Beta Don

We bought the TC for exactly that reason - It's much more comfortable to drive long distances in, has a much bigger cargo area, is way easier to load and unload and the passenger vs cargo usage is much more versatile than the hatchback we replaced. We leave the rear seats in it when we're using it to haul the grandkids around and we take them out when it's just the two of us doing long distance touring - Gives us plenty of room to haul our Segways and they are much easier to load and unload with the flat floor being as low as the rear bumper. All that with nearly 30 mpg makes it the most practical vehicle for us, no matter what we want to do with it - Now if it would just do a U-turn in 20 feet and fit in a parking space meant for a Smart Car, we'd pretty much have it all Don

From what the 'experts' told me, the OEM back-up camera is a digital CanBus unit and is not compatible with the Pioneer which needs a standard video camera, so if you want the picture on the larger radio screen you have to install a new camera which uses a co-axial video cable - Mount a new camera and run a new cable to the rear of the van - I wasn't interested in doing that So, when I 'wasted' $75 on the first interface harness to install the Pioneer only to discover that it did away with the back-up camera I was more than just a little pissed - If you publish a half page of specifications for everything your interface does, you could at least mention that it does away with the camera and you would have to buy and install a new one. I contacted the 'experts' at Crutchfield again about the Axxess XSVI-5524-NAV harness I was looking at and they told me 'none of the harnesses for your Ford retain the camera' . . . . so I called Axxess directly the following Monday and they told me the opposite - It doesn't mess with the camera, so I ordered that one and installed it - Works perfectly. There is an add-on kit if you have steering wheel controls and you want them to work The problem with these new-fangled CanBus controlled cars is that all the info an aftermarket radio needs is on the Bus, so you have to use a little electronic box to pick off the signals you want and send them to the radio - The Axxess XSVI-5524-NAV harness does that and it works with the late model TC's Don

No - No front plate required in Mississippi. As a plus, we can stick *anything* we like on the front where the plate would go, so I ordered me a German license plate "14 TC XLT" to go there. I'll post a picture when it comes in and I get it installed The stainless grille pieces are high quality and look much better in person than they do in n the picture. They install with double faced tape and they include a 'primer' to rub on the plastic to make them stick better. I think they're on there permanently - It would be next to impossible to get them off without bending them I agree they could have done half a dozen things to make the front end look better - The basic style is similar to the Ford cars, but the way they implemented in on the TC makes it look like a cheap truck, at least to me. If you have an XL work van where half the front end is all black, the grill doesn't look as out of place as it does on an XLT where the bumper cover is the same color as the rest of the van Still waiting on a few pieces to install my new Fog/DRL combination lights. We're going to Gatlinburg for a week, so the install will be after that Don

I *knew* I'd get a comment on that - Actually, it won me a bet! Don

A picture (sorry it's not a better one . . . . couldn't get in the back seat for a better angle) of the installed Pioneer AVIC 6100 NEX CD/DVD Nav receiver installed in the dash The upper screen displays the date, time and temperature and it still functions as the OEM back-up camera Don

Well, since nobody else was in any hurry to order this kit, I bought it and installed it. Looks pretty nice, IMO I think that massive faux 'bumper' in the middle would look better with a Euro license plate there - Think that will be my next addition. It's obviously the same bumper used on the Euro models . . . . there's a 21" recess there and the Euro tags are 20" long Don

Anybody know if the OEM fog lights on the 14 and newer TC's are CanBus connected or not? I'd like to install LED lamps while I'm in there adding DRL's to my fog lights because changing the bulbs is an all day proposition, but if the lights are activated by the CanBus, I'll need external resistors to make them work and I'd want to order the resistors before I take the van apart Thanks! Don

I have the Ford book of wiring diagrams for a 2014 model - It's more than 300 pages. I bought it on eBay for less than $20 Don

Of course the capacity of the battery you use should be based on the amp draw of the load you intend it to run and how many hours you expect to need it between when the engine is shut off and when it will be started again. For running a small portable refrigerator or other light loads, an AGM motorcycle battery may be all you'd need. An AGM is an excellent choice because they are sealed and there's no chance of a spill and they can also be more deeply discharged than a standard flooded battery without harming them. An AGM for a Honda Gold Wing is about 17.5 amp hours and these are only 4 inches or so wide and not too heavy. You can get one for $100 to $125. I think there might be room in a passenger van to put one behind the panels in front of the tail lights, completely hidden away. Strap it down securely wherever you decide to mount it As someone mentioned earlier, be sure you fuse the positive wire both at the vehicle battery under the hood and at the auxiliary battery where ever you choose to mount it - If that #6 (or larger) wire somehow gets pinched and the conductor makes contact with the van's chassis, the power in either battery could cause the wire to completely melt and very likely cause a fire Don

That's what the mercury switch is for - Unless the liftgate is up which closes the mercury switch, there's no power to the LED's - Tapping into the interior lights would require running a wire from them into the liftgate - Using a mercury switch is so much simpler . . . . especially since I already have both the lights and the switch in my junkbox! Don

A question for our European owners - I'm assuming this picture is of a euro model because of the front license plate http://www.eurocampers.com/2014--2016-Ford-Transit-Connect-4pc-Chrome-Grille-Accent-Kit_p_1699.html Does anyone know if the uppermost grille bar without the Ford emblem is available from dealers anywhere in Europe? I would sure like to find me a source for the part - I think the front end looks so much better without that HUGE Ford emblem Don

Thanks for the photos. I notice when I lift the tailgate, my parking lights come on automatically and so does the license plate light. It should be pretty easy to install an LED light on the inside of the liftgate and with a mercury switch so it only lights when the liftgate is raised, it will make a very useful light to illuminate the cargo area when loading or unloading Don

When used to link two batteries together, I would not consider a #12 to be 'heavy gauge' by any definition. As is pointed out in the link Dan provided, a #6 should be the minimum and it does say larger would be even better. If the auxiliary battery is at all depleted, the alternator would try to put 50 amps or more on that charge wire and the resistance in 20 feet of #12 wire would cause it to drop several volts (the actual number for 20 feet of #12 and a 50 amp charge would be a drop of 4 volts - The same calculations for #6 would be 1/10th that, or just 0.4 volts) which would not only delay the charging, but it would also cause the wire to heat up. Unless your auxiliary battery is very small, such as a 4 to 6 AH motorcycle battery, I would really look at running a large gauge wire. I don't see any problem running a single hot wire so long as you have a good ground connection in the cargo area for the negative wire Don

I don't see how it could 'distract' anybody - The number is less than 1/4 by 1/4 inch, right next to the 'S' on the display - You've really gotta be looking for it to see it at all. It would have been nice if they'd just made it standard in all modes Don

We had one of the EV's out today. Parked it at Lowes for about an hour in bright noon time sun. Came out and got in the car and you could see a faint line across the dark gray dashboard - It's a slightly different color where it's 'shaded' by the tint . . . . not a great deal of difference, you have to look for it. Anyway, we put a hand on the shaded part and it was warm, but put your hand on the unshaded part and it's HOT!! Easily a temperature difference of 25 or 30 degrees This 3M Crystalline tint really does what they say it does - Expensive when compared to the price of ordinary tint, but really worth it IMO Don

I really *like* the digital readout of what gear I'm in when using the Select Shift mode - How hard would it have been for them to make that readout there all the time? Bet it would be nearly impossible to change anything to make it happen now Don

Sorry, but that's from 25 years ago . . . . not 5 My car radio back then had a cassette player in it Don

I guess that's all the more reason to buy the stripped down model and then install whatever you like afterwards - You get a more modern unit which is easily upgradeable and in the end, it still costs you less money than paying the ridiculous option price for the factory Nav/Infotainment system Don

I bought a 30" piece of the 3M Crystalline 70% and had a 10" strip of it installed on the TC and our 2 electric cars. It's very easy to see through and hardly noticeable at all from outside the vehicle - I seriously doubt I'll ever have a problem with the legal eagles busting me for having tint which comes down too far As for how to install it - I had a professional do it and he first cleaned the windshield inside and out. He wet the outside upper portion of the windshield and placed the strip of tint on the wet glass with the protective film facing upward. He smoothed the tint to fit the glass using a squeegee and a heat gun until it lay flat on the glass with all the water squeegeed out from under it and then he cut it to size using the edges of the windshield as a pattern - Both sides and across the top. Then he wet the inside with soapy water, peeled off the clear protective layer and installed it on the inside. Again, with a squeegee and a heat gun he flattened the tint to the contour of the windshield A helpful hint for anyone wanting to do this - The TC's rear view mirror cannot be removed and replaced. He very carefully cut a teardrop shaped hole in the tint while it was on the outside of the glass so when he installed it on the inside it could be slipped up behind the plastic molding surrounding the mirror base. It's invisible when done. He did remove the mirror to do the job on our EV's, but he's learned from experience not to even try to remove the mirror from the TC Our local tint shop charged me $15 for the install. I guarantee you I could not have done this half as well by myself. It took him less than 20 minutes and it's a perfect job - No streaks, no bubbles, no marks of any kind and it fits perfectly. Best $15 I've spent in a long time Don

I wouldn't say it's dumb by any means . . . . probably because I've done many similar things myself over the years. Most recently, I put a new turbo-diesel in a 30 year old boat I had bought for $15K. By the time the engine and all the other mods were done, I had close to $45K in it. Took one long trip in it, preformed even better than expected, but you don't even want to know how much I lost when I sold it Others might say 'dumb' but you and I would call it exciting and really rewarding when all that $$$ and hard work comes out better than we had any reason to hope for It's not easy to repower newer vehicles with the computer running everything - We're all going to learn a bunch from your conversion and everyone of us wishes you well - You're going to have a real hot rod when you're finished!! Don

We did a good bit of research on the newer TC's before we bought one - We didn't even consider a 2010 to 2013 as they only came with four speed transmissions and I wanted the benefits of the six speed. I originally wanted the 1.6 turbo too, but Ford has had it's share of problems with that engine here in the USA. Most every problem in the first 50K has been covered under the 5/50 powertrain warranty, but sometimes it takes a few weeks to get your van back - It took our dealer six days just to fix our passenger side power window. If I was going to buy the 1.6, I would definitely have to purchase some sort of extended powertrain warranty and I *hate* extended warranty plans which I consider to be a major rip-off - Very few who buy them ever get their money's worth Before this purchase of our '14 TC, every vehicle I have ever owned has had a manual transmission. I've always preferred manuals to automatics, but the new series of six speed, manually shiftable automatics has me rethinking things. I'm not as young as I used to be and getting stuck in a half hour traffic jam, moving one car length at a time in our manual trans car has gotten to be a real pain lately - I'm about wore out by the time we get where we're going. We've only had our TC for 5 or 6 weeks now and my very first automatic is really growing on me. I love downshifting it when slowing as I've always been used to doing and I like the dash display that shows me which gear I'm in. We've taken three trips in it already and I'm not missing my manual transmissions at all The 2.5L four has nearly the same fuel mileage ratings as the turbo 1.6 (we're getting right at 30 mpg at 70 mph) and though it is missing a bit of torque compared to the 1.6, the 6 speed auto makes up for much of that - We're not drag racing the van and we do occasionally pull a trailer with it and it amazes me what the little four can do - The transmission's ratios are really tuned to the engines output. It's a very easy combination to live with, even if you prefer manuals. When it comes to long term reliability, I think the 2.5 engine has it all over the 1.6 - Just my personal opinion, mind you Since the original poster is looking for a higher mileage van to convert to a manual trans, the lack of a factory warranty won't be a big concern and maybe he can repair his own engine should he ever have problems, but I couldn't and I would really worry about that engine as it gets up there in miles - It's not a cheap engine to repair. A major failure could cost more than the van would be worth As always, to each his own - If we all liked the same exact things, it would be a very boring world! Don

The OEM radio in our van didn't have a USB connection - If it had, my choice for something to navigate with and play music may have been different. We would probably have just stuck with our old tried and true Garmin GPS even though plugging and unplugging it every time you get in and out of the van has always been a real pain. If we had a USB connection (like we do now) playing music from a phone or a USB stick is the easy way to go, of course. Our other, older cars both came with the USB option on the standard radio - Our TC did not, so some sort of an upgrade was necessary I bought a touch screen Garmin Nuvi 550 about ten years ago for use on my motorcycle nd I'm still using it today. It's waterproof and has a built in replaceable battery. On the bike (or in the car) I always used it plugged in, but I also use it on battery power when touring new towns on our Segways - It's great for finding your way around a town you've never been to before. The battery lasts 6 to 8 hours and I carry a spare in case I need to go longer. I can recharge the batteries either from car power, 120 volts or from my laptop. I update the maps every year by installing a new mini SD card I buy on eBay for about $20. It's as close to a 'do everything' GPS as any I've owned, but the screen is pretty small. For the van, I wanted something built-in with a larger touch screen so I don't have to remove it every time we leave the van - Leaving a GPS or a tablet locked in the van is an invitation to thieves, whereas the built in Pioneer is useless to anyone if it's stolen. The maps in the Pioneer are also easy to update by downloading them and installing them from a USB stick To each his own - We all have very different 'solutions' to the same problem I scanned the forum for tips on how to go about upgrading to a Nav system and when I didn't find anything here, I posted my findings on the easiest (I think) way to upgrade a late model TC to a built-in Nav unit for those who aren't fortunate enough to have the top of the line Ford Nav system. I hope this saves a few others some time and trouble - I originally bought an aftermarket harness for my install and it did away with my OEM back-up camera and that wasn't a satisfactory solution, at least not for me Don

We were debating on how and where to install a good GPS unit (not easy on this van with the dash designed the way it is) and then we like playing music either from our phones or a USB stick and our OEM radio didn't allow for either, so we opted for the Pioneer AVIC-6100NEX and that solved both issues. It has a good touchscreen GPS that is visible even in bright light. Now that everything's working right, we're pretty happy with the install Don

OK, for 2014 and up TC's, the easy way to install an aftermarket radio with Nav is to buy the Axxess XSVI-5524-NAV harness for $50. This gives you the Vss Nav signal, the reverse signal, the parking brake signal and it retains RAP (Retained Accessory Power) so the radio stays on after you shut off the key until you open a door like the factory radio does. It allows you to keep the OEM back-up camera on the TC's upper screen, but it does NOT give you steering wheel controls. They do make an accessory harness which plugs into the XSVI-5524-NAV which does add the steering wheel controls. I didn't buy that accessory so I can't comment on how it works This harness makes it MUCH easier than trying to wire it up yourself. I went that route with some success, but never did find the Vss signal, nor did I have RAP - When you turned off the key, everything went dead. I *like* this harness much better! Don

Well, I eventually got the van back. Took it in on a Tuesday because the passenger window rolled up or down in 1.5 inch increments. They called me Wednesday morning to tell me they would have to order a new motor. They said I could rent a car if needed. Called again Friday after they put in the new window motor to tell me it still wasn't fixed and I wouldn't get it before Monday. Again, offered a rental car if I needed one. Monday about noon they called and said it's fixed. 99% sure it didn't need a new window motor and the eventual fix (when they finally found it) was something to do with programming Anyway . . . . since they kept my car for a week for a simple programming fix, and I didn't hit them up for a rental car, they relented on the $99 'diagnostic fee' for the rear window fuse replacement and I got the van back for no charge - A week late, but no charge Don