My 04 has only needed front brakes and a PCM which I was not happy about. I like it and would buy again. I know this is not the case with everyone. My 03 Superduty has only had 1 repair paid for by me and that was front ball joints and I was not happy with having this done. My 06 Milan had the PCM, coil packs, and spark plugs replaced while I was traveling and it cost a small fortune at the Ford dealer as I was not at home to do it myself. I was pissed. My 01 Escape has cost me more than $5000 in repair parts and labor and I decided to try a Wrangler because of this vehicle. JMH experience.

Bottom line is, if it is a truck purchase I will stay with Ford, if not I am looking elsewhere.

 

I read LOTS of threads from folks here that are not happy with doing repairs as a result of rust and corrosion - especially those of us living in the salt belt and coastline states. What I don't read much of is ways/methods folks are using to REDUCE the speed at which the 'salt cancer' eats their vehicles.

I live and drive in mid-Michigan; a notoriously location with salt-ladened roads for most of 5 months/year. For years now, I have been using a hand sprayer filled with fuel oil (diesel fuel) to spray the entire underside, door jams, tailgate jams, under the hood, etc. anywhere it rusts, I spray. I do a 'spray application' in the Spring, Fall and mid-Summer. Do it on days with no wind and lots of sunlight. I don't spray the surfaces with too much oil, since it does no good if it drips off anyway. Instead I spray just enough to make it look wet and allow it to soak into the seams, joints, bolts, hinges, etc. I try not to spray the exhaust system components or the brake discs/drums. Sure, it smells like diesel fuel for a day or two and I don't park it on the front yard in case any drips off - I don't need to kill a big square of grass. By the third day, it's fine.
Yeah, even with this spray application routine, it still rusts and corrodes....but not nearly as fast as if I didn't do it. A side benefit is when I do need to do maintenance on my Ranger, I don't snap off nearly as many fasteners, because they are not as corroded as they would be had I NOT been oiling them.

Bottomline: Yeah, if I all moved to Arizona, I'd have much less rust to deal with. But I choose to live here in MI. There are things we can do to slow the rust cancer from eating our trucks; which allows them to be with us longer and the repairs made much easier. This practice works for me. What are you doing to protect your truck from the rust & corrosion cancer?

BarnieTrk