windguy

time for an update on my van order. yes, still waiting I was able to download the window sticker using the VIN number I got and the URL below. http://www.inventory.ford.com/services/inventory/WindowSticker.pdf?vin=NM0LS6E74F1180101 Your VIN starts with the NM0L. This isn't my van but just an example Not sure at what step in the order process the window sticker becomes available but fun to see something on the van. still expecting the van at the end of December to mid-January so hope it happens soon. One interesting pricing change I noticed on the sticker. The base price of the van without options and delivery went up by $200. It was $24,655 when I ordered the van back at the end of July. Now it's $24,855. I confirmed that price increase on the Ford configuration tool. The options pricing stayed the same. The base price on the 2014 is $24,525, so I was aware that there was a small increase of $130 for 2015. At the time I ordered the van the Ford configuration tool for 2015 wasn't available yet. I wonder if Ford/Dealer is going to try to stick me with that extra increase, or the increased invoice amount, when I get the van. I would think they would honor the pricing provided when I ordered but I'm expecting to hear a different story. Hopefully my next update is when the van gets delivered.

I found two options for a small low profile roof vent Ventline Vanair Roof Vent Model Number: VP-543SP Cost = $50 100CFM drawing 1.5amps http://www.etrailer.com/Enclosed-Trailer-Parts/Ventline/VP-543SP.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htbsOqSFjtY installed picture http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/pics/r/i/rid24341_r1_800.jpg I like this unit because it's pretty discrete - only sits up 2 5/16" above roof and is 8" in diameter Not sure if you would need an aux 12V battery to run this. 1.5amp draw is pretty low, right? Power = 1.5amps x 12vdc = 18watts I also like the dark black color, which looks more like some type of antenna than a vent. The second option is a solar powered plumbing vent. Advantage is no 12V power source needed so it's pretty simple This unit is about the same diameter but sits up a little higher at 3 3/4" and it's white. Ultra-fab Solar Powered Plumbing Vent Model Number: UF53-945081 Cost = $27 http://www.etrailer.com/Enclosed-Trailer-Parts/Ultra-Fab-Products/UF53-945001.html

carlb, congrats on getting your new van. it was worth the wait. it's a beauty for sure! thanks for sharing a pic. so shiny and clean. crossbar noise is always a bummer. we don't get much feedback on this forum about racks on a TC. from your pic, you've got the crossbars placed pretty far back. hope you are able to move it further forward.

@semperkeith - thanks for the link. I'd be a bit scared cutting a hole in a brand new van. maybe installing it underneath on a bracket so it's easily accessible is a less evasive option for me. we'll see. have you made any recent additions to your camper van?

@SemperKeith - thanks for the input. welcome back to the forum. It's been a while. I've checked out your pics before. you did some really nice camper add-ons to your van. the fan install came out really nice too. I think for the Gen 1 TC with the higher roof, that type of fan is a good solution. for the Gen 2 TC with only a 6ft roof, not so sure since the fan is more visible with the lower roof. I'd like to have something a bit more discrete since you can easily see it.

yeah, welcome to the forum and congrats on your new TC. but before we start talking, we need some pics of this new ride

welcome to the forum and congrats on your new van. saw you posted a few pics of your van in your new Gallery. very nice looking. http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/gallery/image/808-2014-transit-connect-xlt-van/ your van config is the same as mine to be in silver with windows on the slider. sweet! hey, wait, is that my van or did you order one? BTW - you can attach pics to your post by using the MY MEDIA option in the toolbar. the spell and grammar checker part I can't help you with

@NCRANCHERO I like the new pics too that you just posted in your gallery. Didn't know where to comment on them but it's a sweet looking ride Looks like a Secret Service vehicle. Stealthy! You sure do spend a lot of time in your TC. Glad you like it.

@bx77 - thanks for the info @ncranchero - thanks too. you already have 17,316 miles in two months of use on your 2014? Even 7,316 miles would be a lot. wow!

I sent my sales guy an email a few days ago telling him I've heard about transmission problems (hard shifting and fluid leaking) and asked him to contact Ford to find out what they are doing about these issues and how this affects my pending 2015 van. Below is his response: I have not heard of any such claim. The 2015 units are an ungraded unit from the 2014. They are very challenging to keep on the lot. Often you get folks on Forums simply creating issues that simply do not exist. If that situation existed, Ford would delay releasing these vehicles and/or have a recall on the vehicles. The vehicles all have excellent reliability ratings and have a 5/60 power train warranty. Extended warranties are also available which are significantly discounted through the Costco program. From reading the information, it sounds like an isolated scenario as I have not heard or seen anything like this type of situation. These are very well built vehicles and in very high demand in the marketplace.

thanks. I'm not leaving so far but my frustration level is pretty high

Robert - thanks for the link

no fluid leaking? When did you start driving your van? How many miles do you have so far?

When did you start driving your van? How many miles do you have so far? Was it leaking from the left driveshaft seal? I'd probably have service put a new driveshaft seal on to hold you until Ford comes up with a permanent fix.

If you're interested in transmission issues with other vehicles, check out some info/links I posted in the ProMaster City thread http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/2922-tc-competition-2015-dodge-promaster-city/?p=9062 There is a link to a decent technical discussion about transmissions, which I provided below as well. http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/02/zfs-9-speed-9hp-transmission-puts-dog-clutches-on-the-leash/

Just posted a thread with 2015 Compact Van Options with some discussion of the pending ProMaster City. Hard to keep the same subject in one thread so here's the link http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/3065-2015-compact-van-options/ As discussed in that other thread, the ProMaster City is using a 9-speed transmission that is currently in the 2014 Jeep Cherokee and is plagued with problems. Wanted to provide a few links that discuss this issue http://www.autonews.com/article/20140526/OEM06/305269979/jeep-9-speed-needs-a-reset-again http://blog.caranddriver.com/short-shift-jeep-cherokee-9-speed-automatic-gets-second-update-for-rough-shifting/ User comments with new Jeeps with this transmission Just purchased 2015 jeep Cherokee and within four days transmission needed to be replaced, no customer service with manufacturer or Kelly dealership in Just dropped off my 2015 Jeep Cherokee Latitude with 1500 miles off at the dealership. Blown transmission. What an unforgivable mistake the Jeep purchase was. Everyone warned me, but I got caught up in the hype. Such a shame. Rotten vehicle. Had my jeep less than 4 months and it was towed to the dealer today because it would not shift into drive. It is the worst automatic shifting vehicle I have ever owned. I hope whatever they do with software update fixes this. I love it otherwise but this is not a little issue!!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A 9-speed transmission sounds like overkill for the US market but I guess Fiat is trying to squeeze as much fuel economy as possible. Some posters below these articles noted that you'd have to be above 75-80mph to engage the 9th gear and it's geared more for Autobahn type driving, not US Highways. If you're interested in this new 9-speed transmission and transmissions in general, then check out the link below for a more technical discussion. This has some relevance to the 6-speed transmission for the TC and some of the hard shifting drivers are experiencing. http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/02/zfs-9-speed-9hp-transmission-puts-dog-clutches-on-the-leash/

My 2015 van is on order, produced and in transit, but with the recent reporting of transmission problems with the 2014 models, I decided to check to see what other van options are out there. Still not too many choices in this market sector. Below I summarized some thoughts regarding the available options and figured I'd share with the forum. I like the new ProMaster City because it's very similar to the TC in many respects so it's a viable alternative. The big issue is the unknown of how reliable it will be since it's a new design with some new components and a 9-speed transmission that's already having issues as noted in the Jeep Cherokee. The order window hasn't opened for this yet so realistically it could be 6+ months or longer till you can get one. Some pre-production models are floating around the US but probably you would be ordering it sight unseen but always have the right to change your mind later if needed. 2015 Nissan NV200 / 2015 Chevy City Express - The City Express is a re-badged NV200. To me the van doesn't look as good as a TC though my wife thinks "it's cute" so perhaps I'm missing something. Smaller 2.0L engine with less HP and Torque compared to the TC with better city gas mileage (24 vs 21) but not highway (26 vs 29). No trailer hitch option so you can't tow with it. Better drivetrain warranty at 5yr/100,000 miles. The TC is 5yr/60,000 miles. It's not a bad looking van and I've seen a lot of them on the road for fleet type use. If the NY City Taxis are using then they must be decent for city type driving, unless the drivers and mechanics have another opinion. 2014 RAM C/V Tradesman - Production has ended on this model a few months ago. No 2015's will be made in anticipation of its replacement, the ProMaster City. The C/V is a Dodge Caravan without seats and some amenities but with a beefed up suspension and transmission cooling. It looks very "mini-van" like from the outside if you get the optional windows on the sliders, rear quarter and back hatch. Because the C/V is 203" in length I thought I'd get a little extra cargo area length, but you need to have the seats positioned all the way forward in order to get that spec'd 99" of space, otherwise it's only about 87". The passenger seat does not fold forward so you don't get to use that area for extra long cargo. There is open space between the seats, no center console. The gear shifter is mounted on the dash, very strange location. The rear opening is a lift gate only, so if you have a low garage opening of 80" like I do, the hatch stands up to around 84", so that's a small problem. Lots of plastic around the rear hatch area reduces the height of the cargo area. The roof is sloped side to side and front to back so that reduces the cargo area as well. Seats were only two way on both sides, front/back and the seat back reclining somewhat. I had limited visibility at the visor at 6'-2, unlike the TC that has lots of head room with a nice big window view. The C/V has a V6 with lots of HP and torque but gas mileage is 18/26. Proven engine and transmission, hard to find these days with new vehicles. Made in Ontario Canada and priced competitively. 2015 RAM ProMaster City - The Tradesman is the cargo version. The RAM fleet manager at my local dealer was just told these won't be made until the March timeframe. It's a brand new van based on the Fiat Doblo from Europe. Everything about this vehicle is similar to the TC except there is no SWB version, only LWB. Made in the TOFAS plant in Bursa, Turkey and processed in Maryland like a TC having the cargo versions modified after import, which means probably a similar wait time to get one when ordering (4-6 months). Almost all the specs are the same or in some areas "one upped" so they can claim "best in class" bragging rights. Examples - HP - 178 vs 169 for the TC. Payload is 1,883 vs 1,620 pounds. Cargo Volume is 131.7 vs 128.6 cu-ft. Better drivetrain warranty at 5yr/100,000 miles. Some specs are still a bit vague but most are available. Gas mileage the same at 21/29. So how reliable is the new 9-speed transmission that it will have? If you search on this you'll find that this transmission was first used in the 2014 Jeep Cherokee and has had lots of mechanical problems. The bugs don't appear to be ironed out yet so not sure what the status is. The rear barn doors are a 60/40 split, with the bigger door on the driver's side. My preference is for 50/50 doors so it doesn't stick out any further than it needs to for tight parallel parking spaces. You can order windows for the slider doors and rear doors. The window panel on the ProMaster City appears to be not as wide compared to the TC. Not sure about the slider opening width between the two. Appearance wise it's a toss-up. Some aspects look better than the TC and others don't. I could live with either and be happy. Link to a review http://www.allpar.com/trucks/ram/ProMaster-city.html

When I said "they don't have much choice", I was referring to Ford. They need to fix this problem. Their reputation and product is at stake. The Nissan NV200's specs aren't as good as the TC but I haven't checked its reliability. I've been doing some research on small cargo vans the last week and I will make a post in the 2015 TC van thread regarding what I've found out. Stay tuned!

I had that same question at first. It's the drive shaft seal leaking problem. Chris posted that in another thread, which you've commented on. http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/3064-left-front-axle-leaking-transmission-fluid/#entry9057

glad you like the van, except for the recent problems, understandable. good to know it's working out for your special requirements. shows the versatility of the design. some others have posted recently about getting snow tires as well and where to source extra wheels. I'd be worried too, but I'm pretty confident that Ford will sort out this transmission problem soon. They don't have much choice since there is a lot at stake here. Luckily it's not a problem that leaves the van unusable, except when it's in the shop getting fixed, multiple times. when you get a chance, consider creating your own Photo Gallery, which is easy to do, and post some pics of your new ride and travels. you can easily attach pics from your Gallery to any posts you make (My Media option in the Toolbar). thanks

Chris, Thanks for sharing your info. Sorry to hear about the transmission leaking fluid. Below is the link to a pretty active thread documenting this very same problem along with hard shifting between gears 1/2 and 5/6. Have you experienced that problem also? http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/2972-2014-transit-connect-lt-lwb-transmission-shifting-issue-any-one/ Please keep us posted on what happens with your TC How do you like ride of the van? Thanks

Chris, thanks for the update Glad you got that fixed

appreciate your honest answer. thanks I plan to discuss the transmission issues with my sales rep and let him research it with Ford. The one part I don't get is aren't vehicles road tested and lab tested prior to production to put miles on it and find any problems before they start pumping them out? It's not like this problem is happening after 100,000 miles. It's right at the start of use with low miles. I'm totally bummed.

So you have less than 3,000 miles of city driving and you already have transmission fluid leaking. that's pretty messed up. So it's obvious that Ford has a big problem with either the design or on the manufacturing end or both and they know about it. In reading Jimmyboost's post, the driveshaft seals are faulty, the bushings and driveshaft are suspect. It's clear that Ford has already introduced some mods based on Jimmyboost's wording: "Three different LH bushings in the first transmission (including updated part)" and "Updated LH driveshaft with improved surface finish" but he's saying it hasn't fixed the leaking problem nor the hard shifting so Ford hasn't figured this problem out yet. All at the expensive of the owners with these vehicles. I'd love to know the percentage of failure for this. Usually it's only the ones with a problem that you hear from but in Johnyguy's case, he wouldn't have known about the leak if he didn't inspect the vehicle himself so there may be others out there that have no idea their transmissions are leaking fluid. As bad as it is having to get this repaired and Ford is paying the repair costs, what happens when the warranty is over, 5 years or 60,000 miles. Will you be spending thousand of dollars to fix these parts every few years because the transmission is sub-standard? I seriously thought about canceling my order that last few days after reading about these problems, even though my ordered van is already built and in transit. The sole reason for getting a new car was to buy me reliability and avoid the repair headaches I have with my 1995 wagon. heck, the wagon's transmission is a little clunky at times but at least it doesn't leak and it has 173,000 miles on it. Sorry I'm ranting but my overall enthusiasm for the TC is quickly fading. I've got a few weeks before this van hits the dealer's lot so I hope others can post some positive news regarding these transmission problems.

@johnyguy i checked out your pics. that doesn't look very good. is that your transmission or from your last oil change? BTW - any pics that you have in your gallery you can easily attach to your posts. In the toolbar above is an option labeled "My Media". Select that and then select a pic from your gallery. Easy peasy Also noticed that the file size limit for File Attachments is now 4.88MB. used to be something like 500KB. That's cool.