Hi all,

I bought a new Ford Fusion last week. I was looking over the owners manual and it stated that the fuel filter is a life time filter and fully integrated into the fuel tank. How is this so? I am aware of washable filters if you want to pay the extra expensive. However, this is the first time I ever herd or seen of a life time filter that never needs cleaning or replacing. Does this filter clean itself some how? If so, what does it clean itself with and were does the stuff go after wards?

If you can order the part, then its not lifetime....

I checked the Ford Order Catalog. You cannot order a fuel filter. The closest you can get is a fuel pump assembly that comes with a new a fuel filter that is integrated inside of it, and you need to drop the fuel tank to do this. Which would mean that either you get a new pump every so often, or you just leave it.

Posted by Greg I checked the Ford Order Catalog. You cannot order a fuel filter. The closest you can get is a fuel pump assembly that comes with a new a fuel filter that is integrated inside of it, and you need to drop the fuel tank to do this. Which would mean that either you get a new pump every so often, or you just leave it.

Chrysler tried this with the Neon and some of their other FWD models. And yes, instead of changing a filter, you're changing a fuel pump (to the tune of a couple of hundred bucks)
In my opinion, this shift towards filterless fuel systems is bogus and foolish.

Agreed. This is just a gimmick by ford to lower the projected maintenance costs of owning their vehicles.

BMW does a similar thing, but they do "lifetime fluids" for the transmission and the diff. So it's a lot less of a hassle than replacing your fuel pump and they still achieve the lower projected maintenance costs.

VW has lifetime automatic transmission fluid. You just replace the transmission every once and a while.

gm learned a valuable lesson with that lifetime transmission fluid bullshit.

I don't recall which car it is (may have been the neon already mentioned) but it has a set up similar to a sediment bucket. basically the shit gets trapped in the "bucket" at the bottom and the fuel is supposed to be filtered as a result.

I guess what I will do is that whenever I need a new filter, I go to a dealer and threaten to lunch a BBB complaint or claims court suite against them to get a new pump/filter free of charge. Here that is free to do this against a business or government, to make sure they stay fair and honest.

Posted by Greg I guess what I will do is that whenever I need a new filter, I go to a dealer and threaten to lunch a BBB complaint or claims court suite against them to get a new pump/filter free of charge. Here that is free to do this against a business or government, to make sure they stay fair and honest.

you can try that, but i'm sure that in their legalese fine print, that they have a way to weasel out of it.

Posted by Greg I go to a dealer and threaten to lunch a BBB complaint

Mmmm lunch.

I ended up asking a buddy of mine who is a Ford fanatic and he told me actually the so-called lifetime filter is just a little strainer inside the pump.

Posted by Agent Skelly I ended up asking a buddy of mine who is a Ford fanatic and he told me actually the so-called lifetime filter is just a little strainer inside the pump.

which will plug quickly and burn said pump up.

umm what exactly would be the nature of the complaint?
Dear manufacturer.. you changed the way something is made and operates and now I don't have to spend any money to fix it or maintain it.

Good luck with that

Posted by oddspot umm what exactly would be the nature of the complaint? Dear manufacturer.. you changed the way something is made and operates and now I don't have to spend any money to fix it or maintain it. Good luck with that

Owner's manual specifically states "LIFE-TIME FUEL FILTER, NO MAINTENANCE NEEDED." I checked the website, all books and all fine print. No specific millage was given for stated lifetime. If said filter becomes clogged, filled, or in anyway needs replaced, and the entire pump housing needs to be replaced, after pulling the tank off mind you. Then this is misleading and false advertising. In other words a lie. Here in the great province of British Columbia, this is a criminal offense and the offending business needs to rectify the situation at their own expense.

Posted by Greg Owner's manual specifically states "LIFE-TIME FUEL FILTER, NO MAINTENANCE NEEDED." I checked the website, all books and all fine print. No specific millage was given for stated lifetime. If said filter becomes clogged, filled, or in anyway needs replaced, and the entire pump housing needs to be replaced, after pulling the tank off mind you. Then this is misleading and false advertising. In other words a lie. Here in the great province of British Columbia, this is a criminal offense and the offending business needs to rectify the situation at their own expense.

In any province, false advertising is an offence. Though i'm no lawyer, i do not believe that the printing in an owners manual is considered advertising. False advertising usually refers to flyers, ads, commercials etc.... that intentionally bring you into a place of business to make a specific purchase.... that "KNOWINGLY" they can not honour. see also, bait and switch
I'm fairly certain that they did not advertise life time fuel filters as a selling feature.

By the way, the Better Business Bureau does not deal with criminal offences.

In any event, unless the design proves to be a faulty design, in which case you'd either see a recall and/or TSB (technical service bulletin), you're likely to end up making a whole bunch of phone calls and threats, only to end up with nothing for free....... probably not even a lunch (LOL @ bandi)

Posted by bandi VW has lifetime automatic transmission fluid. You just replace the transmission every once and a while.

dont get me started with the required 60k dsg fluid change

Posted by oddspot In any province, false advertising is an offence. Though i'm no lawyer, i do not believe that the printing in an owners manual is considered advertising. False advertising usually refers to flyers, ads, commercials etc.... that intentionally bring you into a place of business to make a specific purchase.... that "KNOWINGLY" they can not honour. see also, bait and switch I'm fairly certain that they did not advertise life time fuel filters as a selling feature. By the way, the Better Business Bureau does not deal with criminal offences. In any event, unless the design proves to be a faulty design, in which case you'd either see a recall and/or TSB (technical service bulletin), you're likely to end up making a whole bunch of phone calls and threats, only to end up with nothing for free....... probably not even a lunch (LOL @ bandi)

The BBB complaint, would be, so other people are aware of that specific issue. With the small claims court, I can show the judge the car book, and have a third party auto shop such as Canadian Tire, Auto Pro, Midas or another licensed facility put in writing that it needs to be replaced. That is how it would work to be successful. Although it is not advertised as a selling feature, it is stated in the owners manual. So depending on which judge you get, that can swing either way for the advertising part. But it is in the end still a misleading statement IF the filter ever needs replaced. With the recall or TSB, then Ford would be required under Federal statues for the work rendered.

I don't want to be a jackass, but technically, they are right that the fuel filter will last the lifetime of the pump. Now, the pump isn't guaranteed of course, but that's where they get you.

However, talking to my friend again he mentions that Ford in testing of the Fusion apparent found they needed to replace the pump at 100,000 miles.

Posted by Agent Skelly I don't want to be a jackass, but technically, they are right that the fuel filter will last the lifetime of the pump. Now, the pump isn't guaranteed of course, but that's where they get you. However, talking to my friend again he mentions that Ford in testing of the Fusion apparent found they needed to replace the pump at 100,000 miles.

not so fast, Skelly-san.
When a car is designed, they figure that the average shithead who buys it new will keep it for 36,000-50,000 miles tops and then trade for another car. The manufacturer does not give a flying shit over owner #2 or owner #3 and so on. This pump is easier and cheaper to manufacture, it eliminates the need for a little longer fuel line to accomodate a fuel filter, it eliminates the need for a 3rd party fuel filter, it eliminates a couple of steps on the assembly line and lowers the overall cost to build the car.

Now, here's where there is trouble in paradise... not all gas stations have good gas. What is good gas? Gas that isn't fucking water or has gravel in it. So, depending on where you get your gas, what kind of gas you run and how often you run your tank low will dictate how long that fuel pump lasts.