Not a Good Look for Ford or Next Gen Ranger

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by kypez

I've probably said too much already though...

Why, I thought disclosure wasn't important...

Or are you concerned it may damage the relationship you have with them..

[pottery beige]

*benty buys second hand cars on dealer finance and loves throwing peanuts from his cheap seats

[kypez]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Why, I thought disclosure wasn't important...

Or are you concerned it may damage the relationship you have with them..

Was trying to be funny. Joke is lost on text I guess.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

*benty buys second hand cars on dealer finance and loves throwing peanuts from his cheap seats

Off topic, Gaso, do your thing please.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by kypez

Was trying to be funny. Joke is lost on text I guess.

I know.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Then youre back to square one without your car, difference is its not getting replaced again, you simply cop the inconvenience.

Kypez tells us about having repeat replacements and whilst we accept that as fact, he's obviously dabbled in new Fords a bit, something the two in the ACA piece clearly dont have on their side.
I bet if you had ongoing issues with your escape, had it replaced and found the same in the new one it might not be the result Kypez has had.

Could be. I'd like to hope that Ford would treat all customers the same and not just the ones that bought a lot of cars from them. But maybe I'm being naive.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Off topic, Gaso, do your thing please.

on topic bro

trolling hard in a thread out of your budget

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by kypez

Could be. I'd like to hope that Ford would treat all customers the same and not just the ones that bought a lot of cars from them. But maybe I'm being naive.

Me too, but then there would be no thread as there'd be no disgruntled customer on ACA to begin with.

[PG2]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Off topic, Gaso, do your thing please.

Nah, I'm taking over moderating this thread.

Any further posts offering advice on how to moderate this forum will be deleted and warnings issued.

Also you can take a break from this thread altogether.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Me too, but then there would be no thread as there'd be no disgruntled customer on ACA to begin with.

Yes and no. Some people jump the gun and make a lot of noise before the process can run its course. Whilst I said 3 failed, it did take time for Ford to go through their processes to try to fix before figuring out the repair was so extensive that it wouldn't be fair to someone who bought a new car. Even a loan car was slow initially but I was lucky I have spares. It did come in the end (a Camry!!) and that was my loaner as Ford didn't have enough cars themselves.

I understand there is a process. These guys might have not been happy with the process and made a lot of noise. Sense of entitlement seems to grow with every generation/every year and I know my generation has a lot to answer for.

[PG2]

Guys and Gals

BENT_8 has been told not to post any further in this thread.

It is only fair that you don't reply to any of his above posts having a go at him. Any further posts will be deleted.

[Smoke Pursuit]

I'm actually surprised ACA took this story on. They usually dont take on multinationals like Ford who market with channel 9.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

That is wrong.As a representative of Ford,who is going to fix the problem(s) if the Ford dealer either can’t be bothered or takes weeks to do something.Of course the dealer can(and should be) doing all they can to assist the buyer.I am sure they didn’t fluff around for weeks before taking the purchase money.

You have misinterpreted what i was saying. I wasn’t saying the dealer shouldn’t fix it, i was just saying that if a fault occurs after hand over, and it was in perfect working order when it was delivered to the customer, then it’s not their fault that the problem occured in the customers hands. Problems do pop up later on that were not there at the point of delivery. That’s when the dealer should/would fix it under warranty.

If the car was delivered to the customer with an existing fault, then the dealer should wear the blame for not finding the fault before delivery. That would not be good enough on their part.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

You have misinterpreted what i was saying. I wasn’t saying the dealer shouldn’t fix it, i was just saying that if a fault occurs after hand over, and it was in perfect working order when it was delivered to the customer, then it’s not their fault that the problem occured in the customers hands. Problems do pop up later on that were not there at the point of delivery. That’s when the dealer should/would fix it under warranty.

If the car was delivered to the customer with an existing fault, then the dealer should wear the blame for not finding the fault before delivery. That would not be good enough on their part.

These things have a habit of getting out of hand when disgruntled owners feel they have
no choice but to go to the media who then blow the whole thing out of proportions.

I would hope that mediation via a sympathetic dealer would be possible to avoid much
of the unpleasantness. Poor design and bad parts supply are part and parcel of every new
vehicle but you would think that some would still have enough pride in their work to make
sure that the duds get fixed or replaced, not stone wall owners with obvious crap issues…

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by jpd80

These things have a habit of getting out of hand when disgruntled owners feel they have
no choice but to go to the media who then blow the whole thing out of proportions.

I would hope that mediation via a sympathetic dealer would be possible to avoid much
of the unpleasantness. Poor design and bad parts supply are part and parcel of every new
vehicle but you would think that some would still have enough pride in their work to make
sure that the duds get fixed or replaced, not stone wall owners with obvious crap issues…

I’d love to know the real story, and not the sensationalist drama story you get from aca.

[Poetic Justice]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I’d love to know the real story, and not the sensationalist drama story you get from aca.

Not saying that there is anything more to these particular stories but the type of responses you get from customers can be astounding.

One customer I'm dealing with at the moment had genuine weathershields fitted to the car and they have scratched the windows. This is pretty terrible but the customer thinks he should be given a brand new car as a result and the way he is carrying on is embarrassing.

Other customers have a vehicle break down and expect some of the following scenarios to take place:

1) The world should stop because their car has broken down and it's unacceptable that the world does not revolve around them.

2) How could a car so new break down? This is unacceptable and I want a new one (not paying mind to the concept of a warranty and how it works)

3) A broken down vehicle gets towed in to the dealership and they can't understand that there might be a number of vehicles ahead of them to be actioned - also break downs, it happens!

There's a number of people wanting to do the whole "I'm going to talk to the media!" so they can get some attention and carryon like pork chops because they get a kick out of it.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I’d love to know the real story, and not the sensationalist drama story you get from aca.

I could imagine that arranging a replacement is not easy given the ordering queue
but I can imagine that the good guys would be trying to move heaven and earth
to make good on replacements, it’s just damned disappointing to buyers who’ve
laid out premium price for what they thought was a superior product only to be let down..

[vbomber]

Bit more on the story and out of the 25k rangers delivered 9 have been replaced https://www.drive.com.au/news/ford-r...-replacements/

[csv8]

“US car giant Ford has replaced nine examples of the new Ford Ranger ute in the past six months due to technical faults, but has vowed to respond quicker to customer complaints and reduce turnaround times.”
https://www.facebook.com/44694775521...dCBHoB2Sl/?d=n

[simon varley]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

I’d love to know the real story, and not the sensationalist drama story you get from aca.

there's no doubt globally that Ford has many, many launch issues on new cars and Ranger is far from the only one. It's disappointing when it happens, but given the complexity of the systems maybe not surprising. Could we do a better job of signing off the cars? sure. The real issue here though is dealers being dicks. I don't think anyone really has an issue with a car going wrong as long as they are treated respectfully. This is far from a new issue too. Generations of Ford CEOs have promised to fix the dealerships, but other than a pretty sheet covering the new car I really cant see any changes from decades ago.

[prydey]

I don't think the dealer issue is as clear cut as it sounds either.

One issue I've found is the disconnect between sales and service. I've often heard it said that if you get messed around by the service department, go and see the sales guy you bought the car off. They want you happy to maximise the chance of repeat business. Not sure why the service departments often don't have the same view.

[Eaturbo]

Look after spending many years working at several brands I can tell you all that most of the manufacturers will try and dodge problems. The normal run of the mill problem they just diagnose and order parts and fix. As soon as things get serious and expensive they try and dodge there obligations. If you join the Next Gen ranger Facebook page you see that there was definitely problems with the first batch of next Gen. Vibrations, hands free phone microphone not working properly and dash gremlins.These seem to be fixed for most people that have taken delivery lately.Only time will tell if they come good after the initial problems. The Speedo screen and centre screen worry me long term but again only time will tell.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by prydey

I don't think the dealer issue is as clear cut as it sounds either.

One issue I've found is the disconnect between sales and service. I've often heard it said that if you get messed around by the service department, go and see the sales guy you bought the car off. They want you happy to maximise the chance of repeat business. Not sure why the service departments often don't have the same view.

Mechanics don't get commission?

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by GasoLane

Mechanics don't get commission?

The dealership I was at briefly had a bonus structure in place - if the service advisors managed to upsell heaps of **** customers didn't need like power steering flushes, AC deodorise, injector cleans and the mechanics suggesting replacement service items before they were due all added up to the figures.

It was $20K profit per day through the dealership workshop from memory, if you got that each day for Monday-Friday then the mechanics and service advisors got bonuses.

That was 2010 though so its going back a while, I'm not sure if this is in place for dealerships today,

Also I find the commentary in this thread interesting, we have people saying its not the dealership network thats the problem, then the guy who works at Ford Australia says its not Ford Australia thats the problem, its the dealership network and multiple Ford Australia CEOs have said they're going to address the dealership network and fallen short.

So whats our story?

Originally Posted by vbomber

Bit more on the story and out of the 25k rangers delivered 9 have been replaced https://www.drive.com.au/news/ford-r...-replacements/

Thats good odds when you think about it - 0.04% failure rate.

[kypez]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

The dealership I was at briefly had a bonus structure in place - if the service advisors managed to upsell heaps of **** customers didn't need like power steering flushes, AC deodorise, injector cleans and the mechanics suggesting replacement service items before they were due all added up to the figures.



It was $20K profit per day through the dealership workshop from memory, if you got that each day for Monday-Friday then the mechanics and service advisors got bonuses.



That was 2010 though so its going back a while, I'm not sure if this is in place for dealerships today,



Also I find the commentary in this thread interesting, we have people saying its not the dealership network thats the problem, then the guy who works at Ford Australia says its not Ford Australia thats the problem, its the dealership network and multiple Ford Australia CEOs have said they're going to address the dealership network and fallen short.



So whats our story?

Yep. Good mate of mine worked at Ford for many years and up until very recently, they had commissions on upselling things. Brakes got $X, flushes and additives were $Y. Down to wiper blades! Was very lucrative and he only left Ford when they removed these and he couldn't make ends meet without them. Significant bonus to the pay packet.


Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Also I find the commentary in this thread interesting, we have people saying its not the dealership network thats the problem, then the guy who works at Ford Australia says its not Ford Australia thats the problem, its the dealership network and multiple Ford Australia CEOs have said they're going to address the dealership network and fallen short.

So whats our story?

Get a job with the Highway Patrol. In their line of work the customer is always wrong

[Poetic Justice]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Also I find the commentary in this thread interesting, we have people saying its not the dealership network thats the problem, then the guy who works at Ford Australia says its not Ford Australia thats the problem, its the dealership network and multiple Ford Australia CEOs have said they're going to address the dealership network and fallen short.

So whats our story?

Well given that the car company has to fund the warranty repairs, it seems like they'd be the ones making decisions on what course of action happens with a car, right?

There's been a lot of in fighting between car companies and the franchisees over who funds a buyback etc. It's still not clear cut - but the fact of the matter stands, the car company built the vehicle, they ought to be the one controlling the handling of lemons etc.

In many cases, the dealer being the problem is usually because they can't get a straight answer from the car company.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

Also I find the commentary in this thread interesting, we have people saying its not the dealership network thats the problem, then the guy who works at Ford Australia says its not Ford Australia thats the problem, its the dealership network and multiple Ford Australia CEOs have said they're going to address the dealership network and fallen short.

So whats our story?
.

I'd say it's both.

My folks Hyundai tucson recently had the gearbox replaced under warranty. As part of the diagnosis leading up to this the dealer wanted to do a fluid flush to see if that would fix the problem. Hyundai refused to pay the dealer for the flush so the dealer charged my parents, telling them it was due for a service (it wasn't, like most manufacturers there is no gearbox service required) and that if it didn't fix the problem then they 'should' get their $450 back. Well, it didn't fix it, they got the gearbox replaced and now they are in a battle with Hyundai and the dealer trying to get their money back. Hyundai won't pay the dealer because fluid flush isn't covered by warranty and the dealer are refusing to refund and telling my parents they need to go thru Hyundai customer service....


I believe this is no different at many/most dealerships. The dealers can often play hardball because they know they have to beg to get approval from the manufacturer. During that time it's the customer that gets screwed over.

Back in the BF2/FG period there was a batch of faulty tailshafts. There was a recall for the BF2. My FG was April 08 build I think. One of the first. The tailshaft on mine failed. Literally unwound like wet cardboard when taking off one night. Got it towed to my local dealer. It was out of warranty but I'd done my research and came across the recall for bf2. The dealer put the case to Ford and said they'd have to wait for a reply before fixing it. I needed my car so gave them a day or so but then ended up paying out of my own pocket to get the car fixed elsewhere with a 2nd have part. Long story short, months later I eventually get a call saying that some of the faulty tailshafts did in fact make it in to FG and mine was now approved for repair.

The dealer didn't want to know because it was Fords problem and Ford sat on their hands no doubt hoping I would go away. I get there are processes but some transparency would be a good start.

So yes, I think dealers and manufacturers can do better.

[Bossxr8]

I was expecting josh dowling to give ford a kicking, he was always a holden gronk and loved laying the boots in. But some of his comments regarding thai build quality were quite complementary. He also said most of the issues result from a component supplier changing the spec of an electronic module without telling ford they had done it. Manufacturing is a nightmare when you rely so much on suppliers, and it’s really amazing that manufacturers can take components from so many different suppliers and have so few cars that turn into lemons, considering how complex they are.


Lemons happen, every manufacturer has them. Ford did the right thing replacing the cars, but admitted it took too long. Hopefully they learn from it and take the opportunity to review their processes, so it works better in future. Sometimes these things can be used as positives as it shines a light on areas that need to be improved. Management should have a conference call with all dealer staff and ford customer service staff, and use this as a reminder that if things aren’t done right you will get negative publicity.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by jpd80

I could imagine that arranging a replacement is not easy given the ordering queue
but I can imagine that the good guys would be trying to move heaven and earth
to make good on replacements, it’s just damned disappointing to buyers who’ve
laid out premium price for what they thought was a superior product only to be let down..

It was a bit of an issue with the 2nd person from the aca story, as he had an XLT 4x2 with options that made it an unusual spec. None in the country, so it had to be built. The lady with the wildtrak got her’s replaced much quicker cause they had one available. Took too long to agree to a replacement though. Should have been handled better.