I just sold it!

I’m not here to hate on Ford. I was a cool-aid drinking ecoboost owner. For 50,000 miles I was living the dream. I've pulled a 3,000lbs boat every weekend for the past 18 months. I pulled a 10,000lbs rented travel trailer for a holiday weekend. I built my house using this truck to load everything imaginable in the bed. In fact, I used this truck just like a living infomercial. I loved this truck.

I planned on this being a 200,000 mile truck. I needed it to last that long and most importantly it needed to have an extremely low cost of ownership to help me make the math work. I think that Ford has the best looking trucks on the road. I've owned 2 Chevrolet trucks in the past, and loved them too, but at some point (not sure the exact year) the styling of the GM product was not appealing to my taste. Inside and out, the Ford truck line is well thought out.

So what happened? In the past 30 days I’ve had two issues that cost me $900 to repair. Yes, I was out of warranty. The EAPS steering system failed, and the dreaded power loss/shutter/check engine light syndrome appeared (specifically my coil/spark plug on #2 failed). It was this second issue, and the enormous amount of “traffic” on this forum about this topic that shook my faith in this particular engine platform. It was enough for me to motivate making a switch. I just knew this truck was not done with my wallet.

So you’re wondering, what did I replace it with? I went with a 2014 Passat TDI. I’m a long distance commuter that packs on 30,000 miles per year, and the economics of the Passat are difficult to beat. The deal included a 5yr/100,000 extended warranty, gap insurance, and they’ll even provide me with a free loaner for any required maintenance. The total savings for me will be about $325 per month between reduced payments and fuel savings. Look, I don’t want to sound like I’m pushing this car. All said, it just worked for me and my situation.

Again, I am a Ford fan. Unfortunately, a truck just doesn't make economic sense. If I had to do it all over again, I wish I bought an F350 instead of the ecoboost. Since I previously owned an F350, I thought the ecoboost would be a good change of scenery. In addition, the amount of technology that is packed into most modem vehicles almost dictates an extended warranty. I was foolish to think that the ecoboost was a simple truck that didn't require extended coverage. “It’s a Ford truck” I said, “What can go wrong?”

Finally, I want to thank Ford for helping me out with the cost of parts when the steering system failed. I know that Ford can work out the kinks with the ecoboost platform. I just can't justify the cost and headaches related to trying to make the ecoboost work. This is a great forum with tons of good information. Keep sharing your experiences for all to benefit.

 

Sorry to hear about your frustrations and glad you were able to change directions smoothly. Question though, I'm not an EcoBoost owner, I have the 5.0. I was wondering at what point did you know your electric steering completely failed?

I have 31k on my '11 and the steering issue is my biggest worry/ concern with my truck, especially for the long haul.

Right now I can hear something in the front end grind & pop when I cut a U-turn and have to roll the tire over a residential sized curb.

 

Sorry to hear that but glad things worked out for you. When I bought mine I made sure to get the 7 year 100,000 mile extended warranty so hopefully any major problems I have will be taken care of before then. Right now I'm averaging about 15,000 miles a year so I should hit 100,000 miles sometime in my 7th year which works out good considering the extended warranty I have!

 

For me it was sudden and almost catastrophic. As I was performing a hard right turn in an airport parking lot, the wheel felt like it lock up completely. I almost hit a parked car. You need to know that the steering will not lock up, but the manual effort required to turn that wheel without the electric assist is significant. The only sign I had started from day one of ownership. Every so often, as I was holding a long sweeping turn, the wheel felt like it was sticking. It was very slight, and distinct from a rut in the pavement.

 

As an owner of both an F150 and a TDI Passat if this forum played a part in you trading in your truck for the love of god don't ever visit tdiclub, vortex, or myturbodiesel forums. Ever!

Then the next piece of advice is that a TDI is a great car for high mileage drivers wanting to be economical. However VW and economical/cheap owners do not get along. Do not skip maintenance items.

Third do maintenance yourself or get it from a mechanic with VW experience. My truck and car do not go to the same mechanic. In fact I drive over 60 miles each way for my vw mechanic.

Lastly good luck with the VW.

 

I'd love to solve my Ecoboost problems in the same way that you did! Only difference is that I still need a truck. I'll go 5.0 or 6.2L next time around. More than likely a 6.2L.

 

Wait till you have to start making repairs on that VW. Not cheap to work on those. Parts are twice as high to.

Good luck either way.

 

Confused as to why you had a truck at all... Good luck.

 

Well not confused as to that but puzzled as to how you're going to haul a travel trailer with a TDI

 

While parts are not as cheap as the millions sold F150 they are not stupid expensive either. The new Passat is built in the US for North America and China. A complete bumper replacement for my car was just done for less than a $1000 including paint. Things like brake pads are very comparable.