Dealer or private mechanic?

[TrevsRaptor]

Just bought a used 65k miles 2013 raptor with supercharger.

Would you recommend I have it serviced at the dealer?

 

[Ricoman]

Just bought a used 65k miles 2013 raptor with supercharger.

Would you recommend I have it serviced at the dealer?

Not unless you bring a tube of K-Y Jelly..!! Always better finding a private shop you can trust.
But what kind of service?? I bought a 2014 with Whipple SC on it last year...50K...has 60K now,and only service it needed was oil change which I did myself...From what I've heard,plugs,SC oil dont need to be serviced until closer to 100K...only thing alot of guys talk about here are Shocks...being done at 45-50K....Mine are still fine,but dont off-road it alot....and when I do need to do shocks,sure not bringing it to the Dealer...I'd trust Les Schwab with doing it before I'd go to a dealer. IMHO

 

[TrevsRaptor]

Not unless you bring a tube of K-Y Jelly..!! Always better finding a private shop you can trust.
But what kind of service?? I bought a 2014 with Whipple SC on it last year...50K...has 60K now,and only service it needed was oil change which I did myself...From what I've heard,plugs,SC oil dont need to be serviced until closer to 100K...only thing alot of guys talk about here are Shocks...being done at 45-50K....Mine are still fine,but dont off-road it alot....and when I do need to do shocks,sure not bringing it to the Dealer...I'd trust Les Schwab with doing it before I'd go to a dealer. IMHO

My Main concern is a ticking sound from the V8 which I believe needs a header to be replaced. It had oil changed before I bought it and has some aftermarket ICON suspension that seems to not need maintenance at this time.

 

[MFNG]

My Main concern is a ticking sound from the V8 which I believe needs a header to be replaced. It had oil changed before I bought it and has some aftermarket ICON suspension that seems to not need maintenance at this time.

Congrats on the used with ICON find! Seek out your local race shop. I would rather pay them double than send mine to the dealer. They usually have better prices, knowledge and will do a better job.

Call your local dealer and start asking Raptor specific questions. You will quickly find, as I did even with my limited knowledge, that this forum will teach you more than any of their people know. The master mechanic of my local even admitted so himself.

Save yourself some heartache and money - find a trusted local shop.

 

[badm0t0rfinger]

So its a big IF but IF you can find a dealership to do your normal periodic stuff while under warranty thats not a bad bet. I had a place that was really good to me when I first bought the truck, and then I moved and had to go to 3 dealerships before I felt comfortable. The nice thing about that dealership was the tech would often come out and talk to me and just give me heads up on what he recommended. Once I had built a rapport with him he was just fine with "customer supplied" parts (though legally he could only warranty the work, not the parts). That being said he HAD to stick to the dealership hourly rates (which I'm sure he was fine with) but he was cool overall.

THAT BEING SAID, I'd take an independent shop every day of the week. They aren't beholden to the same kind of tactics that dealerships sometimes and usually have more wiggle room for what they're able to do. They're almost always customer part friendly, mod friendly, and only pushing for needed repairs.

As for your suspension kit, no way I'm letting anyone but a qualified shop/tech touch that!

 

[anothervr6kid]

I had a supercharged 2012 raptor. I used a local race shop that built raptors to troubleshot bigger issues with my truck. He recommended the dealer (and a specific service guy there) for some maintenance and work they didn't have time to do. Dealer was alright, not the best customer service and cost too much and super slow at completing the work, but I didn't really have a choice. I had a great mechanic at a local indie shop to do routine maintenance when I didn't have time to do it. He was also honest on work he wouldn't do on the raptor due to cost/possible issues.

On my 13 raptor, I used the dealer for oil changes and warranty work. It was cheaper than buying the oil and doing it myself. Oil change and tire rotation was always on sale for $21-$30. Couldn't beat that.

 

[Canuck714]

Just bought a used 65k miles 2013 raptor with supercharger.

Would you recommend I have it serviced at the dealer?

Me personally, I dont let the dealer touch my truck.
Definitely do not let a Ford dealer plug in to OBD port and flash it. You do not want them messing with the tune your truck needs to run a blower. A Roush authorized Ford store should be smart enough to recognize the difference, but I would be leaving a note on the OBD saying DO NOT TOUCH.

Question... what blower? Whipple, Roush TVS or other?
Generally you will not want to run the stock ford spark plugs. The heat range is too hot, so get those out ASAP. NGK 6510 (LTR-7IX) gapped at 30 thou is the next heat range plug that should be in there. Dont expect a boosted 6.2 to go 100k miles on plugs.
If its a Stage 2 Roush, replace the Roush belt with a Gates K061251HD the green one. Its a tad shorter. The Roush belt has a tenancy to fly off if you get wheel hop (also bad on drivetrain)

Other than that, drive the wheels off it. Ive got 113,000 miles on mine.

 

[TrevsRaptor]

Thank you all for the feedback. It is a rough edition raptor.

I found a local roush dealer who services as well with some good reviews. I am going to give them a shot

 

[MFNG]

https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/ford-put-400-miles-on-my-raptor-during-warranty-work.74883/

This right here is why you don’t go to dealerships. Stay safe my friends.