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Yea, I'm generally not a sticker person, especially for cars, but my wife felt like they made the van look less creepy when sitting in our neighborhood. The plan is to get one sticker per state or major attraction we visit in the van. Right now, much of what is on there are magnets that I'll probably take off. Let me know what the next trip is!

Seems to be independent of manufacturer, the towing capacity in Europe appears to always be at least double that in the US/Canada for the "same" vehicle. It seems it really is a difference between DOT specs vs Euro specs versus what the vehicle can actually do. I believe all Euro trailers need to be equipped with trailer brakes, where DOT does not have those requirements until one exceeds a certain load capacity - I'm sure that figures in... The standard hitch in Europe for VW and BMW is Westfalia or Bosal, with their 50mm ball on swan neck. These do not carry the DOT approval for whatever reason. (50mm ball, and no square receiver withstanding) They are rated at over 2000kg. Nothing is available in the states over class 1, per the manufacturer recommendation. I'd say, part DOT rules, part EPA rules, part warranty issues, part liability. For example, VWs DSG transmission (their dual-clutch automatic) won awards in Europe for towing ability, where VWNA tells US no towing whatsoever for the DSG - do not even install a hitch to carry bicycles. That has to be a warranty question. Once towing, the additional loading now runs afoul of EPA emissions issues. (no VW diesel jokes here, please) So given all that, the different US vs Euro engine/transmissions availability, differing liability concerns to the manufacturers, yada yada, all add to Ford's de-rating of the Connect for towing. An interesting liability situation comes up when the manufacturer says no towing, the hitch company offers a class 3, and an accident involving towing comes up. Would your insurance company cover the driver's liability when violating Ford's written recommendation? Could the hitch maker become liable?

Phase 4: Windows, Insulation, and Vent Fan: The day I cut huge holes in my brand new car. So, this album brings you up to date on where I'm at as of last night. I spend almost the entire weekend installing 3 windows, a Fantastic Fan, and insulating body panels. We've got a trip coming up in October, so the goal was to make it a little more "livable" for the trip. Without windows in the back of the van, it got pretty stuffy in there with two of us. The windows and vent are from Vintage Technologies that sells parts for teardrop trailers. Cutting into the van was a little scary, but once everything was all put back together it was well worth the trouble. The windows make a huge difference! Since I had to make panels to help mount the windows, we also started insulating the ceiling and panels. It's one layer of self-adhesive duct insulation which a lot of people use as a cheaper alternative to Dynamat, and then a layer of Reflectix where space allowed. The next step is to start doing finish work and making things look neat. Phase 4 Photos The point of no return. The lines look a little sketchy in this shot, it took a couple tries with one of the corner to perfectly match the template. Holes Cut! The blue tape made marking the cuts much easier and kept the paint from getting scratched. Windows In Interior window shot. The windows open and have screens in them. Hole cut for side window. I didn't realize until I started cutting that the panels on the side are plastic rather than metal. Window #3 in! The angle of the body panels give a weird optical illusion in this shot. The window is flat against the van. I swear! Battens glued to the ceiling Frost King duct insulation on the ceiling Step 1: Self-adhesive duct insulation Step 2: A layer of Reflectix, glued in place Step 3: Wooden Panel Ceiling vent framed in. The Reflectix is glued in, the tape is just there to keep it in place as the glue dried. Ceiling vent installed with bead-board Hard at work installing Reflectix Bonus "Work Shop" Shot. This is where I've done all of the work so Far. Also, Jake the Dog. Put back together! Ceiling vent. Not crazy protrusive!

The genuine Ford rubber all weather matts do not cover any of the sides of the foot wells and only the very bottom. They are also a soft rubber and slide around a lot as people climb in and out despite the little rubber nubs on the bottom. Husky or Weathertech a far superior option where they fit. I ordered the Husky liners and they cover the full front foot well and stay in place. I have not had any issues with them holding their shape, although the retaining button on the drivers floor mat is not molded in like the weathertech. They are instead a 2-piece plastic design that snaps together, sandwiching the plastic between it. They work fine once down, but the caps like to pop apart if you remove the liners like I do in order to hose them out. Some appropriate plastic cement or moulding/weatherstripping glue will fix this. Husky, WeatherTech, and Ford all make floor mats that fit the front row foot wells well within their design. Husky covers almost the entire foot well, but seems like a thinner/lighter build then Weather Tech. Ford's matts are basically just a rubber version of the stock carpet matts. Not worth it if you actually plan to have dirty feet getting in and out of your car. Unfortunately, I have the titanium edition which means I have bucket seats in the second row. The Husky and weathertech floor liners will NOT fit bench seats. The mount points and where they are on the floor is different. The liner will literally come up over the front of the seats. I had to return the ones I bought because of it. The only ones that 'fit' are the Ford ones and they do so poorly. The passengers side fits well but the drivers side does not. There is a notch on the drivers side that does not match anything in the foot well, and results in approximately a 1" by 5" area of floor exposed needlessly. The ford matt does not protect the sides or anything else. They also slide around a lot with people climbing in and out. In retrospect, if I knew then what I know now I would have returned the Ford floor matts as well. The biggest disappointment is that the matts do not stay in place. I have to constantly pull them out from under the front seats or reposition them from side to side. To further add insult to injury they are only obtainable by buying the 4-piece set. So if anyone wants a set of front Genuine Ford rubber all-weather floor mats let me know, I'll make you a deal on them. And since the fit of the third row depends upon the second row, there is no third row option at all from any of them. The short version foes like this: - If you have bench seats then the liners from Husky and WeatherTech will fit good - If you have Titanium or second row bucket seats, just get the first row from Husky/Weathertech, and try to make some universal/generic matts fit where you can. At least that's my 2-cents after spending over $200 trying to figure something out.