Random thoughts/Off topic/Last post wins
- Thread starter Jason in CA
- Start date
JimK
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Well heck, today was not a good day
Last night my female senior dachshund decided at 2 AM that she had to go potty, so I carried her downstairs and let her out
While she was out, the alarm on my truck decided that it was a good time to go off for no reason at all!
I ran out and the key fob wouldn't turn it off, so I started it up and that stopped it
It stopped it for 5 minutes, then decided to go off again!
Same thing, ran out and started the truck again to stop it
Sure enough, 5 minutes later, it decided to go off AGAIN! WTH!?!?!?
Having had enough, I unhooked the battery and dared it to do it again
By this time, I was fairly wound up and awake, so I just stayed downstairs and read for about an hour and a half
Got up this morning and after a couple cups of coffee, I decided to reconnect the battery to see if things got reset
NOT!!! As soon as I touched the cable to the post, the horn started blaring!
I actually had to take the fuse out to get it to stop!
But yet, my faithful old truck decided that that wasn't quite enough shenanigans
The radio and lights won't turn off when I turn the ignition off and open the door
No big deal, I just have to remember to turn them off manually when I shut the truck off
Except NOW the 4 way flashers won't turn off unless I turn the truck ON!!
I kid you not, in one day this truck has gone from being a reliable truck to an electrical nightmare!
BTW, it's a 2017 Ford F150 with 92,000 miles on it
Tomorrow, the search for my next truck begins!
I wasn't going to do this until we sell the house in August, but who knows what's next to go haywire on this thing!
You didn't name your truck Christine, did you?
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
No, it’s the perimeter/panic alarm that came with the truck
And the battery is only 2 1/2 years and is 12.4 volts
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Big silver
My wife and I got new vehicles on the same day as she needed a new car. I got a new truck due to a really good salesman!!
They’re both silver, so we call them Little Silver and Big Silver
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Well, we decided to bite the bullet and go ahead and get a new truck!
We were about an hour away delivering some cookies my wife made and decided to stop by the local Ford dealer
They didn't have what we were looking for, but asked if we were dead set on a Ford, or would we mind looking at a Ram at their sister dealership just down the road
I've long said that a Ram is a close second to Fords in the looks department, so off we went
Needless to say, we fell in love with a 2500
And they made me a decent offer on Big Silver, sight unseen!
They asked me 2 questions, are any warning lights on and are there any dents?
Nope and a very small one on the passenger side door. They never asked about any issues with it!
Pammi asked if they would change their mind come Monday when we brought it to them, which they replied no!
An hour later, and about 4,000 signatures later, we had our new truck!
Goodbye Big Silver, hello B.A.T. , The Big A$$ Truck!
A nice charcoal grey crew cab Ram 2500!
We were about an hour away delivering some cookies my wife made and decided to stop by the local Ford dealer
They didn't have what we were looking for, but asked if we were dead set on a Ford, or would we mind looking at a Ram at their sister dealership just down the road
I've long said that a Ram is a close second to Fords in the looks department, so off we went
Needless to say, we fell in love with a 2500
And they made me a decent offer on Big Silver, sight unseen!
They asked me 2 questions, are any warning lights on and are there any dents?
Nope and a very small one on the passenger side door. They never asked about any issues with it!
Pammi asked if they would change their mind come Monday when we brought it to them, which they replied no!
An hour later, and about 4,000 signatures later, we had our new truck!
Goodbye Big Silver, hello B.A.T. , The Big A$$ Truck!
A nice charcoal grey crew cab Ram 2500!
I was thinking the same thing, but I don't see the diesel badges. New one, has to be an automatic. What engine and transmission, @Phil Perrin ?
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I would love a diesel truck, but filling that bad boy up, especially if we head out west, is NOT something I’d look forward to!
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
No diesel
It’s got the 6.4 Hemi, which is over TWICE as big as the Ecoboost that the Ford had!
And the 8 speed automatic transmission
LMichaels
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Likely a better choice than a diesel. With all the idiotic emissions hardware on them now, they're not all that good to own. Any possible mpg advantage is outweighed by much higher servicing costs.
That is sort of apochryphal at this point. One significant issue, though, are the electrically fired injectors. They're expensive and they just erode faster due to increased rail pressures. I'm driving a '12 CTD pickup, last model year before DEF, and in all honesty......I'd rather have one from a couple of years more recent, the DEF cost would more than offset the extra fuel cost I'm working with. Where people are getting into trouble is from trying to skimp on DEF, by either buying from a not so reputable source, or by trying to cut it somehow to make more.
Having said all that, unless you're towing heavy all the time these days, it makes no financial sense to me at all to buy a diesel. At least $10k more up front, and yes, there are increased maintenance costs. Actually, I'll bet the up front premium is a lot more than that, it's been a couple of years since I really looked.
That 6.4l (400 cu?) with an 8spd should be awfully nice.
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I was talking to a buddy of mine and he asked the same question
He said that there’s a bunch of issues with the Cummins diesel engines they put in them and that they’re constantly in the shop
The salesman said that the DEF would last a while, but it was $30 to fill the DEF tank. He also said that it's a 2 1/2 gallon tank
It's been a while since I've driven a commercial vehicle, but at the truck stops, DEF was $2.79 a gallon at the pump and IIRC, Tractor Supply had a 2 1/2 gallon jug for just under $10
I bought some from a customer of ours once, independent parts house, and it was $25-29 for the same size jug
Andy Kaminski
TVWBB Pro
It used to be that diesels would cost a bit more but after a few years that would balance out with the savings in fuel and you’d have a better engine that was cheaper to operate fuel wise.
Now that times have changed the savings in fuel incentive is gone.
……
Now that times have changed the savings in fuel incentive is gone.
……
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Well, I've had the B.A.T. a couple days now and I'm noticing things I like about it, things I don't care for and things I'll have to get used to
Pros-
I like the big honking display screen and the fact that it'll show me texts while I'm driving
I like the power convex mirror, even if I did have to find out what the button on the drivers door was (it's to adjust the convex mirrors!!)
I like the center console. Nice and wide and it has storage in it so I don't have to cram EVERYTHING into the glove box
Push button start/stop. So long as I have the "key" on me, all I have to do is push the brake in and push the button to start it.
Cons-
I really don't like that there are no radio/audio controls on the steering wheel. I can answer blue tooth phone calls by a button on the steering wheel and I can make calls via a button on it
But the radio and/or streaming music I have to reach over and adjust the sound/station on the dash. NOT good
Have to get used to-
Crew cab. My last 3 trucks only had the super cabs. A bench seat that was fine for the pups, But really uncomfortable for passengers
It's a 4x4 AND IT SITS up! The bed of the truck is chest high on me, and I ain't short! I will be investing in a tailgate mounted ladder!
The layout of the buttons on the steering wheel. Cruise is on the right, where I've been used to it on the left for 20+ years.
The smaller LED display on the dashboard for mileage and other truck info
No gear shift lever on the side of the steering wheel column. There's a dial on the lower part of the dash that you turn to select park/drive/neutral/reverse
Don't get me wrong. I really do like this truck!
We get to see how well it hauls the "Vacation Home On Wheels" Easter weekend!
Pros-
I like the big honking display screen and the fact that it'll show me texts while I'm driving
I like the power convex mirror, even if I did have to find out what the button on the drivers door was (it's to adjust the convex mirrors!!)
I like the center console. Nice and wide and it has storage in it so I don't have to cram EVERYTHING into the glove box
Push button start/stop. So long as I have the "key" on me, all I have to do is push the brake in and push the button to start it.
Cons-
I really don't like that there are no radio/audio controls on the steering wheel. I can answer blue tooth phone calls by a button on the steering wheel and I can make calls via a button on it
But the radio and/or streaming music I have to reach over and adjust the sound/station on the dash. NOT good
Have to get used to-
Crew cab. My last 3 trucks only had the super cabs. A bench seat that was fine for the pups, But really uncomfortable for passengers
It's a 4x4 AND IT SITS up! The bed of the truck is chest high on me, and I ain't short! I will be investing in a tailgate mounted ladder!
The layout of the buttons on the steering wheel. Cruise is on the right, where I've been used to it on the left for 20+ years.
The smaller LED display on the dashboard for mileage and other truck info
No gear shift lever on the side of the steering wheel column. There's a dial on the lower part of the dash that you turn to select park/drive/neutral/reverse
Don't get me wrong. I really do like this truck!
We get to see how well it hauls the "Vacation Home On Wheels" Easter weekend!
Gotta agree on the physical controls over touch screens. Is there any chance that there's a voice recog button on the steering wheel? On my '12, there are things I can do easily like push the button and say "Play album Hell Freezes Over." Takes quite a bit of effort on my head unit to do the same thing. My g/f's '15 Outback has a similar feature.
There's something I didn't note the first time I looked at your pic. You don't have the flip-out mirrors, do you? My '12 has the flip-outs, and they're the best light vehicle mirrors I've ever used. If you're towing a travel trailer, you might want to consider refitting your B.A.T. with those. Very easy to use, and no vibration to speak of when extended out to the towing position.
Just for the record, I do not like the proximity keyless start features at all. I consider those to be a major security risk. My '12 is an RFID key, but at least it has to be physically inserted in the dash for anything to happen, and the truck does not respond to proximity.
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I hadn’t thought of trying voice controls for the radio. I still have to turn a knob for volume or push a button for mute I think
I just found out something else I’m not crazy about. It has a gas cap! The Ford had a cap less fuel filler. Just open the cover and insert the gas nozzle. Oh well
Durned kids 'n yer spring loaded caps.......
Phil Perrin
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Yeah, that's a big old negatory on voice controls for volume/mute and changing channels. #sigh
And the mirrors do manually fold in AND extend for towing purposes! I'll find out Easter weekend whether that's needed
I also found something else out today
Because it's a larger vehicle, I have to have a "weighted" tag here in NC! I got a call from the dealer today asking how heavy my camper is. I'm guessing the heavier the camper, the heavier the tag costs!
