12-24-2024, 05:40 PM
FOREWARNING:
Long winded “wordsmithed” posting!
While discussing car repair on 10, 15, 20 plus year old cars today, what will car repair be like in 20 plus years from now on cars that are new today be like?
My brother-in-law was a district manager for Ford Motor Company in the Southwest (California, Arizona and Nevada) who just recently retired. As such, he was allowed significant discounts on the purchase of new Fords which was able to be passed onto immediate family. All the cars we have owned we bought thru him - and then when we moved here in the late 1980's, had them shipped here.
In addition to the 2001 Escape and 2012 F150, 4 years ago we bought a 2020 Ford Fusion Energi - which is a plug-in hybrid car.
With the incentives, tax breaks and the brother in law’s employee discount, it was a significant savings including shipping the car from the Long Beach port to Hilo after driving it there from Sun City, AZ (where we took delivery of it) plus flying back and forth.
In order to get the discount my brother in laws job allowed, we had to take delivery of any new vehicle on the mainland.
That car came standard with virtually every option you can get - including allowing us to order it with a “cream” (white) leather interior - instead of the normal black on black with black trim as found on most new cars today.
Unfortunately, most of the high tech features don’t work here in Hawaii due to no satellite coverage - i.e. Fords Navigation/weather/information system, the SiriusXM radio etc. - but the car is a joy to drive - and I can go to Hilo and hit up all the big box stores and go back home - all with the air conditioning on - and never burn a drop of gas. Since I am on solar, it costs nothing to charge it at home.
I can drive it to Kona and back and average around 50 to 60 MPG. Even better, if while in Kona, I plug it in somewhere.
Now, about 5 months ago, we get a letter from Ford about a recall that requires the replacement of some type of high voltage cable.
So, I call Orchid Isle to schedule the recall repair and am told it will take about 30 days to get it done, but no worries, they will provide a free car for use during this time. And the service writer bent over backwards in telling me there is absolutely no charge for this repair! And they gave me a brand new 2024 Ford Escape to use too!
What they did not tell me was that the repair required the car to be shipped to – get this – to a Ford dealer in Long Beach, California!
When I get the call to come get the car, it still had the Matson shipping stickers on it!
Amazingly, the car only had 61 miles driven from the time of drop off to pick up – 37 days later!
And there is no change in the vehicles performance since I got it back.
So, imagine in 20 plus years from now what car repair will be like on the new cars of today!
Merry Christmas!
Long winded “wordsmithed” posting!
While discussing car repair on 10, 15, 20 plus year old cars today, what will car repair be like in 20 plus years from now on cars that are new today be like?
My brother-in-law was a district manager for Ford Motor Company in the Southwest (California, Arizona and Nevada) who just recently retired. As such, he was allowed significant discounts on the purchase of new Fords which was able to be passed onto immediate family. All the cars we have owned we bought thru him - and then when we moved here in the late 1980's, had them shipped here.
In addition to the 2001 Escape and 2012 F150, 4 years ago we bought a 2020 Ford Fusion Energi - which is a plug-in hybrid car.
With the incentives, tax breaks and the brother in law’s employee discount, it was a significant savings including shipping the car from the Long Beach port to Hilo after driving it there from Sun City, AZ (where we took delivery of it) plus flying back and forth.
In order to get the discount my brother in laws job allowed, we had to take delivery of any new vehicle on the mainland.
That car came standard with virtually every option you can get - including allowing us to order it with a “cream” (white) leather interior - instead of the normal black on black with black trim as found on most new cars today.
Unfortunately, most of the high tech features don’t work here in Hawaii due to no satellite coverage - i.e. Fords Navigation/weather/information system, the SiriusXM radio etc. - but the car is a joy to drive - and I can go to Hilo and hit up all the big box stores and go back home - all with the air conditioning on - and never burn a drop of gas. Since I am on solar, it costs nothing to charge it at home.
I can drive it to Kona and back and average around 50 to 60 MPG. Even better, if while in Kona, I plug it in somewhere.
Now, about 5 months ago, we get a letter from Ford about a recall that requires the replacement of some type of high voltage cable.
So, I call Orchid Isle to schedule the recall repair and am told it will take about 30 days to get it done, but no worries, they will provide a free car for use during this time. And the service writer bent over backwards in telling me there is absolutely no charge for this repair! And they gave me a brand new 2024 Ford Escape to use too!
What they did not tell me was that the repair required the car to be shipped to – get this – to a Ford dealer in Long Beach, California!
When I get the call to come get the car, it still had the Matson shipping stickers on it!
Amazingly, the car only had 61 miles driven from the time of drop off to pick up – 37 days later!
And there is no change in the vehicles performance since I got it back.
So, imagine in 20 plus years from now what car repair will be like on the new cars of today!
Merry Christmas!