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My15 Slim Pickins, Pics or it didn't happen.


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Hi all,

Slim Pickins is NOT the name of my TC, it's my assessment of the info available, accessories available for our 14-15 U.S. TC's. So I'll add my vehicle and whatever I do to it along the way with pictures and hopefully someone will find it helpful when they start their searches for whatever they want to do.

If anyone would like to contribute but doesn't want to start their own thread please feel welcome to share your mods here, all opinions are welcome too, good bad or indifferent.

Here it is on day 1, fresh off the lot, LWB Titanium Wagon, OEM 17" wheels, OEM Cross Bars. Tectonic Silver

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Here's my first task: Removing the 2nd Row seats. One of my major reasons for getting this vehicle is for my dogs, removal of the 2nd row seats versus fold flat gives me an easier entry height for my dog.

Smaller seat out first, 4 T-50 Torx bolts

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8 total bolts and done, stuck them all back in the holes for future reinstall.

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Covered up the holes left by seats with the useless to me factory floor mats, ultimately the floor gets covered in blankets and whatnot to counter a dirty dog, using Rhino fabric canvas for this purpose, waterproof and I can cut to fit, washable, removeable, and color matched to the rest of the interior.

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@15Dan15 - thanks for sharing pics of your van and seating changes. I really like seeing that. your van looks very nice. I like the options you have.

seeing all that extra storage space reinforces my idea discussed in the "cargo mat" thread about creating a storage area.

looking forward to seeing a pic of the dogs in their van. yes, it's their van and you are their driver ;)

Edited by windguy
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Here are the pretty useless all weather mats that came with the vehicle, pretty poor coverage for the Midwest snow.

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And here is the replacement, Weathertech part# 445991 Front Row Set only.

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This is my 4th set of Weathertech on various vehicles, I veered off to a set of Husy liners once and regretted it. I find Weathertech overpriced and regret that they always skimp at the dead pedal area but I've found nothing better and they absolutely hold up over time so they end up being worth the money to me. They don't warp and continue to clean up nicely.

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@15Dan15 - nice looking floor mats. good testimonial. thanks for sharing.

When I ordered my van I added in the optional all weather floor mats at a cost of $52 ($60 list). They are identical in size to the standard carpet mats that come with the van. I would agree that coverage is pretty minimal and could be better. that was my first impression. Second, not sure how long the retention nobs will last if I keep taking the mat out to clean, but they are easy to hose off compared to a carpeted mat, which my last wagon had.

checked out the weathertech website to see what the cost is. below is a link to the site.

http://www.weathertech.com/ford/2015/transit-connect/floorliner-digitalfit/wheelbase/long-wheelbase/bodystyle/cargo-van/

$110 for the front pair plus $18 for shipping coming out of Illinois. Yeah, that's a bit pricey but it looks like a decent product that will earn it's keep

thanks again!

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Heads up for any buyers of Weathertech, you can sometimes find them cheaper, I got this set from Amazon @106.58 no tax, no shipping. Also if purchasing directly from Weathertech they offer some discounts like Military if ordering over the phone that are not heavily advertised.

In this case, kudos to FlyMotorsports on Amazon, quick shipping, good price. Part#445991 is for 2014 and 2015 TC's.

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Next item for me is cell phone, this mounting solution is also useful for many who would use GPS.

3rd time customer for this product and highly recommend. http://www.rammount.com has a vast collection of mounting solutions but in this case the product is the Ram Pod I Universal No-Drill Vehicle Mount http://www.amazon.com/Universal-No-Drill-Vehicle-Mount-Aluminum/dp/B006ZOW1U2 combined with the X-Grip Cell Phone Holder http://www.amazon.com/Cradle-Holder-Universal-X-Grip-Cellphone/dp/B0055PH0XA

This X-Grip easily holds iPhone 4, 5, 6, 6Plus, for other phone or GPS simply compare the size of your device to the various Apple iPhone sizes to verify your device will fit, Ram Mounts also has a larger X-Grip(s) that will accommodate iPad sized tablets or larger GPS.

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So let's get started off with base of the No-Drill Mount, in this application I am installing the mount on the passenger side which sets it perfectly for the driver to reach and view and does not get in the passengers way. The mount is highly adjustable.

Here is the front passenger seat mount, using a T-50 Torx I removed one seat mount bolt, lift up slightly to slide the base of the No-Drill Mount under the seat mount, in this case the TC seats have a alignment or retaining pin that sets into the floor which you can see the top part of next to the Torx bolt, The No-Drill Mount fits perfectly within the Torx bolt and retaining pin. You will lift the seat frame about 1/2 inch to slide the mount under the seat frame. Then reinstall the Torx bolt.

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The next step is to install the aluminum support rod, depending on where you purchased your Ram Mount, some shippers ship the rod completely bent in half to fit in their packaging and some ship it straight, the point is that's it's bendable to however you need it, once mounted you will find it very sturdy and it will stay where you want it. In this case I made just a couple of mild bends to fit my TC.

Here is the rod completely straight which actually will work in the TC

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But I prefer it to hug the center console a bit closer so my bends are as seen, depending on your strength, you can bend this by hand, put in a vise, step on it, whack it with a hammer, etc it's not something that requires expertise or special tools.

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You can now tighten the 3/16 Allen screw at the base and install the supplied flexible sleeve on the rod

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Next install the included Socket Arm by tightening the Phillips screw (not shown) This secures the socket arm to the aluminum rod.

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And finally attach your X-grip or the hundreds of other things you can connect to the Ram mount system.

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And the results, (iPhone 6 shown)

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Hi again everybody, a quick update, still waiting on some items to ship so got this done meanwhile.

Something I always tend to do on my vehicles is tint the front windows so they match in appearance to the factory privacy glass/tint. In this case it is a 20% film.

*A note to those who do their own tint at home, the little fixed "used to be called vent" windows in front were apparently quite difficult to get done, shop had to redo a couple of times, something about how tight the weatherstripping in the area is and how the bottom is a hard seal rather than rubber. I've used these tinters several times and they are Pros so something to think about if you DIY.

Before

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After

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Before

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After

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I'm testing out this product, I will post an update later after I've used it for a while and I see how it performs. Clip on panoramic rear view mirror.

The standard mirror in the transit is approx 11.5 inches wide, this mirror is 18 inches wide. No tools required, it has spring loaded clamps that hold it on your stock mirror.

Initial impressions of the spring loaded clamps are they are pretty sturdy and will hold in place nicely.

For $10.99 from Amazon, I figured it's no great loss if it doesn't work out and if it provides better viewing out the back it's a win.

http://www.amazon.com/Fit-System-RM011-Clip-Mirror/dp/B001A0J2JO

When I got the Transit, a couple of first thoughts were, wow, lots of headroom and I wish the mirror was bigger, it frames the rear window nicely but that's about it. Since the Transit is a bit bigger in the back than my last vehicle I noticed room for improvement.

A lot of the reviews mention you can't use your sun visors because the mirror is so big, not a problem in the Transit even with its super sized visors.

Here is a first look, not much to notice, it's a mirror....

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Here is a view showing the spring load clamps holding onto the OEM mirror. And this is where you can really start to see the size difference.

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Here is the view from the stock mirror

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And here is the view from the Panoramic Clip on Mirror

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Due to the voluminous cabin room and height the mirror itself does not appear overly large, looks like this might be a keeper.

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interesting gadget. thanks for sharing.

what's the main purpose in having the panorama view - for seeing a wider view inside or outside?

with a liftgate you get a nice unobstructed view out the back. with the barn doors the inside frame of both doors creates a partial block but you get used to it.

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Thanks,

My purpose is exterior view / blind spot.

It appears in the standard mirror pic that you have good vision out the rear side windows but I find that not to be the case, the panorama gives a much better view. I think my pics did a poor job of showing that due to the different places / lighting in which I took the pics.

I will do a better job in a future update after I've used the mirror for a while.

On tint: isn't it funny that on every brochure you see selling / advertising vehicles the fronts are tinted to match the rears but you can't buy it that way. Tint laws.

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Thanks,

My purpose is exterior view / blind spot.

It appears in the standard mirror pic that you have good vision out the rear side windows but I find that not to be the case, the panorama gives a much better view. I think my pics did a poor job of showing that due to the different places / lighting in which I took the pics.

I will do a better job in a future update after I've used the mirror for a while.

On tint: isn't it funny that on every brochure you see selling / advertising vehicles the fronts are tinted to match the rears but you can't buy it that way. Tint laws.

got it. thanks.

When sitting in the van today my rear view mirror side view ends at the blank panel in the back. I don't have a window there on the cargo model.

With a wagon you would. I do have windows on the sliders but that's out of view. So adding this panorama mirror would widen that view so I can see out the slider windows, presumably. The cost is low enough to give it try to see if it offers better visibility.

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