Serramonte Ford Mach-E Specialist Here

[Gloff]

Hi @Gloff, thanks for chiming in on this forum.

I was wondering if you might have any insight into the dealer allocation process? What is the typically monthly allocation a dealership like yours will receive? Also why is it the Premium and CaRT1 seem to take forever to get a build date, but Many GT and Selects seem to get built within 3 - 4 months?

I don't have the exact formula, based on what we see in our queue, it's based on timestamp within available commodities. We get a lot of allocation, likely because of our past EV/PHEV performance, and our location. We get around 15 units per month, but lately that's been higher.

As for builds, Select is easy, those are the simplest and only come with the standard range. Extended range is highly constrained due to demand. As to why the GTs we're getting built I'm not sure.

My guess is that Ford's demand projections indicated a high level of GT orders, when in actuality, the Premium ER and Rte 1 were highest demand. This leaves more available GT commodities for production than actual Orders which is why we saw stock units built. Once Premiums and Rte 1 balanced out, GT and Select orders exploded resulting in the demand you see today.

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[Gloff]

Sean, first, thank you for your willingness to step forward and offer your insights into the Mach-e experience from the dealership's point of view.

My question is a common one for customers that submitted Mach-e orders and have not been scheduled for production. How can I find out my “place in line” for receiving a production date and who is in the best position to help? I have reached out to the dealership, Ford Customer Service, Ford Marketing, the Ford Social Media Team, etc., the list goes on, however, no one seems to have an answer. I’ve heard about things like priority codes, dealer allocations, and Park Assist prep kits (which according to my dealer, neither they nor their Ford rep know anything about) as being factors in scheduling.

From a dealership perspective, what information is available for you to see on the status of an order? Beyond what is readily available to see in Ford systems, can the dealer inquire through their Ford rep to obtain an answer on when an order might be scheduled for production?

Also, perhaps I’m not asking my dealer the right questions. Any recommendations you can share on what I should be asking?

Only your dealer knows your place in line. They should be maintaining a list of Mach-E customers.

Priority codes shouldn't matter because it's based on when the order was input for Mach E.

Your dealer should know about the Active park assist prep. It was communicated recently to dealership personnel that deal with ordering. Tell them to look in WBDO and make sure your order is Clean and does not show a compatibility error.

The rep doesn't know when it will schedule, the dealer could guesstimate if they are maintaining a list of customers and their builds.

 

[Dancefreak]

It's not about cash flow.

We live in a world with infinite information so when many dealers seem to have no issue at all adjusting the price at time of sale so that the price protection isn't something the end buyer needs to worry about, it puts a very negative light on those dealers who insist on delivering a check later...where the buyer (not the dealer) floats the cash and ends up paying higher taxes on the purchase. People understandably question why you can't simply do it like the other dealers.

If it's not cash flow, then why are some dealers able to operate in a far more consumer friendly way when it comes to price protection?

 

[EchoRomeo]

As for builds, Select is easy, those are the simplest and only come with the standard range. Extended range is highly constrained due to demand. As to why the GTs we're getting built I'm not sure.

It doesn't get a lot of attention, because I don't think it's a common order, but I'd bet that base Selects (no conf+tech) get scheduled relatively quickly due to less commodity demands (i.e., no BlueCruise, 360 camera, etc.). I ordered a Select w/ comf+tech and am currently at 22 weeks. My car probably has the same number of microchips as Premium/CAR1 and it's looking like the timeline to delivery is just as long.

Only your dealer knows your place in line. They should be maintaining a list of Mach-E customers.

This is exactly right. My dealer told me a couple weeks ago that there were 15 orders ahead of me in their queue. I checked again the other day and now there are 3 ahead of me. There appears to be a lot of grumbling on this forum about lack of transparency/communication from Ford but your dealer should be able to let you know where you're at in terms of queue/allocation for their location. I don't have a build date yet but based on the communication from my dealer I'm fairly confident that I'll be scheduled soon. I'd encourage those who have been waiting for a build date for a long time, and are starting to get discouraged, to simply check with your dealer to see where you're at on their list.

Sean, would you second this? I imagine you're also able to provide such updates for your location?

 

[MacherAWD]

You can set up fordpass ahead of time as well. We have been seeing some issues with activation on cars the customer sets up beforehand though.

I tried this beforehand and it caused issues, I wasnt getting the welcome email and hit resend a few times. Then when I got to the dealer a few hours later, started the car, and I paired, I got 5 welcome emails, but all the links were invalid. After that it took 20min to get a new welcome email, so again I had hit submit more then once. When I got home that night, I deleted all the emails, waited 30min and tried again. Then 1 email came and I setup.

 

[NJ_MachE]

It doesn't get a lot of attention, because I don't think it's a common order, but I'd bet that base Selects (no conf+tech) get scheduled relatively quickly due to less commodity demands (i.e., no BlueCruise, 360 camera, etc.). I ordered a Select w/ comf+tech and am currently at 22 weeks. My car probably has the same number of microchips as Premium/CAR1 and it's looking like the timeline to delivery is just as long.

Interesting- that makes some sense, though my anecdote goes against that theory: I ordered a Select w/ Comfort Tech in January and got a build week within a month of order, and am on track to take delivery within a week. It is RWD though, which may have made a difference over AWD, if that was the case for you. I really think the extended battery (plus other unique things about the Premium/CRt1s like the sound system and glass roof) make a much bigger difference over the things that are in the Comfort/Tech package.

This is exactly right. My dealer told me a couple weeks ago that there were 15 orders ahead of me in their queue. I checked again the other day and now there are 3 ahead of me. There appears to be a lot of grumbling on this forum about lack of transparently/communication from Ford but your dealer should be able to let you know where you're at in terms of queue/allocation for their location. I don't have a build date yet but based on the communication from my dealer I'm fairly confident that I'll be scheduled soon. I'd encourage those who have been waiting for a build date for a long time, and are starting to get discouraged, to simply check with your dealer to see where you're at on their list.

Sean, would you second this? I imagine you're also able to provide such updates for your location?

The issue with just knowing the number of orders ahead of you is there are lots of complicated intricacies based on trim and dealer allocation-- I know my order got scheduled ahead of plenty of Premiums ordered well before me at the same dealership. And I also know my dealer churns through Mach-Es super fast so they are not having issues with their allocation limiting deliveries. But order date is definitely not the only factor.

 

[potatomobile]

Geoff, thanks for being willing to come on the forum and answer questions.

My car has been at the dealership for over 3 weeks now and they can't get the updates to install. They're in contact with Ford engineers but that's been true for the last 3 weeks and nothing has changed. The dealership has given me a rental from Enterprise, but it's not the car I paid for and has restrictions on it (who can drive, no pets etc) that don't work for me.

My questions are:
1) Is there anything I can tell the dealership to try that may make the updates work?
2) What sort of compensation should I ask for from the dealership/Ford corporate?
3) If I switched to Serramonte Ford (I'm in the Bay Area), what would you be able to do differently?

 

[EchoRomeo]

Interesting- that makes some sense, though my anecdote goes against that theory: I ordered a Select w/ Comfort Tech in January and got a build week within a month of order, and am on track to take delivery within a week. It is RWD though, which may have made a difference over AWD, if that was the case for you. I really think the extended battery (plus other unique things about the Premium/CRt1s like the sound system and glass roof) make a much bigger difference over the things that are in the Comfort/Tech package.

Wow, that's incredibly fast! Mine is RWD too. Yeah, that does kind of disprove my point...but your case is really abnormally fast I think. Looks like you'll get yours even faster than the "20+" delivery estimate for a Select, which seems almost unheard of.

Maybe it's because I'm in Southern California and demand/dealer is a lot crazier here?? Maybe there's a grabber blue paint shortage (jk)? Who knows...

The issue with just knowing the number of orders ahead of you is there are lots of complicated intricacies based on trim and dealer allocation-- I know my order got scheduled ahead of plenty of Premiums ordered well before me at the same dealership. And I also know my dealer churns through Mach-Es super fast so they are not having issues with their allocation limiting deliveries. But order date is definitely not the only factor.

Agreed, but still I'd say there's a lot of value in having some sense of forward progress, even if it's not exact. Especially when you've already been waiting 20+ weeks.

 

[IgorKl]

Only your dealer knows your place in line. They should be maintaining a list of Mach-E customers.

Priority codes shouldn't matter because it's based on when the order was input for Mach E.

Your dealer should know about the Active park assist prep. It was communicated recently to dealership personnel that deal with ordering. Tell them to look in WBDO and make sure your order is Clean and does not show a compatibility error.

The rep doesn't know when it will schedule, the dealer could guesstimate if they are maintaining a list of customers and their builds.

Do you know if Serramonte Ford review own list of MME orders in order to minimize compatability issues?

 

[FarSide]

You can also get X-Plan being a current Ford shareholder. Just need to produce paperwork (which Ford sends you) showing you’ve held F stock for the last 6 months.

Do you have a link to more info on X-Plan for longer-term shareholders, I only see xplan criteria for basically employees/families. thanks

 

[MisterSofa]

It's not about cash flow.

What is the reason why your dealership makes the customer wait?

 

[Avelli]

I don't have the exact formula, based on what we see in our queue, it's based on timestamp within available commodities. We get a lot of allocation, likely because of our past EV/PHEV performance, and our location. We get around 15 units per month, but lately that's been higher.

As for builds, Select is easy, those are the simplest and only come with the standard range. Extended range is highly constrained due to demand. As to why the GTs we're getting built I'm not sure.

My guess is that Ford's demand projections indicated a high level of GT orders, when in actuality, the Premium ER and Rte 1 were highest demand. This leaves more available GT commodities for production than actual Orders which is why we saw stock units built. Once Premiums and Rte 1 balanced out, GT and Select orders exploded resulting in the demand you see today.

Are the GTs valid for the $2000 CVRP Rebate?

 

[MellowJohnny]

Do you have a link to more info on X-Plan for longer-term shareholders, I only see xplan criteria for basically employees/families. thanks

I called Ford Customer Service and after a bit of running around (Reps were US-based and I’m in Canada) they emailed me this application form - pretty straightforward.

 

[SD Marc]

Sean- what a community service thanks for putting yourself out there and spending the time. Karma owes you

quick question - there’s no info online reptions, can you shed some light on rate and balloon (I’m SoCal). I’m expecting late July or early August so expecting things may change between now and then.

Thanks much!
MJ

 

[PupSideDown]

Thanks Sean @Gloff. I really appreciate your willingness to wade in and share your experience.

My dealership was completely clueless about price protection. I gave them copies of all the information shared on this forum, and they insisted it was all news to them. Anyway, I paid (cash purchase) the full sticker price, and they said they would send a $2k check if they were reimbursed by Corporate. I asked how would they be eligible for price protection reimbursement if they hadn't actually honored the price protection, but just let it go, knowing if I didn't take my car, they would mark up the price and sell it to someone else. I was shocked when about 3 months later, the dealer called and said they had a $2k reimbursement check which they would send to me. I think they were as shocked as I was.

When we picked up our car, after completing all the sales paperwork, the guy just handed us the keys and said, "Your car is parked out front. Bye". That was it. Very different from every other car buying experience. Because we happen to live in a state where EVs are pretty rare, maybe the dealer staff just aren't that comfortable with these cars. Which brings me (finally) to my question. How do I figure out which dealer has actually invested in training and equipment for servicing MMEs? I don't want to go back to the purchase dealership, and don't mind traveling a reasonable distance to one that has the capability and experience. Just wondering if there are some general benchmark standards I can ask about before scheduling service or whatever.

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