Ford dealerships are targeting female motorists who drive cars up to 12 years old offering them a new car service that, allegedly, could cut their fuel bills by a quarter.
The offer is called an Econo Check service which costs £30 and comes with a £15 voucher to be claimed against the next scheduled service.
Garage technicians will carry out a 15-minute check on the car including tyre pressure and condition as well as oil and air filter cleanliness. They will also fit ‘a data logger’ to the vehicle’s diagnostic port which remains in the cabin for seven days after which either the dealer or the customer will detach it and return it to Ford by post. Assuming she has driven enough to make sense of this in the meantime, this will give Ford enough information about the driver’s speed, anticipation, braking and gear change to create a personalised report (the Econo Check) which will then be emailed to the customer.
This report is likely to recommend
1 driving style adjustments that could reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 25%.
2 eco driver training, which could be provided through Ford’s driver training partner, the AA.
3 upgrading to a new Ford Econetic car.
“The primary function of this is to help change driving styles so drivers can become greener and save money” a Ford spokesman said.
And the secondary function, says FOXY, is to re-engage with male and female drivers they have lost touch with and who have gone to cheaper independent garages AND to sell them new cars of course.
By and large, this is a good thing but whether cost conscious motorists running older cars will choose to pay £30 to be sold a full service at dealership rates, driver training (unlikely if they’re male 
) or a new car in tough economic times is a very different matter.
And the independents will react of course.
FOXY Steph
To find out about FREE quarterly FOXY Car Fitness Checks that include tyres, oil, coolant, CO2 emissions and a seasonal item such as your air conditioning system, visit FOXY Lady Drivers Club.
