Midwestdrifter
Engineer In Residence
Some people can break anything. Foolproof doesn't exist. The statistics show that cars built after the late 80s are much more reliable, with longer service lives.
Some people are just "unlucky"2001 F150, tranny went at 70k. 2004 grand am, lemon law before 80k, 2007 saturn aura, transmission and head gasket before 100k. 2014 Sonata, transmission at 60k. 2002 Chevy express, engine went before 150k, 2018 buick encore, engine bearing? at under 40k.
Lucky most of these have been covered under warranty, but imo vehicles are built like **** nowadays.
Bullsheit. I only drove a couple of those listed.I was born and raised in the auto industry, and I have never heard of someone with an automotive history that bad.
The only common denominator I'm seeing in all that failure is you.
Yup. Some people can bend a crowbar in a sandbox.I was born and raised in the auto industry, and I have never heard of someone with an automotive history that bad.
The only common denominator I'm seeing in all that failure is you.
Does anyone know if this new 3.5l direct injection engine is being used in any current ford vehicles? Flex? Edge?Good analysis. You did leave out one other choice which is the new 3.5 liter non turbo gas 2020 Transit engine with the new 10 speed transmission. This engine does have the intake port injection with direct injection. That choice has the benefit of eliminating the diesel emission issues and has more performance than a diesel and lower scheduled maintenance costs. Negative is lower mpg if that is important to the user.
Same engine detuned for van is used in multiple Ford products including the F-150. Same for this years transmission and rear end.Does anyone know if this new 3.5l direct injection engine is being used in any current ford vehicles? Flex? Edge?
Agreed. Engines with direct injection-only scare me more than the emissions system of a diesel. At the least the latter, while still complex, boils down to parts easily replaced under the van as part of the exhaust system. Valve deposits are nasty to deal with.2019 F-150 has an improved Ecoboost that combines direct injection with port injection to help with carbon build up in intake. Unfortunately the 2020 Transit will still have the same direct injection Ecoboost engine as this years Transit. The 3.7 engine has been replaced in 2020 with a new design 3.5 non turbo engine that does have direct port and intake injection. That non turbo engine with the new 10 speed transmission may be a very good choice.
How old is your colleague’s promaster? I’ve seen problems like that on 2014/15s but my late 2017 has been problem free other than a very slight coolant leak somewhere. (Topping it up every 6-9 months isn’t a big deal, and both my mechanic and I have looked...)Promaster reliability makes any of these vans look good. Here's my colleague's repair list on a Promaster that they bought new and only has 51,000 miles:
Ignition recall
2 radiators
2 new cylinder heads (common Pentastar valvetrain problem)
rear door catch x2 (can't stop them from rattling)
10 (yes, 10) headlight bulbs
rear spring bushings, twice
oil filler neck replaced due to leak
coil pack
oil pressure sending unit
new transmission
That is totally unacceptable for a vehicle with only 51K.
A 2016.How old is your colleague’s promaster?