Dave H

Well, just got a call. Dealer says it was the belt tensioner and a front wheel bearing! Funny that they'd occur in tandem. Planned obsolescence? We'll see..........

Well, with the US spec 2 liter,136 squirrel-er- horsepower engine, I'm not seeing it ever being zippy or responsive! Diesels have lots of torque for their size, even off idle. Unfortunately, the 2.0 is all we're offered over here, coupled to a 4 speed auto. A manual would be nice!

Yeah, replacement with a manual was one of my first questions! But my van's still under warranty, so I'd guess that that would be considered an unacceptable modification and void the warranty. Don't think I'd be having these troubles with a stick!

I checked the fluid regularly- at every service. Last time (40,000), I thought it might be a bit discolored, but at that point, everything was fine otherwise, and figured the rag might be discolored. Now it smells kind of burned to me, too.The manual states that the trans doesn't consume fluid, but to check it if it shifts slowly, slips or you see leakage. I had no symptoms beyond the noises- the drone was getting so loud at times that I could barely hear the radio- not that the stereo gets very loud, though. I prefer manuals because they will invariably outlast the vehicle. I might have to do a clutch, but the trans itself will last much longer vs an auto, both being properly maintained. If you do a fluid change, let us know the results!

Well, I am posting on the trans failure thread! At a little over 41,000 miles, mine started to make a strange hum when accelerating. This was accompanied by a droning noise at steady throttle. Only other symptom was one instance that it engaged drive slowly. Dealer says they think it's the trans- goes in the shop Monday. Mine is mostly highway driven with moderate loads. Heaviest I have ever had it was taking it to the dump- a nick under 4500 with trash and my tools. Seems like they should hold up to that! Wish they'd offer a manual in US-spec Transits. I hate automatics anyhow. Dave

Damn! Guess I was lucky. I got 41000 miles out of pads on mostly highway driving-and I thought that was poor! Dave

Just replaced my front pads at 41,000 and change. Mostly highway driving with a moderate load! I thought only Government Motors half tons got brake wear that poor! Pads were DONE- less than 1/32 left Got lucky and caught it in time! Dave

Yeah, I am just musing about some way to get away from the stinkin' Conti's! I have NEVER had tires which picked up this much road debris in 40 years of driving! Plenty of other light trucks running XL passenger tires over hundreds of thousands of miles. Just find the number of flats really annoying and wish there were other people making this size tires. Guess now I understand why the wifes Chrysler with Conti's was equipped with the self-sealing ones!

Willie, are you in the states or EU? I was considering going to a P215/65/15 standard load. That has a 95 service description, so should carry the load, and there are many tires available in that size. I'm still wondering how the lower inflation pressures would affect the TPMS, though. I am getting good wear out of the Conti's- especially considering how often they are run underinflated!

I have just repaired my 5th- that's right 5th flat tire in the Contis on my TC. This is in 40,000 miles! The slightest road hazard or piece of debris seems to puncture them. Only other tires that size I can find are Michelins which are LR C. Anybody know of any other tires that will meet the service description? Also would changing sizes and thus inflation pressures mess with the TPMS? That is just another piece of federally mandated crap that I don't need or want!

Does anyone out there know if there are heavier struts available for the TC? I think that would vastly improve body lean when cornering. The sway bar looks kinda wimpy, so I'm thinking a higher spring rate up front is about all I can do to improve handling but maintaining cargo capacity and utility. After 3-1/2 years, that's the only real gripe I've got with the toy van! Dave

If the noise is only when you have the ladder on, try shooting the ladder rungs full of spray foam. That'll quiet it right down and keep wasps and the like from nesting in the rungs! I have a Prime design rack on mine and it makes a little wind noise with the rack alone. Moving it back on the roof helped. Dave

I use my Transit as my work truck and daily driver. Still prefer my Super Duty, but with gas near $4 here, the van gets more use. I guess this is what Obama and his buddies want- can't wait till they force me into an electric Transit-not! Dave

I run a small carpentry sub and handyman business. Love my Transit. I built shelves for the back to maximize floor space. I put one of the Prime Design Aluracks on it which I use when I need to carry a few sheets of rock or plywood- that's the only real drawback I've found. That and a 4x4 version would be nice sometimes! Oh, and the stereo sucks! I also thought about Sprinters, but cost ruled them out pretty quick! Dave

Around here, there atre too many FM stations for that to work in any of my vehicles. Try getting a 1/8" stereo cable and plugging into the aux input- works great in my Transit! At least now that the bluetooth issue is fixed. Dave

Most likely not. Mine has the (marginally functional) Nokia Bluetooth option. Theres a microphone on the driver's A pillar and an additional stalk on the steering column for voice recognition and other radio controls. Dave

Funny, I would've thought otherwise given how mine acts on muddy construction sites! Might be partially the tires, tho. Haven't had much snow here this year. I imagine the diesel is a bit heavier than the 2 liter we get here in the states, too- I'd bet that helps! Wish they'd offer a diesel option here. Another question- do they salt roads in EU like they do over here? Here in MD they spread salt if it might snow! Just wondering how well the TC's hold up rust-wise. I've noticed that Sprinters around here seem to rust pretty quickly. Dave

Finally! After over a year, Ford appears to have gotten a hold of my Bluetooth problem. Apparently there are some speech recognition modules which malfunction during periods of cold weather ,causing the voice and aux functions to act up. If anyone else out there is having cold weather problems push your service department to look into this! It took me a year of repeated service visits, e-mails and phone calls, but they finally seem to have at least identified the problem- now if they can only get the new SRM! This after telling me it was my phone, being unable to duplicate the problem (warm in the shop!), and replacing the radio, SRM and wiring harness! At one point, my dealer was told that it might just be a characteristic of the system!

Check the jack and tire tools( behind the plastic panel on the drivers side rear) Mine had a similar noise- turned out that that's where it was coming from! Hope this helps, Dave

I should start off by saying that I have had good experiences with Ford in the past, but as far as the Transit Connect, neither Ford or its dealers ( especially the sales people) seem to know much about the TC! I found only one salesperson with any knowlege about them in purchasing my 2010, unfortunately, he wasn't willing to deal on them. In trying to purchase a 2011, I am finding that I know more about them than the salespeople, and that most seem to want to steer me to a vehicle that they have or can easily obtain than actually want to sell me exactly what I want! One even tried to B.S. me about available options- ever heard of the internet, guys? Dave

Bulletin...... Dealer (who has had the truck for 2 days) tells me there's a TSB on the Bluetooth syncing and un syncing itself and that they need to reprogram it. However, they need to obtain the proper harness and software! :mad: I'm not convinced that this has anything to do with my problem, though- when the system works, it works fine. Why does Ford market vehicles that they and their dealers are not ready to support? Kind of cart before the horse, no?

The bluetooth is a PITA! You have to program a name into the unit for it to respond to names. I think it will store up to 20 names- It can't recognize names directly from your phone's directory. As I said in my earlier post- no one at Ford (or Nokia for that matter) seems to know very much about this system! Hope this helps! Dave

I put one of Prime Design's Aluracks on mine. Absolutely the ticket for carrying roof cargo. It has multiple cross bars, so plywood, sheetrock and the like are no problem and easily loaded. My only concern is Ford's weight rating for the roof- 220 lbs isn't much! The racks on my Super Duty are good for 1000! All in all, love the Transit for my smaller jobs and in town, but I don't think it will ever completely replace the trusty truck. Dave

I use my TC for my carpentry business. I want: DIESEL 4x4 Manual trans availability Higher roof weight capacity-220 lbs is only good for a few ladders or sheets of ply Most importantly- do away with the strange power locks for a US style set up!!!!!!! Separate the cargo doors from the front and from all of the auto-unlock features, and put key locks on the outside

Well, crap! I'm in the same boat as Dennis. Looks like I should look into a big dog or maybe should have bought an XL without all the power crap. Wonder who thought it was a good idea to set the power locks up that way? Some kind of strange euro-trash configuration? Dave