Well, after a 6-7 year drought, I'm now a truck owner again. This was my FILs truck since new and we got it on a too good to pass up deal.
2010 f150 platinum, 5.4, 4wd, flex fuel, 5.5ft bed. 210k miles.
Still looks great from here but has its issues. I'll try to work through them progressively.
1. Auto running boards inop. Maybe they can be cleaned and lubed but these have basically been nothing but trouble for my FIL for the last 125k miles. Maybe they can be replaced with something less movey.
2. Sunroof opens but won't close. Currently closed with tape over the button. Hoping i can fix this one.
3. Body rust in some spots. Worst is underneath the doors.
4. Windshield is cracked. Will probably leave it unless it gets a lot worse.
5. The wheels are pitted and I think there is something wrong with the tpms. After about 30 minutes of driving it'll give you the low pressure message on the dash, but the pressure is fine. Since the tires are probably due in the next 10k miles or so, I might look to replace with someone's new truck takeoffs.
Overall however it's hard to beat for luxury features (air conditioned seats anyone?) and gives me the ability to tow quite a bit more than the minivan can.
The bad/sad part is now picking which other vehicle gets sold...
Sweet!
The tpms have little batteries and they die eventually. You can't just replace the battery but rather the whole unit. Get new ones when you get tires.
I've had good luck with the eBay ones FWIW
If you decide to replace the running boards, please let me know.
I have a 2012 Platinum, and the running boards work perfectly. Never had a problem. But the driver's side unit has had the chrome damaged. I've looked into replacing the chrome, but it's not available without buying the entire running board.
I need a non-functional driver's side running board in good visual condition.
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
Those running boards get frozen in cold climates. Then burn out motors etc. The further south the less issues.
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
Congratulations!
And you should 100% sell the XJR, to me. Seriously.
In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :
I'll have to dig into mine. I certainly won't throw them away though!
In reply to Indy "Nub" Guy :
Be careful what you wish for...
Air Conditioned seats? Ooh La La...Platinum.
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:
Still looks great from here but has its issues. I'll try to work through them progressively.
1. Auto running boards inop. Maybe they can be cleaned and lubed but these have basically been nothing but trouble for my FIL for the last 125k miles. Maybe they can be replaced with something less movey.
2. Sunroof opens but won't close. Currently closed with tape over the button. Hoping i can fix this one.
3. Body rust in some spots. Worst is underneath the doors.
4. Windshield is cracked. Will probably leave it unless it gets a lot worse.
5. The wheels are pitted and I think there is something wrong with the tpms. After about 30 minutes of driving it'll give you the low pressure message on the dash, but the pressure is fine. Since the tires are probably due in the next 10k miles or so, I might look to replace with someone's new truck takeoffs.
Overall however it's hard to beat for luxury features (air conditioned seats anyone?) and gives me the ability to tow quite a bit more than the minivan can.
The bad/sad part is now picking which other vehicle gets sold...
I would yank the plug for the running boards. It could be a relay, or it could be a $1000 mechanism replacement.
When a button stops working in a Ford, the first thing I check is the switch itself. In my experience, it's the most likely suspect.
Stuff the rust full of expanding foam, shave off the extra, and bondo/rattle can it.
Leave the windshield alone unless it fails an inspection
Pitted wheels are lighter than non-pitted wheels. You've corroded off 2 tenths of a gram from your unsprung weight. You can replace the tpms sensor(s), or you can rip them out and put tape over the tpms light.
Congrats. I just fixed all of your problems for $20. (ok, so I ignored all of your problems... but it was cheap.)
I am the biggest fan of air conditioned seats; we are truly living with seriously luxurious E36 M3 these days.
Nice ride, hope it works out well for you. I am not a pickup guy, but a 4 door short bed seems like a useful combination.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:
Stuff the rust full of expanding foam, shave off the extra, and bondo/rattle can it.
Please NEVER do this to a car, no matter how big a piece of crap it is. Most of the expanding foam products are hygroscopic. They absorb water.
Someone did this years back to a classic car I own. The foam held water against the quarter panels from the back side, and they rotted badly from the inside out.
Lots of ford (maybe all?) trucks rust out at the bottom of the cab and at the rear cab corners. Isn't this because they don't drain well enough to begin with?
I'll try to snag some better pics later but my plan is honestly to forget about it for now. Maybe I'll try to spray it with some converter to at least slow the spread. I dunno yet.
In reply to Robbie (Forum Supporter) :
I don't think so.
The problem is almost universally non-existent on Southern trucks. I never see it.
I think it's because road salt accumulated between the cab and the bed where it is hard to clean.
Might be an aero thing. 
A lot of trucks have mediocre rust protection. And they often do little to shield the body from direct spray from the tires. So rockers and cab corners suffer heavy salt blasting, stuff gets in the drains, a lot of people never thoroughly clean out that area, etc. And then they rust to bits.
I really wish Ford sold their higher-end trucks without those stupid power running boards. The Expedition has them, and (knocks on wood) they still work fine, but I've known a lot of people who've had them fail. IMO, they add zero functionality, unnecessary weight, and are one more thing to go wrong.
SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:
Stuff the rust full of expanding foam, shave off the extra, and bondo/rattle can it.
Please NEVER do this to a car, no matter how big a piece of crap it is. Most of the expanding foam products are hygroscopic. They absorb water.
Alfa found this out on the Alfasud the hard way. Like in the "rust holes in cars less than one year old in Northern European climates" hard way.
IIRC there might be some specialist non-hygroscopic foam that can be used to stiffen chassis etc, but even with that the issue is that water gets trapped between the foam and the metal unless you get 100%adhesion.
Congrats! I've got a '13 FX4, love that truck.
I agree the sunroof button may be the issue. It's pretty easy to remove, I've had mine in and out several times putting in overhead switches. If you ever do open the sunroof, take the opportunity to clean out the drains. Mine plugged and I got some water inside.
cooled seats are awesome. Be aware there are little filters under the seat that need to be cleaned out occasionally or they'll block the intake for the seat fan and burn out the motor. You can't get replacements for the filters but you can replace the filter part with generic filter cloth of some kind.
You can weld- Keystone sells rocker panel replacements for most pickup trucks, I put a set on our Silverado and was very happy with them. Rock Auto sells them.
kb58
SuperDork
12/21/20 10:25 a.m.
Robbie (Forum Supporter) said:
... gives me the ability to tow quite a bit more than the minivan can...
Boy, there's a gateway drug right there...
When looking for a new truck a few years back, I was warned time and time again about timing chain issues in the 3v 5.4. It's made it to 200k miles, so I'm sure it may have already have a new timing kit on it. If not, add it to the list.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:
You can weld- Keystone sells rocker panel replacements for most pickup trucks, I put a set on our Silverado and was very happy with them. Rock Auto sells them.
Holy crap they do (and wow quite cheap)!
Just a thought, there are plenty of non-powered aftermarket running boards available for these trucks, relatively cheaply. American Trucks online has them as low as a couple hundred bucks with free shipping. Are the powered ones impossible to remove or something?
ultraclyde (Forum Supporter) said:
Just a thought, there are plenty of non-powered aftermarket running boards available for these trucks, relatively cheaply. American Trucks online has them as low as a couple hundred bucks with free shipping. Are the powered ones impossible to remove or something?
No, they look easy to remove (same 4 bolts on each side as the non-powered ones, and then I'm assuming an electrical connector). I might go that route if I can't get the automatic ones to work.
Stepping into the truck is actually quite annoying without the running board if the weather is mucky and you're wearing nice pants.
