Background

When looking for a Flex, I knew that I wanted the 40/40 captains chairs in  the 2nd row. While the 60/40 bench is more flexible in the people carrying department, the 40/40 offered powered auto flip down on both sides of the vehicle as well as heated seats that the bench did not offer.

What I didn’t know was if I wanted a console in the middle or not. Lucky for me the Flex I found didn’t have the console, so I could see if the blank space between the seats was a good thing or not.

After driving a few thousand miles, it was determined the the console is probably a good thing and I placed an order online (part number DB5Z-78045A36-AD via fordparts.com using Village Ford as my dealer choice because the shipping to California was a flat rate of $9.95 for such a large box) for the console that actually isn’t listed for the Flex, but rather a Ford Explorer (which the Flex is based on).

Before:

After:

Observations:

So what is it like with the console installed? In a word, GREAT! However here are some things that I noticed:

• The armrest is a welcome addition to the 2nd row passengers. It has a place to lay your arm and provide some comfort. Without it, your inboard arm was just hanging there since the seats don’t have arms on the side. This is perhaps the best thing about the console.
• The cupholders are much more convenient than the pull out one in the back of the front console.
• The covered storage inside is nice. This makes for a neat cabin.
• The console wastes space. There is a huge empty spot that isn’t used for anything. Perhaps a hidy hole spot? I’m sure law enforcement already knows about it. 🙂
• If your passengers have laptops, consoles, etc. Normally this stuff would go between the two seats- now it has to go in front or behind them.
• The console pokes above the folded 2nd row seats, so you’ll have to be careful loaded wide items with the seats folded down.

Procedure:

I pretty much followed Unobtainum’s excellent DIY post on fordflex.net on a console installation with the following exception:

I “prepoked” a hole through the carpet and hole sealant before screwing the front screws in. I used a small auger to do this.

This is a closeup of the “prepoke” tool I used.

I followed unobtainium’s article for the remainder of the install. Here are some additional pictures to help others:

The front screw that fits in the “already there” holes in the floorplan. (They are usually covered with sealant.) Note a nut driver with a built-in magnet works wonders for this. (Thank you harbor freight.)

This power driver worked great in a tight spot to get the screw started through the carpet.

I then finished off the tightening by hand with a small 3/8″ ratchet with long extensions. (I wanted to be careful not to overtighten the screw.)

FYI, the included instructions that came in the box were pretty much useless and wanted me to cut two one inch square holes in my carpet. I’m not sure why, because it isn’t required and if I wanted to remove the console later, I’d pretty much be staring at two holes in my carpet… no thanks!

Total install time was 30 mins. I could probably do another in half the time. Totally easy and highly recommended!