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order and build timeframe

11K views 29 replies 5 participants last post by  r0guenj 
#1 ·
so i placed my 2010 f-350 order at the dealer on 10/14/09.

i looked around and see that orders need to be transmitted by 10/22/09 for the 2010MY (is this correct?).

some questions:
what happens if the dealer doesn't transmit the order on time?
does the dealer need to have an allotment available (i saw this posted somewhere) to order a vehicle?
when do dealers send orders to the factory? the dealer system has an order #, but when does ford get it?
how long to generate a VIN (so i can check that the options are correct).

the dealer indicated 6-8 weeks which is borderline for my financing ( i am waiting for the bank to call me back with this issue).
is it a hard 6-8 weeks from order date or transmit date?

sorry for the anxious questions, but it is the first time i have ordered a vehicle and i dont know the process. that and i am anxious to get my new truck....... lol.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
what happens if the dealer doesn't transmit the order on time?
Then Ford makes the order for a 2011 model, but notifies the dealer so the dealer can cancel the order if he doesn't want to order a 2011.

does the dealer need to have an allotment available (i saw this posted somewhere) to order a vehicle?
No, not to order, but to have the truck built in a normal timespan he might need an allocation. Without an allocation the order simply goes to the back of the line and might get built after all the orders for dealers with allocation are completed.

Allocation is a problen only when demand exceeds supply. I doubt that allocation is a factor on current orders.

A dealer receives allocation based on how many similar vehicles he has sold in the last year or so. So a dealer that sells lots of SuperDuty pickups will receive lots of allocation for SuperDuty pickups.

when do dealers send orders to the factory?
Any time they want to. The "order bank" is an internet database, and a dealer can transmit a transaction to that database at any time. The same way you can make a post on TheDieselStop anytime your PC is up and running and your ISP is working. But then normally Ford's automated order system hangs onto that order until the next Thursday afternoon. On Thursday, all the open orders in the order bank are sorted and arranged in the order they will be built. The orders are arranged by date/time of receipt into the system, then by dealer-assigned priority number. If there are more orders in the order bank than Ford will build in the target production week, then dealer allocation is applied to see which orders are scheduled for production and which spend another week in the order bank.

the dealer system has an order #, but when does ford get it?
As soon as Ford's automated order system accepts the order. Usually immediately.

how long to generate a VIN (so i can check that the options are correct).
You don't need a VIN. When you ordered the truck you should have requested a priced DORA, order code C09. DORA = dealer order receipt acknowledgment. If you (or the dealer) didn't include order code C09, then there'll still be a DORA, but without prices. As soon as the automated order system accepts the order, plus one business day, it will send a DORA to the dealer's computer. The DORA is basically a copy of the order, but it confirms that Ford agrees to built the vehicle exactly as listed on the DORA.

The order system also has an "order confirmation". But that only confirms what the dealer asked for, and not necessarily what Ford will build. When the DORA shows up a day or so later, then you'll know exactly what Ford is building for you.

After your order is grabbed out of the order bank (usually on Thursday night) and scheduled for production, then a VIN is assigned. The VIN and estimated date of assembly is sent to the dealer.

is it a hard 6-8 weeks from order date or transmit date?
It's an estimate. It can be as early as 5 weeks, most take 6 to 7 weeks, and a few require 8 weeks. Usually if it's more than 7 weeks, it's because Ford ran out of something you ordered, so your order had to wait for a backorder to come in.

You ordered on Wednesday, so that's good, if your dealerperson got the order in the computer before the deadline on Thursday. Your order could have been scheduled by Thursday night, and the dealer could have a DORA by the following Monday (19 Oct). Then it takes a coupla weeks for the assembly plant to gather together all your parts and components and get them ready to go together. So we're at 2 Nov when your truck starts down the line, and it will come off the line on 3 Nov. Give the lot boys a few days to get it on the right train, then the train heads cross country to a mixing yard - call it 7 Nov. It might spend a coupla days in the mixing yard, then heads out again on a different train. It takes the train a coupla days to arrive at the destination railyard (or ramp), so call it 14 Nov. The convoy (car-hauler trucks) kill another coupla days getting it selected and loaded on a hauler going the right direction, then the hauler heads out. But he has several vehicles for other dealers on the hauler, and yours will be the last one unloaded, so call it Wednesday, 18 Nov, 5 weeks after your dealer processed the order. :)

You can dream, but don't count on faster than 5 weeks, and only a tiny percentage of orders make it in 5 weeks.

While you're waiting, Ford keeps the dealer advised as to the status of the order. The status is in code, so if you want to learn what it means, go to the Diesel FAQs off the home page, then to '99-up FAQ, then to "During your order". If it were mine, I'd call my dealerperson once a week and have him find my order number in the automated order system and print out the status page for me. Or better yet, let him know that you'll show up in his office every Friday afternoon or Saturday morning to pick up a copy of the order status report for your order number.

After the truck leaves the assembly plant, the Ford status doesn't change much. If you want to follow the boxcar across the country, then get the railcar number from the status system and then go to the railway company and see if they allow customers to trace boxcar numbers. Some do, some don't..
 
#18 ·
Then Ford makes the order for a 2011 model, but notifies the dealer so the dealer can cancel the order if he doesn't want to order a 2011.



No, not to order, but to have the truck built in a normal timespan he might need an allocation. Without an allocation the order simply goes to the back of the line and might get built after all the orders for dealers with allocation are completed.

Allocation is a problen only when demand exceeds supply. I doubt that allocation is a factor on current orders.

A dealer receives allocation based on how many similar vehicles he has sold in the last year or so. So a dealer that sells lots of SuperDuty pickups will receive lots of allocation for SuperDuty pickups.



Any time they want to. The "order bank" is an internet database, and a dealer can transmit a transaction to that database at any time. The same way you can make a post on TheDieselStop anytime your PC is up and running and your ISP is working. But then normally Ford's automated order system hangs onto that order until the next Thursday afternoon. On Thursday, all the open orders in the order bank are sorted and arranged in the order they will be built. The orders are arranged by date/time of receipt into the system, then by dealer-assigned priority number. If there are more orders in the order bank than Ford will build in the target production week, then dealer allocation is applied to see which orders are scheduled for production and which spend another week in the order bank.



As soon as Ford's automated order system accepts the order. Usually immediately.



You don't need a VIN. When you ordered the truck you should have requested a priced DORA, order code C09. DORA = dealer order receipt acknowledgment. If you (or the dealer) didn't include order code C09, then there'll still be a DORA, but without prices. As soon as the automated order system accepts the order, plus one business day, it will send a DORA to the dealer's computer. The DORA is basically a copy of the order, but it confirms that Ford agrees to built the vehicle exactly as listed on the DORA.

The order system also has an "order confirmation". But that only confirms what the dealer asked for, and not necessarily what Ford will build. When the DORA shows up a day or so later, then you'll know exactly what Ford is building for you.

After your order is grabbed out of the order bank (usually on Thursday night) and scheduled for production, then a VIN is assigned. The VIN and estimated date of assembly is sent to the dealer.



It's an estimate. It can be as early as 5 weeks, most take 6 to 7 weeks, and a few require 8 weeks. Usually if it's more than 7 weeks, it's because Ford ran out of something you ordered, so your order had to wait for a backorder to come in.

You ordered on Wednesday, so that's good, if your dealerperson got the order in the computer before the deadline on Thursday. Your order could have been scheduled by Thursday night, and the dealer could have a DORA by the following Monday (19 Oct). Then it takes a coupla weeks for the assembly plant to gather together all your parts and components and get them ready to go together. So we're at 2 Nov when your truck starts down the line, and it will come off the line on 3 Nov. Give the lot boys a few days to get it on the right train, then the train heads cross country to a mixing yard - call it 7 Nov. It might spend a coupla days in the mixing yard, then heads out again on a different train. It takes the train a coupla days to arrive at the destination railyard (or ramp), so call it 14 Nov. The convoy (car-hauler trucks) kill another coupla days getting it selected and loaded on a hauler going the right direction, then the hauler heads out. But he has several vehicles for other dealers on the hauler, and yours will be the last one unloaded, so call it Wednesday, 18 Nov, 5 weeks after your dealer processed the order. :)

You can dream, but don't count on faster than 5 weeks, and only a tiny percentage of orders make it in 5 weeks.

While you're waiting, Ford keeps the dealer advised as to the status of the order. The status is in code, so if you want to learn what it means, go to the Diesel FAQs off the home page, then to '99-up FAQ, then to "During your order". If it were mine, I'd call my dealerperson once a week and have him find my order number in the automated order system and print out the status page for me. Or better yet, let him know that you'll show up in his office every Friday afternoon or Saturday morning to pick up a copy of the order status report for your order number.

After the truck leaves the assembly plant, the Ford status doesn't change much. If you want to follow the boxcar across the country, then get the railcar number from the status system and then go to the railway company and see if they allow customers to trace boxcar numbers. Some do, some don't..
Smokey,

This past Thursday I stopped by my local dealership to order a fully optioned 2010 F-450 KR. The following Friday, the dealership informed me that 2010 production had ended. Well, today, I contacted Cochise Willis at Lone Star Ford and he indicated that he has allocation. So I placed my order and it was transmitted to Ford around noon. You indicated that Ford may not build what I ordered. If that is the case, will I have the option to accept or reject my order?

Thank you,
Terry
 
#3 · (Edited)
smokey,

thanks for the patience and sorry to be a pain......i am anxious in so many ways....lol

so the salesman is an older guy, but super friendly and technically challenged so i didn't get much from him other than the price.

he called me back and said it was in an unscheduled clean status, so i will bug him again at the end of next week.

EDIT:
i checked out that order faq..... good stuff.

hopefully travel time isn't bad. i ordered it in va beach.

with regards to the order, ford can build something not ordered (ie missing options)? will the dealer say this is how your truck will turn out, do you still want it?
 
#4 ·
Don't rely on the dealerperson. Insist on a copy of the latest DORA, then make up your own mind.

You need a copy of the latest order guide for your truck, so you can have all the order codes. Else the DORA won't make much sense. Bobby Williams' website still doesn't work, but he posted a direct link to the 2010 SuperDuty order guide, so be sure you have that.
 
#6 ·
Wait until Friday. Thursday night is the big event when Ford pulls unscheduled orders out of the order bank and schedules them for production. By Friday morning, the order status system should be updated. So if your dealerperson looks up your order number in the ordering system on Friday morning, he'll probably report that the status has changed. :)
 
#9 ·
while i am normally up for bleeding edge, vehicles are the one thing that i can restrain myself on.

it is also my first diesel and for the most part i haven't found anything to say stay away from the 6.4.

my driving would be considered babying it in terms of the amount of work that i will expect out of the truck (other than hauling my fat ass around.......lol).
 
#10 ·
Your build "week" is the week of Monday, 11/23 thru Sunday, 11/29. Depending on where you live and the amount of railroad traffic, your dealer should see it within three weeks, maybe two weeks - after 30 Nov - depending on how things click together. So you should be driving it before Xmas.

Of course if you live in Louisville KY your Louisville dealer could have it by early December.

By next Friday, your dealer' status report should show the week of expected delivery to the dealer. Because Thanksgiving will slow things down a bit, my guess is the week of 14 -20 December. :)
 
#11 ·
thanks smokey, that puts my order at 8 - 10 weeks instead of the 6 - 8 that the dealer stated.

i guess now i have to be patient then...... lol

is a week before build date that the vin will generate a window sticker? i also have to pick up a copy of the dora as well tomorrow from the dealer.
 
#12 ·
is a week before build date that the vin will generate a window sticker?
My understanding is that the window sticker is printed as soon as the order moves to status "locked in". The window sticker and all other parts and components needed to complete your order have to be sitting on the end of the assembly line before the status changes from locked in to bucked.
 
#16 ·
And does it include anything you didn't already know?
 
#21 ·
Cochise passed me the following which is nothing more then an Order Number:
Your order: W4D 5190


DROP630 Single Vehicle Detail Information 11/25/09 10:42:09
==> _________ __________________________________________________ Dealer: F52029

Model yr: 10 Body/Series W4D Order Number 5190__
First Two VIN: __ Last Eight VIN: A_______

Serial # E T Paint AP Ord Dlr
Bod Order Ord 1st Last n r and cn CD/ Sch. Stat ETA
* Ser Number Typ Two Eight g n Trim ct PEP Date Date - Status - WK*
- --- ------ --- -- -------- - - -- -- -- ---- ----- ----- ----------- ------

W4D 5190 RET A R B Z1 SC G3 678A 11/24 UNSCH/CLEAN

Spec S Delay/Trace Information
Rec. A Ship O Ord. r R Page Ranking Open Chg.
Date C Dealer A Numb. c f AL Date Ind. Reason
----- - ------ - ---- - - -- ----- - ----------------------------------

11/24 Y E 10 ***** NO OPEN TRACE



F1=Help F3=Exit F10=PrevOrd F11=NextOrd F12=Return
I0001 - SUCCESSFUL INQUIRY QC06947

Rumor has it that 2010 Super Duty Final orders due 12/4 (Week 48). Am I being too overly optimistic for this order to go to production between now and 4 Dec?

Thanks,
Terry
 
#22 · (Edited)
Cochise passed me the following which is nothing more then an Order Number:
No, it's a lot more than an order number. Lots of codes tell you want it is:

Model yr: 10 = 2010 model year
Body/Series W4D = F-450 pickup
Order Number 5190 = there's your order number
Dealer: F52029 = You need both the dealer code and the order number to inquire about your order with someone other than Cochise.
First Two VIN: __ Last Eight VIN: A_______ = Your F-450 hasn't been scheduled for production yet, so there's no VIN yet

PEP 678A = Lariat trim

Status 11/24 UNSCH/CLEAN = Unscheduled clean, which means Ford has received your order and put it in the hopper. But until the status changes to scheduled for production, there's a chance they won't build it as a 2010 model.

Normally Thursday night is when it would move from unscheduled clean to scheduled for production. I don't know what Turkey Day does to that "normal" work schedule at the Ford Vehicle Operations Production Center (VOPC). But I suspect by the weekend Cochise will let you know that your truck has been scheduled for production. :)

SUCCESSFUL INQUIRY QC06947 = Cochise was just processing an inquiry about you order number to get the above report. And the VOPC answered the inquiry.

Rumor has it that 2010 Super Duty Final orders due 12/4 (Week 48). Am I being too overly optimistic for this order to go to production between now and 4 Dec?
Yeah, it normally takes about two to three weeks from the time your order is picked up from the hopper until it starts down the assembly line. So the next Monday two weeks from now is 14 Dec. I suspect your next status report from Cochise will say it's scheduled for production the "week of" December 14th, which means sometime between 14 and 20 Dec.
But Cochise has a big hammer to pound on VPOC, so maybe it will be the week of 7 Dec.
 
#24 ·
October 14 - December 5 = more than 7 weeks but less than 8. So your dealerperson was right = 6 to 8 weeks. :wink2:
 
#26 · (Edited)
so as a quick update, the latest is that it might be here sometime this week.

and now i am leaving for vacation for a couple of weeks before i get my truck.

will the dealer have a problem with waiting a couple of weeks before i come in to pick it up? i did put a deposit on the truck so holding it shouldn't be a problem right?

EDIT:
it is being sent by convoy to the dealer so no box car info to see where it is.
 
#27 ·
i finally picked it up before i went on vacation last week and i have to say it is an awesome truck!

some issues though when i signed the paperwork for it though (and some additional research).

the dealer i bought from declined to sell the ford esp (they sold one through wachovia) and the maintenance plan.

i checked with some other ford dealers in different areas and they did the same thing. are dealers in general shying away from the ford backed plans? does this indicate a problem with the ford backed plans? i wanted to purchase them, but i was unable to at the time of purchase so i am still shopping around for these 2 items.

i am now wondering if it will be hard to find a dealer that accepts it even if purchased directly from ford.

any opinions or insight into this?

i will post pics of the new ride once the weather is better and i can find a spot that isn't snow covered.
 
#28 ·
some issues though when i signed the paperwork for it though (and some additional research).

the dealer i bought from declined to sell the ford esp (they sold one through wachovia) and the maintenance plan.

i checked with some other ford dealers in different areas and they did the same thing. are dealers in general shying away from the ford backed plans? does this indicate a problem with the ford backed plans? i wanted to purchase them, but i was unable to at the time of purchase so i am still shopping around for these 2 items.
Try checking with these guys. Ford Extended Warranty - Geniune Ford ESP Sales
 
#29 ·
thanks for the link i will check them out.

but it seems some dealers outside the nj/pa/va area will sell them still. the problem seems to me that will all ford dealers honor a ford backed esp and maintenance plan? so far i am seeing that it will be a problem even though the literature i have read says otherwise.
 
#30 · (Edited)
i was able to pick it up 2 week ago before i went on vacation. here are a few pics and my short 2k mile take on this truck.

this truck is awesome so far (review done......lol).

actually aside from having to be more cognizant of where i fuel up and where i park, it rides like a dream. mileage is on par if not better than my 07 yukon both towing and empty. the tech is awesome (i love sync and the rear view camera).

my only gripe so far is that it will be going into the dealer in the morning as it died out on me while pulling out of a parking lot (thankfully no traffic).

EDIT: just to add, in the 2k miles so far, i have seen 5 regens. the cleaning exhaust filter message comes on, then goes away after a few seconds.



 
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