windguy

Thanks. I thought mine had low mileage but 340 miles on yours? How long have you had your van?

Thanks! 31K per year. That's crazy. You must be at the gas station every few days. How's your gas mileage?

Another accessory you might find beneficial is adding a keypad. Having a Ford vehicle gives you the advantage to their keypad option. See pic below. I put mine on the back door because it's most convenient when you get back to the van with your board under your arm. Not having to stash the key fob, which is always a sketchy thing to do, is really helpful. It's been documented that the crackhead thieves will watch you stash your key and then break in later stealing wallet and electronics. There is another thread regarding what to get and how to program it. Very easy to do. You'll love having it and being keyless at the beach. http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/2991-keyless-entry-keypad/?tab=comments#comment-8793

thanks. I love my van. For the racks, I used all Yakima parts - tracks, risers, crossbars. I'll do a write-up with part numbers, pics and what I learned. The wooden stick across the barn doors in that first pic was my first prototype, that failed miserable. So did version 2. But version 3 has been working very well and I never modified the prototype version since it's working. My main reason for needing this is to keep the doors open when it's windy, which is why I'm at the beach most of the time to go windsurfing. Having the doors close on both my gear and me is a bummer so I really needed to have this. The version uses the existing locks to stay in place with enough flexibility to move with the doors back and forth a bit, but not too much. You release the holder using the door handles. Very easy to use. You could use this to hang wetsuits from but I might use a thicker piece of wood for that. Having this is a lifesaver for me.

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your new van. Very nice! Thanks for sharing pics. I like the plastic wheel covers - kind of dresses up the van a bit but then again my color is silver so it matches nicely. No wheel covers means one less thing to lose when you hit a pot hole. I use my van primarily as a beach cruiser and it's very cool. See pic below. The door holder has been upgraded. Need to post about that too. I have cloth seats so I added seat covers made of some semi water resistant material. I often will get into the van to move it when I still have my wetsuit on not to mention all the food that ends up on my seat. You might be interested in adding some roof racks if you're carrying long boards or want to store the boards up top if you're camping in the back. I did so a few months ago, pic below, and plan to do a write-up about that, but there are a few threads already on the forum regarding racks. Lots of options. Looking forward to seeing how you customize your ride. Enjoy!

That's funny. Dang, 56K miles is insane considering how little I drive my TC. Love it! You're about to exceed your warranty on miles vs time, which is much better in my opinion. To all - thanks for the greeting and updates regarding 'The Poster Formally Known As Toaster'. My curiosity has been put to rest though I have a sneaking suspicion he is still lurking this forum under a new alias.

Welcome aboard Darin and congrats on your new to you TC. We're going to hold you to showing us some pics of your ride. The penalty for not doing so if very high. A round of beers for the forum is a big tab

Just want to say HI to my fellow forumites. I'm slowly easing back into the forum after being absent for a long time. I got too busy with other things to visit the forum but now I'm desperate for a distraction from CNN and all the BS going on these days. I need to be in a happy place and the TC Forum is the perfect outlet. I'm glad to be catching up what all the TC lovers have been doing with their vans. I see lots of upgrades and custom conversions going on, which is very cool and interesting to see. There is some real talent and creativity going on. Just to catch up on things, what happened to the toaster? I only see remnants of burnt toast here and there. Was it a short circuit again? Reincarnation possible? Not important to know but always curious. Happy to report that my TC is chugging along just fine with just over 12,000 miles. I put on Yakima roof racks this summer and I'll share that info with a write-up. Also had to have the AC condenser replaced under warranty due to a leak and no cold air. The dealer finally solved the heater problem with the center console getting smoking hot. I better get to work and make some posts on these things. Peace!

great job. thanks for sharing.

check out this older thread http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/3191-rear-license-plate-mounting/

no, I didn't. I didn't like the soft spongy feeling of the mat so I added a sheet of 1/2" or so ext grade plywood and then adding carpet from Home Depot. Same carpet I used for my hanging rack. I primed and painted the plywood first and then used Weldon's adhesive to hold the carpet to the plywood. On the sides, I wrapped the carpet around the edges and under a few inches so it has a nice finished look. In the back, I let the carpet run a little longer to create a flap. It's held up pretty well the last two years but I do add a tarp in the back half because of sand and water splashing.

I would have liked to have surfed back in the 60's when the waves were empty, so I've heard. below is a close-up of the hanging rack, used to store my windsurfing sails and masts up and out of the way. perfect storage solution for me. windsurfing boards and surfboards below for easy access. The TC is the perfect surf mobile for my needs. couldn't be happier with the utility of the van.

thanks for sharing your build. so far looks good.

@tcconvert - that's what great about these vans, each owner can customize the box to their own needs. See attached pic I'm in agreement that it's nice to have your add-ons easily removable when you need the space for hauling. I recently removed my hanging rack in order to move a family member. This van is excellent for that purpose. You can stuff a lot of items inside and the interior dimensions seem ideal. I couldn't be happier with the van's utility. Pickups cab be more cushy in the cab area, but IMHO the ride is very bumpy compared to the smooth ride of the TC. I took a road trip in a friend's Silverado and it took me a while to get used to the constant road vibration from the stiff suspension. My TC has no added insulation or paneling so I pick up a lot of noise. I just turn the radio up louder to compensate

a dealer enrolled with an auto buying service either pays a flat yearly fee or a per vehicle fee. But, it doesn't matter what the dealer pays for the van or how much they make on it, all that matters is if you are satisfied with how much you pay for the van and the process of buying it. how much time are you willing to invest in the buying process and at what cost. That's a personal decision. Best of luck and please share your experience.

thanks - I thought those threaded insert, which were used for seat belts, are all metric - perhaps a T50. I plan on using those inserts as well at some point so was curious to know the exact size and thread type. For my needs, I'd like to put a storage cabinet on each side if feasible. Don't think I've ever used the rear window washers. Those rear windows sure do get dirty though.

@buckethead - thanks for posting pics of your mods. Are you using the open area behind the seats for storage? It appears like you have that covered up in your last pic. any new mods to share since July?

thanks for sharing. very nice job - looks great! what size metric bolts did you use? regarding that cable bundle in the upper right corner of your pic - right rear of the van, I snagged that thing the other day since I attach a bungee in that cutout. I wonder why this bundle couldn't be run behind through the framing. didn't look at it very closely but sure would be better if this was tucked out of the way.

thanks for posting about how to adjust the lights. this has been on my To Do list since I got the van. As the days are getting shorter again, I keep thinking about needing to do this. the high beams and fog lights are great but I can't see very well with regular beams and I love the how the lights project to the sides when turning the wheel.

@osco - thanks for sharing your experience. what a story, amazing!! glad you are on the mend and your TC will be driveable again. I think you used up a few coupons surviving this force of nature. This is a case of being unlucky and lucky at the same time. Go figure. I assume no one wants to carpool with you any more please keep us posted on how the repairs go. stay well!

thanks for posting. heard about this on the news on Friday and was wondering about it.

if you belong to Costco, then try their auto buying program. I was very satisfied doing this. I used that to buy my 2015 TC that was factory ordered. I got the van for dealer invoice ($100 less) and there is no haggling or negotiating, which takes the stress out of buying the van. Costco will assign you a dealer that's in the program based on your zip code. If you don't like that dealer or it's not convenient to get to, call Costco and they will assign you another dealer. I did that because the first one was closer mileage wise but not driving time wise. You will get your pricing via email and then if you want you can take that to another dealer to see if you they will match or beat it, if you prefer going elsewhere. I would first build the van using Ford's website to see what options you want. Other sites like Edmunds will provide MSRP and dealer invoice pricing so you will have an idea of what pricing will be. If you don't belong to Costco, there are other buying services that I've heard are comparable. Check AAA if you have a membership. Good Luck!

just catching up on some posts after a long hiatus. @rwalsh & slybert - thanks for sharing your camper mods with the forum. great pics. very nice work guys!

glad you've finally got it sorted out. before you install it make sure the spot doesn't have a lot of bounce to it. some body areas are soft and you have a tendency to push pretty good when punching the keys. better to pick a firm spot.

thanks for the update. sounds like you're making some progress. the part I got, as posted on page 1 of this thread in the original post, is Part Number: ES7Z-14A626-A is compatibility for TC - 2013, 2014, 2015