[ProtectOurFreedom]

My son has a 2016 Ford Escape with 1.6L EcoBoost four-banger. He has put 220,000 miles on. He totally ignored maintenance on. I mean irregular oil changes and that was it! About six months ago, he took a second job at a local tire shop and he and I put together a plan to bring all of his deferred maintenance up to date. He’s been working his way through the car replacing parts (struts, timing belt, coolant, transmission fluid, oil, brake job, bleed the brakes), new tires, new O2 sensors, new thermostat, etc. I advised him to wait for the alternator to fail and the CV joints to indicate incipient failure before changing those.

The only thing that failed after those years of neglect was the starter.

It just passed the California smog test (first test required to renew registration after the eight year period after new ended).

I’m amazed that little car has survived with the maintenance abuse he put on it. It’s a pretty good testament to Ford quality.

I’m thrilled he is finally learning about maintaining one’s car.

[fireman15]

I am very proud of your son as well. I know few young men who have interest in automotive maintenance and repair. You should advise him to be sure and keep all of the old sensors. They are expensive and very helpful for troubleshooting later.

Also, the inexpensive Bluetooth OBD2 scan tools can be used to watch and record the output of your sensors while you are driving. Some of them cost only about $10 and still work fine.