I know you do your best and it may well have been my seller; I bought something and paid for it, on e bay on 28th November, and it arrived this morning. It was the exception - most of my stuff this month has been 2 or 3 days. Thank you the Post Office!
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Is there a post date, or on the new packet labels with the price there should be a date.
I bought something on E-Bay and chased up the vendor two weeks later,she said she could not understand where it had got to and i received it two days later with the day befores date on the label,meaning she sent after i complained.
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Yes I'd like to add to that, we're all too quick to moan about the post at this time of year but I received a small first class parcel this morning which was posted last post yesterday at the other end of the country.
To keep us on the motoring theme, I'm hopefully getting a Transit Connect as my company van in the new year, it'll be on a 5 year lease so I hope it's good. Had a drive of a TDdi on demo a while back and was impressed, although I'm trying to persuade the powers that be to get the TDCi model, fingers crossed.
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Recently our old Berlingo van at work was replaced in favour of a Transit Connect. Bring back the Berlingo I say. I don't know what Ford were thinking of by using plastic instead of carpet on the floor. Very slippery, especially if it's been raining and the soles of your shoes are wet. We've tried rubber mats, and also carpet mats but they just skate around on the plastic flooring and end up getting wedged up behind the clutch and brake pedal. Also the cargo liner is made of plastic as well and everything in the back slides around as if it's on ice (the Berlingo one was made of rubber and everything stayed put). And don't get me started on the ridicuous fold flat passenger seat. The berlingo also had a fold flat seat, but at least it was a full sized one and not postage stamp sized (excuse pun).
The TC was obviously designed by someone at Ford who sits behind a desk all day and hasn't got a clue.
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Thats a good point, my missus also works for R.M. and we were out together delivering packets and she was sliding around each time she got in or out, i was driving of course and had no problem, ho hum.
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Especially if one has diesel on the boot sole ! Could be dangerous.
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Just glue some mats down or something. I know I don't drive vans very often, but from a bystander I thought the plastic floor was a good idea, means the manky builder's vans can easily be made saleable again just by using a bucket and sponge!
Blue
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Ford call this plastic flooring a 'Rubber floor mat' in the Transit Connect standard spec list. I can't say I noticed a problem on the demo van we had. I had the same thoughts as Blue, in that it should be easy to keep clean. I hope it's not as lethal as you say DD!!
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If you buy a TOURNEO Connect-rear seats and windows-you get carpet.
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I hope it's not as lethal as you say DD!!
Definately plastic. I won't say lethal, but it is certainly dangerous. Seems Ford have compromised safety for creature comforts - such has elecy mirrors, elecy windows, quick clear windscreen (yuk), and a CD player.
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Well to be fair to Ford you only get the elec mirrors, windows and quick clear screen and CD player if you pay a premium, the 'LX' I think has some if not all of those bits as standard, they're optional on the lower models so sounds like yours isn't a base model.
I'd like to think our fleet department will indulge me with those features, (I'm a quick clear fan by the way!) but I won't hold my breath....
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And apparantly the heated screen will stop your TomTonm working
:-(
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I think it's only the solar reflective screens that will cause problems in this respect. My sat nav works fine with the screen both when it's on and off. (The screen that is)).
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& don't forget, Bedford & anyone else who drives a Connect, it's NOT a car derived van, so you need to be aware of the speed limits applied to these, heavier weight, vehicles.
& watch out for the cooling system problems, which are now becoming apparent.
VB
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Well, as someone who drove one for 14 months after having driven an Escort for 3 years and now having driven a Vauxhall Combi for 6 months all I have to say is give me back the Connect.
Yes, it had its faults like the plastic floor and the reduced speed limits but it handled better than the Escort and kept up with traffic far better.
Over the Combi, it had a heater that warmed the cab up long before I'd done 4 miles on a cold morning and a far better, and more comfortable, driving position with better all round visibility, apart from an overly large 'A' pillar. Plus, for my needs, a better config for the rear load area.
The Combi is quicker off the mark with exactly the same load but doesn't feel so sure in the corners, find a bit of 'skipping' on occasion, which is worryingly unpredictable as to when.
Suppose it all comes down to personal choice but my marks for a van to suit a continuously carried medium load for a comms engineer/plumber/electrician would be:-
1 Connect 9/10
2 Combi 8/10
3 Escort 6/10
By the way, my fleet manager will not agree, got a much better deal from VX than Ford and brought the cost per month down from £145 to £112 and the Combi is a bit lighter on the fuel as it has a better, smaller, engine with higher mpg.
You can't please all of the people all of the time....
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& don't forget, Bedford & anyone else who drives a Connect, it's NOT a car derived van, so you need to be aware of the speed limits applied to these, heavier weight, vehicles. & watch out for the cooling system problems, which are now becoming apparent. VB
Ah VB there is the Connect Tourneo, which is classed as a car, so the van can be clased as a car derived van and therefore the higher speed limits..............AFAIK
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Please tell me about speed limits ?
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Please tell me about speed limits ?
see
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=23988
I saved this link for a Transit Connect driving brother.
The bottom line was
The Transit Connect is not 'car derived' and as its GVW is 2025Kg.
It is over the 2 tonne limit and must therefore adhere to 50mph on single carriage way NSL and 60mph on dual carriageway NSL but is allowed 70 on motorways.
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pay a premium, the 'LX' so sounds like yours isn't a base model.
It is the LX. I think it was £9 a month more to lease than the L was. Because one of my colleagues uses it weekly to go a fair distance, and has a back back, the department went for the LX because it had the crash barrier behind the drivers seat as standard (the base model and the L didn't). The LX also has seat height adjust as well as lumbar support and an arm rest.
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Those back back's are killers ;-) - Go on - edit it!
On a serious note though, it does make me wince every time I see what Ford call an option or what they call standard.
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Those back back's are killers ;-) - Go on - edit it!
Git.
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;-p
You're to be commended for not abusing your edit button!
Incidentally, I know the Connect is not strictly car derived but someone once said on here that it actually was based on a Ford model. What was that. It wasn't the Focus was it?
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I'm interested what these cooling problems are, can you enlighten us VansBoy??
I've asked fleet if I can have the TDCi Hallmark model which has pretty much all the LX trimmings plus air con. After the fleet manager had stopped laughing, I pointed out that I will be in and out of this vehicle all day Monday to Friday and that a few practical and functional extra's wouldn't break the bank.
I then anonymously called my local Ford vans dealer posing as a self employed courier, and after a bit of haggling managed to get them to knock £2400 off the retail list price to match an online broker, bringing it down to £10800 before VAT. If fleet can't get it for this price which would be within budget then there's something amiss!
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Peter - the radfs seem to be showing signs of deteriation, on early models & giving the main problems.
I'll get fuller info from one of our trader buddies, that buys non-runners, to get the full lowdown.
VB
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someone once said on here that it actually was based on a Ford model. What was that. It wasn't the Focus was it?
Maybe the Ford Fusion?
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Maybe Fiesta for the SWB and Fusion for the LWB?
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Despite it having headlights very similar to the Fiesta (and identical?) to the Fusion, those never popped into my head as suggetions!
I'm sure something from the Focus was used in it though.
How come something so small is subject to the lower limits though? Is it purely because on paper there was no car it was based on? Was the Combo a car derived van? (Fiesta)
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Was the Combo a car derived van? (Fiesta)
Oh for an edit button Adam. I think you'll find the Combo is made by Vauxhall, not Ford. And isn't the Combo based on a Corsa?
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D'Oh.
What the hell was that old Fiesta van called then? I'm sure it was a Combo or Combi or something like that.
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Courier!
I knew it began with a C!
P.S. - Touche Dave....touche.
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& there was, of course the aforementioned Combi - a Mk4 Escort estate, 2 door, without glass to the side panels - but with a rear seat conversion.
It's name re-appeared on Couriers with side rear glass.
Was a favourite with British Rail/Balfour Beaty, or whoever became the rail maintainence contractor that week!!
The later Combi, was also used by Roal Mail & makes an excellent wheelchair friendly conversion - 'cos you've saved on bodywork adaptation costs.
Connect is form the Turkish factory, as is Transit, but think Fiesta is Spain, so goodness knows which bits the nick from where, these days!!
VB
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Ford also sold into some European countries the Escort estate with no side windows and the Escort van with side windows.It depended on that countrie's requirements and was usually to do with vehicle taxation classes.
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