windguy

Chapter 2 & 3 - The Good And The Bad Chapter 2 - Brought my van into the dealer on Thursday to have SMM 46321 done. Gave the service advisor the printed out PDF with the helpful notes from Mickster. Two steps to perform, update the BCM and set the approach lights to dark mode. Should be easy peasy. I also asked that the headlights be adjusted higher since I've haven't gotten around to doing it myself. The headlight adjustment seems to be an improvement, that's the good news. The dark mode enabling didn't get done, that's the bad news. The tech updated the BCM, I was told, but when you open the slider, the front/rear lights come on and if you leave the door open they stay on for 10 min, same as before. I always leave my driver side slider open in the garage to air out the van plus it's easy to pop in/out if I need something. Cycling the high beam lever on/off still turns the lights off. Chapter 3 - Back to the dealer this morning for another go at it. Again I give my service advisor the printed PDF, this time highlighting in yellow the second part about the programming. After about 15 minutes, the service advisor tells me they are having problems setting the dark mode. They can see the option in the programming, but it won't let the tech basically save the change or move out of that screen. May be either an operator issue or their programming device but probably not the van, but they need to consult with Ford IT to troubleshoot. Chapter 4 to follow. Stand by.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new TC. Very cool looking and unique.

Great project - well done! Thanks for sharing

I went to my local dealer today with the intent of making sure they can perform this SSM under my 3yr/36k bumper-to-bumper warranty and to give them a heads up if they want prepare with any downloads they need to perform to minimize the amount of time they will need my van in service. I gave the service advisor the attached doc below, he read it, and said they will do this under warranty if I'm having a battery issue. He gave me back the piece of paper, said this type of service is done by their 'electrical tech' and they will need the van for a few days, so make an appointment when I'm ready. Two days? Attitude aside, I'm glad they are willing to make this fix under warranty, I hope. Chapter two to follow. Stand by. SSM 46321 Dark mode.pdf

It's a good idea to add seat covers. Like DonS, I added them because of water/sand from a wetsuit at the beach, but I'm always snacking when I'm driving and it's amazing how much food ends up on the seat. They are not 100% waterproof, more like water resistant, which is okay for my purposes. I got my seat covers from Seat Covers Unlimited, link below. http://www.seatcoversunlimited.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8P632Miw1wIVg25-Ch2rvAjIEAAYASAAEgIF2_D_BwE I got the Neo-sport covers in black for the driver and passenger seats (cargo version). I think I chose this outfit because I wanted to get a map pocket on the seat backs and not everyone offered that option. I really like having them on both sides. The pair cost $257, which isn't cheap, but they appear to be well made, have a nice custom fit and have velcro tabs where the airbags are located. Good luck!

@mickster - many thanks for sharing the SSM info. This will be very helpful when I talk to my service advisor.

How do the rear parking sensors react to having that bike rack on your trailer hitch? Enjoy your camping trip.

I think the warranty period starts when the 1st owner takes possession (transfer of title). So your 3 year period would end 06/24/18, but it looks like you'll hit the 36K mark on mileage before the 3 year time period. Per the 2015 Model Year Ford Warranty Guide (attached PDF below) KNOW WHEN YOUR WARRANTY BEGINS Your Warranty Start Date is the day you take delivery of your new vehicle or the day it is first put into service (for example, as a dealer demonstrator), whichever occurs first. I also think the original warranty transfers to subsequent owners. I'm sure that's in some warranty info from Ford but didn't see it in the attached PDF but may have overlooked it. Good luck and keep us posted. 2015-Ford-Warranty-Guide-version-1_frdwa_EN-US_01_2014.pdf

@bart luther - you are awesome dude! Many thanks for finding that info. THE HOLY GRAIL has been discovered @cynar - thanks for researching the Da Vinci Code I think this is enough info to get my dealer to service my van and have this issue fixed before my 3 yr warranty ends in January. I hope others have success and share what happens. @williaty - is your van still under warranty? If so, this shouldn't be an issue getting fixed at no cost. Time to take it up a notch. Good luck!

can't edit my above post - forgot to add the pic below to my above post

@halfalpine - thanks for sharing some pics. I have no idea how those landing pads are attaching to your roof. What do they grab onto? I think just putting them in some arbitrary spot is risky and it's obviously affected your roof. In my Gen 2, there are five mounting holes on each side in the recessed tracks and around each mounting hole the body is double plated for extra reinforcement. Other areas of the roof are pretty weak and flexible and unsupported. I would suggest scrapping those landing pads and getting ones as shown in the link below and then mounting a pair of tracks. Five foot tracks should be just fine and give you more flexibility on where to place your rails based on the size of your boards or other loads you plan to hoist up there. The new landing pads are compatible with the Skyline towers, which is what I am using. I'm using Landing Pad #1. The tracks can bolt through the van for a secure and strong base. Do you have access to the inside of the roof or is there a headliner? In my cargo van 4 of the 5 mounting holes are accessible. The fifth or front one is under the headliner in the cab area. LANDING PAD #1 - Manufacturer Part Number: 8000221 https://www.rackattack.com/base-roof-rack-systems/permanent-custom-mount-roof-rack-systems/yakima-landing-pad-1/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_content=Yakima+Landing+Pad+1&utm_campaign=brand+item+three+-+Top+Brands+-+search+-+exact+-+Enhanced+CPC TRACKS - 5FT - Manufacturer Part Number: 8001135 https://www.rackattack.com/base-roof-rack-systems/permanent-custom-mount-roof-rack-systems/yakima-60-inch-track-with-bolts/ Tracks come two ways, with bolts or plusnuts. Yakima items are expensive and price fixed but they let retailers offer a 20% off sale a few times a year if you prefer to wait.

Congrats on your new to you TC. Extra points cause you're a surfer I use my Gen2 TC primarily as a surfmobile (see attached pic). Love it! Regarding your rack problem, please share some pics that show how your rack sits on your roof and how those dimples line up with the rack mounting points. My Yakima is setup on tracks that I installed in the recess so the load is somewhat distributed and could be more reinforced to handle racking (see attached pic).

Great job on all your mods. Very slick. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for trying to help us. Glad you got yours fixed. Seems like your service paperwork would have some type of info on it in terms of steps performed or a SSM or TSB reference. Sure does seem strange with the secrecy behind this.

Congrats on your new TC! Thanks for sharing pics, very sharp looking. Enjoy!

Looks great. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing more mods and pics.

Thanks for sharing the info on that portable fridge. Very cool product. Ha Ha The back and forth battery talk made my head spin but it's a good discussion.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new TC. Like the color - sharp! You don't see too many blue ones. My 2015 XLT Cargo is the same but in silver. Looking forward to reading about your conversion ideas.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new TC. Very nice looking - similar to my 2015 with the side widows. Did you special order it or get it off the dealer lot? It's crazy how much gear you can stuff inside one of these vans. Perfect cargo hauling vehicle. Enjoy!

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your/hers new TC. Does she let you drive it? How about some pics?

Thanks. Will try that.

Not a member custom build but thought this was interesting enough to share. It's hard to believe they could go below the normal floor level since everything underneath is packed in tightly. Wonder how they freed up all that space down the center. http://www.sunsetvans.com/ford-transit-connect-wheelchair-vans/

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new to you TC. Very cool pic with the wall mural as a backdrop. My last vehicle was a 95 Volvo 850 wagon. I agree, the added cargo room of the TC is a real plus and it's great having sliding side doors. Getting in/out of the van is so much easier than a low riding wagon even though the Volvo had the most comfortable seat of any car I've had. You're going to have lots of fun with this van. Enjoy!

@desert_connect - thanks for the added info. I've scoped out that same tap point as I'm considering adding a power point on the driver's side rear area, which is more accessible for me. And to add some type of lighting as well. I really like that light. Nice choice! It would be cool if it had a magnetic mount so you can easily stick it anywhere with a hole for the wire.

In another thread discussing the cavity behind the front seats, a poster from Canada had pics that showed vinyl flooring in this area, rather than carpet. My US based Gen 2 Cargo has carpet in both areas as do most other posters. @Mcfly - I would contact Weathertech and ask them how their mat solution for the TC would work in your situation.