As I reach a little under a month away from taking delivery of my new 2014 V6, I am curious about maintenance of these vehicles. I am the type of person who likes to have everything in order, listed and notated when it comes to maintenance.

The drivers manual lists very minimal maintenance of these vehicles, nothing more than oil changes, air filters, accessory belts, transmission oil, and coolant.

Are these really the only things I have to worry about? I currently drive a car from the early 2000's, so maybe modern cars these days have less things I need to worry about.

 

Your OM and other documentation provided with the car will provide details on what needs to be done. But you won't need to do anything besides oil changes and tire rotation (if you believe in that) much before 30k-40k miles.

 

Newer cars have relatively little that needs to be done in the way of routine maintenance. There are a few items that should be done to my '07 that I don't think are mentioned in the Owner's Guide or in the Scheduled Maintenance Guide. I don't know what is in the '14 material.

Flush the brake system every two years. Brake fluid is hygroscopic and you need to flush the system to get the water out.

Periodically, wipe the weather stripping around the doors and trunk with silicone lubricant. Don't spray the weather stripping directly--it makes a mess. Spray the lubricant on a towel and rub the weather stripping. I don't do this with the weather stripping that is under the hood because I'm concerned about the vapors the silicone lube gives off. This can get into the air intake and foul some sensors.

Consider lubricating the locks. There have been big debates on the forum as to whether to use dry lube or wet lube. I'm just bringing this to your attention. Some folks don't do this at all unless the key isn't working smoothly.

With so little to do in the maintenance area, you can spend your time cleaning and waxing. And driving!!!

 

Hi iamzatch,

Congrats on your new ride! You can get your maintenance guide here. You can speak to your Service Manager for more info and recommendations. Also, I can track your order if you’d like. Just PM me with your VIN so I can help.

Deysha

 

I took a look at the link you provided Deysha (thanks by the way), Ford leaves a lot open to be missed.

- Only "Inspections of braking system and PS systems" No mention of recommended fluid interval. Just because the system looks 'ok' doesn't mean the fluid is 'ok'.

- Ford knows there is an expected life for these fluids, why don't they publish at say at least 50K and 100K change brake fluid/P/S Fluid!?

I would think with the newer generations being on a more global platform Ford would step and lead the way for domestics to start publishing this information like some Euro cars have for years.

 

Exactly what I'm saying, there has got to be lifetime limits on various fluids, gear fluid (manual), tranny fluid (automatic), break fluid... do these clutches use master cylinders? (clutch "fluid") etc. etc, yet none of that is listed.

 

Was told by my dealer that the coolant is good for 5 years or 100k miles. The clutch uses the brake master for fluid, if I'm not mistaken.

Had all my fluids changed last year at 60k miles just to be on the safe side. Do my own oil and filter changes as well as inspecting everything per the owners manual every 5k miles.

Changed my fuel filter and cleaned the throttle body at 30k and 60k miles after watching youtube videos on how to do it. Lots of info can be found in the owners manual, such as reset procedures on resetting the idle after disconnecting the battery and window resets. I highly recommend reading it cover to cover.

You can save quite a bit on money doing it yourself with the right knowledge, tools and a place to work.

You can learn a lot from this and other forums as well. Congrats on your new Mustang!

 

This is where your dealer inspections come in, guys. We have certified trained technicians to work on and maintain your vehicles.

Deysha

 

Baloney! The service manager at my dealership didn't even know the correct tire rotation pattern. I had to show him the Owner's Guide after the tires had been rotated incorrectly. The Workshop Manual calls for silicone lube to be applied to the weather stripping, but the dealership never does that when the car is in for service.

When I asked about the dealership's printed recommendation for the 15000 mile service, the service advisor said that many of those things were not really necessary.

 

I prefer to learn and do all the work on my cars myself. Even though I probably have the money to pay a dealer, I prefer doing the work myself, it's entertaining.

Deysha can you find us a list of Ford recommended intervals for fluid changes, or perhaps a more extended and detailed service plan?