ViperPilot

Dear Posters: I will attempt to make this post as clear as possible and update as needed. PREAMBLE I do not answer tracking requests by PM. I have no means of PMing or emailing you window stickers; they have to be attached to a post. So please don't PM me looking for personalized tracking. It'll only get deleted with no reply. Things I can do: if you provide your VIN I can tell you the schedule/build/ship status; .pdf copies of window stickers, based on availability and time permitting . Things I cannot do: bump your priority; tell you where your car is after it releases for shipping; shipping time estimates; give specifics on the dealer ordering system; or resolve order problems. I cannot provide window stickers for cars older than 2 to 3 years past the build date. After 2 to 3 years past the assembly date, the the window sticker is archived and will be noted as such in the response to your request. If you need further info on this, please see the note in the FAQ section titled "What does it mean that my sticker is archived?" GENERAL TRACKING GUIDELINES: Tracking is done on a "time permitting" basis. Bear in mind that this service isn't one of my job duties at Ford, and that my actual job duties have priority over this service. Some days, I work through my lunch, which means tracking won't get done that day. Also, I have to physically be in the office to access the tracking system. Just like everyone else, I don't spend 24/7 in the office and I have days or weekends off and vacations, so while I strive to update as often as possible, don't panic if your request doesn't get answered immediately. I need your VIN. Only your VIN. Your dealer will provide you with the VIN for your vehicle after it has been serialized. If it hasn't been serialized, I can't track it. I know the "other" post says we can track using the dealer and order number, but that person no longer tracks here. So I need your VIN. Please post your VIN with your request so I don't have to search for it. Post in the proper section. If you want a one-time or only occasional update, post it here:LINK . If you want continuous tracking, start your own thread in this section here: LINK Bump your thread. If you went the "create your own thread" route, this is the deal; I have found that through experience it takes 1/2 an hour to track all the requests on Page 1 of the section. Which, coincidentally, is the maximum amount of time I can devote to this ON A GOOD DAY. So if your request thread is on "Page 1" it is being tracked nearly daily. If it gets bumped to Page 2, bump it back to Page 1 by responding to it (ie Click the ADD REPLY button at the botom of the page). It's that easy. Do NOT create multiple threads. Creating multiple threads (for the same order) bumps other poster's requests to Page 2. It also makes me check your request multiple times which wastes my time. Multiple requests for the same order will result in the extra threads being deleted. Posters continually making multple threads run the risk of getting on the "ignore list" (Population: 2) Once you're ignored, I don't even see your request any more. No answer = NO CHANGE. In order to expedite things, if there is no change in your status, you might not get a response every day. If your request is on Page 1 and you see others getting responses, it means that it has been checked but there is nothing new to report. No "Blend Date" = No window sticker. The blend date is when the .pdf file is generated, so unfortunately you have to wait until you see that date before a window sticker becomes available. Also note that we assume that you WANT the window sticker posted. If you do not (say, for privacy reasons), MAKE SURE that you indicate this in your request. I have no mechanism available to email you your .pdf. It has to be either posted or you're out of luck. Be patient. Rome wasn't built in a day, and your car won't be either. So bumping your thread every day looking for an update won't make it get built any faster. So here's a tip: check every 3-4 days. It'll be easier on your nerves, trust me. I do not rail track. After your vehicle leaves the plant, it will be put onto a train or truck headed for your dealer. Even if you manage to get your railcar number from VOPC, I cannot track it. Your dealer can, though, through the Vehicle Visibility website available through the Ford Dealer network. Because of Ford's Confidentiality restrictions, I cannot divulge information in that system; so please don't ask. See your dealer. After your vehicle is "shipped" I do not provide regular updates and I don't check it any longer on a daily basis. Since I cannot track by rail, I generally stop checking the status of your order once it reaches the "Shipped" stage. 95% of the orders that have shipped, the dealer will have notified you that your vehicle has arrived before my system shows a change. So bumping your thread every day asking if it's arrived at the dealer is just wasting your time. If it's been less than a week since the ship date I skip the track, it's not going to be there. After about a week I'll run the track if your request is still on Page 1, if it's not there yet you'll get a "no change" or "still in transit" and then you'll go back in the wait queue again. IF your vehicle seems to take an unusually long time to arrive, or if you want that one final update, bump your thread. Cut the chatter! I mean that somewhat jokingly, but please avoid carrying on conversations or asking questions of other posters in their tracking threads. Instead, please send a private message to the member. This helps keep the section organized and avoids upsetting members who get their threads bumped when there's no new news on their order. FAQ Q. How do I "bump" future request updates? A. Just reply to the thread you have created. Go to the bottom of the page within your tracking thread and hit the "Add Reply" button and type something like "update, please". You don't have to bump it daily. It takes a bit between changes. If it's on the first page (ie latest posts) it's already getting checked and you don't have to bump it yet. Q. What do the dates mean? A. They represent the various stages of production. Receipt Date: The date that MS&S recorded the order. When the order is received from the dealers Serialize Date: The date that MS&S transfers the order to MP&L and the VIN is created. When the order is received by Material Planning and parts are ordered Segment Date: The date that MP&L determines which week the order will be built. When they figure what week that parts will be able to be delivered to the plant to build the vehicle Sequence Date: The date that MP&L determines which day the order will be built. When they figure what day that parts can be at the plant to build the vehicle Blend Date: The date that MP&L determines when the order will be built within the assigned day. When they figure the specific order that vehicles will be built. This depends on options and line constraints. Produced Date: The date that VO finished assembling the vehicle Your unit has been built! Gate Release Date: The date that VO transfers the vehicle to Transportation Carriers for shipping Your unit has left the building, and is in the hands of the shipper (rail or truck) Ship Date: The date the vehicle left the Assembly Plant Your unit has left the load site, and is on it's way to the dealer Arrival Date: The date the Dealership received the vehicle Your dealer has the unit in hand, doing the dealer prep thingy Sold Date: The date the Customer picked up the vehicle You came in, looked it over, said, "I'll take it!" and signed the papers. Q. What do all these abbreviations mean? A. They represent various branches within the Ford organization. MS&S Marketing, Sales and Service (Ford's sales branch) MP&L Material Planning and Logistics (Ford's planning and procurement department) VO Vehicle Operations (Ford's manufacturing branch) Q. What is the AVERAGE wait time between the various dates? A. Remember that this as only a guideline (except as noted) and in no way a guarantee. Receipt Date to Serialize Date: Anywhere from a right away to few days; UNLESS there is a material hold or it is near the end of the model year run and there is a chance that car won't make it to production for that model year. Serialize Date to Segment Date: Anywhere from a right away to few days. Segment Date to Sequence Date: A week or two. Sequence Date to Blend Date: This is usually one of the longest waits, it can be anywhere from a week to a month (or longer if the vehicle is a special edition or limited run!) It is completely dependant on the anticipated build date, the blend date will be almost exactly one week before the build date. Blend Date to Produced Date: One week, NEVER before. Sometimes later if there is a production hiccup at the plant but seldom more than 2 weeks. Produced Date to Gate Release Date: Same day as Produced to a week. Gate Release Date to Ship Date: Same day as Gate Release to a week or even two. Ship Date to Arrival Date: One to two weeks depending on your proximity to the plant. Arrival Date to Sold Date: Well, that depends on how quickly your dealer preps your car and you come to pick it up. Q. My order seems to have stalled. What's wrong? or Q. My order is an A/X Plan order and seems to not be moving very fast. Are they delaying my order because they aren't making a much profit? or Q. Other people's orders that have the same order/serialized/sequence/blend date are advancing and mine's not. What's wrong? A. Every car is on a different timetable. Cars with VINs that are close do not necessarily mean that they will be produced together. A number of variables such as the options you've chosen, your dealer's allocation, the priority number assigned or your geographical location can affect the speed at which your car will be delivered. The best advice I can offer you is to be patient and not get wrapped up in other's orders. You don't know what their orders are stacked up against yours. Q. Am I getting the runaround/delay from my dealer because he doesn't make any money on my A/X plan order? A. Well, I can't answer if your dealer is giving you a runaround because there are good and bad dealers out there -- they are not managed by The Ford Motor Company but instead are individual businesses. But dealers do make a profit on A/X Plan sales, the discount is taken off at the invoice level. So rest assured that although these plans limit the profit margin that can be charged, the dealer isn't working for free. Q. What does it mean that my sticker is "archived"? A. About 3 years after the build date, Monroney (window) labels are moved from one location within Ford's information system to another, because (obviously) by that point in time there would be no need for instant access to each label. This is what is meant by the sticker being "archived". As many of you are aware, I provide this service for free on my own time not wanting nor expecting compensation from anyone for my efforts, because I enjoy serving the Ford community. However, the board was getting overrun with people wanting me to look up stickers for 6 year old used cars that they are "considering" to buy and generally using this service like it was Carfax or something. I have 1/2 hour timeframe daily (at best) to pull every tracking request on Page 1. When I attempt to pull stickers out of the archive (older than 3 years), the searches take much longer and this means I cannot get through as many orders. Because of this, I can no longer pull stickers from archive, which will definitely mean any vehicles older than 3 years old. It is not a choice I made lightly, but I found it necessary to provide the best service to those who have actually ordered and are waiting for their new vehicles. Now, you are not entirely without help. With a trip to your local Ford dealer, a Ford salesman can get a copy of the Malroney (window sticker) for you IF THE VEHICLE IS LESS THAN 6 YEARS OLD. They have the ability to do so through their CONCEPS system. Q. Is there a way to determine what the anticipated build date is by looking at the information on the window sticker? Simply put, is the build date included in one of those codes? A. The "anticipated" build date is within the top section the sticker -- immediately to the left of the "Blend" number. The format of the number will be XYYYYMMDD. This sticker is generated 1 week before the anticipated build date, so it can still be affected by a production hiccup (like a major machine breakdown or running out of a certain part), but generally it is close. Q. Who are you? A. Myself and others that track here are Ford employees that care enough to take our personal time to fill these requests. We want you to be happy with your Ford purchase. As the cliché goes, "I'm not only a Ford Employee, I'm a customer as well." Q. Geez, why so many rules? A. Personally, I hate making rule lists like this. But unfortunately, incidents occur and I found it necessary for the common good; not to mention my sanity. This way, everyone gets treated equally and (I hope) fairly. ____________________________________

VIN: 1ZVHT88S175326835 Receipt Date: 12/4/2006 Serialize Date: 2/27/2007 Segment Date: 2/27/2007 Sequence Date: 3/13/2007 Blend Date: 3/15/2007 Produced Date: 3/26/2007 Gate Release Date: 3/26/2007 Ship Date: Arrival Date: Sold Date:

Receipt Date: 8/9/2006 Serialize Date: 8/17/2006 Segment Date: 8/17/2006 Sequence Date: 8/25/2006 Blend Date: 8/29/2006 Produced Date: 9/8/2006 Gate Release Date: 9/8/2006 Ship Date: 9/9/2006 Arrival Date: 9/20/2006 Sold Date: 10/24/2006 You waited too long for the sticker, it's not even in the archive. Sorry.

Receipt Date: 2/14/2007 Serialize Date: 2/22/2007 Segment Date: 2/22/2007 Sequence Date: 3/7/2007 Blend Date: 3/13/2007 Produced Date: 3/21/2007 Gate Release Date: 3/21/2007 Ship Date: 3/22/2007 Arrival Date: Sold Date: