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Anybody had experience of these? Got a good looking deal on a Transit connect but no cc and wondered about whether the aftermarket units were any good?
Ta.
It's possible to retrofit a genuine cruise control stalk that works through the van's own computers.
I think you'd need to think quite carefully about the risks of an aftermarket system...
- You don't know how it's implemented. Is it mechanically moving the accelerator pedal? Cutting the pedal position sensor transmission and sending its own signal in place? Just firing data straight into the CAN network to make the van do what it wants?
- How do you disconnect it? Cars with cruise-control have redundant sensors on the brake pedal (and clutch if fitted) to deactivate the system.
- What if it inadvertently engages at low speed but demands 100% torque? Would you recognise that it's a fault?
- What would the police / insurance company say if you were involved in a serious accident and the investigation found a non-standard interface between the accelerator and the ECU?
Personally I think an aftermarket kit is madness.
Do you mean manufacturer approved - dealer fit? If so yes, I have one, not quite as good as the factory option, but it does the job.
If not, as Flaperon states.
Edit- mine’s on a VW not a Ford.
Cruise control in a transit?
Isn't that just a brick left on the right hand pedal?
I had a genuine VW kit fitted to a Golf mk4 many years ago by a local VW tuning specialist. Worked just like a friends factory kit. Cost around £200 and they replaced the stalk, part of a wiring loom and re programmed the ECU.
As already mentioned if it's a genuine kit then yeah, it'll be ok. If it's a generic kit then I'd not bother if it was me.
Ok, so what I really need to find out is if a genuine/manufacturer approved kit is available.
I had one fitted to a Focus of mine and it worked really well and just like factory fitted cruise control. It may still be in the garage if you want the kit, you'd likely just need a different wiring bundle to connect it to the ECU.
The challenge you might find is the location of the OEM controls. If on the steering wheel then you might be looking at having to upgrade to a multifunction steering wheel which is about £400 on its own. If done from a stalk then going to be alot cheaper. But once you've got controls integrated then I would have thought the actual cruise control bit is more of a case of software in these days of CANBUS and e-throttles. You might need a cruise control module.
It's definitely possible to retrofit an OEM install, just a question of cost. I wouldn't be keen on an aftermarket setup that hooked into the software for all the reasons Flaperon mentions.
What age transit.
Have done mk8 with a wheel off eBay(for considerably less than 400 quid) and a ford specific plug in and forscan on a laptop to activate it
Need to check you have dual brake switches if not you may have to fit one. The wiring will be tucked up in the loom
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What age transit.
2018 Connect.
Connect cruise control is in the steering wheel. I'll go and have a look at mine to see if it's properly integrated or an attached module.
#shouldhaveboughttheLimited
#shouldhaveboughttheLimited
Haven't actually bought it yet!
Thanks for going to check.
Well it's definately a 'pod' that's attached to the wheel, but without trying to get the cover off I can't see how it attaches. No external screws, and the wiring must go straight into the wheel boss because there's nothing exposed.
Unless there's a blanink grommet on the standard steering wheel for the cables to pass, it might be a PITA. It'll be between the two left hand side spokes.
Thanks.
Worth doing a bit of research on the owners forums. On the Iveco Daily some model years are all wired up and enabled, you just buy a new indicator stalk for £100, plug in and off you go (even when the dealers are adamant you need to cough up £120 to get hooked up to the computer to program it)
I've seen drivers switching to the OE method just months after spending hundreds of pounds with a retrofit item!
On the flip side, other model years need lots of new bits and bobs to get it working and its not worth it.
I fitted a waeco kit to a mk2 mondeo I had years ago : it was the diesel and Ford never built a kit to fit. I had actually wired it to the oem steering wheel buttons, it had sensors on theclutch and brake pedals to kill power and worked by actuating a servo which pulled the throttle cable manually. I imagine more modern kits are probably simpler (just telling the engine what to do via canbus), but if you can achieve the same results with a 2and hand wheel and a reprogram that's probably best. First stop should be your local ford dealer, vw used to supply and fit stalks for golfs for something like £150
Dont know about Van's but I fitted it to my zafira myself it was a doddle, I bought an indicator stalk with cruise control on and a bit of software on ebay to access the cars computer and just turned it on, works great just like factory fit
I'm reminded of the (presumably) urban myth of the Belgian driver whose CC stuck on at 100kmh and they had to open all the toll gates and give him a rolling road closure til he ran out of diesel.
I remember reading that. There was some detail about it being a Renault with one of those card keys that was trapped in the slot too. I didn't understand why he couldn't have just smashed the brakes on until it stalled.
Liteon aftermarket cruise for my nissan van from bridgewater electronics a few years back.