Constency is the key not that anyone want's all vehicles to have the same flaw because that gets costly. but it makes them much easier to deal with. I think all of the vehicles for as advanced as they have become, I really think they do an overall good job. People that have the KISS idea don't agree but you can't have emmissions and KISS from what I see. If you do, then great. Get a patten and start selling that unit.

 

duramaximizer,
I think your right on point here. Consider that at an assembly plant, all the assemblers, inspectors, fabricators, etc. have been through (pretty much) the same training and have had the same expectations set (hopefully at least!). With committed management AND employees consistant product quality can be achieved (not perfect mind you, we are all human ). Its much, much harder to get that same consistancy with hundreds or thousands of service locations spread out across the country (or in Ford's case, most of the world). One rule I follow - do only what HAS to be done. Every time a bolt is removed from the vehicle the reliability is likely decreased. The factory has it down (if its well run) - Ford's been doing it for years, knows how to put them together, and (I'm sure) spends big $ in proving/demonstrating it. Could be as simple as using a particular sealent, the torque or sequence of bolts, the exact routing of a hose or wiring harness, etc. Maybe its not perfect, but its (hopefully) consistant, and its much easier to improve a well documented, tested, and practiced procedure/method. A repair tech has it a lot tougher in a lot of ways, including working on a vehicle thats not new (what's the most menial, time-consuming, and important part of a lot of repairs - say a head gasket - proper prep of the 'parts', in this case the block and head surfaces). The assembly plant doesn't have to deal with such issues. As I've posted before, sloppy service can turn a reliable vehicle into a long headache - I'd like to see Ford put more emphasis on this (not advertising that its good, set higher expectations for their service depts and MAKE it happen, even if it costs more for the techs). Its certainly not easy - or cheap, but its a big part of the 'reliability' equation. And IMHO, its an investment that pays big dividends to their customers - and to Ford's bottom line. I'll get off my soapbox now. . .

 

There truthfully isn't that many problems with the Titan and for 2005 most of them have been resolved already. I have a late 2004 and only had brake issues which have been fixed perm by myself. It now has 10k of miles, and been flawless.

 

Endurance, I'd agree. And for what its worth (as I believe you've posted before) Consumer Reports rates the Titan higher in reliability (and its their choice for a 'full-size' truck). Ford's certainly not perfect here, but I will agree with others that the Titan is not 'proven' - I would 'expect' it to be darn good given Nissan's record. But its hard for me to believe that Ford's long experience with this 'size/style' truck isn't worth something.
P.S. I'm still considering Ford, Toyota, and Nissan - as long as this Edited by Admin stops, I'll have more time to consider. . .
P.S.S. Sure hope you're right about a 'permanent' solution. Reading the Titan forum for about 8 weeks, sounds like some have had it fixed, some several times, only to have it return after 10K, 20K, or more miles. [And I'm aware that forums can become the vent for the few who have problems. I'm more interested to hear how the mfg deals with such 'issues', after all, most vehicles will have some. Neither Ford nor (apparently) Nissan are perfect here either.]

 

Well, under 6k of miles my truck went in twice for the Nissan "FIX". They warped again. So at 6k I said forget it and decided to order these pads from Mossy Nissan called Carbontech Bobcat pads. They are Ceramic pads that seemed to have resolved the issue by testing done by this dealer. I decided to give it a shot. Well I now have 10k of miles, since 6k. And no problems with my brakes since! I think thats enough proof for me at least that it fixed it. The pads that Nissan uses seem to create way to much heat. These pads also brake better than the stockers do and less dust.

Ford has a history of building reliable trucks. But the new F150 is definitely having its issues just like the Titan is for the first year.

 

Wow, you have had major brake problems by 6K miles and you're happy that it now has 10K without a problem? 4K miles on new brakes is not proof of anything. If that were a good interval, we'd all have to change our brakes every oil change.

 

Well, I had 2 sets of rotors warp under 6k. I had the brakes fixed by the dealer again at 6k, but when I got the truck back I pulled the pads and installed these. I haven't seen one sign of the warping coming back, I also have been much harder on the brakes since as well.

After 4k of miles on these new pads it seems to be resolved. And truthfully brake warping isn't a big brake or major brake problem. It's minor. I knew about it when I bought the truck. I know how to resolve issues like these on my own mainly because I have worked on vehicles for many years and built a few race cars in my past.

The Titan is my tow rig for my 1999 Camaro Z28 that has a stroked out LS1. 550 hp at the wheels

 

If you don't mind me asking Endurance. When you bought your Titan, what swayed you towards it instead of another brand? Which brands did u look into, test drive, price out....ect? And if it wasn't the Titan, what would have been choice #2? Just curious.


Best as always.

 

Not a problem to ask. Actually the Titan was my 2nd choice. I wanted the F150. I tried really hard to get one. I went to 4 dealers in San Antonio, Texas. The closest one to work with me was Northside Ford. I was having issues of them low balling my G35 I wanted to trade in. They said they can't take luxury cars and have no need for them, so they low ball my trade. I was upset and couldn't get the truck I wanted. If GUNN had a Ford dealer I could have gotten my F150. Since I decided to do a little trick a friend told me to do. I went to Infiniti which is a Gunn dealer, got a trade in value much higher and went to Gunn Nissan and got my Titan.

I test drove several..

1) F150 (5 test drives) have friends with older F150s and they love them.
2) GMC Sierra (friend had one so I didn't have to deal with a dealer)
3) Dodge Hemi (didn't even drive it. Didn't like the way the interior was or how small the crew cab was.
4) Tundra (way to small for my liking. The dash looks like it belongs in a car). Drove nice though.
5) Titan read about them, and decided I would check it out.

I never test drove the Titan till after the last test drive of the F150 I had. I never considered the Nissan till that point and since they were 1/4 mile away from the Ford dealer I decided to try it. I loved the way it drove, the power and room it had and all the extra features. I wanted a center console / captains. The F150 I had to get the Lariat to get this, the Titan, I didn't. So I got a good truck for much less money.

The truck I wanted was a 04 or 05 Black F150 Lariat, Supercrew 4x4.

Like I said, maybe in another year or so.

 

That sounds good. Hope you enjoy the truck. Though it wouldn't be my first choice, it certainly wouldn't be my last. I like the Rams, and F-150s myself. Hopefully you can get that Lariat in another year or so. Its a gorgeous truck.


Best as always.

 

Our '89 F-150 had 75,000 miles on it when we bought it used, 225,000 when we sold it, with the only big job being to replace a leaking rear-main seal and oil pan gasket at around 180,000 miles. My '91 Explorer Sport has 214,000 miles and still going strong, zero major problems. The wife's '94 Explorer has 240,000 miles on it, with the only major problem a transmission rebuild at about 150,000. I realize these are all "oldies", but they have sure been reliable for us!

 

Taking care of a vehicle through routine, and preventive maintainance will make all the difference. My automotive tech teacher recently hit 500,000 km with his 1985 Toyota Corolla. My dad once sold a Dodge Ram Van with 1,000,000 miles on her. People just don't take care of their vehicles like they should. To some people its something to get you from A-B. To others its their pride, and joy. They seem to baby it and make it last as long as possible.

Best as always.

 

Thanks for all the help again everybody, it makes me feel even better about my decision to buy the Ford. I havent actually gone ahead and bought the truck yet. I'm being patient and trying to work over the salesman as much as possible to get the price I want. Ive actually went to see him twice with the second a little closer to what I'm looking for. I think a couple more visits and I'll get him down to what I expect. I'm just curious but am I the only one that they make sit there while the salesman goes off and does God knows what? All three cars Ive purchased Ive went through the same ordeal. He did this to me both times, whats this about? As if my time isnt valuable or something.

Also, I would like to start doing as much of my maintenance as possible. I dont know any mechanics who can teach me this kind of stuff. Any ideas on where to start learning? Thanks again

Mike

 

My '79 Bronco has never given me any problems and it runs as well as my wifes '05 Escape. Probably because I don't have any modern technologys to fail on it. I sure like the feel of the new trucks but I too am afraid to give up reliability of a truck after it gets 10 years on it. I know Toyota has an excellent quality control program on their cars but I think you can't beat Ford when it comes to trucks.

 

I've got 200k on my '92 F-250 super cab and had have never had any problems with it. (It's just getting "broken in".)