Fifty150

Don, That probably makes all the difference in the world. If the trim level has leather, it's probably insulated a lot better than what some of us are driving around in. Your seats are probably superior in ride comfort and ergonomic support. I have no room to complain. I knew from taking several test drives, that the van I was buying was not a Cadillac. I bought it anyway. I do wish that they would sell a "heavy duty" package. A little more power. More load capacity with the suspension. But then again......you could buy a Transit or F-150. Overall, I'm satisfied with my purchase. Some cars, you end up disappointed after the purchase........like a 70's Mustang II, every model of Hyundai & Saturn, or 80's Chevy S10 Blazer. With this car, I fell like I'm getting return on investment. Nothing broke yet. Everything still works. It is doing everything which I expected to do with it. Did I ever mention that I'm still pissed at Ford about the Mustang II?

Not just lift kits. You can't get an exhaust kit either.

Coil spring spacers will change more than just your height. Alignment. Steering. Ride comfort....... I tried coil spring spacers on pickup trucks. I did not care for how it changed the angles on the suspension and drivetrain components. With pickup trucks, the better solution was a lift kit engineered to be vehicle specific. Since you are doing it, don't leave anything on the table. Go with a 48 mm lift.

I wouldn't even bother with trying to upgrade a factory base level trim radio with an amp & speakers. Buy a nice stereo. Buy an installation kit. You will get a new dash trim piece, and all of the necessary wiring harness connectors so that it becomes a "plug & play" installation. Scosche FD6211DDB Dash Kit Fits select 2014-up Ford Transit Connect models without 4.3" screen and with removable factory airbag indicator light — double-DIN radios (Black)

Really? You think a Transit Connect is quiet? I've driven noisy.....medium duty trucks, Jeeps with a soft top, motorcycle......and I've driven well insulated luxury cars built for comfort...... Transit Connect is just about as noisy as my pickup truck, minus the noise from MT tires & glasspack mufflers. Transit Connect is not insulated well enough. You can still hear a lot of noise. And the A/C system does not do a very good job with cooling such a large interior space with less than adequate insulation. Speaking of A/C, turn it up to 3 or 4, and tell me how quiet the car is. My grandmother is deaf. She doesn't notice. I get it. It's a commercial vehicle. And after years of "living" in commercial vehicles for 10+ hours a day, I know what to expect. But as for comfort, this is not a comfort car. I do agree with you on how you can do so much with a Transit Connect. I sacrifice on payload and hauling compared to a truck. But the ride, handling, and passenger capacity cannot be matched. Pricing is another strong suit. Most of my friends have $40K+ Toyota, Honda, et cetera.....all for being able to seat a large group. With my frugal ways, Transit Connect was the least expensive passenger vehicle on the market. Nothing else with equivalent seating capacity can be found at this price point.

What you want can be accomplished. You are only limited by your imagination. Products are on the market for what you want. There is a company making seats for anyone who wants to turn their pickup truck into a Subaru Brat. You can strip a flight attendant jump seat from an airplane graveyard. Or steal a jump seat from a UPS truck.

Before my brain was scrambled by "prolonged acute exposure to Disco", there were a bunch of laws passed restricting over the counter sales of a whole bunch of products......mostly worded around people who were sniffing Toluene to get high. Sort of effectively stopped stores from having a certain inventory on their shelf. CA Penal Code § 381 (a) Any person who possesses toluene or any substance or material containing toluene, including, but not limited to, glue, cement, dope, paint thinner, paint and any combination of hydrocarbons, either alone or in combination with any substance or material including but not limited to paint, paint thinner, shellac thinner, and solvents, with the intent to breathe, inhale, or ingest for the purpose of causing a condition of intoxication, elation, euphoria, dizziness, stupefaction, or dulling of the senses or for the purpose of, in any manner, changing, distorting, or disturbing the audio, visual, or mental processes, or who knowingly and with the intent to do so is under the influence of toluene or any material containing toluene, or any combination of hydrocarbons is guilty of a misdemeanor. (b) Any person who possesses any substance or material, which the State Department of Public Health has determined by regulations adopted pursuant to the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) has toxic qualities similar to toluene, with the intent to breathe, inhale, or ingest for the purpose of causing a condition of intoxication, elation, euphoria, dizziness, excitement, irrational behavior, exhilaration, satisfaction, stupefaction, or dulling of the senses or for the purpose of, in any manner, changing, distorting, or disturbing the audio, visual, or mental processes, or who is under the influence of such substance or material is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Did you try to fill the glass when you first got the chip? I'm driving around right now with a "filled" piece in my windshield. After 2 years, nothing. No cracks. No expansion. The "repair" seems to have worked. According to the repair shop, the material that shops use is "different" from what you buy over the counter. Maybe. Maybe not. But they do it for a living. I never do it. The guy at the shop has a lot more experience, and all the right tools. I could screw it up pretty good. Just like tinting your own windows. You could buy the best window tint, and screw it up by installing yourself.

Good deal. Read the fine print. Ask what the "out the door" cost will be. Check with local "mom & pop" shops to see what they could do. I know from experience, with my company car getting at least 1 new windshield a year, that the same Econoline windshield (basic glass, no tint, no defroster) can be between $200 (negotiated at a mom & pop) vs. over $500 (SafeLite with warranty, disposal, et cetera) out the door. Here is the quote local to my area. As you can see, I am looking at over $500 out the door. Almost makes me want to spend $100 in fuel to go somewhere $200 cheaper! Now, think about what you can get with that installation. Will they treat the glass with coating to resist rain, fog, glare.....prior to installation? Can they tint your glass prior to installation? Some people get a tint stripe, 6" - 10" along the top of the windshield. Some people ask for the entire windshield to be tinted. My personal choice would be to tint & coat the glass before it is installed.

The difference between a V8 getting 11 - 15 MPH & an inline 4 cylinder..........your fuel cost could increase by 50%. At least in case. With my weekly fuel consumption in the Transit Connect being about 12 gallons (weekly fillup) - same driving in the F-150, weekly fillup is always at least 20 gallons. No science there, since every day is a little different. And my driving is a little more "spirited" in the truck - wide open throttle on freeway onramps, revving the engine at red lights, heavy pedal take-offs......maybe you won't do any of that. And cost of fuel in your part of the country is probably a lot lower than cost of fuel where I live.

I saw this guy at Costco, in the gas line.

It can be done. Also check out: https://www.vanwindowsdirect.co.uk/category/318/FORD FORD FORD WE ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC BETWEEN 8-30AM TO 5.00PM MONDAY - THURSDAY FRIDAY8.30 TO 3.00PM PLEASE CLICK ON THE PRODUCT TO VIEW MORE INFORMATION Ford Transit Connect 2013 onwards MK1 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT UP TO 2012 FORD TRANSIT CUSTOM 2013 ON NEW FORD TRANSIT 2014 ON FORD TRANSIT UP TO 2013

Heated glass is very expensive. Cost will vary depending on local market. That same piece of glass could be anywhere from $100 - $500, with labor being $100 - $500. Obviously, SafeLite wants to be competitive, yet has to keep enough of a margin to employ a mobile tech. And a shop in Hawaii will charge you almost $1,000, since everything is imported to Hawaii and even rent for the shop cost more. Ever pay $5 for a gallon of milk, or a gallon of gas?

Solar technology is less effective than a lot of people think it is. And as far as being environmental, nobody factors in the environmental footprint of a solar panel, from initial production to final user. Think about what a solar panel actually generates in kilowatts of electricity. Now factor in what your actual electrical demand is. I have heard that 1 solar panel could take up to 4 days, to produce the electricity needed to charge an electric car for 14 hours, so that it could drive up to 90 minutes. Makes me wonder if it would be more effective to mount a windmill on your car, so that it turns the blades as you're driving forward. Just don't go into reverse.

I encourage going to the next level. Roof top panel.

That is the important information that people need. Now that someone knows a T40 is required, he can bring just that size......as opposed to lugging a 140 piece tool set, and still not having the T40 which did not come with the set.

You will spend a lot more on fuel. Parking will not be as easy.

Good luck with trying to get a free windshield under warranty. Talk to your dealer. Bring it higher up on the food chain if you feel that you are within warranty compliance. Safety is first. Replace the windshield. Pricing for windshields and installation will vary. Save the receipt, in case you can get reimbursed. I would suspect that heat is a factor. Sudden temperature changes also damage auto glass. Although I suspect that you did not pour hot water onto your iced over windshield. I doubt if the vehicle's body flexed in some way to crack the windshield. Your windshield could have been struck, and you are simply unaware of it. While you are parked, some kid could have thrown a rock or used a slingshot. I was Eastbound on California State Route 84. The Dumbarton Bridge connecting Fremont, CA to Menlo Park, CA. From Tesla to FaceBook. 1.63 miles long, 2 lanes. 55 MPH limit. I actually saw the rock come at me and hit my windshield. That was within the first month of ownership. In over a decade, my pickup truck still has the OEM windshield. My work truck, an Econoline, gets 1 - 2 new windshields a year. Same way the work truck collects road debris, travels 1 year on a set of tires, during which time the tires are constantly being plugged and patched. No personal car flat tire in decades. But brand new Transit Connect, with low profile tires, has a damaged wheel from hitting a pothole. I can see that I drive more miles in the work truck, and it goes onto industrial properties and construction sites. Obvious point in fact is that with different angles, some rock strikes may bounce and skip along, vs direct impact which damages the glass. Or it could just be bad luck.

Your Mileage May Vary You guys would cry if you knew what kind of mileage I get.

Who is going to sit back there? No insulation. No climate control. No sound system. No power outlet to charge your mobile device. No windows. Just kidding. Looks great. You've done it! you have done what others have wanted to do. Now, thanks to you, everyone can learn something. More interesting would be how hard it was to pull everything out of the junkyard, what tools you needed to bring, and which parts & part numbers did you have to order.

A Winter Tire Thread was started. it might help you. You may want to contribute.

Do you plan on installing anything aftermarket with parasitic electrical draw? Typically, with regular driving, the vehicle should be just fine with starting. I can't think of anything that would stay on long enough to drain the battery overnight. I have not heard of any cold start conditions which have left vehicle owners stranded in the morning. In consideration of installing solar panels.....well.....seriously consider the specs on whichever system you will use to convert the electricity and what it will feed back into your vehicle's 12V system. Assuming that you will drive during the day, your alternator will produce way more electricity than the solar panels will supply. And if your electrical demands are such that the alternator is not enough; solar panels will not solve your problems. While you are parked overnight, the solar panels will do nothing. There is no sun. If you are dead set on using solar, then mounting much larger panels onto your roof would be better than trying to mount little panels in your windows. Block heater is not an option for you, since you are parking outside, presumably out of range of an electrical outlet. If possible, replace the OEM battery with something aftermarket more suited to your conditions. Look for a battery with more Cold Cranking Amps. Or maybe get one of those lithium jump starters. If you do start looking for batteries, the OEM battery is a BCI Group 40R.