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- Sep 26, 2010
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I have owned my 2015 F-250 Platinum 6.7L Powerstroke Platinum 4WD for just shy of a year now and I thought I would share my thoughts about the first year of ownership.
It sits with about 22,300 miles on it and after the initial problems with the steering wheel misalignment (caused by defective tie-rod ends from the factory) the vehicle itself has given me zero trouble thus far. It has had a total of 6 oil changes:
1. Motorcraft Super Duty (10W-30) Factory Fill
2. Chevron Delo 400 LE (5W-40)
3. Shell Rotella T6 (5W-40)
4. Kendall Super-Dxa (15W-40)
5. Mobil Delvac 1 ESP (5W-40)
6. Chevron Delo 400 XLE (10W-30)
For the inquiring minds, of the 6 oils used, there are 3 which make the favorites list and they are in order—Delvac, Kendall, & Chevron LE. Motorcraft oil filters were used for the first two OCs and based upon the internal construction (or lack thereof), I switched to using CarQuest Blue filters. This was after using a WIX Gold filter which impressed me with its bulletproof construction and so I scored many WIX and Baldwin wire-backed media filters from Rock Auto for $5.27 each to the door. I have been very happy with those filters and have had no issues with them.
The air filter was changed at 10,692 and was incredibly dirty. The factory MC filter was deep-sixed in favor of a NAPA Gold, which was installed with filter grease. Surprisingly, (or perhaps not) the filter minder had not budged despite the filter being heavily loaded, which makes me question the effectiveness of the minder, therefore I check it every 10K miles.
I have upgraded the axle covers with Mag Hytecs front and rear and replaced the factory gear oil with Amsoil Severe Gear oil in both units at 8,600 miles. The OEM power steering fluid was nixed in favor of Amsoil synthetic LV lube at 20,000 miles. Other additions include LED strip lighting for the step plates, and blue LED ambient lighting in the interior, adding the Ford OEM fifth wheel wiring harness in the bed, installing a Ford OEM rear sway bar, adding Husky rear fender wheel liners, and finally Ford splash guards. There are a few more upgrades on the horizon such as a remote filter for the PS system, one for the cooling system as well as an oil pressure and axle temperature gauges.
There are two negatives about the truck to note, one on Ford and one on the choice of tires. The headlights on the truck are far less than optimal and I will likely change them to aftermarket LED lights (the entire housings) at some point. They are the same as the ones I had on my 2010 FX4 with the same cheesy H13 bulbs with very minimal light output. In certain conditions, you can easily out drive the lights. Ford obviously fixed this on the 2017 models with the LED systems like they did with the 2015 F150.
The second thorn in my side is Ford’s choice of Michelin A/T2 tires for the stock rubber. These tires have been nothing but trouble since the day I drove off the lot. Despite the fact the two front tires were ruined by the aforementioned alignment problem, I have had 3 other tire replacements due to vibration or lack of ability to balance. One tire was replaced after 25 miles because it took more than 18 ounces of weight to even bring it close to balance. Though they seem to be wearing just fine, IMHO for the cost, they are POS—unlike the Michelin MS/2 tires which were on my 2010 F-150 and rode like glass and wore like iron.
Otherwise, I have thoroughly enjoyed this first year of ownership even with the extra maintenance required of a modern diesel engine. Which, by the way, runs like a dream with more power than I ever envisioned and provided one keeps the boost gauge below 10 psi can manage some decent MPG, this even with the size of the engine and weight of the truck. The oft claimed hassle with checking the fuel system for water and tending the DEF system and cooling system have been a non-issue, but one should be prepared for more maintenance going into a modern diesel. All in all, I am very happy with the truck and all it has to offer and would definitely buy it over a gasoline model.
You may be OK with fuel dilution with all highway miles--I know RoadRunner states he never sees dilution in his UOAs and does long drives. I see about 70/30 (highway versus city) and I have seen up to 3.x% fuel dilution so I stay on top of it.