# Expensive day today!



## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

We just cant catch a break lately. Took our F350 in to have heavier springs installed, inspection etc. Keep in mind we bought this truck in March and have only put 2266 miles on it since we bought it. Yes we bought it used but it needed 3k just to pass inspection. You would never know it by looking at or driving it. I trust the guys who worked on it but holy crap! The owner of the dealership where we bought it (and where I used to work at) said they would pay half after a WTF phone conversation.


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

What did you have done?


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

But gosh, every Ford guy says they have the best front ends!


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

Hee hee hee ...


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

JDiepstra;1302066 said:


> But gosh, every Ford guy says they have the best front ends!


Yeah well, I'm not impressed! Our other 06 F250 needed upper and lower ball joints on the left side a few moths ago at 51k and now needs the other side at 55k. I can't complain too much I guess, its had a plow on it plowing commercial lots since 2006.


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

2COR517;1302054 said:


> What did you have done?


Well I guess it needs just to pass inspection....right upper/lower ball joints and the other side is marginal so getting both sides done, both rear backing plates are rotted off (which I never noticed even when I was under there). AND as long as its there they are going to replace a missing axle seal cover and still do the front spring replacement, alignment and there is one other thing which I forgot and for God sakes they better at least wash it. Probably about 300 bucks in parts and the rest is labor.


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## Mick76 (Aug 2, 2009)

when they grease the front end, do the jack up the truck? they're suppose too....could be part of the problem....


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## abbe (Sep 8, 2009)

Why do you have to jack the truck up?


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## Mick76 (Aug 2, 2009)

I believe I read in the service manuals that to grease the upper and lower ball joints you need to jack up the front end to do them properly


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## hoskm01 (Oct 17, 2008)

Fix Or Repair Daily


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## JDiepstra (Sep 15, 2008)

hoskm01;1302145 said:


> Fix Or Repair Daily


Found On Road Dead


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## rob_cook2001 (Nov 15, 2008)

First On Race Day..... everything breaks


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## wizardsr (Aug 8, 2006)

The Ford haters are feisty tonight... 

Sounds like the truck was abused. As with any truck, take care of it, and it will take care of you. Thumbs Up


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## IMAGE (Oct 21, 2007)

My best friend is a Ford tech, with over 10 years at the local dealership. He loves the Ford front ends, they are like money in the bank for him. Anytime a diesel comes in with over 100k it's almost certain it will need ball joints and more. When you start doing a few more things like tie rod ends the bill can go up super fast. Thing thats funny is he'll do 10 hours of book time work in 1.5 hours actual time, and you get billed for all of it. (dealership makes out big on this)

Now, if you knew him, he could do all of it on his hoist at home... for a couple hundred bucks because it's all easy and quick, even if the book says it's not. So I suggest you find a good mechanic that does some moonlighting on the side, save yourself a bunch of cash.


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

I guess that big association group doesn't teach you to shop for a decent mechanic....


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## snowplowpro (Feb 7, 2006)

Fast Over Rebuilt Dodge 

Can Hear Every Valve Yell

DRIPS OIL DRIPS GAS EVERYWERE

MOPAR ABBREVIATED FOR (MORE PARTS)

STOP MAKING FUN OF US FORD GUYS .:laughing::laughing::laughing::laughing:


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## jkiser96 (Sep 19, 2006)

I have an 06' F-350 with 118,000 miles & still has original front end parts. This truck has plowed since it was new. the dealership that I go to said that thetruck needed ball joints with 25,000 on it. I took it to my buddies alignment shop & he started laughing at Ford. I have gotten an extra 93,000 & the tires still wear even. I will change everything out before we go into winter just for maintenance purposes.


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

jkiser96;1302208 said:


> I have an 06' F-350 with 118,000 miles & still has original front end parts. This truck has plowed since it was new. the dealership that I go to said that thetruck needed ball joints with 25,000 on it. I took it to my buddies alignment shop & he started laughing at Ford. I have gotten an extra 93,000 & the tires still wear even. I will change everything out before we go into winter just for maintenance purposes.


Wow thats almost unheard of.


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

wizardsr;1302174 said:


> The Ford haters are feisty tonight...
> 
> Sounds like the truck was abused. As with any truck, take care of it, and it will take care of you. Thumbs Up


IDK, I hate buying used equipment but this thing looks and runs like new and with only 82,266 miles on it who would have thought. I only took it back to the dealer where I bought it because they always treated me right and I figured if anything like this happen they can do something for me, which they did. As far as taking care of things...I baby our other truck and it needs basically the same thing with ball joints. Some of it is my fault I guess. This dealership has two locations, I used to work at the one in town and we went over every vehicle before it went on the lot, I thought being the same dealership, they would go by the same standards thats why I never had it put on a rack. Buyer be ware!


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## wizardsr (Aug 8, 2006)

Brian Young;1302214 said:


> Wow thats almost unheard of.


Not really, my 01 with 138k on it has all original ball joints, and my 05 with 120k on it has only had the drivers side lower replaced, the other 3 are original. The 03 dually has had all of them replaced according to service records from before I bought it, whether it actually needed all of them, who knows. The other 01 PSD with almost 200k on it has had them all replaced plus a bearing on the passenger side within the last 30k.

As with anything, people tend to gripe about the bad, but never post what a great truck they have when things DON'T break...


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

wizardsr;1302269 said:


> Not really, my 01 with 138k on it has all original ball joints, and my 05 with 120k on it has only had the drivers side lower replaced, the other 3 are original. The 03 dually has had all of them replaced according to service records from before I bought it, whether it actually needed all of them, who knows. The other 01 PSD with almost 200k on it has had them all replaced plus a bearing on the passenger side within the last 30k.
> 
> As with anything, people tend to gripe about the bad, but never post what a great truck they have when things DON'T break...


I guess I was complaining more about the particular dealer more so than the truck. I realize anything can break at any point....I've fixed just about everything there is to fix on vehicles, thank God I don't do that anymore, our 06 has done everything I've asked it to do. It does frustrate me though, the 06 needs exhaust studs AGAIN at 55,438 miles and these are know issues with Ford but they won't do anything about them, its just stupid stuff like that.


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## plowguy43 (Jan 2, 2008)

2COR517;1302200 said:


> I guess that big association group doesn't teach you to shop for a decent mechanic....


That was pretty funny


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

2COR517;1302200 said:


> I guess that big association group doesn't teach you to shop for a decent mechanic....


That big association has done a lot for me! Thumbs Uppayup


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## 2COR517 (Oct 23, 2008)

plowguy43;1302604 said:


> That was pretty funny


Truthfully, I expected a bigger reaction to that comment.



Brian Young;1302609 said:


> That big association has done a lot for me! Thumbs Uppayup


Doesn't matter how much you make if you piss it away on lousy trucks and crooked mechanics.


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## gtstang462002 (Dec 23, 2009)

Mick76;1302104 said:


> when they grease the front end, do the jack up the truck? they're suppose too....could be part of the problem....


Actually the factory ball joints are sealed and not greasable. They keep going back and forth on putting fitting in them and forth and removing them from the factory replacement joint. I spent years working for the local dealer and yes those front ends are money for us, however 10 hours is way overpriced. I would do ball joints all for 6 hours per truck Plus front-end alignment.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

JDiepstra;1302066 said:


> But gosh, every Ford guy says they have the best front ends!


Not every one. I'm a Ford owner and can tell you they're GARBAGE


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

I'm going through my F350 in the next week or 2. For sure needs ball joints, one hub, sway bar bushings. I mean, come on, I got a whole 2 years and almost 20k out of them. My GM's have gone 250k plus.


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## gtstang462002 (Dec 23, 2009)

got-h2o;1302754 said:


> I'm going through my F350 in the next week or 2. For sure needs ball joints, one hub, sway bar bushings. I mean, come on, I got a whole 2 years and almost 20k out of them. My GM's have gone 250k plus.


Are you using OEM or aftermarket parts?


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

The worn set is OEM. It was a dealer maintained truck when I got it and everything was new. I won't be convinced otherwise (no offense), factory or aftermarket, it's the front ends. Around here we service and maintain fleet vehicles and build plow trucks, and replace waaaaay more parts on SFA trucks than IFS. Hands down. They're definately more beefy, and I prefer to run my 8611LP on the Ford because of that, but maintenance is the price you pay for that strength. My Dodges are better, but not by much. We shall see this year when I swap the LP onto my 1 ton Dodge.


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## gtstang462002 (Dec 23, 2009)

They all have issues when adding the additionan weight up front. I spent 6 years working for chevy before going to ford. I assure you that they all have their share of issues.


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## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

Brian Young;1302214 said:


> Wow thats almost unheard of.


96K on mine, with a diesel.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

No offense to any of you in particular, but I guarantee 9 out of 10 of these trucks with miles need attention and you are just used to it. 4x4 SFA Fords wipe out front end parts, no doubt about it. Just because something hasn't broken or your tires seem to be wearing OK doesn't mean there isn't some slop down there. I know of F250's and 350's that have had 3-4 sets of ball joints before the 100k mark. I had no idea mine were bad until I just put tires on the truck and shook it down on the rack. My lowers have play, well over a half inch of tire movement up and down. Pretty much everything down there could be replaced, but not to the point of being unsafe. You can only throw so much money into them at a time and justify it. Mine has 231k and I couldn't imagine how many sets it's had. But, it's lived a hard life and that's the price you pay I guess.


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## PTSolutions (Dec 8, 2007)

so what, we basically replaced the whole front end in our chevy hd before last season and likewise with our obs chevy 3500 1ton dump (both gassers) now our 06 ford psd needs some work as well. 

we are getting a new truck before this winter and guess what we are looking for 06-07 ford powerstroke 350 srw's b/c thats what we like. 

sick of all the brand bashing. we have both types and they all need work b/c they are guess what...work trucks that get used, imagine that. my money, my truck, your money, your truck simple as that.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

No brand bashing here, I own all 3. Its not really brand bashing when you complain about your own truck. Lol. I have the means to compare the big 3. I deal with more plow trucks than you can imagine. No, nothing is perfect. By no means, but some are worse than others. And I'm really not even complaining. I love the truck. I'd put money on that I have the heaviest duty srw reg cab F350s on the site. They're mules. But there's a price to be paid for that.


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## PTSolutions (Dec 8, 2007)

I wasnt pointing out anyone in particular just that there is a substantial amount of opinion slinging trying to be masked as fact around here.

our 06 f350 srw has an aftermarket upgraded rear leaf pack that adds 2extra leaves and gives 4300lbs per spring rating compared to the stock 3K rating. The front has the 550 7K AA code springs and it has trimbrens at all four corners. my 09 f350 srw has front AA code 7k springs and firestone air bags in the back. Both main leaf's broke on the 06 after last season getting loaded with 2.5 tons of salt. Gotta pay to play in this game!


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

ProTouchGrounds;1303100 said:


> I wasnt pointing out anyone in particular just that there is a substantial amount of opinion slinging trying to be masked as fact around here.
> 
> our 06 f350 srw has an aftermarket upgraded rear leaf pack that adds 2extra leaves and gives 4300lbs per spring rating compared to the stock 3K rating. The front has the 550 7K AA code springs and it has trimbrens at all four corners. my 09 f350 srw has front AA code 7k springs and firestone air bags in the back. Both main leaf's broke on the 06 after last season getting loaded with 2.5 tons of salt. Gotta pay to play in this game!


Same here. I have a broken one right now on one in the rear too, the main on the drivers side. Half of it is missing and all 4 ubolts are stretched. We typically leave the salt scale between 15-16k.


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## wizardsr (Aug 8, 2006)

got-h2o;1303117 said:


> Same here. I have a broken one right now on one in the rear too, the main on the drivers side. Half of it is missing and all 4 ubolts are stretched. We typically leave the salt scale between 15-16k.


On a SRW or dually? I've broken 1 spring on my 05, but it happened when I went over a curb at 30 mph after slamming into a dumb broad that pulled out in front of me. That truck hauls pretty heavy (I've seen 14k plus at the scale many times) but it has air bags in the rear as well. The only other truck to break a spring has been one of the 01's, and it appears to have been due to a combination of age, rust, and being just plain wore out.


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## got-h2o (Sep 26, 2008)

wizardsr;1303268 said:


> On a SRW or dually? I've broken 1 spring on my 05, but it happened when I went over a curb at 30 mph after slamming into a dumb broad that pulled out in front of me. That truck hauls pretty heavy (I've seen 14k plus at the scale many times) but it has air bags in the rear as well. The only other truck to break a spring has been one of the 01's, and it appears to have been due to a combination of age, rust, and being just plain wore out.


SRW, no bags. I'll take a pic when I fix it. I've just been kicking it back into place the last week or so LOL. I really am afraid of loosing the other half though. This truck is an 04


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## pooleo8 (Nov 8, 2009)

Found Off Road Dominating

For Only Real Drivers

Constantly Having Every Vehicle Recalled Over Lousy Engineering Techniques

Company Has Every Vehicle Rusting Or Leaking Engines & Transmissions

Conveyance Has Everyone Vaguely regretting Owning Lousy Expensive Trucks

Cracked Heads Every Valve Rattles Oil Leaks Every Time

Great Massa Crap

Got Mechanic Coming

Gay Mans Cruiser

Got Money?

F*ck Its A Trap 

Company Has Recommended You Start Learning Engine Repair

Cant Help Repair Your Sh*tty Lumpy Engine Regularly

Drunks Only Drive Garbage Everywhere

Tokyo's Only Yen Offered To Americans 

Just Everyone Elses Parts 

Just Emptied Every Pocket

Poor Old N***er Thinks It's A Cadillac


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## Mackman (Nov 3, 2009)

Did new ball joints in my 04 f-350 around 50,000 miles.


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## Dissociative (Feb 28, 2007)

110k on factory front of a 04 diesel ....

My secret.....grease every 30 days. And I never lift it....thats a load of crap


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