High mileage vehicle maintenance?

[Farmer17]

I have a Ram 1500 2 wd V6 truck I bought new in 2018 and its been a great truck with only two repairs, a radiator leak and oil filter housing leak. Its got 200K miles on it now and the only maintenance I've done are oil and air/cabin filter changes, rear differential fluid, flush brakes, and replace serpentine belt. I still have original shocks, struts, PCV valve, spark plugs and wires. There is no dipstick on the transmission to check fluids and my oil change place recently recommended changing the spark plugs and wires for $730 but do I really need to? The truck runs and drives like it did when brand new and still gets the same 21 mpg city gas mileage on E10 gas. Also should I have the transmission fluid checked out by a specialist?

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

If you are seeing no drop in mpg, why? Or do it your self. Those quickie oil change places are great for suggesting costly unneeded repairs.
I just traded in our 2001 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab 4x4. We bought it new a week before 9-11. We put 160,000 miles on it's 5.2L V8. The only time it left us sit was when an ignition module went bad. Changed the oil twice a year. Never changed or added to the tranny fluid. It still had the original spark plugs and plug wires. The engine purred like a kitten through out its time with us. Never saw a drop in mpg from start to finish. Reason for trade...body was going, headliner deteriorated, AC quit, check FWD light was on due to a short somewhere. Oh... did I say it had front end body work twice due to my wife hitting a deer and then later myself bagging a black bear? I was surprised my insurance company didn't write it off after the bear incident as the repairs were more than the book value.
I used it hard. It hauled gravel, tan bark, fire wood, scrap metal, furniture, boats, dead deer ad nauseum. It was time to let it go. When we took it in to the dealer, they were amused that it was a 24 year old truck with only one owner.

John

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Get those shocks replaced, OP.

I bought my Ram 1500 on July 1, 2006. It's pushing 300,000 miles.
No big repairs other than ball joints, cv joints, new shocks every
100,000 miles (they make a huge difference), brakes once, one
new battery, a new fuel pump, a new power steering pump, and
obviously several sets of tires. Oil gets changed every 3,000 miles,
and my mechanic (same place all these years) does a nose-to-toes
inspection every time.

I drove it to Tulsa in June for the annual S&W Collectors Association
symposium, and I'll take it to Charlotte, North Carolina, next June.

I travel 60 miles round trip for groceries and other supplies at
least once a week.

Get rid of it? Never!

 

[glenwolde]

I have a Ram 1500 2 wd V6 truck I bought new in 2018 and its been a great truck with only two repairs, a radiator leak and oil filter housing leak. Its got 200K miles on it now and the only maintenance I've done are oil and air/cabin filter changes, rear differential fluid, flush brakes, and replace serpentine belt. I still have original shocks, struts, PCV valve, spark plugs and wires. There is no dipstick on the transmission to check fluids and my oil change place recently recommended changing the spark plugs and wires for $730 but do I really need to? The truck runs and drives like it did when brand new and still gets the same 21 mpg city gas mileage on E10 gas. Also should I have the transmission fluid checked out by a specialist?

I'd order a dipstick. Or try a junkyard. When was your last transmission service? If never, it probably needs one. The schedule says "inspect" and "replace if needed" every 60,000 miles. Of course if you take it in for a check, you'll "need" it.

I kind of treat transmission fluid changes like oil changes. They should be done at some set interval. Like every 10th oil change. Or every three years. Come up with something that makes sense for you situation. 100,000 miles on transmission fluid is a bit much in my mind. I'm not an expert. But then again I've never had transmission failure.

 

[Greyman50]

Have a 2013 Toyota Highlander with 209,000 and have replaced tires, suspension, AC compressor , 3 tune ups and belts. Has 4 cylinder with self adjusting timing chain so no worries there. Friend with shop that has done all the work says it will easily go over 300,000. Oh, change the oil to high milage synthetic around 80,000 miles. Its my back up vehicle and need to drive it.

 

[444 Magnum]

I'm with Glen on the tranny fluid. I change it around 70-80k.

Also, the plugs need to be changed whether it's running smooth or not. If the gap gets to big, it can arc and damage the ignition coils or the computer. This happened on my Taurus some years back. Had to have the computer rebuilt and was without the car for weeks-all because of a spark plug. Not like the old days when you waited for a change in performance or fuel efficiency.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Agree that the shocks need replacing-you get so used to driving on them you don't realize they are close to shot. Have someone sit with you who does not ride in the truck-If he screams that it is bouncing higher than a super ball, probably want to change out the shocks. Also have then check the ball joints. When one goes it is clunk-call tow truck. Happened to me wit hold blue. I found that with old blue things didn't start breaking until she hit around 350,000-then it was about $1,200 a year is assorted stuff which was my "yearly car note" Should have gotten rid of her at 400,000 when I had the tranny rebuilt-but I did get another 60k miles out of her.
Your truck will speak to you and tell you what she needs-you just have to listen. the Good sign is that the mileage is staying the same -but I absolutely would get those ball joints looked at.

 

[Ματθιας]

Do the severe service interval as recommended in the owner's manual. Or call the dealership and ask what the major service entails at your milage.

If you do a transmission service, don't do a flush, just a service and filter change. A flush will kill your transmission as it will stir up all the sediment and send it to places it wouldn't normally be.

 

[Oldengineer]

Spark plugs can seize in the cylinder head, making it very difficult to remove. In some cases the cylinder head is damaged when the spark plug is removed. Just something to think about.

 

[03hemi]

I have a Ram 1500 2 wd V6 truck I bought new in 2018 and its been a great truck with only two repairs, a radiator leak and oil filter housing leak. Its got 200K miles on it now and the only maintenance I've done are oil and air/cabin filter changes, rear differential fluid, flush brakes, and replace serpentine belt. I still have original shocks, struts, PCV valve, spark plugs and wires. There is no dipstick on the transmission to check fluids and my oil change place recently recommended changing the spark plugs and wires for $730 but do I really need to? The truck runs and drives like it did when brand new and still gets the same 21 mpg city gas mileage on E10 gas. Also should I have the transmission fluid checked out by a specialist?

Dang $730 for spark plugs and wires for a 6 cyl?
Make sure they give you a kiss before you leave.

 

[biku324]

Yes and yes - follow the recommendations. I have an '02 Silverado 5.3L I bought and always change transmission fluid and filter, differential oil, and plugs/wires at 100k. Oil & filter at 4k. I have 425k on it now and use it exclusively to pull my horse trailer. Non-maintenance stuff was a timing chain replacement at about 350k, oil pump at the same time, 2 fuel pumps, and rebuilt the trannie at 250k.

I used to think manufacturer's recommendations were nonsense until dealing with NMSP fleet vehicles. I quickly learned that ignoring less-frequently done maintenance was far more expensive than doing it. All makes, all models.

 

[Rustyt1953]

This is my grandson's 2002 F150. It has 212K on it. It was a light duty utility truck owned by a drywall company. The owner often used it to visit job sites.

It was regularly serviced and Logan has the maintenance records. It is a solid daily driver. As a young man will do with his first vehicle Logan hovers over it.

It is also Boomer approved in that it is a 5 speed manual.

 

[Kinman]

I have a 2019 Toyota Highlander that has just turned 16K. It took it this long to finally get 18MPG average, up till recently it never got better than 17.5. I guess that means my Highlander is finally broke in. I should say that most of those miles are combination highway, city with no long trips over 100 miles. I've never seen the mileage meter hit 18 mpg until just this past month, someone told me they work off the last time you filled up. I was told by the dealership they don't get good mileage due to full time four wheel drive, there is no option for two wheel like on other SUV's I've owned. I am not complaining because this is my favorite vehicle I have ever owned, a truly great SUV that doesn't get good mileage and I really don't care, just a point of interest when talking about high mileage. I've never owned a vehicle that I hit the 100K mile mark, I've owned a few that clicked over while I owned them. One trick I learned early on is stay away from detergent oils with a high mileage vehicle that is not used to a steady diet of it. In other words if the vehicle was used by someone that did not use detergent oil, don't start adding it, it will loosen crud up especially in the rings and turn it into an oil burner.

 

[Golddollar]

I had a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis that was my very first ever brand new car. I guess because when I was growing up in the 1960s and changing the oil on my dad's cars, I tended to overservice that car. I was doing oil and oil filter changes still at 3 months or 3000 miles, which ended up being about 6 weeks because of my 90 mile round trip commute. The dealer and I had a running gag about them having a dedicated oil tanker just for me. To me it was cheap insurance. I eventually sold that car through the Gettysburg Auto Auction with 238,000 miles on it, and a dealer came up from Baltimore and bought it. I sold it because some parts were getting hard to find, not because I was having any serious problems.

Before I retired I acquired the twin of the car described above. I still have the car I bought just before I retired and it is approaching 160,000 miles. I have eased off a bit only doing oil and filter changes at 5 months or 5000 miles, even though the supposed specification is 7,500 miles. The car is paid for and they aren't making any more Grand Marquises so a few extra quarts of oil and a couple extra oil filters a year beats the daylights out of car payments.

 

[Ματθιας]

I had a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis that was my very first ever brand new car. I guess because when I was growing up in the 1960s and changing the oil on my dad's cars, I tended to overservice that car. I was doing oil and oil filter changes still at 3 months or 3000 miles, which ended up being about 6 weeks because of my 90 mile round trip commute. The dealer and I had a running gag about them having a dedicated oil tanker jut for me. To me it was cheap insurance. I eventually sold that car through the Gettysburg Auto Auction with 238,000 miles on it, and a dealer came up from Baltimore and bought it. I sold it because some parts were getting hard to find, not because I was having any serious problems.

Before I retired I acquired the twin of the car described above. I still have the car I bought just before I retired and it is approaching 160,000 miles. I have eased off a bit only doing oil and filter changes at 5 months or 5000 miles, even though the supposed specification is 7,500 miles. The car is paid for and they aren't making any more Grand Marquises so a few extra quarts of oil and a couple extra oil filters a year beats the daylights out of car payments.

You didn't over service the car, you were doing the severe service interval. Nothing wrong with that.

When I did fleet maintenance for the glass company I worked for, it was 3K miles with the Amsoil synthetic. These trucks were in every driving condition possible and with different driving habits from the different drivers, running all day everyday and sometimes another eight hours for overnight delivery. City, out in the country, hot, cold, dusty, it didn't matter. Changing the oil is just cheap insurance. When the milage for major service came up, they got that. The only thing that wasn't touched was the transmission.

Some of the trucks had well over 200K miles in just, 3, maybe 4 years at most, before they were sold at auction. They ran great!

 

[Kanewpadle]

Yes, have someone go over the entire front end.

Had mine done at 100,000 miles on my Malibu. A friends F150 had to do his at 60,000.

You never know.

 

[03hemi]

Looks like we're bragging about mileage now, 225,000 on this Ol' gal! lol

 

[WR Moore]

There should have been a service schedule in your owners manual. Obviously, you didn't-like most American men-read it.

The gent who mentioned possibly having issues removing the spark plugs is very right. You just might "have issues" getting those plugs out. I had a heck of a time getting the plugs out of the used '92 Toyota I bought in '95 with 30K on the clock. While you might be getting a spark sufficient to run, you're likely costing yourself fuel mileage. I changed plugs in my new Subaru at around 44K/6 years and they came out easy. Plus, I noticed an immediate improvement in already good gas consumption. AND, possibly looking at major expenses if the heads are damaged during removal efforts. OK, you "saved" money by not doing service but you just might have cost yourself a bundle. But-it'll be cheaper than a new truck.

Some of the auto makers have eliminated dipsticks "to prevent contamination/degradation of the fluids". ie: they want you to have to bring the vehicles back to the dealerships for service. BMWs haven't had engine/tranny dipsticks for years.

 

[IAM Rand]

You have a great deal of good advice here. I am sure all of it is good but how much do you want to spend. I watch a guy on Youtube that has some good advice, Scotty Kilmer. He recommends changing the transmission fluid but don't flush it.

After watching a video on Youtube for changing your spark plugs I can see why it costs so much. It is more labor than parts. You have to take half the engine apart to get to the coil packs and spark plugs. I would take it to a Ram dealer and have them look at it. It might be a little more expensive but, I don't trust those oil jockeys to take the engine apart to replace the plugs.

All of this is subject to what you want to do with the truck. You want to keep it for another 200k, do the work. You want to trade it in, don't bother. Let the next guy deal with it.

 

[Golddollar]

The gent who mentioned possibly having issues removing the spark plugs is very right. You just might "have issues" getting those plugs out. I had a heck of a time getting the plugs out of the used '92 Toyota I bought in '95 with 30K on the clock. While you might be getting a spark sufficient to run, you're likely costing yourself fuel mileage. I changed plugs in my new Subaru at around 44K/6 years and they came out easy. Plus, I noticed an immediate improvement in already good gas consumption. AND, possibly looking at major expenses if the heads are damaged during removal efforts. OK, you "saved" money by not doing service but you just might have cost yourself a bundle. But-it'll be cheaper than a new truck.

For those of you who have vehicles where the spark plugs are user serviceable, let me pass along my little bit of experience. When I was able to change the plugs myself, as part of the regimen, before I installed the new plugs I put that miracle solution, Break Free in the threads of the new plugs. That made it much easier to put the new plugs in correctly and then be able to remove that set much easier later on.