For other thoughts, when was it made in 2020? As the pandemic settled in and parts were in short supply, some features you might want may be missing. I still traveled a little in 2021, more in 2022, and I noticed National rental cars seemed to be whatever they could get. One had manual window cranks and the old style ignition keys instead of the fob- I didn't know those were still any sort of option! It was in a modern body. I haven't had a rental car with a GPS through the end of last year. There was nothing wrong with the cars, they just seemed to have a mix of modern and 10 year old technology. I also don't know if they consumer cars had the same sort of shortages, or maybe National was just getting the least expensive cars they could.
Road salt won’t have much effect on a 2 year old car. I would be more concerned about why someone was selling their truck after owning it for just 2 years.
You don't know until you crawl under it and take a look. I wouldn't buy one brand new without doing that. If it is remote, ask the dealer to put it on a lift and take pictures, if they won't do that..Meh...The F150 is nothing special - you can easily find another from a dealer that will cooperate. My dad's new F150 came complete with a used heroin needle and glass that was completely scratched to ****.
I wouldn't worry about it too much on a 2 year old truck. Have it looked at and and maybe have it undercoated/fluid filmed if you are concerned.
Other thoughts: I almost purchased a 2020 F150 from a Ford dealer in TN. Thankfully I got an independent mechanic to check out truck. There’s a common problem with the 4wd on F150s. The front drive axles can stay engaged if there’s a vacuum problem. There’s no indication inside the vehicle if this happens. The 4wd also works perfectly when engaged. The axels aren’t engaged at the front differential with this problem so it’s difficult to detect. The only issue is the axels are unnecessary spinning for no reason other than the lack of vacuum. The truck has to be raised to allow the front wheels to rotate fwd and backwards to detect this malfunction. Ford refused to fix it prior to the sale because the 4wd was working when selected. They said I could run it through their shop under warranty after I purchase. I declined the truck purchase after making a deposit. Will never deal with that dealership again.
It's a common problem with most modern ESOF vehicles. In Fords, the mechanism is called an IWE (integrated wheel end) and uses vacuum to keep the front wheels disengaged from the hub. When 4x4 is selected, the vacuum is cutoff and the IWE falls into place, locking the wheel to the half-shaft. When the IWE fails or there is a vacuum leak, the IWE fails into "4WD mode". It's a common failure point on GM vehicles as well. I prefer the manual lockouts from Warn or similar. No guessing whether or not your hubs are engaged.
I believe Ford actually has a SB out on the IWE. Some owners have experienced intermittent uncommanded engagement causing a clicking sound, and the SB fix is to cap off the vacuum lines permanently leaving the IWE always engaged. It does not really hurt, other than the axles are always spinning.
I have 90,000 miles on my 2017 F150 3.5L Ecoboost that I bought new. I have not had any issues with the 4WD IWE system. I use the 4WD often. I recently changed the diff fluid (for the first time) and the rear diff fluid looked and smelled like cancer. The front diff fluid looked brand new. So, the system has definitely been working properly on mine and the front has not been spinning unless it has needed it. I sent the diff fluid off to the lab. No water. The diff fluid was not worn out yet according to the lab.
It was built 7/20 so well past the pandemic started. So I worry about the quality issues. And it appears that it was a commercial registered vehicle, which makes me concerned about maintenance history. The 3.5 L liter TwinTurbo does not seem to like to go long without an oil change so I think I’m gonna pass on this one.
Lol, the rear diff would have had the limited slip additive, and yes, it does have a distinct aroma to it. The front diff doesn't need the additive because it's an open differential design.
Nasty smell for sure, but I don't think there would be limited slip additive. The rear diff is not a limited slip, nor do I think you can even get a F150 with a limited slip anymore. I have the electronic locking. Though it is of limited use unless you're a big-time off-roader. Why is a limited slip of limited use in the real world? Well, now that a F150 computer can apply brakes individually to a wheel, it uses that to substitute for a limited slip diff. In the event that one rear wheel starts spinning, and the other does not, it applies braking force to the spinning wheel, which then causes the differential to send power to the non-spinning wheel. It works shockingly well. So well that I never bother to actually engage my electronic lock. My F150 spent a lot of time pulling it's max 10,000 lb load up and down mountains out west, all while doing 70 mph or better. It has spent at least 35,000 miles of its life with the engine running at 60" of manifold pressure all day long. I imagine that has something to do with the diff fluid smell.
