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Spooner

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Posts posted by Spooner

  1. Found a pretty good one today and picking it up tomorrow.  Wanted a 2010+ extended 3500 passenger version so I would get the 6.0 and 6 speed and found a 2011 nearby that checked all the boxes with only 112k on it.  It needs a little work from sitting outside but not too terrible.  It was a little strange seeing how bare bones these things are compared to my VW and old TC but that's also kinda nice at the same time.  Especially when I'm just gonna gut the interior haha!

  2. Sadly I said goodbye to the trusty transit today!  I stopped driving it daily a few months ago when I got a new vehicle for work use and my boys are getting into riding dirt bikes and all that with their old man.  The transit is just not big enough to drag around all our stuff so I posted it for sale last night and sold right away.  Final mileage was 257,000 and I'm sure there are many more miles left in it!  I'll be buying a Chevy Express extended length to build a moto van out of.  I'll be able to put several bikes inside and still plenty of room for us.  Can't wait to start the build!

  3. I hit 250k miles about a month ago so I thought I'd update the group.  Still dead reliable but I FINALLY had to do brakes on it.  Well I had to do one side of the rear brakes, the other side still had life and since I was doing the rears I went ahead and did front rotors and pads but they could have gone another 100k, not even joking haha!  Did another windshield in the spring but otherwise this thing just doesn't quit.  I should do shocks as it does slam over some things now but its really not that bad and not 'floaty' at all.  Lastly I noticed a couple weeks ago that when I put the van into reverse the rear sensors turn themselves off after a couple seconds but I feel like its doing me a favor as I almost always turned them off haha!

     

    Covid slowed down my mileage pretty good but I still did 50k in the last year.  I worked from home for about 5 months but I was going riding on my dirt bike, mountain biking, etc quite a bit so I still drove a lot.  Somewhat sad to say but now my TC has been relegated to weekend/utility use. I picked up a passat diesel because I know that I can only be this lucky for so long with it and I am piling miles on again so I'd be at 300k by spring or so.  I wanted to make the move before I had down time for repairs as that is a huge PITA for me and how busy I am.  I'll save about $4k a year in fuel too so that will be super nice.  I plan to keep the TC for a while since it's worth about $7 with all the miles and its still super useful to me.  I still get comments all the time about how cool it looks and stuff and its really still in very good shape other than all the rock chips on the front. 

  4. 3 hours ago, i86hotdogs said:

    the 2.5 Duratec has been a well engineered engine for Ford. Derived from a partnership with Mazda, its relatives include the 2.3 Duratec as well. They are notoriously underpowered for its displacement. It's favored by fleets for its durability and cost of parts and maintenance. Like others have mentioned, if you keep the maintenance schedules punctual, it will last a long time. I bought a 2016 cargo LWB with 102,000 miles and have put over 25,000 on it since purchase. I race the van in SCCA RallyCross events, frequently drive long distances through the midwest, and use it as my daily driver. I have experienced zero issues with the vehicle itself. My only gripe for me is the lack of aftermarket parts for it. But that's a personal preference since I race the van competitively. 

    Dude you have to post pics of your race van!

  5. On 9/8/2019 at 10:01 AM, stanger_missle said:

    I bought my 2015 TC in March of this year with 108k miles on it. The windshield is absolutely sand blasted. There is a 4 ft crack due to a rock strike. I think the shape, size and angle of the windshields in these vans makes them vulnerable to rock strikes. The only other vehicle I have owned that suffered from numerous rock strikes was my Jeep Wrangler. That thing was a rock magnet.

     

    I plan on getting the windshield replaced (Florida policy covers glass) and then getting it tinted with clear ceramic tint to try and control the heat. I'd like to get a tint strip on the top as well but I'm not sure if they can do it in conjunction with the clear tint.

    I have clear ceramic tint on the inside of mine and it makes a giant difference. Like everyone else here I have had a lot of bad luck with windshields too and I’m in need of another. Because they break so easily I am waiting longer between changing them because in Missouri there isn’t glass coverage so you pay your full deductible for a windshield. 

  6. 9 hours ago, Fifty150 said:

     

     

    California reformulated gas gets less mileage.  More ethanol = less mileage.  Rumor is that "top tier" actually is just a marketing gimmick.  But some people swear that certain brands of gasoline get better mileage.

    All of our regular gas has up to 10% ethanol and it definitely gets worse mileage. I buy non-ethanol fuel every once and a while and it’s immediately noticeable that you have more power and the mpg readout is higher. It sucks it costs so much more. But I can also notice that randomly after I fill up it that it’s a similar difference but it’s not one brand that’s consistently better over another. 

  7. I previously did an update at 100k and 150k and I'm happy to say the van is still humming along great.  I still change the oil every 5k miles and get the transmission service every year.  Just put on my 4th set of tires but otherwise its been very inexpensive to own.  The front is definitely getting pretty ate up with rock chips which is to be expected with this many miles and the fact I drive 95% of the time on the highway.  Lifetime average MPG is 23.8 but its been improving as I finally learned to just slow down haha!  I'm pretty regularly 25-27 with some 28's sprinkled in there.  Where I buy the fuel seems to make a big difference too. 

     

    I had planned on keeping it to 200 and then doing something else but I'll try to get another year or two out of it unless things start going downhill quickly.  I'm still on the original brakes and the interior is holding up nicely.  Most people are very surprised how many miles are on it when they see it but I keep it really clean so it always looks good.  It still drives very tight and the suspension isn't showing signs of needing replaced either.  Windshields seem to be a consumable item on these and I'm due for another one unfortunately.

     

    Anyways, just wanted to give an up date and post up if you guys have any questions.

  8. Just seeing if anyone else has had this happen.  When going slow and turning left over a curb (basically only when I pull in my driveway) I am hearing a clunking noise from the front right corner of the van.  It almost sounds like something loose that is swinging back and forth in this situation.  I've looked both under the hood and around the suspension and can't seem to track it down. I don't believe it's in the suspension as it all seems tight and I never hear it going straight.  I thought my hood prop was loose when it first happened but its not.  I'll pull the wheel off this weekend and see if I can track it down.

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