jakeru

Thanks for the quick reply, windguy! I just measured the tracks, and the extruded aluminum portion is 80" long, and 1-15/16" wide. Looking at them in person, you are right that they are simply too wide to fit flatly in the channels. The seller said something about this being one of the first batch of imported transit connects in this newer body style, but I don't know much more than that, yet. I just took delivery on this Wagon a couple days ago. You are correct that the headliner blocks access underneath. If not Yakima tracks, I wonder what they are? The previous owner mentioned something about Yakima had been one of the sponsors this car's customization, and I can add that this car came with loads of Yakima hardware and equipment (skybox, bicycle carriers, fairing, round cross-bars) mounted above these tracks. The tracks appear to be screwed down by a fairly large number of rather common looking, e.g., electro-plated silver Phillips head screws. I could see at least a spot or two on each track where a hole was present all the way through the sheetmetal, but screws were missing! Seems like an obvious pathway for water to be running in, so at least addressing those open holes will be a no-brainer. It was hard for me to tell if these holes were simply drilled, or threaded. As lighting was poor, I was looking through the (installed) rails, and it was dark outside, I couldn't get a very good look at these holes in the sheetmetal. I'm pretty sure I didn't see any raised lip above the sheetmetal around the hole, like I'd expect if there were nutserts installed. Maybe there were originally screws presents in these open holes, and they stripped? Sure looks like a screw used to be there.

Hi windguy, I recently took delivery of a 2014 Transit Connect Wagon (more about it in my introduction thread here http://fordtransitconnectforum.com/topic/6614-excited-new-owner-of-2014-xlt-wagon/ ) and first issue needing to be dealt with are some water leaks in the rear, dripping down in front of rearmost (3rd seating row) windows off the sides of the headliner, down onto the trim panels below those windows. I suspect the Yakima rack system may not be completely water tight. It was raining and wind was blowing the rain sideways like crazy when it was leaking, but living in the Pacific Northwest, waterproofing is still a must. After removing some of the Yakima bike carrier and cargo box accessories, it appears we have Yakima rails. They are mounted partially into the channels, but cocked sideways so one edge is down into the channel, and one edge up out of the channel. Is this ok, or any theories why it got installed this way at all in the first place? (Any ideas on what needs to be done to correct the water leak?) I was reading about yakima's riv-nut system (edit: Yakima brands theirs "plus nut") which Yakima recommends for a generic installation of their rail onto a generic sheetmetal roof. They use a rubber washer underneath the plus-nut (above the sheetmetal surface) , and they recommend a blob of silicone caulk into the threaded hole (10-32, a Yakima customer service person told me today), to waterproof the system. (Yakima's installation instructions here: http://assets.yakima.com/Product/instructions/8001127/1 ) Initially, I was thinking I'd remove the rails, dig/tap out the old silicone, re-install silicone and hopefully correct problem. But now I'm reading in your threads about possible factory oval/oblong shaped holes. Are these oval holes found on the Wagon version also? Thanks for any tips on how to proceed, and appreciate the detailed write-up! Attaching a couple photos we took of the leading end of the rails on each side.

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys!

Just got a 2014 transit connect Wagon with nice leather bench seat in the 2nd row, but I'm looking to swap in the captain's chairs, since it will work much better for how we intend to use the vehicle. If anyone has or knows of any reasonably priced 2014+ leather captains chairs available, let me know! Located in 98008. Also, I'm willing to swap or sell my 2014 leather bench seat 2nd row, (in case anyone's looking to instead to buy or do a trade)!

Hi all, I'm the new owner of what I understand was one of the first 2nd generation transit connects which Ford imported to the US - a 2014 XLT Wagon that Ford actually had specially customized and showcased at 2013 SEMA car show! My brother has taken possession of this vehicle on the east coast, and is currently en route to driving it back home on the west coast. Estimated arrival time is next weekend... exciting! The reason my wife and I settled on the 2nd generation, long-wheelbase transit connect wagon for our next family car is its unique combination of: interior storage capacity, passenger carrying capacity, great driving feel and outward visibility, good fuel economy, and its very European / "un-minivan" styling. We plan using it to retire a 2001 Ford Focus Wagon which also had a really nice ("Street-Edition") option package, and a bright yellow color that we came to appreciate as always making it easy to locate in parking lots. However, despite our Transit Connect not being bright yellow, I have a feeling we might not have problems spotting this car... Cheers