Hi, I have a 2002 Ford Expedition 2WD 5.4L, we have owned this car for a while has just over 250k miles on it, still in really good shape.

We would like to get it tuned up as we are about to put a few thousand miles on it, because we are moving across country and as we bought it used we don't really know if or when it ever had one.

We do have a mechanic in mind to do this for us, as taking to to a Ford dealership seems to be an expensive option. We have used him before as our brakes failed and needed replacements.

So my first question is, we had the front brakes completely redone, 1 new caliper 2 brand new rotors and brake pads tow and oil change and labor and this cost just under $800. Was this a good price to pay or were we ripped off, not knowing the prices of these things we just paid it and hoped for the best.

And my second question is when asking for tune up what should we expect to get done and what should we expect to pay. I do know it's needs new plugs and I am fairly sure the timing is off, it seems to idle between 500 and 1k rpm (I think).

Thanks.

 

Well anytime you have a mechanic do anything, you are over paying. I would say paying 800.00 is being ripped off, but this is just me saying for I would of saved any labor fees and done it myself.When i first got my 98 expedition I bought 4 rotors, f/r pads two brake hoses for f/calipers and a master cylinder for alittle under 400.00. In most cases shops charge you double for all parts they get for you. I would do this tuneup yourself or if you arent mechanically inclined, find a friend to do it. Wish you well in which ever way you go just hope that you dont get robbed again

 

Hello: Just some thoughts based on my experiences with my 2001. For whatever reasons these 4.6 and 5.4 engines aren't real friendly for do it yourself work - that just means you have to work harder at the do it yourself jobs. In your case, plugs and coils just aren't simple to get to - although many on this site have done them just fine. Am sure many cars are worse also, but some are better.

I paid Ford to do my tuneup for many hundreds of dollars - they did the labor, they supplied the plugs and I spent a few hundred more dollars on the coils - cops (Coil over plug.) My Expedition with a 4.6 runs much better now, I did the change at 75,000 miles and it needed it for whatever reasons.

If Ford supplies the cops and you have 8 of them, one for each cylinder - and you pay full price - which you will, you could easily have a 1000 dollar tuneup between the parts and labor. Even at some of a discount, if they charge you 50.00 for each cop, well that's times 8, so that part of the bill will be $400.00 or more alone. The issue and lots of others will reply I think, is do you get the cops yourself off ebay and if so which brand or supplier?

From what you describe however, if your idle varies that much, doesn't mean a tuneup will fix it, maybe yu have an EGR and vacum leak - again easily fixable, but a pain to get to - well it takes some time and if you have to pay someone, it's a labor bill for a few hoses and other parts.

Don't know if this helps - if you have and it's from my experience, over 50-75,000 miles on your plugs, you won't know if they are really the problem until you pull them, so at that point you might as well change them, whether it fixes the issue or not - that's the downside to me because if you pay someone, it's not just a quick plug check, - for what it's worth.

I thought I had transmission issues - however new plugs and cops - the thing runs like new and it was never the transmission, it was always in need of a tuneup so I was satisfied with the Ford work of course, becuse it solved my problem.

Good luck and that's my story

Mike

 

Thanks for the replies, I was looking to spend about $1000 for a tune up and parts. Fixing it myself really isn't going to happen. I have never really spent any time under the hood of a car except to add oil change washer fluid, and give the occasional jump.

I think I might just give Ford a call as there is a dealership 10 minutes from where I live, and see what their estimate is.

Also I have seen on some infomercials that there is a piece of hardware you can plug into your called carMD. Is it worth buying one of these to see what if anything is wrong before I take it to someone?

 

You can take it to AutoZone or Advance auto parts and ask them to scan the computer for codes and they will do that for free. Just remember to get a print out of the codes or be sure to write them down. There may be some simple repairs that members here can guide you in repairing and possibly save you hundred$.
I used to sell shop equipment in south and central Florida and if you send me an email or a PM of your location I may be able to point you to a reliable and honest shop in your area.

 

If you don't feel comfortable doing the work yourself, my recommendation is to avoid the dealership unless you like giving away your hard earned money.

Usually the best deals can be found (for tune ups and other simple repairs) at any auto parts store with an attached repair center since you wind up paying much less for parts and their labor rates are very competitive.

If you go to the local tire chains or mom and pop repair centers you usually get a little more experienced mechanic who can fix a wider range of problems but the downside is since they don't have a store attached to help with the overhead costs you will wind up paying nearly as much for parts as the dealership since that's where they make most of their money, but you will still save a lot on the labor rates compared to a dealership.

Dealerships are great if you are under warranty or have some type of extended warranty, or are independently wealthy, and they definitely have the most technicians in one place that know a lot about how to fix your vehicle right the first time. Just be aware that the service writer at most dealers is actually a commissioned salesman who makes a good chunk of his pay from getting you to spend as much money as you can possibly afford to spend; and those factory recommended genuine OEM/Dealer parts usually run more than 2-3 times what places like Advance, Auto Zone, and Pep Boys charge for often very similar quality non-OEM stuff.

Now with regards to the tune up, I'd replace the spark plugs, fuel filter, coolant, air filter, and the transmission fluid. This should run around $300-$400 and once this is done see what it runs like. If you have a bad coil pack, spark plug boot, vacuum leak or DPFE sensor, any decent mechanic will find it the process of doing the tuneup and if the idle air control motor or other sensor is bad it will be much easy for them to figure it out once all the basic tune up stuff is eliminated.

If it were mine, I'd change all the coil packs and spark plug boots when you change the plugs since it's got so many miles on it and they have to come off anyway to get at the plugs. It shouldn't be too hard to find a local garage that will let you order these parts (coil packs and plug boots online run around $150-$200 total) and drop them off along with the car.

Good luck