Conference terri::cars_uk

    I would aim high.
    
    Hold them to the original deal, wait for the factory order and have
    them loan you a simlar replacement while you wait.
    
    Then when you change to accepting the after-market fit *and* a reduction
    on top, they will snatch your hand off. 
    
    I would recommend you get some simple legal advice and put
    something in writing to the garage. 
    
    
    
    Graham

    
    I'd contact Ford customer services and tell them the story - with a bit
    of luck you'll get a demonstrator to use until your factory ordered car
    arrives (and if I were you I'd order it from somewhere else).
    
    Graham

    Whatever you do, make sure they give you something to drive whilst they
    are mucking you around!

Their record so far leaves them lacking a bit. What are they gonna be like if 
they have to deal with warranty issues, what about servicing etc..?

I would ALWAYS advise people to walk away in such circumstances. Making do with 
a rush/botch job ALWAYS leads to problems later on, in my experience. :-(

Craig.

We are down to 4 choices :-
	
1. Change to a 1.8 rather than a 2.0 with air conditioning (same price, my 
original choice before the garage said they couldn't find one, cheaper 
insurance, better fuel consumption).

2. Take the current car without air cond, and �1,000 cash back (not the car 
I originally wanted, but good enough, and at present 1,000 would be VERY 
useful!).

3. Get this Ford recommended company (Diavia - also been recommended as the 
best by other people) to fit the after market air conditioning. (Not sure 
about what happens when it goes wrong, Ford warranty vs Daivia warranty, 
Options replacement value in 2 years).

4. Order a new one (2 or 3 months wait, get a 1997 model, maybe need to 
re-negotiate the price, need to take a car in lieu in the mean time.....)

I have a couple of days to "decide, you are the customer and we want to do 
what you want".

Cheers, Chris

    
    	Why would you need to renegociate the price?  I presume you think
    	you'd have to pay more?
    
    	I reckon get a loan car from them and take the 1997 model at the
    	same price.  My cousin had problems with his N reg car and Vauxhall
    	eventually agreed to let him keep the problem-mobile until they
    	could give him a P reg replacement, higher spec, at the same price.
    
    	Pete

    Chris,
    
    Judging by the tone of your comments about how useful the 1000 pound 
    cashback would be, you must ask yourself do you really need air con.
    
    After all not every summer is like last year's.
    
    Royston

>> I have a couple of days to "decide, you are the customer and we want to do 
>> what you want".
    
    ...then why did they order the wrong car ?
    
    G.

    Re:.0 & .5
    
    Chris,
    
    Over here in France [we have air conditioning as standard on the
    Mondeo well it was when we bought ours]. Someone mentioned about
    summers not normally being so hot in the UK well even in the winter
    when it's peeing down with rain it's still useful to quickly and
    effectively demist the windows etc.. In any case it doesn't take much
    in the way of sunshine to start pushing the temperature up inside the
    car and on long journeys driving at speed with all windows closed it's
    nice and quiet and cool.
    
    Now if Diavia is a fully Ford recommended company [you've got in
    writing from Ford...] and they use actual Ford parts [get them to show
    you the kit they will use as the condensor unit etc. will have Ford
    part numbers on them so you can verify] AND they have a good warrenty
    cover then from looking at the piping in the engine bay it doesn't seem
    that big a job just to fit everything in it's correct place. Mind you
    1,000 quid from 400 seems a very steep hike but surely that's the
    problem for the garage and they should pay the difference - right or
    wrong?  
    
    About going back to the 1.8L instead of the 2.0 - look at what extras
    you get for the price and therefore judge if you value them. I've the
    2.0L ghia estate and with this I had fog lamps and ABS etc. etc. as
    standard [fog lamps used alot - ABS only really needed twice so far].
    The only other extra I would like to have had was the cruise control. 
    
    I'd say if you can hold on and wait then order the car with the extras
    that YOU really want. We took one that was in the showroom to get it
    quickly - never again - next time we'll wait for the exact spec'd car
    that we want.
    
    Dave

    
    I think the problem will be getting anything in writing from Ford.
    After all the garage is franchise, they've ordered a car that the
    customer didn't want - so what ? as far as Ford are concerned they've
    sold one more car. I'm sure they'll be quite happy to build and deliver
    the car that should have been ordered and bill the garage appropriately, 
    but they're not going to recommend fitting an aftermarket Air-con system
    and then treat it in warranty terms as if it was one of their factory
    fit ones.
    
    Graham

    >    After all not every summer is like last year's.
    

    > This year's one was very good!
    
    Well, summer is not over yet but it can't compare to the heatwave
    last year which lasted from the end of June through to the third week
    of August. 
    
    We've hardly been experiencing temperatures in the upper 20's / low
    30's this year.
    
    Royston

    My choice would be:  BUT Price is the same (or cheaper for the 'hassle'
    and MUST get a car in lieu from today. This assume the 97 model has
    more goodies than the 96 model.
    
    4. Order a new one (2 or 3 months wait, get a 1997 model, maybe need to
    re-negotiate the price, need to take a car in lieu in the mean
    time.....)

The garage has now come back with 2 options:-

1. Take a 1.8 Ghia Estate with air conditioning now.

2. Take my car (without the ar conditioning) as a temporary measure, at the 
same time order a new 1997 model one with air conditioning, and upgrade 
when it becomes available for �174 (which is 50% of the price difference 
between the 96 and 97 models).

No. 2: My gain:- a car when I need it (this weekend) and a 97 model 
replacement in 2 or 3 months time at very little extra.
The garage loss:- they need to sell a second hand 3 month old standard Ghia 
Estate in 3 months time.

No. 1: My gain:- a car now to keep, but with a smaller engine than 
originally planned - which saves money on insurance and petrol....

    Re option 1.
    
    I don't understand why you have ordered a top of the range 'Ghia'
    model but are tempted by saving a few bucks on insurance and a few
    pence on petrol savings. Surely depreciation is going to be the
    biggest financial aspect to consider.
    
    Royston

    >> No. 1: My gain:- a car now to keep, but with a smaller engine than
    >>originally planned - which saves money on insurance and petrol..
    
    
    A smaller engine for the same price, and you call that your gain!
    
    I'd demand the 97 model at no extra cost! 

    When I had problems with my Fiat Bravo and decided to reject the car
    because it wasn't of the specificiation I had ordered - the garage took
    the matter up with Fiat, they came back with a list of alternatives
    like yours. I was informed by the dealer manager that Fiat would allow
    them to register my car as an additional demonstrater giving them 40%
    discount on its price to them - but not allowing them sell it for 6
    months. Fiat would give me a new car when one with air-conditioning was 
    available and I would be able to keep the 'demonstrator' until it
    arrived. As it was, because of this cock-up the dealership stood to earn 
    about �1000.00 just from swapping my car not including any profit they
    make from the sale of my first car to someone and my new car !! 
    
    I susupect that the Ford garage are eager for you to accept yours now
    since that will help with their registrations for August. If you do
    indeed swap for a '97 model they will still be able to register your car
    as a demonstrator so they can well afford to give you a '97 model at
    the same price. Personally I would tell them that since they have
    breached their contract you are not legally obligated to buy from them
    ( no car at the promised time ) so unless they agree to give you a
    temporary car now and a new '97 model when available you will walk away
    and go elsewhere !!  After all - if they where serious about spending
    �1000.00 on it for an aftermarket Airconditioning to be fitted - they
    wont blow the sale for a measley �180.00 !!
    
    Give 'em hell !!
    
    Rick Barrett
    

A happy conclusion seems to be on the cards.... thanks for the advice about 
what other people have managed to get, it all helps with the negotiation.


I get the car originally planned for me (2.0 Ghia without Air Conditioning) 
while they order a new one with Air Cond.

The new one will be from the 1997 model year, and will be available at no 
cost to me (and they don't do the same colour - so I can choose another 
colour!)

Cheers, Chris

Getting close to the full story.

I went into the Ford garage to see about a second hand car, about 2 years 
old, probably a Mondeo..... I had very little deposit, and about 300-350 
per month to spend.

Because of my height, I found that Mondeo saloon or hatchback was too low, 
while the Estate was 1" or more head room - so I asked if they had any 
decent 2nd hand Estates. The only ones they had were high-mileage and hard 
driven examples.

The garage then pursuaded me to look at a new one on 2 year Options (pay 
some every month, and after 2 years pay the "guarenteed value", or trade 
the car in for a new one). Having decided on a new one, I wanted one with 
air conditioning. Then my brother-in-law said he worked for Ford Credit, 
and so could get "Privilege prices", and a new Ghia model, 1.8, with Air 
Con and normal paint was decided upon.

The garage said the 2.0 was the same price as the 1.8 - so I "upgraded".
The garage said they wouldn't be able to find a normal paint with air con - 
only a metallic paint one. Quick negotiation, and they would pay for the 
metallic paint (they don't like doing ANY extras on privilege prices, as 
they get no commission etc.).
They got hold of a car, then just before I took delivery found it didn't 
have air con....

So after a good deal of phone calls, and assisstance from this note as to 
what other people have got, last night I went to pick up my non-air con 
car, with the correct air-con one (1997 spec) ordered from the factory 
expected in 4 or 5 weeks.


The next good bit (as finances are very stretched this month) is that as I 
effectively have been lent a demonstrator for 6 weeks, I don't need to pay 
anything until I get my proper car through.


So:- Second hand, 2 yr old car right through to 2 new cars in 6 weeks!

Thanks to Notes.....

You've definitely done the right thing.

The '97 model Mondeo has been through a face-lift with new nose at least.  There are probably many other cosmetic
and mechanical changes - I've only seen some disguised pictures. So the car you would have taken delivery of would
certainly have depreciated rather quickly as soon as the new one arrived, plus, you'd have been driving around in
an old Mondeo missing out on the new one by days.

	Cheers,

	Bob

           <<< COSME3::DISK$OA_APP1:[NOTES$LIBRARY]CARS_UK.NOTE;1 >>>
                              -< Cars in the UK >-
================================================================================
Note 2539.20               Ford and Air Conditioning?                   20 of 20
MUGGER::SHARP "If I had a hammer..."                 10 lines  30-AUG-1996 13:30
                                 -< Good Move >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You've definitely done the right thing.

The '97 model Mondeo has been through a face-lift with new nose at least.  
There are probably many other cosmetic and mechanical changes - I've only seen 
some disguised pictures. So the car you would have taken delivery of would
certainly have depreciated rather quickly as soon as the new one arrived, plus,
you'd have been driving around in an old Mondeo missing out on the new one by 
days.

	Cheers,

	Bob