Maintenance and repair cost is one of the reasons why we chose the Ford Transit over the Sprinter van or the Ram ProMaster. Don’t get us wrong: all brands have their own issues and problems, Ford included. But when it’s time to visit the dealer for planned or unplanned maintenance or repair, we’d rather visit a Ford dealer than a Mercedes dealer as the parts and labor are much cheaper (and parts availability is much faster as well). Also, Ford dealers are all over the place and they know the Transit very well. We’ve been logging our entire maintenance and repair cost below, hope that helps!
NOTE: To abbreviate the list below, oil changes and tires are omitted (as this maintenance is scheduled and can be easily predicted).
Ford Transit 2016
Our First Van Conversion
- T-250 Cargo Van
- 3.7L Ti-VCT V6 Engine
- RWD
- 148″ Wheelbase, Extended Length (EL)
- High Roof
Our first labor of love, this Ford Transit camper van conversion took us throughout Canada, USA and Mexico. 4 years of full time Van Life adventures, unreal!
| MILES | DATE | MAINTENANCE/REPAIR | COST ($ US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22,500 | December 2017 | New transmission flexible coupler (temporary fix). Performed under warranty. It’s well known and documented issue, but no worries: newer Ford Transits (since mid-2017 ish) come with the updated giubo and it’s not an issue anymore. This is per Safety Recall 17S15. | 0 |
| 29,000 | March 2018 | New interior handle for sliding door. Something broke and a new handle was installed under warranty. We checked online and it seems to be something that happens sometimes on the Ford Transit… | 0 |
| 32,000 | June 2018 | New transmission flexible coupler (temporary fix). This was supposed to be a permanent fix, but turns out there is a new Safety Recall 19S38. | 0 |
| 37,500 | Sept 2018 | Spare tire carrier replacement. We had our tires rotated at a Ford dealer and we received the van with a broken spare tire carrier… We think the tech installed the wheel upside down, as this is known to break the ratchet mechanism (yep…). Replacing the mechanism is a 350$ job, but they agreed to do it free of charge. The correct way to install the spare tire into the carrier is described in the Ford Transit owner’s manual. | 0 |
| 42,500 | November 2018 | New brake pads and rotors (rear only). It’s a well known fact that the Ford Transit go through rear brakes real fast, unfortunately. Changing pads is pretty straightforward, but axles have to be removed to change the rotors (!) hence the STEEP price tag for this job. In our case, last time we had an oil change, the dealer told us our brakes were fine (when they were clearly NOT). That’s the same dealer that messed with our Spare Tire Carrier… so anyway, as a result we worn our rotors and needed new ones. | 750 |
| 56,000 | Sept 2019 | Loose tie-rod (front-passenger). We could hear some noise coming from the front when turning at low speed on bumpy road. Fixed. Alignment must be performed after tie rod replacement (included in price shown above). | 330 |
| 56,000 | Sept 2019 | Sliding door adjustment. We noticed the sliding door got harder to operate and made rubbing noise. All it needed was an adjustment (no parts replaced). | 40 |
| 56,000 | Sept 2019 | New brake pads (front only). The pads were 4mm thick (minimum recommended thickness is 3mm). The pads are supposedly warrantied for life (free pads, must pay for workmanship). | 230 |
| 65,000 | March 2020 | New transmission flexible coupler (temporary fix). 2015-2017 vans with flexible coupler will eventually receive a u-joint, until then the flexible coupler is to be changed every 40,000 miles. This is per Safety Recall 19S38. | 0 |
| 68,500 | July 2020 | New brake pads and rotors (rear only). Here we go again! The rear brake pads were to be changed, and unfortunately the rotor were too thin to be re-surfaced so we had to install new ones. | 665 |
| 80,000 | May 2021 | Differential fluid and rear brakes service. Diff fluid was discolored. Probably not urgent, but still we did it by prevention. Rear brakes needed to be cleaned. | 385 |
| 95,000 | December 2021 | New u-joint replacing the flexible coupler (permanent fix!). We’re finally done with this! This is the permanent fix for the flexible coupler (giubo) cracking. | 0 |
| 95,860 | July 2022 | Brake pads and rotors (rear only). | 651 |
| TOTAL | $3,051 |
Ford Transit 2021
Our next chapter
- T-350 Cargo Van
- 3.5L EcoBoost (twin-turbocharged) Engine
- AWD
- 148″ Wheelbase, Extended Length (EL)
- High Roof
Life is about project, so here’s an awesome new project to keep us busy for a while! We should start the conversion early January 2022. This is a brand new van that we acquired in November 2021, we will update the maintenance/repair cost as we go!
| MILES | DATE | MAINTENANCE/REPAIR | COST ($ US) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,500 | September 2022 | A/C compressor replacement (warrantied) | 0 |
| TOTAL | $0 |
I heard the T-350 requires being registered as a commercial vehicle. Is there any reason to get a 250 vs. 350 regarding registration and insurance?
Just did my first set of rear pads/rotors at 62k miles. $650 US. Same story from several mechanics – pads have lots of life left and then it’s metal on metal.
Use the Tow/Haul button to activate engine braking and save your brakes.
I’ve got a 2020 Transit and I recommend strongly: check the two little drains in the pocket where the windshield wipers rest. I they clog, water can pour into the airfilter; and after lots of desert travel, blow the dust from the air filter itself.
Agreed! They indeed tend to clog with stuff…
Cheers
Wow, thank you so much for all the info! I laughed when you mentioned quitting engineering jobs, that explains the amazing detail. So much info , so appreciated!!
Greg
Hey Isabelle and Antoine!
You’ve been extremely helpful with the content you create! Bonus, the page looks awesome!
Currently, with my partner, we are converting a VW crafter van and hopefully in two months we’ll hit the road! 🙂
What is really mysterious and bugging us is the vehicle registration, how can we travel for more than a year since it expires in one year?
Thanks and all best!!!
We didn’t talk much about that because regulations changes with location. We’re from Quebec (Canada) and we were able to extend our insurance/registration to 1.5 year. Then, we spent 6 months in British Columbia and became resident (and got new registration/insurance there): https://faroutride.com/van-insurance-bc/
Good luck!
Antoine
Wondering how conversion effects the manufacturers warranty? Pretty sure I want to buy a new van but it dawned on me the warranty might void as soon as I start converting, cutting, wiring etc.