New Warranty For Ford Genuine And Motorcraft Parts

On November 4th, 2013 Ford Motor Company announced that they are launching a new warranty for Ford Genuine and Motorcraft service parts. This is an unlimited mileage warranty and is for 24 months after the time of purchase or installation. Like before, parts and labor will continued to be covered with any repair completed at any Ford or Lincoln dealerships. Ford will now cover up to $150 in labor for fleets and installers completing repairs with Ford and Motorcraft parts in their repair facilities. If towing repairs are completed at any Ford or Lincoln dealership, vehicle owners will be reimbursed as well.

"Ford is dedicated to constant improvement in all we do. Ford Genuine and Motorcraft replacement parts are approved by Ford engineering," said Frederiek Toney, vice president, Ford Motor Company and president, Ford Customer Service. "In the unlikely event a part fails, our new warranty demonstrates our commitment to quality, our customers and our intent to provide greater peace of mind and an improved ownership experience."

For more information and the official press release from Ford, click here.

Lincoln Ranked Most Dependable Brand by J.D. Power and Associates Study

J.D. Power and Associates has announced that Lincoln has the highest score for vehicle long-term dependability amongst all vehicle brands in their 2011 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). Below is a summary of the press release the company issued regarding this report.

The respondents of the survey are consumers who own three-year old vehicles (2008 model-year). In the survey, the respondents (close to 44,000) were asked questions that would pin point any problems they have encountered with their vehicle within the past year. Problems were divided into eight categories with a total of 202 problems that respondents could indicate experiencing. This annual study began in 1990.

Ranking high in this study is very important to everyone involved in the automotive industry. According to J.D. Power and Associates, “perception of quality and dependability is the most influential factor in their (new shoppers) decision to purchase a specific vehicle model”. More and more, customers are looking for vehicles from brands that they can trust. More than 60% of consumers who are purchasing new vehicles “say reliability/durability is one of the most important factors in choosing a new vehicle”. Whether or not the customer’s car is perceived as dependable has an affect on whether or not a customer will purchase their vehicle from the same dealership again. It is also noteworthy to mention that if a customer is experiencing problems with their car, they are less willing to go back to the dealer for service work.

Lincoln was ranked as this year’s most dependable vehicle. Lincoln took first place with Lexus, Jaguar, and Porsche following behind in their respective positions. Even though Ford was not in the top five, the brand did rank higher than the industry average. Those ranking the lowest were MINI, Jeep, Land Rover and Dodge.

Ford Motor Company had many vehicles rank in the top three of their segments. The Lincoln MKZ ranked the highest in the Entry Premium Car segment and the Lincoln Navigator was the highest ranked in the Large Premium Crossover/SUV category. The Ford Fusion was the highest ranked in the Midsize Car segment. Some other winners for FMC was the Ford Edge, Ford F-150, Ford Mustang and Ford Taurus.

How important do you consider dependability when purchasing a new vehicle?

J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study

Lincoln Inventory

Stress-Reducting Technology While Driving

A new study conducted by Ford and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) concludes that new advancements in vehicle technology have proven to reduce stress while driving.

In a research project implemented over a nine month span, Ford and MIT have proven that technology such as the Ford Motor Company Active Park Assist feature (in the Lincoln MKS) and the Ford Motor Company Cross-Traffic Alert have resulted in a reduction of as much as 12 beats per minute in the driver’s heart rate.

Ford began this study in an initiative to “improve driver focus, wellness and safety”. 1

Physiological changes in drivers’ heart rates were measured while test participants were instructed to undergo instructions from the test administrator such as to parallel park and reverse out of a parking space.

The results of the study showed that with the added technology to assist in these tasks, the drivers were ultimately less stressed demonstrated by their bpm reduction heart rate.

For more information and statistics from Ford about this study please follow the link for the article below.

1 http://www.thefordstory.com/safety/want-stress-free-driving-use-in-vehicle-technology/