starting to get warm - got sunscreen?

It's starting to get warm out here! If you hate burning your hands on your steering wheel when it's 100F+ outside this is the correct sized Cover Craft sunscreen if you have the rearview mirror camera option (802A).  These are amazing, thick sun screens and do excellent work at reducing interior temps and offer the best in UV protection!

Cover Craft UV11386SV UVS100 Sunscreen

McGard Tailgate lock - well worth it!

Tailgate thefts are on the rise!  Why? Well the average modern tailgate costs north of $2,000 - yep!

That's crazy!  The Raptor tailgate has a camera, an LED light, a built in shock to gently lower the tailgate, an integrated step and the applique which cost $500 just from the factory order - so YES I want to protect it!

Pickup tailgate theft is on the rise, insurance industry says

In comes a simple solution - use a 60 cent hose clamp!

Well yes while a hose clamp will work, I'm not about to put it on my new truck - so in comes the McGard 76029 Tailgate Lock

McGard is a well known name in vehicle security and for less than $20 you can securely know that your tailgate is much safer than before!

Took about 5 minutes to install...

Here is the kit unboxed, a collar for the tailgate hinge, the lock, a custom key for the lock, a cap to cover the lock and instructions.  I used my cordless drill to loosen/tighten the collar.

Once you get the tailgate open, you literally hold it 45 degrees and it slides out - no wonder they're stolen so easily!  It's crazy how simple!

Next - affix the collar around the cup on the bed - use the tape provided to hold the opening in place so it lines up with the cup opening.

Now you can set the tailgate back into position - notice how the cup covers the tailgate hinge.  Now you can discard the tape.

Here's what the cup looks like once the tailgate is setup and laid flat...

Now wrap the collar around the cup with the key facing up - thread the clamp and tighten

Make sure the lock is facing upward in the same position as the tailgate bed - place the cover over the keyhole and you're done!

Now you'll just want to keep the key in a safe place and register your key code with McGard!

Some subtle yet useful mods... tiedowns, antennas and rain guards!

Gotta make this ride unique (and useful!)

Starting with some subtle mods

  

It's a truck, so I need more things to tie crap down with - these Bullring Tie Down anchors are cheap and identical to the Ford ones that cost 3X as much!   They're nice and flush when sitting normally, and they lock in the 'up' position when needed! 

  

The stock antenna is HUGE, it swayed in the wind like crazy - this 'Stubby' sure is small, but I can't tell the difference between this one and the long OEM antenna!  Well worth it!

And finally - I love these rain guards!  Weathertech makes some of the best, they're super flush fit - and fit INSIDE the window channel.  Keeps the rain out, but lets cool air in/out of the truck!

          

  

I wish they had these in Avalanche Crew Cab!

Seriously I would buy one if they were in Crew Cab 😅

  

Planning the drive home... using Roadtrippers.com

We're buying the Raptor in Colorado and driving home in a few weeks.  We were looking for some things to do along the way - and I found Roadtrippers.com!  What a cool site!

You can add SO many different things, gas stations, shopping, lodging, even off-the-beaten path stuff too!

Here's our plans to drive 2 days home - almost 1,000 miles of exploring 👀


2017 Raptor Drive Home on Roadtrippers

Can't wait - getting so close!

Iron Remover Comparisons - gotta love Autopia Forums!

When you get your new car - it looks shiny after the dealer preps it - but many times it's a simple wash-n-go which leaves lots of contaminants in/on your paint... if your vehicle was transported by train - you'll most likely have 'rail dust' embedded in your paint.

Paint contamination consists of any airborne chemical compounds, ferrous (iron containing) particles, adhesives, industrial fallout, rail dust, acid rain, bird droppings, road tar, grime, tree sap, bugs, water spots, brake dust, road salt, oil, paint overspray, etc. either on or embedded in the paint surface. Some of these contaminants, particularly fresh contaminants, may come off the paint surface with the initial washing. Some other contaminants, however, will actually penetrate and/or bond to the paint and, over time, eat into the clear coat thereby causing pitting, premature clear coat failure, and/or overall accelerated degradation of the paint.

The guys at Autopia.org have a great Iron remover comparison.
Full post here

Here are the contenders!!

Dodo Juice Ferrous Dueller Iron Remover

Auto Finesse Iron Out Contaminate Remover

Wolf`s Chemicals DeIronizer

just crazy!  You can't see this until you chemically treat it!

What do you think?  Do you de-iron your vehicles?

So what's new in Ford Sync 3 version 2.2?

Seeing a lot of folks wondering what is 'better' when you upgrade from SYNC3 v1 to Version 2.2.

Here's a list of changes from the Ford Website 👍👍
You can learn more about the update here: https://www.f150forum.com/f118/current-sync-3-carplay-android-auto-information-360660/index261/#post5239735