Crying Ford worker with Ford flag drives off...

[Fordman1]

Hey Darren,

I'm really sorry to hear about the issues with your health and your car.

As the guys above have said, there are some very knowledgable Forum members here with great technical knowledge and skill, that will be able to point you in the right direction regarding the issues with your car.

Don't despair, it'll work out OK in the end.

Try the LPG section for advise / direction, stay positive and chin up mate !

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by XR6_power

You're right too, the Falcon and Commodore did traditionally rack up pretty big fleet sales. You wonder why a government would take incentives away to buy local...

Why buy imports over local Falcons and Commodores....?

If you have a fleet of, say, 500 cars, four cylinder rego as opposed to six soon adds up....

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Why buy imports over local Falcons and Commodores....?

If you have a fleet of, say, 500 cars, four cylinder rego as opposed to six soon adds up....

As well as a price of say $19,990 x 500 compared to say $34,990 x 500.

[Sprintey]

Some good posts there by BENT8, XR6 power and Mr Franco. You do get a lot of car for your money with the Aussie stuff (that's why I'm here) and also support people in your own economy. All that is now passing, what will be left will be a time of consequence.

Darren is spot on in looking for reliability - for an Aussie family on a budget you really want painless, well built, reliable vehicles that don't cost a packet to run. And that, according to my experience and my mechanic's opinion (and lots of others) is inevitably Japanese. So when someone voices this, it's not anti-Ford or anti-blue or whatever, it's a recognised phenomenon. It's recognised at resale time and in the willingness of wholesalers to take on stock. Hands up who wants a DSG or powershift after warranty expires? Not me.

The really sad thing is once the next property cycle turns over, we lose about 28% of our economy being on the boil. That will hurt. Mining is 7 or so. So in stripping out our manufacturing sector we shoot ourselves in the foot losing the diversity in our economy, and shut down career paths for our young. But hey, we did get cheaper imported Balinese outdoor settings...

If you look to the States, and all around the world actually, you will see protectionism rising - in Trump's actions, in all the FT's that are falling over, in the slowing and reversing data of trade flows. The rest of the world is going to protect itself. Whether you believe in protecting the Aussie manufacturing sector or not, that is the background that is developing. And we won't have an industry to protect.

[danzvtil]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

As well as a price of say $19,990 x 500 compared to say $34,990 x 500.

And both are worth 14k at 3 yo on the auction floor, HUGE difference in retained value/cost of ownership.

[XR6_power]

Originally Posted by Sprintey

Some good posts there by BENT8, XR6 power and Mr Franco. You do get a lot of car for your money with the Aussie stuff (that's why I'm here) and also support people in your own economy. All that is now passing, what will be left will be a time of consequence.

Darren is spot on in looking for reliability - for an Aussie family on a budget you really want painless, well built, reliable vehicles that don't cost a packet to run. And that, according to my experience and my mechanic's opinion (and lots of others) is inevitably Japanese. So when someone voices this, it's not anti-Ford or anti-blue or whatever, it's a recognised phenomenon. It's recognised at resale time and in the willingness of wholesalers to take on stock. Hands up who wants a DSG or powershift after warranty expires? Not me.

The really sad thing is once the next property cycle turns over, we lose about 28% of our economy being on the boil. That will hurt. Mining is 7 or so. So in stripping out our manufacturing sector we shoot ourselves in the foot losing the diversity in our economy, and shut down career paths for our young. But hey, we did get cheaper imported Balinese outdoor settings...

If you look to the States, and all around the world actually, you will see protectionism rising - in Trump's actions, in all the FT's that are falling over, in the slowing and reversing data of trade flows. The rest of the world is going to protect itself. Whether you believe in protecting the Aussie manufacturing sector or not, that is the background that is developing. And we won't have an industry to protect.

Agree totally, the breaking down of trade barriers in the form of tariff reductions and "free trade agreements" was always going to sink our industries. We are a smaller producer and were always going to lose against the bigger ones on a level playing field. There was a reason governments early last century legislated for a protected industrial landscape. In my opinion governments of the last 30 years or so have dropped the ball with these tariff reductions and FTA's. Only now that our manufacturing has capitulated and indeed tens of thousands of jobs lost, with more to be lost, are we beginning to realise this. Something I struggle with, is that governments have just allowed this to happen, to the detriment of all Australians..

[XWGT]

You're only seeing half the picture

We traded manufacturing for agriculture in the FTAs

No we dont make cars anymore but we sell a SHED load more dairy, meat and grains into the worlds biggest markets.

This country dosnt continue to be so incredibly prosperous because of a bad FTA's I can promise you.

[71cop]

So are you saying that all of the thousands of workers in the automotive and associated industries who no longer or will soon have no job are going to find full time employment in the agriculture industry and if not where do you see them getting a fulltime job to replace the one they had in the automotive industry in "our incredibly prosperous country" as you put it ?

[XWGT]

No I'm saying they already have.
Check your economic data and who is thriving and who is not
Agriculture won manufacturing lost it really is that simple.
And yes, 25 years of positive economic growth, lowest unemployment in years, lowest interest rates ever all point to an almost over heated economy let alone a prosperous one.
The closing of the auto manufacturing sector (remembering that auto design sector is actually growing here) will pass without much more than a ripple across 24 months.

[XWGT]

And as a side bar when considering the plight of the auto workers and there future.

The survey by Ford just 3 months out from closure showed that less than 12% of those being made redundant had actually begun looking for new positions.

Now, if you have two years notice you have a lot of time and support to move to another fairly blue collar position you would imagine you would be fairly successful. If you havnt so much as lifted a finger to do so in two years in order to keep your redundancy payment, you have to accept you have put yourself into a massive pool of potential employees now looking for the same jobs. Not the smartest move on the planet.

[Pepscobra]

Originally Posted by XWGT

And as a side bar when considering the plight of the auto workers and there future.

The survey by Ford just 3 months out from closure showed that less than 12% of those being made redundant had actually begun looking for new positions.

Now, if you have two years notice you have a lot of time and support to move to another fairly blue collar position you would imagine you would be fairly successful. If you havnt so much as lifted a finger to do so in two years in order to keep your redundancy payment, you have to accept you have put yourself into a massive pool of potential employees now looking for the same jobs. Not the smartest move on the planet.

It's a fairly valid point.
Where else in the world do you get 2yrs advance notice that you are losing your job?
I don't know any individuals working in the industry, but I always got the impression that it was quite a protected workforce; A lot of people there a long time and perhaps had forgotten what it's like to be in the job market.
And some of the redundancy packages quoted in the news would have been like winning lotto for some people.

[XR6_power]

Originally Posted by XWGT

And as a side bar when considering the plight of the auto workers and there future.

The survey by Ford just 3 months out from closure showed that less than 12% of those being made redundant had actually begun looking for new positions.

Now, if you have two years notice you have a lot of time and support to move to another fairly blue collar position you would imagine you would be fairly successful. If you havnt so much as lifted a finger to do so in two years in order to keep your redundancy payment, you have to accept you have put yourself into a massive pool of potential employees now looking for the same jobs. Not the smartest move on the planet.

I do partially agree with what you say. Yes, the production employees had the best part of three years to prepare themselves for the imminent closure, and indeed it appears that Ford Aust did assist some of them with English speaking courses etc. The fact of the matter is, there were quite a few of these employees did not speak English or read or write in English. Considering that a lot of them had worked at Ford for some time, on many cases they had a one industry career. (An industry that is closing down effectively) So as well as having to do language courses, a lot of them are having to re-skill. So lots of work to do. Then you and I know, tertiary education does not guarantee employment either..

I really hope that the redundant employees do find new employment, but it is going to be an uphill battle for them.

The other thing too is the skills that are being lost with the closure of car making. From tooling, casting and other manufacturing processes. If you do some history, the Geelong plant was able to be quickly tooled up to manufacture armoured vehicles and naval mines, among other things to be used in the Second World War. What happens if the South China Sea thing goes pear shaped and we find ourselves in a similar situation? Rely on cheap imports, in
Wartime...

[Bill M]

Some of those employees had been with the company a long time so you would have to be very secure financially to leave for another job when you know a redundancy payout is coming, especially when it would knock off a sizeable chunk of mortgage.
Easy to speculate but tougher for those that are in the ring. Best of luck to them.
Bill

[getabout]

Just wanting to say thank you to well wishers and that I will likely start a thread in the proper section(s) regarding the problems I've had with LPG etc. I don't want to be hijacking this one to any further extent.

I truely feel sorry for the workers at Ford Australia and also the other businesses that relied on the company. So many people suffer when a large, well-established company like Ford closes shop. It's a huge shame that so many needed companies choose to go overseas, mainly due to chasing shareholder's dividends...along with higher profits..the two sorta go hand in hand. With the phasing out of old age pensions and people retiring with superannuation as their main income, it's a cold fact that if the company can't give good returns then they'll usually fold. Whatever the reasons, it's sad to see Ford go.

Darren