My humble review of my new Velocity Blue Maverick XL

[uh50]

Haven't been doing too much Maverick stuff lately. With warmer weather (87° F in East Texas today) comes yard work and other stuff. Today I had to work on the water well pressure tank and spent the afternoon in the sun; but got everything adjusted and balanced so we have consistent water pressure again.

I did take a drive after putting the tools up from working on the pressure tank. No reason, just to take a leisurely drive in a 30 mile loop in the country side. Listened to Hubert Laws' Scheherazade (Live recording), Farandole (L' Arlesienne Suite # 2) (Live recording), Malagueña, and Midnight at the Oasis. Great music from one of the great musicians of the world. I've been a fan of Hubert Laws since the '70s. I have to say that I enjoyed the quality of the music on my Infinity Reference speakers, through the Puzu PZ-C7 DSP Amp, along with the Rockville RW68CA sub. It's nice to hear all parts of the music again.

I finished up my little lazy drive with a little Bugs Henderson from his Four Tens Strikes Again album. I especially like Highway 61 Revisited, Sunshine of Your Love, Lucille, and Blue Casino. I've always liked Bugs Henderson; ever since his days at The Cellar in Fort Worth in the 1960s. Bugs always features the instruments of his band with lots of intriguing runs and rips. Of course, you have to listen to him loud and it's really nice having the sub to turn up a little. There's no thump, thumping with Bug's music, just solid bass sound that is featured along with the melodies, and harmony parts. Just good music in every way...and it blew me away how good it sounds on my audio system that took 7 months to complete.

Nice quiet drive in the country listening to some toons...life couldn't be better.

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[Ford Motor Company]

Haven't been doing too much Maverick stuff lately. With warmer weather (87° F in East Texas today) comes yard work and other stuff. Today I had to work on the water well pressure tank and spent the afternoon in the sun; but got everything adjusted and balanced so we have consistent water pressure again.

I did take a drive after putting the tools up from working on the pressure tank. No reason, just to take a leisurely drive in a 30 mile loop in the country side. Listened to Hubert Laws' Scheherazade (Live recording), Farandole (L' Arlesienne Suite # 2) (Live recording), Malagueña, and Midnight at the Oasis. Great music from one of the great musicians of the world. I've been a fan of Hubert Laws since the '70s. I have to say that I enjoyed the quality of the music on my Infinity Reference speakers, through the Puzu PZ-C7 DSP Amp, along with the Rockville RW68CA sub. It's nice to hear all parts of the music again.

I finished up my little lazy drive with a little Bugs Henderson from his Four Tens Strikes Again album. I especially like Highway 61 Revisited, Sunshine of Your Love, Lucille, and Blue Casino. I've always liked Bugs Henderson; ever since his days at The Cellar in Fort Worth in the 1960s. Bugs always features the instruments of his band with lots of intriguing runs and rips. Of course, you have to listen to him loud and it's really nice having the sub to turn up a little. There's no thump, thumping with Bug's music, just solid bass sound that is featured along with the melodies, and harmony parts. Just good music in every way...and it blew me away how good it sounds on my audio system that took 7 months to complete.

Nice quiet drive in the country listening to some toons...life couldn't be better.

That sounds like a great way to spend time with your Maverick, Howard!

 

[uh50]

That sounds like a great way to spend time with your Maverick, Howard!

Thanks for the comment. Ironically, it's been at least 15 years since I just drove for enjoyment of driving.

Back then, I managed construction for an Engineering firm in Tyler and we had a 15 month project in Artesia New Mexico building a major refinery addition. I tried to visit the job site a couple of times a month. To fly there in 2009 required me to catch a flight in Tyler, switch planes in Dallas, and fly to Lubbock, El Paso, Odessa/Midland, or Albuquerque and rent a car to drive to Artesia; which was a total of eight to 10 hour+ effort. It took me nine or ten hours to drive directly there, where I chose to start doing. I grew up in West Texas and miss the variety of landscape and the beauty of what is considered semi-desert by some.

After driving a few times via interstate 20 to Odessa and then north to Seminole on to Artesia, I started taking more indirect routes through Central North Texas just to break the trip up. I loved the area to the East of the Cap Rock and the great mesquite forests and grassland ranches. The beauty there is unlike anywhere I've ever been. Some people think it is a monotonous drive. Not me; there is a fantastic variety of landscape that is unparalleled to me.

At the time I had a 2006 Ford F-150 King Ranch that was a luxury to drive with a nice sound system and super comfortable. My music choice was about the same then as it is now.

I grew up in Plains Texas which is on the way to Artesia near Lovington NM and these trips allowed me to catch up with friends that I hadn't seen in 45 years or so. A true serendipity.

Well, that is a long story just to say it was the last time I actually drove for pleasure, even though I had a reason to go.

 

[uh50]

With all the rain and cooler weather last week, the grass in the back yard, especially near the lake has grown fast; very fast. So today, I'm out to cut the grass in the back yard. Afterward, if I have enough energy, I'll wash my Maverick. It's actually time for a deep spring cleaning which I might continue tomorrow.

Just passed 4300 miles on my Maverick and today is the 17 month anniversary date. Interestingly, I'm not getting tired of it like I have most of my new vehicles. Still have plans to add cruise, soft rubber mat in the bed, cubbies in the bed, wheels or wheel covers maybe bronze, some conservative bronze pin striping, and eventually a custom saddle leather interior. But, all that is a ways off.

I have a couple of mars or scuffs in the dash material where the trim tools scrapped that I need to cover up; so, I have been thinking of adding some piping on the dash. Not sure to do it in bronze or match the Velocity Blue exterior paint. The stock XL interior already has so many different materials and finishes, I hate to add a new one. Perhaps it might be best to stick with the color of the dash with any piping I add at the seams. Or, perhaps Carbon Fiber or wood trim pieces that are now readily available; but, then again, I'm adding another material and finish to an already busy interior. Or, maybe go ahead and add a saddle leather piping to match the replacement custom saddle leather interior. At least there are lots of options. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Around the house: I have to build a new well house and my wife has picked out something she wants. It's just a small shed to hold the well pressure tank and hide the top of the well stand pipe and water piping. Nominally, the shed is 43" (3' 6") x 85" (7' 1") It's built out of old doors except for the back wall. I got four doors off the sliding door installer from Lowes and they are much more decorative than the ones in the photo below. Not sure of the paint scheme to use, as we must repaint our house this summer. Anyway, kind of excited about getting started on it.

 

[JimmyH]

I finished up my little lazy drive with a little Bugs Henderson

Listened to some Bugs Henderson on Spotify while driving throughout the workday. Never heard of him. Thanks.

 

[uh50]

Listened to some Bugs Henderson on Spotify while driving throughout the workday. Never heard of him. Thanks.

I understand. He's mostly known in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but he's grown into a really good blues guitarist. Glad you like him.

 

[boblawlaw]

Haven't been doing too much Maverick stuff lately. With warmer weather (87° F in East Texas today) comes yard work and other stuff. Today I had to work on the water well pressure tank and spent the afternoon in the sun; but got everything adjusted and balanced so we have consistent water pressure again.

I did take a drive after putting the tools up from working on the pressure tank. No reason, just to take a leisurely drive in a 30 mile loop in the country side. Listened to Hubert Laws' Scheherazade (Live recording), Farandole (L' Arlesienne Suite # 2) (Live recording), Malagueña, and Midnight at the Oasis. Great music from one of the great musicians of the world. I've been a fan of Hubert Laws since the '70s. I have to say that I enjoyed the quality of the music on my Infinity Reference speakers, through the Puzu PZ-C7 DSP Amp, along with the Rockville RW68CA sub. It's nice to hear all parts of the music again.

I finished up my little lazy drive with a little Bugs Henderson from his Four Tens Strikes Again album. I especially like Highway 61 Revisited, Sunshine of Your Love, Lucille, and Blue Casino. I've always liked Bugs Henderson; ever since his days at The Cellar in Fort Worth in the 1960s. Bugs always features the instruments of his band with lots of intriguing runs and rips. Of course, you have to listen to him loud and it's really nice having the sub to turn up a little. There's no thump, thumping with Bug's music, just solid bass sound that is featured along with the melodies, and harmony parts. Just good music in every way...and it blew me away how good it sounds on my audio system that took 7 months to complete.

Nice quiet drive in the country listening to some toons...life couldn't be better.

I took ownership of my hybrid less than a month ago and was searching the forums for recommendations and ideas for the audio. Came across your thread and decided to go the same route with the puzu. I have it installed along with the infinity reference front speakers. Sounds great out of the box before any tuning has been done. The only trouble I’m having is snaking the harness to be able to get the amp under the passenger seat nice and neat. Can you share pictures where or how you routed the cable?

 

[uh50]

I took ownership of my hybrid less than a month ago and was searching the forums for recommendations and ideas for the audio. Came across your thread and decided to go the same route with the puzu. I have it installed along with the infinity reference front speakers. Sounds great out of the box before any tuning has been done. The only trouble I’m having is snaking the harness to be able to get the amp under the passenger seat nice and neat. Can you share pictures where or how you routed the cable?

Sorry, but I don't have a camera and have to rely on my wife to take photos with her phone and that is catch as catch can. But, I can explain it and it's easy.

There is a panel on both sides of the center console and it looks similar to the grill on the door, except it's a different color. Anyway, put you fingers under the console toward the rear of the panel and just pull toward young and the clips pop right out. I didn't ever pull the front clips out.

The cable from going to the DSP Amp is easily fed from the ACM cavity to the center console. I have my cable coming out the bottom at the rear of the removable center console panel to go under the driver's seat. I just chose that because I ran my sub power wire under the door sills on the left side. I ran my RCA cables, and the remote wire along with the power wire to the sub. So, my DSP Amp is under the driver's side and it is not mounted securely. It's just held in place by zip ties that hold the cables together.

I hope that suffices for you. Sorry about the photo issues. Have fun!

 

[boblawlaw]

Sorry, but I don't have a camera and have to rely on my wife to take photos with her phone and that is catch as catch can. But, I can explain it and it's easy.

There is a panel on both sides of the center console and it looks similar to the grill on the door, except it's a different color. Anyway, put you fingers under the console toward the rear of the panel and just pull toward young and the clips pop right out. I didn't ever pull the front clips out.

The cable from going to the DSP Amp is easily fed from the ACM cavity to the center console. I have my cable coming out the bottom at the rear of the removable center console panel to go under the driver's seat. I just chose that because I ran my sub power wire under the door sills on the left side. I ran my RCA cables, and the remote wire along with the power wire to the sub. So, my DSP Amp is under the driver's side and it is not mounted securely. It's just held in place by zip ties that hold the cables together.

I hope that suffices for you. Sorry about the photo issues. Have fun!

Thanks! I’ll take a look at this weekend when I have some free time.

 

[uh50]

Found several reasons to drive the Maverick the last few days.

First, last Thursday was my monthly meetings in Tyler; well, monthly meeting since I only have one on my schedule now. Also the location has changed and the only city area I have to drive through is Lindale on highway 69. Other than that it's all highway driving. As a result, my overall mpg history keeps going up about 2/10 every month. The computer historical mpg is currently at 26.4 and like I said increases about .2 every month. I know, I know. The computer mileage is an optimistic and is over stated somewhat by 1 to 1.3 mpg. But, it still gives me an indicator of what the mpg is doing. Trip 2 mpg is now at 27.4 and has been going down about .1 every month. I assume if I don't reset trip 1, trip 2, and the overall historical that they will equalize. It's not something I concentrate on, but I do notice the changes occasionally.

I love the drive from Holly Lake Ranch area (Brookhaven Lake for me) to highway 80 to Hoard, then Texas 1804 to highway 69, South on 69 to my destination in a little community called Swan. It's about a 40 minute leisurely drive through the East Texas country side.

Friday: Loaded up the truck with trash bags to take to the dump. When I got back, the truck was a little dusty mostly from pollen, so I sprayed it off and cleaned the interior.

I have an old Sirius Xact Visor XTR3 ACTIVE Radio with LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTION and I'm kinda tired of the SiriusXM Commander Touch mounted on the driver's side center HVAC vent; plus, it's getting warm in Texas and I need the vent. So, I removed it and cancelled the subscription. I then installed the old Xact XTR3 radio with the life time subscription.

It's so funky looking that it's cool and the text scrolls from right to left with orange LED lights. I mounted it in the center console bin at the front of the console where it blends in ok and looks like it belongs there. Operation is by remote control; and, I mostly only listen to oldies, Fox News, The Bridge, Margaritaville, Roadhouse, and Escape.

I've been listening to my USB Drive with over 4500 songs on it and I probably prefer it over SiriusXM, especially since it has a much more eclectic choice of music. I don't have anything on the USB Drive that I don't like; so, putting the setting on random mix gives me some unique music at times, which I love.

Yesterday: Had the SiriusXM powered by a fuse adapter connected to a ignition on fuse. Changed it to an accessory fuse that is powered by the key on and a delay off. Forgot now which fuse I'm using now. Anyway, the SiriusXM powers up with the key on and then delays off for a few minutes; so, it gives me music after I turn the key off, at least until I open the door. Before the SiriusXM radio went off when I turned the key off and gave me static until I opened the door.

My next little project is to order a Fakra splitter and Fakra to SiriusXM adapter and determine if the Shark Fin antenna works with the Sirius XM. There are two Fakra inputs used on the XL ACM unit. The J8 input is for AM/FM/DAB and the J9 input is for DNSS or Global Navigation Satellite System. If it works, then I'll remove the SiriusXM antenna I previously installed.

Here are a couple of images. The first is a diagram of the ACM ports labeled.

This second image is an actual photo of the XL ACM (front), and it shows the inputs being used. The red circled area is where the Puzu DSP Amp harness is plugged into.

I'm basing this off of the thread, Satellite radio antenna in all Mavericks?
Thanks to KenT for his valuable research. In the thread KenT gives a reasonable hypothesis that the standard Shark Fin contains a satellite antenna. Whether it works with SiriusXM needs to be verified. A later poster said that the Lariat Lux package has a different Shark Fin. It seems that SiriusXM has an agreement with GNSS on some basis. Of course, that's no guarantee that the service will work with the GNSS antenna.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see if it works or not. I'll report back when I check it out.

I hope everyone has a great week.

 

[boblawlaw]

So I finally had the chance to snake the cable for DSP, much easier with that panel removed! Did you ever get a chance to do any tuning to the DSP? I'm still working on a way to properly tune the EQ so for now that remains the same, but I changed the delay for the speakers. What a world of difference in sound! The sound is harmonious with the different layers working together instead of clashing. Once I get the EQ tuning down I'm sure it will be that much better.

 

[uh50]

So I finally had the chance to snake the cable for DSP, much easier with that panel removed! Did you ever get a chance to do any tuning to the DSP? I'm still working on a way to properly tune the EQ so for now that remains the same, but I changed the delay for the speakers. What a world of difference in sound! The sound is harmonious with the different layers working together instead of clashing. Once I get the EQ tuning down I'm sure it will be that much better.

Thanks for the report and glad to hear of your successes.

I have not done any tuning yet. I've downloaded the software for my Mac and for the Android phone, but have not installed it yet. One of these days, I'll get up and it will be the only thing on my mind and then I'll get around to it. Such of the life of my retired self.

You mentioned the harmonious sound with the different layers working together instead of clashing. That is a fantastic description of the improvement of using the DSP Amp versus not using it. There is a pass through switch on the DSP Amp and switching back and forth you can hear the clear improvement on the sound.

I mentioned switching my SiriusXM radios in a previous post today; so, I listened to SiriusXM for the first time through the Puzu. It's amazing the difference. Another MTC member recently stated there is no limitation to the back speakers if "all-seats" position is chosen on the audio settings. When the driver's seat position is chosen, then there is a limitation on the rear speakers. The sound is certainly different and the system seems to come alive with the DSP Amp in the "all-seats" position.

Glad you got the cable routed the way you want and started the tuning effort. Your success makes me want to make tuning a priority. Can't wait until you get the system tuned the way you want; so, let us know.

 

[uh50]

In this week's tale of Mi Camión Azul we use the little truck to get a neighbor's full size Chevy truck off of high center and unstuck.

We have a small house on Brookhaven Lake in East Texas. It's a beautiful place but a lake house requires a ton of maintenance. Our neighbor to the West lives in the Katy Texas area and hasn't visited in almost 15 years. When the roof started falling in, we looked around for their contact information but couldn't find it so we left it to the Home Owner's Association to contact them. Well now, there is hardly any roof left and the interior is trash.

Last week the owner showed up bringing a load of construction materials. The 2nd day here he backed into the overflow pond down by the dam and had to call AAA to get pulled out. His Chevy truck was loaded with trash from cleaning out the house so I didn't even think about using the Maverick to pull him out. Then last Thursday, he was backing his truck up in his back yard and backed off the bulkhead onto the dock. It was about a 3' drop. Again, no way my little Maverick could pull him out even if it was an all wheel drive.

He thought he could use a couple of come-alongs and pull himself up on dry land so Friday I drove him to Tyler to the Harbor Freight to buy the stuff he needed. I love Harbor Freight as well and we spent two hours there. I was a little worried about how this was going to work. Oh, I've used come-alongs and other winch equipment many times over the years, but his truck's back wheels were not on anything to give traction and it was high center on the edge of the rotten bulkhead. I believe in God's providence and the neighbor met a guy from our area at Harbor Freight. He had a Ram Heavy Duty four wheel drive and offered to meet us at the neighbor's house and pull him out, which anticlimacticly, he did.

None-the-less, it was a good 4 or 5 ours getting to know my part-time neighbor and driving the XL to Tyler and back. Thank God for his providence in the neighbor meeting the benevolent guy with the RAM HD 3-Wheel pickup.

The neighbor wanted to take his dog, Ruby, with him to Tyler so I reluctantly went along with it after he told me she would stay in the floor board. I have to admit, Ruby was extremely well minded dog. But, yesterday I saw the back seat and floor board and it was covered in the off-white or palomino colored hair. Additionally, the truck's interior was covered in tracked in forest floor debris from the neighbor's overgrown wooded lots. So, yesterday I spent about four hours giving the interior a good detailing.

While cleaning I noticed several new scuff marks on the interior plastic. I haven't done any research but now I need to find something to make the scuff marks and scratches of the interior plastic look better. Before I start researching, do any readers of this forum have any recommendations? If so, please post them here or provide a link to something you like to use. TIA.

Today I'll give the outside a good cleaning. Thankfully, I've kept the VB XL washed and waxed and it'll be a standard wash and drying with Turtle Wax's "Wax and Dry."

 

[uh50]

Yesterday, I went into Hawkins to pick up groceries curbside at Brookshire’s. Then went to Sonic which is closer to downtown. We rarely eat fast food, so it’s a treat to get a chili burger and a Cherry Limeade. Anyway, on the way back I was in the left lane heading north on 14 in Hawkins. Passing by a little thrift store I was wondering if we could get rid of some of our junk there and my eyes lingered on the building to determine if it was open. All of a sudden, my truck gave me an alarm that I haven’t heard before and a Pre-Collision warning on the instrument panel was flashing. With the warning I was able to brake hard and not hit the car in front of me turning left. All of that was in milli-seconds.

Interesting, I pulled out of Sonic into the left lane going north and there was nothing in front of me and as I passed the post office, still nothing in front of me. The little store I was interested in is just past the post office, so that means someone had to pass me in the right lane and quickly get in the left lane to turn left. The jerk almost got both our cars totaled; but the Pre-Collision warning works on the XL perfectly.

Thanks to my God and Ford for saving my bacon!

 

[uh50]

Took a load of trash to the dump yesterday and then picked up three 3' x 8' steel siding and some 6" x 10" to use on the water well shed I'm building. It was fairly late when I got everything unloaded but hauling trash always gets the bed dirty and sticky. So, I had to wash the truck spending some time on the bed to get the stick out of it.

The last 10 days have been great for getting yard work done and it's looking pretty good. I need to buy some grass to cover the areas where I cleared the brush. I now have three brush piles to haul off. I've never driven into our back yard, but the brush piles are so big now that I have to consider backing down the west side to load up. First I need the brush piles to condense some and let the leaves fall off so I can mulch them in with the grass.

But, first things first. I have to go to Tyler today for a meeting and the wife is going with me to visit family while I'm at the meeting. She has never driven the Maverick so I asked her if she wanted to. She said no, she wanted to learn how to drive it around the lake here first. I told her there was nothing to learn, which was not exactly true. The rotary shifter and the driving modes are completely foreign to her.

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