REC

I'm not an electronics wizard (nor do I play one on TV), but the 6000CD radio is not one found in other aAmerican built Fords, it is more common in Europe. It is different than most Ford audio products in the "plug-in" area. I don't use the bluetooth, but bought a pass-through harness and hooked my XM receiver up directly so it plays on the AUX button of the radio (the receiver is still necessary as its the little head unit. I noticed a small RCA plug under the lighter a week or so ago and would guess that is where the IPOD or Iphone would plug in. The XM plays through the passthrough harness beautifully, which I would presume would be the same input as the little RCA plug. I have not tried anything through this at all. I know nothing abot the SYNC. (Was that kitchen or bathroom?) The "phone" button on mine mutes the radio. Other than that, I have not found it to do anything else. Next........ REC Happily Transiting

Mad, I think that is where the tow eye hole is. I haven't popped it out to see, but looking up from underneath, I think I remember seeing the "tube" it attaches too there. REC Happily Transiting

Regarding the limited speed, it may have someting to do with the tires being rated for 92 mph. You may want to look at that. REC. Happily Transiting

I must have missed this earlier... The first reason is the ugliest wheels covers on the planet, the second was I've had some bad karma with Continentals in the past, and feel (proven again in this case) that they are the partial cause of the road noise coming through the floor. I had a set of Conti's on the Crown Vic (a normally very quiet riding car) and it became not only noisy, but disgustingly so.. to the point that at 50% tread wear, I had them replaced with Michelins (Pilot Exalto A/S to be exact). I have no use for them at this point, and looked at the ratings for noise on the tires I was considering. Comparison of the Kumho to the Michelin was a surprise. I had a friend with 6 tow trucks that swore by Kumho, so I figured I'd consider them. They were rated better than the Michelins, were 2 lbs lighter per tire and came with 1/32 more tread right from the start. Add the lesser (by 120.00 per set of four) cost and it made sense to use them. So far, so good. I am a FIRM believer in Michelins, and have had them on probably 30 different cars/trucks/vans in the last 30 years. This is my first set of Kumhos, and based on the 7000 miles so far, won't be my last. I have had those same Pilots on the last four of my cars, and thought there was nothing that could compare. I'm re-thinking that now. I had them on an Extreme Blazer that was the last recent really fun car I've had, and they were like glue.. They stuck, wet or dry. Miles lasted were good too. Got 52K out of them. (That was also the first Chev product I bought new since 1976, and only the second GM product since then, the other an '82 G20 van) The ride is MUCH better - more tread width, better, quieter tire, and an overall track width increase - partly due to the tires, partly to the wheels. Wheels are 16X7 with 40mm offset (vs. 52mm+ from the OEM) - adds a bit of stability as well as the quiet, smoother ride. I went with the Kumho Ecsta Premium LX 225/55-R16, and am running 42lbs cold. Gas mileage went down a hair, but not a loss in my book. The tires are great, and made a world of difference in the interior noise, as well as overall traction seems to be somewhat better. I drove almost 600 miles last Friday in rain that was like watr pouring from buckets for the most part, no hydroplaning, though the wind did hit pretty hard several times on the return trip. Overall - The change in wheels/tires size was a huge positive for the van. I would do it again in a heartbeat. The more I drive this thing, the better I like it. I said after the Blazer that I'd never own another car I really liked.... well.... I was wrong. I REALLY like this thing. It's just plain fun to drive. I miss the Crown's horsepower, but I DON'T miss the relationship with the gas station enough to want to do that again. (4.6 LX Sport with some attitude corrections, made plenty of power) REC Happily Transiting

After thinkiing about this for a while, it reminds me of the one thing about Florida that we take for granted.. Cold here is NOT like the rest of the country. Thanks for reminding me why I pay through the nose to live here! 12/23/09, 4:50pm - I was just out to the shed in shorts and a t-shirt.... sweating. Yeeha! REC Happily Transiting

Simple process to manually reset. It's in the manual. Key on, not running. press the haz switch on/off three times within 15 seconds (I think that is the time) and you'll hear the horn honk twice. Should be done. Mine is on too, but it's because I won't use the "recommended" pressures in the tires. I don't know what tires you bought but the "recommended" rear pressure is 49 lbs. That works with the Conti's that come on the thing, but most normal tires are maxed at 44. I am running 42 in all four and am content to watch/wait for the bulb burn out eventually. I spoke with a tech I used to work with and was told it can be reprogrammed. I may eventually spring for that, but I watch my tires (and the rest of the van) pretty closely. I am running 225/55-R16 tires on 16X7 aluminum wheels. They have the sensors in them and seemed fine at first, but the first time I went for a high speed, long (more than 50 miles) run, on it came. It won't reset now, even following the long version described in the manual. ("Retraining" the sensors/computer) I honestly don't care for the silly TPMS thing anyway. I never had it before, and wouldn't miss it if it wasn't here now. My gut feeling is that if yo drive the same vehicle pretty much all the time, you can feel it when something isn't the way it should be - tire pressure included. I also keep an eye on things every time I go to get in the seat. I don't think my wife is the same, but she does tell me when her car is not "normal," and she's usually right on the money. Sorry for the long winded answer. REC Happily Transiting

Probably a too late response, but in a word - no. And there are no speaker wires to the rear either. There is the possibility of putting a hole in the inner door and trim panel and mounting something in your choice of locations, but.... The right speakers (and an amplifier to help them) along with some insulation on the backside of the trim panels make a world of difference. The factory insulation in the doors is a piece of 1/8" plastic foam, which in a word is... useless. I am also under the impression that those "component" type speakers would be a nice touch, but didn't go that route. I believe I posted the stuff in the photos I put up. The biggest helps so far are the insulation in the doors and under the rubber mat. After doing that, I also put a 3/4" plywood floor in the rear, covered with indoor/outdoor carpet. The noise level dropped significantly. I need to finish the inner rear side panels, sliding door lower inside panels and the back doors. I did carpet the stock panels on the back doors after the speaker holes were cut, but it still needs a bit more. At a point in the not too distant future, I would like to drop the headliner and insulate the underside of the roof. In a driving rain, it is near impossible to hear yourself think. Once the interior noise is reduced, speakers that fit in the holes that are present should not be a problem. Of course.... a 300 watt four channel amp, 4 speakers and a 200 watt powered subwoofer help quite nicely until such time as the rest of the stuff gets done. As each of the insulating moves have been made, the stereo has come to sound even better. It t should really come to life with the rear side panels (wheelhouse) areas covered and soundproofed a bit! In regard to cutting other holes, my initial thought was to use the small rectangular component setups that are available from a couple of different makers, but after seeing the inside of the door, that thought went by the wayside. I wanted to end up with something that didn't really look like "steal me please" through the windows. It seems to have worked out fairly well. I drove an 11 hour round trip the end of last week and 80% of it was in some really nasty weather (and wind!), and didn't have too hard a time hearing the radio. Good luck in your choice.. REC Happliy Transiting

I put this in another post, but it bears knowing. If you do the owner survey, you may be called. See below: IF you recieve the survey after purchase from Ford, fill it out and return it. I thought it was just another survey... BUT. Around 10:30 this morning, I recieved a call from a "group conference" of engineers on the Transit project. For close to half an hour, they sought information/input/comments regarding the vehicle and whatever points I cared to mention - good, bad or indifferent. I brought up most of the comments that I've made, as well as others I've read here and on the UK Transit forum. It was interesting to say the least. I think they are honestly seeking to make sure they understand the general public's thoughts on the product, and it sounds like they will be looking into some of the issues brought up more in depth. I forgot the one that seems to be Madlock's most major concern - the computer and its continual failure. I remembered it just as soon as the call was concluded. I wish they had called when I was sitting at a computer - I would have read some of the posts from here. Anyway, we'll see what happens. My personal list of stuff wasn't huge, but had to do with the bare metal parts on the underside of the car, the resonant floor acting as a sound board for road noise, and the sound from the tin cans hooked to the radio by kite string. That was one that they seemed to be genuinely intersted in a complete understaning. I should have said "go drive one and try hearing the radio while driving." Didn't come to mind... Sooo, if you take the survey and give them your contact number, you may hear from the group too. Roland C. Happily Transiting

PetrosA, That was what I was waiting for... but got "shorted" by a day and ended up with a white one. Shorted as in electrical burn in last car - buy what you can or walk was the rder of the day on that Friday! I hope yours is everything you hoped it would be. Beyond the white, mine is quite good... and I'm actually good with the white too. Good luck! Roland C. Happily Transiting

IF you recieve the survey after purchase from Ford, fill it out and return it. I thought it was just another survey... BUT. Around 10:30 this morning, I recieved a call from a "group conference" of engineers on the Transit project. For close to half an hour, they sought information/input/comments regarding the vehicle and whatever points I cared to mention - good, bad or indifferent. I brought up most of the comments that I've made, as well as others I've read here and on the UK Transit forum. It was interesting to say the least. I think they are honestly seeking to make sure they understand the general public's thoughts on the product, and it sounds like they will be looking into some of the issues brought up more in depth. I forgot the one that seems to be Madlock's most major concern - the computer and its continual failure. I remembered it just as soon as the call was concluded. I wish they had called when I was sitting at a computer - I would have read some of the posts from here. Anyway, we'll see what happens. My personal list of stuff wasn't huge, but had to do with the bare metal parts on the underside of the car, the resonant floor acting as a sound board for road noise, and the sound from the tin cans hooked to the radio by kite string. That was one that they seemed to be genuinely intersted in a complete understaning. I should have said "go drive one and try hearing the radio while driving." Didn't come to mind... Sooo, if you take the survey and give them your contact number, you may hear from the group too. Roland C. Happily Transiting

Lulu.. Your english is WAY better than my French! Welcome to the group from a south Floridian. I had a Ranger several years ago, and thought it was a pretty good little truck (until it got hit on the interstate!) I think you'd like the TC if you like the Ranger. As far as sleeping in the back, a lot better than in an open bed, or even in one with a camper top. LOTS more room! Roland C. Happily Transiting

PetrosA, Go to the Alpine website and look up the speaker you are curious about fitting. The SPR13C is what I put in my front doors. The specs for the size/depth are listed there, and if the other one is no deeper, you should be good to go. Here's what I found for the SPR13C model there: Woofer Mounting Depth (in): 2-9/32'' The SPS500 is only 2" deep, so it should go as well. The Boston SX50 is 2.125 - no problem The Boston SX55 is 2 & 3/16 deep - again, no problem. I listened to some Infinity speakers as well as Kenwood, Pioneer, Cerwin-Vega and JBL. The Kenwoods were VERY nice for the price. I noted the same "This item does not fit" statement, but if the sizes are as indicated, they may be wrong about the fit/no fit statement. I also looked at the "component" type with a seperate tweeter setup, but as I was more looking for "out of sight - out of mind" and didn't want anything to show when looking through the windows. I still have a little work to do on that end - but it is not really that obvious at this point in time. (Photos in the gallery) Just a couple of points of information.. Check "onlinecarstereo.com" and REALLY get confused! (but some prices are less as well as shipping). I bought all four speakers and the amp there. The sub came from another place - better price for it - The invoice says discount sound, but I can't find the name of the shop. Another source is Hookedontronics. Crutchfield is quite reputable according to all I read, but they charge more for most everything. As I was looking for deals, I looked elsewhere. My $.02... Your mileage may vary Roland C. Happily Transiting (And listening to nice sounds now..)

Ok....since you're twisting my arm, here is the data: FOG LAMP Part numbers are as follows, lights: 1209177 screws: 6707417 clips: 1369539 switch: 1323829 website: www.fordpartsuk.com Here is a funny question for the group: How often do you get high beams flashed at you at night because other drivers think you have your high beams on? Every single night, without fail, I get at least 10 passing cars flashing their lights at me....my lights are so damn bright and aim high, I don't blame them, but I have to keep my finger on the highbeam switch to get back at them!! I feel bad, but my kids love keeping count. Does anyone out there experience the same issue? if so, did you adjust the lights? comments please! Humi, Now that you mention it... Yeah. Even last night , a short trip to my wife's sister's house, I got blinked 4 times. I've checked the lights, and the pattern is slightly lower than my wife's Beetle. They are brighter though. I want to go to the Silverstar bulbs (had 'em in the Crown Vic since day two..) as they're are not those bluish colored lights, but make a nice diffrence on a dark wet road. I liked them very much in the Crown. I drove from WPB to Tampa alot for a while (prior to marrying the woman and moving her!), and those lights made a world of difference on the two lane portion of Hwy 60 between the Turnpike and Valrico. I'll be looking into that after Christmas and stuff. (Can you say financially embarrassed?) Thanks for the tips on the Frog Lights. I'll be lookin' into those too. Roland C. Happily Transiting

Now there's a visual I wasn't quite prepared for.... REC Happily Transiting

Humi.... (Justin) OK, why would you want to keep us in the fog? Enlighten us please..... Thanks, REC Happily Transiting

Brad, Congrats on the purchase, which by now you are probably taking delivery of. I hope that yours makes you as happy as mine has made me. So far, the extent of my issues have been a couple of rattles and two pieces of trim that were broken before delivery. The last trim piece is on order, but the rest is handled, and it's pretty cool to drive now. I forgot about the radio thing... that has been resolved too. Crummy factory speakers - easy to replace and WAY better than the OE ones. The rest of the stuff I've done was to suit me - not faults of the vehicle. Nice to see another one going into personal/family use, as most of the ones I've seen so far have gone to business interests (which in reality is what Ford seemed to have in mind..). I have not seen any others locally that are not businesss owned. I haven't physically seen the metallic black version yet, but I'll bet it looks pretty good! I bought white because that's what was available the night I got mine. I'm good with that, but a choice would have been more fun I think. I like it though, and have had several other white vehicles in recent years. Keep us posted on how you like the new ride! Roland C. Happily Transiting

By the numbers... 1 - Amen. I'm looking into the eropean style ones. They're taller. 2 - Amen. Radio got to stay, but the attached parts are in a box in the shed now. Much better.... 3 - Huh? I outran a scooter the other day. Yeah, it's not as quick as the Crown Vic (complete with attitude) it replaced, but it doesn't eat as much either. (by a long shot!) 4 - Yeah, you will... 5 - What parts? I had to get a wiring piece for the radio to direct hook my XM, but found out later I could get it through a shop locally. He said it was unusual, but obtainable. Fog lights...Yup. 6 - Drive like you're in a Ferrari.... Who needs a rear view mirror? Agreed. I'm looking in the boneyard for one like I had in the Crown. (It had a compass and dimming) 7 - As long as it holds my large coffee.... (it does) 8 - Thats all? I'm still chasing a few others, but have reeled in most of 'em now. 9 - Amen. I'm working on the back a little at a time. It is a slow process with no money! 10 - AMEN! That is a P.I.A. to say the least. It is secure though... 11 - a second push of the button undoes the rear doors - and if you do them first, a second push of that button undoes the others. I'm already used to this. I thought it was odd at first, but there are other little oddities that exist too. Over and above all of this (And by the way.. I'm not too serious for the most part), I really like mine. I passed the 5000 mile mark on Thursday coming home. No problems that have to do with anything important. The bigggest issues so far were two small trim pieces that were broken, both to do with doors, and the rattles I've been killing one at a time. Yeah, it's under warranty, but I've seen the test drives for this type stuff.... not with mine! The worst two were the tether for the spare tire was not fully secured at the wheel, and the other end can be metal to metal contact with the bracket that holds it, the other was the left sliding door had a loose bolt in the striker. I would never have found this one had I not just gone to making sure visible bolts were tight. It was LOUD! I did crank the spare tire a little tighter right from the start too.. My biggest dislike is the wiper switch setup. Too sensitive. the slightest touch set it into motion - and usually right after you are finshed cleaning it! Arrgh! The radio part of your post is hilarious. (And oh so true.) I like the automatic speed sensitive volume, and the CD and radio are good, but the speakers were a joke! Glad they're gone now. Enjoy it.. and I like the blue. Mine is not blue.... or silver, or red..... or even black. It looks like most every other one I saw up to the day I bought it. Of course, one of the places I had been looking was waiting for a silver one... and it came in the day after I got mine. Mine is white. Oh well.... I can live with it. By the way... how about that front seat armrest? Roland C. Happily Transiting

Based on the ground crawling done last weekend, the "juicers" (good call there!) will need to be cut from the cover. They are apparently formed into it. I want to see this from underneath with the van on a lift. I have a problem seeing through the lower part of my bifocals to get a good look here. It is possible I just can't see the "removable-ness" from the angle I was looking. From the outside, I honestly think they are a formed in part. I'll be cutting a slightly smaller hole and filing them to the appropriate size when I get into it. I have had the same experience with the touch-up paint, though the shop that did the rear hit here was able to match the color quite well. The painter (one who I've known since high school, and who worked for me for quite a period) is exceptional with lighter color matches. He hit that one pretty well dead on. He also was good with red. He shot the reworks on my '53 F-100 after it got hit.... 3 different times. I'll be anxious to see what you come up with on the Euro side for the fog lamps as far as brackets. I crawled under a Fusion that belongs to another friend and they look somewhat adaptable. I may ask for a pair for Christmas from my wife. That will require that I make it work, as I certainly don't want to do something that wouldn't end up working! (She's a bit on the frugal side.) Roland C. Happily Transiting

Mad, I've been under mine, and also under some similar vehicle (similar sized holes in the bumper..) and am trying to come up with a close to bolt in set. I haven't hit a home run yet, but have gotten into the same ballgame on a couple of types. Two of the regular cars have a lamp siilar in size to the lamp used in Europe on the Connect. I also have a feeler in with a friend from across the pond and am looking inot the possibilities of an over the counter solution from there. It seems that this all takes an enormous amount of time but I have been looking into it for a while now. I am also looking into the larger side mirrors too. I think they'd be nice to have. Of late, I've been trying to get rid of the moises in the back of the van - so far, Spare tire and tether loose, spare bracket not quite secure, minor issues with the clips hlding the flares and bumper ends being loose (odd sound!). Still have a couple to go. In time... Roland C. Happily Transiting

I'll try this... The 6000 radio ones are the 4 in the image shown. Roland C.

Mad, What emissions specs does NJ follow? I have only seen two sets of specs, Federal and California, and I may have just learned something new. I can relate to the knowledge of the dealer personnel, though I did get lucky with the one I started with and the one I ended up doing the deal with. Both of these guys had worked together in the past, and both were very "up to the game" on the vehicle. The others were either not as interested, or had not the interest other than answering "yeah, we have one/some" and trying to sell you what they had. I'll branch here to a name to clarify - Anthony was the guy I first encountered, and he had the right answers to the questions. He just didn't have any of the vehicles in his inventory other than XL models with nothing additonal. Dennis (his former associate, now at the other dealership owned by a different group, was also VERY knowledgable and who at the time my other car turned to a soot pile, had six XLT vans in stock and was able to come up with as close to what I wanted as I could find. It was more a case of either buy something you don't really want (another car) or but whatever Transit you can find that would come close to what you want. I called Anthony from the lot when I found the one I bought and asked him if he had gotten the invoiced ones in yet, he said no, and asked where I was that they had some. I told him, and he recommended that I speak to Dennis in regard to the purchase, if I had to do it right now. (as I was closer to walking than driving, right now was a must.) I bought it that night (Friday), and darned if Anthony didn't call me first thing Saturday and tell me the silver one I had wanted had just arived. Arrrrgggh!. Oh well, I got a white one. For ha-ha's, the silver one was exactly what I wanted. Mine has 255* rear doors that I would have rather not have had, but now that I have them, I guess they're OK. Other than that, they were the same. My former Crown Vic was silver, and I guess I had come to like the color. I wasn't too keen on the end of the car, but the rest of its' life was not a problem. That smoky ending was not something I ever want to experience again. Breathing burned car is not one of the more pleasant life experiences I've had. Mine was alos a last days of the month purchase, but there was no pressure to "get it on paper right away" from anyone invloved. In fact, had I not already decided that I didn't want to rent a car for the weekend (a week ahead of Labor Day), I would have waited for the silver one a little while longer. Keep us posted on the repair time/parts situation. I have just ordered a couple of pieces for mine that got botched in the sound upgrade - rt door trim panel, and a piece of the dash. I was told they would be in by Tuesday afternoon - even though ordered on Friday afternoon around 3:00PM. It will be nice if they make it! The radio guy is gonna be paying for one of them anyway - a rather expensive lesson for them on which door to remove the front seats through! They really screwed the right one up - the left one too, but not to the point I will have to replace it. The surround for the radio also got a little nick in it. I may have done that one myself though when I was messing with the tools to get the radio out right after receiving them. Thanks, Roland C. Happily Transiting

Mad, I think you got one of the ones with the invisble target on the back. That is 2 that I've seen/heard of that got pooper popped. I don't believe the parts will be an issue based on how quick the shop here got a set of back doors, bumper parts, and the rear body & sill. You just need to find a decent dealer! That is what strikes me odd here.. There are five dealers I was working with trying to locate mine, two of them more than the others, and four of them have been continually in touch with me ... even SINCE I got the TC. The one I bought from though deserves a compliment both for the service and for the sale. (Mullinax Ford, North Palm Beach) I had never dealt with the "fleet" dept of a store until now. Like our site founder here, this guy was excellent too. One of the five sounds a bit like your dealer. The one that when I gave them ALL the information on what I wanted, I was then told I "needed" to come inspect their inventory because I would likely buy something I wasn't looking for anyway. I left them alone.. (They had none at the time anyway) It stinks that the dealer you purchased from has no customer commitment, and seems to be a bit out of touch with the reality of today. Many businesses that have crashed here won't be missed for just that reason. They stunk from the start. There were others though who didn't offer poor service and bad customer relations, and those were ones you never heard about. Unfortunately, they're gone now.. Bad service is something that gets the word around pretty quickly, good service is only mentioned when someone asks... Good luck with the repair side, and I really hope you get this straightened out. I can't believe your luck so far... Roland C. Happily Transiting

Wow, you have pretty much made your mind up in the direction you wanted to go. I did the same "following" everything I could get my hands on to read regarding this vehicle's "Coming to America." However, when the unexpected forced purchase came, I had two choices, what was available, or something else that I really didn't want. I went for available. What I really wanted came in at anothe dealer the day after I made the purchase... of course! We have minor differences in what equipment we wanted, but the same idea for the vehicle - USE! Mine is my daily driver as well as the hobby wagon. I opted for no rear seats, but all the windows I could get. Only wanted to point out here that the steel rear floor pan is what is under the rubber mat in the van model. The first thing I did after getting mine home was to pull the mat out and put a double layer of jute insulation under it to stem some of the road noise. Huge help. After deciding on the sound upgrade, I went a step further with a piece of 3'4 inch plywood covered with industrial carpet from Lowe's. More help to stem road noise. (And after the sound upgrade... noise... what noise?) I will still be doing some more insulation but am working on a balogna budget for now - a little bit here and there. The other plastic or vinyl covering over the floor in the wagon model I have yet to figure out, but it too is over the steel floor pan. I finally got to see a wagon in person last week. There have only been a couple of them at the local dealers, and I just happened in on one during a shop visit through work. I also have the 255* rear doors, but they were on the van. Had they not been, it would have been just fine. After having them though, I'm thinkin' they're not such a bad idea, but still think I'd have been fine with the normal 180* doors. I'm not loading it that seriously. It'is interesting to see what other people are doing with their TCs, and I'll be watching to see what you post on yours. Enjoy! Roland C. Happily Transiting