Was a bit surprised to have an additional $503 added to my contract out of the blue. I inquired and was told by the sales manager that FDAF is proration of Ford's advertising program...WTF...Anyone know about this?

 

FDAF is an assessment that Ford charges each vehicle sold for the national advertising you see...Super Bowl...American Idol...etc. It's listed right on the invoice...ask your dealer to see it...if they're being upfront with you it won't be a problem. It's strange that they added it apparently after the negotiations.

 

Never heard of that. Ken, is that new? I thought that advertising was just the cost of doing business.

 

No...there has been a seperate FDAF fee listed on the invoices for years...it doesn't show on the window sticker. The fee doesn't go to the dealer like holdback...it goes directly to Ford.

Love your sig by the way...the more people I meet...the better I like dogs!!!

 

Just went and pulled all my paper work for my 2009 F150 and there was NOT a FDAF fee listed anywhere. There where no charges on any of the paper work that I didn't know what it was for.

 

FDAF only appears on the factory invoice.

 

The dealer should've been negotiating final price. Tell the dealer to shove his $503 up his nether regions sideways and walk out... $10 says you don't make it to your old vehicle before he's "working something out" for you.

 

All fees should have been disclosed at time of signing. If nothing was mentioned during negotiations, your dealer is pulling one on you. I would go back and have them remove over threat of returning your truck. Most states give you 2-3 days to cancel the contract but adding fees after the fact could get the dealer in trouble if it was not disclosed. I always tell the dealers that I buy from that I won't consider anything that is not part of the factory MSRP sticker before I start negotiating price (that includes the so called dealer stickers with add-ons like "market adjustment" or "protection package" fees that they tack on for additional profits). I checked mine and there is no "FDAF" listed on the original MSRP sticker. Showing you an "invoice" means nothing because they can put anything on an internal invoice; it's amazing how there are so many different "invoices" that a dealer can show you. In all my dealings of purchasing new vehicles, I never had a dealer try and pass on that kind of fee separately like that. If Ford has it built in as part of the base price build, that is one thing but to charge you separately after the fact smells of unreputable dealer. Get them to remove that extra $500!

 

And if they missed it during the deal, then it is tough for them. They should have caught it during the deal. As for "market adjustments", they are bull, unless you are buying an exotic. Even then, they stink. But someone will pay them, that is why they are there.

 

I would immediately stop the deal when a dealer tries to add anything to the price after the final negotiations and file a complaint with your Better Business Bureau and state Attorney General's office. It's dealers like this that give new car dealers the name "stealorships". Even if they attempt to "work someting out with you" when you squawk about the add on, they just give you the shaft on service or warranty work. Run, Forrest, run!!!!

 

FDAF should not be added to the cost of the vehicle; it's already in the invoice. That money, in the past, has been used to give incentives to salespeople to sell certain vehicles. Ford recently stopped paying those incentives.