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Comments
I opted for the full size spare equal to what I have on the truck. I've had one flat on my current truck since I've owned it. Changing the tire was quite the job. The hardest part was getting the spare out from under the bed. I had to review my manual. Then, of course, you have eight lug nuts to deal with. I worked up quite the sweat. Opting for the full size that matches the tires you have on the truck makes sense if you are going to be doing much traveling, especially if you're towing. If you're just driving around town, you can get away with a lesser tire until you get to the tire shop. But if you're out in the middle of nowhere, you may have to run on that spare for quite awhile.
They used to have a limited production option of spare wheel only - letting you buy your own tire if you thought you could get it cheaper. The advantage of ordering the spare tire/wheel from the factory is you get the exact same tire (make/model/size/load rating), so there should be no hesitation on your part to use it for extended periods of time.
I figured the rear would be an additional option. I have the same cost as you do Brutus on my order sheet. No biggie, I just wanted to make sure I was getting a fair shake.
You guys are right about the tire I'm glad now I went with it. I guess it's worth the money.
The dealer called today again and told me if I wanted the two tone it would push delivery back about a week. That was not too bad but he told me I could not get the silver trim it would be the Pr. tan I said delet it and just get me the truck
with all Hunter Green! If I want the two tone that bad I can have it painted locally later in the summer. I do not care for the tan as a trim. I did'nt care for it on the Eddie Bauer explorer's and Expedition's. I thought the silver would look nicer. Someone posted earlier they have a deep blue with silver trim so I don't know
what the dael is with silver and at this point I do not care!
Thanks again for your help!
Mroffshore
Interestingly enough, Dodge is the only full-size pickup that includes the full-size spare on all models. GM and Ford make you pay extra on the HD 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. You'd think the bigger trucks are the ones you would _want_ to have a full-size spare on - that little "bike tire" damn sure wouldn't work replacing a 235/85 for even a mile.
Your right about that! I think it's a little excessive to pay $365. for a tire I may not use but atleast the bracket ect. is included and of course the tire is of good quality.
Also I spoke again to the dealer and my delivery date is back on schedule after deleting the two tone paint. Which again raises the question about the SOF. How can Porange be held up on the SOF? My order which included the SOF is clean with a delivery date of 7/6. I can not figure this out, is someone here being misled or can it really happen this way? Maybe my order was picked up before Porange because of priority and allotment even though I reordered on 5/26 and at that time there were enough parts for a complete and working SOF units.
Brutus,
I see said the blind man! I finally noticed at carprices.com, the listing of the 3.73 and the 3.73 LTD as two seperate and different units. Thats how I got fouled up. I just took for granted Ford provided a LTD rear, obviously thats not the case! The LTD is the option and the regular 3.73 would be included with the auto trans. at no additional charge. Thanks for helping me to clear that up.
Mroffshore
Your order got top priority because the only reason you don't have your truck is that the dealer made a mistake. He moved you right up to the front of the list. I'm sure he didn't tell any of his other customers that you were moved to the front of the line.
I spoke with my dealer this week and my order still hasn't been pulled. I have no doubt that my order received a low priority because I got such a good deal. I don't have a problem with that. They make more money off the trucks that they sell for more. I'd rather pay what I paid and wait a little longer than to not be given the option of paying less. I suspect my truck will take about 16 weeks. I'm at 10 1/2 weeks. I ordered around 3/23. Once the order is pulled, it's usually only about 4 weeks before delivery. Hopefully, my order will be pulled in the next two weeks.
In their May sales report, they also mentioned the Super Duty line now accounts for 40% of all F-series sales - the highest percentage the heavy duty trucks have had. Personally, that tells me that most truck owners were disappointed with the car-oriented F150/250 and are jumping at buying a "real" truck.
Pworange's restriction could be equipment-related. Sometimes option combinations will cause delays even when the item ordered on its own is available. Just as an theoretical example, power windows and locks could be available, but power windows only might be delayed since the door switch is different (even though the window motors are sitting right there at the factory).
Didn't Murphy say something like,
'When a spare tire is removed from a motor vehicle for a specific trip or errand, the vehicle will develop a need for the spare tire at the most distant place that the vehicle has moved from the current location of the spare tire.'
On the rear end thing.
I went to either Edmunds or KBB for prices and options. When I ordered the truck (1/24/98) the dealer just keyed in my option choices. The Ford computer system accepted my selections. No problem and the truck was delivered almost 4 months later.
My dealer explained that the priority numbers are CONTROLLED by the local dealer. One dealer may use 10, 20, 30, 40; while another may use 1, 2, 3, 4. When Ford applies allocation and option choices it picks the vehicles with the highest dealer assigned priority. If both dealers had an allocation of 2 trucks and the option choices matched the materials Ford has on hand, the choices would be 1, 2, 10, 20. However if the order with the 20 priority had a problematic option (Like ESOF), Ford would pick 1, 2, 10, 30.
So the trick with the priority numbers is to find out the number assigned to all the other customers at that dealer. OR Make sure your number is one.
Rich
Mine took 7 weeks and 2 days from order to delivery. It was an F250 XLT Supercab, LB, V10, with SOF.
Thanks for your input. Your right, the sales mgr. did'nt tell the other customers he moved me to the front of the line. It was a covert operation! I still do not know who dropped the ball the first time but that does not matter now. Four more weeks and I should be in a new truck. Also there has been a slight increase since I first ordered which I will not have to pay. I calculated out the cost and price from the most recent info available and I'm at $125-150 over invoice. I feel that's a very good deal.
Professor Rich,
Thanks for the info. My dealer also gave me some insight into the priority of orders. Obviously the more profit they can make on the deal the sooner they will want that truck in. I was paying cash so there will not be other money making spinoff's from my deal like dealer financing, extended warranty{which I may pass on}, ect. So I can see why I was not a high priority, I'm learing more about this game every day!
This all brings me to the next QUESTION, and I'm surprised I did not see anything mentioned. The extended warranty. I will have to make a decision soon and I need all the input I can get. I am aware of companies on the web that advertise extended warranties. I was disappointed to find out from the dealer over the weekend that extended warranties start immediately and run concurrently with the factory warranty until the factory expires. I think thats silly and does not make sense to me. What do you guys think about this and what would you do?
Kcram,
Thanks also for your input. It's all confusing to me , option combinations, this on hold that on hold. It sounds like a crazy situation to me!
Mroffshore
Personally, I'm not going to get one. I might change my mind if I start having some problems or start hearing about some problems during the first year I own the truck. I got one on my current truck and it didn't pay for itself. It didn't cover stuff like the clutch, battery and starter. Some after market warranties do cover stuff like that, but most of the ones offered by the dealers only cover major drivetrain problems with the extended portion of the warranty. You should check out the FWI conference on this site to get some info on extended warrantiesif you are considering one.
I *always* get the factory extended plan. I've used them on both of my Fords and they did cover themselves. On my Ram, I caught a deal since I financed through Chryusler Financial - getting the factory plan reduced my interest rate on the loan. The savings in interest actually lowered my payments $3 a month (even after adding the price of the plan), so I consider the plan "free".
As for aftermarket plans, the major disadvantage of them is, only the selling dealer is required to honor it. Other dealers may require you to pay now and get reimbursed later. That can prove costly if you break down on a road trip. A factory extended plan must be honored by all dealers of that manufacturer - in the case of Ford, that means ANY Ford OR Lincoln-Mercury dealer must fix your truck under the terms of the warranty - period, no questions. By dealer rules, my Ram MUST be repaired under extended warranty by a Chrysler-Plymouth dealer!
I guess the question is, can our 99 SD trucks hold up over the long haul or is it a crap shoot?
I'm a little gun shy after our 95 Winstar blew a head gasket at 59,000 miles. Remember that year was the first year for the windstar. Although the 7.3 L diesel has been proven over time , has the V10? What about the new design changes, can they hold up? I lucked out, Ford extended the head gasket to 60,000 miles last week and I'll get reinbursed. It was an eye opener after you shell out $1,200 with low milage and it is happening all over the country. My f150 ran for ever with out a problem so who know's. I'm getting close and I just wanted some input. I really do not want to get one but I'm not ruling it out at this point.
What is the factory on the 7.3 L, 5yr.100,000 miles and 3 yr. 36,000 on the rest of the truck?
Thanks,
Mroffshore
As for extended warranties, never buy from the manufacturer. The dealers offer less coverage at a higher costs for the exact reason that was mentioned. It's a scare tactic, and actually, dealers will try to pull it on you when you go into the shop for repairs. The key is to research the payment methods of your provider. For example, Warranty Gold pays via credit card immediately at the time the services are rendered. It's as if you paid myself with your dad's credit card. Initially, dealers might resist because it's not Ford/Dodge/Chevys' plan. But the warranty company has a phone number that can usually remedy the problem, but even more than that, if the dealer is pretty confident he will get paid before you get your truck back, he is going to do the work before he let's you go up the street.
The key is to research the aftermarket companies. There probably are some fly-by-night operations out there. Just remember, the coverage offered by the dealer is generally weak when compared to after market warranties. However, you need to make sure they will be around during the term of the warranty.
As for dealers covering beyond the warranty, I've had parts good-willed by dealers after the warranty expires. It has nothing to do with where you got your warranty. The manufacturer tries to stand behind their product, within reason.
I've had two. The first was a non manufacturer while the second was Ford ESP. On the '86 F-250 it was about $450. I got almost that out of it before dealers started refusing to deal with the company. There were so many exclusions that it became impossible to use. At one point they told the dealer to get used (a.k.a. Junk Yard) parts.
The second on the '92 F-250 was Ford ESP and cost $1150 or so. When it was needed, there was NEVER a question nor hesitation by the dealer. At 99,700 miles, Ford replaced my auto trans for $50, just because there was metal shavings in the pan.
Yes, I purchased the ESP for 6 years and 100,000 miles on the new Super Duty! It was $25 or $2600. The ESP relieves me of any major worry until 2004.
Based upon previous experiences I would not suggest any other extended warranty products. Remember that the manufacturer has an interest in keeping you happy. I've also noticed that the dealer will try to cover as much work as possible under the ESP rather than charge you $$$$. Little things like when the alternator failed. "The alternator messed up the drive belt so we replaced it. Oh, by the way the alternator belt is the back belt and we didn't want to put a new belt on with the old belts so we replaced them too." And it was all covered by ESP.
Rich
On my 1992 Ford, I paid about $975 for a six year, 72,000 mile warrantly. The only maintenance that my truck required outside of 36,000 miles were clutch, battery and starter. The Ford extended warranty did not cover any of those issues. I also replaced all hoses and belts at 45,000 miles before a long distance trip and Ford didn't offer to replace any of those for free. At the same time, Ford fixed all recall items, even when I didn't know they were outstanding. I have no complaints with the dealerships, but they didn't give me any breaks when it came to repairs.
I guess my attitude is that the chances of anything major happening after the initial warranty and prior to the expiration of the extended warranty, are minimal. I've got $1,000 to play with for minor repairs during that period that may have been covered by the extended warranty. If, after a year or two, I find that my truck seems to be having a lot of problems, I can always purchase an extended warranty at that time. Granted, it will be more than if I purchased it when the truck was new, but the delay is worth the risk to me.
The thing that bothers me is the manner in which I understand the ESP to work or any extended plan for that matter. I feel it is a rip off if the ESP and the factory warranties run concurrently for the first few years. If I buy an ESP I want it to kick in after the factory warranty expires. I like the 6 yr. plan so after my 3 yr. factory expires I want the 6 yr. to start, giving me 9 total years of warranty protection! Does that make sense or am I all wrong?
Mroffshore
Regardless of when you buy it, dates of an extended plan are from delivery, thus even if you wait until your 3/36 is up, a 6 year plan will only give you three more years.
Brutus
My interest rate was going to be crap anyway - I'm rebuilding my rating after a few bad years some time ago, so I don't have an A rating anymore. It was either the rate I got from Chrysler (who approved me without blinking), or my bank wanted a cosigner to get a lower rate. Call it personal pride, but I didn't want to ask anyone to cosign. I have dealt with manufacturer financing and banks, and to be honest, for the same reasons Rich mentioned about manufacturer ESPs, they treat you better. My last bank job charged me 7% of the payment as a late charge, yet they would hold my checks past the date and try to bill me. Chrysler charges me $10 bucks if I'm late (which in this case amounts to 1.5%). It's easier to turn over the loan to a new vehicle of the same manufacturer as well; they just keep your account open and pay themselves off for the trade.
No sweat on the disagreement, Brutus - we form our opinions from experience, so what has happened to me may not apply to you.
I don't think there is anyway around the warranties running concurrently. You can buy coverage that last for 10 years, which would cover you for seven years after the regular warranty expires. Of course, you will pay more for the plan because you are asking for coverage over a longer period. The premium you pay is based on the extended warranty not having to pay out anything over the first three years while the regular warranty is in place.
Another option is to purchase an extended warranty right before your regular warranty expires. This is possible through the non-dealer warranties. However, you will pay more because you are trying to get a service warranty on a vehicle that has over 30,000 miles rather than on a new vehicle. One way or the other, you are going to pay if you want to be covered for an extended period like 10 years or 100,000 miles. The warranty companies all know there is a much higher risk that they will have to pay for repairs on an older vehicle. The warranty companies only make money because they collect more premiums than they pay out in repairs.
By the way, I noticed that an interesting feature of that Warranty Gold Plan is that they will refund 85% of your total premium if you never use it over the life of the plan. Interesting concept. I guess that is an effort to encourage people to come out of pocket for small repairs. But like I said, I'm not endorsing Warranty Gold. I'm not planning on getting any extended warranty, at least not right now.
I saw that 85% feature on the Warranty Gold also. I guess that I'm too much of a cynic to believe them. It has been explained to me that there are two basic extended warranty philosophies.
The first are companies like KBB and WG. This type is an INSURANCE policy on your vehicle. It usually covers the failure of the internally lubricated parts of an engine. The gotchas that I've heard about are concerning wear. If the rings wear to the point of burning a quart of oil every 1000 miles, it's NOT a FAILURE merely a wear problem. This company's business is insurance and requires more dollars in premiums than dollars paid in repair fees to remain in business.
The manufacturer's instrument is a SERVICE policy. Their interpretation of covered repairs is much more liberal. There are two reasons for this interpretation. The first is that the service policy cost more than an insurance policy. The second is that financial aspects of the service policy only has to break even. The manufacturer's measurement of success of the service policy department is return business and having the customer pre-pay for repairs.
Think of it this way. You've paid a goodly sum for the service policy. Every time that you take the vehicle in for repairs, the policy covers it at either the deductable rate or for free. You leave the dealer feeling good about the dealer and manufacturer. Where are you going to buy your next vehicle?
On the other hand, with an insurance, policy there's pre-authorizations, arguments about what is and isn't covered, hassels and driveway confrontations. You leave really ticked off about the dealer, vehicle, insurance company and manufacturer. Again, where are you going to buy your next vehicle?
I had a service manager tell me that he had over $60,000 outstanding that he couldn't collect from one of these insurance companies. AND this dealer had previously sold the policies. This was about 10 years ago and since then this dealer ONLY sells the Ford ESP policy.
As I've said earlier, never a problem with the Ford ESP but not very happy with the insurance policy.
Rich
Thanks for your input and I am leaning toward the warranty Gold. They have a great price offering and I like the 85% back if you do not use the service. Then you listen to professor Rich and you can literally feel your mind start swaying the other way. Now I know why Brutus you dubbed Rich, "Professor Rich".
Professor Rich ,
You would make a great mediator or counselor! Thanks for your input as well. In fact I should start sending you and Brutus a check every week for all your help! HAHA Seriously, I understand completely what your saying about the insurance VS. the ESP. I'm sure we would here some negative comments by now if a company like warranty gold was dragging it's feet when it's time to pay the piper. Then again you never know there may be some bad news out ther that we did'nt hear about. I do want a plan that will pay the dealer in time of need in a reasonable amount of time with no BULL. There is already enough incompetence around!
Kcram,
Thanks also for your input. But thats my whole beef with the present system. It 's obviously set up to benifit the insurer in the long run just like an Atlantic City Casino, it greatly favors the house. If you go for that 6 yr plan the first 3 yrs. again are a waste of money. Your double insured. I'll cross that bridge when I pick up the truck. I may wait like Brutus for a while and then buy the extended. Also impressed with your honesty, there are so few of us left in the world!
Porange, I thought that was what the deal from the factory consisted of, thanks.
Rite3, Hopefully the 3rd shift will help all the crying puppies on this site , including the biggestone of all, ME, good luck!
Mroffshore
I don't think you will save if you wait until the normal warranty is almost expired. The cost will be greater to get an extended warranty on a used vehicle. If you are going to get an extended warranty, you're probably better off getting it when the truck is new.
Suppossedly, the form of payment Warranty Gold uses is a credit card at the time of the service. In other words, there is no chance the dealer gets stuck waiting on reimbursements. When you go in to pick up your vehicle, they run WGs credit card through instead of yours. The dealer gets paid immediately. WG claims that if a dealership refuses to accept WG, you can pick up the phone, give WG the name of the service manager and they will call and straighten it out immediately.
I can definitely see the potential for problems when trying to figure out what is and is not covered under the plan. The service manager has no vested interest in determining what is and is not covered. If WG says they will only pay a certain amount, the service manager is going to expect you to pay the balance and then you can duke it out with WG after the fact.
rite3,
Congrats! My order still hasn't been pulled after 11 weeks, but I guess that's the price I pay for buying for $99 below dealer invoice. I've heard that the salesperson may only make about $75 in commission on a transaction like that. The dealer is only making about $800 via the remaining holdback.
By the time I hit 100K, the truck will probably be a little over 6, the loan will be long paid off, and there will be enough little annoyances to have me hanging out at dealer lots again. That means I will have had a truck well-covered for its basic useful life.
Do not even tell me there is a help line if you know the vin#. I'll be calling every other day, I had a vin # number last week! Annual shut down what shut down? Do not even tell me there is an annual shut down! Will someone please pull my fingers out of my aching head! I was just going to go to bed tonight, but nooooo I had to log on and read Rite3's post now I'll really sleep good tonight!
Please tell me this is just a joke and my truck will still be here by the 6th of July!HAHAHA
Brutus,
You sold me on the idea, spend now or for ever hold your money!!!!! On the warranty that is. Thank you!!
MrOffshore
Darn near forgot to thank you before I head off to cry to my wife and kids! Bottom line, for the money we are all spending we should not need the ESP or Warranty Gold but you never know!
Mroffshore
I work with autos and electronics(GM body tech and Best Buy sales [non-permissible content removed].) and i know why they offer extended service plans. Its quit simple, they don't make it like they used to. There is a reason why the manufactuer onl warrents something for so long. They know its going to fail and don't want to eat it. I agree that if we are paying this much for aproduct that it should last a long time, but it just dont
Are you sure about those fuel tanks? I thought the shortbed had the smaller tank. I thought it was a structural thing. The longer bed has more room to put that extra gas.
I thought the short wheel base SD's had the 29 gallon tank and the long wheel base vehicles have the 38 gallon tank. Thats what it indicates in the 99 Super Duty brochure>
Not one bit, I rarely get angry. I don't know if thats good or bad. HAHA! Yes I've had the Vin# for over a week. I'll call the number Mon. just out of curiosity and post the results.
Thanks for your time!
Mroffshore
I realized earlier today the 800# you gave me for Ford, I used before when I had problems with our Windstar. What Dept. or who should I speak to concerning the status of the Truck? Also, what kind of info should I expect to recieve from Ford?
I spoke to the dealer today and everything is still on schedule for 7/6. Three more weeks of riding in a vehicle on it's last leg, 7/6 can't come soon enough! Did'nt Brutus say delivery is usually 2 weeks after the build date?
Thanks,
Mroffshore
Mike
No, I did not order from Meadowlands Ford...i decided to order from Verner-Cadby Ford....we've ordered vehicles through the dealership in the past, know a few people there, and its located right in my town....convenient for warranty work, should it be necessary!....but, no real preference over the two....i've heard meadowlands ford is a large volume dealer if that means anything...a lot of commercial trucks too...if that means anything.
Mike