Ok, I've been lurking for a week trying to avoid asking questions that are already answered, etc.

Last Friday I traded in a 2002 Dakota (I bought new and being raised to only change the oil & kick the tires it had a very rough 115k miles on it) for this 2005 Dakota w/49,000 miles on it:

***Moved Pix to My Garage***

A couple years back I married a Mechanics daughter so I've since learned a lot and I'd like to take MUCH better care of this truck.
I've started by making an appointment with my Mechanic to do the following:
Note: I'm having the mechinac do this because I have a 4yr warranty so I want paperwork to prove that it was done.
1.) L.O.F. - I ordered a Gold Plug magnetic oil drain plug. I was planning to do a straight switch to synthetic but then I read that some folks run a fresh dino change for a month/1,000 miles to "clean" the engine because it's unknown how it was treated previously. This doesn't seem like a bad idea, but I donno. What do y'all think, just go ahead with a switch to synthetic or do a short dino run/cleaning?
2.) Change Rear Axle fluid to Royal Purple 75W-140. No idea if I have 8.25 or 9.25 that manual referenced. But I'm just handing a mechanic a bottle, so I'm not too worried about it.
3.) Inspect PCV valve
4.) Check coolant. Expect this to be fine as in a 104 degree drive home from Chicago it stayed under the half mark for temp.
5.) Replace plugs w/Autolite 3923's. Gapped to .40 for 4.7 H.O. engine?
6.) Inspect Brakes - Pads & Lines.

At 60,000 Miles I plan to:
1.) Replace coolant, have a 180 temp failsafe thermostat installed (unless of course it's found the installed one matches this spec...)
2.) Replace Drive belt.
3.) ATF fluid and filter change.

The body looks great, but there is some underbody & frame rust. What can I do about that? Besides spraying it down weekly with butter scented PAM, lol.

It didn't come with more than 1 set of keys, floor mats, or a manual.
For the keys, I am under the impression I have to go to a Dodge Dealership and spend $50~120?

I'd like some floor mats that will put up with kids, dogs, and hobby farm life. Anybody know of some that fit the Gen 3 Dakota's well and take a beating? Along with that I'm thinking of getting these seat covers: http://www.rufftuff.com/seatcovers/dura.asp
Good? Or are there better ones?

I found the sticky for Manuals & what not. Super useful! But, I'd like a book I can reference while I'm actually working on it, or during power outages. Does it matter which one I get or has one "proved" more accruate than others? Haynes, Chilton, etc?

So, that's my short list for basic maintance and a bit of getting things started. Am I missing anything?

 

Welcome, nice bed stripe.

Full "synthetic" is fine, 49k is lower milage and it only applies to sevearly neglected engines. 4.7l H.O. will require autolite 3922 plugs.
The rear diff should be filled with 75-90 unless you tow then 75-140 is recomended.

 

Welcome to DF! The truck looks great, good find.

I switched to Amsoil very early in my truck's lifespan (around 8k miles if I remember correctly) so I didn't need a flush but I know Amsoil had a special flush kit they recommended using if the vehicle had been run for quite a while on dino oil. Probably worth looking into.

If you have a good space to work on the truck the rear axle is actually pretty easy to do yourself. It can be a messy job but it's not difficult and while you have the rear diff cover off you can sand the outside and paint it, engine enamel works great for this.

That depends, is your key black or grey? When I had my Python installed the installer mentioned that if I'd had the grey key I would have needed an extra one and an extra module for the alarm to get the remote start working because the grey ones have the security chip. Mine didn't so I got a normal copy (without the remote built in) made at my local dealer for free.

If you want the best floor coverage and a good fit I'd go for these: http://www.autoanything.com/floor-mats/64A2002A0A0.aspx

I had the Xtreme Catch-all's before and the carpet screws that hold them down broke then they warped and started sliding around like crazy, they also didn't have the coverage the WeatherTechs have. If I remember later I'll snap a picture of mine for you.

The Haynes manual is pretty good, you do have to be careful though because it's for the Dakota and Durango and sometimes isn't 100% correct for the Dakota. (Example: It shows access panels in the wheel wells to easily get at the area behind the headlights for unbolting and removing them. That's probably true on the Durango but not so on my Dakota!)

 

Great looking truck!! Welcome to the forum. A truck with a bedstripe like that was the inspiration for my bedstripe. I switched to synthetic about 7k miles ago (I'm at 72k now) and have had no issues. If you have been lurking then you know there is a ton of experience on here so dont be shy. Just watch out for some of these guys on here....lol

 

Thanks! Between the stripe, the premium sound pkg, & the awesome sound the Magnaflow's make I'm not sure I could have convinced my wife to leave the lot without it even if I had found something bad about the truck.

You threw me here as I had to rely on the sticky manuals which both say 75-140 for the rear. But after searching I see the 75-90 seems to be for better MPG when not towing or hauling anything. I may not tow much but I haul heavy loads fairly often (one of the reasons I went with this truck as it has heavy duty suspension and I plan on taking advantage of it!) so it looks like I need to stick to the 75-140. However, thanks to the searching on the topic, I now know I have a 9.25 as I have 12 bolts. So, should I get this Fel-Pro gasket? Seems like a good idea to me as I plan to change my fluid every 15,000 miles. UPDATE: Amazon lies! That gasket didn't fit my truck, so went to silicon, and I think I'll just do that every time.

I also saw that there is a magnet in there you should clean off, anybody use an aftermarket Neodymium one?

 

Thanks, can you believe I found it at a Mercedes dealership? Who trades a Dakota in for a Mercedes? Whatever, I'm glad they did! It was clear the sales manager wasn't used to talking to a country boy.
I'm also glad I already knew alot about Dakota's because they had no clue. They didn't even mention the K&N filter on the ebay listing, or when I/we opened the hood. I'm not sure they realized it wasn't stock.

I'd DIY it but I want the paperwork showing I took it to a certified mechanic soon after purchase and had them do a full inspection & recommended fluid changes. Especially because I have not yet received the full warranty paperwork in the mail so I can't read it to see what I need to do to make sure my end of the deal is covered.

I did however see a thread on the enameled cover, probably yours, and I put it on my list of things to do. Maybe at 65k . Not only does it look awesome, but looks like a great rust preventative! You want to do that to my entire underbody right?


Black. With the built in/stock alarm, when the lock button is pressed, atleast on my truck, if you use just the key to unlock the doors and open them the alarm goes off, as I learned the hard way the first night I had it . So I'll pay up to give my wife a key with a remote built in, but sounds like that will be on the cheaper side still because it's black. But still thanks for the tip, now I plan to ask for a spare non-remote one to keep in my wallet!

Even comes in grey to match the rest of my interior!

Yea I had/have a Haynes for my 02 Dakota, bought it when I was trying to figure out an overheating issue it had/has. The instructions were clear enough for even my rookie eyes while I changed out my entire cooling system but yea, sometimes it would tell me to remove something that wasn't there, etc. Too bad that book stops at 2004.

 

Nice truck Just a quick note on the t-stat. I have had nothing but bad luck with the fail safe ones. I would highly recommend not getting it. I have also heard nothing but bad news on them.

 

Im sure this is been brought up before but I'll use this thread to ask anyways... Where do you guys get the bed stripes?????

 

Klingsdesigns

 

Interesting, sounded like such a straight forward thing. What's good then just a standard 180 T-Stat? Napa, OEM, or some place I've yet to learn about?