Wow, this year is flying by! It’s going so fast, I totally missed the April update. Not to worry, though, as my F-150 has continued to run and drive well, albeit with a couple of hiccups. Read on for more details.
Stats:
Time Period: 1/19/2015 – 4/18/2015
Miles Driven: 1,498 / 31,851 30,353 (this update / total) (1,972 in last update)
Average MPG: 14.6 mpg (reported by on-board computer)
Time Period: 4/19/2014 – 7/18/2015
Miles Driven: 1,620 / 33,471 30,353 (this update / total) (1,498 in last update)
Average MPG: 17.0 mpg (reported by on-board computer)
Avg MPG for Year: 15.5 (hand-calculated)
Costs:
Maintenance Costs: $0
Repairs: $344.00
Total Cost (non-fuel): $716.47
Services Performed:
- 1/1/2015 – Installed new vacuum assist boost pump (did this repair myself)
Summary:
It’s been a busy year for my F-150. Multiple “snow events” as the local meteorologists call them, plus hauling a few heavy loads, is what kept the mileage down in the first quarter of 2015. Since then, with mostly milder temperatures, the gas mileage is once again creeping up towards the 17mpg mark, even nailing that figure for April to July. Surprising, really, since I hauled a Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider for 275 miles. That trip netted me 18mpg, with an even better 22mpg coming back home with an empty bed.
The truck continues to run well overall, although a seized vacuum assist pump in April sidelined the truck for a couple of weeks while I sourced a new part. Being out of the factory warranty, I was not interested in paying a $145 diagnostic fee at the dealership to figure out … what I already knew. Plus, the part lists for close to $600, so with labor, the total bill would’ve been over $700. It appears to be a common problem, as it only took about 5 minutes for me to search the web and find all the answers I needed, including a YouTube video on how to replace the part. It took me all of a half hour, including re-watching parts of the video to see the different steps involved.
Since then, another issue has popped up, in that the 8″ touch screen in the center stack has lost its colors. It looks to me like a failing LCD panel, and I have found a replacement for $300 on eBay, but I’ll be doing some more research to determine what all I really need to buy to fix this problem. It’s not a major issue, just an annoyance. It practically renders the backup camera useless, since it looks like you’re driving on Mars. I’m not sure why the screen is failing, and haven’t heard of anyone else having this issue, either. If you have an F-150 and your screen has or is failing, let me know!
Dated Notes:
- none
General Observations:
- none
by John Suit