Fifty150

Ever notice how on some antifreeze/coolant bottles, it says to use distilled water? There goes the old fashion flush the coolant with the garden hose technique.

Where I live, it's nothing but hills and mountains.......also translates to high transmission fluid temperatures.

I've been doing it for years. Once upon a time, I had a girlfriend who was trained in a culinary school. I don't use vinegar, just the squeeze of fresh lemon. I use olive oil. At the end, I add crushed garlic. Only fresh ingredients of course. No garlic powder or garlic from a jar. Only fresh lemons from my brother in law's Meyer Lemon tree. Only fresh eggs from the farmers market. Locally, I can get fresh, cold pressed, olive oil. Garlic grows in my back yard. Lemon skin can be zested. Egg whites are used for omelettes, frosting, or steaming. Even the egg shells are used in a stock recipe, then into a compost bin in the garden. Nothing is wasted. Living in California, we can buy fresh & local, and our climate allows us to grow quite a bit. Even downtown, at the little apartment, I have food growing on the balcony. 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot are growing potatoes and tomatoes. A fish tank becomes a makeshift aquaponic system with all the green onion I want, all year round.

Almost makes you want to buy the van with windows. So that you get what you want. Instead of buying what you don't want, then having to modify it. I would like to see a Gen1 chopped, topless like a Jeep, and sporting a custom roll cage. It would be like a big Suzuki Samurai.

You're absolutely correct in regards to different oil brands using different additives. For some of those high price brands, you are paying for the additives which differentiate it from other brads....allegedly. If you are driving a performance car, racing, towing.....maybe you benefit. But with Transit Connect's 2.5L engine, your gains are questionable. Just about any over-the-counter oil in 5W-20 or 0W-20, synthetic blend or full synthetic, not conventional, with the API starburst will be fine. Your engine will be lubricated. At this point, I am trusting the engineers at Ford who calibrated Transit Connect's algorithm for oil change. I believe that since the algorithm is based upon the use of synthetic blend oil, by using full synthetic, the condition of the engine oil should be better than the car's computer thinks it is. I am still skeptical of those extended oil change intervals, being an old man who remembers 3000 mile oil changes. My pickup truck, which is a 2007 model year, was sold with the 5000 mile normal condition & 3000 mile severe condition maintenance schedule. Low speed, extended idle, stop & go traffic, towing, livery, sudden acceleration & braking pursuit conditions......all fell within Ford's description of severe condition back in 2007. Over the course of the last decade, used oil analysis posted by other Ford owners have shown that different oil brands have held up fine for 7500 miles - 10000 miles. People worry so much about oil, and sometimes forget about the filter. A better made filter can make all the difference. With Transit Connect being a front wheel drive, transmission fluid is a concern. A lot of people don't stay with the factory spec of Mercon LV. Or they don't know. I think that multigrade ATF which says that you can use it in any car, should not be used in any car. Just like multigrade coolant. Today's cars are very particular when it comes to automotive fluids. Cooling systems go bad when you don't use the specified coolant. And we all know what happens to automatic transmissions when you use multi-vehicle ATF.

Nothing matters. People will always use their own reasoning for the oil of their choice. That is why you constantly see on forums, and in real life, someone using an oil weight which is different than the one specified in the owners manual. People who are brand loyal will spend no matter how much on their brand of choice. I drank the Kool Aid. I used to pay more for boutique oil brands. I don't think any of the high price oil made any difference. Filters do make a difference. Cut them open and you can see how some filters are made better. Amazon.com oil will be just fine for the price. It comes from the same factory as other no name brand products.

Transit Connect is surely the most bang for the buck. While you are getting a little less luxury, you are saving a whole lot of money. When a Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey cost almost twice as much, you do not get twice as much. My pickup has no air conditioning, roll up windows, manual door locks, and AM radio. Not to mention the rubber, plastic, & vinyl interior. But I just think of all the money that I saved between the XL model, and the King Ranch, Lariat, Harley Davidson trim levels, and what I would have paid for a Chevy, Dodge, or Toyota truck. Those Toyota pickup trucks are really nice. But not nice enough for me spend double the money.

Only one way to find out. Log your mileage and fuel purchases. Do the math yourself. Or use fuel economy.gov

Thanks for your insight. An informed opinion, such as yours, is relevant. I am not a tire tech, have no training or experience. My opinion has no value. Just a guy who thinks it's wrong. Now I won't be as hesitant to drive on it if needed. And again, the math says that all of the weight is within acceptable limits.

The cameras are available if you think that the actual camera and license plate light unit is the actual problem. Check the connections. Try trouble shooting the wiring first. Speaking of wiring. Where is the wiring for the antenna. If you simply stick the antenna back onto the body with adhesive or epoxy, that won't help you. Antenna kits with wiring are available as well. I am guessing that a lot of people over the years have driven their Transit Connects into spaces which were too low. These are available on amazon.com Auto Wayfeng WF New 170 CCD Car Reversing Rear View License Plate Backup Camera Parking Assist for Ford Transit Connect by Auto Wayfeng WF 5.0 out of 5 stars 1 customer review Note: This item is only available from third-party sellers (see all offers). Available from these sellers. Waterproof IP68 Working Power: DC 12V › See more product details Compare with similar items New (1) from $12.99 & FREE shipping. Fits Ford Transit Connect 2010-2013 Factory Replacement Radio Stereo Custom Antenna by Harmony Audio Be the first to review this item Price: $54.99 & FREE Shipping

For some people, 4 cylinder cars in general lack power. Big difference when you're used to a large V8 under the hood. I notice the difference. The 2nd generation with the 2.5L is an improvement compared to the 1st generation. Especially if you are using the van for commercial purposes. You will notice it when the van is loaded with tools, cargo, people, fat people. I'm fat. I notice it.

Glad to hear it's finally working out. This was all covered under warranty, right? You didn't have to pay out of pocket, right?

Transit Connect does not have enough "bling" and just isn't as plush as other small vans. My sister & cousins do not like Transit Connect. For girls, they want everything to happen with the push of a button. Heavy sliding doors on hills that slam open & close, heavy seats with awkward pull straps just don't work for them. They would rather spend an extra $20K of their husband's money on a Sienna or Odyssey for push button automatic doors, and push button automatic folding seats. I think the Hollyweird crowd in The SouthLAnd is more into the Mercedes vans. Those full size Sprinter livery models are nice. Most Transit Connects that I see are commercial vehicles. Very few privately operated vehicles.

2010 ius out of warranty. Do several coats. Use Duplicolor to match the OEM shade of white. Then spray several clear coats. Wet sand. Wax.

Just for BSUPC

Make your own. Plenty of YouTube videos. Much better fresh.

Coke over Pepsi

I was under the impression that former presidents received Secret Service protection and are chauffered in bulletproof cars. Which is why none of the presidents know what the price of gas is.

A Transit Connect with today's technology is almost better than any car made in the early 80's. After owning a Mustang II in the late 70's, I moved into a Renault Le Car in the early 80's. Sort of what happens when you take too many Quaaludes. Of course, I still blame all of that on Jimmy Carter.

Yes. The hubcaps cover your hubs. Even aftermarket alloy wheels have a center hub cover or cap of some sort so that you just don't have a hole in the middle of the wheel. Protects the hubs from the elements, dirt, sand, road salt, mud, pee, et cetera. Imagine sand getting into your wheel bearings. While a hubcap is not perfect, and will not completely protect your hub & bearings, it keeps out a lot.

As for accessories, most products which work on 2017, should work on 2018. Floor mats, seat covers, and things like that should be fine. Since the doors still look the same, I would say that those vent visors should also work. You're not getting any mods to make the van go faster. No intakes, exhaust, tuners, or anything like a supercharger. My feeling is that you can use any 5W-20 oil with the API starburst. I suspect that every over-the-counter oil sold at major retailers is approved by The American Petroleum Institute for gasoline engines. O'Reilly's, Pep Boys, Wal*Mart, Costco.....none will sell you some off-brand oil which is not approved. And every major brand oil is approved...Pennzoil, Castrol, Mobil, et cetera. Amazon Basics is just Amazon.com's version of an in-house brand. Their own generic. Just like when you shop at Trader Joe's, and every product in the store is an in-house label. I like their $2 wine and Trader Jose beer (generic Corona). Same as when you buy SuperTech at Wal*Mart. Amazon Basics motor oil is manufactured by Warren Distribution, Made In USA, and meets or exceeds all the spec levels that auto manufacturers require. Warren Distribution makes perfectly acceptable motor oil. We are driving Transit Connect vans with little 2.5L engines. Not high performance engine cars. It's not like that GM scam calling for Dexos....Most oil already meets Dexos spec. Dexos is a license that some oil sellers simply choose not to pay for. And with as many years as Dexos spec has been around, there has not been 1 GM that I have ever heard of, which suffered engine seizure because the owner did not use Dexos. I suspect that plenty of GM are being serviced with discount fleet oil, whatever Jiffy Lube & other chains use, or whatever some guy finds on sale and just uses anyway.

Usually, at the dealership.

In some instances, like transmissions, remanufactured at a factory can be better than new. The factory can remanufacture with better parts and make corrections to the OEM design. I have been looking at Monster Transmissions as an option for replacing the 4R75E in my pickup truck. https://www.monstertransmission.com/4R70W-4R75W-4R75E-04-08_c_3973.html I'm hoping that they will eventually offer 6 speed Ford transmissions like 6F35 in Transit Connect.

It's all available online. Every owners manual for late model cars can be found online.