2011 F150 5.0, 90,000 miles. I'm happy with the truck and at 70, not too many more years of towing. I'd like to ride it out with this vehicle. I've been OK with dealer service and they are convenient. Recently I had the first non routine maintenance issue and it was astonishingly expensive. There are a couple of independent repair shops in town but I don't know how to judge their abilities. The dealer has the correct parts and only works on Fords. I'm leaning toward just choking down my feeling of being "taken" and continue with the dealer. I'm interested in others thoughts about keeping higher mileage trucks reliable. I have low tolerance for on the road issues. Just to be clear, I have zero interest in working on it myself.:R Dealer, independent, choose one depending on repair, or new truck? Thanks!

I have a 2011 Ford F-250 but only have 34000 miles on it, I would love a new truck but can't justify the cost. And DW will not let me buy one.:( If you have the money I would say go for it you only live once.

This is JMO, but I rarely, if ever, take my vehicle to the dealer for service. My experience over the years has not been good with any dealer, so I avoid them. OTOH finding a good independent shop can be tough. Ask around and talk to people about where they take their vehicles and judge accordingly.

I am NOT a fan of dealer service departments. Likely the most expensive. Yes, they have access to all of the parts and the latest diagnostic equipment but that does NOT mean they have the best mechanics.While I do most of my own maintenance, the older I get, the less I do, especially on my 20 year old truck. I have been fortunate enough to find a few good auto repair shops either by word of mouth or be observing how busy the shop is.One thing to ask an independent shop when they are replacing parts, is what brand parts do they recommend/use. There are many low cost/low quality parts available especially on popular vehicles like F150. Even if an independent shop uses "factory" brand parts, their labor rate will likely be less and could save you a lot of money.

I never go to a dealer except for recalls. I have a great Romanian mechanic. His shop is great with diesels, but they also have plenty of European experience and they work on my Japanese Lexus. These days 90,000 miles on a truck is not high mileage. Think long term. Pay attention to how your truck feels when you drive it. Get it inspected.I took my 2002 Ford in to discuss some work. The mechanic was a new guy. He asked my how many miles on my 7.3? I said " 165k." "Still fresh" he replied.I got new brakes and rotors at 140k miles. Rebuilt front end with all Moog components at 160k. "never sell it" is what the mechanics tell me all the time.

I’m closing in on seventy and will replace the current TV in two or three years at about your current mileage. New one will probably be my last TV and hopefully trouble free for the last years of RVing. That’s what I’m seeking...no trouble from my TV.

Maintaining higher mileage trucks | Good Sam Community

Grit_dog
Navigator
Nov 25, 2018
If you name your pickup, you’re a little too attached!
colliehauler
Explorer III
Nov 25, 2018
I use a independent mechanic that I have trusted for over 30 years. I have several high milage trucks.
The_ugly_duckli
Explorer
Nov 24, 2018
I'm 70 also and have a 11 year old, 2007 Toyota Tundra with 61,000 miles. Until recently it's been totally reliable. I thought about trading it in, but at my age I can't quite stomach truck payment. I've got a great independent mechanic that does great work with very reasonable hourly rates. My rational is that a lot of the work that needed doing equaled only one or two monthly truck payments.:) For instance, I just had a front wheel bearing replaced and new rear shocks installed. Bill was $460 total. That I can handle1

I recently did go to Toyota to have my catalytic converters replaced. They were totally rotted out. Cost was ridiculous!!
ppine
Explorer II
Nov 24, 2018
High mileage trucks deserve some care. They need maintenance regular maintenance. Become sensitive to changes in the sound or feel of your truck. I really love NellieBelle after 17 years and take care of her.

I disagree with people that think "diesel engines need to be worked hard." That means heat which is one of the only things that can kill them. I take it easy most of the time with my diesel. I like snythetic oil, and letting her warm up a little.
patperry2766
Explorer II
Nov 24, 2018
shelbyfv wrote:
Thanks all for the comments! For those curious, the repair was a water pump. It didn't fail but was making an intermittent weird moaning sound and I asked them to sort it out. Anyway, it was about $600 equally split, parts and labor. There were a couple of connection type parts as well as the pump and new coolant. They said labor is normally $120/hr, they discounted that to $100/hr. I don't have any idea what labor is at independent shops. The two shops in town always have 20+ cars sitting around, don't know what to think about that....

Just got mine back from the shop for a similar thing. Thought I was loosing a water pump at 110K miles, but it turned out to be a leaking radiator hose and a belt tensioner that was making all the racket. The bill was $340, but they gave me a rental car for free for the 4 days that they had it waiting on the parts.

I try to do all the wrenching I can, but I was in a position where I didn't have the time to diagnose and repair the problem. I figure that the rental car they gave me was probably close to $200 if I had to pay for it out of pocket, so that made the overall cost more palatable.

When I had the BCM go out a couple of years ago, they provided me a rental car for free as well. Sometimes going to the dealer is more expensive, but there can be benefits if you can find the right one.
K-9_HANDLER
Explorer
Nov 20, 2018
Depends on the work to be done weather I use a dealer or an indy. Some jobs that are known issues for a make model odds (hopefully) are the dealer has seen it and dealt with it before. Tires/ brakes, exhaust, etc. go to the indy up the road.
time2roll
Nomad
Nov 19, 2018
ktmrfs wrote:
My old S-10 pickup is at 280K miles with the original engine transmission and drivetrain.
My 1985 S10 v6 had 3 transmissions and 1 motor replaced before 80,000. Classic POS.
shelbyfv
Explorer
Nov 19, 2018
That may be Canadian dollars.
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Nov 19, 2018
"Is the possibility of saving 7k in expenses over the next 10 years worth fretting over?"

Uh, it sure is to me. I can cover one whole heck of a lot of fuel and traveling expenses with $7500. $750/year buys a fair amount of fuel. Maybe if I had your money it might be chump change...
4x4ord
Explorer III
Nov 19, 2018
I'm not one for preventive maintenance. I think you're best off financially by driving what you have and if something breaks you get it fixed. Whether you use a dealer or not to do the work is not going to make a huge difference one way vs the other. Say you have terrible luck and over the next 10 years you spend $15,000 in repairs going to the dealer. Now assume an independent shop might save you 50%....Is the possibility of saving 7k in expenses over the next 10 years worth fretting over?//

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