New Ford contract scheme
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• A new contract maintenance scheme, to be operated through dealership and called "Contract Confidence" was announced last week by the Ford Motor Co Ltd.
Fully backed by Ford, the scheme will provide four basic schedules of maintenance, viz; 1), routine servicing; 2), regular inspections; 3), routine servicing and regular inspections; 4), routine inspections and repair.
Charges for contract maintenance involving servicing and inspection on a D800 turbocharged four-wheeler over a period of four years when the vehicle is covering 30,000 miles per year would work out approximately as follows: servicing only 0.99d per mile or £10 '7s per month inclusive of lubricants; service and inspection 1.48d per mile or £15 7s per month.
To assist dealers in applying the schemes in a manner acceptable to the requirements of the MoT regulations—record-keeping and the like—Ford has produced documentation kits which include all the necessary forms and administration paperwork. Onepiece inspection and servicing forms, duplicated through carbon paper, have been designed so that there is no need for the operative to turn over pages, so saving time on the job. The inspection forms are set out to include all the normal requirements of standard vehicles and in each section there are several spare lines to accommodate the additional equipment used on specialized vehicles carrying ancillary devices such as pumps, compressors, winches, etc.
To facilitate the use of the one-piece sheets Ford has produced a "jumbo" clipboard, covered in pvc, which allows the complete service schedule to be bookeli without the need to change the pages.
A record book covering 11 vehicles over a period of three years is also in the kit and in this may be kept a full maintenance history of each of the vehicles listed. A maintenance chart assists accurate forward planning and a driver's defect card corn
pletes the documentation provided.
In setting up the scheme Ford has primed its dealerships with requisite knowledge, such as how to evaluate the needs of each fleet, how to cost and prepare suitable contract schemes and how to make the best use of labour forces so that out-of-hours working can be accommodated.
The scheme affords an opportunity for operators to tie up a contract with a large garage chain that has the Ford franchise to forestall the problems of away-from-base breakdowns. But there is no provision for blanket coverage unless such a contract can be made with either a chain or with several corn panics.
Contract Confidence is supplementary to the now well-established Fordcare plan which provides for credit facilities for maintenance or repair work anywhere in the UK. This is credited through the Diner's Club and a minimum charge of £3 provides for three to four credit cards. From four to 12 cards costs £1 per card and after payment of £12 a total of 20 cards can be had for a further £2. Payment of another £1 brings an unlimited number of cards.