windguy

thanks for the link Carb28. On page 11, they show the detail of the flooring under the mat between the sliding doors. Anyone know what "storage" means as shown in the detailed drawing? the mat really compresses in so many areas since there is nothing backing it up. I'd really like to know if someone has removed this mat and how they did it. Still need to figure out a way to get rid of the tacky feel until I put something on top to cover it.

thanks. was there supposed to be a link?

This question is for the van model owners that have a black plastic mat in the cargo area. I'm assuming this is installed in Maryland when they convert the van from passenger to cargo, taking out the seats and belts. The mat is really spongy. reaching underneath, it has some thin foam attached to the underside. In many places there is no backing so if you press down it sinks a lot. just a really crappy solution. There are recessed areas for the cargo tie-down d-rings, which don't really lie flat. very stiff to move. The number one issue I have is the mat is really tacky, kind of sticky over the entire area. I tried regular water on a rag to remove and then a degreaser in one area, but neither worked. It seems more like an adhesive residue. Anyone else have this issue or a remedy? I know once I get beach sand in there it's going to be a mess to remove. Goof off is good at removing adhesive residue but that's a large area to clean. What's odd is that you can almost see a pattern to the tacky spots. Is it possible that they laid down a template then sprayed this on so that the flooring wouldn't be slippery to remove liability in case some cargo slid forward if braking hard? just a thought. What's underneath this mat? I guess it would the regular flooring that's in a wagon/passenger model less any added carpet. not sure. Has anyone tried to remove it? I plan on putting a more rigid surface down, like plywood and then perhaps cover it with indoor/outdoor carpeting. Was wondering if it was better to remove this first or just lay the plywood right over it. Seems like it's only being held in place by the d-rings and tucked under the edges of the trim all around. Leaving it in place would provide a good moisture barrier. thanks

The waiting game is finally over. Hard to believe huh? Picked up the van on Saturday 01/10. Order Date: 07/14/14 2015 Van Production Started: 09/02/14 Van Produced: 10/30/14 Van Delivered: 01/09/15 Van came in without any noticeable issues so all went well. I did have to pay the increased amount per Ford's sticker increase, but I may take that up with Ford later. Not sure it's worth my time chasing but more of a principal thing. If you order something for a set price, then that's what you should pay when it's delivered. I drove the van home in a driving rain at night (about 40 miles) and had no idea where any of the controls were located. Little bit of a white knuckle ride since it's all freeway driving. At one point I guess I turned the AC on trying to get the defroster on. If you turn the temp all the way to cold the AC comes on automatically without having to hit the AC button. Seems like a good feature. Wipers are kickass in this van. headlights, not so good, but someone recently posted about them pointing down for an unloaded van, so that may be the reason why. I kept wondering if they were on but could see a headlight on symbol on the dash lights. The pouring rain hitting the bare roof was loud when parked, but once moving the road noise overcame that. will need to work on quieting this tin can down a notch. The van seems so big compared to my old wagon, yet it's only 4 inches longer. Fits in the garage with no problem so all is good. I have lots to write about so I'll be back with more later. I do have a few important first questions but I'll post them in the appropriate forum topics. Stay tuned for more posts and pictures.

@earbrass - welcome to the forum. congrats on your new van. please share a pic when you have a chance. Do you have a van or wagon? Which island are you on? Regarding roof racks, I feel your pain. I scoped this out before ordering and your estimated costs are spot on. Pricing is absurd. I also have the need to occasionally but boards and gear on top so I'm looking for a good option. I was pissed I couldn't add this option when ordering a van model. See the link below for a discussion on roof racks on this forum http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/2406-roof-attachment-points-on-2014-transit-connect/ Below is the link to the company I think SHEP is referring to. http://www.americanvan.com/ladder-racks/full-size-van?p=2 Also Try Vantech http://www.vantech.us/J-Series_c21.htm Most of the ladder type racks I've seen so far are for Gen 1 TC's but I haven't looked in a while. Please keep us posted on what you find.

thanks for sharing those articles. While I enjoy a good discussion, I think calling someone's opinion "off base" is a little harsh for this forum. Ironically, both articles provide statements that actually support the TC as being primarily a cargo van design, Provided below are a few quotes. If Ford never offered a passenger version of the TC, then they couldn't skirt the chicken tax unless they took the path of the Sprinter and unassembled the van for export. I think the Gen 1 was primarily marketed as a cargo van. With Gen 2, Ford is trying to expand into the passenger van market with the unminivan compaign. "Ford launched the Transit Connect in 2002. The compact commercial van with a distinctive raised roof was designed to haul goods through urban areas with tight streets." "When gas prices spiked, Ford saw a market among small-business owners in the U.S." "On a recent afternoon, a handful of vans passed through the warehouse unmolested as passenger wagons. But the vast majority were lined up to have windows pulled out, and they all had their rear seats removed." "Even though most of its customers order the two-seat, stripped-out commercial model, Ford ships every Transit Connect to the Port of Baltimore in five-passenger Wagon trim" "He even referenced our own first drive review to demonstrate that the vehicle was really designed to carry cargo, not people."

good question. I'd like to know the same answer. of course the stock conti tires probably wouldn't do very well in off-road driving, I'm guessing. Perhaps the stock shocks too. It would be nice to have a setup that you can 'air-up' for light offroad use and keep at regular height for every day use.

@easy - thanks for the update. good luck with your service call. please keep us posted if things get heated one way or another

understand. more of a curiosity thing for me. not a requirement for me but I can see times when it could be useful. it would be great if Carlb28 can get this sorted out by Ford as a design change.

@bret1197 - thanks for the update. glad you're working through the kinks. hopefully smooth sailing for a while. enjoy!

very cool. thanks for sharing

good research. if the rear cabin lights come on when any door is open, then where does the wire for that originate? my guess would be under the dash where all the other door switch wires end up and it seems like you would be able to modify and add a switch, no?

interesting product if you want to easily lock up valuables. looks like it's a new item to the Ford Accessory offerings but the link isn't working. Below is a direct link to the manufacturer. http://www.consolevault.com/Ford-Transit-Connect-2013--2015_p_111.html#.VKiwlXuGeIR

good input. thanks for sharing.

@carlb28 - sorry to hear you didn't have better news from your service call. re the mirrors - are your folding mirrors manual like on the cargo version? Didn't think the Titanium or any TC has a automatic mirror option. So if you manually fold the mirror in it's difficult to move it back into position? re the rear heater performance and inability to control cabin lights from the driver's seat, have you compared these features with other passenger vans/wagons on the market? I'd take a look at each vehicle to see how these features work: Odyssey, Sienna, Sedona, Grand Caravan/T&C, Quest, Mazda 5, NV200. The NV200 in particular because it's a close competitor to the TC in terms of features, it's not in the luxury minivan class and both are promoted as being a taxicab option. I would think a taxicab driver would want to be able to turn on the passenger cabin area lights when needed and provide adequate heat for passengers. This research would give you lots of ammo to help build a case with Ford regarding these design flaws. Ford seems to be promoting the "unminivan" pretty strongly compared to the cargo version so they must be interested in expanding their market share for passenger vans.

It's been kind of quite the last few weeks on this thread for hard transmission shifting and leaking left drive shaft seal problems. Is anyone seeing new cases out there or updates they'd like to share? thanks

@carlb28 - thanks for taking the time to explain about the twitter process. Very good explanation. My overall impressions of Twitter were that it's another worthless social media outlet, but in this case I can see how it has some beneficial value. I gather there's a group at Ford that's responsible for monitoring the social media sources and has tools that lets them know when there's something they need to respond to. It's good that Ford is taking responsibility and providing assistance to make sure you're getting help with your issues. Hopefully they can be correctly quickly. Please keep us posted.

Out of the group of Gen 2 TC owners on this forum, so far we have three posters that are having rear heater problems (easy, carlb28 and mrgone) and one case of a front heater problem (easy). All three have a wagon model and at least two have the Titanium trim level. @easy - do you have a Titanium too? The Titanium has Dual-Zone Front Auto Temperature Control as a standard option. All other trim levels can order this option. @easy - if you don't have the Titanium, do you have this option?

good job Carlb28. Glad to hear you're getting some attention. Sorry for my lack of social media skills, but where is it tweeted and how does Ford pick that up?

re heated seats, not sure who you're directing the question to but I don't have my van yet and it doesn't have heated seats. don't recall that being an available option for the cargo model, but sounds cozy. I'd like to hear from other cargo van and wagon owners on how well their heaters work both up front and rear if they have that. It would be good to know if this is a universal design problem or just a few isolated cases of heater problems.

@NWCamperMan - where did they mount your house battery? Do you know what model it is? What model refrigerator do you have? For me, having a microwave would be huge plus, if I can fit it in. Quickly heating up water for drinking or washing and heating up food would be easier than setting up a propane stove. The microwave would use a lot of power though so that's an issue.

@NWCamperman - welcome back to the forum. glad you came down off the mountain to avoid the winter weather and share your TC experiences thanks for the input on your camper conversion. I've heard of Van Specialties before. I visit the Sportsmobile Forum frequently and VS is often talked about. they do some interesting work on vans. On Art's website/facebook page, some had asked Art if he is doing work on the Gen 2 TC's and he said no, the roof is too short. he is working on the full size Transit though. that's interesting. The Fantastic Fan sounds like the best option for ventilation but I'm not sure how it would look on the lower roof of a Gen 2 TC. It's more visible at that height compared to your taller Gen 1 TC. Sorry to hear about your vibration problems, hope you can sort that out easily, like new motors mounts as Willie suggested. Good Luck with that!

makes you wonder who at Ford tested this heater solution before building. do other wagon owners have this same problem or is just a few isolated cases? wonder how well the van heater works in the Euro diesel engine models. my Volvo 850 Wagon has an awesome heater, The Sweds really know how to keep a car toasty. I'll be bummed if the heater in my new TC is substandard. maybe something like these plug in heaters would be a good temporary fix until the problem is sorted out. http://www.harborfreight.com/12v-auto-heater-defroster-with-light-61598.html

bummer bikinchris. sorry to hear that. Seems like someone on the Ford TC Facebook page posted the same issue recently https://www.facebook.com/FordTransitConnectWagon/posts/849472255172824 for those not on facebook, below is a crude cut/paste Julia Sampson Frankland‎Ford Transit Connect Wagon December 17, 2014 at 12:49pm · Canton, OH · About to take mine in for the 2nd repair on the sliding door latch. Anyone else having problems? Ford Service Hey Julia, As Charlie Brown would say; "oh brother". What is the year and mileage of your Transit Connect? I'm happy to look into this. Sarah Ford Service Like · Reply · December 17, 2014 at 1:26pm Julia Sampson Frankland 2014 with under 4k on it. It wasn't opening well - took it in for a different recall and had it 'fixed' Today when it opened the entire assembly on the receiving end of the latch stayed attached to the attaching end of the latch. Sadness. Taking it in tomorrow for visit #2 at the dealership. Like · December 17, 2014 at 1:33pm Ford Service Thanks for the quick reply, Julia! I'm happy to have your concerns brought to your Regional Customer Care Team. Just PM your VIN, dealer info, and a daytime phone number. Sarah Ford Service Like · December 17, 2014 at 1:41pm Julia Sampson Frankland Just sent - thanks.

Regarding Roof Racks, there's a thread that discusses this same subject http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/2406-roof-attachment-points-on-2014-transit-connect/?hl=%2Broof+%2Bracks#entry6928 As Carlb28 said, when ordered as an option, it's reasonable. As a Ford Accessory or Spare Part, it's extremely unreasonable. And to get roof rails, which you can't order on the van model, it's priced way beyond reasonable. That's an option I really wanted and need so I will have to come up with another option on my own. Regarding the vehicle being made in Spain and if that influences the design of the heater, I don't think so. It's just a manufacturing plant. The designers at Ford corporate are responsible for that poor design. I think Carlb28 touched on a very interesting point about the design goals of the van being Euro based. I get the feeling after reading some of the complaints (heating and lighting) are more based around the wagon/passenger version compared to the van/cargo version. If the cargo van had a bulkhead then rear climate control and lighting would be of little concern. So if Ford's primary goal for this van is for commercial use then that's the way it was designed. Converting it for passenger use was done through some add on mods, which aren't exactly well thought out. We're well aware the wagon lacks some of the amenities that a fully loaded Honda or Toyota van would have, like DVD/Entertainment options, power sliding doors and power rear hatch. It would be interesting to know the break down of cargo vs passenger sales for North America and Europe. Hope you guys can work out the bugs and start to enjoy your new van. Cheers!