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HALLELUJA!!!!!!! Thank you Lord. She runs! First try, it was a tad rough and low rpm(5-600-ish) for a couple seconds and slowly starting picking up rpm to the normal 1500. I waited another 15 seconds and floored it, went up to 2100 (how its always done) and back to 1500 when I let off. Put it in gear and moved it backward and forward a few feet (wife's car is in front). A minute later the rpm fluctuated up and down then went up to 2100 roughly like it was randomly dropping a cylinder then smoothed out and went back to 1500 smoothly, that scenario was maybe 10 seconds. Sat there another 2 minutes, still smooth, HVB already up to 50%. Set the defrost on max but lowest fan speed, to keep the ICE running. Going to let i run a half hour or so, get good and warm. Tomorrow I'll get it scanned. Ate something that didn't agree with me last night, don't feel like doing squat today, almost didn't even go out to try the car but it's warmed up to a balmy 18° so I figured to out. I'm guessing the problem was fuel related, something iced up or froze and maybe had some air in the lines causing that fluctuating/rough running for a few seconds just now.

Hi everyone. I am a new C-Max energi owner. Picked up a fully loaded 2013 all black today. I have a level 2 charger on my house,so I'm all ready. As a long time Ford parts manager, I'm very familiar with them, and looked for about 6 months to find just what I wanted. One owner, 115k miles, selling dealer serviced from new. The transmission waa changed at 49k under warranty with the updated unit. I can't wait to start modifying it!

Failed vehicle inspection due to "leaking" rear shocks. Shop wanted $700 to replace both. Nope. DIY and casual 4 hours later, replaced both shocks (using TRQs), rotated tires, and cleaned the HVB filter/screen behind passenger-side rear wheel tub while "in there"; screen was clogged and read that can reduce HVB charge. Shocks were slow to remove and reinstall/retorque the bottom bolts (given limited/tight access) and went ahead and replaced both upper shock brackets as well although both looked fine. Not bad overall for $200. Greg

Hello, we are picking up a new to us 2018 SE tomorrow.

Just a little info for everyone, Use it however you want. I spent 20yrs as an auditor for various gas stations/stores across the southeast USA. Part of that job was verifying the fuel level reporting of each station. Reports were used to track refill orders & to report to the EPA to verify tank & fuel pipes were not losing fuel [EPA does not care what leaks into tanks just what could leak out]. Despite appearances, gas stations are not sealed. Every time you put a gallon in your car, the same volume of air is drawn into the feed tank. Outside air with moisture & dust. I probably checked a thousand or more over the years & EVERYONE of them had some water/dirt in the bottom of the tanks. Depending on the size of tank & water level, equipment is used to remove excess. There is a reason for using fuel additives that should not ignored. THANKs for the read.

There are jump points under the hood. Use those first to try and jump the vehicle long enough to open the hatch. Seeing issues people have had doing this in the past, you may want to verify you have a solid connection especially on the grounding post (the long grey 'bolt' sticking up in the engine bay on the drivers side near the headlight). Also may need to give it some time if the battery has been seriously discharged to give it enough juice for the appropriate modules to wake up. The BCM is in charge of the locking system and the latching mechanism in the hatch. If the door locks work and interior lights are lit, it should be enough to open the hatch. If all this fails, you'll unfortunately need to climb over the back seat and figure out how to access the battery that way which will be a HUGE paint in the ass. Try the above options first.

I know this post is 5 yrs old. Just posting to possibly help someone else in future who might be reading or searching for solution. 2013 CMax SEL Hybrid 114K miles. Rough running, flashing engine MIL light, P codes: 0302 (cyl 2 misfire), 0202 (cyl 2 injector A circuit), 0316 (engine misfire on startup). I had proactively replaced spark plugs about 1000 miles ago (couple months earlier). First time the above malfunction happened a couple weeks ago I got all new coil on plugs, Motorcraft DG-522, and replaced all four, figuring and hoping it was a coil problem since I was pretty sure the spark plugs were fine. Problem went away for about a week. It happened again so I figured it probably wasn’t a spark problem anymore. Tested resistance between the two pins on each of the injectors with the multimeter, which should be between 11 and 18 ohms. I didn’t know that range of values at the time, but the suspected three good ones from cylinders 1, 3, 4 were about 13 ohms and cylinder two was about 29 ohms. Figured cylinder two is probably beyond a limit. Found online mechanics saying the resistance should be between the 11 and 18 ohms. Ordered four Bosch fuel injectors 62383 figuring I would just replace them all at once. Car had sat now for a couple days so wasn’t worried about fuel pressure or fire. Wasn’t very difficult to replace injectors... Obviously you have to remove the air filter box associated air hoses etc to get at the coils/plugs/injectors. Then took picture of all the wires as is, although I don’t think you could physically cross wire anything in truth on reinstallation. Then removed the wires from the coils and from the injectors, and all the wire mounts, to gain some working room below the wire looms. Blew the gunk out of the injector holes with compressed air. Loosened the two bolts holding the fuel rail on. Jiggled and wiggled the fuel rail plus 4 injectors out of the four cylinders. I did not disconnect the fuel line leading in to the fuel rail. A bit of fuel dripped around out of the injectors (a few ounces total), but I had a rag ready to soak it up. I cleaned the injector holes with the gasoline soaked rag and my finger, and some qtips. I sucked the injector holes with a vacuum to remove any residual debris. Removed the old injectors from fuel rail with a small screwdriver to get the metal clip to release then pulled them out (still working below the wire looms with fuel input line still attached, tight but manageable plus a bit more fuel dripped out). Transferred the old metal clips over to the new injectors. Lubed the new injectors o rings with some Vaseline or could’ve used motor oil. Inserted each injector by pushing in to fuel rail making sure the metal clip latched on the fuel rail lip. Pushed the fuel rail with new injectors back into their 4 cylinder holes. Tightened the fuel injector rail bolts to 17 foot pounds. And plugged everything back in. Double checked it looked right. Started car and pressed gas to make ICE run (1-2 seconds of sputtering as fuel pressure built). Checked for leaks and problems seems solved. We’ll see if it stays gone. Hope this helps someone.

It's with great sadness that we're listing our C-Max for sale. We bought the car in 2020 during the pandemic, and it has served us well. It's taken the kids to school, to the supermarket, and many more exciting adventures well beyond Jersey City where we live. We're moving overseas, so the car can't come with us. If we weren't moving so far away, we'd be keeping the C-Max until its dying days. It's spacious, fun to drive, and perfectly sized for city life. It has custom fitted Husky floor liners for both rows, a 3D printed liner for the trunk floor, custom fit windscreen shield, tinted rear windows, and a Sync 3 infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support. Message me if you're interested.

When it bought my 2017 C-max Energi, I found it so solid and stable and smooth on the road that I called it my "Little LTD."

In case it helps someone else about 2 weeks ago my backup camera stopped working about 85% of the time with the error message saying camera not available, see dealer. My car is a 2013 SEL. Occasionally it would work and some of those times the image would be upside down. After reviewing this forum, I ordered the camera (Dorman 592-008 Rear Park Assist Camera) and some plastic trim tools from Amazon. Using the YouTube video below I was able to replace it. I did have one of the tabs on the camera bracket break. I secured it with a trimmed piece of duct tape, and I think it will be fine. If not, I know the camera works and how to get to it now.

Several folks here have gotten over 200k. Enjoy the car. Cheers

For those who may be unaware, the rear hatch cannot be opened if the 12v battery is dead, so do NOT keep jumper cables in the rear cubby.

Thanks, disconnecting the 12v battery seems to have fixed the problem. I was surprised that the radio presets & info center trackings [left side of dash pod] both were retained. After reconnecting both began at the starting point screen but only had to push a few buttons on the steering wheel controls or the radio touchscreen to get back to normal. I guess the problem may have been started during a Sirius update that didn't quite take for some reason, [driving thru a dead signal spot for example].

Glad you found a great place to get your car repaired. I hate the mentality of just changing stuff until fixing the problem at your expense. Doesn't anyone troubleshoot anymore?

For me I've basically skipped refreshing the included tire kit/inflator. Ulterior motive for that being I found mine had an air leak somewhere and wouldn't get up past around 20 psi. Instead I just got a cheap tire inflator from the local big box store. Slime branded model that also has a digital pressure readout and auto-stop once it reaches your set pressure. Then just a simple tire plug kit to go along with it. Both are small enough to stash under the lip in the cargo area on my Energi and the old space under the passenger seat is now open for extra storage.

e information. From what I can tell, the 2014 Cmax does not have any gauge for the 12 volt battery for a person to monitor it. Dealer said I did good with it lasting 11 years as they said normally they last 4-5 years.

My first go around with this problem was resolved by pushing down on the top of this connector. Then it came back when I finally figured out how to separate the connector. I cleaned the 4 pins with CRC contact cleaner, and reassembled. Code came back. Screwed with it for a few hours... then decided to sleep on it. Today I took the connector apart again and sprayed isopropl alcohol into both sides (male and female) then blew it out real good. I inspected the sides of the orange connector and lightly sanded those surfaces. I squared off the flat bottom of the 3 'bumps' that engage the latch. I had scribed where the top/bottom connectors before I had take it apart. When I inserted the plug, I heard a distinctive click and the connector male part went much deeper into the female side. Problem resolved!

As far as the 2016 situation, here's the gist: 2016 model year C-Maxes with the appropriate trims/options (ie: Has the 8" touch screen, not the 4" non-touch unit) would have been supplied with Sync 3 vs Sync 2. But the USB hubs in the center console were not compatible with CarPlay. I believe something to do with a special identification chip that Apple requires. Don't quote me on that though. Android Auto users don't have the same issue. But 2017+ model years they updated the hub so it is compatible. There was also a software update to Sync that was needed too. Many may already be past this. Always recommend to go through Ford for these updates first and it'll get the software side sorted out: https://www.ford.com/support/sync-maps-updates/ . Some suggest using Cyanlabs to get to newer 3.4 versions that Ford doesn't officially support on our vehicles but it requires some technical experience and has the potential to brick your APIM. If you happen to still have an older hub and update Sync 3 to the latest available version to you, you should then receive a warning on startup about USB hubs not being supported. The hub replacement is inexpensive and quick to do. The hub in the center console just snaps in. Pop it out, there's two connectors on the back. Unplug the old, plug in the new, pop it back in. No further work or programming needed.

My son upgraded his 2016 c-max energi to the latest sync version a couple years ago but I don't think he had to upgrade the usb hubs. If you are going from sync 2 to sync 3 I think the usb ports are upgraded on some models. He got the sync updates from a non-ford site.

My plan is to change both our trans fluids around 100k. Without any leaks, I'm expecting to add more than is removed due to "heat evaporation" from use (although I remember older transmissions having some venting option that cause some minimal loss). Greg

The transmission fluid actually looked like new but I believe it was a little bit low because I've added like 1/2 Liter more than I've drained

Heh heh, yeah good idea to do stretching exercises before doing that one. 😀

Cmax lover, Tough call. In general, if you love your cmax and it's in very good shape and well maintained, I'd price a new tranny (hopefully one having a 3 year warranty or so) and if the price is reasonable, pull the trigger given you'll likely get 200K on it. If you want something newer, I'd look at used 2016, 2017, and 2018 cmaxes since those transmissions are purportedly 'better' (although my 2017/2018s were not). At this point, if my 2018 cmax crapped its tranny again, I'd want a 2017 energi, but that's me. Greg

Started the car this morning and once again got the error. The red thermometer icon showed up like it always does when this happens, but the temperature reading on the dash showed the engine was cool. We have an Autozone near where we live, so maybe I can ask them if they have a device to get an error code from the car. Thanks for all the responses so far everybody!

I had the same issue happen to me last night: windows all down, car unlocked. My key/fob seems to be malfunctionning. Even after going in the car, raising the windows, the would automatically come back down. To identify the root cause, I kept the two sides of the fob separated so that there was no contact as soon as I raised the windows. Then, I'd keep the two sides apart. The windows stayed up during the night. This morning, I looked inside the key/fob and it looks like there was a piece of rubber that came unglued therefore there was always a contact on the down button.

Try to find a second hand replacement from a scrap yard via car-part.com. It should make it much more affordable.

Service manuals. You can find them on eBay. I highly recommend finding a CD based non-PDF copy if possible as they'll be the most complete but the PDF is ok for the basics. But in my experience that may miss some sections or images. But the service manuals will be the exact thing that Ford dealer techs have access to and go into a lot of detail regarding these vehicles. I do have an ISO file for my 2013-14 copy. I'll see if I can post it up on archive.org later.

Welcome. I'm sure you can be a big help to the rest of us, especially as parts get harder to find. Cheers.

I will try to show a picture - in case it doesn't load.... I used some plumbers putty and sealed it down the bottom of the left side of the windshield. It worked! It appears the water can now find a path to the wheel well and not the floor or my feet.

As cars have gotten more & more complex, it's easy to question the auto industry for blame, but the true blame mostly falls on federal & state regulations. Emission, safety, or CAFE along with public demand have turned simple repairs in your backyard into something needing a rocket scientist. The auto industry is to blame for designs that require special [for most of us single use] tools. More & more simple things are being used trying to force owners back to dealers service centers only. One example I can think of on the C-Max, is the lack of an transmission dipstick forcing an older owner back to the dealer or finding a shop willing to check it for you.

Lots of old data on this forum going back to 2012 when the c-max came out. Suggest you do a search for the cv boot problem before laying out $$ for that one.

I happened to be driving my 18-year-old Toyota jalopy down a nearby county road when I spotted a maroon Ford compact for sale in a yard. Thinking it was a little Fiesta I might be able to afford, I stopped to check it out. The seller stepped out to talk about it: "2015 C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, flexible on price" (OMG -- only nine years old, might as well be brand-new!). By the end of the next day, I was cautiously pressing the accelerator to silently drive it home. By now, I have discovered many of the little surprises that come with a used car -- one missing fob (the seller promises he's looking for it), mysterious warning lights that come on inconsistently, the rear hatch latch that occasionally won't open, and a weird howl from the nearly-new General radial tires. But hey, I'm drivin' hybrid-style, going all of 15 miles on pure electrons before the ICE kicks in and starts burning dinosaur juice (didja catch that use of "ICE" to refer to the piston engine? Yes, I've been reading the forum while I waited for membership approval). So, I am extremely happy to have found this place to humbly (and occasionally stupidly) ask questions of the much more experienced C-Max drivers here. I have a few already waiting to be researched and/or written up. Thank you to all here who offer their knowledge and experience to newbies like me.

The HVB is what runs the two electric motors that conspire to start the ICE and to get ICE torque to the wheels, remember? The 12v battery is just for the accessories and the power relay that lets juice out of the HVB. If the HVB is totally dead, your car is bricked. But there's a long way to go from "can't run on battery for long" and "not enough battery to start the ICE".

We are now one of the new members of the Ford C-Max Hybrid dead battery club. There is no battery monitoring system (BMS) on our C-Max 2013 that works. Failure of the battery at highway speed could end your life as you lose steering and brakes, air bags. At 5 mph I had a hell of a time stopping the car! I REPEAT. FORGET ABOUT MPG'S FOR A MOMENT. IF YOUR 12 V BATTERY DIES YOUR CAR DIES PERIOD. IF THIS HAPPENS ON THE HIGHWAY THEN YOU MIGHT DIE LIKE ALL OF THE 31+GM OWNERS WHO HAD THE FAILED IGNITION SWITCH. PROTECT YOURSELF. Buy a volt meter from Amazon for under $3.00 that you can plug into the 12 Volt cigarette socket. A fully charged battery will read 12.8 Volts+ A charging system voltage will be at least 13.5 to 14.5 Volts. Use it regularly until Ford fixes the system. You will have piece of mind and a great way to monitor your car's battery. A dead battery will read 12 Volts that is what we had when the battery monitoring system kicked in 10 seconds before the car died, losing brakes, steering, flashers and everything else. Be prepared to use the emergency parking brake. Check your battery voltage daily until you get the meter. Buy a regular volt meter and check the system's voltage by using the two terminals located in the front right side of your vehicle. One is + and the post is - You NEVER know when the charging component will or has failed. That is one of the big silent problems. You just don't see it coming. Send a letter to Ford to first fix the BMS and second to add a visual voltage meter and Coolant Temperature gauge on the Left side of the panel (available in My View). They should also add parallel redundancy to the battery charging system with at least 3 systems and to redesign the system so that the car will not die once started if the battery dies. We live in Canada 50 miles from where this car was built but we are a 3rd world country to Ford. Write Ford USA. They can ignore me but not the USA citizens. Battery (12 v) failure MUST NEVER SHUT THE CAR DOWN WHEN BEING DRIVEN. NO POWER; NO POWER STEERING, NO POWER BRAKES, NO LIGHTS/FLASHERS AND MOST LIKELY NO AIR BAGS. If you do not see the battery being charged while operating the vehicle contact your Ford Dealer ASAP and perhaps don't drive the car. I am trying to warn all C-Max hybrid owners of this problem. We had the most recent upgrade done on October 23 2014 when our Navigation System was repaired, one day before the battery died. Ford tech's did not notice that the charging system was not working because no alarms were showing. The C-Max hybrid is different than a standard car. The ICE (engine) does not have a starting motor or an alternator. The EV motor starts the ICE. The Li ion high voltage battery charges the 12 V system. The 12 V system runs things like the radio, standard instrumentation and I believe the air bags. UPDATED 7 Nov 2014 Found dc/dc charger for battery was not working ......No Alarms Found high amp fuse with very heavy wire was replaced and solved the problem - it must have be shorting out putting a drain on the charging system and emptying the battery. Still not BMS update. You can access the charging system voltage and coolant temp via the ETM mode at startup. Suggest check regularly until you get a voltmeter and Ford fixes this end of the problem. It took 2 weeks but our C-Max is up and running - charging voltage is normally 14.3-4 Volts. Note: 13.4 V or so might indicate the fuse problem as was in our case once the Dc/Dc charger was replaced. Check the battery light is green located on top of the battery and very difficult to see.

I was hoping someone in the CMAX forum would be interested in taking over for me making Grill Covers for those that can't make their own. It would be a shame not to have them available for New Members. Paul

Timing chain. And there's no service interval listed by Ford for this.

For those still interested, the Tema4x4 lift kit on eBay / Amazon installed fine and gave a decent lift, no longer scraping at splaces it used to! I think this car should have been this height from the beginning.

Page 1-3 in this document https://www.fleet.ford.com/cmslibs/content/dam/aem_fleet/en_us/fleet/showroom/resources/2017-C-Max-Modifiers-Guide.pdf contains the following: WARNING: Only use replacement tires and wheels that are the same size and type (such as P-metric versus LT-metric or all-season versus allterrain) as those originally provided by Ford. Use of any tire or wheel not recommended by Ford can affect the safety and performance of your vehicle, which could result in an increased risk of the loss of vehicle control, vehicle rollover, personal injury or death. Additionally, the use of non-recommended tires and wheels could cause steering or suspension failure. If you have questions regarding tire replacement, see an authorized Ford or Lincoln dealer. NOTICE: Do not install an off road, aggressive tread or incorrectly sized tire. Any of these may cause elevated stress to the steering system. This can cause the power steering system to overheat and shut off the power assist, which can affect the safety and performance of your vehicle. Hope this helps.

I just ordered my C-Max. So, I haven't had a chance to poke around inside yet. It looks like the front foot wells are pretty much mirror images of each other, except for the pedals and the foot rest for the driver. In my test drive, I simply hated that foot rest. I wonder if I could just pull back the carpet, and take out that foot rest, or maybe do something to reshape it. Has anyone had a peek under that carpet yet?

After a year of inaction I decided to take the dive & replace the camera on my 2013 SEL, with hope that it would not be more than my auto repair knowledge. Turns out it was easier than I was afraid of. Research online showed cheapest was RockAuto/Amazon/Ebay, about $150 after taxes & shipping opposed to local parts stores or dealer, $200-$500. I am partial to RockAuto but whoever works for you. My car called for part #Dorman 592-008, I believe your 2014 uses the same#, but verify first. You will need 1. a Phillips head screwdriver, 2. A 10mm socket & 2in extension, 3. A small flat head screwdriver & a trim removal tool or dull regular screwdriver [dull to prevent scratches] or a dull butter knife, worked just as well for me. Optional: dielectric grease & crazy glue #1.Remove top center trim. Has 2 clips at 1/3 & 2/3 across & 2 plug-ins to side panels. #2.Remove 2 side panels. Had clips at top & center & 2 plug-in to big/main panel at bottom end. #3.Using small flat head remove buttons on hatch handle to access Phillips heads & remove handle. [ I needed a small flashlight to see heads & put driver in correctly but I am old and feeble at the worst times] & remove 2 rear light access doors to help pull big panel. #4Remove big panel. If you have the push button close, find a helper to hold big panel while you unplug switch before you undo the last 1-3 clips, [Murphy's Law dictates that wind will gust while you try to hold panel with one hand & unplug with other hand] #5.With 10mm socket & ext. remove 4 nuts that hold outer body with the license plate lights & camera. Be careful not to drop any of the nuts into bottom of hatch. #6. Remove camera from socket holding it in place. Mine had 2 "fingers" on one side holding it. Unplug camera, easier to unplug after removal than in place, plug in new camera & follow pattern in reverse to reassemble. Total time was about 2 hours, but I am a bit slow a deliberate when it comes to auto repair. #7.You may want to use dielectric grease on plugs to guard against water & use crazy glue on small plastic parts that may break, be sure glue is dry before reassembly. This worked for me & I now had a camera that works [better than O/E]. Hope this helps & Thanks for the read.

I stopped trusting the dealer, sometimes you get better service from a small independent repair shop. My dealer seems to have too many cars to work on and they are on a tight schedule, so it seems they work more like on one of these quick lube places. Just trying to get the car out as quick as possible. Since I've started doing my own service, I've noticed a lot of sloppy work was done from them. Like some screws are missing from the under engine cover and my lug nuts are swollen from overtightening with the impact gun.

Found this filter . Being new to hybrids, but fresh out of the turner world, I have to wonder why the product was even made. I know K&N filter often add a couple extra HP, but would C-Max even benefit from this? Like I said, filter/ intake upgrades don't really add much power, but could our cars be more restricted than the average car? Also, would the new filter negatively impact mpg's, provided normal driving conditions? I rarely stomp the pedal, so the added power would be almost never used. I do think it would be nice to have a little more pep getting onto the highway (altho, I don't have any issues doing so). In the past, I have used K&N filters for the HP and the fact the are reusable. I still think having a reusable filter will save me money in the long run. Just tossing around ideas for discussion. What do you guys think?

Try getting 3M ceramic window tint - it will block UV yet does not have to be super dark to perform its function.

Most generic car Apps do not have service procedures like battery age reset in them. Even ForScan light for smartphones does not. You need the Windows version of ForScan for service procedures. There’s a trial version and extended paid licenses now available for the Windows version.

I recall at least one time I had a similar experience as SnowStorm. From the manual, the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) needs the power mode signal from the Body Control Module for Electronic Power Assist Steering (EPAS) to be activated. So, any delay or error in getting the signal might be the cause of the few second delay in EPAS activation. Once active, EPAS uses the steering torque sensor input and vehicle speed in applying steering assist. "The steering torque sensor senses the torque at the steering wheel. It is hard wired to the PSCM and works by measuring the relative rotation between an input and output shaft which are connected by a torsion bar." "The PSCM is self-monitoring and is capable of setting and storing Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs). Depending on the DTC set, the PSCM may enter a failure mode. In addition, the PSCM may send a request to the IPC to display a message in the message center, alerting the driver of a potential EPAS concern." Depending on the DTC, the PSCM failure modes are 1) diminished EPAS and 2) no EPAS or manual steering. So, my guess is that upon restart the issue causing the failure mode was no longer present and EPAS operation returned to normal and the DTC was reset. It seems that a CAN issue, PSCM issue, or an issue with the steering torque sensor could initiate a failure mode.

Run-flats ride notoriously hard; it's consistently reviewers' chief complaint about BMWs.

I was also going to suggest pulling the fuse if nothing else is on the circuit; however, I like having the rear camera on while using my cargo rack. If fact, I even turn on the delay option to keep the camera on longer so I can get a longer view to monitor things I have on it.

Welcome to the Jus-A-CMax review of the 2013 Ford CMax. About Me I am a CMax owner/driver and a real estate appraiser in the Los Angeles and Ventura County. Typically I spend a lot of time in the car going from job to job. I also spend a lot of time waiting for clients and also shooting "comparable" properties around the subject neighborhood. I also try to keep fit and use the car to go to the gym as much as I can, and play golf. So yes, when you see my Trip computer for 600+ miles a tank and I spent 20 hrs in the car - I did that, its what I do and I enjoy my job. About the Roads/Freeways In LA county, I typically do the San Fernando valley, Westlake Vlllage, North Ranch, Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Malibu. In Ventura county, I do Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Camarillo, Port Hueneme, Newbury Park, Oxnard. Typically I do about 50-120 miles a day, or at least a tank a week. I drive on the major freeways here: 118, 101, 23, 134, 170. Highways include Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and East Los Angeles, all the canyon arterials and a ton of surface streets. After all, no houses are along the Freeways..at least no reputable ones. For those not familiar with the terrain, the 118 typically runs east-west, climbing up to Rocky Peak and then it drops down to Simi Valley. Running in parallel with the 118 is the 101 and you have connecting roads arterial roads that run north-south like Topanga or Box Canyon or the 23 Freeway. Contrary to popular belief, the 118 and 101 are not flat, there are rolling hills and peaks. Here's a Google map of the area that I typically drive: About the Car - Initial Impressions I have never owned a hybrid. My past work car was a 1998 Camry and a super high end 2006 Jaguar Vanden Plas, a true luxury cruiser with stunning Jaguar look and drive. However, the Camry had the gong so its time to pick up a fuel efficient car mainly for my work. The CMax was not even on my top list - the Fusion Hybrid was, followed by the regular Prius and CMax and the Jetta TDI. The Fusion hybrid was not in stock so out of curiosity to see how a Ford hybrid would perform - I decided to test drive the CMax with Miguel. 1st drive - I was blown away - WHAT A CAR :rockon: The physical stand out attributes of the CMax were: 1. The visibility of the road from the drivers position. I could see more of the road and surroundings than the 2013 Fusion Hybrid. This was due to the higher seating position which allow a more top-down view unlike a typicaly sedan where you're lower. I also like the fact that the glass was also "not in may face" ala Prius. 2. The seating position. Felt spacious and roomy. I did not feel cramped, everything was logical and well laid out. I could swivel in and out of the leather seats with no worries. Unlike the sedans where I had to rise up. 3. I liked the 60/40 fold down flat seats and the room in the back. 4. The kick to open the liftgate was nice. 5. The interior lighting was awesome - just the nice touches you could change the mood inside the car. 6. Park Assist - scary good. 7. Rear view camera - I cannot tell you how many times this little camera has allowed me to do clean, 3 point reverse turns and get close to the bins and all, without running into them. I :wub2: this llil camera. However, the most standout note about the CMax - performance! For a little car, I was thinking these hybrid electric/gas motors were crap. After all, I did drive my neighbors' 2010 Prius (thanks neighbor) and the pep was not there and it was slow to react. To be honest, I did not see these "super mileage" the times I drove the Prius and I nearly got burnt - driving the car on fumes to the gas station at one time - near oooops. So when I fanged the CMax up the freeway on-ramp on the test drive, I was super, super surprised by the pickup and get up and go this car had. This was important part of my decision - I had climbed the Malibu canyons in my Camry, and they are steep. Infact, its a joke among appraisers that a certain hybrid cars can't go up these steep roads due to lack of power and I, for one, was not going to be stuck with such a car. It was an easy decision so I purchased my CMax from Galpin Motor Company in Van Nuys during the 2012 Thanksgiving Sale and picked up the car on December 6. Sale guy was Miguel Lopez and this is my 4th car from Galpin, just go to show what customer service they give to have my family and I coming back, car after car (shout to CarlosP). This was the final specification for my CMax: White Platinum, built in October 2012 My Ford Touch 3.1.3 (*sigh) SEL with everything loaded except the moon roof. The car came with the additional tinting on the rear passenger windows, thanks to Galpin Auto Sports. Luv the tint :) After 12,500 Miles So what are my thoughts after clocking more than 12,500 miles in over 4 months: 1. Spacious, Spacious carry room. I have to say, I own a TARDIS!!!!! Yes, the famed Dr.Who TARDIS - small on the outside but a city on the inside. My wife and I decided to make the CMax our snow car - and boy, do we :wub2: the space in the back where we can fit our entire ski/snowboard, food, alcohol, snow shovels and gear for our days away skiiing at Mammmoth mountain. The 40/60 split seat is great, I can carry my ladder for my job when inspecting the attic. 2. Superb handling. The CMax is a front wheel drive car and it really handles well. My favourite run is Box Canyon and I will encourage all the local Angelinos with a CMax to try this route from the 118 down to the 101 (via Valley Circle). Tight pin turns and this car just sticks and steering is precise. Point the steering there and the car is going there. 3. Mileage. This is the most controversial and probably most talked about part of the Ford CMax. No thanks to a few website "reviews" that slammed the car as a 37MPG car, we all know who they are but as I said, they have no skin in the game and after a week or 2, they are done while the real owners like you and I, we get to know our cars really, really well. I was not a hybrid driver when I first got the car, I had no clue - back in the days for me to save gas with the Camry, I would roll down the Rocky Peak or any slope in neutral - that was all I could do. However, the CMax has opened my eyes as to what is possible. And THANKS to this website and original posters like ptjones, I was able to learn quickly about the CMax and how to maximize my mileage. After 12,500 miles, for me, I can say with confidence and back it up with my fuelly running stats, my CMax is a 47+ MPG car. I disclosed the areas that I drive - mountains, hills, freeways, highways, surface streets and I have done 5 long hauls from Los Angeles to Mammoth Lakes (a 570 mile round trip each) and as I stressed, even at full load and in cold temperatures and 500 ft to 7,800 ft over 285 miles and back down, my CMax was able to achieve an increasing MPGs during the engine break-in to where I am averaging 45MPGs in my last 2 trips: Here is a snapshot of my fuelly.com statistics: Not too bad for a "Bloated Focus" as some critics have called this car ;) C-Max and the cold Yes, I have been blessed to live in SoCal where the temps are consistently mild or high temperatures. Occasionally, in the winter night, it may drop to 35 or 40. Driving in Mammoth when it snows and blizzard is about as cold as it gets in my driving experience. What I do find with the CMax in the cold is that it takes almost feel forever to heat up the ICE, resulting in usually a full battery (good) but you have burnt some fuel. Also, in the real 0 and below cold, even with a full battery, driving in EV feels almost like it's almost no battery - there seems to be no power or punch in EV. Use of grill covers (as designed by ptjones, a fellow poster here), may help and some owners have reported 2 to 5 MPG difference with the grill cover and far, far less time to warm up the engines. Do your research on this. I don't use grill covers because I don't have these low temps for long but someone in Alaska, its a different story. Engine Break-In The manual says 1,000 miles to break-in the engine. Some Ford Engineers has quoted 3,000. In my experience and also looking at the "Mammoth to San Fernando" statistics, I would say the engine break-in really starts to have an effect on MPG at 3,000 miles on the odometer. Then it will rise and rise to about 10,000 and level out at 11,000. My Mammoth stat show this and it's a good sample because of the most consistent & similar temperature, mileage and same load to derive my conclusion. Why does it take so long to break in a gas engine? My thought is that being a hybrid vehicle, the ICE is on "part time" (unlike a conventional car where the 1,000 mile rule of thumb is applicable). If you drive FE like me, it's even less as you want to maximize your mileage with less ICE as possible except for acceleration. My advice: Be patient and enjoy the car, the engine will break-in on its own time. As to how much of an improvement this break-in will give you - I think it depends on car to car and for me, this was worth at least 5 MPGs. So what's my secret sauce? "Secret" sauce implies some magical spice or some black, hidden procedures or technique - no such thing. What I do is within what Ford has given us but really it comes down to understanding how you use your body and also your mind to drive a car. For me, long gone are the days of "pedal to the metal" and continuous gas in an all-gas-engine car. The common misconception with hybrid/hypermiling is to drive like an elderly. No, that is not the case. You are slow in accelerating but it does not mean you do 20 mph in 35 mph zone. Don't do that - its dangerous and STUPID. My driving has been to keep witin -3 and +5 for surface speed limits and about the same for freeway. Watch the rear to make sure you don't annoy the driver behind you and stay to the right. 1. Your right foot. Learn to feather the pedal and feel the car especially when in EV mode. Feather means controlling the right pedal to give it the minimal power (EV or ICE) to maintain your nominated cruising speed. Most drivers make a big mistake to push FULL EV power when in reality, perhaps a 1/4 of the power is enough to keep you at speed. VERY IMPORTANT - when accelerating, learn to keep the power white bar up to the second bar, this is where the car will charge the battery (see the red marked area is where your battery recharge zone is) and be patient in keeping it there till you reach your cruising speed: Any higher and it will start to suck the battery. Also, take note that at higher battery level, this "red box" range (see above) is even smaller, typically just under the 2 bar level. Learn to play with it. Question: Do I use the EV or not? Most hypermilers say "Don't use EV". Let me say, I believe in using EV. Typical hypermiler thinking is use ICE only. However, imo, unlike previous hybrids from other companies, where the batteries were smaller and the EV threshold was even smaller, Ford went the opposite way with higher threshold speed for EV with more aggressive regen and larger batteries. It makes sense to utilize EV to some extent instead of ICE that burns gas. Gas is limited to 13.5 gallons but EV you can regen and regen using power and coasting, and if you hit the slope and glide down - thats automatic EV there. Based on my observation, the EV in CMax actually works the best at speed between 25mph and 55mph - eventhough the threshold is 63mph. You get more "bang for your EV bucks" at the surface street vs freeway speeds. For beginners, this "feathering" is the hardest thing you will learn to do with your new C-Max but master it and the C-Max will reward you with MPG riches. 2. Don't drain the battery all the way down, regen as high as practical say, 80% and work it down to 50% and repeat. How do you regen? Pulse & Glide (say 2 second of acceleration, let it run for 3-5 seconds or speed based). Alternatively, simply just use eco-cruise (set at say 66mph and press the cruise button to let the car speed up and regen. Then take it off and cycle again. Why HIGH battery? I find the most use of EV at above 50%, you can maintain greater speeds and "feathering" in EV seems to get more mojo for the effort. Also, having high battery has another advantage...see below. 3. ICE High MPG (what is this?) . Use ICE High MPG when you see a long stretch of gentle uphill freeway, this will allow you to take the car > 65mph and give you 40-60 instant MPG but be patient while the battery charges up to the level it needs to "play" and then double tap. Don't be tempted to go into full EV or use EV if you're gonna do this run, keep with your strategy. NOTE: At the minimum, you'll do 40MPG and if you make it dance, you are rewarded with 40 to 60 MPGs...but it is very terrain sensitive! 4. Start from a standstill in EV - take it from zero to about 10 mph in traffic and kick in ICE, this will keep your car with traffic but stay on the right lane. Even better: 15 mph or 20 mph when there is no traffic. IMO, the battery has superb torque, perfect to start the CMax from standstill, so lets take full advantage of it. Buring gas to start your car, while providing quicker acceleration, is a waste of gas since once gas is gone, its gone. Surface streets: 0 -> EV -> 15mph -> ICE-> 40 mph -> Glide to 35 mph and feather EV to maintain 35 mph. Rinse and repeat. 5. I learnt the hard way, climbing any steep grade is a severe burn on gas. My thinking here is that you'll reach the top eventually but are you willing to spend the gas to get there 5 minutes earlier? For me, I stick to the right lane, power bar up to the second level where the battery charges and climb (typical speed here is 55 mph but its up a steep grade) and turn up the music to kill the drone of ICE and relax. I easily save a lot of gas doing this and I do this manually by feathering the pedal to keep the power level at 2. You can always climb faster - that's the beauty of the CMax and 188HP but you give up fuel to do it. Eco-cruise is not that effective so manual is the way to go. ** Important to stay in the right lane so you don't PO the other drivers who like to climb and burn gas. Wave to them. 6. Burst Pulse & Glide. P&G is a very common hypermiler trick. It basically means you drive the car to a certain speed (aka pulse phase), take your foot off and the engine shuts down and the car will start to coast and drop speed (glide) phase. Now, based on my experience and with a high level battery charge, I have a variation to the normal P&G...take the acceleration to between 2.5 to 3 bar (see above) and count 1000, 2000 or 3000 and then glide it for 3 seconds, rinse and repeat. This has 2 effects, the sudden acceleration kicks in some battery use so you're not burning pure gas but just enough to give you positive (forward momentum) until the negative momentum (glide phase kicks in) - and its important to understand here is that the battery regen is from the glide phase (not pulse!) so you will regen slowly. As compared to a slow, constant 2 bar burn with the ICE regen, this seems more FE effective in certain situations...just remember to count the pulse phase and not overburn. Deadly effective in the 35 mph streets (and combined with some subtle EV feathering power=awesomeness). Another common question: with P&G, how quick or slow to pulse? My thoughts - some people drive it 1 bar and accelerate slowly. I use the 2 bar to accelerate quicker. My belief is that the Atkinson ICE is more efficient at higher loads so I prefer to take it to the 2 bar (just under the cut off for the regen). For me, a 1 bar burn means you are using gas for a much longer time and it becomes a burn rate vs time fight. I prefer to load up the ICE at 2 bar & brisk acceleration & regen at the same time = max benefit. IMO. 7. Battery Management. What is this? Since when do I need to manage my battery! C'mon.... Let's get down to the fact - this is a hybrid, it has a battery. As much as Ford wants to make life SO EASY, if you truly want to maximize your MPGs you need to understand the battery, State of Charge (SOC) and speed. So I am going to break this down as simple as I can, after all what can you do to manage a sophisticated battery with just the right pedal? Right?!?!?! Freeways: Driving freeways, in order to use the battery, you have to keep the speed under 63mph. This is fact - the higher the SOC, the more use of battery. An almost full battery provides more sustained EV driving than one which is at 1/3 level. Use Pulse&Glide to build battery especially if you use the 2 bar pulse acceleration. When you start the EV run, have a lower speed limit decided - this will be point which you will then start your battery regen pulse again. Ideal bandwidth is like 70% to 50% and use the glide coast and kick in EV at the end to sustain the glide phase as long as possible. Do not let it drain all the way down to 1/3 as then you waste a ton of gas building the SOC back to a useful 70% again. So your battery management here is like: Accelerate at 2 bar to 65mph, let it glide down to 60 mph, immediately kick in EV power as much as needed to sustain the speed but it will inevitably drop to around 58mph and when it does, go back to the start of this sentence and repeat. Use ICE High MPG is you want speeds > 65 mph (there - watch how high the SOC goes!)Highway: Similar to Freeway, just lower speeds and similar bandwidth the battery strategy. You will observe the battery giving you more miles for the juice (vs freeways).Surface Street: Similar bandwidth but this time you can drop the lower point of the battery regen to 1/3. Why this now? You just told me a different story in the freeway! So let me explain - here are facts with surface street driving - traffic lights. You will stop more so you regen FAR MORE than on freeway and highway. Also, these lower speeds means the CMax EV motor is more capable - not running at the upper end and sucking the battery like it does while freeway/highway driving. Lower speeds allows for a more meaningful use of the battery even at the lower end of SOC. And I can regen up to 60% within 3 stop lights. Get it?Here is reality - what I just said does not make much sense until you try this in your CMax and start feeling and seeing what you battery is doing. 8. Most important - know the roads/terrain you are driving! Think strategy - where can you maximize your FE? For example, I use some gas to climb a little on 118 west to Rocky Peak but then I turn left to drop down Box Canyon, this gives me a great number of miles of just EV across the entire valley and a nice full battery - as versus using the 405 and 101 freeways where you just burn more gas - not efficient and not necessarily saving you that much time either since there are almost no traffic on my Bxo Canyon route. Speaking of traffic - it isn't too bad in traffic either - hybrids were designed for traffic with all the start and stop and braking....turn up the Sony music and enjoy :) There are a lot of ways to play this mileage game. But you also don't have to play - drive it like a normal car if you want but know that the game will reward you with incredible MPG. The key is understanding your body, the car and the road. I say "body" because if you can't control your right foot, it's hard and I know, took me a long time to figure out the "feathering" myself. The car is all about knowing what its telling you - it's going flat, downgrade or upgrade, wind in an instant just by the feel and the momentum and you pick how you drive from what its telling you. The road, your selection of which route to take makes a world of difference to your MPG: freeway vs highways, drop down roads to maximize EV and so forth. 600+ miles anyone? I use to think 600 miles was a higher barrier to break in a CMax. However, since then I have broken 750 and on 06/25/2013, I broke the 800 miles on a single CMax tank (Suggested readings - see the links in my signature for the stories on the Journey and the 600 Mile CMax club threads) For me personally, this car is GREAT in the freeway but as a surface street car, the CMax is a KILLER car which will give you 55+ MPG under the right roads & conditions. Having said that, this is my personal best when I was driving > 50% freeway: This is my best tank driving around the valley with no freeway or highways: BIG DIFFERENCE, huh? If you are going to try the 600 miles a tank, my suggestion is that you carry a spare 2 gallon in the back. I've nearly been burnt as one time I had to hit the Malibu hills and I was red most of the time and had more hills to climb. Focus on the "gal" line in the TRIP screen (see above), this is the gallons used. Knowing that a max, max, max of 12.90 recorded is probably the upper limit! In real world experiences, there is typically a 0.3 difference between what's reported as gallons used and actual fill up. So CMax will say 12.50 gallons used and the pump will say 12.80. Then again, the pumps have different standards so you have variations as well - which is why I say, assume the "gal" line as the "better gauge" of how much actual fuel is used. This is my LIFETIME... Looking at that in Fuelly.com, those 30s tank fuel-up kills the average. On the other hand, my "running" MPG on Fuelly.com is high though: 47+ MPG so it is what it is. Some Issues There are some bad points, some serious, some not so much: 1. My Ford Touch navigation and 3.1.3. This is "tolerable" for now. Us early CMax adopters are stuck with the 3.1.3 and it's inherent issues with poor navigation tracking, continuous "Schedule Maintenance" or for me, sometimes it just plain loses track that its on a navigation and suppose to tell me where to go but instead - it goes "poof" into thin air all by itself. *sigh* :yahoo: UPDATE 05/24/2013: Galpin Ford replaced my GPS unit and its been SUPERB, no more driving in the middle of houses. Part # is CJ5Z10E893C. Based on the information here, some owners are still having the navigation issue here with the 3.5.1 MFT update (see threads) and with my own experience with having this GPS unit replaced and still running the 3.1.3 MFT, it leads me to conclude there was a batch of bad GPS units out there. Also ArizonaEnergi (first to do the update I believe) also had his GPS unit replaced and he was running 3.1.3 fine as well. Yes, Yes, Yes 2. Voice command. Sometimes it works, sometime it doesn't. 4. Liftgate - one or 2 kicks? Sometimes 1, sometimes 2, sometimes not at all. Great feature but wish it was implemented better. Who knows which side of the bed the liftgate got up from this morning... :yahoo: UPDATE 05/24/2013: Galpin Ford applied TSB 13-5-6 and this is now a 1 kick to open the liftgate. Yah! Please note, this TSB does not appear in the mandatory update when your Ford Service Advisor search for the update number. Have them look by component - in this case "Liftgate" and the TSB will appear under there. Its a quick update and well worth it for the hassle free liftgate operation. That's it.... Conclusion There is no doubt, that this is one of Ford's best hybrid to date. As I said to the Ford Engineers at the Ford Irvine Pow-Wow in early Febuary 2013, if this is Gen 1, I would hate to think how good the next Gen of CMax is going to be given the effort put into this 1st Gen (yes, posters here argue if this is 1st gen or not but I am calling it 1st Gen cause its never been here and with a new powerplant as well). Definitely, the strong and un-arguable points for the CMax is the seating, handling, power and utility. Sure it may not be as big in the back as a Prius V but the Vee will never, ever have the handling or power/climb like a CMax. That is fact. On the flipside, if you want fuel efficiency, it can do that but you are giving up the power and speed & travel time, to do this. It's completely up to you and your RIGHT FOOT to decide how you want to drive the CMax - isn't that nice of Ford to give you such simplicity to make your decision? Thanks for the read, hope this review help all your new Maxers out there and keep :shift: , it gets better and better. PS: I do not work for Ford, Galpin or have any professional associations with them, this review is based solely on my experiences. UPDATE: 04/20/2013 8:30AM added in the Engine Break In section. 04/20/2013 6:30PM Added fuelly.com chart. 06/28/2013 Updated with new thoughts and new 833.8 milestones.

I have K&N filters in my Miatas and my motorhome. At the very least I think they do no harm and I do save money over the years. I usually keep my vehicles for many years, generally in double digits. I have to wonder though, if FE gains in excess of 20% are available by simply changing the air filter, why wouldn't the car companies put them in at the factory? Think of the boost to their CAFE numbers.

I put a hi flow filter in my truck 15 years ago.(still have the same one in there) I got a 5 mpg boost and has 300,000 miles on it now with no problems. Saves gas and only have to buy one over the life of the vehicle. What more could you ask for?