Fixed Ops Journal – February 2016 - (Page 52)

FIXED OPS JOURNAL " "Internally, we've changed our [parts] retention policy to look beyond seven years. Now, we are seeking to have parts available through the 12-year mark, and we are on our way to 15 years." FREDERIEK TONEY, Ford Up to date, not out of date ■ Ford and Toyota offer older replacement parts as the U.S. fleet ages RICHARD TRUETT rtruett@crain.com F ord and Toyota are broadening their supply of factory parts to dealerships' parts and service departments. Both automakers told Fixed Ops Journal they are expanding coverage of factory original replacement parts on two fronts. First, their available inventory of replacement parts will expand to cover popular vehicles up to 15 years old. That's well beyond the former cutoff date for coverage. Second, their inventory of factory original replacement parts for those older cars and trucks will include soft items such seat upholstery, weather stripping and interior trim, in addition to the more traditional hard parts such as electrical items and body parts. The efforts reflect a desire to capitalize on the aging of the American fleet. Consulting firm IHS says the average age of light vehicles on the road in the U.S. reached an all-time high of 11.5 years old at the end of 2014. "Internally, we've changed our [parts] retention policy to look beyond seven years. Now, we are seeking to have parts available through the 12-year mark, and we are on our way to 15 years," says Frederiek Toney, Ford's vice president of global customer service. Automakers have long profited from supplying genuine factory parts for rare and collectible older cars. Porsche, for example, recently made available a complete new dash assembly for the classic 911 built from 1969 to 1975. Mercedes-Benz offers a large array of parts for its heritage vehicles. But the Toyota and Ford parts coverage Toyota's Swartz: Parts support for 20 years? PAGE 52 FEBRUARY 2016 Older genuine Ford parts will include soft items, such as trim. Below, Ford promotes its own parts, even spark plugs, over generics. isn't just for Mustangs, Supras and other special-interest cars. High-volume vehicles such as Camrys, Corollas and F-150s that clock hundreds of thousands of miles are among the vehicles that will be covered. "We maintain parts supply for 15 years beyond end of production," says Neil Swartz, Toyota's general manager of North American parts operations. "Technically, you could have parts support for 20 years, beyond that if there is demand. We are trying to make sure customers will have all they parts they'll need." Toney said Ford's expanded parts offerings will be based on the number of vehicles in use and customer demand. "We constantly keep track of vehicles on the road and their mix. When every new product goes from current production to past product," he said, "we make that decision to maintain the [parts] coverage of those vehicles based on the number in the marketplace." SEE PARTS, PAGE 54

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fixed Ops Journal – February 2016

Editor’s Letter: Welcome to Fixed Ops Journal
Service Counter: Tracking fixed-ops numbers
Legal Lane: Court cases that affect you
Mobile mechanics: Do shop-free technicians threaten your business?
Mark Smith: A fixed-ops-focused dealer aims to change the industry
Adding capacity: Sales spur FCA, Subaru dealerships’ fixed-ops growth
Richard Truett: Toolmaker targets new techs
Designed for service: A look at a Minnesota dealership’s makeover
Weekend work: Service extends to Saturday, even Sunday
Tech exodus: How outdated policies worsen the tech shortage
Before Xtime: The origins of widely used scheduling software
Older parts: Toyota, Ford respond to older cars on the road
5 minutes with: Ford’s Toney, Toyota’s Laukes
Shop Talk: One question, multiple service directors
Fixed in Time: A look at service of yesteryear

Fixed Ops Journal – February 2016