and replace the fluid, 75w140 with friction modifier should do the trick.
Air Filter - check it and replace if necessary
spark plugs - replace them if they haven't been done. Regular Ford double platinum plugs work great.

That's about all that I would consider necessary. Of course you can add to that.

Spiky

Lots of mechanics try to charge outlandish sums for changing plugs. It was the first thing I started doing myself. Now, I'm doing more and more.

Plugs generally cost about $5 each if you shop around, and it generally takes just a few minutes each on these trucks to change them. Even at $120/hour labor and $10/plug, plugs should be less than $200. So, when they quote $600-1200 to change them, you can see the gouging.

You would really need to have full details about what they are going to do at all these price points to analyze the value.

tuflehundon

This is only on the 04-07. In 08 they changed the heads so it uses different COP's and plugs. The OP has an 09.

On my 08, the spark plug change was easy.

My friends 07 was a very different story. We changed his when he hit 95K miles. 3 out of his 8 plugs broke, and of course they were the hardest ones to get to in the back. We just did his 2nd plug change once he hit 60K miles on the 2nd set and it was super easy as well. The newer design plugs had no issues.

marshallr

Run from the dealer and find an independent mechanic you trust. An awful lot of that doesn't need to be done and what does need to be done will cost you 1/3 at an independent shop. Dealers only get to look at my truck to do recall or work covered by warranty that they are paying for.

Ticket

I hear you my man. I printed the page out of the Ford user manual for 90k mile service and took it to one of the more reputable mechanics in town who quoted me over $800. Might be time for me to bit the bullet, watch some youtube videos and start working on it myself.

Spiky

I can't take a whole lot of Scotty, but this is pretty good.