I got Zetec too :)

[oldsoftboss]

Originally Posted by Pid

As it has been explained to me by a friend in the car industry the global financial crisis is to blame. The dealers can't get the finance to order on speculation, they have to have enough orders to warrant the finance for a shipment before the order is placed.

Blame it all on the GFC. But when you read this it rings true. Might explain why the smaller dealers are struggling.

[oldsoftboss]

Saw this in Mildura 7/8/09.
Sorry about the pic quality, taken through the window of the dealer at night with my mobile.

It looked like a CL, no cruise, no bluetooth but with a rear spoiler, otherwise it would be sittin in my driveway by now.

An RS - groovy wheels (didn't look like ford wheels, stripes, kevlar looking thing on the fuel filler, twin chrome tail pipes, rest pretty standard. Our local dealer had never heard of one, but why doesn't that suprise me.

[dannyhilton]

Haha RS! But I have to admit, those side stripes look fantastic! Not try-hard and really work with the alloys. I like them, mmmm grey versions on my car is tempting!

[Ms_Jam]

If there are 3-door manual Zetecs on car yard lots all over the place, I'd like to hear about one in Melbourne.

I've just done a quick check of drive.com.au, carsguide.com.au and carsales.com.au, and I can't find a single one among the in-stock new vehicles in Australia. Plenty of 5-doors and autos, however.

[dannyhilton]

They don't all advertise. Why don't you go for a drive or make a few calls? There are plenty of dealers. I got my 3-Door Zetec within two weeks.

[greenfoam]

I went from here to Melbourne yesterday and nearly every Ford dealer along the way had Fiestas in stock. Didn't pay enough attention to check for a 3 door, but at least they are in stock in some form now

[doctamick]

Originally Posted by Ms_Jam

If there are 3-door manual Zetecs on car yard lots all over the place, I'd like to hear about one in Melbourne.

Ms_Jam, have you tried Strapp Ford (in Burwood and Doncaster). I saw a big print advert from them in Friday's CarsGuide for a 5 door manual Zetec, with a note saying 18 to choose from. I doubt that this will be 18 x 5 door manual Zetecs, so there's a possibility that there will be a 3 door manual Zetec in their yard.

[Vision Zetec]

Originally Posted by oldsoftboss

Saw this in Mildura 7/8/09.
Sorry about the pic quality, taken through the window of the dealer at night with my mobile.

It looked like a CL, no cruise, no bluetooth but with a rear spoiler, otherwise it would be sittin in my driveway by now.

An RS - groovy wheels (didn't look like ford wheels, stripes, kevlar looking thing on the fuel filler, twin chrome tail pipes, rest pretty standard. Our local dealer had never heard of one, but why doesn't that suprise me.

Rims look good! If it was lowered and didn't have that stupid stuff on the fuel cap it would look alright!

[donkeykwong]

My continued saga with binks ford(Footscray)

a couple of weeks ago i was told by my salesperson that my vision zetec 5dr manual would be arriving and ready at the dealer by the 10-11th, hearing nothing in between and having to get my finances in order, i called up today to find out what was going on.

This is what i found.

- My salesperson has moved to the service department at another dealership

- After waiting half an hour for a new salesman to return my call, i called back asking about my car.

- He didnt know anything about it and had to ask the stock controller, who was out to lunch, but he assured me he'd call me back as soon as he found out.

-Giving the benefit of the doubt, i called back after 2 hours of waiting, "I was just about to call you (yeah, right)", my car is still scheduled to come in today or tomorrow, we have to wait.

- 3 hours later another call, this time from him for once, to confirm it is coming in tomorrow. Oh, and another thing, theres been a price rise, AND YOU HAVE TO PAY $1000 EXTRA.

- Say, what? was the response from I, excuse me, youre telling me this now? From reading the forums, and from curik's experience with the same dealer, i wasnt surprised, although it was double what curik had to pay in may/june.

- So I tell him that the saleswoman only said i 'may' have to pay extra back in may, and was quite vague about how much, and theyve had plenty of opportunities to tell me.

- He says, what can they do about it, I say, make sure i dont have to pay anything extra. We cant do that, he says. Then why in the hell would you ask me what they could do to make it better, if you jolly well know what im gonna ask for. What, you wont waive the extra fee, but you'll give me 17inch rims? Pfft. What else could i ask for, petrol and mats and tint is apart of the damn contract. Why dont you give me a number, he says. No, why dont YOU give me a number, i say. I cant go to the boss with nothing, he'll ask me to get the whole amount, how about we pay 300, you pay 700? I said, "How about i pay 300, you pay 700?" How about i go to the boss with half? We cant work on the car till this is settled.

- So hes 'gone to the boss asking for half', if he even is gonna ask the boss at all, and i dont know what the hell is happening now. But this is ridiculous, and blaming on this crap customer service on the outgoing saleswoman and ford europe is not good enough.

This is getting worse and worse the closer and closer it is to getting the actual car. I can't believe how bad it is. I dont think they know of the word, 'customer service'. Good lord, the 1000 they 'lose' here could be made up by the dozens of services the car will have at the dealer, and subsequent cars bought by returning customers and people referred on. ALL BECAUSE YOU DIDNT MAKE THEM PAY 1000 BUCKS EXTRA, LESS THAN 24 HOURS BEFORE THE CAR IS PICKED UP. They could learn a thing or two from Eastern Honda in Doncaster.

To put it into perspective, the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on develoment of the car, and on marketing, just to woo new customers over to the brand is being thrown down the drain, all because of dealers petty greed. This is their chance to snare young, unprejudiced consumers who start with a fiesta, then could move on to a focus, then a falcon, then a territory, a relationship with the company that could span decades and hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal income. And one bad first experience has extinguished that relationship, its like going out on a first date with the popular girl, vomiting dinner on her, spilling the wine on her trying to clean it up, then making her pay the bill.

If the bloody market for Fiestas werent so illiquid, then i could have dumped these chumps. Yet all their behaviour is perfectly legal, just not good practise, BECAUSE THATS HOW YOU LOSE CUSTOMERS. I've already chosen my next car, and its definitely not going to be a ford.

[dannyhilton]

You can't blame Ford for how the dealer has treated you, which by the way is absolutly appauling. There is no excuse for this, and I would definitly be reporting the dealer. Judge Ford on how they handle your complaint, if they don't care say goodbye to Ford. If they give the dealer some crap, then at least you can be assured that Ford did listen to you. But to be honest I'd be ****ed of, so I can't blame you for how you feel. Ford shoul KILL that dealer ASAP.

[Zetec Dave]

Man I feel so sorry and frustrated for you donkeykwong. I was shocked to hear when Curik was asked to pay the $500 which also made me panic. Despite myself experiencing similar customer service problems and the long long long delayed wait for the car, at least the dealer we dealt with had at least some sense in not charging us any extra or reevaluating the trade in. I was close to buying from Binks as well but for some reason I didn't and walked out. Phew. I'd definately report the dealer and make a formal complaint to FORD Australia and see what they are going to do about it.

I wish you all the best.

[msnealo]

The lady who delivered my vehicle last week told me that they were meant to charge me more but they told Ford to basically shove it. (It was a fleet sale if that makes a difference).

[Ben85]

Thats really strange. Didnt you sign a contract for the vehicle when you ordered it? When i bought my WQ i had to wait 5months and when the car came in there were no extra charges at all. Thats weird.

[donkeykwong]

Yup, i signed a contract, but there is a clause in it that states if there is a change in price between he signing of the contract and the delivery of the car, that the customer is subject to the price rise. Which is shifty, because they knew both that the car was coming in 3 months and that in 2 weeks there was a price rise.

Also, it could be arguable in court under contract law that the term was unusual and not expected by normal people in contracts of that type in this circumstance and that it was not pointed out, thus i may have grounds for termination of the contract.

[Ben85]

its shifty because u signed the contract then and there, and would have taken delivery of the car on that day if they had one to give you. So how can you be forced to pay the price rise when its Ford who were unable to supply a vehicle when you signed the contract to purchase it.

[Spinner77]

Not sure where you are, but in general sales of vehicles are governed by State legislation, and the contracts simply reflect that. In Victoria, the long and the short seems to be that the dealer can charge for price rises, but correspondingly the customer can walk away from the deal rather than pay the increase. You should check it out with your State consumer affairs outfit.

On the other hand, there is the interesting email that msnealo found somewhere, and reported in this very thread on 11-05-09 as saying:

Please note, the Original Arrival Month as shown on the 'VREV' screen in VIS will not be changed to
ensure delayed vehicles are price protected in line with the original arrival assumption.

It was apparently signed by:

Stephen Kruk
General Sales Manager

[dannyhilton]

Why did you sign the contract? I would have had that changed. When I first ordered by car in silver I had them change the acceptance of my order, along with that stupid clause that removes the dealer from blame should it not have all the airbags. Took some time, but they changed it.

[curik]

At the end of the day it depends on how much the total driveaway cost is. Mine was exactly 25k (premium mats, auto, ipod cable, slimline plate, +1 year warranty + rear sensors). Thats including the $500 I had to pay them.

That sucks, but they said either I pay the increase or I don't get the car. Back then in May I was probably one of the only few autos and any auto zetecs would sell like hot cakes so I couldn't say "fine, I'll walk to another dealer and gimme back my money".

[donkeykwong]

Originally Posted by curik

At the end of the day it depends on how much the total driveaway cost is. Mine was exactly 25k (premium mats, auto, ipod cable, slimline plate, +1 year warranty + rear sensors). Thats including the $500 I had to pay them.

That sucks, but they said either I pay the increase or I don't get the car. Back then in May I was probably one of the only few autos and any auto zetecs would sell like hot cakes so I couldn't say "fine, I'll walk to another dealer and gimme back my money".

exactly, which is what i wrote in my complaint to ford head office, its being reviewed now by their customer service team. Plus I also mentioned that this behaviour was only evident with this dealer. I also sent a complaint in to consumer affairs victoria to see what they thought of it.

mine was 23.5k with manual, mats, +1 year warranty and UV tint.

[Mike in OZ]

Originally Posted by Ms_Jam

I now have been waiting some 16 weeks since ordering my 3-door Fiesta Zetec manual from a Melbourne dealer.

I was told originally to expect it at the end of June/early July, then the end of July/early August. Should I be concerned, or are there others who are waiting longer?

I have the order no. Is there anyone here who could check it out on Ford's system?

Hi there, it's been a while since anyone posted on this thread - has everyone who ordered Zetecs earlier in the year now got theirs? (any news Ms_Jam?)

I have been waiting since March (3 door manual, Vision) and like Ms_Jam been given different delivery dates all the way along. the last one was 13 August which went by as usual - no car.

Today is different - I have just been told that the ship docked last Saturday (23 Aug) and that it may!?!?! get to the dealers after clearing quarantine, etc by weekend 5 Sept. Then the dealer has to do his stuff and perhaps I will get it a few days later - about time. I hope the wait has been worth it.

[phoenix555]

Boy, I've only just read through this thread (being a newbie!) and I don't think I would have had the patience to go through what you guys have had to sit through! Nor would I have necessarily had a vehicle to drive (my Integra was broken into, vandalised and written off, so I was borrowing a car while I did my car shopping around).

I wanted a 5-door Zetec in Black, Morello or Sea Grey and was told by two different dealers that there were none in Brisbane and the next shipment was due in October. I needed to take one for a run down my very steep driveway, as if it didn't make it, then I could cross it off my list of potentials. As luck would have it, the closest dealership to me for the driveway test drive had a Sea Grey in stock, the last and only Zetec they had. Woooo! Especially as the Soho dash seems overwhelming, the Sea Grey was the one that I really wanted. :

I'm not used to the little luxuries, so five days into my ownership the Zetec is definitely growing on me. I miss some of the grunty power, but the buy has made my boyfriend and my parents very happy that they can fit in my car!!

I do have a few questions though:

1. did anyone work out whether there are supposed to be two working rear fog lights? I can't take it back to a service centre until Saturday and my sales guy didn't know

2. Can you dim the dash lights for night driving? they seem awfully bright to me!

3. How does the perimeter alarm work? My sales guy wasn't sure, the manual doesn't seem to say, and the testing (doors locked, try to open them) didn't set it off. As my last car was broken into - and apparently had an alarm but maybe it was just an immobiliser - this is now important to me
:yeees:

4. I got the Y-cable to play my music and have stalk control. It works with my iPod Nano, but does anyone have a Shuffle (2nd gen) and how do they get it to work? I must try the USB option too (but then there's no stalk control right?). The only annoying thing is the Y-cable is really stiff so I can't seem to tuck the Nano and cable out of the way and keep it neat.

5. My dad says I am no longer a Honda girl and must buy a Blue Oval t-shirt to show my allegiance to 'Esta the Fiesta... is that true? _2:

thanks for reading!

[Fi.ES.TA]

Glad your happy with your new car.
I can answer Q1 And 2 The rear fog light is single only and the computer lights do dim,you have a setting in the set up menu it allows it to automatically dim as soon as you turn your lights on.

I dont no about the alarm thats one thing i have not yet tried.

[Ms_Jam]

To answer Mike in OZ's question, I now know that the ship will dock here on 8 September.

Here's the secret I stumbled across. If you have the SIDO number from your dealer, Ford Australia can tell you which ship it's on. Once I had that, I was able to google the ship's owner and look up their schedule.

For extra fun, I discovered that you can follow your ship's voyage on a Google map through marinetraffic.com.

For some unknown reason, I had trouble using the site direct to find the ship, but no difficulty if I routed the query through Google. So, if you type the name of the ship in Google's search box and add the word "vessel", click the search result sourced from marinetraffic.com.

This should take you to a nice photo of the ship and the coordinates of its position. Click on those, and you get a map showing exactly where the ship is.

The boat with my Zetec left Germany on 23 July, and took the scenic route around Africa rather than through Suez. I suppose I can console myself that the long route avoided the risk of being pirated, and of my little car being bunny-hopped around Mogadishu with a machine gun in the back!

[ANGEL#3]

I hope everyone has picked up their cars and no one is waiting because today I was in town today and needed to kill some time so I checked out the Ford dealer. To my shock they had 6 Fiesta’s in the yard. 5 zetec (red,black,silver) 1 CL (gray). Red was nice looked sharp.

What caught my eye was that one of the Fiesta's had a badge on the back saying "TITANIUM” By looking at the car it was a Zetec, had the same body kit/wheels and the same interior, just named TITANIUM. WTF! The other fiesta's had zetec.

Does anyone know why or just a dealer trying to up the anti.

[phoenix555]

Thanks for that - it'll save me looking like a dumbass going to a service centre saying there's a fog light out!

I would have thought the sales guys would know a few of these bits and pieces (foglights, alarms, iPods etc), but then again I guess they can't know everything about each vehicle, huh?

I'll check the manual re dimming the dash... thank you!

PS - Fi.ES.TA > your sig text URL is correct, but the hyperlink must be wrong. Great shots BTW!

[dannyhilton]

There is an alarm. Lock the car with the remote and have a window down. Pull the inside door handle and off goes the alarm. Dead locking the car means only only way to set the alarm off is break in. Honestly, Reading the manual is the best thing you can do. Will take you like two hours. You'll learn so much about your car.

[Fi.ES.TA]

Thanks phoenix555 for letting me no i've sorted the link and thanks for the comment on my pics.

PS. The titanium is the top of the range fiesta in the uk.

[dannyhilton]

Well it sounds like someone was playing around with badges. With the new Mondeo Titanium on sale I bet someone thought they would play around with their Fez! I'm getting an 'S' badge just to be corny. Since my car is similar to a Zetec S. Infact our Zetec is a mish mash of Titanium and Zetec S, so I should rip the Zetec badge off and make mine a...

TITANIUM S!!!!! Well I like it, as corny and lame as it may be rebadging my car!

[Fi.ES.TA]

Why not no one know's the difference unless they really inspect your car
throw some leather seats in it and no one will tell ;)

[dannyhilton]

I want Zetec S seats, but the side airbags are built into the seat. The Zetec S has those really supportive sports seats, the stock seats are great but these would be awesome! Don't think the come in Soho though either :( Meh