Some info about Ford

[MAGS1]

here in AZ you get a neat little deal for trading in. the tax is essentially from the view of new vehicle price minus trade in value. so, if you buy a $60k vehicle, but trade something in for $35k, you will only have to pay the tax of the remaining $25k. i dunno if this is a standard thing across the US

That’s pretty much how it works here in IL too. We also have to pay sales tax on private sales over a certain $$ amount

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[smurfslayer]

Awesome writeup @roket thanks for sharing.

Aftermarket warranty companies suck to work with
these guys are so painful to work with, regularly having hold times anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 or more hours, all to avoid actually paying out. plus, they have the most random and arbitrary restrictions on what is actually covered. i think the least painful to work with is Protective. i think the record for longest time on hold at my dealer is something like 9 or 10 hours

Not just for y’all, but for the purchaser too. Then they have oddball stuff like a forced tear down, meaning you pay up front because they haven’t “determined if the vehicle has been abused or modified”.

You’d better have EVERY maintenance record too. The only time I’ve ever had a ‘challenge’ on maintenance was with an Allstate warranty. And I dd have _every_ maintenance record ; as it happened, I lived literally one block from a Ford dealer.

I think I waited no more than 30 minutes at a time but waited several hours multiple times to get approval. I actually had an agent and he waded in and called too and then called on my cell when they answered him.

I’m sure Ford ESP would want records they couldn’t account for too, but any time I’ve had a Ford ESP and a covered repair there was NONE of the aftermarket drama.

Ford is stupid about the surveys they send after services
if you've taken a vehicle into service, you probably got a survey afterwards. these surveys are incredibly important to service advisors because Ford has decided that anything that is a 3/5 or below is failing, 4/5 is neutral, and 5/5 is good. the whole thing is ripe for abuse, and there have been times where i have seen an advisor with only 5/5 surveys all month get ruined by one 3/5. basically, to Ford, 1-3 is horrible, 4 is acceptable, and 5 is okay. lots of dealers also have bonuses and penalties apply depending on the final score for the month, too, with them being either a couple hundred added to or removed from their final pay

Surveys are a basic fact of life in any service industry that cares about customer retention. It only takes a base level of human empathy to perform a job and make the customer believe you care. If you do unto the customer the way you would want them to do unto you, the good surveys will take care of themselves by and large.

neither the dealership nor Ford can not "void your warranty" except for a few very rare situations.

i've heard some co-workers say that they can. its possible they meant that Ford will add a flag to the VIN about the warranty, though

I have at least some related experience, but not to this level. Obviously, it wouldn’t be for something trivial. But, for example if you bought in some commercial truck with 30k on the clock and making a horrible, cyclic knock, and you find 3 quarts of pitch black oil with metal in it that has obviously never been changed despite protestations to the contrary, I could see this as a pretty easy call.

When I was engaged in my lawsuit, my VIN got flagged. Every subsequent visit to a dealership involved a regional field engineer of some sort to come on site and check for signs of abuse, neglect or anything that could get the manufacturer out of paying . Subsequent and other warranty repairs were delayed more than once until the suit was resolved (in my favor).

This was back before the era of voluntary buy backs by manufacturers, which works out better for the manufacturer now because it cuts out the lawyer’s cut, the time involved and possibly retains the customer. I never had that level of trouble with Ford - discounting the aftermarket warranty issue, that was on one of my ’97 SVT Mustang, which eventually got fixed / covered.

The bigger issue I see and hear of, even from my good friend - retired 28 year Ford tech in No. VA is when the warranty or covered repair time and money allotted runs out, someone has to pay (other than Ford). As a result we see some stealerships “deny” warranty coverage up front - much like aftermarket warranty companies, in order to soak the consumer for a full charge diagnostic / repair.

Here’s a current example: https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/2024-cracked-front-dif-resolved.104409/

original dealer did exactly that; issued a denial of coverage and NEVER even contacted Ford. Once the 2nd dealer got it, contacted ford - voila. Covered under the customer’s warranty.
This is the kind of shady shìt that makes people dislike dealers and just like with a smarmy salesman, or an over the top, violent cop - one bad apple tars the whole profession.

I think these situations are the exception, but more and more I’m starting to think they’re not as much of an exception and I hope that changes for the better.

 

[SSuperDave]

I don't have any problems with most aftermarket warranties, and the few that suck we just don't accept. Keep me on the phone over 30 minutes, I'm done and will hang up and will tell the customer that I'm not dealing with it and if they want me to fix it they can pay. And our service manager backs us up on this. I had JMA Group, whos is a clearing house for multiple warranties, approve an $8,000 engine on two 10 minute phone calls and an inspector visit over a 2 day perioid, and paid CP pricing on parts and labor. ESP, I hate, we don't sell them except on direct customer request, and so their requirements on WEPA for us are time consuming and can take several days, and they pay warranty times. I called one called Route 66 last week for a trans overhaul and the rep on the phone said " let me guess, code P0767 CDF drum failure?" and bought the repair after I e-mailed a parts list. I will say they are ALL sick of the 10 speed failures. Oddly enough, we've never had a 10 speed issue on any Mustang, just F-150s and F-250s.
We may have good luck with the aftermarkets since we are willing to pass on a job rather tham take their bullshit if we know its a problem I bailed on one recently that offered $140/hr instead of our $195 rate, and said it was an area average. When presed, they said that included Firestones and Jiffy Lubes. We are the lowest hourly Ford dealer in our area.

As to your other issue, in my experience, Ford gives ZERO fucks about their dealer body, and VERY few about the customer. Come in at 36,100 miles with an issue, the customer has to call Ford customer assistance and ask for help, they will jack them around for a few days and maybe pay half of the repair. Any other mfg I've worked for, we had 24/24 goodwill capability with just a service manager signature, even cheap ass Jag/Rover.

 

[RebelMan]

Ford is stupid about the surveys they send after services
if you've taken a vehicle into service, you probably got a survey afterwards. these surveys are incredibly important to service advisors because Ford has decided that anything that is a 3/5 or below is failing, 4/5 is neutral, and 5/5 is good. the whole thing is ripe for abuse, and there have been times where i have seen an advisor with only 5/5 surveys all month get ruined by one 3/5. basically, to Ford, 1-3 is horrible, 4 is acceptable, and 5 is okay. lots of dealers also have bonuses and penalties apply depending on the final score for the month, too, with them being either a couple hundred added to or removed from their final pay

What happens when you overlook a survey? Is that a negative or just doesn't count for or against?

 

[RebelMan]

I will disagree that trading in is always a bad idea. Depending on the state you live in, there are real sales tax benefits to trading in. In a lot of cases that sales tax will wipe out whatever extra amount you made selling the car privately. Both options should be weighed before selling a car.

You got that right. When it makes sense trade. When it doesn't don't. I have done it both ways and made out each time.

 

[roket]

What happens when you overlook a survey? Is that a negative or just doesn't count for or against?

if you dont take a survey, it has no effect. it only counts surveys that have been completed and submitted

 

[R3tro GT]

Yes if this cost saving is a consideration in some States. Unfortunately in Virginia we pay full sales tax 4.15% every time we buy a car without any trade in value deductions.

That sounds low to me lol
Here in Ontario, Canada we pay 13.00% tax

 

[Aegean]

That sounds low to me lol
Here in Ontario, Canada we pay 13.00% tax

In Virginia, we pay vehicle sales tax 4.15% when we buy a new or used car but also we pay property taxes every year to our County at 4.57% of the assessed vehicle value. So keeping a car for example for 7 years will result in an equivalent 30% tax.

 

[smurfslayer]

In Virginia, we pay vehicle sales tax 4.15% when we buy a new or used car but also we pay property taxes every year to our County at 4.57% of the assessed vehicle value. So keeping a car for example for 7 years will result in an equivalent 30% tax.

I moved out mid year, 2020 and was paying $3k / year in vehicle taxes alone.
I moved to Texas, no income tax, real estate tax is the same as Unfairtax county; well, I pay the same, but I have 6x more land, and 1.75x more house. No personal property tax, and starting next year, no annual vehicle inspection - which was both cheaper and less intensive than VA.

I think now, I’d be paying ~$4500 / year for personal property tax had I stayed. My salary was unchanged, my wife’s salary did get reduced, but, by less than the personal property and income tax so she actually nets more money :-)

As I’ve said many times: Virginia. Stealing your freedom since 1607

 

[SSuperDave]

Smurfslayer, I don't know where you are in Texas, but I moved here from Pennsylvania in 1989 and would never look back. I'm just south of Houston in a little place called friendswood.

 

[smurfslayer]

I’m a bit SE of San Antonio.

 

[SSuperDave]

I was in Driftwood last weekend, we went to a car show in Marble Falls

 

[roadpilot]

i've heard some co-workers say that they can. its possible they meant that Ford will add a flag to the VIN about the warranty, though

Your warranty is a contract. It is governed by state and federal law. Unless you violate the T&C of the contract, they can't just cancel/void your warranty -- that would be breach of contract.

 

[roadpilot]

here in AZ you get a neat little deal for trading in. the tax is essentially from the view of new vehicle price minus trade in value. so, if you buy a $60k vehicle, but trade something in for $35k, you will only have to pay the tax of the remaining $25k. i dunno if this is a standard thing across the US

All state sales tax laws are state-specific. We do not have federal sales tax.

 

[smurfslayer]

Your warranty is a contract. It is governed by state and federal law. Unless you violate the T&C of the contract, they can't just cancel/void your warranty -- that would be breach of contract.

Flood damage? I think a flood damaged vehicle nuke the whole warranty. I’ve never had a flood damaged vehicle but I can see where that happens. I think salvage title may as well - maybe someone more familiar can chime in.

But no, they can’t just press the magic voided warranty button.

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