Strategies for truck longevity?

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leo

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Hey guys. I've mentioned it in a couple of posts already. I recently bought a 2014 Ram 1500 Express, very low miles and very clean. I plan to hang onto this truck for a long time. I am curious, for those of you who also keep your trucks a long time, what strategies do you employ to promote your truck's longevity? Like what is your oil change schedule like? Do you undercoat your truck? Etc. Thanks in advance for any thoughts. I'm curious to hear what other people do.
 

02ramboi

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I do my oil changes every 3500 miles and I use synthetic. I also sprayed my frame at the bottom to protect from the elements. I live in Miami so I don't have to worry about snow


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Farmer Fran

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This is a tough one as only so much is in you actual control, that said, my personal suggestion is...

Oil every 5000-7500, good oil and good filter
Air filter every 7500 (this will kind of depend on your area driving)
Tire Rotation every 7500
WAX at least 2x per year - I do 3
Undercoat if in snow or ocean area
All regular maintenance in the schedule like trans, dif and coolant.
One thing I get harassed about is brakes, I change pads well before needed because pads are cheap and I use good ones not rotor wrecking pads.
Also make sure you do the simple things like proper tire inflation, check it often and keep them within a few psi
Make sure you do the proper tire rotation, 50 star, 100 star, final star. I have never replaced a rotor and I swear the lack of constant shimmy keeps other things working as normal or less wear.
WAX - nothing like a sound running truck with 50% of the paint missing.
Shocks/struts and bushings - again I swear the lack of unnecessary vibrations and jerking keeps the rest of the vehicle fit.

Basically you have to put money in to keep it sound. It is a lot less money than a "normal" payment but it is not free.
 

MADDOG

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Regular maintenance at intervals listed in the manual.

Diligent fluid changes with lubrication.

Fix anything that isn't right quickly.
 

RamInfo

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Regular maintenance at intervals listed in the manual.

Diligent fluid changes with lubrication.

Fix anything that isn't right quickly.

A great list, to which I'd only add avoid frequent short trips that don't bring the power train/drivetrain fully up to temp before shutdown.

Best,
DG
 

EJR_3

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Oil catch can and an extended warranty for the warm fuzzy feeling.
 

GsRAM

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I do transmission fluid and filter, transfer case, front and rear diffs every 30k, regardless of what the manual says. May be overkill but it's cheap insurance and i tow with my truck. Oil and filter every 5k and rotate tires, full synthetic
 

BossHogg

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I retired my 2003 Tahoe back in 2013 when I bought my 2013 1500. The Tahoe lived its life on Michigan roads as a daily driver for 10 years and had 299,900 miles on it when I sold it.

I did nothing special, simply followed the published maintenance schedule in the owner's manual and tried to keep it clean (as clean as I could living off dirt roads). It is surprising to me how many ignore the published maintenance schedule and list of recommended fluids thinking they are smarter than the engineers.
 

rsdata

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If you do the regular maintanence and take care of problems quickly, then the body will go before the mechanicals... I spray CRC 3-36 corrosion inhibitor liberally on the underside every 6 months to help delay rust...
 

MEchase

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I purchased my 2014 in October '16. It was a lease from New York. I live in coastal Virginia. I took the truck to my mechanic buddy. The amount of rust on the underside for the age of the truck initially caught him off-guard. I explained that it was from New York, he said "that explains it" then continued on. He said that degree of the rust wasn't a concern, just that it was more than he was expecting.

While rust is present, there isn't any extensive damage. What would you guys suggest I do for preventing worsening of the rust? Spray the underside? Is that something you do yourself or take it somewhere? I sold my '95 Nissan Pickup for this truck. I'm considering the Ram my first "real" truck and I'm not familiar with these "routine" treatments/fixes.

Thanks!
 

THETANK

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or the other side of the coin do 2 oil changes and get another brand new one lol. Good luck with your truck.
 
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leo

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Thanks for the thoughts guys. There is some good advice there.

This is what I've done thus far.
  1. Spray the underside with Fluid Film. I'll be curious to see how it holds up. I don't mind spraying it a couple times a year, but I don't want it to need touched up every few weeks.... What kind of underbody rust prevention products do you guys like?
  2. Wax the body
  3. Oil change and switch to good synthetic oil and a good filter
  4. Ordered a catch can; it just shipped today. :favorites13:

Things on my to-do list at the moment:
  1. Touch up some scratches in the bed. I have touch-up paint on the way.
  2. Put in a bed liner. I've been seriously considering the Dual Liner.
 

HammerHead

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Good synthetic oil with RP filter every 5k.
Transmission oil and both internal filters every 30k, 6 speed.
Coolant once a year, I just pull the bottom hose and top off.
Spark plugs even 30k.
Rear diff once every 2 years. It's a 2x4.
Air filter once a year.
 

CherryRed

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Maintenance should be based on how the truck is used. I recommend sticking with the manufactures maintenance schedules. If the truck will be used hard; towing, hauling, long periods with the engine idling, then perform the maintenance more frequently. Oil changes are a personal decision. I think 5000 miles between changes on conventional oil is good, unless the vehicle is used hard. In the past, the conventional thinking was you could extend the oil change interval when using synthetic oil, often to 7500 miles. However I have seen recent articles where the recommendation has changed to 5000 miles on synthetic (paid for by the oil manufactures, by chance?).

Brake fluid flush, some people say every 2 to 3 years, others say never.

Engine coolant - Ram is using 10-year, 150,000 mile "OAT" coolant now.
 

moparpeetie

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don't waste your money changing synthetic oil every 3500 miles or even 5000. Every 7500 to 10000 is plenty sufficient with a good quality filter(Wix, Hastings) Depending on the the driving you do. Fluid film is ok but having to reapply several times a year is a pain i suggest Krown if its available in your area($140) every year for first couple years then every other year. just because you want the truck to last doesn't mean you should waste money changing fluids and pads unnecessarily. If your gonna do that let me know when you get 5-10k on your tires i'll buy them off of you.:crazy:
 
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