Customers will remember Ford for this for a long time.

Dare say other makers are reaping and yet will for the lack of customer care they have sown, mainly re private purchases and especially where buyers are in for the long haul.

Its probably the various forms of temporary custody of the car where it will be handed back or sold on (as in fleets) before the maker's warranty exprires that's keeping sales up for certain makers.

Might be interesting times coming for manufacturers who cared less about their customers as and when the downturn starts to hit.

I mention downturn because again yesterday, Saturday, i travelled some 350 miles for work and lorries were again rare indeed, but millions of cars taking part in the weekly shopping experience ritual where expected.

There is a class action law suit under way and that is likely to hit Ford very hard. Their sales of Fiestas and Focus have vanished and that is partly because of the bad publicity over their dud transmissions. It would have been far cheaper for them to have treated their customers generously and fixed the cars properly. Customers will remember Ford for this for a long time.

I think this issue may be enough to tip Ford over the edge into administration. Which makes me even more angry about VAG who have had far more problems and treated their customers even worse - but seem no worse off for it, as zee Germans can do no wrong in the eyes of the press.