REC

I went and placed my order on May 1, 2021. Was told ta they would let me know when it would be built when they got the VIN. In mid January 2022, I got a call saying it was shipped and I may see it in a couple of months - I believe they said three to four. Less than two weeks later, I got another call (Jan 29, 2022) and was told it was being unloaded from the transport truck. I had already purchased another van by then, but told them I would come and look at it the following day. I went up the next day, and ended up going ahead with the purchase. I picked it up that Saturday. It is a world of difference between the 2010 bought 8/29/2009! I like it alot and find that the issues they had back then don't seem to exist anymore. I ended up getting a 2022 model due to the delays. 2022 XLT Cargo Van. The previous one was also an XLT Cargo Van. First photo is 2010 model, second (if they remained in order) is new one. . '22 After Wheels/Tires changed out at 122 miles: Further note - I ordered the 2010 model at the end of December of 2009 - I purchased one from dealer stock 8/29/09 as the ordered one never came .... until the day after I bought the one from stock at the only dealer that had one equipped as I ordered other than being Frozen White - I ordered a silver one

My front pads lasted 49,800 miles, and still were not quite metal to metal, but you probably could not slide a sheet of paper in there as it would have been thicker than what was left. If you look back here, you'll find that I'm a long time member, just not much of a poster as of late. These were the original pads and rotors, and I have now gone to ceramic pads and crossdrilled rotors. Very similar stopping power, but something else is missing. Of course, just because it's missing, doesn't mean I miss it. No more black brake dust all over everything. I should have done this at the beginning instead of waiting - I would have saved MANY hours of cleaning the wheels, the door jambs along the lower portion and the rocker sills. Washjobs last a lot longer, and it just looks better. We're now at 50K miles and still motoring along just fine. REC Still Happily Transiting

I am a bit prejudgiced, but I like the Infiniti Basslink. If you look back to the origination of this thread, you'll find some of the stuff I posted in October 2009, once I started trying to figue out how to make the radio audible over the course of normal noises while driving. I spent a bit of time killing off roadnoise coming from above and below, insulating both the floor and the ceiling, and up front I insulated the front doors after repalcing the speakers. HUGE difference. Regarding the Basslink, mine is mounted aimed across the floor, on the left side at the rear of the sliding door opening - with the back of it about 6 to 8 inches from the wheelhouse. It kicks things up nicely, even thought my rear side walls are still bare. The nice thing with this is the passive radiator on the oppostie side of the speaker - kinda like two for the money. I have the 5.25" Alpines in the doors up front, and the 6.5" round ones in the back doors, pushed by a four channel 300W Alpine amp mounted under the seat. I get very nice sound from this setup. I've had it in place now for two years and still look forward to getting in a going for a drive. I have a photo album up from back then in the gallery, take a look there. My wife made a cover for the sub so that it doesn't really stand out looking through the windows, but it doesn't obstruct the sound either. REC Happily Transiting

You can take this with a grain of salt.... I had some really irritating noises coming from the back, and after doing some insulating of the floor and other parts, it became even more irritating. After looking at things for a while, I did a couple of "maintenance type" things and have heard no more since. (Though I do have to repeat the maintenance now and then!) The latches (strikers) for the doors, and the rubber "anti-chucking" bumpers got a nice thin lubrication coat, as did the rubber boots in the rear doorjambs for wiring to pass into the doors. I would NEVER have believed that could be what I was hearing. I kept thinking that a door was slightly loose or something. REC Happily Transiting

[Mine has been here since 8/28/09, just passed 38K miles. Took an office job so it is now just to and from work. (hearing a sigh of relief from the TC) It is used mostly for transportation, but has been the hauler of chioice for my bicycle collection. It works VERY well, and so far has been pretty much no trouble. I have not been into the forum here for a while, but am starting to have a little more time than have had in the past. Checked my mileage today, and saw 345 to empty on the fuel computer for the first time after today's fill up. looking at just over 27 MPG for now. Lovin' it. (the gas station guy is hatin' it!) REC Happily Transiting

Due to a recent faux pas by the servicing dealer trying to raise the shop roof with the roof of my TC, I had the opportunity to do two things. First was for them to access the roof to repair it, they had to drop the headliner. I asked them to leave it down since they had to drop it. I wanted to (and have now done so) insulate the roof and kill some ambient noise off. It worked fairly well, and since they figured on breakiing a bunch of the clips, they gave me two bags of them and had ordered 3 more bags I have yet to pick up. I also got the "recall" clips. Anyway - while the headliner was loose, I noted what smelled like a gym locker full of stinky sweat socks. I took the headliner into the house for the few days while I was working on the insulation at night after work and before it got dark. The smell did not relocate with the headliner, and oddly enough, it wasn't the same odor the interior had when the TC was new. It was different and far worse. I did the insulation and last Saturday morning, I put the inside of the van back together. With the headliner back in place, the smell went away. When I first got the TC back after the repair (I was present while it was done by a paintless dent removal guy, who by the way, was VERY good.) I thought that maybe someone was pulling a joke on me, but I searched every conceivable spot and found nothing (other than the smell!) End result - I have the same concern over what the "hello" is in this vehicle in construction that would create such a hideous odor. It is apparently in the body, as the trim panels and seats have all been out at one point or another for access to modify stuff. Nothing individually stinks when removed, but the smell with everything out remains. The "new car" odor went away pretty quickly, and the TC has never smelled anything other than clean until the headliner removal, and with it back in place, there's no more odor and we're now back to clean normal smell. This is an oddity and as the only thing left to do is to make side trim for the rear interior, and finish the floor insulation up front, I hope never to have to smell that again! Still Happily Transiting Roland C. (New was 8/28/09 - 26K miles now)

Down the side of the flor and up the pillar in the rear on each side. Fun...... REC

I used a pass-through harness out of the back of the radio to add the wiring to the rear. There is no fader control in the radio as far as I know. The pass-through feeds the inputs of the 4 channel amplifier mounter under the driver's seat. Works quite well. The radio really doesn't have a lot of "kick" to it without an amp, and the factory speakers belong in File 13. Roland C. Happily Transiting

The door pulls have a small hole on the side closest to the panel that you can use to push the pull cover off, then the pull is screwed to the door through the panel. I used a paper clip to push them off. No problem. Roland C. Happily Transiting

There are quite a few other cars that use the same lug pattern, and the ones other than the Ford products mentioned already I first found were Volvos and certain Jaguars. I had a list somewhere.... I went to Tire Rack and bought wheels and tires that are a bit larger - 16X7 and tires that went with the size - 225/55r16. Love 'em. Roland C. Happily Transiting

Mine is a cargo van and the jack is stored in the left side panel, not under the floor extension. I'm looking at these panels and still trying to figure out if I'd rather do something on my own. I can screw up a lot of stuff for the price indicated!! This couldn't be any harder than doing an older full size van - and as mine is a cargo version, I have no rear seats or belts to worry about. I DO like the way they look though....... Wondering if I can duplicate that to any degree of success. Roland C. Happily Transiting

I don't think the particle board/masonite is the problem, I think the weight is. I put speednuts on the doors and used screws to attach the panels back. It has held up for 9 months now. Roland C. Happily Transiting

I don't have a bulkhead, but.... I went with the SPR13C in the front doors, as well as a second pair in the back doors facing forward. They are powered by an 300 watt Alpine four channel amp, and there is also a 10" Infinity Basslink powered subwoofer. I was looking for the same thing you mention - clean sound throughout the spectrum. It works great. With the bulkhead, I don't know where you'd put the sub, but the radio is ill-powered to handle competing with a powered sub without using some type of amp on the other speakers - in my opinion. I am SURE that replacing the speakers alone will make a huge difference. I posted a photo of the removed factory speakers - which will explain a lot in regard to the crapola sound. There are loads of options to consider, so go and listen and look before making a long term commitment. Remember - you will be living with it for a while! What I didn't mention is that I bought a pass through harness to use a direct hook-up of my XM receiver, and all the splicing was done in the pass through harness in order to leave the other stuff as was. I can pull the radio, remove the harness and associated wires, XM receiver and speakers and move them to my next vehicle (probably another T/C) when it's time. REC Roland C. Happily Transiting

Check the thread "Audio Options" as there are a few of us who have remedied this exact situation. Tin cans and kite string.....GONE. The problem IS the speakers. They are the lousiest things I've seen. (There is a photo of them in the thread). Couple that to a little lack of power to them and you're off to see the wizard for something better. Door speakers don't have to be bigger, just need to be better, and have a little kick. While the panels are off, stuff the backside of them with some insulation - it helps after the speakers are replaced. An amp is a good thing too. Roland C. Happliy Transiting

Have your dealer check it to see if there is a problem. Maybe a line got pinched or something. Any restriction creates inefficiency in cooling, and stranger things have happened. Just went through the restriction route on the wife's car - a hose with a problem... New hose, problem over. (Could have had something to do with the woman who tried to park her CRV on the hood of the car. It didn't fit.) On the lag in acceleration (forgot that) - I notice that there are times where pressing the pedal to a point that goosed it before, sometimes it feels like it is holding back, then the ZIPPO DRIVE comes in, and winds the rubber band up to a high number, resulting in it sounding like I'm trying to win a race that isn't happening. That is a "sometimes" thing. I also notice an idling issue at times - it will almost feel as though its going to stall, then it bumps itself up to about 1000 RPM and settles back to an idle in a few seconds. Darn V8s..... I got spoiled! Roland C. Happily Transiting

JK, Griswald I'm not, but just a thought (or maybe a question), as I'm in similar heat through the day. If I don't keep the "recirc" button on, I notice a BIG difference in the coolness. I know that yours is a darker one isn't it? That doesn't help much. Did you tint the windows up front? One of the first things I noticed was that the windshield is huge and driving into the sun is a little like sitting in an oven. I've thought of all the things I could do to keep heat to as much of a minumum as possible. I started out to just have the front door glasses tinted, but thought it out and had the sliders and back door windows done with the same stuff. It seems to help the heat rejection a good bit. I also found out (but did not have it applied) that there is a "nearly clear" film made for windshields that is mainly for heat rejection. I am still kickin' that idea around. There are two variants of this stuff, and they are both a bit pricey. It may be worth it.... I just need to save the money up to do it I guess. I pulled the rear mat and put a double layer of "jute" insulation under it, then carpeted a piece of 3/4" plywood and put it over the floor (mat included) - it also seems to help and makes it a bit more quiet too. I still have not done anything with the interior rear section (inner quarters), rear, or sliding doors. That is coming soon. The other piece I want to do is to drop the headliner and put some of the aluminized bubblewrap on the inside of the roof. I used it to do the ceiling in my closed in Florida room and it helped alot, I would think I'd get a similar result in the van. I would like to get some more of the "jute" insulation and do the front floors under the carpet. I think that will help too. I used the leftover sections on the backside of the front door trim panels. This stuff also seems to help with heat rejection a little. I certainly share your concerns over the A/C, but know that when there is nothing between you and the sun other than an uninsulated metal box, it tends to retain and absorb heat quite well. The only other thought I had is that when I am running on the highway at 75 plus, I notice the A/C drops off when you accelerate, especially when you're in a headwind situation. (I guess they do that so you CAN accelerate?) If you have the A/C checked and there is a problem, these things may not be something you'd consider, but if it checks out to be OK, it could be an option. About the color... I REALLY wanted a silver one, but Blue was the second choice. Oddly enough, I ended up with white.... 'cause it was "white, or walk" when the car burned up. Kinda not fun. Keep us posted and good luck! Roland C. Happily Transiting

Based on a discussion with the local trim shop there is nothing up there. I'll be looking into this soon too. Roland C. Happily Transiting

Those are normally referred to as push in clips, and they wave serrated plastic teeth that grip the sides of the hole. No threads exist, just a hole. If they get damaged, you can sometimes go to an auto body paint & supply store or normal auto parts store and find replacements. IIRC, the ones in the TC are gray, and they may have to be obtained from Ford. In the not too distant future, I will be dropping the headliner to put a bit of insulation on the underside of the roof, and will probably break/mutilate some of the clips as well. I'm far more concerned with not causing any damage to the headliner, though I have all the proper tools to pull the clips out. I'm looking to kill a bit more noise, and possibly a little heat as well. I'll most likely use the silver foil stuff with what looks like bubble-wrap betweent two layers of it. Should help to sound less like a tin froof in the rain! (Though that DOES add a nice touch to taking a nap!) Roland C. Happily Transiting

Yours appears to be a Wagon. You may want to check the seat mounts and see if perhaps a cover is missing. Just a guess... Roland C. Happily Transiting

Willie, Somehow, I must have overlooked this post. You have put me in a SEVERELY depressed mood after having read this. I can't believe my TC is NOT a Bentley. What was I thinking???? At least it LOOKS European! (LOL) My wife refers to it as "The European Babe Magnet." Thanks for making my day. REC Happily Transiting

I've had both front seats out to install the sound system. Simple to unbolt, lean them rearward and take them out through the sliding doors. They will go out the front doors, however. When going out the front doors, use extreme caution as they will gouge the hell out of the trim panels if you don't. The stereo guy ruined my right front door trim panel trying to go out the door. I tried the sliding door with the driver side with no issue. A new one was installed shortly thereafter. Stereo amp is now under the left seat, some wiring passed through under the rightt seat. I'll be pulling them again to insulate the front floor area within a short while. I'd like to get rid of the useless armrest on the left seat. It is WAY too low to be of use for me, and essentially gets in the way at times. Looks like I'll have to buy a seat back cover to do so. Roland C. Happily Transiting

I noticed a blurb in the paper today touting 0% for 36 months on the TC. Anyone else see it? Curious. I wish I could have gotten that deal! I'm almost considering turning this one in for one in a color other than white. My original wants were silver, blue or red in that order, however, I've seen the metallic black ones now and like that too. Don't want to take a bath on this one though, so most likely mine will be around for a while. Roland C. Happily Transiting

It seems the donut coupon book musta been somewhere in the car when it burned....... That car was a LOT of fun. Basically a Marauder with lesser equipment... like 8 less valves and a fuel gauge with 3 less words. It was reprogrammed and had a few little additional goodies. The performance was, well..... OK. It ran a LOT quicker than the TC. It passed a lot of stuff, but had a long standing love affair with gas pumps. For work (stop and go, a lot of idling and paperwork) it got about 10 mpg. On the road and cruisin', it went WAY up. At 75 on cruise, 27 to 30 was not uncommon. Beware of the driver when there was no coffee cup though..... He was a grumpy SOB! Roland C. Happily (though not quite so speedily) Transiting

Will be doing change #5 in 1000 miles. Just rolled over 14K Roland C. Happily Transiting