03/15 Build Week

[OCDoug]

The former military leader in me is getting annoyed a bit. lol. I really get that we are dealing with a chip shortage, but this isn't the first time the industry has had to deal with this; see 2008 chip shortage. There's no doubt that things can and will go wrong in the beginning, but I think the industry has had enough time to come up with a plan for the vehicles they are building. Here's a quote from a plant worker from OAC:
" It’s the same [expletive] going on up here at OAC. We have 11,000 Edge/Nautilus packed around the plant. We were down for 4 weeks during that time they took parts out of the units parked around the plant and are putting them into the units we are building now. The units we are building now are shipping. Word is we will only be back til May 28th then down til July at least. I knew we would have lots of downtime as ford has to process those f series sitting around Michigan and in Kentucky. I’m just wondering what the process will be to get all of these vehicles of these lots. OT for us,Third party?? This year has been a big [expletive]SHOW so far in this industry!"

I will say that this doesn't mean that DTP and KC were/are using parts from previously built trucks to complete trucks coming off the line now, but it would certainly explain why so many of you have been waiting 4 to even 10 months for you trucks.

you can read the thread here: https://blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/71066-dearborn-shutdown/

Saw this on another thread and thought some here would be interested. Seems like a good thing to know if you are going to bargain over Ford or the Dealer fronting the cost for extended warranty/maintenance plans.

This matches up with what seems readily apparent on the forums. Trucks ordered several months after ours are flying through the process at Dearborn (and others, this is just the plant I care about). And they're not even all retail orders!

Every week, I see more PB Lariats nearly identical to mine shipped out. Many of which at this point were ordered at the same time or after our trucks were built. Chip shortage or no, I don't see how this would be acceptable in many other industries in the internet age. I'm guessing that in addition to the manufacturing/transport cost math, someone also did the pissed off customer math and decided pissing off 20% of order holders a lot was better than pissing off 80% of order holders moderately.

I'm just wondering at this point how much this will piss me off every time I get into my truck once I get it.

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[OCDoug]

So i am reading a lot about the rust on these rigs. Anyone talk to their dealer about this? There is ABSOLUTELY zero excuse for the rust on these and I will be having my dealer fix it for me. Has there been any pushback on this?

From what I've seen on the various forums, many of the new orders are free of rust. Although, I assume these are the ones that didn't sit in a lot in Michigan for months. It also appears that most dealers have been willing to clean it up and repaint, but as far as I know Ford HQ has not acknowledged the rust issues officially.

I agree that there is no excuse for a brand new vehicle to have any rust at all, let alone more rust than any of the vehicles I have ever owned at any point in their lives.

 

[Sfortener]

This matches up with what seems readily apparent on the forums. Trucks ordered several months after ours are flying through the process at Dearborn (and others, this is just the plant I care about). And they're not even all retail orders!

Every week, I see more PB Lariats nearly identical to mine shipped out. Many of which at this point were ordered at the same time or after our trucks were built. Chip shortage or no, I don't see how this would be acceptable in many other industries in the internet age. I'm guessing that in addition to the manufacturing/transport cost math, someone also did the pissed off customer math and decided pissing off 20% of order holders a lot was better than pissing off 80% of order holders moderately.

I'm just wondering at this point how much this will piss me off every time I get into my truck once I get it.

I’m guessing the level of pissed off will be directly proportional to the number of things that send up being screwed up. If I’ve got tweedle Dee and tweedle dumb assembling my truck, I have a feeling it might look like this:

 

[dgrizz]

I’m guessing the level of pissed off will be directly proportional to the number of things that send up being screwed up. If I’ve got tweedle Dee and tweedle dumb assembling my truck, I have a feeling it might look like this:

I am not happy you are in a situation that has you pissed off, but I am happy that people in our situation are starting to get pissed off!!
2 months since my King Ranch went down the line pioneer told me sent offsite, since then nothing. I never thought about the tires, but I do know stuff goes to hell just sitting around.
On a rant on another thread someone tried to say you can't blame Ford, Bull, 3 months into this shortage either figure it out or slap the fricken black top. Fuch Jimmy Carter couldn't fuch it up any worse!!!!
I'm afraid at this point even if the truck shows up and seems to be okay, if I will ever like it.

 

[OCDoug]

I'm afraid at this point even if the truck shows up and seems to be okay, if I will ever like it.

Yeah, this is my overriding thought now. Especially, if once we all start taking delivery we see more significant quality issues due to assembly by 3rd party contractors, sitting outside for an extended period of time, parts being removed and replaced, etc.

On a rant on another thread someone tried to say you can't blame Ford, Bull, 3 months into this shortage either figure it out or slap the fricken black top.

I'm a little bit tired of the apologists myself. Note that a great deal of them got their trucks already or ordered far later than any of us (or both!). Honestly, I'm less pissed at Ford for general delays due to the chip shortage than I am for their refusal to keep customers (and dealers) in the loop, and the frankly backwards way of filling orders with the chips that they do have coming in. I get that it probably saves them money to assign the incoming chips to trucks coming off the line, but it speaks to a flagrant disregard for some of their most loyal customers. Or at least formerly most loyal customers...

They might have to weigh that saved manufacturing money more carefully against a PR hit if vehicle order data was more available to the general public (or hell, even to customers). The fact that it's obscured and often inaccurate just annoys me more.

 

[Ashtown82]

The former military leader in me is getting annoyed a bit. lol. I really get that we are dealing with a chip shortage, but this isn't the first time the industry has had to deal with this; see 2008 chip shortage. There's no doubt that things can and will go wrong in the beginning, but I think the industry has had enough time to come up with a plan for the vehicles they are building. Here's a quote from a plant worker from OAC:
" It’s the same [expletive] going on up here at OAC. We have 11,000 Edge/Nautilus packed around the plant. We were down for 4 weeks during that time they took parts out of the units parked around the plant and are putting them into the units we are building now. The units we are building now are shipping. Word is we will only be back til May 28th then down til July at least. I knew we would have lots of downtime as ford has to process those f series sitting around Michigan and in Kentucky. I’m just wondering what the process will be to get all of these vehicles of these lots. OT for us,Third party?? This year has been a big [expletive]SHOW so far in this industry!"

I will say that this doesn't mean that DTP and KC were/are using parts from previously built trucks to complete trucks coming off the line now, but it would certainly explain why so many of you have been waiting 4 to even 10 months for you trucks.

you can read the thread here: https://blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/topic/71066-dearborn-shutdown/

Saw this on another thread and thought some here would be interested. Seems like a good thing to know if you are going to bargain over Ford or the Dealer fronting the cost for extended warranty/maintenance plans.

There is so much information in that entire thread if you scroll back through it....and none of it is good.....YIKES!

Thanks for posting @Sfortener

 

[solarity]

The shortage is one thing, but I am getting tired of seeing so many builds roll out the door, while my spends 2 months in Jail 59. If I ordered my truck a month before or a month later I bet I would have been fine. To add to that I avoided items that were in limited supply.

 

[Roady]

Yeah, this is my overriding thought now. Especially, if once we all start taking delivery we see more significant quality issues due to assembly by 3rd party contractors, sitting outside for an extended period of time, parts being removed and replaced, etc.


I'm a little bit tired of the apologists myself. Note that a great deal of them got their trucks already or ordered far later than any of us (or both!). Honestly, I'm less pissed at Ford for general delays due to the chip shortage than I am for their refusal to keep customers (and dealers) in the loop, and the frankly backwards way of filling orders with the chips that they do have coming in. I get that it probably saves them money to assign the incoming chips to trucks coming off the line, but it speaks to a flagrant disregard for some of their most loyal customers. Or at least formerly most loyal customers...

They might have to weigh that saved manufacturing money more carefully against a PR hit if vehicle order data was more available to the general public (or hell, even to customers). The fact that it's obscured and often inaccurate just annoys me more.

While I don't consider myself an apologist, I still don't blame Ford for the chip shortage. If it was ONLY Ford having the issues, then ya, someone screwed up..... but every major manufacture is having the same issues. General Motors numbers are just as bad as Ford.

What I 1000 percent agree with you on is the poor communication. This could have been handled so much better from a PR standpoint. I imagine they have entire teams of people dedicated to customer satisfaction, yet here we are, all in the dark and pissed off about the vehicles we ordered.
There is just no excuse in this day and age, with all the technology available, that they could not have had customer briefings, individual customer correspondence, or even a town hall type events keeping people informed. The F150 is the best selling truck for many reasons, but a big one is customer loyalty. This debacle is not going to help them in that department.

 

[OCDoug]

While I don't consider myself an apologist, I still don't blame Ford for the chip shortage. If it was ONLY Ford having the issues, then ya, someone screwed up..... but every major manufacture is having the same issues. General Motors numbers are just as bad as Ford.

As I maybe didn't state quite clearly enough, I do not blame Ford for the chip shortage. I blame them for their handling of the shortage which has been equal parts poor communication, lack of information, and backwards and/or mysterious build completion prioritization.

I agree with you completely regarding the many things that Ford could do that would help. Just a little customer relations would go a long way in this situation. Even the dealers that I reached out to say that Ford HQ won't tell them anything about the purgatory trucks. I'm still waiting on my dealer to investigate this "Open Trace" thing that was posted somewhere back in this thread. But I'm not hopeful given the responses they seem to be getting from Ford so far.

 

[OCDoug]

The shortage is one thing, but I am getting tired of seeing so many builds roll out the door, while my spends 2 months in Jail 59. If I ordered my truck a month before or a month later I bet I would have been fine. To add to that I avoided items that were in limited supply.

The craziest thing to me is that I could have ordered another truck on my build day (3/17) and potentially be taking delivery this month, given what I'm seeing out of very similar Dearborn orders submitted in March.

 

[KielerFarms]

I've only ever had f150s and f250s but this delay is pissing me off more by the day. I'm just about ready to say the hell with it. Next truck probably won't be a ford

 

[GreggT]

I've only ever had f150s and f250s but this delay is pissing me off more by the day. I'm just about ready to say the hell with it. Next truck probably won't be a ford

One thing about it, I have to say Ford has the very worst Customer Service of anyplace I have come into contact with. I used to think ATT was bad.
Foley's presentation to the stockholders was a joke, his number two goal was to treat Fords customers like family. I seriously doubt he realizes just how bad it is!

 

[KiloWhiskey]

One thing about it, I have to say Ford has the very worst Customer Service of anyplace I have come into contact with. I used to think ATT was bad.
Foley's presentation to the stockholders was a joke, his number two goal was to treat Fords customers like family. I seriously doubt he realizes just how bad it is!

Ya their customer service is utter shit. I tried to be nice to the person on the phone and they just didn’t care. Honestly I wondered if they were even American by the way they sounded and they offered zero zip nada worth of help.
Edit: seeing more and more people who ordered after us/me and getting their rigs already. What the actual fuck?! Come on Ford!!!!

 

[Sfortener]

well....if this expected timeline is legitimate, I at least know I should get my 21 by spring of 2022. The question is how does Groundhog’s day play into this? Is Ford going to use the shadow of a rodent to say “Spring isn’t for 6 more weeks guys, your electric F150 is sitting in a parking lot waiting for its’ own shadow to go away”

 

[OCDoug]

well....if this expected timeline is legitimate, I at least know I should get my 21 by spring of 2022. The question is how does Groundhog’s day play into this? Is Ford going to use the shadow of a rodent to say “Spring isn’t for 6 more weeks guys, your electric F150 is sitting in a parking lot waiting for its’ own shadow to go away”

I reserved one for shits and giggles just to see if I could build it before receiving the truck I ordered last year...

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