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Who said it wasn't? I'm just saying I don't think most dealers are deliberately putting sold vehicles on the website specifically for that reason. If you think they are, I'm not going to try to dissuade you. In any given case, either one of us could be right.

I agree that a field could be added to the inventory database but that has to be accompanied by application code to use that field. Since every dealer website looks the same, I suspect they are using a central database and application code. Some dealers may mark special orders as sold as soon as...

My advice, as a former owner of a truck accessory store, is to get the bed liner with your points. All of the items you listed will be less expensive in the aftermarket than a Ford-branded version of the same thing, but the bed liner is awkward to have shipped and to handle. It's probably the...

This is a recurring topic here on MTC, but so far it looks to me like people don't really understand logistics and inventory tech. When a vehicle is shipped (brand is irrelevant to this description), it is in transit for tracking and inventory purposes, but it is still in the manufacturer or...

After 14 months and 7600 miles, I'm averaging 27.6 MPG. Most of my driving is local but there have been a couple of interstate trips in the mix along with some regional highway driving. On rural roads with little traffic and no stop lights, I've been as high as 39.3 MPG (about 20 miles on that...

That's too bad. We didn't sell a lot of them when I had my shop, but there were customers now and again that the e-MAX was a perfect fit for them.

Depending on where you live in MA, there might be a truck accessory shop nearby that can do it for you. My old shop is in Auburn. We charged $90.00 per hour for customer-supplied parts installation. I believe the new owners are doing the same thing. A bug shield and mud flaps would usually...

Keep an eye on the Extang e-Max. There isn't a Maverick version yet, but it might be worth a call to see if one is planned. Extang e-Max | Tonneau Covers – Truck Hero (truck-hero.com)

Not sure what point you're trying to make here. I'm describing an event in which the dealer quoted an extreme and extremely expensive repair involving cutting non-wear parts off the truck as a result of rust on a 3-yo truck just out of warranty. Feel free to try to debate the warranty details...

I'm not talking about drums and shoes. I'm talking about the entire rear brake assembly that needed to be cut off the truck at 36K miles and a bill of about $750, if memory serves (we are talking about roughly 17 years ago, so memory of the details is a bit fuzzy). And yes, the drums and shoes...

One of the most common responses to the observation that foreign brands use American labor is to change the subject to where the profits go. But the reality is that the building of a car and the manufacturing of the parts for it supports many more people than the profits. In fact, the profits...

This will be my second winter with the Maverick. I don't recall any traction issues last winter. If I did, I probably would have switched to my Wrangler Rubicon with its AMP A/T's. I never felt the need to think about the tires (Conti's).

When I had my 2003 F-150 XLT in for service at around 36K miles, the dealer came back and said the rear brakes were all rusted out and it would be hundreds of dollars to replace them. I was literally a couple hundred miles out of warranty and pointed out that brakes should not need extensive...

I believe that modern assembly lines are too automated around specific model commonalities. I don't think a Maverick can go down the same line as a Ranger or an Escape, for example. The first-gen Mustang could share a line with the 1964 Galaxie/Fairlane (Metuchen did this) because most assembly...

You had a very different set of challenges from us. We were an assembly manufacturing operation, much like Ford but on a massively smaller scale. Still a multi-billion-dollar company, though, with a much higher priced product. We sold very little that started under 6 figures per unit. This...

As a former truck accessories retailer, I'm comfortable recommending any of the Truxedo covers, from Truxport on up. The Truxport has thinner material than the LoPro and only a 5-year warranty versus lifetime. Extang is good quality, and we sold a lot of the Trifecta covers but that's a folding...

Most manufacturers now work on just-in-time inventory, so they would expect to be able to refresh inventory as orders are built. Any disruption to the flow of parts can stop the assembly line pretty quickly if they can't dynamically reallocate orders. That said, I would expect that shortages...

I found this article about it. Very interesting, but I wonder if Ford would be able to find the expanded labor pool to do something like this. It looks like Tesla also still builds body shells in the plant, then moves them to the tent line for final assembly, but with much more manual labor...

But they have to be available to go to the plant. As do the locomotives and crews.

Most manufacturers don't carry excess plant capacity; it's way too expensive. Building a new plant takes $8-$10 billion and 2-3 years, not counting time for location scouting, environmental reviews, and permitting. Hermosilla became available for Bronco and Maverick assembly when the Fusion and...