Tips/Tricks for Truck to Last 20+ Years? (Now BS, too!)

This. It gets to a point where its cheaper to trade it in on a new one. Vehicles these days are all electronic and things wear out, and are expensive to replace.

 

Well then it sounds like the only variable you can control in your "leaving the house" scenario is engine temperature. Let the incessant debate begin on which is worse; flooring it cold or letting it sit there to warm up then flooring it. Discuss!

 

Woolwax the entire undercarriage. Not just the frame, the underside of the body, too

 

The correct procedure is leave the truck in the sun until the oil warms up. Then FLOOR IT!!!!!

 

I'm just going to try my best to keep the acceleration gentle, but I'm not planning on getting rear ended so I can squeeze a couple thousand extra miles out of my engine. Idling wont do much for the temp because there's no load. I'd probably need close to an hour to get it near operating temp. Not to mention more gas. 0W-20 is super thin even when cold, so I think I'm probably overthinking it.

 

Oil light out? OK drive it as you normally would. This is not 1960 from engines to oil.

 

From a financial perspective it's almost always more cost effective to repair/maintain an older vehicle than to buy a new one. But by that point it's the subjective, less quantitative issues that creep up....PITA factor of a broken down truck in the shop, hassle of getting around while said vehicle is getting fixed, plus the most prevalent one..."I want something new!"

 

Yeah depending on the cost and hassle. The last couple of trucks I've had were cheaper to replace than repair,
and were becoming undependable. I can fix cars and have for awhile, its just gotten to be a hassle and a PITA.

I'm just at a point in my life where I need dependable transportation that I don't have to work on every day.
Fooling around repairing a vehicle cost me time, and time is money. Its cheaper to have a dependable vehicle.
I don't necessarily need new, but I don't have time to waste on shit that doesn't run and needs constant attention.
Some people seem to be emotionally attached to their vehicles, I'm not. Its a tool. My 2 cents.

 

I didn’t say anything about not maintaining the vehicle. What I meant is that after a point the ROI on continuing to maintain vehicle is less than buying a newer one. It’s business 101.

Also no matter what you do short of storing it in a museum quality enclosure, it will age, parts will wear and you will need to replace them. Maintaining the vehicle well can extend the life of certain parts, but will not make them last forever.

 

Drive the truck consistently. Anything that sits will rot/degrade.

Change the oil consistently, choose your own interval but I wouldn’t go past 10k intervals.

Don’t be afraid to go over 3k rpm - my truck has almost 300k on it and I don’t give it no breaks. IMO, the high revs and pedal stomping help “clear out” the system lol.

These are just my experiences and habits in the 10+ years and 250k miles of ownership.

 

Great advice, thank you!

 

The best answer, and the one commonly recommended by modern automakers, is to start the car and immediately drive it gently until warm.

 

Lmaooooo

 

Plastic coolant bypass pipe at rear of the engine will eventually fail. So keep and eye out for leaks.

 

Exactly my thoughts.... what is the ROI on monthly maintenance costs ( annualized perhaps ) over the amount of capital outlay monthly
for a new vehicle payment. I'd add a 10% PITA factor into that as your time messing with maintenance is worth something too. Then there
is mental anguish every time you get in ( will it crank, get me there?, get me home? )..... then there is lost-opportunity for the money you
put down on a new vehicle.

I'm a penny pinching cheap bstard and accounting was my first love so I get where you are coming from.

 

By the time OPs truck wears out, bottom trim mid sized pickups will be starting at $65k lol

 

You're probably right! I already can't believe the insane prices. I bought my first
Truck NEW for $5895 and drove it for 250k travelling around for work.
It still had the original clutch in it when I sold it.

 

They might as well be. My same truck in 4th gen with the add ons would be nearly 20k more now.

 

One first gen I bought needed a clutch at 214K sold that one with 350K plus on it bought another one that one blew up pushing 300K. The 2011 has about 160K that one my out live me

 

If the engine has been running for a full minute the oil has gotten where it needs to go.

Modern oils like the 0W-20 the Tacoma calls for are far better getting around the engine quickly than oils from years ago.

That said, in extreme cold conditions an extra minute probably isn't a bad idea.