GioDiGreek

I was just looking in a brochure from a euro transit connect to see what is similar or what's not. I found that in the instrument cluster the Euro version has a "TRIP COMPUTER" how they call it. It gives you multi information about distance, fuel consumption AVG's, outside temperature, miles to empty, and some other things. Our TC shows only the distance to empty and time. Does anyone know if is a locked "trip computer" and how to unlock it? I know for sure similar thing happened with my old Mazda 3. It had the "trip computer locked" you could press some buttons in sequence and it was coming alive. Anyone may know anything about this? Thanks.

Real Smelly Business!!!!!!!!!!! Cut and paste from the link above. The vans leave Turkey on cargo ships owned by Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics. Once they arrive in Baltimore, they are driven into a warehouse, where 65 workers from the shipping company's WWL Vehicle Services Americas Inc. convert them into commercial vehicles amid the blare of rock music and the whirring of industrial fans. On a recent afternoon, a handful of vans passed through the warehouse unmolested as passenger wagons. But the vast majority were lined up to have windows pulled out, and they all had their rear seats removed. In one lane, supervisor Robert Dowdy watched as two workers removed the rear side windows. They cut out the rubber seal with a special knife and popped out the glass using suction cups. The space is plugged with a metal panel that cures for 15 minutes before being tested outside for waterproofing. At the start of that same lane, Mayso Lawrence unhooked a rear seat belt as easily as he would pop the top off a soda bottle. Using a drill, he quickly unscrewed six bolts to free the seats. Workers at the other end dump the seats into cardboard boxes, which are hoisted onto an open tractor-trailer and shipped to Ohio. Ford says the shredded seat fabric and foam become landfill cover, while the steel is processed for other uses. "I never thought about why we take out the seats, but if that's what the customer wants, that's what we'll give them," Mr. Lawrence said. With the seat removed, Mr. Lawrence puts in a new floor panel to cover the holes, toots the horn to signal he's finished, then gets to work on another van. The whole process takes him less than five minutes. Rob Stevens, chief engineer for Ford's commercial vehicles, says the auto maker decided against shipping the seats back to Turkey for use in the next wave of vans for the U.S. "We thought going through the recycling process was best," he said. "The steel is valuable."

This is BIG B.S. All is about taxes. When the Transit comes here in the US in a local facility warehouse, (No Factory) they are taking apart all the rear seats and windows and installing this recycled el chipo rubber mat that truly stings like gym shocks. And seriously what dealer is going to place a box with charcoals for 24 hours and clean with Pinesole. Let's be serious. Just remove the black rubber mat and replace it with a mat from Home Depot for $90 and forget about the smell. I guess if the charcoals are King FORD maybe the dealers getting them for free. Here is the full story. How Ford Motor Beats The "Chicken Tax" Importing The New Transit Connect Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1253...DDLETopStories By MATTHEW DOLAN: The Wall Street Journal BALTIMORE -- Several times a month, Transit Connect vans from a Ford Motor Co. factory in Turkey roll off a ship here shiny and new, rear side windows gleaming, back seats firmly bolted to the floor. Their first stop in America is a low-slung, brick warehouse where those same windows, never squeegeed at a gas station, and seats, never touched by human backsides, are promptly ripped out. The fabric is shredded, the steel parts are broken down, and everything is sent off along with the glass to be recycled. Why all the fuss and feathers? Blame the "chicken tax." The seats and windows are but dressing to help Ford navigate the wreckage of a 46-year-old trade spat. In the early 1960s, Europe put high tariffs on imported chicken, taking aim at rising U.S. sales to West Germany. President Johnson retaliated in 1963, in part by targeting German-made Volkswagens with a tax on imports of foreign-made trucks and commercial vans. The 1960s went the way of love beads and sitar records, but the chicken tax never died. Europe still has a tariff on imports of U.S. chicken, and the U.S. still hits delivery vans imported from overseas with a 25% tariff. American companies have to pay, too, which puts Ford in the weird position of circumventing U.S. trade rules that for years have protected U.S. auto makers' market for trucks. Since cargo doesn't need seats with seat belts or to look out the window, those items are on the list. So Ford ships all its Transit Connects with both, calls them "wagons" instead of "commercial vans." Installing and removing unneeded seats and windows costs the company hundreds of dollars per van, but the import tax falls dramatically, to 2.5 percent, saving thousands. When gas prices spiked, Ford saw a market among small-business owners in the U.S. Prices start at $20,780, much lower than would have been possible if Ford had to cover the chicken tax. Sales are off to a fast start. In August, Ford sold more than 2,200 in the U.S. "It's great for city driving," said Duff Goldman, owner of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore and star of Ace of Cakes on the Food Network. "It's shorter, smaller and has really good fuel economy." He bought a black Transit Connect last month. Since he doesn't carry passengers, his van has no windows or seats in the back.