FORD To Introduce Capped Price Servicing from July 1st..

[csv8]

In my paper today..Ford has an advert for Capped price servicing from July 1.
"Conditions : My Ford Capped Price Servicing available from participating dealers for vehicles built from July 2007, up to and including 6 years of age or 105,000kms, whichever comes first." " Contact your dealer for pricing."
'Value added-offers Free Roadside assist, My Ford Extended Warranty. Privilege Card Membership. Mechanical Protection Plans."
My comment..this is good news, I hope they match Toyota's plans and its good that Ford are finally recognising customers."

[XESP351]

Sounds great, my car is September 2007

I shouldn't get too excited yet though....

[aussie muscle]

Originally Posted by XESP351

Sounds great, my car is September 2007

I shouldn't get too excited yet though....

mine too

[aquahead2001]

I qualify on one vehicle, the Ranger, but miss out on the Territory as its a 2006 model. it had its 90k service yesteday and i came away fairly light in the pocket but still believing I got reasonable value.

They replaced the ball joints again (for nicks as its covered under a special warranty to 150k km.) and fitted new sway bar drop links as the bushes were gone (you could see the buggered bushes). The cost was $645 in total but they then came out and said that Ford was also providing a 12 month road side assistance program, including towing to a Ford Dealer in case of a non-repairable breakdown.

The service also included a PCM update which they have always done on both my vehicles at service. I am a firm believer in getting these PCM updates, I know with my Ranger, after each update performance and economy has improved. the Territory has also benefited as well.

[Poetic Justice]

If it's anything like Nissan's 'MyNissan' Capped Servicing it will be a load of crap.

Sure, Nissan's services are capped. At the normal price of the service that it always was, just no more than that.

[roberts]

Originally Posted by SCUD

If it's anything like Nissan's 'MyNissan' Capped Servicing it will be a load of crap.

Sure, Nissan's services are capped. At the normal price of the service that it always was, just no more than that.

Nissan capped serving is to bring back loyalty to there dealerships, something that has been lost through the popularity of car forums where every armchair mechanic has an opinion and a complaint.
It means the servicing cost are capped across every dealership across Australia so customers will call around and get the same price for the same car for the same service, sort of like your big mac, should be the same price at every Mcdonalds and I guess if its not then Im sure there is a Mcdonalds forum for these types of consumers to make there complaints about costs.

Toyota came up with the Fixed price serving when they started the express servicing (2 techs working on the one car on the one hoist at the same time they are trained by toyota to carry out these services in the least amount of time, the way this was calculated was by hooking 2 techs up to a gps tracking device and watched where they walked and what things they did in a certain order when carrying out different services on different models and a toyota brain looked at the info and worked out the fastest possible way from point A to finish)
When having a toyota fixed price service, you have nothing other then the bare minimum done to your car if its not in the book then its not touched, no washer additive, no engine oil flush, no injectors cleaner, power steering oil will never be changed, just enough to get the customer through the 3 year or 60,000 km's when the fixed price service stops, this is the hope that to driver will want a new car by this time and buy another toyota . Toyotas are hugely simple to service and the 2 techs can do these "pitstop" services in about 15mins, the serving cost still comes over the fixed price, and the rest is charged back to Toyota warranty department.

Im sure ford will be going down the same track as Nissan to bring some trust back to the dealerships, like I said earlier Chinese whispers across the internet has made this a reality.
Hope i cleared any miss conceptions.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by roberts

Nissan capped serving is to bring back loyalty to there dealerships, something that has been lost through the popularity of car forums where every armchair mechanic has an opinion and a complaint.
It means the servicing cost are capped across every dealership across Australia so customers will call around and get the same price for the same car for the same service, sort of like your big mac, should be the same price at every Mcdonalds and I guess if its not then Im sure there is a Mcdonalds forum for these types of consumers to make there complaints about costs.

Toyota came up with the Fixed price serving when they started the express servicing (2 techs working on the one car on the one hoist at the same time they are trained by toyota to carry out these services in the least amount of time, the way this was calculated was by hooking 2 techs up to a gps tracking device and watched where they walked and what things they did in a certain order when carrying out different services on different models and a toyota brain looked at the info and worked out the fastest possible way from point A to finish)
When having a toyota fixed price service, you have nothing other then the bare minimum done to your car if its not in the book then its not touched, no washer additive, no engine oil flush, no injectors cleaner, power steering oil will never be changed, just enough to get the customer through the 3 year or 60,000 km's when the fixed price service stops, this is the hope that to driver will want a new car by this time and buy another toyota . Toyotas are hugely simple to service and the 2 techs can do these "pitstop" services in about 15mins, the serving cost still comes over the fixed price, and the rest is charged back to Toyota warranty department.

Im sure ford will be going down the same track as Nissan to bring some trust back to the dealerships, like I said earlier Chinese whispers across the internet has made this a reality.
Hope i cleared any miss conceptions.

Why does a new car need an oil flush? You and I know its a scam and its up there with paint protection. Sure if the car has done 30k without a service then recommend the flush, but at a regular service intervals its completely unnecessary. Washer additive? Also unnecessary. How much do you charge for what is basically a squirt of dishwashing liquid?
Power steering fluid? That shouldnt need changing until 100k.

[roberts]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Why does a new car need an oil flush? You and I know its a scam and its up there with paint protection. Sure if the car has done 30k without a service then recommend the flush, but at a regular service intervals its completely unnecessary. Washer additive? Also unnecessary. How much do you charge for what is basically a squirt of dishwashing liquid?
Power steering fluid? That shouldnt need changing until 100k.

yes washer additive is not expensive and most find it very necessary your standards may not ne to a brand new car level, but its a nicer touch than some dirty tap water in a brand new car, engine flush it cant hurt pulling all the old oil out and starting fresh. Once you have had the power steering fluid flushed with good fluid you will swear its a different car I would say more like 60,000 then 100 depending how its driven and type of car. Anyone can drop the fat in the drive way but we are not talking 180b's here.
trust me when I say the little JoeBlow mechanical shops will do anything to have you coming back that why he pretends to be your best mate, like hes all in the know about those scamming dealerships. He doesn't care about you or your car do you think a dealership has more at stake to service the car to a higher standard I think so, fact is without a dealership service and parts department, JoeBlow would be out of business because dealerships will be out of business.

[EB#]

Will Ford cap the price of an oil change at $300 ? ............

[Yellow_Festiva]

When I bought my Focus a few months ago the salesperson promised me $199 fixed price servicing....

Come delivery... the paperwork promised to me regarding it was nowhere to be found. The salesperson was on an overseas holiday (what luck)... and the manager had no idea about any fixed price servicing offered by Ford, nor did he want to entertain the thought of giving it to me....

After several phone calls, getting Ford CRC involved and a lot of huffing and puffing on my behalf I eventually got my letter stating the fixed price servicing as promised to me at negotiation time.... (as well as other things)...

Anyway... looking fwd to using it for the first time soonish. Ford have dropped the ball in so many ways and they wonder why their sales are on the decline. Fixed / capped price servicing has been offered by other brands for a few years now at least.

Anyway.... seems it was in the pipeline after all... so why did they put me through hell??

[prydey]

people hear 'fixed price' and think they are being looked after, whether it be building a house or getting the car serviced.

my brothers in laws recently bought a corolla and toyota have fixed price servicing @ $199. my last service on my fg (60k) was $180. if you build up a good relationship with your dealer, you will get looked after.

its a marketing catchphrase that works though so i guess you can't argue with it.

the 'fixed price' will also be a 'fixed' list of items. anything extra will incur a charge. make no mistake.

[Poetic Justice]

Originally Posted by prydey

people hear 'fixed price' and think they are being looked after, whether it be building a house or getting the car serviced.

my brothers in laws recently bought a corolla and toyota have fixed price servicing @ $199. my last service on my fg (60k) was $180. if you build up a good relationship with your dealer, you will get looked after.

its a marketing catchphrase that works though so i guess you can't argue with it.

the 'fixed price' will also be a 'fixed' list of items. anything extra will incur a charge. make no mistake.

Your brother in law got jammed then.

When it was introduced, Toyota's service advantage price for the Corolla was $120. It's now currently $130.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by SCUD

Your brother in law got jammed then.

When it was introduced, Toyota's service advantage price for the Corolla was $120. It's now currently $130.

sorry, don't know the exact details. its a 09 model, so not new, and could possibly be a deal done by that particular dealer. my point still remains. that fixed price, whatever it may be, will only cover a fixed list of things done. anything extra to that, you will be required to pay.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by prydey

if you build up a good relationship with your dealer, you will get looked after.

This
I knew this was coming about 4 mths ago, there is a couple of changes going on also the service books in new cars changes and has an item only ford can stamp as completed (cant remember what it was though)

[2011G6E]

Got to be better than the servicing for our last car, an '04 Landcruiser 4.2TD.

$400 for a "normal service" every 10,000km, then every 20,000km came the biggy, $1000, which included, amazingly, adjusting the valve clearances and changing ALL the oils and disassembling and repacking the wheel bearings.

We started taking it to Ultratune and they said that you only had to do that sort of thing every 20,000km under extreme driving conditions, and as for the valve clearances, they were puzzled. They said they never touched them unless something was apprently wrong.

Still waiting to see what Ford is like with our first paid 15,000km service...

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Got to be better than the servicing for our last car, an '04 Landcruiser 4.2TD.

$400 for a "normal service" every 10,000km, then every 20,000km came the biggy, $1000, which included, amazingly, adjusting the valve clearances and changing ALL the oils and disassembling and repacking the wheel bearings.

We started taking it to Ultratune and they said that you only had to do that sort of thing every 20,000km under extreme driving conditions, and as for the valve clearances, they were puzzled. They said they never touched them unless something was apprently wrong.

Still waiting to see what Ford is like with our first paid 15,000km service...

Owch... $400 every 10,000km. What did Ultratune charge you??

I have stumbled across this site and it looks very well set out. I have found that the local mechanics in my area will do the minor service on your 'Cruiser for between $280 and $315. Not a bad saving.

http://www.fixedpricecarservice.com.au/

[Buntz]

Originally Posted by prydey

people hear 'fixed price' and think they are being looked after, whether it be building a house or getting the car serviced.

my brothers in laws recently bought a corolla and toyota have fixed price servicing @ $199. my last service on my fg (60k) was $180. if you build up a good relationship with your dealer, you will get looked after.

its a marketing catchphrase that works though so i guess you can't argue with it.

the 'fixed price' will also be a 'fixed' list of items. anything extra will incur a charge. make no mistake.

Well maybe not. But it does help customers balance their own budget.... and so customers don't get jipped. Ford need to make the decision on capped price servicing... and let the dealers moan and ***** about it.

This way Ford can advertise exactly how much... at every dealer.

[roberts]

Originally Posted by prydey

the 'fixed price' will also be a 'fixed' list of items. anything extra will incur a charge. make no mistake.

Oh know its crazy, tyres, battery, engines, paint jobs. These should all be included back to the real world.
Get a fixed price from a plumber, or brick layer, or builder or any trades man. Or even a capped price phone account

[BlueOvalPrint]

Knowing my dealer for 99% of customers it will be the Ford fixed price service,
plus power steering flush
plus a/c deodorising
plus fuel system cleaner
plus dodgy wheel alignment
plus hand relief for the counter staff...

[The G6ET Spot]

Originally Posted by BlueOvalPrint

Knowing my dealer for 99% of customers it will be the Ford fixed price service,
plus power steering flush
plus a/c deodorising
plus fuel system cleaner
plus dodgy wheel alignment
plus hand relief for the counter staff...

Don't forget the obligatory $2.50 for workshop consumables.

My wife rang Thomson Fraud for some reason when my last service was due to get a price. They wanted $300 for the 15000k service and I was supplying the oil.

I wouldn't have taken it to them anyway, even if it was free.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by The G6ET Spot

Don't forget the obligatory $2.50 for workshop consumables.

My wife rang Thomson Fraud for some reason when my last service was due to get a price. They wanted $300 for the 15000k service and I was supplying the oil.

I wouldn't have taken it to them anyway, even if it was free.

Funny that... seems the people there are all confused about what a car costs to service.... For me it went from $199 'fixed' to "around $220-240" to $289... depending on who you spoke to of course, and the mood they were in. (and at what stage of the car buying negotiation process you were at)....

Your play on words is very valid........

[Franco Cozzo]

The 2009 CL Fiesta is going in for a service on Friday.


At an independant mechanic

I provide the oil and genuine filters.

[phillyc]

Originally Posted by csv8

In my paper today..Ford has an advert for Capped price servicing from July 1.
"Conditions : My Ford Capped Price Servicing available from participating dealers for vehicles built from July 2007, up to and including 6 years of age or 105,000kms, whichever comes first." " Contact your dealer for pricing."
'Value added-offers Free Roadside assist, My Ford Extended Warranty. Privilege Card Membership. Mechanical Protection Plans."
My comment..this is good news, I hope they match Toyota's plans and its good that Ford are finally recognising customers."

Well. MAYBE we should all wait for details before we jump the gun and bag Ford?!

I think that providing things line up well, this can be a great news story. For many people, trying to budget and knowing how much things will cost for the next 1-6 years is a comforting idea and potential sales gainer. Not to mention keeping the workshops (which may have previously been servicing a larger amount of vehicles) with valuable steady income.

[EDManual]

I have a Mitsubishi Triton diesel, fixed price servicing! Its not great, $590 per 15000km service! I have taken it to independent places for handbook servicing for half that.

[EDManual]

yeah. VALVE CLEARANCES, thats what they do with the diesel triton every 30,000.

Wouldnt you just do that if its getting a bit noisy? Sounds like a rort to me.

[XR Martin]

Saw an ad for fixed priced servicing for an Aurion and it was $120.

[nt0351]

capped price service has been introduced by manufacturers to stem the flow of new cars going to indepedent repairers ,.....first they tried to tell you that servicing elsewhere will void your warranty ,..now that the ACCC has ruled they cant pull that card any longer ,..they have come up with this nonsense ,

its designed purely to keep you going back to the dealer ,.....in an attempt to try and squeeze the independent out of business ,...no more independents means they can charge what they like again.

problem with this type of pricing structure is they do the bare minimum and get it out the door pronto ,.......if you didnt have to worry about validating the warranty you are better off dumping the oil & changing the filter yourself .

i guess it can be perceived as good value if are only keeping the car for a couple of years then offloading it ,.....if long term ownership is your go you are potentially setting yourself up for disapointment participating in a capped service plan.

if i have my car serviced i like to know that my families safety is taken very seriously and that my car gets checked from front to rear.

simple economics tell you that the labour allowance in a capped price service simply doesnt allow for a thourough service to be carried out.

[Falc'man]

Originally Posted by nt0351

capped price service has been introduced by manufacturers to stem the flow of new cars going to indepedent repairers ,.....first they tried to tell you that servicing elsewhere will void your warranty ,..now that the ACCC has ruled they cant pull that card any longer ,..they have come up with this nonsense ,

its designed purely to keep you going back to the dealer ,.....in an attempt to try and squeeze the independent out of business ,...no more independents means they can charge what they like again.

problem with this type of pricing structure is they do the bare minimum and get it out the door pronto ,.......if you didnt have to worry about validating the warranty you are better off dumping the oil & changing the filter yourself .

i guess it can be perceived as good value if are only keeping the car for a couple of years then offloading it ,.....if long term ownership is your go you are potentially setting yourself up for disapointment participating in a capped service plan.

if i have my car serviced i like to know that my families safety is taken very seriously and that my car gets checked from front to rear.

simple economics tell you that the labour allowance in a capped price service simply doesnt allow for a thourough service to be carried out.

Of course, now that Ford wants to do fixed price servicing it (fps) is put under the microscope and scrutinised like never before. You must be one of those independent repairers? The truth is how much a client can trust his repairer, independent or not, is what's important. And seeing as all repairers and service managers, independent or not, are human, then it means jack all if they're an independent or not.
By the way, some independent repairers also have fixed price servicing so they must be playing with our families' safety too.

Originally Posted by prydey

its a marketing catchphrase that works though so i guess you can't argue with it.

Pretty much. Let's see how they go.

[nt0351]

[QUOTE=Falc'man]Of course, now that Ford wants to do fixed price servicing it (fps) is put under the microscope and scrutinised like never before. You must be one of those independent repairers? The truth is how much a client can trust his repairer, independent or not, is what's important. And seeing as all repairers and service managers, independent or not, are human, then it means jack all if they're an independent or not.
By the way, some independent repairers also have fixed price servicing so they must be playing with our families' safety too.




i was ,..and we worked to a standard not a fixed price ,.....the only fixed price we had was rego inspections ,.....every thing else was charged by time taken to do the job properly & the parts consumed ,..nothing more and nothing less ,...I agree with you totally ,..trust between a owner and repairer is paramount .

point being a customer that has formed a relationship and trusts his repairer should never need to ask " how much ",...and a repairer would be a absolute fool to abuse that trust .

those independent chains you refer to that are advertising these fixed $99 or $139 low price servicing are indeed playing with your families safety .

firstly, they are spending big $$$ advertising for the wrong type of clientele ,

secondly, its designed to get you in so you can be upsold crap you dont need to cover the big $$$ spent on advertising .[ no focus at all on items that may actually be wrong with the vehicle ]

thirdly, if the customer refuses all the upsells that are offered you simply cannot service a vehicle properly without either cutting corners or loosing money at those prices .

i dont see any winners here ,..do you ??

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by nt0351

those independent chains you refer to that are advertising these fixed $99 or $139 low price servicing are indeed playing with your families safety .

I dont see any winners here ,..do you ??

The lower priced services you quote are not 'Log-Book' services, rather a grease and oil change and perhaps a brake inspection.

Once the Festiva was out of warranty my local mechanic charged me $89 for grease and oil change and a 20 point inspection. Anything more was quoted and added afterwards.

I was sick to death of paying $250-300 for a 'Log book' service every 10,000km when the only difference was about 30 minutes more in labour for their 'inspections' and using the 'correct' oil and filter.

Did the car feel any better / worse between the 2 services?? Nope. Do you honestly think my safety was compromised? Nope......

And... before you jump up and down saying 'apples for apples'.... I vividly remember calling a Ford dealership with a coupon from the paper just before minor service time. The coupon was for a minor service for a 4cyl car at a local Ford dealership to me. It was around $149. The service was itemised on the coupon and the ONLY difference between what the logbook said was needed and the coupon offered was TWO 'Inspections'... THAT'S IT.

When I called FORD to book they made 2 things clear to me:

1) The 'coupon service' was NOT a 'Log Book' service and my Logbook will NOT be stamped.
2) The 'Log Book' service for my car was $259...

One of the biggest gripes people have had with new car ownership is the ripped off feeling they get when thy are charged an obscene amount for 1-1.5 hrs of labour and $60-80 worth of parts.... does the stamp in the log book really cost the $100-$150 more for a minor service?? Seems that way.

Who is the winner??? Ford, because in most cases they already have the infrastructure in place to service these cars and people are more inclined to leave the car in the hands of a dealer and the customer wins because they will have a more educated idea of long term cost of ownership...