Mr. Toejam
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Spence
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2021
- Threads
- 8
- Messages
- 121
- Reaction score
- 158
- Location
- So. Cal.
- Vehicles
- MME Premium AWD Ext, Chevy Bolt, Honda Minivan
- Occupation
- Dir of MFG Eng
- Thread starter
- #1
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
That's it for right now.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
That's it for right now.
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