TC Noob

[tcconvert]

Have had my van for a week. Suffering through endless insults from my wife for buying "half a vehicle." It CAN be a bit distressing to look into the rear of your van and see nothing but bare bones, and wondering how you could have paid so much for it. After 3 new mid-size pickups, and finding a dearth of choices in the segment this buying-time around, I took a leap into the TC van. With thoughts of satisfying an unhappy spouse, I looked into the possibility of retrofitting some of the missing interior panels in back. One quickly finds out why a virtually identical wagon-version of my van costs $6000 more. The rear upper molded roof shell alone goes for more than $2200! So, I must say, sorry honey - I just couldn't see the logic of carrying two hundred lbs. of permanently-folded passenger seats around just for the sake of a few plastic panels (though the insulation would have been nice). My other nit-pic is the surprise that there are vehicles out there, pushing the $30,000 mark that do not provide an interface for satellite radio. Really Ford??

I am now going the route of trying to figure out how to add some style and comfort to the rear quarters of this thing without affecting it's resale value any more than necessary. I realize that many trades people like the bare-bones nature of the beast, and will soon fill it with racks and shelves. Still, there must be others like me who simply want the cargo space, and would prefer the entire rear quarters NOT be stripped to paint and metal (though the Masonite panels are a thoughtful touch).

I am exploring the addition of some visual and insulative upgrades, using materials such as GatorFoam and Alupanel. The changes will be clean and minimal but should offer some improvement.

So how do I feel a week after throwing the switch? How does it compare to 15 years of pickup truck ownership? Well, I think I've stumbled upon just about the perfect every-guy's hauler. It will swallow just about anything I want to jam into it. It's smaller than a mid-size pickup. It drives like a car and parks in spaces my Nissan Frontiers would have to pass up. The funky Ford Sync system could use some help, but offers some cool modern functions and connectivity. You can even drive around town with the two front windows down without being blasted by the wind. Heck, even the pitiful two-speaker sound "system" doesn't sound bad in stock form. I'm actually pretty pleased at this point. I may get an unpleasant depreciation surprise when the next trade-in time comes around.

 

[mrtn]

Who cares, what the wife thinks of a man's van

[G B L]

As for the trade in If you  run it till its ready for the scrap yard, it does not matter!  

[DonShockley]

2 hours ago, tcconvert said:

....... I just couldn't see the logic of carrying two hundred lbs. of permanently-folded passenger seats around just for the sake of a few plastic panels (though the insulation would have been nice). ..........Still, there must be others like me who simply want the cargo space, and would prefer the entire rear quarters NOT be stripped to paint and metal (though the Masonite panels are a thoughtful touch)........

 

As somebody who faced a similar dilemma when purchasing my 2015 TC, I think you made the right decision sticking with the van. I researched for weeks and had initially planned on special ordering a Van with the options I wanted. But I did prefer the looks of the wagon interior trim and thought the extra insulation and panels over the bare metal would be a real help with the Texas summer heat. In the end, the instant availability of a Wagon found locally with a decent discount and the features I wanted swung me around to that purchase instead of waiting 6 months or more for a customized Van. And I figured it would be easier to downgrade a Wagon than to upgrade a Van. Looking back, I would make the opposite decision if I had it to do over again. The downgrade is not as practical as I thought it might be due to too much wiring, etc. running in the trim areas.

Although I totally removed the seats and installed a flat load floor almost immediately, and rarely actually use ALL that nice cargo volume in the back, I do defitely miss the extra room taken up by all that nice looking trim on occasion. It's a lot bigger than it really needs to be and reduces several of the interior clearances to just under 4 feet, while the Van has clearances just over 4 feet. Although infrequent, that inch or two of missing space can be annoying when trying to bring home handyman supplies. There's really no way to get even a sheet or two of 4x8 drywall or plywood to fit. And even cutting to half sheets is an awkward fit. Even though I have the roof rails and cross bars if I ever was forced to keep 4x8 full sheets, for the normal little projects it's not worth the hassle of the cross bar install and tie down worries. Easier to just do the cut down. But it's times like that where I regret the Wagon decision.

If nothing changes in my personal situation or the vehicles available, I'll likely make the next purchase a custom optioned TC Van to replace my current Wagon. I'm not sure if the Wagon will be a plus or a minus on the trade in value at that time. The vans are more widely in demand so a low mileage used one would be an easier sell. But the wagons are rarer so the right buyer would likely offer a premium price for one with totally unused rear upholstery and carpeting. I guess I'll find out in a few years.

[tcconvert]

Very informative, thanks for that. Makes me feel I made the right decision. No vehicle is perfect. Interesting about the 4 x 8 capacity as well. I was considering a rack for carrying plywood sheets and long sticks of lumber, but wasn't excited about the potential noise and mileage reduction (plus, the streamlined ones are outrageously expensive). I measured the cargo box at the dealership and found a 4 x 8 could likely be put in at an angle. Probably have to bungee one door open for the haul, but it seemed do-able. Long lumber pieces were another issue. I asked the dealer if the front passenger seat folded down. He said no. Found later, by accident, that it does, when I spotted the pull tab on the INSIDE of the headrest. That does allow some lumber to be pulled up over the folded seat for a few more feet of length.

 

[tcconvert]

You might understand why my spouse, who drives a 5-series BMW, might think I was short-changed. She has an enormous Ego. I have practically none. For me (a professional artist) the TC is a tool. Every day I drive it confirms this was the right choice. I commonly carry 12" x 24" x 80" cardboard crates in my business. Not much weight, but space is required. I could stack six of those in the TC without even having to strap them down, as was required in my pickups. I am constantly amazed when I see how small this vehicle actually is, and how much it can carry. But, like you, I prize the open space in back.

There are shortcomings. It doesn't take long to find them. A big one is the lack of ventilation in the back. I have two added windows, but neither they nor the clamshell windows open, and with no insulation it doesn't take long for the heat to build. I haven't found an appealing solution here. I am considering window tinting for a bit of security and to help keep heat at bay.

I have decided to roll the particle board inserts with a textured pickup bed paint material, which should somewhat replicate the texture of the existing dark gray plastic trim in back. Alupanel may be used to cover the ugly, barren, rear inside quarters, where windows would be, using existing frame screw holes for attachment. I will be stuffing all accessible holes with insulative material, and I am seriously considering gluing strips of GatorFoam, painted the same color as the front headliner, to the interior roof for sound deadening and insulation. They can be wedged under the steel roof frame at the center, and simply spot glued at their centers and at the far ends where there is no support. They could be taken out without leaving anything behind except for a few spots of adhesive or silicone.

My first problem has already reared it's head. I have some loud singular knocks coming from the rear when I drive away and when I encounter rough terrain. I checked the spare tire thinking it might not be snugged down. No joy there, and I can find nothing that's obviously loose. Very annoying a week out, as I must go through the "book an appointment and wait for a verdict" routine, possibly having to be without the vehicle for some period while they sort it out. I never had any problems with my series of Nissan trucks over 15 years, and am hoping the move to a domestic brand doesn't turn out to be a mistake.

[tcconvert]

Something totally unexpected today. Realized I had entered a new world.

Yesterday I stopped at parts store, as I was in the neighborhood. Picked up some synthetic oil and a filter, with the intention of changing out my oil to the synthetic at 1000 miles. I had changed out the oil in my last three Frontiers two or three times in the first 1500 miles - Overkill, I know, and probably unnecessary - It's a habit from my earlier life. I then changed the synthetic oil myself every 10,000 miles.

I had looked under the hood of the van several times, but had not yet crawled underneath the front end. Today, as I was working on it I decided to crawl under and locate the oil filter. Wow! The large plastic cover was a surprise! And for the first time not only did I realize how low to the ground the front end was...I realized that working under it without it being jacked up (or over a service pit) was impossible!

That's when I found the segment in the manual about the auto-reporting oil change message that would pop up at some future time. It was then I realized I had entered my wife's world - of BMW's that are taken to the dealer for even minor service procedures such as an oil change. I had been doing my own changes in the last few years because I could get the highest quality oil for less than half what an oil change shop would charge me, and in half the time in my own garage. No more!

I guess that's "progress." And it goes right along with the demise of the shade-tree mechanic concept. For the first time in my life I own a vehicle I can do almost nothing to myself. This is going to take some time to absorb.

[mrtn]

TC are filled with fully synthetic in the factory. No need for initial change, just normal schedule.

[mrtn]

10K mile interval is perfectly ok. The new fullsize Transit has 30K mile service intervals for diesel engines and diesel has much more load on the oil. So with today's oils a gasoline engine will do just fine at 10K.

I did 10K intervals for my 2006 diesel and it hadn't consumed a drop of oil until the day I sold it. Used Ford-spec quality oil only (Motorcraft/Fuchs/Valvoline/Motul).

[Beta Don]

We were shopping for a SWB van to travel in, but we were kinda put off by the 'sparse' interior  -  I figured it would have to be harder to heat and cool and probably a bit noisier at freeway speeds too

But then, we got to thinking that occasionally, one or more of the grandkids would like to go with us on a trip and trying to fashion a safe and legal seat in the back of the van would be difficult, to say the least, so we started looking at wagons with the rear seats.  Unfortunately, not one sales rep at any dealer we checked knew a darned thing about the TC wagons  -  We especially wanted to know how difficult it would be to remove the rear seats for the times we didn't need them, or when they were taking up space we needed for something else.  "I suppose you could probably find some way to unbolt them and take them out" was the best advice we got

We eventually found the 'right' TC SWB wagon  -  A used 2014 with only 13K on it and almost 2 years of the 3 year, 36K warranty left and we were able to buy it for $10.5K off the sticker.  As it turns out, the rear seatbacks fold flat, then if you need more space, they lift vertically to stow just behind the front buckets and if that's still not enough space, they lift completely out of the van in 30 seconds using no tools at all.  You can take out the larger one or the smaller one separately or you can remove them both.  At the price for this barely used one, it was much cheaper than a new cargo van . . . . and this one has leather power seats.  It took us over 6 weeks to find the right one and we had to travel 400 miles to bring it home, but it was really worth the wait

Don