Fifty150

Doesn't Kia/Hyundai/Daewoo offer a 10 year warranty on their cars?

No instructions with your camera? Sounds like you need a factory service manual.

Don, Dealerships can be good or bad, depending on when you walk into them. With turnover, you simply get some people who are better at what they do, and sometimes you get someone who is not so good. The same goes for the sales staff. And that is at every brand. I've encountered good and bad, at Honda, Ford, Chevy.....you name it. When I bought the Transit Connect, I went to the dealership closest to my house. Salesman there was fixed on trying to sell me the highest priced car, instead of the car that I wanted. I pointed out that the car I wanted was right there on the lot, and he insisted that it was already sold to someone else. So I left. A few days later, he calls me and says that the car I wanted was now available. Then he would not negotiate on price, and said something about cars today are sold at asking price (sticker) because.....blah, blah, blah. I get the car I want, from another dealership........are you ready for this? I paid what I wanted, not the asking price. 5 weeks later, I get a call from the first dealership. A sales manager wanted to follow up with why they didn't get to close the deal. I told him the story. He apologized and explained that the salesman has since been fired, and that was why he was following up to see if he could salvage any of the lost business. In compensation, he offered a free oil change, and asked if they could at least have my business for service and recalls. My girlfriend went to a Honda dealership where the service advisor told her that every Honda had to have a full service (transmission service, spark plugs, coolant exchange, brakes, and alignment) annually, in order for her new car warranty to be valid. She said she'll check her calendar and call back to schedule a service when she can leave the car there for a few days. He sang a different tune when I brought the same car back. I went to the manager of the dealership, and politely inquired as to why his service advisors were cheating customers. As if women can't read the owners manual or service schedule, or warranty guidelines. While at the service manager desk, I called the Bureau of Automotive Repair and asked to file a complaint. But then again, you get good service reps. I've had service people work on cars as "after warranty adjustment" and gotten work done free.

Looks like The Police are driving Transit Connects now. May not be a good idea to flash lights at them.

Scan Gauge II is a great tool. 10 years ago, I paid $$$ and loved it. Today, i can do the same thing with a $5 OBD II port reader w/ bluetooth, & a free app.

Don, Reminds me of how 10 years ago, people were "hypermiling". Guys were getting almost 50 MPG with a Ford Ranger.

Sounds rough. I guess I'm just lucky to live in an urban concrete jungle, where it does not snow.

Sounds like the car has a mind of it's own......and it doesn't like you.

On the outside, it looks like the latch release is electronically activated by pressing a button where the license plate light is. You should be able to tap into the wiring and install a switch.

My ex said that was where my brains are.

A good fabricator would probably be able to use a lot of Focus parts on the Transit Connect. But I really don't think it would be as easy for an amatuer hobbyist to simply swap parts. I'm sure that you'll encounter some fitment issues.

I treat this van like a car, not a 4WD truck. So I'm a little more cautious. If I wouldn't drive my Honda in the mud, I wouldn't take this van in the mud. I try my best to drive this van only on pavement, and not in snow or mud.

On my 2016, if you leave all the lights turned on and turn the ignition off, the computer will turn the lights off so that you don't return to a dead battery. In the past, I installed a device called a Priority Start to disconnect the battery if lights were left on. How times have changed. http://www.mcssl.com/store/prioritystart/12vpromax 12v ProMax View Full Size SKU: PSI-12V-PROMAX$117.95 Quantity PriorityStart! 12Volt ProMax TOTALLY AUTOMATIC Vehicle Battery Protector •Don't get stuck with a dead battery, Get started with PriorityStart! •AUTOMATICALLY DISCONNECTS; any drain on battery (when engine is off), even a short, leaving starting power, NO dead battery! •AUTOMATICALLY RECONNECTS; simply put foot on brake, or operate light switch, any small load change and start the vehicle. No button to push, or raising the hood •Do-it-yourself installation 3 easy steps - No hard wiring. Easy to attach: Connect your vehicle positive cable to PriorityStart! attach PriorityStart! cable to your positive post. Attach the ground wire to the batteries negative post – that’s it! •20 years proven technology protecting vehicle battery alternators, electrical system, your family and your wallet, used by thousands of law enforcements, utilities and fleets, many using: 2way/CB radios, radar, GPS, Dual batteries, chargers, TV, monitors etc. PriorityStart! is a totally automatic heavy duty electro-mechanical computerized on/off switching device. Designed to protect a battery, keeping it from going dead, preventing damage to battery, alternator, and electrical system, at the same time providing peace of mind, and safety, while saving you time and money. If battery voltage drops below 11.7 volts (when engine is off), it AUTOMATICALLY disconnects the load, battery voltage immediately recovers, and No dead battery. AUTOMATICALLY reconnects with small load change (0.2mV) i.e. operate headlight switch, step on brake pedal, power seat, etc. No raising the hood (potentially dangerous), No remote to carry, No buttons to push. Totally automatic and pays for itself first time used. A dead battery costs you time and money, first time a battery goes dead you have damaged more than half the battery life. Protect your family, your wallet, and your time with PriorityStart! Weight: 1.5 lbs Quantity & Prices: 01 - 02, $117.95 03 - 11, $107.95 12 - 23, $99.95 24 - 35, $95.95 36 - 95, $93.95

Just what is the "real world" price of chickens and eggs? Imagine how the government subsidizes the poultry industry, so that they can control not just the US economy, but the global economy. It's amazing how a bird can be hatched, raised, processed, transported, distributed, and resold @ $0.99 per pound, and eggs going for about a quarter dollar. Mind Boggling if you factor in all expenses including real estate, union labor, logistics........ It makes you wonder how much that chicken should "really" cost. It cost more than $0.99 worth of diesel just to move that chicken around to all the different places it has to go before it's on my plate. It's like the recycling scam. The environmental impact of recycling, is worst than simply throwing my beer can into a landfill. Then the US government floods foreign markets with US chickens. Anyone go shopping in Mexico lately? Go to a supermarket in Mexico, and you'll see US brands like Tyson, Zacky, Foster.......sold for even less than what we pay here. According the trade journal, Poultry World: In the two decades of NAFTA, Mexico has risen to become the number one export market for US chicken, turkey, duck and eggs in 2013, with annual sales exceeding $1.3 billion, according to US government trade data. http://www.poultryworld.net/Meat/Articles/2014/1/Mexico-and-US-celebrate-poultry-trade-success-1451581W/ At any given time, The POTUS can go to the president of Mexico and say, "How'd you like your people to starve? We'll hold back on those chicken and egg shipments. Or we'll build that wall, and charge your people for it, by raising the price on chickens and eggs. And if you don't like that, we'll slap a 25% tax on your cars."

Does anyone think that production may have to shift to USA because The POTUS is going to Make America Great Again?

I would think that 20 is good. I've gotten over 20 a few times. But my average is 18. I think most cars in the real world do not get the EPA estimated MPG. Some do. But it all comes down to who is driving, and what their conditions are. If I take a road trip in the middle of the night, start with a fill-up next to the highway ramp, and ran the tank down to almost empty after hours of freeway driving......and my bladder doesn't burst.....27 MPG is attainable.

The Fog was playing Hide & Seek with Alcatraz today. Poor tourist. Thousands of dollars for a vacation, and no photo op.

No snow down here in Sunny California.

I thought Transit Connects were brought in as wagons because of The Chicken Tax. Then they were stripped and converted into cargo vans.

I'm guessing that project managers, engineers, or architects drive their Transit Connects.

The logo is probably Level 5.

I test drove one like that. My dad looked at me, and said, "Why would you buy a short van, that's missing seats? That's like buying a short bed truck. You don't really get a truck, if every time you go to load something in it, it doesn't fit." Then I thought about all the times that buddies asked to borrow my truck with a long bed, because whatever they were moving didn't fit in their trucks. I just figured that if I was only getting 5 seats, I didn't really get a van. In my case, I do load up the van with 7 people......plus wheelchair, child seat, et cetera.

Maybe we can convince a sponsor that there is value in advertising. They can print shirts, and forum members can pass them out to people operating Transit Connects. The tie in will be that they become aware of the sponsor's product, and this forum.

Can one of you guys print up some free t-shirts & ballcaps for forum members? Maybe we can get a sponsor to pay for it all.

Was this one of you guys parked in front of a rent-by-the-hour hotel in Chinatown?