Tourneo Custom Suspension, Tyres and general

[Malroy]

Hi all,
Not been active for a while but thought I'd post an update that might be of help / interest
Bilstein B14 suspension: Still very happy I had it done but Seikokid cautioned with respect to lowering the rear re tow bars. Good point as I have scraped mine on a few occasions over time but it's not been an issue in normal driving, even over speed bumps. What I have found is that a lower rear ride height and a tow bar makes access to the spare wheel a little challenging.
Tyres: After 50k I'm still on the original factory Michelins still showing 4-5mm tread and those sidewalls have definitely on occasion saved the alloys. Always thought I'd stick with 17" rims but perhaps go 235s instead of the 215s on the tyres. Not sure now if I'll ever wear the 215s out before I sell the van. I'm considering a change.
Transporting two eMTBs: We have a towbar bike rack but also wanted to carry them in (we removed the three rearmost seats) the van. After looking at the (pricey) market options I did my own using unistrut and buying two fork mounting brackets. I just use 'U' bolts to clamp the unistrut down to the seat mounting points. Front wheels removed both bikes fit with just one middle row seat folded full forward. I'm certainly not the first doing the home made bike carrier thing but unistrut is spot on for the job and not costly. Taken our bikes around Europe with us like this and beats using the rear rack in terms of practicality and security.
Particulate Mass Sensor issue: Sorry but can't remember the dtc code but description was Particulate Mass Sensor Temp Circuit. I fortunately have a motor mechanic friend with access to a vehicle lift and with the van in the air we could see the sensor (Bosch 0281007 763) wiring was broken. Could be rats I was told. On-line a replacement sensor assy cost was just silly, anything from £100 to £400+ (£250 is the Bosch price) and there weren't that many options ignoring the Chinese copy stuff. Anyway, took it off, soldered in new wires and job done. I dread to think what Ford would charge just to diagnose it let alone rectify it.
European breakdown cover: Here is one area that going to Ford was worth it subject to your vehicle's history perhaps. Paying Ford to service my van each year the extend the Ford Assist Cover which includes European cover. Yes the Ford service isn't cheap but neither is comprehensive European breakdown cover so paying for one and getting the other free is value. They try to upsell a lot with the service so I just say no thank you.
A bit long but I hope sharing my experience is helpful to someone

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year