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gom

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Everything posted by gom

  1. I originally ordered a 7.3. There were a few reasons why I preferred it, on paper, over the diesel. Simplicity, the Whipple kit that was/is in development, higher payload due to lower weight, etc. I ordered based on paper and reviews people gave because there were no trucks to test drive locally. Eventually I was able to test drive both a 7.3 and a diesel, that same day I called my dealer and had them switch my order to a diesel and add the rapid heat option. The driving/riding experience of the diesel was just that much better. Driving the 7.3 reminded me of driving a u-haul. The thing was just always running what felt like absurd RPMs on hills -- and where I live we're basically surrounded by mountains on 3 sides. I've read tons of reviews of people who really love the 7.3. I imagine with a good tune it'd probably be a whole different experience. But, the diesel, for what we wanted -- just ended up being the better option. Purely based on the actual on-road experience between the trucks.
  2. Interesting. I wonder if dealers can still configure an order with those items.
  3. I've heard a lot of folks advise to do the spray in bed liner after the fact, that it 'could' speed up your order. Something to consider.
  4. I like the storage waiting for parts theory, makes sense. As for the OP's question of whether or not other people have similar experiences... yes. Is their experience identical? No, but more or less a very large number of people across multiple brands of vehicles have similar stories of frustration, slow builds, slow responses, bad information, unresponsive dealerships, etc. The list just goes on. Think of their end of things, too. New car dealers are huge. Huge lots, huge sales rooms, massive overhead. Let's just say $100k a month. Then think of a nice sized used car lot. Maybe $10-15k of overhead. Both of those numbers are probably really low but I'm just trying to make a point so please bare with me. What you've got is these new car dealers trying to stay afloat and operate with a used car budget but maintain a new car dealership. When I go into a new car dealer looking at the new car side -- they don't approach me to ask if I want to buy their new car. They come out and ask me if I'm willing to sell my truck. No joke. These dealers are in a bad spot. I get people aren't all big fans of dealers. I'm just trying to offer maybe a little insight into why your, and many others, experience is less than ideal. I don't expect that to be changing anytime soon. Ford's CEO saying they're going to penalize dealers that price over MSRP is going to make things worse, I'm sure. My local Ford dealer doesn't appear to get much in terms of new inventory at all -- and they have at least a thousand spots on that lot that used to have new vehicles on them. Their lot, just as empty land, is probably worth 20+ million because of where it's located. They've got to be losing money hand over fist. Doesn't mean you don't have every reason to critique them or be frustrated. Times suck for a lot of people in a lot of ways. We're really lucky that our problems involve frustrating buying experience of vehicles that cost more than my first home.
  5. I've been reading about peoples orders on SD's for about 8 months now and the one thing I'm certain about when it comes to order-to-delivery times is there's nothing I'm certain about. Yes, 5wp could be a commodity restriction. I've seen it said, seen lots of things said. But I've also seen people order loaded tremor trucks with 5wp and AS and literally take delivery of it in under two months. We're talking getting a VIN within a week of ordering. I researched for about 2 months before I ordered. When I ordered I expected it'd take 5-7 months to take delivery based on averages of what I was seeing. I'm on track to fall into that 7 month area currently. If you'd have asked me a week ago I'd have said I'm not sure I'll ever see the truck. It's just tough to say. If you need 5wp you can always add it after but it'll cost you about 3x as much if you are paying to have it installed.
  6. I heard this other places, too, as early as probably two weeks ago. Purely from forums, purely from people saying that's what their dealer told them. Enough that I can think of a handful, maybe 5 or 6, who have talked about removing BAP and/or 5th wheel prep from their order. I feel horrible for those folks being that they probably watched a lot of others have their BAP/5wp trucks scheduled on Tuesday. As the age old saying goes, a lie can travel 'round the world before the truth can get it's boots on. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if it's a rumor that started and then became, through the game-of-telephone, told as truth -- then passed on to buyers as though the red coats were about to crest the hill any moment.
  7. So, gotta be honest... I'm guilty of not reading all the forum rules yet. So I'm going to assume linking other forums is a no-no so will just use names, apologies in advance. That said, the Ford Tremor (dot com) forums -- their "Ford Tremor Purchasing" forum has two threads where someone bought a truck they don't want. I think both are platinum and both are gas 7.3 not diesel -- but hey, getting a Tremor even at MSRP right now is next to impossible. It'd be a truck while you wait on the one you order, nonetheless. Short of that, what I do when I'm looking is open up auto trader and just detail out the search. I don't use the word Tremor, I just look for F250's and F350's - then filter by great deal and look for ones that are Tremors. The reason I suggest doing it that way is because dealers don't always describe their vehicles well. And, yes, shockingly -- I've seen many that left Tremor out of the vehicle description. I ignore anything without pictures or that have default/factory images because for all I know they are 'on order' but showing up in inventory and probably a COVP order that you can't buy anyway. Also doing it this way filters out bad VINs. You want the VIN so you can pull the Window Sticker to see what the vehicle actually has. I don't know about you - but I don't want a diesel without rapid heat. It's $250 and even if you lived in south Florida it's absurd not to have. Plus, it also filters out overpriced vehicles -- there ARE good deals out there. Even on Tremor's -- if you're willing to drive. I've seen a few for sale new even, if you'll drive. You got to be willing to drive and got to be willing to buy it over the phone because I've seen a couple sell within hours of posting. Had one local to me show up on a dealer lot with a $15k over MSRP markup and it was gone within hours -- I just wanted to test drive the thing and didn't even get a chance. Anyway, good luck to ya!
  8. Yaup, sounds like. Makes sense, though. Painful to hear nonetheless. Do greatly appreciate the information and well wishes.
  9. Wow, that's painful to hear. Hopefully it helps someone else, explains why this normally isn't an issue. "He" was in reference to my BIL, who was told that by his sales manager.
  10. Thanks for the reply. He said he has to have a VIN to generate the PIN -- that was the issue. In RE to having another employee generate the PIN, that's what the AZN HQ lady suggested -- but I looked up the requirements and that looks to be a definite no-no from Ford. They could get audited and fined, basically. Don't want to bite the hand that feeds, so to speak -- these people were trying to do me a kindness. Spoke to them about doing x-plan, which they are contemplating. I'm assuming that means going back to the owner for approval for -- they said they actually, as the dealership, make more on a D plan order than an X plan. Which, that sounds like a bad deal - explains why nobody else would take x-plan near me. Anyway, I guess we'll see what comes of it. I've reserved myself at this point to the fact there probably isn't an actual D plan resource to talk to like there is the AZN hq. I'd have thought the AZN number was it but I was clearly wrong on that. Thanks for the reply, I'll update with whatever comes of it. I'm guessing they'll just get close to something in pricing and it will just be a case of not-worth-the-squeeze to chase anything else. (one can hope)
  11. That's interesting, the dealer said the second we have a VIN we could generate the pin and apply it. From what you're saying, sounds like it would have to be valid to generate the pin at the time the consumer picks up the vehicle. Tough pill, hopefully the dealer will take x-plan or just come close to either. They're still family friends and my BIL will probably work there again, just probably not real soon. (who knows, though) Anyway, appreciate the feedback.
  12. Well, today is bitter sweet. After over 5 months of waiting on an order, scheduled today and have a VIN. My brother in-law was an employee at this dealer until the 6th of January, he left to start college. When we bought the truck, it was under d-plan pricing. Now we're looking at a much higher price, obviously. I've tried calling Ford's AXZ plan number, they're not able to help, transferred me to Ford Marketing, who also said they couldn't help and then transferred me to an IT support number. I do qualify for x-plan, dealer is saying x-plan doesn't have the commission d-plan would have and aren't sure they will honor that. The SM cited the spot in their allocation my order took, which my understanding is not the case with a COVP order, but I've heard it both ways recently and not sure there is a black and white answer to that one. Nonetheless, I'm flustered at the idea that such a circumstance is even possible where an agreed upon price is contingent upon continued employment for 5+ months after the date of order. Has anyone found themselves in this position and was able to resolve it? The AZX plan number I called seemed to think someone else at the dealer could just generate a PIN, but my review of the documentation online would seem to indicate that could put the dealer in an unfavorable position in the event of an audit. Ideally I'm just looking for a number where someone at Ford can discuss the subject who handles this process and could provide clarity? Any help would be appreciated.
  13. Have to join in the excitement a little. Ordered 08/31, confirmed 09/01, found out we were at priority code 02 yesterday -- schedule notification today for 03/07. Lariat F350, Tremor, Lariat Ultimate, BAP, 5th wheel prep, all the big commodity restrictions. It's been a rollercoaster, still will be with production and shipping delays, but having a VIN gives it a measure of finality that takes an edge off. Very happy today.
  14. It's a product of the times you were raised and perspective on the world, I'd guess. When I was a kid, back in the 80's, my dad taught me to save. You needed to save the pennies, the dollars would take care of themselves. That's what my Dad Barnes taught us -- I was too young to really remember him but it was how things were in that era. This was post 70's inflation and interest rates were on the rise. Not a little, a lot. I remember hearing about double digit mortgage rates. In the mid-late 90's my Dad was talking about how mortgage rates were 7%, the lowest he'd seen. I don't remember if that was the lowest he'd seen in his life or in decades... but an era, regardless. So to me, I see 2% interest and I see free money. Because an economy can not be sustained with interest rates that low. Who would ever make a risky investment for 2%? Not me, I'd buy dang toilet paper before I'd loan my money at 2%. Politics and all that aside -- I see the 2% as a better investment in the asset of a truck that I'll use, hopefully for the rest of my life, than in something else right now. So if you think a SD truck is unobtanium now -- just wait until interest rates get up around 7%. You'll have this truck -- and a younger generation who had no chance at the free-money-pot will look at you, your car, your house -- and they'll ponder... how can they afford this. And the truth is -- if you had to buy it again, you probably couldn't. The home I live in cost a little over twice what the truck I ordered cost. I didn't buy it all too long ago, but I bought it before 2020. It's zestimate is 450k, last I checked. I don't own a single piece of furniture that was purchased new. I work from home and the desk I use was something someone else was throwing away. Not because it was trash but because that pesky solid wood (black cherry) desk was just annoyingly heavy so they didn't want to bother moving it -- they were going to buy a new one at their new house and didn't want to have to move it out. So, for getting it out of their house -- I got a free desk. Nicest desk I've ever owned, by far. Our dining room furniture, 8 chairs and a table that we are complimented on all the time -- $400 at the local flea market / consignment shop. Also solid wood. I'll bet the people who bought that new paid close to $10k for it. Thing is also absurdly heavy. My bedroom suite, matching set -- two nightstands, chest, dresser, king headboard/footboard and box springs -- paid $500 for it. I could go on. Whole house, all furniture together... maybe paid $3-4k for it all. Probably less. I mean -- couch and loveseat, awesome leather and down filled, paid $200. That's a lot to say that we can afford the truck because we bought into other things in an era before this one. An era when you could find used furniture for far, far less than new furniture. 90-95% less. So plentiful that people absurdly would throw away beautiful pieces that I will enjoy for my whole life and likely pass on to my children... as if they were waste. our home was so cheap we could nearly pay for the whole thing in a handful of years if we really wanted. So, we afford this truck we are buying because of a complex set of circumstances that we have benefited from greatly. That's just my story, I have no doubt others have different stories. I've known people who buy things like this and then are a slave to their debt. I have a cousin who bought a million dollar farm, equipment, and a brand new dually --- and he rode that train until it crashed. From the outside, he was living the life. From the inside, he was suffocating under the weight of it all. Regardless, OP, wish you good fortune -- I hope your truck buying and owning experience is as great as it can be.
  15. Won't pretend to be an expert here, but by far the biggest concern I have is going to be the CP4.2 high pressure fuel unit on these trucks. Ford seems to have figured out how to make these work pretty well. Ram did not, ran them from 19 to 20 or 21 and there were horror stories everywhere. I'm not sure how they've managed to get around recalls. So, what I gather the CP4.2 does really great in EU countries... because their diesel is much higher quality than ours. I have no data, nor have I seen data, to support that -- it's just what I see other people saying. So, ignoring the whys or the how-to's of avoiding a grenaded CP4.2 -- there is a fundamental flaw in the design of the fuel system altogether in that when the unit fails, and they will all fail eventually, it is going to take out your entire fuel system. Rails, lines, and injectors will all have to be pulled and replaced. Maybe you could blow out the lines? I'm not sure I'd trust that given the cost of missing anything. Anyway, my understanding is the cost of a CP4 failure on a new 6.7 gets up in the many a thousand. I have also read, not experienced nor seen any direct evidence of, that warranty claims on the CP4 failures have not always been easy to get. Maybe someone put bad fluids in their truck, whatever, no idea -- I've seen people do some insanely stupid things to vehicles and blame everyone but themselves... so, like I said -- that's just what I've read. So me, personally, I plan to get a bulletproofing kit the second the warranty is out on mine. I'll be diligent in where I buy fuel, and I'll be adding upper cylinder oil to every tank to have some lube in there (since that's the primary failing of the CP4). On an interesting and completely unrelated side note -- I saw a YT video of a guy pulling a DPF off a truck that had the same filter for over a million miles. That's seriously impressive considering how they work. My recollection is that Ford was replacing it for free as they wanted to see the magic million mile DPF.
  16. Ok, prefacing this with I'm not an expert: Sounds to me like you had an issue with an o2 sensor caused your truck to run lean/rich but not enough to code or not long enough to code, consecutively, fouled the plugs, caused a misfire, caused cam sensor blip. That's one guess. Maybe faulty plug wires, too, but those usually code before you get an issue. Then again, so do o2's - but I've seen some bad o2's get some distance. Sadly, some dealer techs these days (maybe most, seems like most to me) just code chase. I miss the old days, that really weren't that old, when mechanics took serious pride in their ability to diagnose the most insane stuff from the most benign and miniscule information. Those guys are still around, just doesn't seem like many work at the dealers around me. Anyway, I digress -- best wishes, this sounds like an interesting one.
  17. My understanding is there is no SD scheduling this week. Maybe luck #13 will be the day you get your VIN? Hard to say, I've seen people say they got their VIN on days other than Thursday's so... Anyway, hope you get it. I have a very similar build and ordered just a week before you. If you do get a VIN next round it'll certainly be tough to watch... but I don't know if I could drop the BAP.
  18. gom

    Hi from Arkansas

    Like a whole lot of folks, largely came here because I'm in the great wait. Ordered my F350 08/31/2021, confirmed 09/01/2021. Moved to priority code 02 some point over the last month. Ordered F350 Lariat -Rapid Red -Tremor Package -Lariat Ultimate Package -Black Appearance Package -UTT package -Universal Garage Door Opener (how is that not part of the ultimate package!) -Rain sensing wipers not for the rain sensing wipers but for the heated steering wheel (Cracks me up those two are linked) -Carpet delete (single most underrated option IMHO) -5th wheel prep -Rapid Heat Supplemental in-cab heater -Dual alts to power all those projects I won't get to -Upfitter switches, again for all those projects I won't get to -Split bench (no console) -Moonroof Current truck is a Ram 2020 1500, lift-leveled with Bilstein 5100's and Zone Off-Road UCA so it's done right, bags in the back to avoid bull-dogging under load. 35" tires on 18" bullethole rims. Stainlessworks longtubes, cat delete, follwed up by stainlessworks redline mufflers out the back. Ram-air cold air intake, 87mm bored throttle body, and hemi-fever tune. We've got a 35' camper and a 25' pontoon -- both of which really push the limits of safely towing with a half-ton. We're well under payload and well under tow capacity -- but even properly loaded and with a good WD/sway hitch, it's just not as planted as I'd like to be. Those longtubes and basically straight pipes don't lend for a quiet ride, either -- I love it, wife, kids, dogs... not so much. So we're hoping to see a huge change with the new Tremor in a lot of respects. Came here from many referrals on the Ford Tremor forum. Like many, long time lurker -- figured I should register since it 'looks' like I may actually get this truck. *fingers crossed* that BAP and 5th wheel prep don't keep me at 02 for too long. I know I've seen guys as recently as last week say they've been at 02 since October. Build sheet from 12/01/2021 (pre 12/08 price increase) attached for reference for anyone curious. 12/01/2021 was the last 'change' I made to the build when I realized that the lariat ultimate didn't come with a garage door opener, also added carpet delete since I previously didn't even know that was a thing. (My mind was blown that an $80k+ truck didn't have a garage door opener) F350 Lariat Tremor Buildv2.pdf
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