Why Most Dealers Need an Audit
Most Ford dealerships don't have a warranty problem. They have a documentation problem — and nobody inside the store has the time, training, or perspective to find it.
The claim return codes repeat. The DAS score drifts. The schedule fills up with aged receivables. The warranty admin is doing their best. But nobody is looking at the patterns across all the claims — the specific op codes that keep getting returned, the technicians whose 3C documentation consistently falls short, the documentation habits that Ford's auditors are quietly flagging.
That's what a ClaimIQ audit finds. In two days.
Signs Your Store Needs a Warranty Audit
Ford's benchmark is 95%+. Below 90% means documentation problems are costing you on nearly every tenth claim.
Repeat denials on the same op codes mean the root cause has never been identified.
A declining score means Ford is seeing problems in your data. You need to find them first.
Aged receivables mean claims are being disputed or forgotten — money nobody is collecting.
An audit is coming. The best time to find your problems is before the auditor does.
The Audit Scope
Not a high-level overview — a forensic review of your actual claims, claim return codes, and documentation practices against Ford's specific standards.
Every denial tied to documentation is reviewed against Ford's Complaint, Cause, and Correction standard. We identify the exact language patterns and missing elements that are causing returns — not just "documentation issues" but the specific words and part numbers that should be there and aren't.
Your last 90 days of claim return codes mapped against op codes, technicians, and claim types. This is where the patterns emerge — the op codes that keep generating the same claim return code, the techs whose work consistently falls below Ford's documentation standard.
All 5 Ford Warranty Dashboard metrics reviewed: Repair Cost Variance (50 pts), Potential Repeat Repair (20 pts), RO Open to Close Time (10 pts), RO Close to Submit Time (10 pts), and Claim First Time Through (10 pts) — with your current scores benchmarked against Ford's thresholds. We show you exactly which metrics are pulling your score down and why.
Active SSPN numbers checked against your claim history. Pre-authorization compliance reviewed for goodwill, policy, and STARS submissions. Missing SSPNs and retroactive pre-auth attempts are two of the most expensive easily-correctable errors in Ford warranty.
Your highest-volume op codes analyzed against national Ford averages for cost variance and claim return rate. High-variance op codes attract auditor attention and can trigger a review of every claim submitted on that code.
Open warranty, extended warranty, and fleet schedules reviewed for aged receivables. We identify every collectible item your team hasn't had time to chase and quantify the recovery opportunity.
Your current documentation practices scored against the triggers Ford uses to identify stores for warranty audits. We'll tell you if your store presents elevated audit risk and what to fix before Ford notices.
The process from RO completion to OWS submission reviewed for timing, accuracy, and consistency. RO close-to-submit time, submission errors, and workflow bottlenecks identified and quantified.
The Deliverable
Every ClaimIQ audit ends with a written action plan your team can implement immediately — not a slide deck, not a list of observations, not vague recommendations.
Every claim return code your store received in the audit period, mapped against op codes, technicians, and dollar amounts. Ranked by frequency and total dollar impact.
The specific documentation failures, process gaps, and workflow problems behind each claim return pattern — not symptoms, causes.
Specific, prioritized corrective actions your team can implement immediately. No vague recommendations. Each item tied to a specific metric improvement.
All 5 metrics with your current values, Ford's benchmarks, your Warranty Excellence Status, and the actions that will move each metric.
A plain-language assessment of your current audit exposure — what Ford would find if they audited your store today and what to fix first.
Dollar estimate of collectible items on your warranty schedule and recoverable returned and rejected claims worth appealing, based on the audit findings.
"Most dealers recover the cost of the audit in the first corrected claim."
Santos Rivera · Former Ford Warranty Dealer Advocate · Founder, ClaimIQ
The Process
Two days. No travel required. A complete picture of your warranty department's performance and a clear path to improvement.
You book the audit and complete a short pre-audit questionnaire — your Ford Dashboard metrics, top claim return codes, and current pain points. Takes about 15 minutes.
Before Day 1 we review your last 90 days of OWS claim data and claim return history. We arrive on the call already knowing where to look.
Two-hour Zoom session. We walk through your claim return patterns, documentation examples, and Ford Dashboard metrics together. You see exactly what we're finding in real time.
Two-hour Zoom session. We present the written audit report and walk through every action item with your warranty admin and service manager. Questions answered, priorities set.
Full written audit report delivered at the end of Day 2. claim return pattern report, root cause analysis, Ford Dashboard scorecard, audit risk score, and written action plan — all in one document.
Included with every audit. One call 30 days after delivery to review what's been implemented, what's changed in your numbers, and what to tackle next.
Engagement Options
From a single virtual audit to a month-long embedded consulting engagement. Every option includes a written deliverable.
The fastest way to get a complete picture of your warranty department's performance. No travel, no disruption to your operations. Two focused sessions deliver everything an on-site visit would — just without the plane ticket.
Five days inside your operation. We review live claims as they're being submitted, coach your warranty admin in real time, sit in on service advisor write-ups, and deliver the written report at the end of the week.
A complete warranty department rebuild. Daily claim coaching, weekly performance reviews with your service manager, every RO reviewed before OWS submission, and a custom documentation standards guide delivered at month-end.
Ongoing Ford warranty advisory for stores that want expert eyes on their claims without a full-time engagement. One monthly review call plus async support for return and chargeback appeals, documentation questions, and Ford Dashboard metric tracking.
Not sure which engagement is right for your store?
Book a free 20-minute assessment call. We'll review your current Ford Dashboard metrics and tell you exactly which engagement makes the most sense — no sales pressure.
Book Free Assessment →Why ClaimIQ
ClaimIQ's founder Santos Rivera spent time as a Warranty Dealer Advocate on Ford's own Warranty Assistance Team — the same team that resolves warranty disputes between Ford and its dealers. He's reviewed claims from the Ford side of the table.
He knows what Ford's auditors look for because he's worked alongside them. He knows which documentation patterns trigger audits and which appeal strategies actually work. That experience is what every ClaimIQ audit is built on.
We're not warranty generalists. We're Ford and Lincoln specialists. Every engagement, every audit, every action plan is built specifically for Ford's systems, Ford's standards, and Ford's documentation requirements.
A Ford warranty audit is a forensic review of a dealership's warranty claim history, claim return patterns, Ford Dashboard metrics, and documentation practices. ClaimIQ's audit reviews your last 90 days of claims and denials, identifies the specific documentation gaps and process failures driving your claim return rate, and delivers a written action plan with specific corrections. Virtual audits start at $2,000 and take 2 days via Zoom.
A Ford warranty consultant reviews a dealership's warranty documentation, claim return history, and Ford Dashboard metrics to identify the root causes of claim denials and DAS score problems. ClaimIQ's consultants are former Ford Warranty Dealer Advocates. We review your specific claim return codes, op code patterns, and 3C documentation quality, then deliver a written action plan with specific fixes your team can implement immediately.
The virtual audit takes 2 days via Zoom — two focused 2-hour sessions with the written report delivered at the end of Day 2. On-site consulting runs one week or one month. We also include a 30-day follow-up call with every engagement to review what's changed in your numbers.
You'll need to provide access to your OWS claim history (the last 90 days of claims and denials), your current Ford Dashboard report if you have one, and a brief overview of your current pain points. We'll send a pre-audit questionnaire that takes about 15 minutes to complete. No special exports required — we work with standard Ford dealer portal data.
Yes. A ClaimIQ warranty audit is a proactive review commissioned by the dealership to identify and fix problems before Ford finds them. A Ford Motor Company warranty audit is an external audit conducted by Ford that results in chargebacks and corrective action requirements. The best time for a ClaimIQ audit is before the Ford audit — not after.
All ClaimIQ consulting engagements cover both Ford and Lincoln warranty programs. The documentation standards, OWS system, and DAS score apply to both brands, and most Ford dealers also carry Lincoln. We don't treat them as separate engagements.
RELATED SERVICES
Hand off your entire warranty department. We handle everything — RO review, OWS submission, denials, appeals, and monthly reporting.
Apply for Managed Service →On-site training at your dealership built around your actual claim return history. Participants earn the ClaimIQ Certified Warranty Administrator designation.
See Training Options →We audit your open warranty, extended warranty, and fleet schedules and recover what's sitting uncollected. Flat fee plus % of recovered.
Schedule a Cleanup →Available in All 50 States
ClaimIQ on-site warranty auditing and consulting is available at Ford and Lincoln dealerships in all 50 states — Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. For virtual engagements, location is no barrier. Travel costs are included in on-site engagement quotes.
A virtual audit takes two days and starts at $2,000. Most dealers recover that in the first corrected claim.
Questions? hello@claim-iq.io