TracKey Has Arrived - Ford’s Email to All Ford and Lincoln Dealers
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: October 11, 2011
Posts: 42
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From: GA
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...se-of-warranty
2012 Mustang Boss 302 TracKey Comes At Expense Of Warranty?
By
Nelson Ireson
Editor BIO Nelson is an Editor at High Gear Media focusing on reviewing cars and covering the hottest topics in luxury and performance cars, car culture, and... More
October 24, 2011
2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 TracKey
The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302, like most other new Ford vehicles, comes from the factory with a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. But installing the TracKey on your new Boss will change that--a little.
If the powertrain should fail in some way related to the TracKey installation--i.e., if the dealership determines it's the aggressive calibration that's to blame--it's only warrantied for three years or 36,000 miles, according to fine print dug up by Mustangs Daily. That's significantly shorter than the standard warranty, but it's not clear that the TracKey tweaks will increase the likelihood of engine or transmission failure.
Of course, this might actually be seen as a benefit to a lot of TracKey purchasers, because the TracKey is specifically intended for track use. Having a warranty for a tracked car is well outside the norm--many warranties specifically exclude such use.
It's worth noting, too, that the fine print on the Laguna Seca package says it "may" void the vehicle's warranty, and that it must be installed by the customer.
While none of this is new to the dedicated track rat, it's important to be aware of, especially for owners new to the world of high-performance driving.
2012 Mustang Boss 302 TracKey Comes At Expense Of Warranty?
By
Nelson Ireson
Editor BIO Nelson is an Editor at High Gear Media focusing on reviewing cars and covering the hottest topics in luxury and performance cars, car culture, and... More
October 24, 2011
2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 TracKey
The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302, like most other new Ford vehicles, comes from the factory with a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. But installing the TracKey on your new Boss will change that--a little.
If the powertrain should fail in some way related to the TracKey installation--i.e., if the dealership determines it's the aggressive calibration that's to blame--it's only warrantied for three years or 36,000 miles, according to fine print dug up by Mustangs Daily. That's significantly shorter than the standard warranty, but it's not clear that the TracKey tweaks will increase the likelihood of engine or transmission failure.
Of course, this might actually be seen as a benefit to a lot of TracKey purchasers, because the TracKey is specifically intended for track use. Having a warranty for a tracked car is well outside the norm--many warranties specifically exclude such use.
It's worth noting, too, that the fine print on the Laguna Seca package says it "may" void the vehicle's warranty, and that it must be installed by the customer.
While none of this is new to the dedicated track rat, it's important to be aware of, especially for owners new to the world of high-performance driving.
Bullitt Member
Joined: January 16, 2011
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
From: Norcal, SF Bay Area
glass half full
first off: one of my favorite lines of all time is from George Carlin who says that he doesn't see the glass as half-full or half-empty...he sees a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be. ;-)
I think we can all agree that 'winning' is these situations is achieved by exceeding expectations...irrespective of the 'reality' of the situation...and it's clear that Ford didn't manage to expectations here...so they are to blame for that.
On the reality of the situation - a few things:
1) Ford does offer a warranty on a car that they know will be tracked...they offer specific guidelines for prepping the vehicle for track use. That's rare, and that's commendable.
2) We've all known that trackey was a FRPP product for some time. And we've all known that FRPP products can limit you warranty. And the warranty issue only comes up if the FRPP part caused the problem.
3) It's optional. We've all known, all along, that it's optional. It's not right for everyone, so everyone shouldn't need / want it.
4) The warranty issue almost always come down to a judgement call, by someone. It's been said before on this thread, but I'll reiterate the sentiment, that the relationship you have with Ford - with the dealer as the primary conduit - is important. I say this based on some experience...I'm an ex-ford employee and managed relationships between ford and their dealers for many years...so I've made a lot of these decisions for ford...and relied heavily on input from the dealers. We get too caught up on things like initial price...for instance - there's a thread on this forum about what people paid relative to MSRP - but is there a thread about who bought from a dealer with high customer satisfaction / service scores - how many people asked / cared?)
That's not a Ford-only phenomenon...last time I had an out-of-warranty repair done on a porsche (that I thought they should cover), they asked me how many porsches I've owned and gave me a pro-rated coverage offer based on that (it's their way of gauging Lifetime Value of the Customer)...mine was, apparently, low btw ;-)
Nordstrom does the same...most savvy manufacturers / retailer do.
If you take half the energy you spend complaining about this, and put it toward building a good relationship with your local dealer (who, btw, employs people locally and generates an enormous amount of your city's sales tax revenue) I'm betting you won't have any problems whatsoever if one of these unlikely warranty situations happens to occur.
my 2 cents. (how come you only get a penny for your thoughts, though...someone's making a penny on this deal)
I think we can all agree that 'winning' is these situations is achieved by exceeding expectations...irrespective of the 'reality' of the situation...and it's clear that Ford didn't manage to expectations here...so they are to blame for that.
On the reality of the situation - a few things:
1) Ford does offer a warranty on a car that they know will be tracked...they offer specific guidelines for prepping the vehicle for track use. That's rare, and that's commendable.
2) We've all known that trackey was a FRPP product for some time. And we've all known that FRPP products can limit you warranty. And the warranty issue only comes up if the FRPP part caused the problem.
3) It's optional. We've all known, all along, that it's optional. It's not right for everyone, so everyone shouldn't need / want it.
4) The warranty issue almost always come down to a judgement call, by someone. It's been said before on this thread, but I'll reiterate the sentiment, that the relationship you have with Ford - with the dealer as the primary conduit - is important. I say this based on some experience...I'm an ex-ford employee and managed relationships between ford and their dealers for many years...so I've made a lot of these decisions for ford...and relied heavily on input from the dealers. We get too caught up on things like initial price...for instance - there's a thread on this forum about what people paid relative to MSRP - but is there a thread about who bought from a dealer with high customer satisfaction / service scores - how many people asked / cared?)
That's not a Ford-only phenomenon...last time I had an out-of-warranty repair done on a porsche (that I thought they should cover), they asked me how many porsches I've owned and gave me a pro-rated coverage offer based on that (it's their way of gauging Lifetime Value of the Customer)...mine was, apparently, low btw ;-)
Nordstrom does the same...most savvy manufacturers / retailer do.
If you take half the energy you spend complaining about this, and put it toward building a good relationship with your local dealer (who, btw, employs people locally and generates an enormous amount of your city's sales tax revenue) I'm betting you won't have any problems whatsoever if one of these unlikely warranty situations happens to occur.
my 2 cents. (how come you only get a penny for your thoughts, though...someone's making a penny on this deal)
Last edited by fuhrius; Oct 25, 2011 at 10:17 AM.
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: October 11, 2011
Posts: 42
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From: GA
Please, explain how I have been misrepresenting the facts. Does the installation of TracKey change the warranty from 5 years/60,000 miles to 3 year/36,000 miles if the failure was a result of TracKey?
I am almost certain any defect on a Boss that has installed TracKey will not be covered beyond the 3 year/36,000 miles TracKey warranty.
I can see it now; your rear view mirror fell off and you take your Boss in for a warranty repair with 37,000 miles.
Sir, the VIN indicates you have installed TracKey on your Boss. Launch Control was why your rear view mirror fell off. I am sorry but that is not covered by your 3 year/36,000 miles TracKey warranty.
The article below written Nelson Ireson describes TracKey in his article with “fine print dug up by Mustangs Daily” and “It's worth noting, too, that the fine print on the Laguna Seca package”
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1067691_2012-mustang-boss-302-trackey-comes-at-expense-of-warranty
Has Mr. Ireson been misrepresenting the facts about TracKey?
2012 Mustang Boss 302 TracKey Comes At Expense Of Warranty?
By Nelson Ireson
EditorBIO
Nelson is an Editor at High Gear Media focusing on reviewing cars and covering the hottest topics in luxury and performance cars, car culture, and... More
October 24, 2011
2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 TracKey
Bottom of Form
The 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302, like most other new Ford vehicles, comes from the factory with a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. But installing the TracKey on your new Boss will change that--a little.
If the powertrain should fail in some way related to the TracKey installation--i.e., if the dealership determines it's the aggressive calibration that's to blame--it's only warrantied for three years or 36,000 miles, according to fine print dug up by Mustangs Daily. That's significantly shorter than the standard warranty, but it's not clear that the TracKey tweaks will increase the likelihood of engine or transmission failure.
Of course, this might actually be seen as a benefit to a lot of TracKey purchasers, because the TracKey is specifically intended for track use. Having a warranty for a tracked car is well outside the norm--many warranties specifically exclude such use.
It's worth noting, too, that the fine print on the Laguna Seca package says it "may" void the vehicle's warranty, and that it must be installed by the customer.
While none of this is new to the dedicated track rat, it's important to be aware of, especially for owners new to the world of high-performance driving
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: October 11, 2011
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
From: GA
HOW WILL THIS AFFECT VEHICLE WARRANTY?
TracKey is warranted for factory-supplied material or workmanship, when installed on a Boss 302 or Laguna Seca by an authorized Ford or Lincoln Dealer, beginning upon dealer installation and registration of the part(s) with Ford Racing for the balance of 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the start date of the manufacturer's New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
So if you install Trackey on a car that already has 35,000 miles and it's been in service from the original date of sale for 35 months, you get 1 month or 1,000 miles warranty from Ford?
TracKey is warranted for factory-supplied material or workmanship, when installed on a Boss 302 or Laguna Seca by an authorized Ford or Lincoln Dealer, beginning upon dealer installation and registration of the part(s) with Ford Racing for the balance of 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first, from the start date of the manufacturer's New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
So if you install Trackey on a car that already has 35,000 miles and it's been in service from the original date of sale for 35 months, you get 1 month or 1,000 miles warranty from Ford?
I already shot an email over to my dealer to get the ball rolling in this so everything will be ready to load to the vehicle on Nov 1 or 2nd 
Bullitt Member
Joined: February 12, 2011
Posts: 364
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From: Knoxville, TN
Since I have no relationship with my Dealer (this is my first Ford) I guess I would be screwed if I got Trackey and something broke. I'll pass. No offense but there is a reason FMC did not include TrackKey with the car.
Bullitt Member
Joined: August 25, 2011
Posts: 411
Likes: 0
From: Miami
How did you know that TracKey was going to be an after-market FR component that you were going to pay extra for?
Don't bite my head off, but I don't remember reading this anywhere until I read these threads, after my car purchase and after reading the TracKey email here. I missed this information from what literature?
Don't bite my head off, but I don't remember reading this anywhere until I read these threads, after my car purchase and after reading the TracKey email here. I missed this information from what literature?
Cobra Member
Joined: January 24, 2011
Posts: 1,382
Likes: 1
From: NY
Originally Posted by LadyBoss302
How did you know that TracKey was going to be an after-market FR component that you were going to pay extra for?
Don't bite my head off, but I don't remember reading this anywhere until I read these threads, after my car purchase and after reading the TracKey email here. I missed this information from what literature?
Don't bite my head off, but I don't remember reading this anywhere until I read these threads, after my car purchase and after reading the TracKey email here. I missed this information from what literature?
Bullitt Member
Joined: August 25, 2011
Posts: 411
Likes: 0
From: Miami
Originally Posted by orng302
There was an article I think in Mustangs Daily where one of the engineers or head engineer of the project had announced it and the pricing. This was way back when the Boss was first announced.
V6 Member
Joined: March 7, 2011
Posts: 82
Likes: 1
From: Moscow Russia and NC USA
How did you know that TracKey was going to be an after-market FR component that you were going to pay extra for?
Don't bite my head off, but I don't remember reading this anywhere until I read these threads, after my car purchase and after reading the TracKey email here. I missed this information from what literature?
Don't bite my head off, but I don't remember reading this anywhere until I read these threads, after my car purchase and after reading the TracKey email here. I missed this information from what literature?
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I got هَبوبed
I got هَبوبed
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Posts: 9,651
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From: Sun City AZ
first off: one of my favorite lines of all time is from George Carlin who says that he doesn't see the glass as half-full or half-empty...he sees a glass that's twice as big as it needs to be. ;-)
I think we can all agree that 'winning' is these situations is achieved by exceeding expectations...irrespective of the 'reality' of the situation...and it's clear that Ford didn't manage to expectations here...so they are to blame for that.
On the reality of the situation - a few things:
1) Ford does offer a warranty on a car that they know will be tracked...they offer specific guidelines for prepping the vehicle for track use. That's rare, and that's commendable.
2) We've all known that trackey was a FRPP product for some time. And we've all known that FRPP products can limit you warranty. And the warranty issue only comes up if the FRPP part caused the problem.
3) It's optional. We've all known, all along, that it's optional. It's not right for everyone, so everyone shouldn't need / want it.
4) The warranty issue almost always come down to a judgement call, by someone. It's been said before on this thread, but I'll reiterate the sentiment, that the relationship you have with Ford - with the dealer as the primary conduit - is important. I say this based on some experience...I'm an ex-ford employee and managed relationships between ford and their dealers for many years...so I've made a lot of these decisions for ford...and relied heavily on input from the dealers. We get too caught up on things like initial price...for instance - there's a thread on this forum about what people paid relative to MSRP - but is there a thread about who bought from a dealer with high customer satisfaction / service scores - how many people asked / cared?)
That's not a Ford-only phenomenon...last time I had an out-of-warranty repair done on a porsche (that I thought they should cover), they asked me how many porsches I've owned and gave me a pro-rated coverage offer based on that (it's their way of gauging Lifetime Value of the Customer)...mine was, apparently, low btw ;-)
Nordstrom does the same...most savvy manufacturers / retailer do.
If you take half the energy you spend complaining about this, and put it toward building a good relationship with your local dealer (who, btw, employs people locally and generates an enormous amount of your city's sales tax revenue) I'm betting you won't have any problems whatsoever if one of these unlikely warranty situations happens to occur.
my 2 cents. (how come you only get a penny for your thoughts, though...someone's making a penny on this deal)
I think we can all agree that 'winning' is these situations is achieved by exceeding expectations...irrespective of the 'reality' of the situation...and it's clear that Ford didn't manage to expectations here...so they are to blame for that.
On the reality of the situation - a few things:
1) Ford does offer a warranty on a car that they know will be tracked...they offer specific guidelines for prepping the vehicle for track use. That's rare, and that's commendable.
2) We've all known that trackey was a FRPP product for some time. And we've all known that FRPP products can limit you warranty. And the warranty issue only comes up if the FRPP part caused the problem.
3) It's optional. We've all known, all along, that it's optional. It's not right for everyone, so everyone shouldn't need / want it.
4) The warranty issue almost always come down to a judgement call, by someone. It's been said before on this thread, but I'll reiterate the sentiment, that the relationship you have with Ford - with the dealer as the primary conduit - is important. I say this based on some experience...I'm an ex-ford employee and managed relationships between ford and their dealers for many years...so I've made a lot of these decisions for ford...and relied heavily on input from the dealers. We get too caught up on things like initial price...for instance - there's a thread on this forum about what people paid relative to MSRP - but is there a thread about who bought from a dealer with high customer satisfaction / service scores - how many people asked / cared?)
That's not a Ford-only phenomenon...last time I had an out-of-warranty repair done on a porsche (that I thought they should cover), they asked me how many porsches I've owned and gave me a pro-rated coverage offer based on that (it's their way of gauging Lifetime Value of the Customer)...mine was, apparently, low btw ;-)
Nordstrom does the same...most savvy manufacturers / retailer do.
If you take half the energy you spend complaining about this, and put it toward building a good relationship with your local dealer (who, btw, employs people locally and generates an enormous amount of your city's sales tax revenue) I'm betting you won't have any problems whatsoever if one of these unlikely warranty situations happens to occur.
my 2 cents. (how come you only get a penny for your thoughts, though...someone's making a penny on this deal)
so good it needed to be reposted
Bullitt Member
Joined: January 16, 2011
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
From: Norcal, SF Bay Area
I'm not trying to change anyone's mind about whether they get it or not...again...it's an OPTION, and it's your option whether or not to get it...but I don't think that this is the right conclusion to draw. I don't think you're going to get screwed.
Perhaps Ford did not 'include' the key because it hadn't been certified by CARB...and they knew it would take awhile...and they didn't want customers to have to wait to get their bosses until CARB had cleared the key. Perhaps, then, you may suggest that it should have been 'included' but expressly not to be delivered until some future date. And if so, perhaps there are revenue recognition issues associated with not delivering the complete product (ie. in most businesses, nowadays, you CAN'T recognize revenue until the entire product is delivered...not just ordered...and not 99% completely delivered...if you think CARB rules are a PIA, try dealing with FASB "rev rec" issues...see this link for some brief insight: http://www.sec.gov/interps/account/sab101.htm)
So maybe there is a set of business rationale that drove this decision - rationale that's entirely consistent with maintaining a focus on customer satisfaction and customer choice...the results of which are, admittedly, not optimal, but are not founded in any trickery or malice of forethought whatsoever.
Every trackey thread is a total trainwreck
Bullitt Member
Joined: November 22, 2010
Posts: 337
Likes: 0
From: Mount Pleasant, SC
Whatever the case with the warranty, mine is on order and due in the middle of next week. Advertised cost to customer was $302, but my dealership stated that I wouldn't need to pay that much. Cost to the dealership is $200 by the way.
Bullitt Member
Joined: January 16, 2011
Posts: 274
Likes: 0
From: Norcal, SF Bay Area
while I'm at it...
for the nick-pickers...where are the accolades for Ford for saving you money on trackey? you knew it would cost you $302. but because they delayed it 1/2 year, they saved you about $3.02...6 months of interest at 2% ;-)
and how about putting yourselves in the shoes of some of those product guys at Ford who, by all accounts, stuck their necks out for this project...probably worked countless hours of overtime and sweated details around product quality and consumer safety that kept them up nights...and now all that these 'enthusiasts' they thought they were working so hard for just sit there and complain about non-perfect execution. I wonder if they'll stick their neck out again?
it's everyone's right to complain...and that keep producers honest...I just think that a lot of us have lost perspective on this issue.
and how about putting yourselves in the shoes of some of those product guys at Ford who, by all accounts, stuck their necks out for this project...probably worked countless hours of overtime and sweated details around product quality and consumer safety that kept them up nights...and now all that these 'enthusiasts' they thought they were working so hard for just sit there and complain about non-perfect execution. I wonder if they'll stick their neck out again?
it's everyone's right to complain...and that keep producers honest...I just think that a lot of us have lost perspective on this issue.