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.

Your vehicle is equipped with the Intelligent Oil Life Monitor™ (IOLM) system which displays a message in the message center at the proper oil change service interval; this interval may be up to one year or 10,000 miles (16,000 km). When ENGINE OIL CHANGE DUE or OIL CHANGE REQUIRED appears in the message center display, it’s time for an oil change; the oil change must be done within two weeks or 500 miles (800 km) of the ENGINE OIL CHANGE DUE or OIL CHANGE REQUIRED message appearing. The Intelligent Oil Life Monitor™ must be reset after each oil change; refer to the Instrument Cluster chapter.

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 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, Motorcraft or 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 your Warranty Guide for complete warranty information.

Chemicals or additives not approved by Ford 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.

Oils, 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 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.