Ford/Lincoln Service Information Site VIN-Based Information Filtering

Service information sites are the standard on accessing repair and other vehicle information. Often these websites make minor upgrades or changes to navigating or otherwise using the site, but typically nothing that changes the information available on a particular vehicle.

However, on occasion, a service information website adds a feature that makes a difference in information available for the late-model vehicle being researched. Let’s take a look at the filtering features on the Ford/Lincoln website.

Articles

When entering a vehicle on the website using the year/model, a message pops up informing you that all articles in the TSB/GSB/SSM (Technical Service Bulletin (TSB), General Service Bulletin (GSB), and Special Service Message (SSM) documents) tab are displayed for that model/year, and some articles may not apply to the specific vehicle being repaired.

When entering the vehicle by VIN, the TSB/GSB/SSM tab automatically filters to only show articles that apply to that VIN-specific vehicle.

For example, on a 2019 Ford Escape:

• Year/model provides 205 articles
• VIN specific provides 186 articles
• 24 articles were not relevant to that exact vehicle

Build Information

When entering a vehicle by VIN, a notice does not appear. Instead, you are immediately provided specific build information about that vehicle on the Vehicle ID tab of the website.

This information indicates the specific features and options such as the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) the vehicle is equipped with.

Information Filtering

If the vehicle is entered using the year/model, all repair information is displayed including information that may not apply to the VIN-specific vehicle being repaired.

Figure 1 - Filtering button

The advantage of entering the VIN for a vehicle on the service information site is the filtering option of the Workshop tab. You will notice there is a filtering button at the top of the page. By default, repair information that does not apply to the VIN-specific vehicle is hidden. This is indicated by an "x" next to the filter icon (see Figure 1).

If you choose to display the hidden repair information by clicking the filtering icon, it will be shown in grey.

Looking up a vehicle by entering the VIN not only provides you with vehicle build information; it also gives you the choice to eliminate unnecessary repair information and articles that do not relate to the specific vehicle being repaired.

For additional Ford/Lincoln information, check out the following pages:
Ford OEM Information
Lincoln OEM Information

Additional I-CAR Collision Repair News you may find helpful:

• Collision Information Website Access: Ford/Lincoln
• Step-By-Step: Accessing Ford/Lincoln Repair Information
• Where Do I Find Other Types Of Information In Ford/Lincoln?

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Course Ford Collision Repair Overview