trade in truck with check engine light on yes or no?
 

My truck is an 04 fx4 screw with 88k miles and has been nothing but a money pit with tons of issues. It has a check engine light on reading "bank 2 running lean" so i took it to my shop and 2 different places quoted me 680 to change plugs and a coil pack and the other place quoted 580. Now I realize that these issues need to be fixed however I am going through auction direct to get a new different truck so my question is will trading in the truck with a check engine light on effect my resale value that much, am I really gaining that much resale value by fixing the issues and dropping the 600 bucs? I dont wanna shell out all that money if I dont have to i'm just trying to get rid of the thing. any input is greatly appreciated.

Chances are they wont even start your truck when you trade it in.

Plus to them its only gonna cost them a few hours worth of labor and they get the parts at a discounted price.

I would clear the error code and then trade it in.

thats what i figured...anyone else have any input?

Unplug the battery and reset that ecu

I traded a 99 XLT that had the check engine light on.It ended up being a fuel cap or something I can't remember,but I didn't fix it.I wouldn't go and spend money on something that your not going to own.I was just up front and honest about the check engine light with the dealer and he said it was no big deal.

Ya...um........I dunno what the heck Stenz is talking about.

Any dealer goes off of that 'black book', (which is way lower than anything you/we/us can find) dealy for trade in value; then they pit that up against other trucks of the same year/options/mileage to see what they're selling for at dealerships, then they weigh that against what it will cost to get your trade ready to be sold and THEN they offer you a price.

I've sold/traded in about 20+ cars to dealerships of all kinds in the last 15 or so years (not including all the cars I've sold to regular peeps), and all of the dealerships/small lot places did some sort of 'inspection' of it. From the most basic 'get in, start it up, let it run, get out' to the 'take it for a test drive then put it on a lift for a full inspection'.


You take your chances on bringing in a vehicle that you not only know is 'faulty'....but faulty in a way that is plain as day to womever you are selling it to.

I would at the least reset it before you bring it in somewhere. Regardless of the fact that they can fix it almost at cost; they won't (normally) only take off that much of the trade in price. It's usually closer to what it would cost you to get it fixed.


Dealerships don't 'need' trade ins........they only need them if YOU need it to buy something new from them. That's pretty much the standard. Meaning that if you'e going to buy a 50k vehicle from them; they will be more flexible on giving you more for your trade in. Want to buy a vehicle that's only 12k? Good luck on a trade in of any kind, but expect only a grand or two......catch what I'm throwing?

ya that sounds more logical

Ive never seen a dealer that doesnt drive it but usually I go along. I would just clear it out and take it and trade it and dont shut it off when you pull in. Leave it running so it doesnt take a chance to reset. Id say you should get atleast 11500-12000 for the truck then they will fix it and sell it for 4k more

If you trade it with Ford you get the Ford Loyalty bonus, so you break even and still loose for buying a new truck, but you are the one driving the new truck. Dealerships like tradeins. They make a lot of money off the trade in lots. They probably make more money on the trade ins on new trucks but they will make money on yours or wholesale it the next day to another auto sales lot. Bank 2 running lean sounds like a ERG problem with a module and a MAF needing cleaned. Take your chances.

Why not just spend $60 for the Lisle tool and change the plugs yourself, clean the MAF, and check all the vacuum lines? Might cost you a little over $100 to do it yourself verses those shop quotes.