hollowwood

Vanity Plates?!? After spending many hours of research and pondering, it is all about telling the world that you have anointed the TC as your choice for "Van of the Year!!!" You just do not understand!!

We now have our RedWgn parked in drive way! We took it for a 45 mile get to know you drive before we had the snow tires put on. The roads are slushy snow and slab iced and gave a good test of the traction control. I will give it an A+ both with and without snow tires. I am working thru the manual so I have an idea of what I am now the owner of. My Better half ,for who this was purchased, declined to try the drivers seat just now. We have to decide on a vanity plate for her. Her name is Kathryn, or, Kat! One choice might be "KATKAR". An other might be " REDWGN". Your opinion is welcome!

I am going with the Hankook IPike W409 205/65 R15 94T. I did a lot of on line searches and these were always near the top.They are studdable,but, I will forgo that as I will use them thru Mud Season also.Trying to get up our slippery hill is tricky with street tires. It has a clay base to it. We are planning on doing the pickup and tires both tomorrow.

We got the phone call we have been waiting for! The dealer is submitting the paper work to Ford Credit and the shop is installing mud flaps and giving it a look over. With luck, something in short supply, we will get it late today. It is snowing here and it has regular tires on it. Snows will go on ASAP. They are also needed for Mud Season too. I will let you know first impressions soon.

Up date #2: Our dealer was finally able to get word from Ford that our TC was "Mobile"? We both wondered what exactly that meant. Today he called to say he could now track it and found out our TC had left Maryland and made it to PA. From there it went to Ohio. Then, for who knows why, it went back to PA? As of last report, it is in New York! That is two states to our west and we may now hope for delivery by at least next week. We will not hold our breath!!

I just went to look at a side view of the TC I am still waiting on. It appears that the TC, like other vans, is wedge shaped. It is higher in the back than in the front. That would explain the 6" rise.This lets you get thru the back door with a taller cargo than otherwise.

An Up-Date. December 22,2011, we were told our Wagon was in a lot in Maryland. Jan. 2, 2012, we were told it was "Released"? What ever that means.I assume that shipping now has it. Still no word on a shipping date. Ford is really dropping the ball here as far as communicating to a Dealer and us as to when the TC we have been waiting on delivery since July of 2011 will get here. I will post it here when it arrives. Hope that no one else has this happen to them.

I went to my dealer and he had no clue! So the part man went into his computer and printed out a blow up showing where it goes. They have them in stock. They are learning about the TC as they go. You can count the numbers here on one hand.

from hype?

It is now Christmas day and we are still waiting for Ford to dig our TCXLT from the lot in Maryland. Ours will come prepped for CNG/LNG so if we want to swap out from gasoline later we can. In the northeast, CNG is only available on a limited basis. Here you find LPG. Many here heat and/or cook with it. What I have to find out is if the dealers are allowed leagally to fill a motor vehicle. Fuel taxes must be paid one way or another. When I had a diesel car, I paid it annually. This was in Mass. where, at that time, no tax was collected at the pump. Electric cars now pay that way. Here in N.H., I do not know how it is done. Mileage is what it is based on. Our plans now are to move to Ketchikan, AK where gasoline prices are about $0.80 per gallon higher than on the mainland. The Diesel option has to take into account that Diesel cost more per gallon than Prem. Gasoline. What you gain in MPG, you loose on the higher price. Where you live and how you drive will let you decide which way to go. We ordered the option so we will be able to make that choice.

My first reply did not take. We ordered a Red XLT Wagon with the LPG pkg., heated windshield, mobility pkg., block heater, and remote start. They told us today that 600 vehicles are sitting on the lot in Maryland. Two additional car carriers are on the way to help. No date given for ours to get here.<br>

We have passed the 6 month time line in our wait for our new TC. We ordered it in July and were not sure if we would get a 2011 or a 2012. What we wanted was not to be had in the US, so, Special Ordering from Turkey was the only option. If you have to do this, do not expect a short wait. You have to get a spot in the Build List. Then it needs to be shipped from Turkey to Maryland where it will sit in a crowded parking lot. Ours right now is sitting in the middle of one such lot and has many TCs blocking it from the dock to the trucks that will take it north to our dealer here in NH. He is North Country Ford and is the dealer located at the end of the northern line for Ford Dealers in NH. Even our dealer can not say when it will be delivered. This post is just a Word to The Wise.

This is an old post and is still getting comments. I will add to that. ABC did a series on "Made In America" which found little products in the average home that were made here. I wonder how the average American Company would do if they looked at what was made in the US that that company owns. This is December 2011 and plans are under way to build a plant in Kansas to build Transits to replace the Econoline Line. Most of the Ford Pickup comes from Canada. Toyota, for years, had the highest content of US made parts of any company in the US. The Brand is no longer the indicator as to where it is made. We are in a "World Market" now. Think about this before you assume anything.

I am hearing a lot of talk about Turbos and how much power they add. How is miles per gallon affected? How is the oil affected by passing thru the Turbo? Assuming that engine oil lubes it. How long will the Turbos last before they need a rebuild? My knowledge on Turbos is dated and memories of them are not good on the questions I ask.

Has any one found an oil cooler listed for the TC? And to add a side note to towing for those new to it! If you are going to go over 1500 lbs, consider electric brakes for the trailer. A light tow vehicle and heavy trailer on a down hill corner with out trailer brakes is not fun!

I just did my search and I also picked the i-Pike W409.In reviews, almost all of the 30+ people gave it a 5 star out of 5 for Snow Traction and Wear. Most noted some loss of Dry and Wet Traction over a stock tread. Most noted some Noise. Almost all would buy it again. It got high marks for Ice Traction also.

I just did a web search for tires and one site listed 667 mm x 225 mm max. That works out to a jump from 205 /65r15 to 215/65r15 for regular tires.The Snow Tires I am getting will stay at the stock size as they have a bit more rubber in the tread and normally are bigger in diameter. Jumping up one size will almost always be safe to do.

One thing for any one looking to ignore the warning light, if you need a Safety Inspection from your State, that is considered Safety Equipment and must be working to pass inspection. It is that way here in NH.

I totally agree that research is required for any purchase. I can be quite anal about it. Where you live and who you are will determine your wants and needs. Around here in Northern NH, driving faster than 65 mph is speeding and fool hardy to boot. Till I did 15000 miles of driving cross country this last two years, I could not imagine driving at 85 mph ! I quickly learned how !! LOL I did the trip from NH to Washington State in three days to pick up my injured wife.

I will back that up about the Dealers not knowing any thing about the TC, and, add the banks to the list. They were not aware that the TC came in a passenger format !

With the rear seats and windows Ford changes it's designation from "Van" to "Wagon". That means "Truck" to "Car". Your insurance policy should also reflect this also and you may be able to use it to argue your case with the State.