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‘Poor guy got rid of his truck because of this switch’: Man buys Ford truck for $5,000 after dealership left previous owner with $3,600 bill. They missed something obvious

‘It’s almost priceless.’

Photo of Chad Swiatecki

Chad Swiatecki

Two panel design with a man looking shocked and at the camera, next to an image of a Ford Truck

First, let’s examine creator Alex Albright’s claim that his recent score of buying a 2001 Ford Lariat 7.3L pickup truck for $5,000 is some “deal of the century” type of purchase.

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In a recent TikTok video that’s been viewed close to 400,000 times, Albright (@alexanderalbrighttt) shares the details of grabbing the truck as a semi-distressed asset because its owner couldn’t fix a hidden battery drain problem that occurred every time it sat for close to an hour with the engine turned off.

So paying 5K for a 2001 Ford Lariat 7.3L pickup is a good deal?

The truck in question has just over 190.000 miles on it,, and some looking around online shows us that a 2001 Lariat 7.3 with that kind of mileage could go for north of $20,000. So Alex probably shaved more than $12,000 off the purchase price of a truck with an undiagnosed battery drain problem. While that’s not quite an example of Warren Buffett or J.P. Morgan-level deal making, it’s definitely an impressive score. Especially since we quickly learned that the truck’s battery drain issues could’ve been at least temporarily solved by flipping one switch on its climate system.

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We do have to give Alex some credit in his skill at finding the hidden culprit behind the battery drain, which had cost the prior owner more than $3,000 in new parts that hadn’t solved the problem and clearly caused him a great deal of frustration.

What was wrong with the Ford Lariat pickup?

Alex discovered a parasitic draw. A parasitic battery draw occurs when an electrical component continues to drain power from the battery even when the vehicle is turned off. Some of the most common culprits include:

  • Faulty relays: Electrical relays that stick in the “on” position can silently siphon power long after the engine has shut down.
  • Glove box or trunk lights: Lights that don’t properly shut off can drain the battery overnight, often unnoticed.
  • Aftermarket accessories: Poorly installed alarms, stereos, or GPS trackers can create hidden electrical drains.
  • Control modules: Modern vehicles are loaded with electronic modules that sometimes fail to enter sleep mode properly, leading to gradual battery depletion.
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Diagnosing a parasitic draw can be notoriously difficult because it requires isolating circuits and pinpointing the exact component at fault. Intermittent electrical issues are also elusive during brief diagnostic checks.

Do dealerships miss parasitic draws often?

As in the case with the Lariat, dealerships and mechanics tend to rely on expensive trial-and-error parts replacements rather than methodically tracing the root cause. This leaves vehicle owners stuck in an aggravating cycle of guesswork and costly repairs—until someone like our self-described “master mechanic,” Alex comes along to solve it in minutes.

He pretty much strains his arm patting himself on the back for tracing the problem to a blower motor that stayed running on low even when the engine was off. Aside from the inherent wiring fix, the issue could’ve been solved by turning the truck’s climate control switch to the “off” position rather than leaving it on and ready to start blowing as soon as the engine started up.

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Parasitic draw feels like the automotive equivalent of going to an urgent care and then a doctor’s office and then seeing a roster of specialists for diagnostic tests for an ache or recurring malady that just won’t go away and can’t be confidently diagnosed.

Commenters on the clip were quick to give Alex credit for grabbing a great deal.

“Actually that is a good deal for a super duty with a diesel,” one of them wrote.

“pre emissions, it almost priceless, it you put 5 to 10k into repairs and plan on keeping it you will have a forever truck,” another noted.

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Another, who’s clearly seen these kinds of problems before, offered a possible fix.

“Probably a water leak from the windshield going into the relay panel causing the draw.”

Daily Dot reached out to Alex via direct message, and Ford via email.

@alexanderalbrighttt

Ps im not even certified.

♬ original sound – Alex Albright
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