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GENERAL MAINTENANCE INFORMATION
Why maintain your vehicle?
This guide describes the scheduled maintenance required for your
vehicle. Carefully following this schedule helps protect against major
repair expenses resulting from neglect or inadequate maintenance and
may also help to increase the value of your vehicle when you sell or
trade it.
It is your responsibility to see that all scheduled maintenance is
performed and that the materials used meet Ford engineering
specifications. Failure to perform scheduled maintenance specific in this
guide will invalidate warranty coverage on parts affected by the lack of
maintenance. Be sure receipts for completed maintenance are kept with
the vehicle and confirmation of the work performed is always recorded in
this guide.
Your Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealer has factory-trained technicians who
can perform the required maintenance using genuine Ford parts. They
are committed to meeting your service needs and to assuring your
continuing satisfaction.
Protecting your investment
Maintenance is an investment that will pay dividends in the form of
improved reliability, durability and resale value. To ensure the proper
performance of your vehicle and its emission control systems, it is
imperative that scheduled maintenance be completed at the designated
intervals.
For your convenience, your vehicle is equipped with a message center
which determines the proper oil change service interval. You should
perform the engine oil change as indicated by the instrument cluster
message center. The message center will display ENGINE OIL CHANGE
SOON or OIL CHANGE REQUIRED to indicate when an oil change is
needed. The engine oil change service needs to be completed within two
weeks or 500 miles (800 km) after the OIL CHANGE REQUIRED
message is displayed. Your oil change service interval can be up to one
year or 10,000 miles (16,000 km). Reset your Intelligent Oil Life
Monitor™ after each engine oil and filter change; refer to the
Instrument Clusterchapter.
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If your message center is prematurely reset or becomes inoperative, you
should perform the oil change interval at six months or 5,000 miles
(8,000 km) from your last oil change.
Your vehicle is very sophisticated and built with multiple complex
performance systems. Every manufacturer develops these systems using
different specifications and performance features. That’s why it’s
important to rely upon your Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership to
properly diagnose and repair your vehicle.
Ford Motor Company has recommended maintenance intervals for
various parts and component systems based upon engineering testing.
Ford Motor Company relies upon this testing to determine the most
appropriate mileage for replacement of oils and fluids to protect your
vehicle at the lowest overall cost to you and recommends against
maintenance schedules that deviate from the scheduled maintenance
information.
Ford strongly recommends the use of genuine Ford replacement parts.
Parts other than Ford, Motorcraftor Ford-authorized remanufactured
parts that are used for maintenance replacement or for the service of
components affecting emission control must be equivalent to genuine
Ford Motor Company parts in performance and durability. It is the
owner’s responsibility to determine the equivalency of such parts. Please
consult yourWarranty Guidefor complete warranty information.
Non-Ford approved chemicals or additives are not required for factory
recommended maintenance. In fact, Ford Motor Company recommends
against the use of such additive products unless specifically
recommended by Ford for a particular application.
Oil, fluids and flushing
In many cases, fluid discoloration is a normal operating characteristic
and, by itself, does not necessarily indicate a concern or that the fluid
needs to be changed. However, discolored fluids that also show signs of
overheating and/or foreign material contamination should be inspected
immediately by a qualified expert such as the factory-trained technicians
at your Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership. Your vehicle’s oils and fluids
should be changed at the specified intervals or in conjunction with a
repair. Flushing is a viable way to change fluid for many vehicle
sub-systems during scheduled maintenance. It is critical that systems are
flushed only with new fluid that is the same as that required to fill and
operate the system, or using a Ford-approved flushing chemical.
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Genuine Ford parts and service
When planning your maintenance services, consider your Ford and
Lincoln Mercury dealership for all your vehicle’s needs.
Get the most from your service and maintenance visits
There are a lot of reasons why visiting your Ford or Lincoln Mercury
dealership for all your service needs is a great way to help keep your
vehicle running great.
Convenience
Many dealerships have extended evening and Saturday hours to make
your service visit more convenient. How’s that for quality service?
Factory-trained technicians
Ford and Lincoln Mercury service technicians participate in extensive
factory-sponsored certification training to help them become experts on
the operation of your vehicle. Ask your dealership about the training and
certification their technicians have received.
Genuine Ford and Motorcraftreplacement parts
Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealerships stock Ford and Motorcraft
branded replacement parts. These parts meet or exceed Ford Motor
Company’s specifications, and we stand behind them. Parts installed at
your Ford or Lincoln Mercury dealership carry a nationwide, 12 months,
12,000 mile (20,000 km) parts and labor limited warranty. Your dealer
can give you details.
Value shopping for your vehicle’s maintenance needs
Your dealership recognizes the competitive landscape of maintenance and
light repair automotive services. With factory-trained technicians, and
one-stop service from routine maintenance like oil changes and tire
rotations to repairs like brake service, check out the value your Ford and
Lincoln Mercury dealers can offer.
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