I find those of you who have a big obsession with manual everything to be pretty funny. I have yet to have a problem with the power windows on my Explorer in 200k miles, my Mustang with almost 170k miles or any of the other vehicles I've owned. I had a 92 Escort with 75k miles on it and I played hell with those manual windows the entire time I owned the car. They wouldn't roll up sometimes and wouldn't roll down others.

Technology is not bad.

Greg, you are sadly mistaken on your assumptions about the members here. I will certainly say that a newer vehicle is less expensive to own than an older one where you have to do such silly things as pack wheel bearings every 30k and whatnot.

My 92 Exploer, 260k miles replaced the bearings once, only because I was replacing the rotors, as for the sealed bearings, my fathers 96 Exploer, replaced the left front bearing at 80k. This in not a published study, but real life experiences. I would like you to show me data showing that sealed bearings last longer the the old system. But then again like you state, the majority of people don't do their own maintance so I don't know why they have suddenly become experts over those of us that do.

And I find many folks that have to have power everything rather lazy and loose the ability to understand how things work. Some of them I wonder if they would get silk seats if those were an option.

I never said technology is always bad. I did buy an 09 if you didnt notice. But it was all the 'old school' features still avail on the 09 is why I did it honestly.

Not all electronic or automatic devices are going to fail.

Not all manual devices are going to outlast thier electric/automatic counterparts. I dont claim that, and though I might seem rather one sided, I am very open minded. I am an EE not that that means much. Perhaps you should try not being so closed minded?

I simply have a preference. And dont care to spend money on options I dont need or dont really want.

You say youve had no problems with auto stuff and problems with manual stuff. That is quite possible, especially considering your vehicle you had problems with was an escort lol.

You might be surprised but I have had power equipment on a vehicle before, wow! Our mustang had continous problems with the power windows, and our lexus with transmission problems and all sorts of silly computer glitches (cc not remembering a preset, key fob being able to roll windows down but not up, etc). I think fords auto transmissions in the last several years are really good, dont get me wrong there. But it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth with all the auto tranny problems friends and family have had (mostly dodges though). Same thing with electric 4x4, a few exploders in the family and so far 2 of them have had issues with electric 4x4. My MIL's exloder also has power locks that wont unlock either. Auto hubs on many different ford trucks have had issues as well but never an issue with the manual ones yet. I have had good luck with my last F150's auto hubs. Currently 150K and they still work. They have stuck in 4x4 a few times but they eventually pop out.

However I wouldnt say that I'm not at least somewhat crazy. I do enjoy being part of the shifting of my truck which i guess is beneath most people here, I enjoy my truck riding and handling more like a bulldozer than a prius, and I still prefer to labor for hours cutting and stacking my own wood instead of spending thousands on propane each winter. :-X22 I hunt for a lot of my own food and grow most the rest even though it can be found in the stores up here. Call me old fasion even though I just recently turned 30 :-jammin

Simple look at the severe duty maintenance schedule, if the fluids were as good as you say then why are there two different schedules? Yes transmissions have changed, usually they are made with tighter tolerances then previous designs, but with that also becomes even more dependence on fluid quality and long life. In this way of thinking how much fluids have improved, I will use brake fluid as an example it has improved greatly with its ability to survive higher heat absorbtion from modern braking systems, but in the same respect even though it is "better" it still requires routine maintenance. An example is look at your fluid, the darker it turns the more moisture it has absorbed, thus requiring flushing on a routine basis. (yea I know some of you have never flushed your braking system but when you get brake service it is supposed to be done for you) If you ignore the fluid then it causes more wear on the brake components, thus causing reduced braking and higher repair costs in the future. If I am wrong then I ask you to produce evidence to support your side of the discussion. If I can find it I will post a chart showing the life of transmission fluid with increased temperature when towing. Some one in this forum already post it once in another thread.

You want evidence of longer life for tranny fluids....in a 88 F-150 what was the recommended trans flush and filter schedule.....now what is it in a 2009?

Is ford hoping people go longer and have to buy more replacement trannies? Or are the built better and use better fluid....i'll let you make that call......

at 55K on my 07 the brake fluid is as clear as the day i bought it.....sure i've put on rotors and pads....but the fluids are all still original (minus the oil of course)....as are the bearings...not a chance i'd have all original fluids on my 95 at this mileage...

and i understand that...what i still don't get are people who think sealed bearings, mod motors (over 351's or 460's or even worse 300 I6's)...only sticks....and 15 inch wheels are the only trucks out there....

Why is it so bad for trucks to progress....make our lives easier by having less maintance....and more power?

Well I will have to say yes, manufactures make money on replacement parts, and all parts have a planned obsolescence in them, if not then they would all have a life time warranty on them. I just think it is funny that the recommended change level is after the warranty expires. (Ask the 5.4 guys about their improved longer life sparks plugs that need changing after the warranty expires at 100k). As for your truck having all the orginal fluids and the brake fluid being as clear as the day you bought it, then you are a lucky man, and I assume you use your truck like you would a car, no towing/hauling, hard braking etc. I may be wrong but I have never been as lucky as you. I guess we will have to disagree on this subject and I will quit posting as I seem to be in the minority here as one who doesn't believe things just because they are told to me, I like to rely on my own experience and what I have seen in fixing other peoples vehicles.

If any one is interested here is a link to a fluid temp. chart showing heat and fluid temp. in relation to transmission like. (data you asked for to support my claim that towing will wear fluid out faster) If you refute this data fine, but remember manufactures don't put "towing packages" on trucks just as a selling point. Towing adds heat and that is a bad thing for fluids, and especially transmissions.

Transmission Fluid Technical Tip

Here is a link to the forum discussing this topic.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/4...anny-info.html

Well good luck guys I'm out of here as I think most of the mechanics left long ago.

1. I use my truck for alot of hauling and towing...

2. Sure fluid temps decrease life....but theres a reason the tranny coolers are bigger than they used to be and our cooling systems hold 17 quarts....because the fluids now stay a whole lot cooler than they used to...

Using two individual trucks to sample the entire population is silly.

And yes ford makes money on replacement parts.....but think of it this way...if by pushing out the maintanace schedule they get to replace one more tranny in every 20 trucks at 100,000 miles (probably way way way more than would actually be the case)......does that really offset the 2 tranny fluid flush and fills and filters that they would probably do on 10 out of 20 trucks during that same time frame......


Maintanance costs are HUGE money makers.....

I'm a believer that less work is better. Better for the pocketbook and therefore, better for me.

For those fellow forum members who believe it to be their duty to swap transmission fluid at regular short intervals on the new F150s even though it's not required, then bless your heart.

The way I operate my truck is with the desire for minimal cost over it's expected ownership (not life) duration. The lesser the time the truck is in the shop, the lesser the cost. Even if you do the work yourself, you have to assign a cost to your time (for you are foresaking doing other work that could bring in money....ie. day time job) plus the hassle of disposing of parts and fluids after the job.

So bicker as some of you will, but I love it that Ford is reducing the scheduled maintenance on the new F150s from the previous generation. And if it took throwing away the transmission dipstick to get the lesser maintenance scheduled approved within the Ford organization, then Ford did the right thing and the owner wins too.

As I said before, I hope you guys have fun crawling under your truck to check the tranny fluid. That is if you do your own work. If you don't do your own work, then I hope you enjoy paying more for it. I wonder how long it'll be before they quit putting oil dipsticks in the engines to save a little money for the stockholders?

Ford and other mfg's are trying to make it so you cant service your own stuff. Its easier to remove a dipstick than to tell you not to do it and go on good faith that you dont touch it. Eventually they will put a "void if seal broken" sticker on the hood, pop the hood, bye bye warranty. They want this, one for the extra cash grab, but also because warranty is a huge loss to the mfg. Obvious I know, but think of all the people that make a mistake, or do something they felt right, that caused a long term or short term problem/damage. If only, ONLY FORD touches anything on the truck, then they only are responsible for its repair. Sucks for guys like me that never can leave anything alone, but to ford and others, its just good business. Welcome to the future. fix an old car up or get a new hobby cuz new vehicle mods are soon to be a thing of the past unless you are rich and dont need warranty.