What services would you have done for a 2003 Ford Taurus with 35000 original miles that sat for nearly a year?

Question

I have a 2003 Ford Taurus that I am the original owner of. The car has 35000 original miles on it. When my husband went overseas last year, the car sat for about 10 months before being driven again. We have not had any maintenance service (other than oil changes and tire rotations) done to the vehicle because it has not been our primary car for a while. I took it in to the Ford dealership for an oil change and tire rotation and asked what we should get done for our 5 year old never maintainced car with 35k miles - other than a tire rotation and oil change. The service man recommended that in addition to the oil change and tire rotation - we flush the transmission, have all filters replaced, have our coolant fluid replaced, and a few other things that I don't recall. Do these services sound necessary for our Taurus? If not, what maintenance would you recommend? How much do those services typically cost? What he named would cost us $455 with taxes and everything - although I know dealerships are higher. We're going to start driving our car regularly again and we are going to keep it so we want it to run optimally. Would prefer serious responses from mechanics or people that are very familiar with cars please. Thank you.

Answer 1

dropping all fluids and changing all filters is what the Jaguar and Mercedes dealerships do to normal maint. to all their cars ( like about every 30,000 miles as normal == even changing the brake fluid ))) remember that good brakes are cheap insurance to '''stopping''' and helping to prevent an accident  .... the dealer price may seem high but the price is worth the labor and parts to save your car ... and it is cheaper than one wrecker bill and possible loss of the use of the car ,,,, either to loss of the motor or the car quitting on the freeway and resultant problems ... JUST spend the money on the recommended work and be safe while driving... some dealerships will guarantee their work and you should ask about these in house policies or go to another dealership and get a second opinion on the repairs.. even check with another brand dealer garage because they all know what it takes to make the cars run properly and most all mechanics are trained  to understand different cars ( they have all sorts of cars that are on the '''used car part'' of the dealership and your Tarus is a very common and reliable auto .. do the work and drive safe ..

Answer 2

  We have a 2000 Taurus with low miles also- it's generally stored in the winter.... It still runs like new.

  If we followed the dealer's recommendation we'd spend about $400 a year... none of what they recommend would hurt the car but some is highly unnecessary.

  Based on what you say, 35K and 5 yrs old-  Transmission flush and fluid change should be done at 50K and 36 mo of use. I'd do that transmission service, I'd also replace the coolant... The reason for both these things is that during use, modest as it may be, there are contaminants that go to deteriorate both your engine coolant and transmission fluid .  The balance , filters , etc, not likely necessary.

  Expect $200-$250 for the services i'd consider worthwhile- trans  flush & engine coolant. At least the trans flush, I'd have done at the dealer.. bring it in and specifically request that that service and that service alone be done, with an upfront price quote.  That's what I do, one service at a time..

  Enjoy your Taurus, they are a fine family car.

  In passing, if you find that the ride gets mushy as the miles build up, replace the struts with Monroe Sensa-trac- you won't believe it's the same car!

     Ralph

Answer 3

all the things he and you said are things you can do to help it keep running longer.. and can be done at home for the most part and or any other shop really can do it much cheaper than any dealer really dealers are the last place to be going unless you just cant find anyone to do it you dont have hardy any miles on it really it shouldnt need much of anything ... if its running ok other than oil and filters a bottle of fuel treatment every once in a while a tune up when it needs one check brakes and hoses belts the like... sorry but you can have car service any shop besides dealers and that alone will save you a bunch more than his price... car service man 35 yrs.. you want to know what it need if any thing go to autozone and have a scan run for free they can let you know if it needs anything and for the other service any shop will save you half the money many of the things can and should be done at home really most are easy basic car care oil and filter air and fuel filter and plugs brake pads hoses and belts all easy done at home.. try this site it can show you how to do most anything you really need to know even has a video of a few things anyways to answer your question yes they all are services necessary in caring for your car

Answer 4

Woah girl..... im in ure shoes.  i got a 94 ford f150 that sat for 2 years and the fuel gelled up in it.....   if it runs and it is driveable, the thing i would worry about most would be to run the current tank of gas OUT of it, then run some very high octane fuel in it to burn/blow all of the corroded fuel out of the system, then make sure oil is optimal, flush the brakes and transmission, CHECK all the filters and check the coolant fluid.  half the things that he said needs changing really just needs checking, and most of it is do-able at home for under 150$

Answer 5

Yea the services do seem recommended. The Taurus is a lemon, so you gotta treat her good. Get the transmission flushed, coolant changed, change the spark plugs and air filter. Should it cost $455? Heck no!!!  For all those services you should pay about $200 out the door.  BTW... I don't know what he means by "all the filters"? there should be only two or three max and if your car has a cabin filter you can do it yourself. The fuel filter doesn't need service for the life of the car. The Air filter, as mentioned, should be changed.