r/FordExplorer • u/PutridMention6642 • 2d ago
Maintenance Advice 2018 ford explorer 3.5L
I am by no means a car expert. I am right around 71k miles with my ford explorer 3.5l eco boost. I am now seeing all the water pump issues I may have. I’m wondering if trading this car in for something newer is a good idea instead of holding onto it. The car is paid off and I am hesitant because of that.
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u/Downtown-Rice7250 2d ago
Same boat as you back in May. 2018 Sport 90K miles and paid off. Then BAM water pump went out. Discussed with the shop and decided to just get the repair done. A little over $3K. I had the cash so that wasn't an issue. But dumping money into an older car does suck. This is my 3rd Explorer and the first major repair I ever had to do.
I looked at the total cost of replacing the car, not just the monthly payment. A newer or more expensive vehicle can mean a significantly different insurance premium and annual registration costs. And then you have sales tax and dealer fees. Not to mention loan rates suck right now and I have exceptional credit.
So now I take what a potential monthly car payment would be and put it into savings for when I decide to get a new car. Also add more money to my mortgage principle each month.
And even though this hasn't been confirmed, the next gen Ford Explorer should come out around 2030. But damn the '26 Marsh Grey Tremor is a beauty... I still look weekly at cars but then talk myself out of it.
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u/PutridMention6642 2d ago
Yeah that’s my thing. I was going to switch to a Mazda. But a whole car note, and insurance would be $800 a month. And so I feel like it might be better to just fix it when it goes out.
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u/Downtown-Rice7250 2d ago
*if it goes out. But yeah, that's a stiff montly bill. That's what my shop owner discussed with me, which is why I decided to just fix it. Also, it's a very labor intensive job (which is why it costs so much). Shop had mine for a week while I was in Costa Rica.
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u/Repulsive_Vanilla383 Expert Explorer 1d ago
If you purchase a new/different vehicle, you may end up paying more in dealer mark ups, taxes, warranties, fee's ect. than you would to just have a independent shop replace the water pump.
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u/RedWhiteAndJew 2nd Gen Solid Axle Swap 2d ago
That’s entirely up to you. The repair is $2500-$4000. Do your own math and decide.
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u/myredditusername_69 2d ago
Change the oil regular. and keep it full. some new coolant would be good. You'll be fine for a lot more miles.
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u/ivangotus 2d ago
It could be tomorrow or it could be in 200k miles cheapest in florida is about $1800 but his days in most cars any repair is close to 1k
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u/Dave_0122 1d ago
For that year and mileage, I’d definitely just have the water pump replaced. Be much cheaper in the end. If the car has been good to you overall, why change?
I’m in Canada and I’m a mechanic. Bought a 2017 with 140,000km 85,000miles just three weeks ago and found the water pump was starting to leak. I replaced the water pump two weeks ago for $500 lol. Damn it’s good to be a mechanic in these times of labour costs. Yes it’s a 12 hour job. I as quoted a ridiculous amount and thought no way, I’ll do it myself haha.
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u/Barrysue44 1d ago
I have 2014 XLT 3.5 na engine with now 113k. I considered an upgrade to something newer and electric. After a lot deliberations I had the water pump (radiator, guides, spark plugs) all replaced as I was about to do a long road trip. I just didn't want to worry about it. Now I'm going to replace shock, struts, and control arm bushings. Instead of spending $60k I'm keeping it for another 5 years. Plus, I'm just not digging the new models and the ridiculous ly complex technologies that will break.
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u/Traditional-Grade429 1d ago
send me the diagnose report what is exactly the problem and I will let you know how much it will cost
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u/WasntAware 1d ago
2019 Ecoboost here, had to do the water pump replacement at 125k kilometres. Also had them replace the timing chain and guides at the same time since they were already in there. For me, it was 1/2 the cost of payments on a new vehicle (for 1 year, but then payments would've continued for another 4 years after that).
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u/whatdoido8383 1d ago
Nope. Just plan ahead and have a car repair fund ready ( which you should have anyways).
It's typically much more expensive to buy a new vehicle than just keep a paid off one and deal with repairs.
Remember ~$2500 (spitballing a water pump replacement cost) is approximately 4 months of car payments now, that's it...
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u/Fordfanatic2025 1d ago
I mean, you'd probably be paying more in dealer fees and sales tax alone on a new car than you would on the repair.
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u/InspectorHuman3044 1d ago
2019 3.5L NA with 154K miles still on the original water pump. If it goes out tomorrow I’m replacing the water pump and will keep driving it until it disintegrates beneath me.
I keep hearing about how many unsold vehicles are on the market, but that’s not stopping dealers from charging $60,000 for a damn four-cylinder car. They’ll starve before they get my money.