My dad is the proud owner of a white 03 f150 supercab fx4. He got it a couple years ago for $1500 from a logging company with 295k miles on it and nearly zero rust.

So i stopped by his house yesterday to fix a flat tire. I asked him why his hood was open and he said "she's got a rod knock." I said its probably a piston slap because both my 97 4.6 (309k miles) and my 99 5.4 (126k miles) had/have piston slaps in em. He told me to start it up and it was a definite rod knock. Also, every lash adjuster on the driver's side bank was ticking. Poor truck sounded awful!

So I go and ask him when he changed the oil last. His answer was "It needs it. Haven't changed it yet."

To get a timeline set, he bought the truck July of 2012 with 295k miles. It was August 29th of 2014 with 302k miles when i asked him.

7k miles between oil changes is no biggie when it's all highway, but over 2 years between changes is.

On a brighter note, it looks like i'm getting some good parts for my truck when he grenades the motor haha. That 3.55 limited slip will be nice behind my 5.4!

 

You had me a little worried there. I've seen a lot worse, like people leasing Bimmers and going the whole 36k mile lease period without changing the oil because "It's not technically their car"

 

Yeah my buddy picked up a 02 mercedes for $2000 because nobody changed the oil in it and pooched the motor. I think it's a little ridiculous. A little maintenance goes a long way. Its just sad knowing people couldve dropped $20 on an oil change and avoided costly repairs. I gotta change my oil this weekend. Only 200 miles over but better now than later.

 

It ain't 20 bucks for them things. That's the problem, more like 200, so the leasee sez "no way".

 

That's really inexcusable since BMW includes all service, including oil changes, for the first 4 years. Most BMW dealerships even offer loaner vehicles also at no charge!

 

Some leasees need to take a good look at their decision making skills and say, "Huh... maybe it was a stupid idea."

$200 kicks the hell out of parts and labor involved in changing the whole motor.

 

it really is sad how some people just don't care or say "I went just a couple miles over." more like 4000 over

 

I have my 77 f150. I've put 1000 miles on it in the last 7 years, so obviously it rarely gets driven. I like to change the oil once a year anyway.

Oil does get dirty even when you dont run it. Water condenses inside engines, which is another reason to change the oil once in a while, regardless of mileage.

I was always told "once per season" if you run your engine all the time but doesnt see 3000 in 3 months. Really, it couldnt hurt. And it's cheap insurance.