Tiller

That's a good idea. I'll have to look at that. I never thought of that. It would be nice when sleeping in the TC to have overhead lights. I'll check that out. Thanks! Tiller

I have the sunglass compartment and the control buttons for the skylight screen up there. BTW: the sunglass compartment looks like crap. The Honda and Acura models have a much nicer and simplistic design for their sunglasses holder. I have thought about putting them up top but was thinking that when wiring up multiple switches, running the wires up in the dash would be easier than up the pillars into the overhead area. Of course it depends on what is being wired. But that was my thought anyway. If it blocks your view have you considered taking it out and and cutting some of it back? You might be able to do a passable job yourself or you might need to cut it and then take it to a shop to have it recovered or otherwise redone.

I settled on the Klymit Static V Recon sleeping pad. The width fit the space right, it got good reviews except for it's R-value and was relatively cheap at $55. Since I would normally use this in the car I wasn't worried about this being directly on the ground. And it can be used for backpacking too but a ground tarp is needed in cooler weather. There is an insulated version of this pad for $100 if anyone is interested in that instead. You might bottom out a bit in these depending on how you sleep and what your weight and shape is. I bottomed out a few times, but primarily when I laid directly on a hip when sleeping on one side or the other. But it was fine for me. If you're around 200 or under you are probably Ok. 215-220 lbs and up will probably not be all that comfortable. I like that it stores small, blows up very easily, (yes, about 10 breaths as claimed). https://www.klymit.com/static-v-recon.html

I spent the past week in VA at a K9 Search & Rescue training seminar. We slept in the TC instead of the cabins. So glad we did! Cabins had multiple people and K9's in them. One little noise and 2-5 dogs barking. Which would get the next cabins dogs going. ? Plus the cabins were often very hot at night as it was unseasonably warm this past week. It took well into the morning for them to cool down on some nights I was told. Having the auto start on the TC was awesome as was the global window up and down. Climb in the back, go to bed and lock the doors, global up the windows, remote auto start the TC and the AC cooled the car down and shuts off. A few nights I woke up and tapped the auto start for some additional cooling. Awesome. While out training I could put the dog up, global up the windows and auto start the car to cool her down. Then global down the windows once she got cooled down a bit. Was wonderful. Here's a couple of pics at night with it in sleeping configuration. (One occupant already in bed).

I've had the LED strip lights for months now, in both blue and white. I just haven't gotten them installed yet. Time.. time.. time... I probably won't screw with headlights at this time. No overpowering reason to spend the money right now. i will wait until a bulb blows out and it needs replacing. Unless for some reason I start having electrical issues and need to lower the overall draw on the system. But I'm not seeing any now. I'd rather spend the money on off-road lights to mount on the roof rack rail and mount the switches on that panel on the dash. I have pulled the panel and found that once it's removed, if I remove the two rear clips from the panel and reinstall it, it is much easier to remove. The fit still seems fine and I'm not getting any additional noise or vibration from having done so. I've got about 1000 miles on it now since I removed the rear two clips and no issues. Once I get the switches in and fully wired, and I don't see a future need to access the panel very often, I'll reinstall the rear clips again.

I'll probably pull that panel in week or two. It might be possible to "modify" and hinge the existing panel so it serves the same purpose. There are some nice dash switches available that I think could be mounted on that panel for easy access by the driver. One of those switched FZ-blocks that Don had posted about would fit in that space I'm sure. It's a short run to the battery for power for it. The wires could be worked down behind the dash maybe. Being able to open that panel easily would be nice for accessing any wiring needs or changes. I'm thinking something along the lines of this, but I'd want maybe even a lower profile. This would be mostly for extras like exterior floodlights, maybe additional interior lights since the stock interior lights pretty much suck.

I wonder if I could order that one part from Europe and if it would be a direct replacement? Assuming of course I order the hinge assembly with it.

Thanks Don!!!

Has anyone removed the dash panel in front of the steering wheel? I understand that in some European models this is actually a small compartment. I'm interested in seeing if I can remove it so I can mount some switches on it and run the wiring down behind the dash. Thanks! Tiller

That's the front window with the electric defrosting?

Going to cal the insurance company today and see about a replacement before the cold weather gets here.

That's sad. I can't say I'm impressed with my dealer at all. After having a bunch of Toyota's the difference between the Toyota and Ford dealerships is night and day. I'm glad they finally got it done. I just don't understand it. I might try another Ford dealership for future service and see if they are any better.

I just noticed a crack in my windshield this weekend. I didn't notice it because it is close to the top behind the black frit at the top. It started from a tiny impact I guess, I can see a small "star" of about 1/4" about two inches from the top. The crack runs to the top of the window. It also runs down behind the where the mirror and sensors attach and then behind my EZ-pass. It's why I didn't see it until yesterday. I'm guessing I need to replace this before running the front window defroster probably. Tiller

As n update to the global windows issue. My dealer FINALLY got the global windows up option to work. It only took three visits to the dealership along with the dealer submitting two tickets to FORD. Along the way they claimed a board was issuing an error had to be replaced so they had to order it. I believe they said it was called the BDU? That accounted for the third visit. Once that was installed they had to reprogram all my keys, (which they didn't realize in advance and it required us making a special trip over to take the other spare keys to them while the TC was there). I love having this feature available now! It only took a year!!!

Thanks Windguy. I still need interior lighting yet and under the floor lighting. Planning on using LED tape underneath. No porta-potty for me in the van. I carry a folding spade in the TC or in my backpack with me if I'm really camping somewhere with no facilities. Otherwise its campground restrooms, roadside travel plazas and truck stops or a fast food joint. I'm rarely in beach areas where I can see it might be hard to find the necessary privacy. In the woods of PA, that's usually not an issue.