Man, I am kinda bummed. That is exactly what I wanted on my FX4, but I knew nothing about it. Oh, well....I am considering buying the equipment and installing steering wheel controls and auto climate myself.

 

I am currently collecting the parts to do the upgrade on my 04 FX4. Maybe I will be the only 04 with the "luxury package", or first anyway. I already have the lariat leather console lid. My seat heaters just got here today, my EATC unit is on the way, and I just won the steering wheel controls on ebay. I just have to buy the carbon fiber panel for the EATC.

btw...I like the leather seats in my FX4 better than the lariat leather seats. I love the white stitching on black leather.

 

I agree 100% on the seats. If you dont mind my asking you, how much do you have invested so far with the upgrade.

 

Would the EATC be a direct swap with the standard AC controls?

 

BigBlackFX4,

Keep us posted on the upgrades. This was something I so wanted as factory equip. when I got mine in 04 but was only available on the grandpa versions (Lariat).

 

$60 for a brand new leather steering wheel with all of the controls, $130 for the EATC both from ebay, and around $250 for the seat heaters from fordpartsonline.

I haven't started yet. I have been working a lot of overtime lately and I am kind of waiting for warmer weather to make the pealing the leather back on my seats easier. It will be done this summer. When I do this, I am going to gut the interior and do some sound deadening and add another amp for my door speakers so it will be quite a makeover.

 

I wanted the heated seats in my '05 also, and it's frustrating to know that now it's offered!! ugh. Guess it's another thing I'll have to do myself, but the $815 deal is NOT BAD for all that you get for it! I love my carbon fiber.. no WOOD for me!

 

I wonder how that carbon fiber panel would look in my tan-interior Lariat. Hmm...

 

Damn! Why didn't they have that option in the 05's? These 06 guys are so lucky. First they get 20" rims and now this!

 

I would also like to know if the climate control is a direct swap with the regular ac controls. Keep us posted.

 

It is not.

The HVAC case on the EATC equipped vehicles is different than the non EATC vehicles. To complete the swap you need to swap out the HVAC case... this includes removing the instrument panel (dash board), disconnecting the heater core, recover the A/C refrigerant, disconnect refrigerant lines, swap the HVAC case, refil refrigerant, and somehow upgrade your wiring to the HVAC and EATC which is all part of the main instrument panel wiring harness.

Not to bash anyone, but if so many people want EATC, heated seats, steering wheel controls, message center, etc. etc. then why didn't they just buy a Lariat in the first place. You could have got a Lariat with a limited slip 3.73 and skid plates. It would be a lot cheaper to swap or paint the bumpers and grille to body color, have the wood grain coated in carbon fiber, and slap a FX4 decal on the bed than it will be to upgrade all the electrical parts and wiring.