September Sales-110 Units/Trouble in Fordsville

[jmueller065]

When I took my FFE in for its 10,000 mile service I had all of the service writeup guys surrounding the car asking all kinds of questions. It made for a very interesting sight.

 

[unplugged]

When I took my FFE in for its 10,000 mile service I had all of the service writeup guys surrounding the car asking all kinds of questions.

When I brought my FFE in for its 10,000 miles service, my service write-up guy asked, "What else do you need other than the tires rotated and the oil changed?" I replied that I wouldn't be doing the oil change. He asked why.

 

[Zurc]

"When I brought my FFE in for its 10,000 miles service, my service write-Up guy asked, "What else do you need other than the tires rotated and the oil changed?" I replied that I wouldn't be doing the oil change. He asked why."


So there must be some service requirements. The electric motor has bearings and the transmission likely has oil in it.
The fluid in the battery cooling system gets changed at 120k miles as I understand it.
The brakes and wheel bearings will need service periodically and I'm guessing the 12V battery will need changing every 3 or 4 years for reliability. Perhaps a switch to a good lithium battery would be an idea. So the FFE isn't so maintenance free.
But there is a good point to be noted here. Its a good idea to make sure anyone doing maintenance is made aware of the FFE.
Anything else?

Zurc.

 

[jmueller065]

The electric motor has bearings and the transmission likely has oil in it.

I believe it is more like gear oil--like what is in a differential or manual transmission that doesn't need to be replace as often.
From the owner's manual:

Your transmission does not consume fluid. It is designed to be filled for
life. However, the fluid level should be checked if the transmission is not
working properly, or if you notice some sign of fluid leakage.

Also in the owners manual:
10,000 Mile: Rotate tires (and inspect a bunch of stuff)
20,000 Mile: Replace cabin air filter
150,000 Mile: Change coolant and coolant filter.
That's about it!

 

[unplugged]

10,000 Mile: Rotate tires (and inspect a bunch of stuff)
20,000 Mile: Replace cabin air filter
150,000 Mile: Change coolant and coolant filter.
That's about it!

Yep. Pretty maintenance free in my book. I won't own the car for it's coolant change. And I'm saving up for that cabin filter every 20K miles.

 

[jloucks]

I have mentioned this before but in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex there were only 3 FFE's in the entire area!! They sold quickly and I got the white one!! Ford has some sort of car-shuffle deal with the FFE's. On the ford site it appears that the dealer by you has one, but in reality that just means a dealer within X miles has one. I had to wait on the car to be transferred over to get mine.

My sales experience was fine, but very quirky. They kept piling on discounts and rebates and the deal just kept getting better. It was surreal. The salesperson knew pretty much nothing about the car, but seemed to enjoy the learning experience. The dealership just invested a lot of money in charging stations and what-not so it looks like they are all for selling a lot more FFE's. ....except they don't exist. Last time I checked DFW was out of them, and has been for a while.

Somebody mentioned FFE's were available anywhere. I am 80% sure this is not true. Still only a selected market vehicle.

My little FFE is about to turn 10,000. Still running strong! Only a minor one-time self resolving issue (little wrench thingie lit up and a few days later went out). Saved me,, well,, lets see,,,, almost $3,100 in gas since winter.

 

[jmueller065]

Somebody mentioned FFE's were available anywhere. I am 80% sure this is not true. Still only a selected market vehicle.

That was me, and they are: if you can't find them in the dealers lot you can always order one. I think only "EV Certified dealers" can order them though (which there are ones in every market in the US). Ford considers the FFE a "build to order" vehicle anyway: meaning dealers really shouldn't stock any and just place orders for them.

 

[unplugged]

I think only "EV Certified dealers" can order them though (which there are ones in every market in the US). Ford considers the FFE a "build to order" vehicle anyway: meaning dealers really shouldn't stock any and just place orders for them.

Two points: Ford has changed its build-to-order request and many dealers in Southern California are stocking several or even more. I was at my local Ford dealer today and they have 3 in stock.

Also, to further your point about EV Certified Dealers, remember that dealers who sell any of the Energi products will be EV Certified. For this reason, most dealers will be certified if only to sell the high profit Energi cars. Thus, even if the certified dealer doesn't stock the car, an FFE can be ordered.

 

[Zurc]

My experience was that my non certified dealer was happy to shuffle from Barrie or order one for me.
I could have had a pick of 3 from somewhere but I didn't like the colours (colors for the us folks), so I ended up ordering. Long wait though, as of last week they dont have a VIN yet. Another 2 weeks apparently. I mentioned to the sales guy that I'd likely get the car just in time to put it into winter storage. The sales guy also assured me that it just takes a little bit longer for cars with square wheels.
A couple of good things about Square wheels. They are great for pot holes and you never have to worry about getting a flat because they come with 4 flats already. Oh and one more thing, they stack real easy too.

Zurc.

 

[TexaCali]

Zurc,

So when you order can you specify a color from the ICE Focus that isn't shown on Ford's web site as a FFE color?

 

[Zurc]

Not that I'm aware of.

Zurc.