Guides & Articles
A complete guide to what Ford warranty admins need to know, what proper training covers, Ford's 3C documentation standard, the DAS score, and how long training takes.
What a Ford warranty audit covers, what the written action plan delivers, how virtual and on-site audits differ, and how to prepare for a Ford Motor Company audit.
Why Ford dealers have uncollected receivables in their warranty, extended warranty, and fleet schedules — and how a schedule cleanup audit recovers them.
Reference
The Dealer Assessment Score (DAS) is Ford's 100-point warranty performance grade, calculated every six months. It determines your Warranty Excellence Status — which affects your access to WPAC exceptions, goodwill reversals, and your standing with Ford's Warranty Assistance Team.
Quick Reference
Documentation Standard
Incomplete 3C documentation is the single most common cause of Ford warranty claim returns. Here's what each field actually needs to say.
The Complaint must reflect what the customer told you — not what the technician found.
Missing the causal part number is the #1 cause of claim returns. Every Cause field needs a part number.
The Correction must justify the labor hours and connect the repair to documentation standards.
Services
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The questions Ford service managers and warranty admins ask most often.
A claim return is when Ford sends a claim back asking for more documentation — the most common warranty issue, almost always a 3C documentation problem. A chargeback is when Ford takes money back after already paying a claim — can be appealed, often discovered during audits. A warranty reject is when Ford refuses a claim outright — can be appealed, often a coverage, op code, or pre-authorization issue.
Repair Cost Variance measures your labor and parts costs against Ford's national averages by op code. It's worth 50 of the 100 DAS points — more than all other metrics combined. High Repair Cost Variance attracts auditor attention and is the single biggest lever for improving your DAS score. A store can have excellent documentation and still have a poor DAS if their Repair Cost Variance is out of range.
Your DAS score is available in the Ford Warranty Dashboard through the FMCDealer portal. Log in to FMCDealer, navigate to the Warranty Dashboard, and your current DAS score and breakdown by metric will be displayed. Your Warranty Dealer Advocate or Zone Manager can also pull it for you.
Red status (DAS under 60) means elevated audit risk, limited access to WPAC One Time Exception requests, and increased Ford scrutiny on claim submissions. Ford's Warranty Assistance Team will typically reach out to Red stores. The fastest path out of Red is addressing Repair Cost Variance (50 points) and RO Close to Submit time (10 points) — those two metrics alone can move a Red store to Green in one DAS cycle.
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