Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Right To Repair Comment

[Lone Ridr]

Copied from The Drive.com:

https://www.thedrive.com/news/ford-...hlid=9cc08280a7f869c869a47d82c83489638f4def4e

"Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Right To Repair Comment Should Make Every Car Owner Uncomfortable

Just days ago, President Trump met with auto execs from Ford and GM to discuss “Right to Repair,” a critical concept that will ultimately affect every car owner in America. The exact outcome of that mini-summit remains murky. But one follow-up comment from Ford CEO Jim Farley should raise your eyebrows.

Basically, having the Right to Repair means consumers should be allowed to choose their own mechanics. There’s been a long-standing debate in government regarding whether or not to codify legislation around this. Big corporations typically want to own all servicing rights exclusively for that sweet, sweet recurring revenue. Small business owners and consumers don’t want to be under the heels of monopolies.


Farley says modern cars are too complex for DIYers.

Key Takeaways

• Ford’s stance on Right to Repair raises concerns. CEO Jim Farley suggests repairs should be done at a ‘reasonable cost’ but discourages DIY repairs due to complexity.
• Potential impact on independent mechanics. Restricting repairs to dealerships could eliminate independent options, raising service costs.
• Legislation may be necessary. Without legal protection, consumers could face limited repair choices and higher expenses.
• Farley’s comments spark debate. His remarks suggest Ford’s preference to control repair processes, raising questions about consumer rights. "

Can Ford repair vehicles as good as some of the drivers? I don't believe their Mechanics are as qualified as a lot of Ford drivers. I worked on the drive at a Chevrolet dealership for years and I'm here to tell you that I wouldn't let some of the mechanics work on my bicycle but I had no choice but to put customer cars in their work stalls. Heck, the Big 3 can't even assemble vehicles without screwing it up. I could rant on and on but I think you get the Gist of the article.

Most lawmakers and businessmen don't listen or care about what we think. The best way to get their attention is to refrain from buying their products for a while. Money talks, politicians and businessmen listen, Ask Budweiser, Disneyland and the state of Indiana (when Pence was Governor) to name a few. If they want to get into our pockets, let's get into theirs. OK, I'm done now.

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[matmondro]

Look at John Deere too. It an absolute joke how their customers are treated anymore. Hopefully Ford or GM never stoop to that same level.

 

[dalola]

How Farley even still has a job is baffling.... he's a failure at so many levels I've lost count.

 

[babytruk]

How Farley even still has a job is baffling.... he's a failure at so many levels I've lost count.

He’s not a failure at becoming rich! At 64, maybe retirement is coming soon.

 

[Pknopp]

It's largely irrelevant. The facts are you can't work on today's cars without expensive computer instruments and tools.

The corner mechanic can't afford that. Heck, many Cadillac dealers dropped Cadillac because they couldn't afford the new equipment.

Our Hybrid parts are warrantied for 8 years.........if something goes wrong it's going back to the dealer.

Despite the concerns in 15 years if your Hybrid Transmission craps out, you'll still be able to find a junkyard transmission and swap it out.

 

[ejouie]

Ford is having enough trouble just keeping up with warranty work.

There is quite a difference in between restricting DIY/independent shop repair and it just being complex. Fuel injection and OBD2 was "too complex" at the time as well. The industry adapted just fine.

 

[icegradner]

Yeah saw another story about this, GM, Ford, Penske (owns huge multi-national dealership chain) are all lobbying to end the right to repair your own vehicle. The argument being that the computer software is proprietary, and they shouldn’t have to provide tools to work on it to independent shops and vehicle owners. I wouldn’t be surprised if they also pushed to rescind laws requiring them to supply parts for 10 years as well, forcing everyone into leases.

 

[Hot Runr Guy]

Farley says modern cars are too complex for DIYers.

Key Takeaways

• Ford’s stance on Right to Repair raises concerns. CEO Jim Farley suggests repairs should be done at a ‘reasonable cost’ but discourages DIY repairs due to complexity.
• Potential impact on independent mechanics. Restricting repairs to dealerships could eliminate independent options, raising service costs.

If you think about it, Ford Motor Company does not repair vehicles, their "independent" dealer network does. Farley appears to be catering to them, hoping that they don't gouge the customers. Yet, these are the same dealers that add mark-ups and unnecessary items in order to drive up costs and profits. They can't be trusted to provide service at a "reasonable" cost.

HRG

 

[Ecorydr]

I totally agree with the OP. I havent trusted dealership service departments for the past 30 yrs. Hidden fees, over priced services, poor hiring practices, profit over quality (in some cases), inability to retaining quality technicians, and poor quality controls (again by some not neccesarilly all - but which ones?) leaves me to skip even the free service maintenance of oil changes and routine checks on my new vehicles - do keep a dated journal of all my own maint and receipts by mileage. Will only go to them when a major component needs repair.

 

[mwelby]

Copied from The Drive.com:

https://www.thedrive.com/news/ford-...hlid=9cc08280a7f869c869a47d82c83489638f4def4e

"Ford CEO Jim Farley’s Right To Repair Comment Should Make Every Car Owner Uncomfortable

Just days ago, President Trump met with auto execs from Ford and GM to discuss “Right to Repair,” a critical concept that will ultimately affect every car owner in America. The exact outcome of that mini-summit remains murky. But one follow-up comment from Ford CEO Jim Farley should raise your eyebrows.

Basically, having the Right to Repair means consumers should be allowed to choose their own mechanics. There’s been a long-standing debate in government regarding whether or not to codify legislation around this. Big corporations typically want to own all servicing rights exclusively for that sweet, sweet recurring revenue. Small business owners and consumers don’t want to be under the heels of monopolies.


Farley says modern cars are too complex for DIYers.

Key Takeaways

• Ford’s stance on Right to Repair raises concerns. CEO Jim Farley suggests repairs should be done at a ‘reasonable cost’ but discourages DIY repairs due to complexity.
• Potential impact on independent mechanics. Restricting repairs to dealerships could eliminate independent options, raising service costs.
• Legislation may be necessary. Without legal protection, consumers could face limited repair choices and higher expenses.
• Farley’s comments spark debate. His remarks suggest Ford’s preference to control repair processes, raising questions about consumer rights. "

Can Ford repair vehicles as good as some of the drivers? I don't believe their Mechanics are as qualified as a lot of Ford drivers. I worked on the drive at a Chevrolet dealership for years and I'm here to tell you that I wouldn't let some of the mechanics work on my bicycle but I had no choice but to put customer cars in their work stalls. Heck, the Big 3 can't even assemble vehicles without screwing it up. I could rant on and on but I think you get the Gist of the article.

Most lawmakers and businessmen don't listen or care about what we think. The best way to get their attention is to refrain from buying their products for a while. Money talks, politicians and businessmen listen, Ask Budweiser, Disneyland and the state of Indiana (when Pence was Governor) to name a few. If they want to get into our pockets, let's get into theirs. OK, I'm done now.

Yep - Shame on them all!

 

[denis4x4]

I've had a couple of Mercedes Sprinter based RV's and finding an independent dealer that will pay for the software is impossible. I paid over $300 for the MB diagnostic tool. MB independent service shops charge $150 per hour and up. Some dealers are actually cheaper. I've been a SEMA member forever and they are pushing the right to repair bill hard. My avatar is a 1929 Ford pickup that I built and maintained for 25 years. The complexity of today's vehicles is such, that the DIY mechanic is ill equipped to do anything more than change the oil and do a brake job.

One other thought on dealer service departments. I live in a small rural area and the dealerships are family owned. Because the dealers are dependent on local repeat customers to stay in business, there's a different vibe that big city volume dealers will never be able to duplicate.

 

[CajunMick]

When i go to dealer for service, I ask service writers “Are your techs certified.

On couple of occasions, after vehicles serviced, spotted some error.

 

[B2000]

We need an intelligent compromise if that is even possible. Manufacturers need to protect their intellectual product and should not be required to give that away. On the other side we need competition to promote better service and lower prices. If there was a price control on the price independent dealers have to pay for software that runs on computers and common scan devices that might work. Getting that price down to the point that consumers can afford to buy it is probably not practical.

On the proprietary tools someone will knock those off and sell them unless prevented by IP law that is actually enforced. Until then Amazon is happy to provide what you need.

I've thought that if a manufacturer would produce a vehicle that was simpler and easier to work on it would sell well but nobody since Volkswagen have offered that.

 

[B2000]

When i go to dealer for service, I ask service writers “Are your techs certified.

On couple of occasions, after vehicles serviced, spotted some error.

I have a friend who worked at independent shops and then at dealers for 40+ years. He was competent but the stories he told me about the dealer service people were pretty bad. He had to repair a lot of the come-backs. With the way that flat time works he often made less than the guys who did the original job badly.

With my Infiniti I thought the techs were pretty good until they told me I needed to replace my front transaxle which got used very little since the car is primarily rear wheel drive. Turned out it was a dust shield that the dealer techs had bent doing my front brakes and it would rub on the rotor as I drove.

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