Fifty150

My car is a 2016. I've spent some money on aftermarket modifications. Backup camera. Radio. USB power ports. LED lights. LED light bar. I bought most of the stuff from Amazon. I added what I wanted because my barebones commercial model came with nothing. Only an AM radio. I bought a set of tires. That's normal wear. I'll buy a new battery sooner or later. Normal wear. Wiper blades. Normal wear. I bought tires from a tire shop. Not the dealership. Didn't feel the need to buy OEM tires. I'll probably buy the battery from Costco. I'm not spending double at the dealership for a battery. Costco sells Interstate batteries, and they are priced about half of what a dealership charges for Motorcraft. You can buy whatever wipers you like, from any store. 29" wiper blades are expensive, no matter what you buy. It's 2022. I've had it for 6 years. The only maintenance for me has been oil changes, and transmission fluid change. When I changed the air filter the 1st time, I installed an oiled filter. That's it's own controversy and debatable. I got a case of oil filters from Amazon. 12 Motorcraft oil filters were $15. I buy oil where there is a sale, and/or rebate. No preference. Wal-Mart and Costco both sell motor oil for a good price. I expect to change the spark plugs sooner or later. Amazon had Autolite Iridium spark plugs, in a 4 pack, for $9.64. Autolite had a $3 rebate per spark plug. Autolite sent me a $12 rebate, for spark plugs that I paid $9. I expect to replace the brakes sooner or later. I haven't bought those parts yet. I do not foresee anything in the way of major mechanical repair that I will do myself. I am hoping that I don't have an engine or transmission failure. These vans aren't plagued with cooling system failures, even though it's a somewhat sophisticated cooling system. Radiator, thermostat, fan, sensors, and valves all seem to be working without reported failures. I haven't read on the forum where people are reporting failures in the air conditioning. Although for decades, Fords have been known to have failures with the blend door actuators in different models. My biggest issue has been the leaking windshield. That's been fixed under recall. You may not be ordering a lot of parts. What parts did you think you were going to have a hard time ordering?

I get by with FORScan

I buy from anyplace with the best pricing and availability. I start with Ford Parts to find the right part and part number. I can usually find an auto parts distributor selling the parts for less than dealer price. Online sellers often have better pricing. A local distributor usually has parts in stock. Online sellers ship within days. Ford dealer only if I need the parts immediately, and nobody else has it. A lot of times, I will buy aftermarket parts. I don't care if it's a Motorcraft part.

I have no idea about the European market. In the US, Ford has a website. More than likely, there is an EU version of this.

Maybe. I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe he's talking about where the winch system mounts to the bottom of the vehicle. That part just happened to be on the side of the road, as I was walking along. It looks exactly like it will fit my Transit Connect. But it may not. I haven't tried it. There are no markings on it with a manufacturer name or part number. Just my suspicion that it's a part which is used on other makes and models. Low Speed Pursuit, back to chasing OJ.

I found this on the side of the road. Yeah, now I have 2. I suspect that this particular part is used on other vehicles also. Not just Transit Connect. So it's probably easier to find. People lose things like this all the time. They change the tire. Then they threw the flat tire into the trunk, "the boot", the truck bed, the back seat...... and drive off. I've lost all sorts of bits and pieces. And those little parts are often very expensive. In some cases, it is almost impossible to replace. Most of those things are only important if you are restoring an old vehicle, and you have to have everything original. Otherwise, you may be able to find something like it in the aftermarket auto parts world. With this piece, I would try a junkyard.

I had one. Worked okay. Maybe better to look up at the mirror, than looking down at the dash, when reversing. I still like looking over my shoulder. Mine was a cheap one from Amazon. It still worked. You probably have something nicer. Just a few days ago, I got a better radio with a screen. Then I removed the backup camera monitor on the mirror, and ran the wire to the new radio. Something you can think about doing, before you install the mirror monitor. There are already threads on reprogramming to "dark mode". Also threads on installing backup cameras, radios, extra power ports, etc. You may want to read the thread on exchanging automatic transmission fluid. If the 2016 van had the original battery, that's probably why it died. It's old. That battery was 6 years . Batteries usually have a 36 month warranty. There's a thread about upgrading to a better battery. Questionable about what "better" means. Maybe more cranking amps. But the factory battery starts fine. Will it last longer? My 2016 still has the original battery. My F-150 OEM battery lasted 9 years. An Optima battery which costs twice as much only lasted 5 years.

A lot of useable parts on that car. This is the chance for people who want things like the door stopper, or seats.

In my van, I found that replacing the OEM light bulbs with LED was enough to make the interior bright enough. At least for my eyes. You might want to try that first. The backup cameras are now very inexpensive online. A few things to consider are how to run the wires, and what type of monitor you plan to use. Do you already have an aftermarket radio with a screen that you can use for a monitor? Are you installing a monitor? There are also wireless camera and monitor kits, so that you don't have to do as much work.

It usually helps to have the correct part. Whenever you don't have the correct part, and "try to make it work" - you take a chance.

The dash kits are over $100. That's the most expensive part.

I really like that cloth tape also. I only wish I knew about it, half a lifetime ago. My favorite application for it is running wiring inside of motorcycle handlebars. But that is only specific to custom Harley Davidson motorcycles. I got what I paid for. The radio works. The Android Auto works sometimes. Sometimes it connects. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes the screen says that it's connecting and loading the phone data, and it stays that way until I unplug the phone. I don't know what I can do about troubleshooting it. Assuming my phone works. Assuming the radio, since it's new, works. I know that it can work. The only thing that I can physically do about it is buy one of those USB cables made for high speed data. At the moment, I just have a power cable for charging. If a better cable doesn't fix it, then it's probably the radio. Which still isn't too bad. I can still connect via Bluetooth for hands free calling and streaming music. The SD card and USB both play all the music and videos. I just won't be able to use the big screen for the navigation application from the phone.

Thanks for the timely reply. I'll note, that for anyone else who bought the cheapest van on the lot, with an AM/FM only radio, that there is a different dash kit. It comes with different parts. There is a sub-dash bracket. And if you are also installing a backup camera, the curved dashboard on the drivers side pops off just like the piece in the center, if you need more access to run the wiring. Since it is so basic, a stripped down commercial model with AM/FM only, encountered zero problems with changing the radio. No steering wheel controls, 4.3" display, or Ford Sync not working. Everything on the new radio worked. The hard part was trying to line up the new radio with the cutout for the dash kit. In case it helps anyone else out, Amazon sells the installation wire harness kit, which also comes with the antenna adapter. It works. I used solder seal connectors, and wire loom cloth tape. The radio that I bought was from Amazon. Nothing special. It offers just a little bit more than the OEM AM/FM. I really can't expect much when the radio only cost $13.59. The price of $67.94 is for a 5 pack. How do they sell something like that, for that price? I don't care. I've got new radios in every car.

You could also buy something from Amazon. If it doesn't work, return it.

You need a diagnostic code reader capable of reading the computer module which controls the brakes. Most code readers, the inexpensive ones, do not read brake codes. They usually only read codes from the engine or powertrain control modules. Try FORScan first. FORScan is very comprehensive, and may be able to read brake codes. See if a local auto parts store has a code reader capable of reading brake codes. I don't know if stores have equipment for that. Auto parts stores usually read diagnostic codes for free, because they want to sell you the auto repair parts. Or you pay for a diagnostic at whatever price a shop or dealer will charge you. They plug in a very expensive code reader. Maybe, you buy the very expensive code reader and buy a license for Ford IDS, and do it yourself. https://www.fordtechservice.dealerconnection.com/vdirs/wds/diagnosticsites/vcmdvd/mcs/idssoftware.asp

The installation kit comes with a harness for the blue wire. The blue wire is usually for power to an amplifier. Before I take apart the dash and remove the radio, does the base model even have a powered amplifier? Do I even need to hook up that wire to the aftermarket radio harness?

Custom upholstery. A good shop will be able to build a more comfortable seat. Different types of foam. Different cover. They could build in heat pads. Vibrating massagers. The frame could be built to offer a different recilne angle. The only construction is adding the airbag sensor to the bottom - if you want to retain that function. You can do whatever you want. Really. People have flipped the seats around to face backward. It's up to you to decide if you want to have a "legal" and/or safe passenger seat. I would first try some pillows and seat pads. Any outlandish "pimp my ride" or "overhaulin'" type of build is possible. But you may not be able to rely on the seat belt or airbag system for safety once the passenger area is reconfigured.

I hope you have a good jacket.

The cabin air filter has nothing to do with temperature.

Nothing is available. You can get a padlock and/or lock hasp. Don't drill into the gas cap door. Use epoxy.

I'm reading, "See pennzoil.com/warrnty for details" Whatever those details are, I don't know. I haven't read it. Nor am I going to read it. I am pretty sure that one of the conditions of the "warranty" is using only Pennzoil products. And most people will either trade the car in, or sell it, well before 500,000 miles. I would say "good luck" with trying to get them to honor the warranty. More than likely, there's enough fine print for them to not honor the warranty, or prorate the warranty. Imagine if you bought a car back in 2007. Okay, my F-150 is an 07. The cost of buying a replacement engine, is $2,627. I would imagine labor being another $XXX, depending on whatever a local shop charges for labor. Somehow, I'm not motivated by that "warranty". My truck has used everything from very expensive boutique brands, to the lowest price oil from WalMart & Amazon, and whatever it is that they use at discount lube shops. I've spent over $20 on a filter, and less than $2 on a filter. The truck runs fine. I noticed no gains or setbacks, from high priced oil to low priced oil. I see no advantage to being loyal to any brand or formulation.

Did you set up a screen to keep the bees out of the cockpit?

A project like that will go the way of installing a manual transmission. At least one person has tried. I don't see the happy ending.

Part luck. Part odds and driving conditions. I've driven a lot of different cars over the years. My Jeep from years back, needed 2 new windshields. I thought it was because of the angle facing the road. I've never had to replace the windshield on any of my other personal cars. Although, the 1st week I owned the Transit Connect, a rock struck the windshield and made a good divot. A windshield shop filled it. Since then, I haven't had any more windshield damage. With work cars, that's a different story. I had a year where I got 3 cracked windshields. Over the years, I've lost count. But I must have gotten at least 6 or 8 cracked windshields driving company vehicles. Maybe because the odds stacked against me with all of the miles driven commercially. The only thing that I am sure of, is that there is no way to avoid or prevent road debris from breaking my windshield. It just happens.