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Grey

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Posts posted by Grey

  1. The service customers from hades were frequently the hard negotiating (under invoice) type buyers.. No wonder some dealers show these customer's addresses as "One Way Street".

    They bellered loudest when they were denied assistance for out of warranty repairs. (Wondered why nobody wanted to help them.) DUH

  2.  

    There are also a lot of dealers out there who will tell people they're getting A plan or X plan when they're not. We're just trying to keep everyone educated.

     

     

    I sometimes wonder if we give too much information to non-plan buyers. Dealers have been "Dealing" for a long time and they know what it takes to be competitive and offer fair value. Perhaps they need to make a few more bucks off some buyers to make up for the small profits from the "Plan" buyers. Who is to say that if they make a few hundred bucks more off a non-plan buyer, that it's a bad thing.

     

    In almost any other business, $30,000 in sales woudl be expected to generate $5,000 to $15,000 in gross profit. And those businesses wouldn't have the capital investment that many dealerships do. Imagine buying $30,000 in furnature and appliances from a retailer and demanding they sell it at $100 over over invoice, even if they had a couple % in holdback. They are dealing with items with 33% to 70% profit margin, not 10 or 11%.

     

    I know that there are very few people that expect to buy for the dealer's cost, they just want to know they got as good a deal as the next person would get. Because Ford rebates the dealer's on Plan purchases, you are absolutely correct that those are not realistic prices for retail buyers. I suggest Ford customers buy Ford stock and thereby qualify for X-Plan pricing, or check with their HR department where they work (if they are a Ford supplier/business affiliate) and see if they can get a PIN through them. A lot of Companies' employees are eligible.

     

    Just saw this quote from Ford Shareholder's relations: "To qualify for this offer (x-plan) to qualifying shareholders, you must be a current Ford Motor Company shareholder who has held a minimum of one hundred (100) shares of Ford Motor Company stock (Ticker: F) for at least the past 6 months. Qualifying shareholders are limited to one PIN per 12-month period.*" They will ask for a copy of your stock purchase statement.

  3. Hi lakeside. :D No, unfortunately they will not fit. The Zephyr (MKZ/Fusion/Milan) lug pattern is 5 x 114.3mm. While some people will tell you that you can squeeze a 5 x 115 wheel on, it is not the correct size. In addition, the centerbore on the Zephyr wheels is 67.1mm. Not sure what the Mazda5 centerbore is. Then you still have the offset question. But the lug pattern kills it anyway.

     

    Sorry and good luck. :beerchug:

     

    The poster threw you off when they said the wheels were 5X115. The are 5X114.3 like the Fusion. Offsets range from 5.74" to 6.18" in my quick search. I don't see any reason why they would not work

     

    I agree that a 5X115 would not be compatable.

  4. At 8.500 miles we are sitting at around 36 MPG long term. However, since we are running the A/C full blast in Hotlanta, the last 2 tanks were around 34 MPG.

     

    Still much better than the 16-18 MPG from the trade-in.

     

    Trunk is full of swimming and soccer stuff, including lawn chairs. I had better clean it out and blow up the tires again.

  5. Exactly. Ford is getting good PR out of this, but it's BS.

     

    The 3.5 adds about $2,600 over the non-hybrid four. So they're actually charging about $2,600 for the hybrid bits. They're not free.

     

    The topic is about MKZ. Ford's prices for the Fusion have nothing to do with the subject.

  6. Hi Grey. :D What can I say, my friend. The jig is up, I have been busted! :redcard:

     

     

    No-no-no -

     

    Hondaconvert was the double poster - two topics on the same issue - All in all, much ado about nothing. But, always good to hear from you.

     

    Way off topic, have you done much research on the 2011/2012 Explorer. Sounds interesting to me. I'm going out to the regional office in Sept. so should get some good intel then.

     

    I hope they introduce in January and make it a 2012model. I will be in line early.

     

    Also, looking for an order guide for the Hybrid MKZ for 2011. If the Nav / rear camera is not too much of an upcharge, I might be a player there also.

     

    have a great weekend ---------------

  7. Eliminate excess weight (clean out the trunk - even consider eliminating the spare in favor of a "Can-of-air"). Inflate tires to the upper limit as stated in your owner's manual/door sticker. Try to avoid braking and use moderate acceleration (brakes are MPG killers). Set your speed control, where practical, at the speed limit. Sell your tires and get high MPG tires with a slightly smaller footprint (narrower). Try to get gas without ethanol when possible.

  8. Factory applied paint is cured at high temperatures (before rubber and trim pieces are installed). You may wax it at any time with a quality wax (without any abrasives.) Collision shop paint repiars need from 60-90 days to ensure full cure before wax is recomended.

  9. If the vehicle was purchased from the dealership then they should provide the card or the code from the computer at no charge. If it was purchased from an individual or used car lot, they should help you get the code. If you go into a dealership that doesn't know you from Adam, they should charge you to locate the code. JMO nothing H about it.

  10. The date you placed an order with the dealership has nothing to do with the date the order was submitted to, and accepted for scheduling, by Ford.

     

    the dealership may have sat on the order for days. The dealership may not have allocation for several more weeks. The order may have included high risk commodities (linited availability). The dealership may have placed another order after yours with a higher priority (pushing yours back).

     

    A few days after giving your order to the dealership, ask for a copy of the DORA. That will tell you that Ford acknowledges your order and what priority the dealership put on it (10 is best).

     

    Ask if the dealership has current allocation when you give them the order, or it Ford will sit on the order until their allocation is available. Are any of the options you ordered in short supply?

     

    Ask if they will give any later orders a higher priority than what they place on your vehicle and how many orders are already in the "system" that will be scheduled before yours (if given the same priority, earliest order goes first.)

     

    So, orders given dealers on the same date might have several weeks of varience in acceptance and scheduling by Ford. If you ask the right questions, you will "hopefully" get answers that help your understanding and permit you to set realistic expectations.

  11. That's how they work in Canada

     

    I think you could also try blocking the light sensor so the car will always think it's night.

     

    Daytime running lights cut the power to the headlamps (if memory serves) and does not illuminate the tail lamps. Blocking the sensor would defeat these features of the DRL's and lead to earlier bulb failure. Better to program ON the DRL's.

  12. It is too bad that the Mustanger's don't have a good forum like this one to advise them of the questions to ask when they order a new vehicle. Misunderstandings would be fewer and buyers could make the best decisions for themseves. Buyers who waited two months longer than others should have been told that they were low priority, ordered out of allocation, had commodities that were in short supply, etc. BUT, that is between the dealership and the customer.

     

    Like I said before, quality holds don't distinguish between retail and stock orders. When they happen, they happen. Unfortunately, we know more about the system than many sales people, so you have to know what to ask and of whom.

  13. Obviously if Ford doesn't know it's a presold unit they can't do anything about it. Whether it's Ford or the dealer, somebody needs to make sure that presold units don't get caught in the pre-production quality hold.

     

    If I had ordered a 2011 mustang in February and it was verified as built in May but it still had not arrived while others who ordered in May already received theirs - I'd be a little miffed too.

     

    If they waited to build pre-sold units until the quality holds were over then that wouldn't happen and the normal ordering/allocation/scheduling rules would apply.

     

    Ford doesn't set the schedule, dealers do. If a dealership orders a stock unit with a 19 priority and a retail with a 20, the stock unit will be built first (because that is what they indiocated they wanted.) Many vehicles are introduced without lengthly quality holds. They are not going to try to second guess what might happen between stock and retail orders.

     

    All dealers have different systems for ordering, Some tell customers when they don't have allocation for this cycle, others don't. Most initial orderw will be stock units and a dealer's allocation may be placed for several weeks out. If the retail customer is in a hurry, they can place a higher priority on their order and attempt to jump ahead of a stock order that has not yet been scheduled. Ford doesn't wait - it builds whatever is next up as long a commodities are available. Knowing what to ask when you order can help you understand where a dealership stands vis-a-vis allocation, priorities and commodities on hold.

  14. Ford needs to stop building retail orders until the quality holds are finished and vehicles are shipping directly from the factory to dealers so pre-ordered vehicles don't sit on the lot waiting for repairs or reinspections while dealer stock gets shipped. It really pisses off the customers. I also think the dealers give unrealistic ETAs and some don't know how to use the vehicle locator to give status.

     

    Dealerships pretty much control the build timing, based on their allocation and order priority. It is rare that Ford manages or adjusts the scheduling (exceptions are retail verification vehicles like Hybrids). With quality holds, it is the luck of the draw. Most initial orders are stock units - very few will be retail, unless it is a highly desirable or limited volume vehicle.

    Most deaerlships will not track transit status and most use the delivery guides that ford provides for each vehicle line - normally a range like 8-10 weeks. What they may not share with the customer is the limited allocation they may have for the next few weeks.

     

    Back to your original suggestion - Ford is going to build what dealerships order.based on their allocation, priority assigned and order date. If a dealer doesn't manage the customer's expectations, that is on them.

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