Little good and bad things of our F150s

[Ford blue blood]

I don't have anything to complain about....but then I'm not a tech junkie. Did install the stop/start eliminator.....

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[SomebodyInGNV]

... I previously had a Ranger with power fold mirrors. Have to fold passenger mirror to get into my garage. Minor annoyance to have to stop in the driveway and fold the mirror in. ...

Electric fold is available only in Lariat and up. It can be retrofitted.

 

[Buyer2021]

The little good things are too numerous to list, but power fold TT mirrors, factory Auto Start-Stop removal, Baja Tan interior, and integrated trailer TPMS / rear view cam are among them.

After 3+ years the little bad things are so insignificant that I guess I've learned to live with 'em, I can't even remember what they are to start a list.

Every day I just marvel at how much I enjoy my truck!

 

[CarbonizedGreyLariat21]

My new to me 21 Platinum apparently has a different frame that causes it to rock like a boat. Looking to fix it in 2 days with a rear sway bar. Wish I had read about this prior to my purchase. My 21 is loaded and has nothing missing for a truck built during this time period.

Let me know how that goes. I'm considering one as well for same reason. And what brand u got, etc.

 

[digitaltrucker]

Let me know how that goes. I'm considering one as well for same reason. And what brand u got, etc.

I bought the Hellwig 7788. Everything I was told said this will fix it. Will advise. I bought from etrailer because they had a sale on.

 

[digitaltrucker]

Let me know how that goes. I'm considering one as well for same reason. And what brand u got, etc.

So after 3 hours of install, it did not resolve the rock and roll! I am going to move the adjuster to the 3rd hole, if that does nothing I am going to try and return it!

 

[Kanuck]

I tried various bullet antenna’s but reception sucked. The OEM antenna has saved my bacon several times when entering garages. My wife freaks when she hears the scraping.

Ford has a shorter antenna by about 4 inches for that exact reason. It was hitting my garage door.

Looked it up - Part Number - MCPZ18813A

 

[Johnny Tremor]

Pro: Bluecruise plus adaptive cruise control is pretty sweet.

The nut clips used to attach the skid plates are handy if you ever strip the hardware

The EB 3.5 has more usable power than any other truck/suv that I have owned.


Cons: No drain plug on the front differential, and you cannot easily remove the cover. What dipsh*t thought that was a good idea? Probably the same guy that put the oil filter sideways behind the skid plate.

More rattles behind the dash than any other vehicle I have owned.

 

[mrtull]

This was an interesting read, and an even more interesting reflection...

I started with a 20, then went to a 22, and recently to a 24. Each time was a slight upgrade from the previous, although they were all XLT trims.

2020 - No 360 cameras, 40/20/40 front seat, just 4x4, Sync 3. However, the front seat came in handy when traveling with one rear passenger so one dog had to come up front! Loved the velocity blue, but hated all the chrome. Love the simplicity of the fold up rear seats; just my wife and I with three dogs so that is a major pro for me. Wished I had adaptive cruise control.

2022 - Had 360 cameras, front console, FX4, Sync 4. Bugged me that it came with towing package and 36 gallon tank which, when priced separately were more than max towing, but did not have all the features of max towing! This was the year I got my first step in the tailgate, and now I would turn down a free Platinum if it didn't have the step in the tailgate! It's that important. No chrome, but carbonized gray did seem to blend in with a lot of other Grays out there. Still wished I had adaptive cruise control. And i was fortunate enough to have the wiring where ambient lighting plugs were in the wiring so I was able to add ambient lighting (if you have a 22, check out the thread XLT trucks with push button start cup holder/ambient lighting). I figure it would be a a nice perk if Ford just did this anyway; use Lariet wiring so one can add ambient lighting if one is willing to get my hands dirty. I was going to try to add adaptive cruise control.

2024 - Did not intend to upgrade; but I noticed the dealer had a unit that hadn't sold, and it was one of the last models he had. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse! Not only did it have everything my 22 had, it had adaptive cruise control!! Was even equipped with blue cruise. I am a tech junkie and am amazed at what this truck could do. It did have the bed package so I didn't lose my tailgate step, and it had the column shifter.... I didn't even realize how much I prefer the column shifter until I had one again. I can fold the work surface down even while driving! I lost ambient lighting and lit cupholders, but i'm already investigating what i can do to replace those. As much as I like BC, I will not pay the extortion Ford wants for it.

After all of this, my biggest annoyances:

• The aduio input does not always remember where it was. I have a USB drive plugged in with music so I don't have to subscribe to Sirius and I live in rural SW so not a ton of radio stations. It will still default to either Sirius or FM when I start the truck sometimes. I don't know why it can't remember it!
• The 24 has the 12" instrument cluster, which is nice, but does not show the gear list automatically. Why do I have to turn it on each time I start the truck?
• Lumbar support in the front seats is nice, but totally insufficient.
• I read so many posts about 2024 360 cams not working properly with earlier tow mirrors with cams that I didn't try to move them over.

Little Things I absolutely Love:

• The cruise control button starts and sets with one click. In my ranger, and with most other vehicles I've driven, you have to turn CC on and then set it. It's nice the F150 combined those.
• The climate control buttons are nice and beefy while the audio controls are smaller. Easy to differentiate, and brilliant since I use the steering wheel controls more than the dial.
• Alexa built in! I can open my garage door or unlock the front door while I'm getting home; integrates so nicely with the account I already have that voice control is a game changer.
• Did I mention the tailgate step?

So many things I love about my truck; even the annoyances are really minor compared to what I get out of it. Thank you for reading my Ted Talk!

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I tried various bullet antenna’s but reception sucked. The OEM antenna has saved my bacon several times when entering garages. My wife freaks when she hears the scraping.

Why Ford insists on continuing to put the massive antenna on the F150 is beyond me. I hated it so much that I bought its replacement literally the next day after I bought the truck. lol. I went with this short one and have not had issues with reception at all. They designed it with stainless threads and an internal copper coil winding to ensure proper reception. Granted it's not an exact match to the OEM base but honestly how often does one look at that?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRER777

 

[Davexxxx]

I've been driving XLTs since the 70s and my last was an 01, so a lot has changed, some almost mind bogglingly good, some, I wished had been retained. Trucks have gotten a lot taller over the yrs. to no benefit that I can discern. Used to be, a normal sized person could lean over the side, to reach something in the bed. Changing that, changed the utility of the truck and actually cost ground clearance. My 90 didn't need cab steps. The 01 did and lost 1.5" of ground clearance doing it. I also liked the sleeker look of the 01 (10th gen) vs. the 14th.

Such a long list of good things. Love the MPGs. More or less a 50% improvement. Radically more power. More or less dbl. the towing capacity. Maybe triple the storage options. The built in generator. 360 degree cameras, dual zone auto climate control, ACC and lane centering, heated and cooled seats, slippery mode with 4A and Ford Pass app, are the things that come to mind, that once you have them, you don't want to go back.

Most of the negatives are minor in comparison. The double turn of the knob for drive mode changes, might be a safety thing, so it doesn't really bother me that much but I wish whatever drive mode was previous, was kept resident until changed. Since it can remember radio and climate settings, it could remember that too.

The dbl. honk is a PIA and I bought the kit to disable the back up beeper.

Not having an old fashioned auto transmission tube and dipstick and now I learn that the front differential doesn't have a drain hole?

 

[crazywayne311]

the good?
when things work like they are supposed to haha

the bad?
rattles for days! if it isnt the sunroof or back window, i got one near the glove box. oh and the colder it gets, the worse the rattles get. i know i ONLY got a Lariat but like come on!
Auto-recirc is stupid! cant tell ya how many times ive been skunked on my drive b/c it magically cut off.
Sport mode not being a button. It should be to the left/right of normal with one click. not the ass end of the drive modes.

 

[2Lazy2P]

Why Ford insists on continuing to put the massive antenna on the F150 is beyond me. I hated it so much that I bought its replacement literally the next day after I bought the truck. lol. I went with this short one and have not had issues with reception at all. They designed it with stainless threads and an internal copper coil winding to ensure proper reception. Granted it's not an exact match to the OEM base but honestly how often does one look at that?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MRER777

I’ll check it out. I look at the base of the antenna every day owing to this. Drives me nuts but I’m OCD.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

LOL yeah, mine does that too. Good thing with that valance cover is that it's flexible so you can shove it back down. I have seen a lot of the 21-22's like this but later YM's don't seem to do this as bad. I have toyed with the idea of replacing them since they are not too expensive or getting using some 3M heavy duty automotive double sided tape and sticking it to the underside the of the cover so it won't pop up like that.

Many of the pictures on the Amazon reviews are of 14th gens and they doo seem to line up better than mine does. Maybe the one I was sent was for a different truck by mistake.

 

[gb7FRz26]

I didn't even realize how much I prefer the column shifter until I had one again. I can fold the work surface down even while driving!

When I received my special order 2021 XLT I was fully expecting the folding shifter in the center console, then saw the column shifter and was disappointed. That bug quickly turned into a feature when I realized the work surface could be used while driving, it's super nice to have and I use it that way quite a lot.

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