✅ 5/2 Lightning Build Week Group

[rlbussard]

I am checking all of the demo units going to TX, especially to CA34 that we saw in the video. So far I have done 6 and they don't even show built. The tracker is going slow so it takes me a bit to get through them.

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[F150ROD]

I doubt they are only shipping demos. Each dealer gets 1 demo. It wouldn't make sense to deliver 1 truck if you had 2 more customer trucks that you also want to deliver to the same dealership. So imagine they are shipping customer trucks with the demos. Otherwise they would have to do another delivery weeks later.

I know we are a small percentage of those who ordered these trucks but it is odd that they would be shipping customers trucks and no one here has received a Built Email. No one here has had a change in their tracker. It’s just odd

 

[GDN]

I doubt they are only shipping demos. Each dealer gets 1 demo. It wouldn't make sense to deliver 1 truck if you had 2 more customer trucks that you also want to deliver to the same dealership. So imagine they are shipping customer trucks with the demos. Otherwise they would have to do another delivery weeks later.

I don't disagree on the shipping and shipping a customer truck along too if one was ready. However keep in mind those are all TX bound trucks and around DFW alone there are a huge number of dealers, over 20. We have DFW, Houston, San Antonio, Austin - all with many dealers. So until they ship about 8 to 10 times that many trucks not even all the dealers in the big metro areas will get their one demo. I'm not even accounting for the hundreds of other smaller dealers spread throughout the state.

 

[jpepper07]

I don't disagree on the shipping and shipping a customer truck along too if one was ready. However keep in mind those are all TX bound trucks and around DFW alone there are a huge number of dealers, over 20. We have DFW, Houston, San Antonio, Austin - all with many dealers. So until they ship about 8 to 10 times that many trucks not even all the dealers in the big metro areas will get their one demo. I'm not even accounting for the hundreds of other smaller dealers spread throughout the state.

You make a fair point. It wouldn't affect them to much to only ship demos to dealers if there are alot in the area. Guess i am thinking some more rural areas it would make less since to deliver one truck when they could deliver 2.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Were they all CA 34?

No, I updated the previous post to include ALL TX bound trucks, also a few that are not yet built. they use several codes for TX

 

[rlbussard]

So I checked 8 of the 13 that Taxman sent and out of those only 5 were for CA34 DFW area. I only used CA34, because per the video, we could clearly see one of the trucks being shipped to CA34 and since they were loaded on the train with others, we can mostly assume they were CA34 as well. The others were for elsewhere in Texas, but I couldn't check anymore because the tracker keeps erroring out on me. On top of that the tracker is going super slow or not giving me any data at all now. I don't think the tracker likes me checking VIN after VIN each time. It is taking 3-4 minutes when I can get through to one. I did at least get through the 5 going to CA34 in DFW area, and none of them had anything else but a built date in the Produced tab like all the rest of us have. I also checked the customer orders earlier today that we have listed on this website for CA34 and none of them with showed anything but a build date in the production tab.

I stand by my earlier statement I made today on this forum at this point. There is only 1 of 2 options here. Those trucks are either fleet trucks that are leaving on CA34, which is doubtful since there were Lariat and Platinum trucks on that train. The other option is that Ford is doing a piss poor job of updating the website with current information. Maybe it is by design to keep everyone in the dark.

 

[BlueF150Guy]

This whole thing is so strange. Thank you to the guys doing all the research and looking up VINs and Autotrader trying to figure out some sense of all this mess.

It's interesting that some of these trucks appear to have just been made. Their blends dates go from March to May. So is Ford trying to batch by region? I would assume so due to cost savings, but TX is clearly a huge truck market so maybe we are all on hold until they flood TX with trucks. In that case, good for you guys.

 

[rlbussard]

I forgot a scenario, it might be possible that all those CA34 trucks that were loaded were not listed on Autotrader or not registered with this site.

 

[rlbussard]

This whole thing is so strange. Thank you to the guys doing all the research and looking up VINs and Autotrader trying to figure out some sense of all this mess.

It's interesting that some of these trucks appear to have just been made. Their blends dates go from March to May. So is Ford trying to batch by region? I would assume so due to cost savings, but TX is clearly a huge truck market so maybe we are all on hold until they flood TX with trucks. In that case, good for you guys.

If they are flooding Texas with trucks first, we wouldn't know. Of all of the ones we have visibility on, not a single one has any shipping info. I think Ford is messing with all of us by design. Let's keep us all in the dark until trucks just magically show up to dealers.

 

[Mike G]

If they are flooding Texas with trucks first, we wouldn't know. Of all of the ones we have visibility on, not a single one has any shipping info. I think Ford is messing with all of us by design. Let's keep us all in the dark until trucks just magically show up to dealers.

I don't ever remember seeing shipping info on my '21 Powerboost. It just showed up two weeks after we knew it had come off the line. That shipping info section never did populate and I stopped looking at the tracker (obviously) after the truck was onsite.

Mike

 

[rlbussard]

I don't ever remember seeing shipping info on my '21 Powerboost. It just showed up two weeks after we knew it had come off the line. That shipping info section never did populate and I stopped looking at the tracker (obviously) after the truck was onsite.

Mike

That may be true. I never used the tracker with my 21 Powerboost either, I just would get a copy of my visibility report every so often to see where things were at.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I don't ever remember seeing shipping info on my '21 Powerboost. It just showed up two weeks after we knew it had come off the line. That shipping info section never did populate and I stopped looking at the tracker (obviously) after the truck was onsite.

Mike

That may be true. I never used the tracker with my 21 Powerboost either, I just would get a copy of my visibility report every so often to see where things were at.

@Ford Motor Company

Please update/fix your customer facing data system, it really helps prevent buyer anxiety about where orders are in process, I would give you 10's on communications after delivery of my Lightning, this is important for a 21st century FORD MODEL E company, start getting it fixed ASAP but no later than 1/1/2025.

(Friendly advice from a retired bureaucrat who understands that massive data processing systems take time to change and fix)

 

[BlueF150Guy]

@Ford Motor Company

Please update/fix your customer facing data system, it really helps prevent buyer anxiety about where orders are in process, I would give you 10's on communications after delivery of my Lightning, this is important for a 21st century FORD MODEL E company, start getting it fixed ASAP but no later than 1/1/2025.

(Friendly advice from a retired bureaucrat who understands that massive data processing systems take time to change and fix)

Well said. A little effort and transparency goes a long way to customer confidence as well. Ford spent a lot of money building up the hype and making this a huge deal for them and us. It’s already beginning to sour the experience.

 

[Avocadodude]

Well said. A little effort and transparency goes a long way to customer confidence as well. Ford spent a lot of money building up the hype and making this a huge deal for them and us. It’s already beginning to sour the experience.

I’ll second that. A little communication goes a long way. Does not have to be a video production on social media.

 

[GDN]

Well said. A little effort and transparency goes a long way to customer confidence as well. Ford spent a lot of money building up the hype and making this a huge deal for them and us. It’s already beginning to sour the experience.

I've lived this for 4 years with Tesla and being a moderator on a Tesla forum. This part is painful and Tesla does not do it well at all either. But almost every owner, regardless of the painful communication experience and wait will forget it all after that first drive. I think this pickup will deliver the same experience.

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