PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip

Mr. Toejam

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The easy mods are done. Floor Mats, cargo mat, rear seat back rest mats, arm rest tray, ceramic coat seat and I think the kitchen sink was in there some place.

Now the big stuff.

Let's start with the last one, Hyperdip. I am not a big fan of the machined face wheels. I had machined face wheels in 1987. They look...ehhh. So before I ran out and powder coated them black (really don't want to spend a ton on new wheels or get wheels that affect range), I wanted to try a different color. I'll preface this with....I AM NOT A USC TROJAN FAN. But the colors do work. So I ordered Hyperdip Bronze Gold. I did the coating myself. Pretty easy, it just takes patience. I'll keep them this way for a while and if I really like it, I'll look into powder coating them something close. I also installed black lugs. It was overcast in this picture. They pop more when the sun is out.
Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649229418823

Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649233059908


Now, 2 things that are our out of my wheel house. PPF and tint install. So I had Xpel Ultimate PPF installed on the full hood, full front bumper, Full quarter panels, head lights and mirror caps. They did a great job and even wrapped most of the edges. Top notch job. If you live in the OC...I gotta guy. Then I had XPel Prime XR Ceramic tint installed. I didn't use Prime Plus because that has a blue hue. I did 70% on the rear window, panoramic roof and the windshield. The side windows are 45%. I know, I am ridin' a little dirty (Practically a felony in California) but the this stuff makes a huge difference. Very little IR heat getting through which means I am not cranking the AC as much on hot days. And it is healthier for the skin and eyes. Lower UV and IR are always a good thing. So for the tint...I gotta guy if you need someone near the OC.

Now back to what I can do. I Installed a Draw-Tite hitch...by myself. Should have got some help, but the near death experience of the hitch falling down on me seconds after I moved my head was exhilarating (honestly, I am pretty dumb and I got really lucky. It really almost did come down on my head.). Anyway, there are other instructions on this site on how to install the hitch and they are all really good. The install took about 1.5-1.75 hours ( 15 minutes of reflecting on my life's dumb decisions). I used Rhinoramps during the install. Made a huge difference.

Then I installed a T-One tow light harness. You will see why later. The harness design is really good (though pricey). The instructions tell you nothing about how to work on the car.

https://www.etrailer.com/Custom-Fit...Mach-E/2021/TK24VR.html?VehicleID=20216004440


So here are few quick hints. To hook up to the brake lights, you need to pull off the brake light assembly and then put in the connectors. To remove the rear lights, open the rear hatch and you will see 2 caps that you remove and then there are 2 bolts (in yellow). Pop the caps out and remove the bolts. Now, I used plastic pry bars and gloves with good grips and you just have to pull the lights straight out, towards the rear of the car. There are 4 plungers that insert into rubber bushings on the car that you need to over come (in blue) the retention force.
Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649227051972

Once the light assembly is out, then use a wire hangar to go into the hole behind where the light would be and down to the bottom of the car. Oh yeah, you need to remove the same diffuser that you removed for the tow hitch install. Pull the harness up, attach the appropriate connectors and then you can reinstall the light. Repeat for the other side.

Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649227174902

Now, the harness is designed to power the "trailer" lights directly from the battery, not from your brake lights. What I didn't like was the idea of running a wire with zip ties all the way to the front of the MME. So I decided to splice into the 12V accessory plug in the cargo area. So I found a rubber grommet under the styrofoam holder that I punched the wire though. But to get to the 12V wires, you need to get behind the panel. So first you need to remove the rear cargo skirt. Remove the 2 ring loops by flipping up the cover and then removing the bolt. There are 2 bolts at the bottom. You will see them when you remove the styrofoam holder. After that it is just spring clips. Pop out the rear skirt. I circled the clips.
Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649228188556


The side panel has a strong ribbed plug. Pull the panel back and you will see the plugs. This is where the B&O subwoofer lives. That is in serious need of an upgrade...but that is for a later day. I spliced into the 12 volts, buttoned everything up and now my "trailer" will have turn lights, brake lights and even a license plate light.

Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649228351219

As for the "trailer"... no, I am not going to tow with it. What I have is a hitch mounted cargo box. It has lights built in. As you can see from the pics, I really didn't need the light kit. I clear my driveway with less than 1/2" of clearance. So I might need a 4" riser. With the riser in place, the brake lights will be partially blocked. So the light harness was a $90 "just in case". The family is going on a little road trip to see...family. It's my wife, daughter, 2 Texas Heelers and myself in the MME. Then we need space for luggage and the "dog box". We could take the Mini van but gas alone would be over $250. With the MME, it will be about $50. It is really closer to $80-$100 in electrons, but I change at work for free. So I leave at 100% for free and I only need about 5% when we get back because I only live about 4 miles from work. So the savings in gas paid for the hitch. Hopefully it doesn't affect the ride or the range too much.

Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649228739506


That's it for right now.

Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649226027983


Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649226675590


Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649226946133


Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649226963923
 
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emersonsdad

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Awesome work and awesome write up!
 

P. T. Magoo

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Nice presentation and instructions.

And you car looks great!
 

Yevi

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Sooo pretty!

This is a great post! Thank you!
 
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CottonHill

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Let's start with the last one, Hyperdip. I am not a big fan of the machined face wheels. I had machined face wheels in 1987. They look...ehhh. So before I ran out and powder coated them black (really don't want to spend a ton on new wheels or get wheels that affect range), I wanted to try a different color. I'll preface this with....I AM NOT A USC TROJAN FAN. But the colors do work. So I ordered Hyperdip Bronze Gold.
Very nice!! I have the “Brass Monkey” Hyperdip that I’m going to do my wheels with. If we (Western Pa) would ever have any consistent weather for a week!
 


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Mr. Toejam

Mr. Toejam

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Very nice!! I have the “Brass Monkey” Hyperdip that I’m going to do my wheels with. If we (Western Pa) would ever have any consistent weather for a week!
I heated up the cans with hot water. It made it spray better, but it might have made it dry too fast It may not have wetted as well. I like the Matt finish but I am worried about keeping the wheels clean.

good luck!
 

Yevi

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What are you using for the hitch bracket? I can see it is a Rola container, but in looking at the container, it doesn't mention the hitch.
 
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Mr. Toejam

Mr. Toejam

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What are you using for the hitch bracket? I can see it is a Rola container, but in looking at the container, it doesn't mention the hitch.
The Hitch is a Draw-tite. The swing arm is part of the Rola System. The container comes off and then you have a tray that can carry items like a lawn mower. Unfortunately, Rola discontinued this product, but there are other brands available on the market.
Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649274854724
Ford Mustang Mach-E PPF, Ceramic Tint, Draw-tite hitch, T-one tow light harness, and Hyperdip 1649276655634


You can also build your own system since there are multiple companies that sell the swing away arm.
 
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Mr. Toejam

Mr. Toejam

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Tony Stark approves of your ride!
I agree, I'll go with the Iron-Man Theme instead of the SC Trojan one. Though I still need to figure out how to snap my fingers with a massive glove on.
 
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Mr. Toejam

Mr. Toejam

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I just realized I never followed up with my results with the cargo box off the rear hitch. 800+ mile trip from the OC to Morgan Hill and back.

So, the wife, my daughter myself, 2 Texas Healers and their cargo box of food and snacks and water and snacks and toys and ...let see...oh yeah, snacks in the cargo area. The cargo box had 3 carry on suitcases, a few extra shoes, towels for WHEN the dogs get dirty and we need to wipe them down. in the cargo box there was about 50lbs of stuff (rough guess) The cargo box and the swing away are quite heavy at around 70 - 80lbs.

The box did not affect visibility except when backing up because it made the back-up camera useless. I had to resort to using my mirrors and judgment...how 2010....

The MME still drove nice. I was afraid having all of that weight cantilevered 3 feet past the rear bumper would cause the car to just bounce around...not the case.

2 things happen when you have a cargo box on the roof of a car. Tons of noise and your economy gets hammered. No wind noise. As for economy, I really can't say what the exact hit was since I was driving into a 25-30 MPH head wind for large portion of my trip (more than 200 miles worth). Since I was going 70 up the 5, it was like driving 100MPH as far as wind resistance goes. Needless to say, I had to throw in an extra full 15%-80% charge on my 350 mile trip. Coming home, I saw maybe a 10% hit. And no, the steering was not affected by the winds.

Side note: I stayed at a hotel right next to the Ford dealership in Morgan Hill California.I could see the sales guys pointing at my MME and cargo box as I drove by.

To say the least, Very happy with the cargo box.

2 things did go wrong. The arms under the box are bolted to the swing arm. They are mounted in a way that if they loosen up, the cargo box pivots downward. This happened (fortunately in my sisters driveway) and ended up only being about 4 inches off the ground. Didn't realize it and it dug a little hole in the street when I was backing out. Bad design in my opinion. I will be adding a few welds to keep it in place for the future.

Second, I had a license plate mounted to the box because the tailgate one could not be seen. Notice I said "had". Those head winds and my driving speed basically ripped the plate right off.

$23 later and I have new plates. Thanks DMV.
 
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pdxzzr

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I have the Yakima EXO system. just ordered that same wiring harness since I’ll need to add the brake light kit for when I have the cargo box on the back. Thank you very much for the detailed write up!
 
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Mr. Toejam

Mr. Toejam

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pdxzzr

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Now, the harness is designed to power the "trailer" lights directly from the battery, not from your brake lights. What I didn't like was the idea of running a wire with zip ties all the way to the front of the MME. So I decided to splice into the 12V accessory plug in the cargo area. So I found a rubber grommet under the styrofoam holder that I punched the wire though. But to get to the 12V wires, you need to get behind the panel. So first you need to remove the rear cargo skirt. Remove the 2 ring loops by flipping up the cover and then removing the bolt. There are 2 bolts at the bottom. You will see them when you remove the styrofoam holder. After that it is just spring clips. Pop out the rear skirt. …
My harness arrived from e-trailer yesterday. But before I get started, how did you splice into the 12v connector? did you use one of those press fit connector, or just crimp onto the terminal of the socket? Or something else?

Also, doing a little exploration underneath and wondering how did you mount the module and the wiring harness that goes out to the trailer lights? It seems like a very long lead.
Sponsored

 
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