What's In DFB's Cabinet?

[DFB5.0]

Wildtrak Seat Trim Replacement

Some time ago, the drivers side seat base trim valance on the Wildtrak broke. From memory, the XLT that this car replaced also did the same, so I’m pretty sure this is a common failure part.

From what I can tell, the way the trim is shaped and attached to the seat has it subjected to substantial pressure as the driver enters and exits the vehicle. Repeated cycles of compression and release sees the plastic fatiguing over time, which then leads to it cracking.

Could I have made a warranty claim on this failure? Perhaps, but unlikely. Apart from the fact that it's just outside of warranty now, Ford would likely claim it as wear and tear, which is fair enough. As such, I decided to order the part from Bayford and do the job myself.

There are a few different versions of this part, all dependent on trim and model spec, and of course driver or passenger orientation. For example, the same part in my Ranger would not have cut-outs for power seat adjustment but would have a mechanical backrest lever. There are also two versions for the 8-way powered Wildtrak, with or without seat heating. This particular Wildtrak is not equipped with seat heaters. At this point, I would list the part number and provide the link, but more on that in later.

First, I removed the two electric seat adjustment levers with my fancy skin wedge tool. There is also a singular Phillips head screw on the rear of the seat. The trim is then "massaged" from the locator tabs.

Next, remove the two screws holding the switch module to the trim, you then need to release it from the tabs.

For the new trim, refit the switch module, then wrangle the trim into place to align and then snap into the three locator tabs, replace the rear screw. The adjuster levers then snap back into place. But........................

Despite being a professional online shopper, for some reason I bought the wrong part. I think the new one is for an XLT and not the Wildtrak with its black rather than grey plastics. I've tried searching the part number for the old piece but I can only find the grey version.

Does it matter? To me it does, to my father, not at all. I might try and track down the correct part, but I guess its not critical concern. I'm just chuffed I managed to do this myself.

Well, it got the better of me!

I had the local Ford dealer find the correct part, which was ordered late yesterday and was at the parts department by 9am this morning. Can't beat that for turnaround, not to mention not paying for shipping.

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[kilobravo]

Enjoyed your reply very much my Down Under friend, and I couldn't be happier for you.

In many ways, this is the perfect fit for me.

That was my very first thought. :=)

My biggest challenge is moderating my desire to write everything I know rather than being direct and to the point.

<grinning>

It's funny, if you were talking to me in person, I would much rather listen rather than talk. But put a keyboard in front of me, and I can easily type for hours........................ I suspect you knew that already.

Birds of a feather, are we, Yoda. <chuckling>

A number of those articles on the website are mine, just without my name on them.

After only reading a few words in the DS post, my brain told me who the author was and now that I know, I'll head back over there to check out the others. <smile>

So, yes I'm thrilled to be playing a very small part in product reviews and testing, and learning about new products and brands that may be on the horizon. I'm also flattered that he can trust me with that information.

Your suspicion was right on the money, D <BSEG> and again, I couldn 't be happier for you. But the real truth here is, your new relationship with DS is a proverbial "Win-Win" because..Detail Shed gets expert content and, you get to do the things you love doing. Karma doesn't GET any better than that.

 

[markayash]

Enjoyed your reply very much my Down Under friend, and I couldn't be happier for you.


That was my very first thought. :=)


<grinning>


Birds of a feather, are we, Yoda. <chuckling>


After only reading a few words in the DS post, my brain told me who the author was and now that I know, I'll head back over there to check out the others. <smile>


Your suspicion was right on the money, D <BSEG> and again, I couldn 't be happier for you. But the real truth here is, your new relationship with DS is a proverbial "Win-Win" because..Detail Shed gets expert content and, you get to do the things you love doing. Karma doesn't GET any better than that.

Its funny I always thought he seemed to write a lot of good details and great info

I am too ADD for writing

 

[DFB5.0]

I feel so much better now.....................

Black -

River Rock Silver, not the contrast to the black switch levers -

And what I would have preferred to include in the original post, the part number. If you have a PX MK III Ranger Wildtrak WITH 8-way powered seat but WITHOUT seat heating, you want the following part in black and NOT River Rock silver -

EB3Z 17A861 FH

You would think that having done this before, removing the wrong part and putting the correct one on would have been easy. NO!

The incorrect part put up a fight and I broke one of the rear locator tabs, which is no matter because I have no use for it anyway. The new part went on pretty good but.....................then I realized I forgot to reattach the two screws that secure the adjustment module to the trim. Rookie!!

So, off the trim comes, screws reattached and then the fight started. I got the thing on again, but something didn't look right, and I somehow unhooked the front of base cushion from the seat frame. It was then I realized I hadn't slotted the front of the trim to the frame properly, so off it came again. I got everything lined up and clicked into place, I then had to fight that final screw to get it properly aligned.

What was going to be a 10-minute job turned into 45 minutes. A lot of that was moving the seat base and backrest up/down/backwards/forwards. It's at this point I have to wonder why powered seat bases are seen as a luxury, every movement takes far longer than a manual adjustment lever.

In any case, I don't mind, I think this is what they call a "learning experience".

 

[kilobravo]

You would think that having done this before, removing the wrong part and putting the correct one on would have been easy. NO!

..then I realized I forgot to reattach the two screws that secure the adjustment module to the trim. Rookie!!

Boy did I get a grin out of those comments, D. You could have been describing nearly all of MY "projects!" MOF, I bet I call myself a "moron" or an "idiot" probably a half dozen times every day! <smile> Glad you wrestled that piece of vinyl into submission. <wink>

 

[tosha]

Nice. Can’t wait to hear your experience on it.

Ok, so with some delay, I finaly got some time to try out the gyeon q2 rim evo. From the application perspective, it is very similar to non evo version, or gtechniq one - instructions state to apply and wipe off immediately, and in my experience it gets grabby pretty quickly. Splitting the wheel in 3-4 sections is a good idea. Otherwise, application and wipeoff process is very easy, nothing special about it. The prep work is much more annoying part tbh.

24 hours later, the gloss and richness/pop of the color improved quite a bit, I am very happy with the result. Now, the wheels are not very subtle , so the coating effect is noticeable. Don't worry, these are not for mustang)))) Time will tell about the longevity of the coating, the wheels will live pretty rough life so we'll see.

 

[DFB5.0]

Ok, so with some delay, I finaly got some time to try out the gyeon q2 rim evo. From the application perspective, it is very similar to non evo version, or gtechniq one - instructions state to apply and wipe off immediately, and in my experience it gets grabby pretty quickly. Splitting the wheel in 3-4 sections is a good idea. Otherwise, application and wipeoff process is very easy, nothing special about it. The prep work is much more annoying part tbh.

24 hours later, the gloss and richness/pop of the color improved quite a bit, I am very happy with the result. Now, the wheels are not very subtle , so the coating effect is noticeable. Don't worry, these are not for mustang)))) Time will tell about the longevity of the coating, the wheels will live pretty rough life so we'll see.

Red wheels for the win!!

 

[kilobravo]

..the wheels will live pretty rough life so we'll see.

No surprise they look fantastic after you've had your way with them, D. <BSEG> Red is probably my favorite color and I'm wondering, what's the body color on the owner's vehicle? (Thinking OW, SB, RR, or CG would be good combos.)

Based on what I read in your post and, what I found at SuperSpeed, odds are the owner is a track rat. He also seems to be someone who pays close attention to cost and came to the conclusion (or had advice from another track rat,) that paying twice as much for forged wasn't worth the squeeze. <grin>

I will be most curious to see one of the wheels after a track day so should he bring them back to you for cleaning again, please post a couple photos of the brake dust and other track detritus. Obviously, Sarah will never see a road course but I am interested in how easily they clean after the Evo application as there probably is no better "test sample" than after a day racing.

 

[tosha]

No surprise they look fantastic after you've had your way with them, D. <BSEG> Red is probably my favorite color and I'm wondering, what's the body color on the owner's vehicle? (Thinking OW, SB, RR, or CG would be good combos.)

Based on what I read in your post and, what I found at SuperSpeed, odds are the owner is a track rat. He also seems to be someone who pays close attention to cost and came to the conclusion (or had advice from another track rat,) that paying twice as much for forged wasn't worth the squeeze. <grin>

I will be most curious to see one of the wheels after a track day so should he bring them back to you for cleaning again, please post a couple photos of the brake dust and other track detritus. Obviously, Sarah will never see a road course but I am interested in how easily they clean after the Evo application as there probably is no better "test sample" than after a day racing.

Thank you for kind words. The wheels are for myself and yes, they are for track use. I actually used them on one track weekend prior to applying the coating, the cleanup wasn't too bad with iron remover and P&S Brake Buster. everything came off fine. I did a touchup with tar remover in couple spots to remove rubber marks.

In my past experience with other track wheels, the cleanup of coated wheels is 2x easier vs uncoated. I also chose a simple wheel pattern for that reason as well. Cleaning something like uncoated M1 bird's nest pattern would be a complete hell.

He also seems to be someone who pays close attention to cost

Oh yes, Ima cheap ass

I'm wondering, what's the body color on the owner's vehicle?

These wheels go on my grey Elantra N, you can see part of it from video capture below along with my friend's while EN on same wheels (yeah that is a snowstorm on a track day, welcome to Canada )

 

[kilobravo]

In my past experience with other track wheels, the cleanup of coated wheels is 2x easier vs uncoated.

While I don't run my girl at the track, I know what you're saying about coated vs. uncoated when cleaning them as I've had the same experience with just brake dust.

For SURE a simpler wheel design makes the job a whole lot easier, Tosha, and I used the same logic when I bought Signature wheels for Sarah. Easy peazy to clean now.

 

[radar]

Following DFB’s advice I tried NV Snow and NV Boost V2

I could not definitively say Snow was superior to Meguairs gold class wash or Bowdens Nanolicious. Bit of a novice really.
It went on nice and easy, smells good and left a clean car.
However NV Boost V2 as a drying agent is another class above Bowdens Boss Gloss.

I was able to definitively compare my car and a Boss Gloss car I did at the same time. V2 beaded profusely in heavy rain and the water flowed off like a waterfall. Not the case with Boss Gloss.

The other advantage of Boost V2, which Sandro or DFB pointed out is you can apply it on warm panels on sunny days.

D - I can get to Nunawading when I return from OS. I really can’t believe P and S could do any better, but I’ll probably give it a try.

Thankyou!

pic show new home next few months.

 

[PKs]

Following DFB’s advice I tried NV Snow and NV Boost V2

I could not definitively say Snow was superior to Meguairs gold class wash or Bowdens Nanolicious. Bit of a novice really.
It went on nice and easy, smells good and left a clean car.
However NV Boost V2 as a drying agent is another class above Bowdens Boss Gloss.

I was able to definitively compare my car and a Boss Gloss car I did at the same time. V2 beaded profusely in heavy rain and the water flowed off like a waterfall. Not the case with Boss Gloss.

The other advantage of Boost V2, which Sandro or DFB pointed out is you can apply it on warm panels on sunny days.

D - I can get to Nunawading when I return from OS. I really can’t believe P and S could do any better, but I’ll probably give it a try.

Thankyou!

pic show new home next few months.

You must be extremely agile Ray.

 

[DFB5.0]

Following DFB’s advice I tried NV Snow and NV Boost V2

I could not definitively say Snow was superior to Meguairs gold class wash or Bowdens Nanolicious. Bit of a novice really.
It went on nice and easy, smells good and left a clean car.
However NV Boost V2 as a drying agent is another class above Bowdens Boss Gloss.

I was able to definitively compare my car and a Boss Gloss car I did at the same time. V2 beaded profusely in heavy rain and the water flowed off like a waterfall. Not the case with Boss Gloss.

The other advantage of Boost V2, which Sandro or DFB pointed out is you can apply it on warm panels on sunny days.

D - I can get to Nunawading when I return from OS. I really can’t believe P and S could do any better, but I’ll probably give it a try.

Thankyou!

pic show new home next few months.

Sad to see the Pony being put away, but so glad you liked Boost v2.

As you noted, Boss Gloss won't add hydrophobics to the paint, it's a quick detailer so it basically washes off in the rain. Boost on the other hand is a Si02 sealant, a hybrid of Nova Lustre and Nova Jet, so you get the benefit of both, Lustre's gloss enhancement, Jet's extreme hydrophobics.

 

[50ALM]

pic show new home next few months.

Sorry, off topic, but how on Earth did you get your S550 in there?
You cannot possibly open the doors being in the container.

 

[WD Pro]

Are none of you Harry Potter fans ... ?

It's not the knight bus, it's the knight stang ...

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