A Ford Peace of Mind Program refers to several programs that Ford have in place to give customers reassurance when they buy or lease a vehicle, both before and after it is agreed.
These programs either work at a national level, at a dealership level or both. Some of these benefits may also be available through selected independent dealerships.
Ford Credit Grace Period
Many customers look for some additional type of peace of mind by knowing that if they change their mind they can either return the vehicle, or cancel the finance arrangements.
These programs can exist, but they are normally local and either depend on the policies of the dealership, or local consumer legislation.
Some Ford dealers will give people a specified time frame within which the vehicle can be returned, though this is likely to be a day or days rather than weeks.
They may well offer to buy the vehicle back without specifying a price, or offer to exchange it for a similar vehicle.
A lot of areas have enacted consumer legislation that give customers rights concerning financial arrangements they enter into. These normally relate to some type of grace period where the customer can change their mind.
Before entering into any type of finance arrangement with Ford Credit, check what if any local consumer legislation applies, which may benefit you.
A Ford dealership is unlikely to offer any type of grace period regarding finance, even if it is true for the vehicle itself.
Ford Peace of Mind Program Death of Lessee
Many customers and potential customers sometimes wonder about what happens if they wish to change their mind they have entered into a lease agreement with Ford Credit, Or they need to end the agreement because of the death of one of the signatories.
Normally, getting out of a lease agreement can be quite tricky, although it can be done albeit with a penalty to pay.
In the event of death however, Ford’s current policy is to end the agreement within 60 days of the death of the individual, so long as it is accompanied by a formalised death certificate.
Ford Peace of Mind Test Drive
Whilst test drives have always been encouraged, a number of Ford dealerships offer extended test drives, often for a couple of days, and quite often over weekends.
This can be a huge advantage to a consumer as it gives them a chance to really get to know the vehicle, before deciding whether to buy or lease it. From a dealer’s point of view, they know that if the customer really likes the vehicle they are halfway towards a sale, so it works their point of view as well.
Ford Peace of Mind Service
Every Ford vehicle will see need to have a regular service, and details of this should be included in the sale or lease agreement. A Ford peace of mind program normally focuses on the costing of any servicing and maintenance plan.
This can sometimes be agreed at the outset of the sale, and can either be included in the cost of vehicle for an initial period, or a plan can be worked out giving specified costs for any servicing or maintenance needed.
This can avoid any unnecessary high bills in the event of unpleasant surprises.
Ford Peace of Mind Inspection
Many people seek some kind of certainty about the state of a vehicle when buying second-hand or used. Ford offer their own certified pre-inspection vehicles, where extensive mechanical checks have been done to make sure it is in prime condition.
There are also independent contractors who for a nominal fee will also carry out extensive mechanical and structural checks on the vehicle.
It is also possible to check through various agencies whether or not a vehicle has been involved in an accident, or has been altered structurally in anyway for any reason.
This becomes more of an issue the older the vehicle, and also when buying from independent dealerships who are unlikely to have much detail about the vehicles prior history.
A Ford dealership may well have some degree of continuum if they either sold or leased vehicle originally, or are able to trace its history through other Ford dealers
Ford Peace of Mind Warranty
A Ford Credit peace of mind program is normally some type of extended warranty, often referred to as a piece of mind protection program.
The details of any extended warranty can vary quite considerably, not least of all because they can depend on what the original warranty offers or does not offer.
On any new Ford, whether bought or leased there will be a significant warranty covering mechanical parts and labour for a set number of years.
Powertrain Warranty
There should also be a powertrain warranty and warranties on the tyres as well. There is also likely to be some type of roadside assistance help covering emergency contact and possible transportation to a selected area.
Warranties are all about peace of mind. They are all designed to take away the fear of the unexpected and unknown, and give the customer a degree of comfort in the knowledge that they are not likely to be faced with a significant bill in the event of any major mechanical breakdown.
Dealership Warranty
When buying a new ford car or truck then the warranty is pretty stable.
If buying a used Ford, the first thing to do is check if any of the manufacturers warranty is still in operation, in effect. If it is, then there may well be an option to extend it, or by an additional warranty on top of the existing manufacturers warranty.
There is also likely to be a dealership warranty available if the manufacturers warranty has run out. Inevitably a dealership warranty is unlikely to be as strong as a manufacturer’s warranty, but should still have significant mechanical breakdown coverage as part of it.
Extended Warranty
The Ford credit peace of mind program should be thought of as an extended warranty, and as with most extended warranties the issue is not normally the coverage, but the cost.
Most extended warranties on sold on goods at the beginning of their lifetime, and in reality whilst they may have some value they are normally relatively expensive.
The cost of a Ford credit use of mind program will inevitably depend on a number of factors, not least of all that of the vehicle, its age and condition, and the amount that the dealership decides to charge.
